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Hiring event set for Allred guards
Staff Reports
Times Record News
Workforce Solutions North Texas will host an in-person hiring event for the Allred Unit 10 a.m. to 3 p.m Tuesday.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is hiring correctional officers for Allred.
The event will be at Workforce headquarters, 4309 Old Jacksboro Highway, Entrance 5.
Applicants must bring their driver’s license, Social Security card and proof of education. The Allred Unit has full and part-time positions open that come with full healthcare and retirement benefits and paid training.
For more information, contact Workforce Solutions North Texas at 940-322-1801. | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/05/19/hiring-event-set-for-allred-guards/70235026007/ | 2023-05-20T01:08:51 | 0 | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/05/19/hiring-event-set-for-allred-guards/70235026007/ |
Live at the Lake returns for summer performances
Staff Reports
Times Record News
Live at the Lake returns to the Priddy Pavilion at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art at MSU Texas at 6 p.m. Thursday.
The Kelly Jackson Band will perform acoustic classic rock, country, blues and folk music.
Visitors are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets and drinks. Alcohol is allowed, but is limited to beer and wine.
Recommended donation is $10 at the door.
The museum will also have sidewalk chalk on hand for the public to draw their own artwork.
The second Live at the Lake will be at 6 p.m. June 15 with the GTop Band. The last performers of the season will be the James Cook Band on Sept. 7.
The museum is located at 2 Eureka Circle at Sikes lake. | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/05/19/live-at-the-lake-returns-for-summer-performances/70231881007/ | 2023-05-20T01:08:57 | 0 | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/05/19/live-at-the-lake-returns-for-summer-performances/70231881007/ |
WF residents complain about fiber installers in neighborhoods
Some Wichita Falls residents are complaining about contractors crawling through neighborhoods to install fiber lines.
The city said in a Facebook post Friday it is limited on what it can do about the crews.
"Due to the State of Texas taking local franchising authority away from cities in 2005, and the company’s regulation through the PUC, the City of Wichita Falls does not have any control in the fiber location and equipment installation within the right of way," the city said.
More:Damage by contractors means detours downtown
These companies are regulated by the Public Utility Commission (PUC). The Utilities Code and PUC give telecommunication companies the right to place fiber within the right of way, just as Oncor Electric or Atmos Gas has permission for their lines.
Currently, fiber companies have 20 crews working in the city.
"We understand some residents may be frustrated with the situation. In an effort to alleviate some of the issues, the City's Public Works Department has dedicated one inspector to check on crews currently working throughout the City.," the post from the city said.
It said residents with concerns and complaints should contact the telecommunication company directly. | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/05/19/wf-residents-complain-about-fiber-installers-in-neighborhoods/70237100007/ | 2023-05-20T01:09:03 | 0 | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/05/19/wf-residents-complain-about-fiber-installers-in-neighborhoods/70237100007/ |
Wreck kills baby, injures 3 others
A three-vehicle accident near Electra Wednesday killed a baby and injured three other people.
It happened on U.S. 287, 2.5 miles northwest of Electra.
The Department of Public Safety said traffic was being diverted from the main highway to Business 287 due to another wreck shutting down the northbound lanes.
A pickup traveling in the left northbound lane and approaching the detour had to move into the right-hand lane. The driver didn't see an SUV in the right-hand lane and was stopping because of slowed traffic.
The pickup struck the SUV in the rear, causing it to slam into the trailer of a truck ahead of it.
A one-year-old girl in the SUV was taken to Cook Medical Center in Fort Worth where she died. A four-year-old boy in the SUV was brought to United Regional in Wichita Falls where he was in stable condition. The 41-year-old Dallas woman who drove the SUV was also in stable condition.
The pickup driver, Michael Lloyd Carlson, 63, of Truscott, was treated and released. The driver of the big truck was not hurt. | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/05/19/wreck-kills-baby-injures-3-others/70234964007/ | 2023-05-20T01:09:09 | 0 | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/05/19/wreck-kills-baby-injures-3-others/70234964007/ |
San Francisco residents were left perplexed after a bright blue beam of light was seen shining from Grace Cathedral Tuesday night, stretching across Huntington Park to the Fairmont Hotel.
Some Reddit users attributed the beam to Zhu, a San Francisco-based EDM producer who plans to record his highly anticipated next album inside the cathedral next week. But it was actually Illuminate, the arts nonprofit behind the now-dark Bay Bridge lights installation, that is responsible for the light beam, the organization confirmed to SFGATE Friday.
The light was a laser test for the nonprofit's upcoming "Summer of Awe" project, Illuminate CEO Ben Davis said. The end result will include a series of laser installations, similar to the rainbow beams of light called "Welcome" that Illuminate shone from the Ferry Building during last year's Pride weekend.
"We're taking that laser technology and applying it in different ways on San Francisco landmarks," Davis said. "Illuminate is still fully intending to do the Welcome project this year down on Market Street, and even doubling the number of lasers. However, we've got a vision for something we're calling the Summer of Awe, and we're exploring other locations to do some other uplifting, ephemeral installations across San Francisco."
Davis added that the nonprofit's relationship with Grace Cathedral was paved by its project "Grace Light," a large-scale light installation inside the cathedral.
"We can, on short notice, call them up and experiment, play with them, basically. They know they can trust us and that we would do great things," Davis said.
More information about the locations planned for Illuminate's Summer of Awe series will be available within the coming weeks, Davis said. | https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/grace-cathedral-blue-light-beam-sf-18109431.php | 2023-05-20T01:20:20 | 0 | https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/grace-cathedral-blue-light-beam-sf-18109431.php |
The hottest trend in San Francisco — besides shopping at Brunello Cucinelli, of course — is talking about the city’s death spiral. CNN just did it. All the publications here, ours included, have made mention of what is being labeled a “doom loop.” Everyone’s got a theory; it’s get-your-takes-off season.
Another such San Francisco “doom loop” story made the rounds on Thursday, this time courtesy of the Financial Times, which seemed to especially piss people off by inserting illustrations of an inevitably empty, dystopian city.
Besides the provocative pictures, the story itself — co-bylined by two San Francisco writers — is standard fare, aiming for more of a surface-level assessment of the city. That’s somewhat understandable because the Financial Times is an international publication, and thus, even their local journalists need to frame their reporting for an audience that’s relatively unfamiliar with the comings and goings of San Francisco.
Even allowing for that context, though, the Financial Times story falls victim to the same tropes of its many, many predecessors, and actually annoyingly ups the ante by lumping in the entire city as a crisis zone. It highlights a few statistics that point to San Francisco’s (very real) housing, homelessness and substance abuse issues, but extrapolates those issues as if they’re equally spread out and prevalent in all of the city’s neighborhoods, ditching hard data in favor of anecdotes and unrelated complaints. Then it flattens the term “progressive” to mean all Democratic Party politicians, and implicitly blames progressives for the city’s shortcomings, even though San Francisco is largely, and increasingly, run by moderates who publicly disavow those labels.
The Financial Times piece opens with one of San Francisco’s oddest stories: Late last year, a toddler was exposed to fentanyl and almost died of an overdose. We know from toxicology reports that the toddler was definitely exposed to the deadly drug. We know very little else, including, critically, where the toddler was exposed. The toddler suffered his life-threatening reaction at Moscone Park, but no drugs were ever recovered from the park, which is cleaned by custodians three times a day.
The Financial Times quotes the toddler’s father, who obviously is still spooked, and says of the perception of unsafe conditions: “It has spread out. It feels like the probability of something going sideways here is higher.” If I was the father of a toddler who was exposed to fentanyl, I would feel similarly. For everyone else, what, exactly, are we supposed to take from this one-off episode six months later?
San Franciscans, and media outlets (ours included), need to be precise. Are we talking about a citywide collapse? Or a phenomenon primarily afflicting downtown?
Many such “doom loop” stories don’t pick a lane. The Financial Times, for instance, includes illustrations of colorless Painted Ladies, of parks overrun with weeds, of an empty, abandoned Coit Tower. It quotes Elon Musk’s “post-apocalyptic” complaints about San Francisco, assigning him credence on the subject, even though I would venture to guess he relies on extremely rich-guy transportation methods when he’s in San Francisco, as opposed to, you know, walking around.
C’mon now. Many of the city’s parks are in pristine condition, and they’re packed on the weekends — especially now, since the weather is finally nice again. Coit Tower is still a destination tourist spot, and nearby North Beach is bustling. (If we’re going to pluck anecdotes: A North Beach bartender told me a few months ago that nightlife foot traffic is way up year-over-year.) This weekend, Bay to Breakers is going to bring out approximately a bazillion people; restaurants and bars are going to be packed. Recent studies show San Francisco’s tourism industry recovery is lagging behind the state’s, but not by much.
I don’t bring all of that up in order to push for a “San Francisco is actually perfect” pep rally. I find that annoying, too. Many San Francisco neighborhoods have been gentrified beyond recognition. Every neighborhood in San Francisco has unhoused folks, people with substance abuse issues, empty storefronts, unaffordable rent.
Proportionately speaking, though, San Francisco is suffering from the same federal and statewide safety net failures that affect all of America’s cities. We have elevated numbers of unhoused folks, and some types of crimes are committed at higher rates here than other cities. Other crimes, including homicide rates, are lower, sometimes much lower, than other major cities.
Let’s be fair: Short- and medium-term concerns are really focused on downtown San Francisco. You won’t get too many rebuttals from me there. I’ve never seen a city with so many empty retail shops in short order. There is certainly more visible homelessness and there are more unhoused people in crisis. Foot traffic is low, low, low. I live nearby, and it’s eerie hopping off BART after a night out only to see the streets devoid of basically anyone. Reporting on the downtown store closures is fair game. So are stories about the conditions of downtown. Ignoring either is employing a selective bias that isn’t helpful to anyone.
But I don’t understand how the Financial Times arrived at “progressives” as the purported reason for downtown’s — and by association, the entire city’s — unwinding. “There is a growing sense, too, that the city’s progressive political class has failed its citizens,” the authors wrote, citing “violent attacks in wealthy neighbourhoods,” like the fatal stabbing of Bob Lee, the attack on Paul Pelosi, and “the bizarre case of Don Carmignani, the former fire commissioner, who was hospitalised last month after a homeless man assaulted him with a metal pipe; Carmignani’s attacker was released from jail when CCTV footage emerged that appeared to show the ex-official attacking numerous homeless people with bear mace, unprovoked.”
What do progressives have to do with the murder of a tech mogul, which is alleged to have been committed by a man who also works in tech, and doesn’t live in San Francisco? What do progressives have to do with an alleged QAnon follower from Berkeley breaking into Pelosi’s home? What do progressives have to do with a weirdo who has a history of violent allegations against him, who has most recently very possibly been attacking unhoused people?
Later in the story, while describing how a “doom loop” could turn San Francisco into Detroit (their words, not mine), the writers again employ the progressive bogeyman, flagging a potential future in which “political infighting among progressive politicians continues, keeping the city from making concerted progress on the homelessness, violence, drug use.”
I genuinely have no idea who they’re talking about. As the Financial Times mentions, San Francisco voters kicked out progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin in favor of “tough on crime” DA Brooke Jenkins. Depending on how generous you’re feeling, there are two or three legitimately progressive Board of Supervisors members — then a whole bunch of moderate Democrats. Some of the most powerful lobbying groups in the city are openly trying to unseat San Francisco’s remaining progressives. At least at the moment, local voters seem relatively aligned with those lobbying groups. The city is getting what it voted for: the policies of moderate Democrats.
That includes the city’s mayor, London Breed, who endorsed Michael Bloomberg for president in 2020. The Financial Times presents Breed as a free-spending liberal overseeing a bloated city budget, someone who’s dumping buckets of money “to cut the number of unsheltered people in half by the end of 2028” by building more permanent housing, as opposed to temporary shelters. “Shelters can be full of empty beds as people in the grip of powerful addiction are lured back to the streets for easy access to their next hit,” the Financial Times writes, sans citations.
These shelters are indeed sometimes “full of empty beds,” in large part because of the conditions in the shelters. Not every unhoused person is living on the streets because they’re desperate to do drugs; they have nowhere else to go, and an encampment is legitimately more comfortable than the city’s paltry offerings. Not to mention: If the city tried to force all of its unhoused people into temporary shelters — and boy do they want to! — they would very quickly run out of space. That’s why a federal judge enacted an injunction on encampment sweeps: By the city’s own admission, it doesn’t have enough housing.
Breed knows all this, and there’s not much evidence she cares. Public records previously revealed that she’s personally texted San Francisco police Chief Bill Scott, asking police officers to oust unhoused people from areas she happened to be visiting, which basically amounts to playing hot potato with human beings. As for Breed’s allegedly aspirational budgeting for supportive housing: Just recently, her office was called out by Supervisor Dean Preston for inexplicably failing to disburse $20 million in already-set-aside funding to repair public housing in the city. It’s just … sitting there, unused. Not exactly a great sign that she intends to follow through on permanent housing plans.
Taken together, the Financial Times piece doesn’t try to dig deeper, doesn’t challenge any of the pre-existing, flimsy narratives it raises. That’s what bothers me the most about it, and similarly reported thinkpieces from large media outlets: Fingers are pointed at perplexing targets, the city’s most powerful politicians seem to avoid meaningful critiques, nothing is prescribed. It’s just aimless gesturing.
“San Francisco has always been a boom and bust town,” the Financial Times concluded. “Maybe it always will be.”
A fitting way to end yet another imprecise “doom loop” take: basically, just a shrug. | https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/san-francisco-doom-loop-imprecise-thinkpieces-18106896.php | 2023-05-20T01:20:26 | 0 | https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/san-francisco-doom-loop-imprecise-thinkpieces-18106896.php |
FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) - Marista Dryden, the daughter of fallen Flint Police Capt. Collin Birnie, was overwhelmed by memorials for her father during National Police Week.
The beloved Flint police captain was honored in Washington, D.C. this week, when his name was added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Wall.
Dryden was on hand for the ceremony with several Flint Police Department officials. She reflected on this monumental moment for her father hours after the annual Genesee County law enforcement memorial service.
"He was hilarious and a big booming laugh and a hug that would give you a double squeeze," Dryden said about her father. "You just felt so protected and safe."
Birnie died in the line of duty in February 2022, when a 16-year-old driver hit his patrol car head-on on Elms Road in Mt. Morris Township. The teen was accused of driving recklessly and passing several vehicles in the oncoming lane before the crash.
The memorial space behind the Flint Police Department was dedicated to her late father. Dryden looks back on the good times shared with her dad.
"As special as it was to be his daughter, watching him be a grandfather absolutely melted my heart. Those are some of my favorite memories -- him being a papa," she said.
Dryden talked about her time traveling recently to Washington, D.C. and watching firsthand the outpouring of support for her father.
"It was incredible experience," she said. "There are so many people there both law enforcement and people who have lost like me that understood what we were going through."
Dryden was escorted by members of the Flint Police Department, who have been by her family's side since his passing.
"And then having them show up at the Police Week to be there for us and particularly partake in the candlelight vigil was just really incredible," she said.
Dryden was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support and the many tributes to her dad. She left a tribute to her father in a special room at the memorial dedicated to the officers who are added to the wall each year.
"That will always remain there. My my children's children would be able to go and look up their great grandfather and it would say all the words from me and other officers and you know his other children, his wife," Dryden said. "It's just beautiful that there's something there that will never be gone."
She said these memories and knowing that her father's legacy will live on bring her comfort in times of grief.
"I'm so glad that he's reached out to so many people. I'll get to see a bit of him for the rest of my life because someone will tell me a story," Dryden said. "Someone will have a memory. Someone will shed a tear with me and someone will laugh with me about my dad."
After this experience in Washington, Dryden said she plans to attend every year with her family. | https://www.abc12.com/news/local/daughter-of-fallen-flint-police-captain-touched-by-memorials/article_f8f5681c-f6a1-11ed-a300-dfd1ac199f7b.html | 2023-05-20T01:23:38 | 0 | https://www.abc12.com/news/local/daughter-of-fallen-flint-police-captain-touched-by-memorials/article_f8f5681c-f6a1-11ed-a300-dfd1ac199f7b.html |
GENESEE COUNTY, Mich. (WJRT) - Law enforcement came together to honor Genesee County's fallen officers during the annual memorial service at Flint Memorial Park on Friday.
Officers from all across the county remembered their brothers and sisters in blue as they gathered for the 63rd annual Police Memorial Service.
They read the names of 20 officers from Michigan State Police, Genesee County Sheriff's Office, Flint Police Department and Burton Police Department who died in the line of duty.
Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said it's important to always remember those who gave their lives serving the community.
"I've always said I'd much rather go to a funeral than a wedding because it resets every single one of us as to what we're doing in life and are we really making a difference," he said.
Family and friends of fallen officers were in attendance, including relatives of Flint Police Capt. Collin Birnie. He was killed last year in a crash while on duty. | https://www.abc12.com/news/local/genesee-county-law-enforcement-officers-gather-for-memorial-service/article_9c0d1ca0-f6a4-11ed-ba4b-0753bfb51c2b.html | 2023-05-20T01:23:44 | 1 | https://www.abc12.com/news/local/genesee-county-law-enforcement-officers-gather-for-memorial-service/article_9c0d1ca0-f6a4-11ed-ba4b-0753bfb51c2b.html |
DAMASCUS, Va. (WJHL) – The 36th annual Appalachian Trail Days festival kicked off in Damascus, Virginia with thousands of people expected to attend.
The festival is a celebration of hiking for past and present hikers who have traversed the Appalachian Trail.
“We are known as the friendliest town on the trail,” said Damascus Mayor Katie Lamb. “There are nine trails that converge here, all different kinds of trails. We’re called ‘Trail Town USA.'”
Trail Days attracts travelers from across the United States. Tom Richardson, who first hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1975, is from Bradenton, Florida. He says most people know him by his trail name, “Giddy Up.” He’s been attending Trail Days for several years now.
“The first time I did it, the whole thing thru-hike, it was 1975 in between undergraduate and graduate school,” said Richardson. “And then I did it a year and half of it in 1978, the bottom half and took students from the university, then completed it again last year and now I’m doing my third hike of the whole thing.”
Lamb says that Trail Days is like a reunion for hikers. The Saturday Hiker Parade will have hikers carrying banners from the year that they first hiked the Appalachian Trail.
“They do come down by year through the town during the parade,” said Lamb. “And a lot of folks come back here after they’ve hiked the trail to reunite with the people that they hiked the trail with.”
Richardson will be carrying the banner for the Class of 1975 hikers.
“We have been starting the parade, because the earliest class of hikers leads the parade.,” said Richardson. “And since we’re from 1975, I carry the banner, but I’ve had trouble finding anybody else from Class of ’75 to carry the other side. But now I have somebody who I hadn’t seen in 48 years who is coming and meeting tomorrow to carry that banner. His name’s Tim from Michigan. Haven’t seen him in 48 years. So, I’m looking forward to catching up with him.”
Richardson encourages others to take on the journey of the Appalachian Trail.
“Just get out here and do it,” said Richardson. “You’re going to suffer for a while, not like it, your feet are going to hurt. You’re not going to like the food, this and that. But you’ll get used to it and just keep going. You’ll love it.”
Lamb says she expects 25,000 to 30,000 people to attend Trail Days this year.
“This is the biggest turnout that we’ve had and we sold out of the parking for the tent city situation yesterday at six and that has never happened before,” said Lamb. “So, I think this is going to be the biggest Trail Days we’ve ever had and we’re very excited about it.”
The Appalachian Trail Days are May 19th – May 21st in Damascus Town Park. Click here to see a schedule of events. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/36th-annual-appalachian-trail-days-kicks-off-with-more-than-25000-expected-to-attend/ | 2023-05-20T01:24:04 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/36th-annual-appalachian-trail-days-kicks-off-with-more-than-25000-expected-to-attend/ |
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) — Lois Shults-Davis has practiced law in upper East Tennessee for 40 years and speaks on what could come from a notice of intent to sue Washington County, Virginia from California.
A former Washington County Sheriff’s Office employee, Austin Edwards, is accused of killing a California 15-year-old’s grandparents and mother, setting their home on fire, and then kidnapping her.
Medical examiners say Edwards took his own life after he tried to run from the police.
Now this California family, referred to as the Winek estate, is claiming wrongful death and negligence against Washington County, Virginia.
Public documents from the intent to sue state that if the Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office had performed a proper background check, then Edwards would have never been hired by the sheriff’s office.
Edwards had resigned from working with the Virginia State Police in October of last year and was hired by the sheriff’s office a week before the triple homicide in California.
Shults-Davis says employee liability to conduct background checks is a complex issue.
“The answer to that question would relate to what type of authority they have, what type of authority they would be exercising,” said Shults-Davis with Shuts & Shults Law Office. “An employer is not of course obligated to ensure that everyone that works for them acts reasonably all of the time because, of course, human beings are human beings.”
She does say employers are still required to provide proper training and use proper care of hiring their employees.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has told News Channel 11 in the past that it contacted Edwards’ past employers and VSP during the hiring process, but no employers communicated any troubles, reprimands, or internal investigations pertaining to Edwards.
“Well, if an officer has proper credentials, they’ve operated in that field,” said Shults-Davis. “You have references. You have their training, their information, which augments their application, but you can’t ever assume that something like that’s been done.”
Virginia State Police says a review was launched after agency officials learned of the allegations against Edwards. The results of that review showed that “human error” resulted in an incomplete search of database records.
Washington County’s attorney claims that the sheriff’s office is a separate entity from the county and has recommended to the Board of Supervisors that they deny the claim since Edwards was not a county government employee.
“Well, that would be another avenue of attempting to collect for the damages would be to sue the sheriff’s office under the theory of improper selection and training of that officer,” said Shults-Davis.
The Board of Supervisors is set to meet on May 23 to determine if it will accept the claim.
Washington County Sheriff Blake Andis confirmed that his office has received an intent to sue. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/attorney-speaks-on-potential-catfish-killer-lawsuit/ | 2023-05-20T01:24:10 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/attorney-speaks-on-potential-catfish-killer-lawsuit/ |
A wildfire burns a section of forest in the Grande Prairie district of Alberta, Canada on May 6. Wildfires in western Canada are currently impacting Idaho's air quality.
Photo provided by the Government of Alberta Fire Service
BOISE — A Yellow Air Quality Advisory has been issued for the Treasure Valley and will last through Monday.
Michael Toole, the regional airshed coordinator with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, said the smoke is a result of wildfires taking place in western Canada. Wind currents began pushing smoke into northern and eastern Idaho this week, and that smoke is now filtering into the Treasure Valley.
“We’re seeing a little bit of carryover from those areas into ours,” Toole said.
The hope is that by Sunday night and Monday morning conditions will clear back up, Toole said.
Children, elderly people and those with preexisting health issues should be cognizant of the air conditions and cut down on time outdoors, Toole said.
“Right now it’s not horrible but (the air quality index is) definitely higher than it has been the last couple days,” Toole said.
Additionally, all open outdoor burning is prohibited this weekend in Ada and Canyon county cities and unincorporated Ada County, according to the advisory. Outdoor burning remains permitted in unincorporated Canyon County.
This weekend the AQI is projected to hover between 65 and 70, which is designated as a moderate air quality level. Toole said the department will issue any updates if the AQI changes.
With recent increases in western wildfires over the years, Idaho’s air quality has been adversely impacted. While Toole said it does feel early in the year to issue an advisory, he also said it’s not unheard of and pointed out that wildfire season stretches from late April to early October.
This weekend will also be the hottest of the year thus far, with temperatures predicted to touch the low 90s on Saturday and Sunday before dipping back into the 70s early next week. | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/air-advisory-issued-this-weekend-in-treasure-valley/article_806af80c-f693-11ed-8434-975c7bbed358.html | 2023-05-20T01:29:50 | 1 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/air-advisory-issued-this-weekend-in-treasure-valley/article_806af80c-f693-11ed-8434-975c7bbed358.html |
The ever-present hum of rushing rapids mingled with the buoyant cheer of eager river-goers Friday afternoon at Pony Pasture, where Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney joined local advocates in outlining James River safety measures and precautions.
Among the speakers was Christina Winstead Brockwell, the mother of Lauren Winstead who, almost a year ago to the day, died along with fellow paddleboarder Sarah Erway in a drowning accident at Bosher’s Dam.
Ten other members of the trip survived, but Winstead, 23, and Erway, 28, perished.
Winstead Brockwell has since worked in tandem with Stoney and the city to ensure her daughter’s death helps keep others seeking to traverse the river city’s crown jewel safe.
“As a mother, I listened when the first responders told me my daughter was missing. And somehow I knew that the river had claimed her life,” said Winstead Brockwell, standing at a podium situated near the water’s edge.
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High water and momentum contributed to the deaths of her daughter and Erway, Winstead Brockwell said. A group of young people looking for adventure were enjoying a holiday blessed with beautiful weather.
But a lack of clear markings and warnings contributed to what became a tragic Memorial Day float trip. Earlier this month, 26-year-old Leah Patterson died after her raft overturned at the Hollywood Rapids section of the river, near Belle Isle and Mayo Island.
“In the midst of our grief, we started to wonder — how can we affect change to prevent another tragedy like this?” Winstead Brockwell said.
“If change could save even one life, it would certainly be worth the effort. I am happy to say that not only did the city of Richmond respond to our request for change, but they were immediately committed to making lasting improvements to river safety for everyone.”
Among those changes laid out by Stoney and other speakers are improved signage and trip-planning resources, plus additional assets for rescue teams.
Increased water level and safety reports are now available online and throughout the park, via the James River Association and Friends of the James River Park.
“While the water can be a great source of enjoyment and recreation for the region, it must also be respected as well,” said Stoney, adding that the James has the only free-flowing, naturally occurring Class 4 rapids in the U.S. that reside in the middle of a city.
He added that, because it’s free-flowing, the amount of water moving on any given day varies significantly.
“This makes it critically important that we heed the warnings and advisories when we are on the river and take all the necessary precautions to make sure that we enjoy this tremendous recreational resource and do so safely right in our backyard,” said Stoney, pointing to an array of new signage surrounding the podium.
Josh Stutz, executive director of Friends of the James River Park, spoke, along with Stoney; James River Park System outdoor education program supervisor Penelope Davenport; Richmond Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities director Chris Frelke; and Richmond Fire Department Capt. Brian Dalrymple, who heads the city’s 45-plus-member water rescue team.
Dalrymple said his team responds to more than 100 water rescues per year, a number “unheard of across the country.” Chief among the improved resources for his team is a creature craft rescue boat expected to hit the water this summer.
Dalrymple, Stutz, Davenport and Frelke implored river-goers to never underestimate the power of moving water.
Dominion Energy Riverrock, billed as the nation’s premier outdoor sports and music festival and typically a watershed RVA event heralding the opening of river season, is this weekend.
Winstead Brockwell closed by emphasizing that river safety is everyone’s responsibility.
She added that a garden was planted in her daughter and Erway’s honor at Reedy Creek, meant to remind people to be safe on the river, and to do something good every day of their lives.
“Richmond has been a community of compassion, and one of tangible action,” she said.
“Our grief has been immeasurable. But so has the outreaching of the community who has provided support, kindness and love. As a community, you listened, and committed to making changes to improve safety for everyone.
“We thank you.” | https://richmond.com/news/local/safety-james-river-pony-pasture/article_710db620-f688-11ed-a25a-83bb7525c4d5.html | 2023-05-20T01:37:46 | 0 | https://richmond.com/news/local/safety-james-river-pony-pasture/article_710db620-f688-11ed-a25a-83bb7525c4d5.html |
Tips sought to find man accused of animal abuse in Genesee County
The Genesee County Sheriff's Office is seeking tips to find a man accused of abandoning dogs potentially used for dogfighting.
Casey Autry Kidd, 29, has a felony warrant issued for his arrest for abandoning animals, Genesee County Sheriff Christopher Swanson announced during a virtual briefing Friday.
Kidd has a dangerous criminal history, the sheriff said. His past arrests include home invasion, drug and assault offenses, officials reported.
"We're not asking anyone to put themselves at risk," Swanson said.
Swanson said law enforcement found eight dogs chained in a backyard and another six dead dogs starved to death and rotting.
“We believe, our investigation, that these dogs were used in a potential dogfighting ring,” he said.
Two of the dogs were microchipped and one has been reunited with its family.
At least one dog, a Boston terrier, was believed to have been taken to be used as bait for dogfighting, Swanson said.
“Probable cause led us to believe that the other remaining dogs that had multiple stages of scarring and injuries are indicative of dogfighting,” Swanson said.
Anyone with information regarding Kidd’s whereabouts is asked to call 911, Crime Stoppers at (800) 422-JAIL or the Genesee Sheriff’s Office at (810) 257-3422. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/05/19/tips-sought-to-find-man-accused-of-animal-abuse-in-genesee-county/70238471007/ | 2023-05-20T01:38:04 | 0 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/05/19/tips-sought-to-find-man-accused-of-animal-abuse-in-genesee-county/70238471007/ |
Protesters of LB574, including Eliza Cline (center) and Madison Tewes (right), both of Lincoln, gather outside the legislative chamber on Friday at the Capitol.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Juju Tyner of Lincoln (right) leads the singing of Over the Rainbow during a protest in the Capitol of LB574 on Friday.
While senators were debating the bill, two people — a 24-year-old from Omaha and a 36-year-old from Lincoln — threw objects over the balcony onto the floor of the Legislature. Both were arrested on suspicion of obstructing a government operation and disturbing the peace.
Another person — a 25-year-old from Lincoln — was yelling repeatedly and refused law enforcement orders to leave the balcony. They were arrested on suspicion of disturbing the peace and trespassing.
The Legislature's presiding officer, Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly, then ordered the balconies to be cleared for the remainder of debate. One woman — a 56-year-old from Seward — refused to leave and was arrested on suspicion of disobeying a lawful order.
Then at about 3:25 p.m., a State Patrol trooper observed a person intentionally preventing a sergeant-at-arms from opening a door at the back of the legislative chamber. The trooper told the man to leave the area, and after he did not comply the trooper attempted to arrest him. The man — a 40-year-old from Lincoln — resisted and was eventually arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest and trespassing.
As troopers were attempting to take the man into custody, a woman — a 33-year-old from Lincoln — approached and tried to push past another trooper. The trooper held her back, at which point she punched the trooper in the chest. She was then arrested on suspicion of obstructing a peace officer.
All six were lodged in the Lancaster County Jail.
After the arrests, 33 senators voted to shut off a filibuster and send the bill (LB754) that prompted Friday's protests to Republican Gov. Jim Pillen for his signature.
In a tweet Friday afternoon, Pillen thanked the Capitol Security troopers for "keeping our senators, legislative staff members, and our citizenry safe while they gathered to exercise their First Amendment rights."
And in a statement following the bill's passing, Pillen said the bill would allow trans youth in Nebraska to "grow and explore who they are" without first making "irreversible decisions that should be made when they are fully grown."
Because the bill has an emergency clause attached, LB574 will become law a day after Pillen signs it.
When it does, gender-affirming surgeries for individuals under 19 would be outlawed in Nebraska, and the Department of Health and Human Services would be required to develop regulations for puberty blockers and hormone therapy.
As amended earlier this week, the bill also bans abortions after 12 weeks gestational age, which is marked from a woman's last menstrual period. That's about 10 weeks after fertilization.
Opponents raised concerns about the lack of exceptions for fetal anomalies, and that the amendment did not remove criminal penalties for abortion from state statute.
Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, the chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, told Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston, who raised those concerns, that he would work to remove those criminal penalties in a future legislative session.
An amendment from Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont would have changed 12 weeks gestational age to 12 weeks post fertilization and added "fetal anomalies incompatible with life" to the bill. But that amendment was not considered on Friday.
Photos and video: Scene at Nebraska Capitol as lawmakers debate LB574 for final time
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.
Protesters of LB574, including Eliza Cline (center) and Madison Tewes (right), both of Lincoln, gather outside the legislative chamber on Friday at the Capitol. | https://journalstar.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/watch-now-six-arrested-at-nebraska-capitol-amid-debate-over-abortion-gender-affirming-care/article_35ae0fee-f69c-11ed-8b8f-575306e2ec11.html | 2023-05-20T01:38:45 | 0 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/watch-now-six-arrested-at-nebraska-capitol-amid-debate-over-abortion-gender-affirming-care/article_35ae0fee-f69c-11ed-8b8f-575306e2ec11.html |
The Texas Regulatory Consistency Act was headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk for signature Friday after versions approved by both the Texas House and Senate were reconciled.
Anni Spilman with the National Federation of Independent Business said the change in state law keeps Texas cities from stepping outside their traditional regulatory authority.
“Right now we’re in very uncertain times facing a possible recession,” Spilman said. “We don’t need duplication in regulation when it comes to employment law and labor law. We have very good regulation on the state level, the federal level.”
Dallas County and City of Dallas officials opposed the new law. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said it is a power grab by state lawmakers.
“One size fits all local government does not work and it goes against the conservative principle of local control,” Jenkins said. “When it suited the leaders to talk about local control, they were for that.”
The City of Dallas has passed ordinances requiring rest breaks for construction workers and sick time for private employees that some small businesses strongly opposed. Cities will no longer be allowed to regulate those private business issues. Local leaders fear homelessness may increase with a prohibition on local eviction protections.
Dallas City Council Member Tennell Atkins who chairs the City Council Legislative Affairs Committee said all cities should not be treated the same.
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“You just can’t just compare apples and apples in what is good for the City of Dallas. And right now, we just oppose the bill,” Atkins said.
Dallas, Fort Worth and other North Texas cities have passed limits on the amount of interest payday and title loan businesses can charge.
“Those rules can stay in effect, but new ones can’t be passed if this passes,” Jenkins said.
That could leave cities unable to respond if lenders find new ways to increase penalties for borrowers.
But other restrictions local officials feared were not included in the final version of the bill according to Spilman. She said most of what cities and counties regulate will still be in place such as zoning, health and safety issues.
Local restrictions to combat puppy mills and short-term rental homes would still be allowed.
Abbott has said he plans to sign the new law. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-regulatory-consistency-act-heads-to-governors-desk/3261789/ | 2023-05-20T01:44:11 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-regulatory-consistency-act-heads-to-governors-desk/3261789/ |
A threat was posted Friday on a website related to the Royal Ransomware Group threatening to release data the group claims to have accessed from the City of Dallas.
The ransomware attack on Dallas government was first revealed on May 3 and since then city officials have always said no data has leaked.
The new post mentions the city’s claim and responds saying tons of personal information, including court cases, medical information and thousands of government documents will be posted on blogs.
City officials have confirmed that key portions of Dallas government remain harmed by the attack which caused them to shut down many systems to avoid spreading damage.
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said this week that his access to crime data has been compromised for mapping strategy. He said a backlog of reports remains to be filed.
The Dallas County District Attorney released a statement saying some police evidence for court cases has not been available for pending trials.
The City of Dallas Municipal Court, where traffic and code citations are handled, remained closed.
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Public computers were not available in Dallas libraries and returned books could not be properly checked in.
Cyber Threat Expert Sam Rubin, a Vice President with Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, who is not involved with the Dallas investigation, said threat actors do access data in more than 70% of attacks.
“They're not only locking up files but they're taking information as well. And it's really all about upping that level of pressure so they can extract payment. It's a form of extortion,” Rubin said.
Former Federal Prosecutor Matt Yarbrough who handles cybersecurity and data privacy cases with the law firm Michelman and Robinson said the threat posted Friday is a new level in the Dallas case.
“It's a major escalation from the standpoint they're going to release these critical systems not only about employees but active and ongoing criminal investigations and prosecutions. And the fact that it hurts or is hurting cases at trial right now is a major factor,” Yarbrough said.
The city of Dallas issued a statement Friday renewing the claim that no data has leaked.
“We continue to monitor the situation and maintain there is no evidence or indication that data has been compromised. Measures to protect data are in place," the statement said.
There is no information on whether the city has paid any ransom.
It could be that Friday’s threat is just a bluff and the threat actors have no data.
Rubin said delays in returning city functions to normal may simply be the enormous task required to reimage every individual city computer to ensure they are not infected.
“There’s a multi-stage process that they’re going through in that recovery,” Rubin said.
Some city websites are operating again. Police and Fire computer dispatch was working, officials said.
The test will be if confidential information does begin to roll out. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/threat-of-confidential-data-release-in-dallas-ransomware-attack/3261768/ | 2023-05-20T01:44:17 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/threat-of-confidential-data-release-in-dallas-ransomware-attack/3261768/ |
ATLANTA — Mayor Andre Dickens and the Atlanta City Council are working to find a new way to fight against food insecurity in the metro area.
“Every family in Atlanta deserves access to fresh, healthy food and convenient locations that provide these items,” said Mayor Dickens.
Legislation -- introduced by Councilmembers Marci Collier Overstreet and Andrea Boone -- would allocate $1 million to Invest Atlanta to provide residents access to quality groceries and fresh food. It aims to help underserved communities in the city. The ordinance would also help create jobs and encourage development in food insecure areas.
According to city officials, there are fewer than 50 grocery stores with less than 50 employees in Atlanta.
The Dickens Administration said the quality of grocers are different in the south than in the northeast parts of the city, which has a significant impact of health on public health for some communities.
"The City is committed to righting those wrongs, with an end goal of eliminating food insecurity in every zip code,” Dickens said.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found Black people are two times more likely to experience food insecurity than the national average.
“Through this fund, we can make a real difference in District 10 for our residents who have limited access to healthy foods. My constituents don’t have enough options, leaving them to buy food from the neighborhood gas stations and fast-food restaurants,” said District 10 Councilmember Boone.
The federal department also found the Black and Hispanic neighborhoods have fewer full-service supermarkets in their neighborhoods.
“By addressing this challenge, we can decrease food insecurity, give our residents better options, and help to boost our economic vitality," said District 12 Councilmember Antonio Lewis.
In addition to managing the funds, Invest Atlanta will also support research to show which communities are currently in a food desert. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/1-million-dollars-to-fight-food-insecurity-atlanta/85-54dd1736-87cf-4b73-b823-5d1f8d26169b | 2023-05-20T01:53:05 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/1-million-dollars-to-fight-food-insecurity-atlanta/85-54dd1736-87cf-4b73-b823-5d1f8d26169b |
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Nearly four years after a newborn was found abandoned inside of a plastic bag in the woods, her mother has been arrested and is facing charges. Forsyth County deputies said they used the DNA of the child's father to make the connection -- but the father didn't even know she existed.
The infant, who is known as "Baby India," was discovered in June 2019 after a family called 911, claiming they were hearing cries coming from the nearby woods on Daves Creek Road.
The infant's mother, 40-year-old Karima Jiwani, is charged with criminal attempt to murder, cruelty to children in the first degree, aggravated assault, and reckless abandonment.
"This child was tied up in a plastic bag and thrown into the woods like a bag of trash," Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman said. "I can't understand that. I truly wish I could. I struggle, but I don't know how you can understand that. It literally is one of (the) saddest things I've ever seen.
The sheriff said they've dedicated thousands of hours to the case and finally got a break 10 months ago. It was with advanced DNA investigative practices they were able to identify the child's father.
"That began an even more more concerted investigation with a focus to determine the manner, cause, and who was responsible for leaving Baby India to die in an isolated area of woods," Freeman said.
Authorities said there was no evidence that the father was ever aware of the pregnancy. In the past week, deputies use DNA to identify the baby's birth parent. They were able to arrest Jiwani Thursday. Freeman said she cooperated with the investigation.
"How a parent -- and I happen to be one too -- can do such a callous thing is both incomprehensible to all of us and infuriating," the sheriff said. "I'm dumbfounded by any reasoning that could be there and how someone could leave their own child to die."
LISTEN: 911 call of baby found in woods
Freeman said he wouldn't discuss details of Jiwani's interview or the motives behind the incident since the case is still pending prosecution. However, he did say evidence indicates the birth possibly happened inside a vehicle. They believe the mother was alone when she left "Baby India" in the woods.
"Evidence also reveals a history of hidden and concealed pregnancies and surprise births in Ms. Jiwani's history," Freeman said.
Another detail the sheriff added about the arrest was that the deputy who was first on the scene to find the infant, Deputy Terry Roper, was there to take Jiwani into custody.
READ: 'At the time I was just a dad' | Deputy describes moment he pulled baby from plastic bag in woods
(The story continues below the gallery.)
Baby India, infant found in Forsyth County Woods
"It seemed only fitting (the) first deputy who showed Baby India what a parent and a human being should act like, how someone is supposed to protect and comfort an infant, got the privilege of arresting that person," the sheriff said.
Freeman said despite the "inconceivable criminal act," the child is living a healthy and happy life. He did not share more about the child, who would be a toddler, for security reasons.
The sheriff made sure to point out that Georgia has a "safe haven law," where a mom can legally leave her baby at a hospital or fire station if the child isn't more than 30 days old. Under the Safe Place for Newborns Act, the mother isn't required to show ID and will not be charged. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/baby-india-mom-arrested-four-years-later-charges/85-0acd9fbf-e662-4de7-a071-befb46397da9 | 2023-05-20T01:53:11 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/baby-india-mom-arrested-four-years-later-charges/85-0acd9fbf-e662-4de7-a071-befb46397da9 |
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County officials are continuing efforts to clear abandoned buildings that have become a nuisance in the community. The countywide tear-downs are a part of a long-term effort to get rid of crime-ridden properties while improving the appearance of neighborhoods.
On Friday, crews demolished a home on Whitehall Forest Court. The neighborhood is just one example of communities in DeKalb County that have become subject to crime because of poor conditions.
Casheda Allen -- a homeowner, landlord, and tenant -- said they did a lot to get it torn down, including talking to many people. She said despite rising home prices in many areas, her property value has gone down.
"Even if the option was for me to buy another house, I can’t do that here because I can’t refinance. I can’t sell it," she said.
This is the second building to be demolished in this neighborhood. Officials have torn down several properties in the Brannon Hills Condominium complex, which has been plagued with crime over the years.
The demolitions are a part of the county's blight eradication effort in which 600 properties have been torn down since 2017.
DeKalb County Commissioner Ted Terry (District 6) said they have also been working to install cameras in many of these areas to deter crime.
Through the initiative, the county identifies properties in disarray and then through a court order, they are able to tear them down. Officials said Friday's demolition is just another step in improving DeKalb County.
“I think it’s quality of life. When we talk about the image of DeKalb County, we want people to think it’s clean and green and that it’s great place to live," said Terry. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/dekalb-county-clears-abandoned-buildings/85-86b3084c-61e8-4ba8-9f29-04f11f30b0e4 | 2023-05-20T01:53:17 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/dekalb-county-clears-abandoned-buildings/85-86b3084c-61e8-4ba8-9f29-04f11f30b0e4 |
ATLANTA — Georgia has received praise nationwide for its mental health overhaul last year along with its 988 rollout in July 2022. However, some lawmakers and organizations are expressing concern over budget cuts to the state's 988 hotline support.
The 988 crisis hotline was rolled out in the hopes of more effectively getting people the help they need and decreasing the stigma around mental health. The hotline focuses on emergencies like suicide calls, struggles with substance use and mental health crises.
Natasha Clark works with the Georgia chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a nonprofit that responds to mental health needs in the state. She said she had received positive feedback since the launch of the 988 hotline.
"It's an easier number for them to remember, and the way they have access to that number – whether through a phone call, a text or they can chat with somebody – they've had nothing but good feedback for me," Clark said. “They have had nothing but good things to say because it’s been easy, they’ve been heard and they’ve been helped.”
Experts with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said since the rollout of 988, the hotline has gotten around 3.6 million calls, texts and chat messages. They also said response times to mental health calls have dropped dramatically. SAMHSA held a town hall in Atlanta Friday to review the progress that had been made since 988 was launched.
"I think 988 does a huge service for the people of this state who might've been afraid to reach out because of whatever bias they may have had about mental illness or substance use disorder," Ashley Fielding, assistant commissioner of agency affairs with the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, said. “People are in distress, but I think it’s a hopeful thing, that people feel like it’s OK to say 'Hey, I’m not OK.”
Fielding said the agency received about $100 million in additional funding in the next state budget. She said while the money will help maintain crisis beds and mobile crisis response, GA DBHDD continues to deal with workforce shortages. Just a few weeks after signing the FY2024 budget, it was announced that Gov. Kemp denied around $2.2 million earmarked for 988 funding in that same budget.
The line-item veto in the budget states the funds would "go to the hotline rather than direct response services for those in crisis" and call volume had not justified the increase in funding.
However, state officials said 988 has led to a 12% increase in call volume since last year, and Georgia's crisis line has had a 40% increase in call volume since the pandemic began. Demand is growing especially fast in rural communities, according to mental health advocates in Georgia.
"Our crisis centers are staffed with nurses, and many nurses are leaving the profession and going into different aspects of using their degrees," Fielding said. "Fifteen percent of our crisis beds can be offline any given week just because of the workforce shortages we’re experiencing in the state. But what we're focused on is making sure we do the best job that we can with the resources we have available."
State officials expect the demand for 988 to spike once marketing efforts ramp up in the next year. 11Alive reached out to the governor's office for comment on the veto of the 988 hotline funding but did not hear back. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/georgias-988-mental-health-crisis-hotline-funding-cut/85-0e0b0bcb-e17c-42a0-9d09-8beefd6e2b11 | 2023-05-20T01:53:23 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/georgias-988-mental-health-crisis-hotline-funding-cut/85-0e0b0bcb-e17c-42a0-9d09-8beefd6e2b11 |
ATLANTA — Atlanta Police and Kia and Hyundai manufacturers are finding some solutions to help bring relief to owners in the metro area as they face the worries of getting their car stolen.
Zone 4 officers offered owners steering wheel locks to help with the car theft issues at a Friday event.
"Since we’re in a high crime area it’s actually good. It’s good for the community and it’s good for everybody," said Domennec Favors, an Atlanta resident.
Owners lined up at the 1 p.m. event that happened at the Greenbriar Mall parking lot.
"We’re actually getting something to secure our vehicle because there is a lot of theft going around," said Ricone Burns, an owner.
Both automakers also have settled a class action lawsuit for $200 million which would make them accountable for making vehicles police said are vulnerable to theft.
The lawsuit covers around 9 million cars made between 2011 and 2022. It will help with theft-related costs like higher insurance premiums and other losses.
APD recently warned residents of an uptick in car thefts that targeted those specific car brands.
Investigators believe that the rise in thefts might be caused by a recent trend seen on video-sharing platforms like TikTok. Some of the videos show a step-by-step guide on how to break into the cars.
Yaquanda Lucas was one of the first in line at Friday's event. She has seen the impact of the TikTok videos police have linked to a rise in car Hyundai and Kia thefts.
"I actually have two Kias. I got a Kia Optima and Kia Sol. I don’t think they should be showing those videos," said Lucas.
In a recent public safety meeting, auto thefts were said to be up by 755% compared to last year, with hundreds of thefts taking place since the start of the year, according to Deputy Chief Timothy D. Peek with the APD.
APD Captain Tommy Atzert said that the department responded to roughly 880 Kias and Hyundais thefts this year. He added that last year there were only 73 thefts they responded to.
"I have visited with several people, who have been victimized multiple times, it's really frustrating to see this," Zone 1 Commander Major R. Moorman said.
According to authorities, officers believe that the thefts are causing an increase in many residents' insurance rates. They said they are seeing the thefts at apartments, parking lots, streets and businesses.
These cars are usually stolen when the vehicles are left running.
"A lot of people are losing their cars they worked so hard to pay for," Burns said.
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at WhereAtlantaSpeaks@11Alive.com. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/kia-hyundai-owners-atlanta-wheel-lock-giveaway/85-c7706a03-9f3d-46fd-b09b-78f2c2e07f7e | 2023-05-20T01:53:29 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/kia-hyundai-owners-atlanta-wheel-lock-giveaway/85-c7706a03-9f3d-46fd-b09b-78f2c2e07f7e |
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Jackalope Festival is still a couple of weeks away, but one skateboarder is already here for it. He might be early, but his 3,000-mile cross-country journey was done entirely by board!
Chad Caruso started his trip from Venice Beach, California on March 24 with the goal of getting to Virginia Beach in time for the action sports Jackalope Festival, which starts June 2 at the Oceanfront.
During his trip, Caruso posted social media videos of the different places he skateboarded through, as well as the people he met along the way. He has also posted vlogs of his trip on his YouTube channel.
Caruso traveled through the southwestern states before making his way through Texas and ultimately, the southeastern United States. His Instagram post on Wednesday showed him skateboarding through Emporia, Virginia, less than 100 miles from his destination.
He arrived at his destination of Neptune Park on Friday afternoon, where a large crowd cheered and greeted him.
"Unreal, honestly, I wasn't expecting this many people!" Caruso said on his arrival.
Caruso has used his cross-country trip to raise money for addiction awareness among youth. His GoFundMe campaign has nearly hit his goal of $45,000, a portion of which will support Natural High, a drug prevention nonprofit organization.
With his journey now over, Caruso has become a Guinness World Record holder for the fastest crossing of America on a manually powered skateboard for a male.
“It's been an unforgettable journey and Chad has truly become a living legend by fearlessly embracing this colossal challenge," Micah Desforges, a producer with Jackalope Festival, wrote in a news release. "We applaud his unyielding determination and are beyond proud to have him as an ambassador for this year’s Jackalope festival in Virginia Beach.” | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/skateboarder-chad-caruso-finish-3000-mile-cross-country-ride-virginia-beach/291-c01ae119-f4c5-4cc9-b4f1-d2f1d9980fce | 2023-05-20T01:53:35 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/skateboarder-chad-caruso-finish-3000-mile-cross-country-ride-virginia-beach/291-c01ae119-f4c5-4cc9-b4f1-d2f1d9980fce |
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — It was a huge night in downtown Wilkes-Barre.
The band The Spin Doctors headlined night number two of the Fine Arts Fiesta on Public Square.
A big crowd turned out for the performance.
The Fine Arts Fiesta runs until Sunday.
Visitors can check out more than 40 artists from eight states.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/spin-doctors-perform-at-fine-arts-fiesta-wilkes-barre-pa-wnep-newswatch16/523-f84f0509-efaa-4713-a2f2-3c0e9cfe38f1 | 2023-05-20T01:55:24 | 1 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/spin-doctors-perform-at-fine-arts-fiesta-wilkes-barre-pa-wnep-newswatch16/523-f84f0509-efaa-4713-a2f2-3c0e9cfe38f1 |
LEE COUNTY, Fla. — A teenager was arrested early Friday morning after a break-in at a Verizon Prepaid store along Palm Beach Blvd outside Tice.
Lee County deputies said the 14-year-old was arrested a short time later by aviation units and a missing teen report was called. Investigators say they believe a rock was used to break the glass of the front door and a pair of Apple AirPods were taken.
The teen is being charged with felony burglary charges. Law enforcement said he’s been in trouble with the law before.
“It breaks my heart to see this struggle that some are going through,” said Chris Croker of Fort Myers.
“Too much, and it’s that generation that with kids that just don’t care,” said John Howard. “When I was coming in as kid we had the Cedar program, it encouraged kids to have some kind of job.”
“When we’re looking at kids and the issues going on, we call them those risk factors,” said Shelia Dixon, Regional Director over Lutheran Services Florida’s programs in Fort Myers.
Dixon says they see kids of all backgrounds. Risk factors are as much as it is about their home life as the trouble kids can find from skipping school or with nothing to do.
From 2021-2022, more than 12 hundred youths were arrested, according to data released in Feb. 2023 from the Juvenile Assessment Center of Lee County. That number is down from more than 3,331 in 2013.
Last year, nearly 1 in 5 youths arrested were because of burglary, 18 youths were transferred to adult court primarily for burglary charges. Additionally, there were nearly 800 felony charges issued to youths.
Lutheran Services is just one of many groups trying to engage early with at-risk kids.
“One of our programs is SNAP, Stop Now and Plan, and it targets the 6-11-year-old population and there’s been research shown its the formative years on making an impact on changing their trajectory,” said Dixon. “Sometimes it feels like some of these kids who are already involved might be lost within the system but there’s been new statutes and bills coming through to actually involved in the justice system.”
Lutheran Services also helps step in and hopefully prevents an arrest from happening if a kid gets a Civil Citation.
Dixon tells NBC2 they also point families to counseling and even their Oasis Youth Shelter locally to help at-risk kids ages 10 to 17 and their families have some time apart so they can reset.
As the Summer break from school approaches, LSF suggests getting involved with local Police Athletic Leagues like in Fort Myers, the Boys and Girls Club, or even Big Brothers Big Sisters programs to occupy youth’s time. | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/lee-county/2023/05/19/advocacy-group-touts-youth-involvement-to-help-curb-crime/ | 2023-05-20T01:56:35 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/lee-county/2023/05/19/advocacy-group-touts-youth-involvement-to-help-curb-crime/ |
Lakeland PD investigates fifth-grader's video after claim of death threat against student
The Lakeland Police Department has investigated a claim that a fifth-grader at Blake Academy posted a video in which she threatened to kill a fellow student.
LPD officers interviewed both the student who posted the video on TikTok and the student who was the subject of the alleged threat, said Robin Tillett, a spokesperson for the agency. Officers conducted a threat assessment, including visit to the home of the girl who made the video. No weapons were found, Tillett said.
Though police did not make an arrest, an LPD officer filed a complaint affidavit for a violation of a state law covering written or electronic threats to kill or do bodily injury, Tillett said. The State Attorney’s Office for the 10th Judicial Circuit will review the affidavit to determine if charges will be filed in this case.
The inquiry remains an open investigation, Tillett said.
Citizens Defending Freedom, a political group based in Mulberry, shared the video in a news release sent Friday to The Ledger.
Also:Budget busting gas prices also hit Polk government fleets and school district buses
More:Polk Schools' state test results mixed. Elementary math sees 3 percentage point bump
In the 37-second video, images of four children are shown against the background of a school hallway. The youth on the right speaks throughout, with the audio sped up so that the voice is distorted.
CDF blurred the four faces to protect the children’s privacy, said Peter D’Abrosca, managing director for Judge PR, which provided the news release.
The first on the right, addressing the other student as “Jit,” demands her lunch money. The second girl answers, “Nah, I don’t got to give you nothing.” (“Jit” is slang for a young or inexperienced person.)
After learning that the second girl just transferred to the school, the first says, “Well, let me tell you something, punk. See, I run this school right here. When I ask for your lunch money, you give it to me.”
The exchange is punctuated by comments, apparently represented the two other youths, such as, “Nah, Jit trippin’.”
The video is also punctuated with the sound of an explosion or gunshot as emojis flash over the faces of all four children. At one point, an animated image of what appears to be an oversized water pistol appears in the center of the screen.
“Hey tough guy, chill out. I’m just gonna take it,” the first girl says.
The pistol then moves toward the head of the girl at the left of the screen, and the sound of two gunshots can be heard. The second girl’s image tilts over to the left as a skull is superimposed on her face.
“Nah, Jit got popped in the hallway,” someone says. “That’s crazy.”
CDF, in its news release, said the mother of the girl who had been threatened reported the video to administrators at Blake Academy but “they refused to act.” The mother, identified as Trisha Brown, then pulled her 11-year-old daughter out of school on Tuesday after confirming that the girl who made the video had not been disciplined and was in class that day, the release said.
Brown returned to school two days later, showing a record of a May 31 court date for a hearing in which she would seek a protective order against the girl who made the video, the release said. Brown reported the incident to the school resource officer, who later called to say that Brown was no longer welcome at the school, the release said.
Brown then approached Citizens Defending Freedom, a non-profit formed in 2021 that advocates for conservative causes, such as challenges to books in schools the group considers pornographic. CDF recommended that she report the incident to law enforcement and the Florida Department of Education, the release said.
More:Random weapons checks await Polk students. District scrambling to hire teachers
After Brown contacted the state agency on Thursday, she was told that the Blake student had been arrested by the Lakeland Police Department, the release said. But Tillett clarified that LPD had not actually made an arrest.
“My daughter has been subjected to violent threats from another student for more than a week, and Blake Academy refused to take any action at all,” Brown said in the release. “The manner in which the school handled this incident is totally unacceptable, and the fact that I had to spend the past week fighting for my daughter’s safety tells me that there is something horribly wrong going on inside the Polk County School District.”
Brown vowed to do “everything in my power to ensure that justice is served to the girl who heinously threatened my daughter’s life.”
Brown could not be reached Friday for further comment.
In an emailed statement, Tillett said LPD interviewed both students.
“The student mentioned in the video did not feel threatened by the video or the student who made the video since they are friends,” Tillett wrote. “We take all incidents of alleged threats seriously and work closely with our school professionals to ensure students have a safe learning environment.”
In a statement posted Friday afternoon, Polk County Public Schools said it was aware of the video, emphasizing that it was created the previous weekend off school grounds, “and thus was not a situation where we would have the authority to handle the matter with school discipline.”
The video was reported Monday to the Blake Academy staff, “who immediately began reviewing the incident and reported it to district staff,” the statement said.
School staff members met with the alleged victim’s parent, who wanted to file charges, the release said. The school’s resource officer assisted her with that process, and LPD conducted its investigation, the release said.
“School staff have also interviewed both students and conducted an investigation to determine if bullying has been occurring,” the statement said. “To this point we have found no evidence that any bullying has taken place during their time together at Blake Academy.”
The district said that Blake’s staff has worked with Brown to make requested changes.
“The parent has returned to the school multiple times this week alleging that Blake Academy and the Lakeland Police Department are ignoring the situation, which is patently false,” the statement said. “The parent’s behavior has escalated to a point of disrupting school operations, which resulted in her being trespassed from campus.”
The district said that the news release from CDF “grossly misrepresents the facts of this situation.” The statement said that the school staff and law enforcement “have been diligent and thorough in their response to this situation.”
“It’s not uncommon for students, especially children of this age, to do foolish things on social media,” the district statement said. “We take all of these incidents seriously and investigate them to determine if there is a credible threat to anyone’s safety.”
The CDF issued an updated release late Friday afternoon, saying that Brown disputed the school district's version of events. It said that a Polk County Sheriff's Office deputy and a retired deputy who oversees the School Safe Guardian Program in Polk County both told her that the student who made the video had been arrested.
The released said that Blake Academy administrators on Friday offered her daughter a Hope Scholarship to attend a different school.
"Brown believes that this is an attempt on behalf of the school to make the situation go away, rather than dealing with the girl who actually created the problem," the release said.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13. | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2023/05/19/blake/70237179007/ | 2023-05-20T01:57:28 | 1 | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2023/05/19/blake/70237179007/ |
BALTIMORE — Baltimore homicide detective are investigating a double shooting in Southeast Baltimore Friday.
Shortly 9 p.m., officer responded to the 200 block of East Street for reports of a shooting.
When they arrived, they located a 19-year-old man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and an unidentified individual suffering from a gunshot wound to his right arm.
Both victims were transported to an area hospital. Due to the 19-year-old’s injuries, homicide detectives were notified.
Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call 410-396-2100. Those who wish to remain anonymous may utilize the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-866-7LOCKUP. | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/homicide-detective-investigate-a-double-shooting-in-southeast-baltimore | 2023-05-20T02:04:53 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/homicide-detective-investigate-a-double-shooting-in-southeast-baltimore |
PORTLAND, Ore. — It's been three days since Nicholas Gomez was forced out of his home at the May apartments in Southwest Portland. More than anything, the 32-year-old and his neighbors want to know what sparked the four-alarm fire that torched the 113-year-old building.
"We just want to get answers," Gomez said. "We want to know what happened. We want to know how to move forward."
Some answers may come sooner than others.
On Friday afternoon, the fire investigation took off. Jeff Pricher of the Scappoose Fire District was tasked with flying drones around and into the building in hopes of pinpointing the cause of the fire. Pricher said the drones will assist in creating both two- and three-dimensional maps of the scene.
"Then we're going to do some very specific photos to help enhance one of the areas of interest the fire investigators have," he said.
Pricher did the same thing earlier this year when a fire destroyed the old Korean church in downtown Portland. The drone Pricher flew helped generate images that ultimately led to an arson charge.
Pricher enjoys this line of work. In fact, this week he is at Powell Butte Nature Park sharing his passion and overseeing a program that teaches aviation professionalism.
"Teaches them aeronautical decision-making, crew resource management, and safety management systems which are the pillars of a successful aviation program," Pricher said.
A successful aviation program may provide Gomez with answers to the questions he has about the fire at the May apartments.
"Whether it be negligence on the way the building was ran or whether it be arson, we just want to put this thing to rest," Gomez said. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/downtown-portland-may-apartments-drone-investigation-cause/283-4dee6f02-9a8a-4d1e-b3f8-988a72847bb2 | 2023-05-20T02:20:28 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/downtown-portland-may-apartments-drone-investigation-cause/283-4dee6f02-9a8a-4d1e-b3f8-988a72847bb2 |
TROUTDALE, Ore. — Summer isn't officially here yet, but first responders in the Portland metro area are concerned about river safety as people look to cool off.
Earlier this week Portland hit new record highs for 90-degree days in the month of May. Understandably, many people took to local waterways in order to beat the heat and enjoy the sunshine. But water recreation comes with dangers, especially this early in the year.
Now four local agencies are combining resources to make the Sandy River safer.
"Corbett Fire has a drone, which changes the game," said John Plock, public information officer for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.
The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, Corbett Fire, American Medical Response and Gresham Fire are pooling equipment — like a drone, jet ski and sonar radar — to respond to people in trouble efficiently.
"With the amount of drownings we've had over the last few years, this equipment allows us to get out faster, locate faster and hopefully have a good outcome if someone does get into trouble," said Corbett Fire Chief Rick Wunsch.
First responders said Corbett Fire's new drone uses thermal imaging to help locate people underwater. Drone footage can also be shared with a link between responding agencies.
Meanwhile, sonar equipment can also locate people who may be drowning.
Responders said the Sandy River is especially dangerous due to fluctuating water levels. High water levels in the winter become lower in summer months. That changes the topography of the river.
"From one year to the next somebody will walk out into a section of the river that they anticipate being one way and it's changed on them," Gresham Fire Captain Travis Soles said. "And so there might be a deep spot where they thought it was shallow."
That can lead to calls for help. Now Corbett Fire's drone can drop life jackets or defibrillators to people in need.
Jet skis that launched last year can also help responders reach people faster. But officials said one of the biggest changes this season is among the simplest.
"One of the biggest problems that we faced in the past is a lack of life jackets," said AMR river rescue tech Liza Soffey.
Wunsch said only one of the nine people who've drowned in the past four years was wearing a life jacket. But this year Corbett Fire added life jackets for visitors to use at the Dabney boat launch. Officials said they plan to add four more locations along the river this weekend, providing more than 120 life jacket in total.
"Number one safety tip is to wear a lifejacket — no matter what the water conditions are, life jackets save lives," Soffey said. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/four-agencies-are-pooling-resources-to-stop-frequent-sandy-river-drownings/283-1641dd7c-a932-4033-ac53-9444a9ea444c | 2023-05-20T02:20:34 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/four-agencies-are-pooling-resources-to-stop-frequent-sandy-river-drownings/283-1641dd7c-a932-4033-ac53-9444a9ea444c |
SEATTLE — Some special guests ascended to the top of the Space Needle on Tuesday morning to begin the process of repainting Seattle's most iconic landmark.
The Space Needle is returning to "Astronaut White" after it was painted its original "Galaxy Gold" for its 60th-anniversary celebration last year.
The Space Needle was originally painted "Astronaut White," “Orbital Olive,” and “Re-entry Red,” topped with “Galaxy Gold" when it opened to the public on April 21, 1962.
The Space Needle was painted "Galaxy Gold" in April 2022 to kick off its 60th-anniversary celebration. According to Space Needle, the final paint colors were in line with the 21st-century theme of the World’s Fair, including "Galaxy Gold" for the sunburst and pagoda roof. John Minasian, the Space Needle’s chief engineer, designed rocket gantries for NASA.
Along with several of the top fundraisers from the annual Base 2 Space charity stair climb, local mascots Mariner Moose and Buoy from the Seattle Kraken were on hand to celebrate the occasion.
"The Space Needle gets a lot of cool things in and on and around it over the years as we roll through to celebrate things happening in the city around the world. We do flag-raising, special lightings, decals on the roof," said Randy Cote, chief operating officer for the Space Needle.
Cote said the last time the Space Needle was painted prior to the 60th anniversary was in 2012 for the 50th anniversary.
Download our free KING 5 app to stay up-to-date on news stories from across western Washington. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/space-needle-roof-astronaut-white/281-31b789cd-bff0-4735-a650-391933d5a8bf | 2023-05-20T02:20:40 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/space-needle-roof-astronaut-white/281-31b789cd-bff0-4735-a650-391933d5a8bf |
On Thursday, an astonishing amount of rainfall, measuring 3.90 inches, was recorded at Orlando International Airport.
This figure easily surpassed the previous record set in 1943, which stood at 1.74 inches.
The significant rainfall, along with trace amounts today, helped to alleviate the region’s yearly rainfall deficit, reducing it from -6.42 inches to -2.65 inches.
Looking ahead, anticipate sea breeze thunderstorms during the mid-to-late afternoon on both Friday and Saturday.
Moreover, a more extensive heavy rain event is expected to occur on Sunday and Monday as our next system approaches. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/20/astonishing-amount-of-rainfall-seen-in-central-florida/ | 2023-05-20T02:21:58 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/20/astonishing-amount-of-rainfall-seen-in-central-florida/ |
BELFAIR, Wash. — For kids, clubhouses are safe places to talk about comic books and sports.
Recover clubhouses are based on the same idea, but with a different goal, and are about to get an increase in state funding.
In the budget signed by Gov. Jay Inslee, (D) Washington, Tuesday, $7 million will go towards grant funding for recovery clubhouses, which are facilities to help those struggling with addiction or behavioral health issues.
The clubhouses offer counseling from peers who are currently in recovery.
Rather than just arresting people, a volunteer named Jacob at Olympia's Capitol Recovery Center is glad the state is finding ways to help treat them.
"Getting someone clean is better than throwing them in a cell and saying, 'Here you go, go get clean.' It doesn't work," Jacob said.
Next week the Mason County town of Belfair gets its first clubhouse, thanks to state funding made available in 2021.
“It’s a place where people can come for fellowship,” said Belfair Community Clubhouse Executive Director Sean Wright.
Wright said he has been in recovery for nine years thanks to the support he got at a clubhouse.
He is eager to offer that help for the first time in rural Mason County.
“We were all suffering in silence, now we don’t suffer because we have a place to go,” said Wright.
According to the Washington State Health Care Authority, 44 clubhouse organizations in Washington receive state funds.
A spokesperson said it’s unclear how many more could open or expand with the newly approved state funding.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Download our free KING 5 app to stay up-to-date on news stories from across western Washington. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/7-million-to-recovery-clubhouses/281-fe316e1b-9739-4208-8811-1adcb9847ca0 | 2023-05-20T02:22:33 | 0 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/7-million-to-recovery-clubhouses/281-fe316e1b-9739-4208-8811-1adcb9847ca0 |
SEATTLE — Time is up for people wanting to file to run for Seattle City Council.
The deadline to file was at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 19. No matter the election results, this race will end with at least four new faces on the city council.
As of right now, there are more than 40 candidates signed up to run for the seven district seats. This year’s election is only for the seven district seats and does not include the two citywide seats held by Councilmember Sara Nelson and Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda.
Of the seven seats that are up for election, only three council members are seeking reelection. Those three trying to keep their seats this year are Tammy Morales (District 2), Dan Strauss (District 6) and Andrew Lewis (District 7).
“We're seeing four open seats, which is still the largest number of open seats we've had since 2015 when the council reorganized,” said Patrick Schoettner, who is a political science professor at Seattle University studying municipal politics, elections and specifically Seattle politics.
Schoettner said this turnover will be significant due to the departure of several key players.
“We're seeing a lot of long-term incumbents, particularly District 3’s very own Kshama Sawant, stepping down from the council, which means that we could really see the council take a different tack or a different direction,” said Schoettner.
Council members Kshama Sawant (District 3), Alex Pedersen (District 4), Debora Juarez (District 5), and Lisa Herbold (District 1) are all not seeking re-election. Due to the agendas and working relationships each council member has, Schoettner said this election will change the city's political landscape.
“If you're changing, you know, just under half of the council and the personalities on that council, that's going to lead to a different city politic,” said Schoettner.
This will be the first city council election since the recent redistricting, which Schoettner doesn't believe will have big impacts on results.
“I don't think there will be a dramatic shift in how each of those key districts wind up voting,” said Shoettner.
He said there is one specific topic he thinks will be front and center this campaign season.
“Homelessness is going to unavoidably be an issue. And when we're talking about homelessness, we're also talking about two closely related issues, which is security on one hand and housing on the other,” said Schoettner.
No matter the issue that matters most to you, he said district elections are important, as you choose who represents you and your neighbors.
“Seattle is in a lot of ways a city of neighborhoods,” said Schoettner. “And this is an opportunity for neighborhoods to have their distinctive voices heard.
The primary election will take place in August and the general election will be held in November.
There is one more council seat that could open up in the fall. Citywide Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda is not up for reelection this year, but she is running for King County Council. If she wins that race, her city council seat will need to be filled. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/filing-period-ends-seattle-city-council/281-acff9ba9-2b22-4f98-a39d-bc0dd5fd98f2 | 2023-05-20T02:22:39 | 1 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/filing-period-ends-seattle-city-council/281-acff9ba9-2b22-4f98-a39d-bc0dd5fd98f2 |
RENTON, Wash. — A local 13-year-old lived his birthday dream Friday, despite the many obstacles his family has faced.
Renton-based Birthday Dreams was built to celebrate birthdays for those who don’t have the means. On Friday, founders Chris Spahn and Shannon Avery worked alongside her team of passionate volunteers, and former Seahawk Randall Morris, to put on a birthday party for a Seahawks fan named Sam.
Morris said he believes in the importance of providing kids with a party to boost their self-worth. The Randall Morris Foundation for Youth and Families has raised over $750,000 to help those in need and became a year-long sponsor and supporter of Birthday Dreams after learning about the organization on KING 5.
“My wife and I knew that’s where we wanted to direct some money from our foundation,” Morris said.
Morris isn’t just supporting the nonprofit financially, he’s actually delivering the party. A “ride-a-long with Randall” had the former running back packing up decorations, cupcakes, and, of course, a stack of birthday gifts wrapped up for Sam on Friday. Sam got to celebrate his first year as a teenager alongside family, Randall and mentors at Friends of the Children Seattle, a nonprofit dedicated to breaking the cycle of generational poverty through salaried, professional mentoring.
Edgar Masmela leads the outreach and engagement and said simply seeing people show up for Sam makes a big impact.
“Somebody they saw on TV or YouTube coming down and caring about them gives them a spark, that oomph to live another day and be better,” Masmela said.
The Randall Morris Foundation hosts several fundraisers, including a celebrity Gala & Auction, poker and golf Tournaments that benefit Birthday Dreams.
“I hope to support Birthday Dreams for a long time,” said Morris.
Birthday Dreams is preparing for a busy summer and can always use more volunteers as they’ve served more than 12,000 parties for local kids.
Birthday Dreams was founded in 2009 by Spahn and Avery, who discovered there was a need that no other local organization filled. More than 12,000 local birthday parties later, Birthday Dreams is thriving thanks to volunteers and community donations. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/renton/seahawks-fan-birthday-dreams/281-9b774dc2-84ac-4962-9135-95ba3789d71f | 2023-05-20T02:22:45 | 1 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/renton/seahawks-fan-birthday-dreams/281-9b774dc2-84ac-4962-9135-95ba3789d71f |
Deborah Leslie, 30, of Griffith
CROWN POINT — Two people were charged and arrested after video surveillance showed them moving the limp body of Deborah Leslie, 30, out of a motel parking lot before she was found deceased in an abandoned building set on fire in September, according to charging documents.
Police arrested Heather Richardson, 34, on May 12 and Emmit Yarbrough Jr., 56, on March 31. Both were charged with altering the scene of a death and failing to notify authorities of the discovery of a dead body, according to charges filed March 27.
Emmit Yarbrough Jr., 56, and Heather Richardson, 34, were arrested in connection with moving the body of Deborah Leslie, 30, who was found dea…
Video surveillance showed Yarbrough pushing Leslie in a wheelchair in the late hours of Sept. 21 on the second floor of a Motel 6 in Hammond. Leslie wore a hat and a surgical mask over her face. She was covered in a bed sheet. Yarbrough and Richardson push the wheelchair toward the stairs and move it down to the parking lot. They open the passenger door of Leslie's Mazda and place her body in the front seat.
"Deborah Leslie did not appear to be cognitive, conscious and appeared to be unresponsive," court documents state.
Leslie was reported missing Sept. 23 to the Griffith Police Department. Her family had spoken to her Sept. 18 and said she was last see alive at a Motel 6 in Hammond. The same day she was reported missing, authorities were called to the 5300 block of West Eighth Avenue in Gary for a report of a burned building. Fire investigators discovered Leslie with third- and fourth-degree burns to her body, according to court documents.
Leslie's cause of death was a fentanyl and cocaine overdose, coroner's records showed. Leslie was identified through dental records, according to the Lake County coroner's office.
Video surveillance showed Leslie, Yarbrough and Richardson drive into the motel parking lot in Leslie's red Mazda on Sept. 20.
David Leslie, Deborah's father, said he's glad the two individuals who contributed to the death of his daughter were apprehended, but he believes the circumstances of his daughter's death calls for higher charges.
"The charges are pretty minimal," he said. "In spite of video evidence. To me, it just doesn't seem to be justice enough. And I'll feel that way forever."
He said he hopes justice will be served and believes the evidence demonstrates that the defendants are culpable. He hopes people hear the story of his daughter's death and fight for justice for her, too.
Deborah was loved by many, the Leslie family said. She loved nature, God and spending time with people she loved. She was pursuing a business degree at Indiana University Northwest.
The Leslie family will bury Deborah this summer in Montana, David said.
"When I'm out in Montana and we lay her to rest, that will be my closure," he said.
Gallery: Recent arrests booked into Lake County Jail
Robert Wheeler
Age : 59
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304321
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: East Chicago Police Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Lenell Shearry
Age : 52
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304312
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: RESISTING LAW ENFORCEMENT - VEHICLE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Christopher Vorice
Age : 34
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304319
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: UNLAWFUL CARRYING OF A HANDGUN
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Mitchell Nash
Age : 21
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304332
Arrest Date: May 8, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
David Prieto
Age : 43
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304320
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: East Chicago Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jerry Hawkins
Age : 35
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304308
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SHOPLIFTING - < $750; THEFT - PROPERTY - SIMPLE - W/PRIOR CONVICTION
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Brayan Bravo
Age : 24
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304313
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Marque Hatcher
Age : 32
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304331
Arrest Date: May 8, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Amarachi Amuga
Age : 23
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304323
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESS LEGEND DRUG OR PRECURSOR
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jandi Warren
Age : 30
Residence: Matteson, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304301
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Shantell Lyons
Age : 29
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304281
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Samuel Strickland Jr.
Age : 39
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304293
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: Gary Police Department
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - W/INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Karla Johnson
Age : 24
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304304
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: Highland Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Christina Garza
Age : 38
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304282
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Andre Edwards
Age : 40
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304300
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Joseph Frazier
Age : 47
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304294
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OPERATE VEHICLE AFTER BEING HABITUAL TRAFFIC OFFENDER
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Michael Dillard
Age : 60
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304283
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Christopher Coots
Age : 29
Residence: Portage, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304296
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: Merrillville Police Department
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE - PRESENCE OF CHILD < 16 YEARS OLD
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jaron Smith
Age : 34
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304254
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: East Chicago Police Department
Offense Description: DEALING - MARIJUANA
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Bonnie Starr
Age : 51
Residence: Dyer, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304258
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Winfield Police Department
Offense Description: FRAUD - DECEPTION - IDENTITY; BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - W/MODERATE BODILY INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Kasey Stewart
Age : 27
Residence: University Park, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304255
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Deondre Todd
Age : 22
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304256
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: ROBBERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Mark Redmon
Age : 48
Residence: N/A
Booking Number(s): 2304242
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Merrillville Police Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SHOPLIFTING - W/PRIOR CONVICTION; FAILURE TO RETURN TO LAWFUL DETENTION
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Eric Rickhoff
Age : 35
Residence: Schererville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304272
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Schererville Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Tavares Melvin
Age : 32
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304276
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Jason Miller Jr.
Age : 22
Residence: Lowell, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304248
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Other
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - POCKET-PICKING - $750 TO $50,000; DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Felony; Misdemeanor
Elder Marroquin
Age : 31
Residence: Lake Station, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304275
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: New Chicago Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Marshall Kathcart
Age : 48
Residence: Lake Station, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304243
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Asaia Lang
Age : 57
Residence: Crown Point, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304259
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Winfield Police Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Sherida Cesar
Age : 37
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304273
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: MOTOR VEHICLE - THEFT
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Murray Harris
Age : 46
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304247
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: N/A
Offense Description: DEALING - METHAMPHETAMINE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Francisco Ismael
Age : 32
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304261
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake Station Police Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SIMPLE - $750 TO $50,000
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Kerry Brazley
Age : 52
Residence: Hobart, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304260
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Winfield Police Department
Offense Description: FRAUD - DECEPTION - IDENTITY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Anthony Bonner
Age : 38
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304250
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Sonali Aggarwal
Age : 44
Residence: Hobart, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304246
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hobart Police Department
Offense Description: BATTERY - SIMPLE - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL; RESISTING - OBSTRUCTION OF TRAFFIC
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Thomas Anderson
Age : 54
Residence: Philadelphia, PA
Booking Number(s): 2304267
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Winfield Police Department
Offense Description: FRAUD - DECEPTION - IDENTITY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Michael Ballard
Age : 62
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304257
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Dennis Shaw
Age : 36
Residence: New Palestine, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304224
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Joshua Levesque
Age : 36
Residence: Portage, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304225
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SHOPLIFTING - $750 TO $50,000
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Christopher Lobody
Age : 33
Residence: Dyer, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304240
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Schererville Police Department
Offense Description: ARSON
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Joshua Patino
Age : 42
Residence: Valparaiso, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304237
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Emanuel Pugh Jr.
Age : 24
Residence: Hobart, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304227
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hobart Police Department
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - USING A DEADLY WEAPON
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jerry Knight
Age : 37
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304236
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Elishah Elliott
Age : 21
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304241
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hobart Police Department
Offense Description: FRAUD - DECEPTION - IDENTITY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Brandon Elzinga
Age : 28
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304220
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Kyle Griffin
Age : 29
Residence: Portage, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304234
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hobart Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Michael Carter
Age : 48
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304233
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Gary Police Department
Offense Description: MOTOR VEHICLE - THEFT
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jason Cooke
Age : 55
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304223
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - METHAMPHETAMINE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Kolin Burgess
Age : 24
Residence: Kouts, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304235
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: DEALING - METHAMPHETAMINE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Roy Walker
Age : 54
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304212
Arrest Date: May 3, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Daniel Torrecilla
Age : 27
Residence: Crete, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304197
Arrest Date: May 3, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Donald Gilley
Age : 37
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304215
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: RESISTING - INTERFERING WITH PUBLIC SAFETY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Steven Medsker
Age : 39
Residence: Hobart, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304207
Arrest Date: May 3, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hobart Police Department
Offense Description: BATTERY - SIMPLE - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Rene Rodriguez
Age : 51
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304210
Arrest Date: May 3, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Dante Banks
Age : 48
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304211
Arrest Date: May 3, 2023
Arresting Agency: Highland Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Felipe Cruz-Figueroa
Age : 44
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304218
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Sadie Fuller
Age : 45
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304217
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: New Chicago Police Department
Offense Description: CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE - POSSESSION - SCHEDULE I
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Michael Walls
Age : 37
Residence: Riverdale, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304192
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: RESISTING LAW ENFORCEMENT - VEHICLE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Michelle Wellons
Age : 47
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304182
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: CONFINEMENT
Highest Offense Class: Felony
George Tovey III
Age : 31
Residence: Eau Claire, MI
Booking Number(s): 2304184
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: INTIMIDATION - STALKING VIOLATIONS
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Felicia Smith
Age : 29
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304175
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: FRAUD - FORGERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Raul Mendoza
Age : 50
Residence: Griffith, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304195
Arrest Date: May 3, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OPERATE VEHICLE AFTER BEING HABITUAL TRAFFIC OFFENDER
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Devin Price
Age : 23
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304180
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: RESISTING - INTERFERING WITH PUBLIC SAFETY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Reinaldo Rosa
Age : 43
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304186
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - PURSE-SNATCHING - $750 TO $50,000
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Dorothy King
Age : 58
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304178
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: BATTERY - SIMPLE - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL; FAMILY OFFENSE- NEGLECT OF DEPENDANT/CHILD VIOLATIONS; INTIMIDATION
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Markus McCoy
Age : 58
Residence: St. John, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304191
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: St. John Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Phillip Davis
Age : 37
Residence: Star City, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304173
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESS HYPODERMIC SYRINGE OR NEEDLE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Christin Enyeart
Age : 31
Residence: Valparaiso, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304172
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Darryl Anthony Jr.
Age : 29
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304185
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Marcel Brooks
Age : 55
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304189
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Jacqueline Castro
Age : 27
Residence: Bremen, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304196
Arrest Date: May 3, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
James Taylor
Age : 24
Residence: Crown Point, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304144
Arrest Date: May 1, 2023
Arresting Agency: Winfield Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Harold Wireman
Age : 63
Residence: Crown Point, IN
Booking Number(s): 2303717
Arrest Date: April 17, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Richard Reyes Jr.
Age : 20
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304150
Arrest Date: May 1, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SHOPLIFTING - < $750
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Brett Kallok
Age : 39
Residence: Griffith, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304145
Arrest Date: May 1, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Nakeda Martina
Age : 37
Residence: College Park, GA
Booking Number(s): 2304161
Arrest Date: May 1, 2023
Arresting Agency: Other
Offense Description: ROBBERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Julian Ponce Sr.
Age : 33
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304164
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Brandon Feliciano
Age : 35
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304158
Arrest Date: May 1, 2023
Arresting Agency: LCCC
Offense Description: BURGLARY - PROPERTY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Michael Harlan
Age : 37
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304167
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Willie England Jr.
Age : 34
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304149
Arrest Date: May 1, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESS LEGEND DRUG OR PRECURSOR
Highest Offense Class: Felony
James Collins Jr.
Age : 22
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304154
Arrest Date: May 1, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: DEALING - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
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Setting a date for a public hearing on a proposal to raise income taxes by 0.2% for the new jail is now up to Allen County Council members, the commissioners’ president said Friday.
“The ball’s now in the County Council’s court,” Commissioner Therese Brown said.
Brown and Commissioner Rich Beck asked County Council members Thursday to hold a public hearing for a proposed 0.2% income tax increase next month, followed by a possible vote on the tax increase in July. Allen County Council, which sets tax rates and allocates county funding, is responsible for holding a meeting to allow public input.
County Council President Tom Harris, R-2nd, didn’t set a date Thursday but said the hearing would happen at the June or July meeting. Brown on Friday stated her preference for holding a hearing next month.
“We need to have those boxes checked before we do anything else,” she said.
Based on discussions with consultants, increasing income tax is preferable to raising property tax to finance the new facility, Brown said at the County Council meeting. Since 2018, the state has permitted counties to use a special purpose income tax for correctional facilities.
Consultants at Baker Tilly calculated a 0.2% tax increase would be enough to cover interest payments on a bond issue of $286 million. The jail project is estimated to cost $350 million, but officials are searching for cost-cutting options.
Chris Cloud, the commissioners’ chief of staff, said an income tax for a jail may last no more than 25 years. The county’s bond issue would likely last 20 years, he said.
Ten years after bonds are issued, the county would have the option to refinance or pay them off, Cloud said. The income tax increase would end early if the bond debt is paid off, he added.
Baker Tilly has estimated the bonds would have a 5% interest rate if they’re issued this fall, Cloud said. For a tax increase to take effect in January, the county needs to pass a rate and send it to the state by the end of September.
Allen County doesn’t issue large bonds often, Cloud said. The last time was in 2009, he said, when the county borrowed $25 million to help pay for the $40 million Maplecrest Road expansion project.
The commissioners started the process of building a new jail shortly after U.S. District Court Judge Damon Leichty issued an order in March 2022 for the county to alleviate unconstitutional conditions at the current downtown facility. Problems include overcrowding, understaffing, insufficient inmate supervision and too much violence.
The county is required to give the court progress updates. The next U.S. District Court hearing, a status conference, is set for 10 a.m. June 2. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/local-politics/county-commissioners-press-for-june-hearing-on-possible-tax-increase-for-new-jail/article_15e84da4-f67f-11ed-9636-f3020a561ab2.html | 2023-05-20T02:27:36 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/local-politics/county-commissioners-press-for-june-hearing-on-possible-tax-increase-for-new-jail/article_15e84da4-f67f-11ed-9636-f3020a561ab2.html |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Does a wine festival, a food festival or even a mermaid convention sound fun to you? If so, that shows there's something for everyone this weekend in Northern California!
This weekend's weather will be heating up with temperatures in the low-90s with a southwestern breeze.
Gather some friends, maybe family members, or even go solo, but head outside, soak up that springtime sun and enjoy some of these weekend events!
- 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. May 19 and May 20
- 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. May 21
- Located at the Weber Point Events Center (221 N Center St., Stockton)
- Organized by Stockton Flavor Fest and Visit Stockton
- More information about this event HERE.
- Thursday, May 18 through Sunday, May 21
- Located at 2465 Gunclub Rd, Angels Camp
- More information about this event HERE.
- Noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 20
- Located at 2115 6th Street Sacramento
- Organized by Community Connection Center and Afisha Sacramento
- More information about this event HERE.
- Friday, May 19 from 3 to 7 p.m.
- Saturday, May 20 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Sunday, May 21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Located at Jones Hall @TheGrounds (700 Event Center Dr, Roseville)
- More information about this event HERE.
- 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 20
- Located at Heritage Plaza (701 Main Street, Woodland)
- Organized by Soroptimist
- More information about this event HERE.
- 6 p.m. on Friday, May 19
- Noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 20
- Located at Lodi Lake Park (1101 W Turner Rd)
- More information about this event HERE.
- 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 20 (Hagan Park in Rancho Cordova)
- 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 21 (Old Town Sacramento)
- Organized by MERMAID AND MOM, PIXIE TRIBE
- More information about this event HERE.
- Noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 21
- Located at 1913 Del Paso Boulevard
- Organized by Black BluePrintz
- More information about this event HERE.
- 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. May 20 on Saturday, May 20
- Located at Linden Elementary School Grounds (18100 E. Front St., Linden)
- Organized by Linden-Peters Chamber of Commerce
- More information about this event HERE.
- Saturday, May 20 at 7 p.m.
- Located at Heart Health Park (Cal Expo at 1600 Exposition Blvd)
- For more information and tickets, click here.
PLAN YOUR WEEKEND:
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Do you want to see your event on here? Send your suggestions to ssoublet@abc10.com!
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: Boyz II Men, Kool & the Gang to headline 2023 California State Fair | Exclusive | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/10-weekend-events-northern-california/103-34812fbc-4090-4d3b-8256-7d9c3a32ed61 | 2023-05-20T02:33:05 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/10-weekend-events-northern-california/103-34812fbc-4090-4d3b-8256-7d9c3a32ed61 |
CALIFORNIA, USA — This story was originally published by CalMatters.
Dozens of warehouse workers, delivery drivers, restaurant employees and advocates traveled to San Diego Thursday to urge the California Occupational Safety and Health Agency to take swift action implementing an indoor heat standard.
The California Legislature first directed Cal/OSHA to take up the issue of adding indoor heat regulations to protect workers in 2016. An indoor heat standard would mirror state regulations that protect outdoor workers, including requiring employers to provide breaks, water and other safety measures when temperatures rise to a certain level.
Temperatures already are ramping up around the state; the year’s first record-breaking heat wave is expected to hit this month. But workers warned that desert climates, particularly in the Inland Empire and other parts of Southern California, can bring high temperatures year-round.
The warehouse and logistic industry has grown in the Inland Empire, especially since the pandemic. Some workers complained about heat in warehouses and trucks.
Viviana Gonzalez, a UPS driver in Palmdale and shop steward for the Teamsters 396 Local, told the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board that in the past nine years she has talked to a number of employees who experienced heart palpitations or suffered heat stroke while working indoors.
She urged the board to be as specific as possible about mandated breaks, cool-down areas and temperature limits, because lives depend on it.
“We’re out there working in 115 degrees, and the back of the trucks get to 140 or 150,” Gonzalez said. “Our bodies go through a lot of stress. I’m just here asking you guys to put everything in writing, because the big corporations are looking to see what the bare minimum is for us.”
Heatstroke on the job
Maribel Aceves, a long-time McDonald’s worker, said employees at her store held a strike to compel management to fix a broken air conditioner.
Robert Moreno, a 30-year UPS warehouse employee who is on the executive board of Teamsters Local 542, said he experienced heatstroke on the job and went to a hospital in an ambulance.
“Most of these warehouses are sheet metal, and the sun radiates inside all day long,” Moreno said. “You go into these warehouses and there’s zero to no air flow, very stifling heat.”
A study from July 2021 found that on days when temperatures range between 85 and 90 degrees, the overall risk of workplace injuries was 5% to 7% higher than on days when temperatures were in the 60s, said Alice Berliner, director of the worker health and safety center at the University of California, Merced.
Cal/OSHA’s current rulemaking would call for most protections at 82 degrees indoors, but tougher regulations kick in at 87 degrees or if it’s 82 degrees in a high-radiant-heat workplace, or if workers are wearing full-body covering.
Advocates and workers said the temperature thresholds should be much lower.
“It’s true for a lot of industries, but certainly for warehouses — but it’s very physically intensive work,” said Tim Shadix, legal director of the Warehouse Worker Resource Center in Ontario. “So people really are at risk of heat illness at much lower temperatures.”
A number of industry representatives pushed back on several items in the proposed regulations.
Food and restaurant industry representatives warned that regulations requiring temperature adjustments for food equipment could violate state health and food safety codes.
The California Hospital Association said burn units, which run at higher temperatures to help patients regulate body temperature, would require exemptions from the rules.
Business pushback
Robert Moutrie, lobbyist for the California Chamber of Commerce, said that many industry representatives understand the need for some protections, but they want to make sure they’re feasible.
Rules that include trucks in the indoor regulations would set up conflicts with existing outdoor heat standards, he said. Also smaller employers may not have room to include mandatory cool-down areas, and strict temperature triggers wouldn’t make sense for employees who may walk into hot buildings only briefly, he added.
“We’re sympathetic to what was said today and the stories told,” Moutrie said. “I’m concerned that the ones who have to implement these pieces have details, making sure that it is feasible and clear for employers, particularly small employers, to put this into practice.”
Cal/OSHA board members said further input is needed from school employees, who suffer through high temperatures in older school buildings or when air conditioning units fail.
A final vote on rule-making isn’t expected until early 2024.
“We strongly believe that the standard shouldn’t be delayed significantly,” said Mitch Steiger, lobbyist for the California Labor Federation. “Again, we have waited long enough. We need something in place as soon as possible. God only knows how many workers have suffered and died because we’ve taken this long.” | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/calmatters/employees-urge-calosha-to-set-indoor-heat-rules/103-f89ef9a3-c223-445e-b1f7-b6fbf8651390 | 2023-05-20T02:33:11 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/calmatters/employees-urge-calosha-to-set-indoor-heat-rules/103-f89ef9a3-c223-445e-b1f7-b6fbf8651390 |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — This story was originally published by CalMatters.
State lawmakers plan to require that all students be tested for dyslexia and other reading challenges, but the hurdles ahead point to a bigger problem with how California’s public schools teach reading.
Before teachers can screen their students, they themselves need to be trained both in how to use the screening tests and how to help the students who get identified as struggling readers. Many experts and educators say most public school teachers in California weren’t adequately trained to teach students how to read.
“Nobody goes into teaching to mess up a kid’s life,” said Leslie Zoroya, a teacher coach specializing in literacy at the Los Angeles County Office of Education. “Teachers do think they’re teaching kids to read. But when you look at the data, it’s telling us that is not the case.”
Across the state, only about 42% of third-graders met or exceeded English language arts standards last year.
The mandatory dyslexia screening policy was a part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised budget proposal released last week, which allocated $1 million to form a panel of experts who would compile a list of reliable screening tools as well as determine the types of training needed for teachers. The proposal seeks to screen all students between kindergarten and second grade starting in the 2025-26 school year.
The policy proposal comes after several legislative efforts, spanning multiple years, to require dyslexia screening in California’s public schools. They failed largely due to opposition from the California Teachers Association. The statewide teachers union argued the practice of screening all students would disproportionately push English learners into special education and said the legislation needs to provide more resources for teachers.
The union did not respond to questions for this story about the types of support and training teachers need. But for some experts, the fact that teachers even need training to help students who struggle with reading illustrates just how far behind California is in literacy instruction.
“We’re going to need a lot more training,” Zoroya said. “This needs to be a statewide effort.”
The problem is twofold, according to experts. First, most of California’s public school districts use reading curricula based on “balanced literacy,” an approach to reading instruction based on the idea that children are natural readers. It relies on exposure to books and the enjoyment of reading with less of an emphasis on sounding out words. Second, the experts say, teacher preparation programs don’t train teachers enough in “structured literacy” or “the science of reading,” which focuses heavily on phonemic awareness and phonics — the practice of matching letters to sounds and sounding out words.
Betina Hsieh, the chair of the teacher education program at Cal State Long Beach, said balanced literacy curricula do include some phonics and argued that the balanced literacy approach works for most students.
“No one is saying that phonics and phonemic awareness is not important,” she said. “The thing is, it only gets you so far.”
But Hsieh agrees that all younger students should be screened for dyslexia and reading challenges and that teachers need to be trained. But she expressed frustration that there’s already so much material squeezed into teacher credentialing programs.
Zoroya argues that if teachers had been better trained in phonics instruction, dyslexia screeners would be a natural extension of their instruction. Because screeners test students’ ability to pair letters to sounds, a teacher who is adept in phonics will have an easier time navigating not just screening but helping students overcome their reading challenges.
“This work is too important for adults to be out here arguing,” she said. “We have too many kids coming out of elementary school not being able to read well.”
Too little phonics
Zoroya, who trains teachers across the 80 school districts in Los Angeles County, said most elementary school teachers don’t know how to teach reading through “structured literacy.” The approach’s focus on phonics enables students to sound out unfamiliar words.
Across California, students typically learn reading by being exposed to text and being read to in the classroom. Teachers focus on cultivating a love of reading as opposed to a more systematic instruction in letter sounds. While most students are able to learn reading through the former method, many are left behind. Dyslexia, a neurological condition that causes difficulty reading, affects about 1 in 5 people across the country.
According to experts, the fact that California is one of 10 states that doesn’t screen all students for dyslexia is a symptom of the broader problem of how public schools in the state teach reading. For educators, reading instruction remains hotly debated.
“It reminds me a bit of politics right now,” Zoroya said. “Even reading is very polarized.”
The debates over reading instruction have a deep and contentious history, which some refer to as “the reading wars.” In California, the “balanced literacy” approach came out on top in the reading wars. But teachers and parents across the country have spoken out against it, calling it a well-intentioned but fundamentally misguided way to teach reading.
Santiago Cuevas, a first grade teacher at San Francisco Unified’s Lafayette Elementary, said he received hardly any training in phonics instruction while earning his credential at San Francisco State University. He had to study the concepts of the “science of reading” on his own to pass the Reading Instruction Competence Assessment, one of the requirements for a teaching credential. The assessment tests prospective teachers’ ability to develop a reading curriculum, ranging from phonics to reading comprehension.
Cuevas said he was lucky to get hired at a school that happened to be committed to teaching phonics. But for most other teachers, the material they studied to pass the reading instruction assessment becomes an afterthought because their districts use balanced literacy.
“The RICA is just one of the things on the checklist to becoming a teacher,” Cuevas said. “It’s kind of strange how we didn’t talk about the science of reading at all at SF State.”
Margaret Goldberg, a literacy coach in West Contra Costa Unified, said not only are most teachers using faulty curricula, they’re also not assessing their students enough between kindergarten and second grade. Statewide literacy data is only available starting in third grade. But because students show signs of reading challenges as early as kindergarten, teachers need to take reading instruction seriously as early as age 5, she said.
“In some ways, it feels very comfortable to primary grade teachers who say their students will catch up later,” Goldberg said. “So it can be very uncomfortable when we put a universal screening measure in place.”
That discomfort materialized in the fight to mandate screening for dyslexia in California. The California Teachers Association, the state’s largest teachers union, opposed the proposed policy for multiple years despite a chorus of literacy experts calling for early screening for all students. The union said the legislation lacked details around what types of training teachers would need and how often students should be screened.
Cuevas said teachers who are more comfortable with phonics and the science of reading will be much more comfortable screening students.
He said, for example, if a student had a hard time saying the word “chair,” the balanced literacy approach would recommend just giving that child more books about chairs. But a teacher with training in structured literacy and phonics instruction has a more systematic approach that includes more testing and targeted instruction.
“It just seems like everyone’s trying to kick the can down the road,” Cuevas said. “With the science of reading, you just think differently.”
A necessary change
Goldberg and Cuevas agree that teachers, even those supportive of balanced literacy, have the best intentions. But they said that the shift toward mandatory screening should be accompanied by a shift toward more phonics instruction.
Goldberg said teachers first need to understand why screening matters. She said teachers typically see assessments as punitive and burdensome, but tests used to detect dyslexia and other reading challenges are a tool for improving instruction. Teachers might not understand why the tests ask students to sound out nonsense words, but Goldberg said sounding out random clusters of letters is the best way to detect whether a student will struggle with reading.
“They seem like arbitrary tasks,” she said. “Once you understand why each measure is important, administering the screeners is actually quite simple.”
School and district administrators also need to embrace these shifts. Meghan Trutter, a reading intervention specialist in the San Jose area, said teachers who learn about the science of reading later in their careers often tell her “this is what I needed all along.”
But Trutter said she’s concerned about whether districts will support teachers with the right curricula once the state mandates screening. If teachers aren’t given the necessary textbooks and materials to teach phonics, screening will be a pointless exercise.
“If the district executives don’t get it, they’re going to be another roadblock,” she said. “I can see teachers saying ‘We’ve identified the problems, now what?’ The district might say ‘I don’t know.’”
However, educators say there’s some much needed changes coming to teacher credentialing programs. A law signed in 2021 requires programs to teach the science of reading approach by 2025.
“I believe new teachers that are coming out of these programs are going to be better equipped to teach students how to read,” said Mara Smith, a reading specialist with the L.A. County Office of Education who helped revise California’s standards for teacher credentialing.
Long-term obstacles
The overhaul necessary in higher education will be easier said than done, according to some professors. Hsieh, at Cal State Long Beach, said one issue is the segregation of special education and general education programs.
She said prospective teachers in general education programs don’t get the training they need in phonics because those skills are more intensely taught in special education programs that focus on working with struggling students.
Another problem is the short length of teacher training programs. Elementary and middle school teachers earn the same multiple-subject credential. Their training spans instruction for kindergarten through eighth grade. Hsieh says this leaves little wiggle room for changes to teacher-training curricula.
“We’re working on being flexible and adaptive, but it’s challenging,” she said. “There’s so much that’s being demanded of teachers.”
And it’s not just classroom teachers and district administrators who are entrenched in balanced literacy. Most professors teaching in California’s credentialing programs are also committed to the approach, according to Kathy Futterman, a professor at Cal State East Bay. She said most professors aren’t sufficiently trained in structured literacy.
“I don’t know how many professors and instructors have themselves mastered structured literacy,” she said. “I feel like I’ve been swimming upstream and swimming solo for a long time.”
Futterman said the push for structured literacy as well as for mandatory screening started as a grassroots movement among parents and classroom teachers. But without a more systemic transformation, reading instruction in California will remain a patchwork, she said.
“We are heading in the right direction,” Futterman said. “Now we have to make sure everybody can be on board.” | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/calmatters/science-of-reading-may-be-the-next-dyslexia-battleground-calmatters/103-e8b101b3-9122-440c-a418-97755f0df21f | 2023-05-20T02:33:17 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/calmatters/science-of-reading-may-be-the-next-dyslexia-battleground-calmatters/103-e8b101b3-9122-440c-a418-97755f0df21f |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — This story was originally published by CalMatters.
The potential costs of a new policy or program always factor into the legislative process — but that’s especially true when the state is facing down a $31.5 billion budget deficit.
As the Legislature completed a key milestone this week, deciding the fates of nearly 1,200 measures with significant price tags, California’s looming revenue shortfall was on the mind.
“It is a different time that we have to operate in, so it is a lens that we have to look through all the bills,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden, a Pasadena Democrat who leads the appropriations committee. “To the extent there were some real pressures that we thought we needed to address, we did.”
Holden and his counterpart in the state Senate, La Cañada Flintridge Democrat Anthony Portantino, announced today the outcome of the “suspense file,” a biannual culling of fiscal legislation. The bottleneck of hundreds of bills that are expected to cost at least $50,000 gives the appropriations committees an opportunity to consider them — and their potential outlay — as a whole.
Portantino, who sprinkled his reading of the results with trivia about California, declined to speak with reporters after, saying that he had a flight to catch.
The hearings took place less than a week after Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out his plan to close the budget shortfall. During a press conference last Friday, the governor said he was “deeply mindful” of the Legislature’s many spending requests, but urged them not to send him a litany of expensive measures that he would be forced to veto.
“We have a collective responsibility, and at the end of the day, I guess I’m the backstop,” Newsom said. “I want a little expression of deeper understanding now of the nature of the budgetary constraints. Just get it done in the budget. If it’s your top priority, work with your colleagues.”
Even with that warning, most of the bills on the suspense file advanced. The Senate approved 326 measures, or 78%, and the Assembly approved 535 measures, or 71%.
But those numbers will pare down even further in the weeks ahead, Holden noted, as bills go before their entire chambers for floor votes. Legislation must pass its house of origin by June 2 to continue this year, an intense period taking place against the backdrop of budget negotiations.
“The governor obviously sent a shot across our bow to think that way as well,” Holden said.
Here are some of the proposals that died on the suspense file:
Expanded tax credits for poor families
The Assembly appropriations committee shelved two bills favored by anti-poverty advocates that would have expanded tax credits for the state’s lowest-income residents.
The bills, authored by Democratic Assemblymembers Miguel Santiago of Los Angeles and Mike Gipson of Gardena, would have delivered a collective $1 billion, primarily to poor families with children, by boosting the minimum payout provided through the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit and expanding who is eligible for the Young Child Tax Credit.
The proposals were the latest attempt by advocates in California to bolster the state’s direct cash programs for the poor since the expiration of the expanded federal Child Tax Credit last year, which temporarily sent thousands of dollars to most families with children in the U.S. and led to dramatic decreases in child poverty.
The California bills had bipartisan support despite the hefty price tag.
Anna Hasselblad, director of public policy at United Ways of California, said the bills’ failure was disappointing, but said lawmakers still support the efforts. She pointed out that boosting the Earned Income Tax Credit is included in the state Senate’s budget plan.
Oil industry wins
Two climate change bills that could have taken a financial toll on the oil and gas industry met their end in the appropriations void today.
One measure held in the state Senate appropriations committee would have allowed civil penalties on the operators of oil and gas wells located near residences, schools and hospitals. Another bill was aimed at increasing California’s ambitious greenhouse gas emissions goals even further.
Environmental advocates decried the failure of the climate change measures while an oil industry representative told CalMatters they were bad policy for the state’s businesses.
“The world is desperate for climate leaders like California to step up,” Nicole Rivera, government affairs director for the Santa Rosa-based Climate Center, said in a statement. Rivera added that she intended to continue to work to hold the state’s “polluters accountable.”
In response, Kevin Slagle, a spokesman for the Western States Petroleum Association, said that both bills were opposed by broad coalitions.
“They weren’t good bills,” Slagle said. “It becomes unhelpful that any time an activist group doesn’t like a bill the position is, well, the oil industry didn’t like it; what it really comes down to is that these weren’t good policies.”
Senate Bill 556 would have made the owners and operators of oil and gas wells liable for illnesses such as respiratory ailments, premature births, high-risk pregnancies and cancers within an area of 3,200 feet from those sites. The bill would have levied civil penalties of as much as $1 million per person.
The author of the bill, state Sen. Lena Gonzalez, a Long Beach Democrat, saw a related measure banning new drilling within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, nursing homes, and hospitals pass last year. But that law was put on hold after the oil industry backed a signature-gathering campaign to qualify a referendum placing the measure before voters in November 2024.
“Fossil fuel executives have known for decades that drilling in neighborhoods puts our communities at risk of cancer, asthma, pregnancy complications, and other illnesses,” said Rivera of the Climate Center. “Instead of acting to protect public health and our shared climate, they’ve lobbied and spent millions of dollars convincing elected officials to look the other way.”
Sagle, of the petroleum association, said the bill would have held companies liable without proving they were the ones doing the harm and that’s why the bill drew opposition from groups including the California Chamber of Commerce.
“That is a guilty until proven innocent approach to public policy,” Sagle said.
The other closely-watched climate change bill to die today was Senate Bill 12, which would have increased the state’s greenhouse gas emissions target to 55% below 1990 levels by 2030. Currently, California law calls for a 40% reduction.
The failure of the two measures comes after Gov. Newsom last week held firm on $6 billion in cuts from a $54 billion five-year climate package approved last year.
Facing a deteriorating fiscal situation, the governor last week proposed a $1.1 billion climate bond to be put before voters to avoid additional cuts.
A rare defeat for abortion access advocates
For the first time, a bill backed by the California Future of Abortion Council and Legislative Women’s Caucus was quietly killed in the Assembly appropriations committee today. The measure, authored by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo, targeted crisis pregnancy centers, requiring the state Department of Public Health to launch a public awareness campaign about the anti-abortion and often religiously affiliated centers, reinforcing what abortion options are available in California.
Abortion rights advocates accuse crisis pregnancy centers of misleading pregnant patients about their options and posing as health care facilities when few are licensed as such. Supporters of the centers counter that they provide women with supportive services like free pregnancy tests and counseling. A previous California law requiring crisis pregnancy centers to provide information on abortions ran afoul of the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority in 2018, which struck the law down for infringing on freedom of speech protections.
“Across California crisis pregnancy centers outnumber abortion clinics by 20%,” Schiavo, a Democrat from Santa Clarita, said in a recent health committee hearing. “These crisis pregnancy centers shame, intentionally mislead and lie to women about their reproductive health care options to block them from accessing abortion care.”
Though more than a dozen abortion protection bills sailed through the Legislature last year, this measure ran into opposition from members in rural areas where Alternatives Pregnancy Center runs women’s health clinics. Alternatives is one of the few medically licensed crisis pregnancy centers in the state and can provide ultrasounds, prenatal care and well-woman visits.
A killing blow for health care affordability
Advocates were surprised by the death of another measure authored by Schiavo, which sought to give approximately 900,000 Covered California enrollees additional financial relief by eliminating out-of-pocket health care costs.
The bill, AB 1208, would have required the state to use money set aside in the Health Care Affordability Reserve Fund to lower patient costs. That money, which comes from a tax penalty on uninsured Californians, has been the subject of controversy in recent months. Legislators and advocates have questioned why the nearly $1.4 billion of revenue hasn’t been plowed back into the state’s health care system.
Despite early-term promises to use the tax penalty on financial assistance, Newsom’s budget this year moves $333 million from the reserve to the general fund to help with the state’s ballooning deficit.
Rachel Linn Gish, spokesperson for Health Access California, which sponsored the bill, said advocates would continue to push for the money through the budget process and that it had strong support from legislators.
Earlier this month, Senate Democrats pledged to preserve the money in their budget proposal, but Assembly leadership would not go so far as to say whether the funds would be part of their budget priorities.
Homelessness measures blocked
Two bills that would have pushed cities to do more to tackle the statewide homelessness crisis won’t make it into law this year.
One would have required cities to plan enough housing to serve their entire homeless communities. Instead, the Senate Appropriations Committee turned Senate Bill 7 by Encinitas Democrat Catherine Blakespear into a two-year bill, meaning it won’t be considered again until January.
“I’m disappointed,” Blakespear said. “Homelessness is a top and urgent statewide issue. And we need to be laser-focused on solving homelessness and ensuring that people are not living in our public spaces.”
Blakespear wanted to impose requirements for both homeless shelters and permanent homeless housing, as well as to provide money to fund their construction. But she hadn’t identified where that money would come from, and it was a tough ask when the state is facing a large budget deficit.
Another bill that wound up on the cutting room floor would have made it easier to build temporary modular housing — such as tiny homes — for homeless residents throughout the state. Under Senate Bill 634 by Josh Becker, a Democrat from San Mateo, developers could set up these units temporarily on lots that are currently vacant but may be earmarked for future, larger-scale developments, making use of land that sits empty while builders go through years-long permitting processes.
The bill would have streamlined approvals for the temporary projects, and in certain cases, would have forced cities to give the OK — preventing “NIMBY” neighbors from quashing projects they don’t want in their backyards.
But opponents, including the Western Center on Law and Poverty, worried the temporary housing could end up being unsafe or low quality.
Becker plans to try again next year. “We’re going to figure out how to get it done,” he said.
A labor deal on housing?
A bill aimed at making it easier to build apartment buildings — arguably the most consequential and fought-about housing proposals of the year — made it out of committee, but with a few changes that might help mend a labor-on-labor spat that has riven the Capitol for months.
The bill, by San Francisco Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener, would make permanent a 2017 state law that lets multi-family housing developers skip what can be a long and expensive permitting process in parts of California that haven’t built as much as state housing officials say they should. In exchange, the developers have to set aside some units for lower-income residents and abide by stricter labor standards.
Those worker rules came in two flavors: For 100% affordable housing projects, developers have to pay higher wages. For those that include market-rate units, developers also have to hire a certain number of apprenticeship graduates, the vast majority of whom are union members.
Wiener nixed the union-hiring rule in this year’s bill, citing its less than encouraging tract record in actually getting housing built. The state’s unionized carpenters’ along with a handful of other construction worker unions backed Wiener’s move, betting they had more to gain from streamlined projects than from holding out for the strict union-hiring standard.
But the State Building and Construction Trades Council, an influential organized labor coalition, went to legislative war against the change.
That impasse may have finally broken in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Under the new terms:
- The union-hire language is back, but only for mixed-income projects over 85 feet tall;
- If a developer tries to satisfy the rule and can’t get more than two qualifying bids, they move on, reverting back to the higher wages rule.
It’s unclear whether that will be enough to win a truce with the building trades council. In a written statement, president Andrew Meredith said the tweaks made the bill “better,” but that the group’s affiliates had yet to meet to “discuss next steps.”
Another major change in the bill’s language: Instead of being a permanent part of state law, the law now sunsets at the end of 2035. That means we get to do this all over again in 12 years.
New year, same story for community college faculty
Part-time faculty lost out on some big pay raises. The Assembly appropriations committee killed two bills from Los Angeles Democrats that would have compensated part-time faculty at the same rate as their full-time peers.
One bill, by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, would have given both types of employees the same hourly pay. He proposed an identical bill last year, only to have it fail in the same committee. A bill from Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin would have paid part-time faculty at the same rate as full-time faculty for time spent giving office hours. The state has already invested more than $100 million to fix this disparity.
Part-time faculty represent the majority of instructors and teach roughly half of classes, according to an analysis by the Legislature. However, in 2021, full-time faculty earned roughly three times more.
In a statement to the Legislature, the Association of California Community College Administrators said Santiago’s bill had “ambiguous” language and that both bills would weaken “autonomy” of local districts.
Meanwhile, community college students are still struggling to graduate on time. The state has invested roughly $175 million since 2017 to streamline majors and educational programs so that students can get an associate’s degree in two years, but the success so far is mixed.
Assemblymember Eloise Reyes, a San Bernadino Democrat, wanted to revamp the system again, costing the state more than $245 million, according to an analysis by the Legislature.
Those changes will have to wait: The Assembly committee killed her bill, too.
Criminal background checks
The Senate committee dashed a proposal by state Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, a Los Angeles Democrat, to further tighten restrictions on when employers can seek out a job applicant’s criminal history. Advocates said the bill was necessary — despite a 2017 law prohibiting employers from inquiring about criminal history until after they make a tentative job offer — because there are other ways bosses can research applicants’ records.
Initially a blanket ban on considering applicants’ criminal records at all, this year’s bill had been pared down in a different committee after objections from business groups, including the California Chamber of Commerce, which included it on its “job killer” list. Employers still found the bill’s “voluminous number of administrative requirements” onerous, said Chamber spokesperson Denise Davis.
Smallwood-Cuevas said in agreeing to amend the bill, she had already conceded her initial goal to “make background checks the exception, not the rule.”
“Right out the gate the Chamber and a lot of business interests came out and forced us to take amendments,” she said. “We just met a lot of opposition.”
Who can own farmland
So many bills flow through the Legislature that it’s possible, in the rush of activity, for a bill to escape the notice of even dedicated industry lobbyists.
In 2022, a bill that would have banned foreign governments from buying, leasing, or holding a controlling interest in California agricultural land sailed through. It didn’t receive a single “no” vote and didn’t draw any formal support or opposition from agriculture groups.
“To be quite blunt, this bill flew under a lot of people’s radar last year,” Ian LeMay, president of the California Fresh Fruit Association, said last month. His organization lobbied the Newsom administration to veto it, LeMay confirmed.
Newsom ultimately did veto the bill, saying a data-collection component of the bill would create “arduous responsibilities.”
State Sen. Melissa Hurtado, a Bakersfield Democrat, introduced the bill again this year with a few tweaks. But this time she had to navigate choppier waters: More than a dozen farming and industry groups lined up in opposition, asking that the bill be amended. Some wanted the bill to ban a narrower group of foreign governments — countries that have “nonmarket” economies, and those that the federal government has determined pose a national security threat.
The bill also drew concern from some lawmakers in an April hearing. Sen. Dave Min, a Costa Mesa Democrat and vice chairperson of the AAPI legislative caucus, said “I think if we pass this bill, that we’re going to be sending a signal to the country … that California is jumping in on the xenophobia and anti-China bashing that we’ve seen.”
Today, the bill was killed earlier in the legislative process than last year. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/calmatters/which-big-california-bills-were-shelved-in-suspense-file/103-ceb082ed-76cb-4af9-b4cf-e687a17041cc | 2023-05-20T02:33:24 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/calmatters/which-big-california-bills-were-shelved-in-suspense-file/103-ceb082ed-76cb-4af9-b4cf-e687a17041cc |
FOLSOM, Calif. — A body was found at Folsom Lake mid-morning Friday, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Office.
Reports of a body near Rattlesnake Bar were called into the office, prompting officials to investigate.
The person has not been identified and officials are expecting to have more information early next week. The coroner will determine a cause of death.
This discovery comes after two people were reported missing near waterways in the past few weeks.
The sheriff's office is strongly urging people to stay out of the river as high water levels and stronger river flows are making for dangerous conditions.
"Last winter’s heavy snowpack is melting down into our rivers, and the water is colder (45 degrees), stronger and higher — it will remain that way for at least the next month, possibly longer," said the sheriff's office in a statement. "Be river-wise, this year IS different."
Find some tips on how to stay safe around waterways this here HERE. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/folsom-orangevale/body-found-folsom-lake-rattlesnake-bar/103-a438b052-7c18-47a9-b869-36fb37be4b79 | 2023-05-20T02:33:30 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/folsom-orangevale/body-found-folsom-lake-rattlesnake-bar/103-a438b052-7c18-47a9-b869-36fb37be4b79 |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Assembly Appropriations Committee voted on a bill that would heavily restrict the use of police K-9 units Thursday.
AB 742, a bill introduced by newly elected Assemblymember Core Jackson, would ban police from using police dogs to arrest or apprehend suspects and being used for crowd control.
The bill is now in the status of 'do pass as amended' after an 11 to 4 vote. This means the committee rejected the original form of the bill but approved it with certain specified changes or "amendments," according to the California Department of General Services.
The bill will now go to the floor where it will be read again.
The California Assembly Public Safety Committee approved the bill and the measure passed with a 6 to 2 vote on March 21.
Assemblymember Jackson said the use of police canines has inflicted brutal violence and lifelong trauma on Black Americans and communities of color.
Local and statewide law enforcement leaders are heavily opposed to the bill.
ABC10 previously spoke with Folsom Police Chief Rick Hillman of Folsom and he said he does not support the bill because he has seen dogs work effectively and says they’re a great tool for law enforcement.
”I am about looking at the tools that we have, and how we can use those tools better,” Hillman previously told ABC10. “And seeing what's the right thing and the right fit for our communities. And having canines in our community is a good thing. We pick dogs ensuring their temperament is right for us and our community.”
Hillman previously told ABC10, K-9s are essential and said he believes this bill would do more damage and more harm than good. Hillman says K-9s are also a great tool for bringing a community together.
The California Assembly Appropriations Committee meeting will begin upon adjournment of Thursday's 9 a.m. session.
Watch more on ABC10 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/assembly-appropriations-committee-approves-california-bill-ban-k-9s-for-arrests-crowd-control-with-amendments/103-c11acdac-db47-4843-a697-1999ee4d8a5d | 2023-05-20T02:33:36 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/assembly-appropriations-committee-approves-california-bill-ban-k-9s-for-arrests-crowd-control-with-amendments/103-c11acdac-db47-4843-a697-1999ee4d8a5d |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Tickets are now available to see Mexican artist Peso Pluma at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento July 9.
The 31-city 'Doble P' tour is Pluma's first major U.S. tour and is produced by Live Nation.
Pluma is known as the most-streamed artist in Mexico and is known for his distinct style of blending corrido's, a traditional Mexican song style, with elements of rap and reggaetón.
Tickets are currently as low as $79.50 each.
Click here for more information on the July 9 concert. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/mexican-singer-peso-pluma-headed-to-sacramentos-golden-1-center/103-0e6bd757-38b6-4d36-97d4-749844b10307 | 2023-05-20T02:33:42 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/mexican-singer-peso-pluma-headed-to-sacramentos-golden-1-center/103-0e6bd757-38b6-4d36-97d4-749844b10307 |
SACRAMENTO, Calif — Students at California State University, Sacramento will graduate at Golden 1 Center over the weekend. Ceremonies are happening on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
This will be Sacramento State University President Dr. Robert Nelsen's last commencement after he announced his retirement in November.
Parking
People can buy parking passes online for the specific ceremony they are attending at Golden 1 Center. Prices vary between garage spaces and some garages are already sold out. Purchase parking HERE.
People can also choose to take the light rail. Find more information on light rail and bus routes to and from Golden 1 Center HERE.
Tickets
Tickets are required for guests to attend the commencement ceremonies. Each graduate received 8 guest tickets for their college's ceremony.
All tickets much be on a scannable mobile device. Guests are advised to screenshot the QR code so they don't have to search through their emails.
Graduates do not need tickets.
Livestream
There will be a live stream for each ceremony on May 19 - 21. The feed will be live HERE when a ceremony is happening.
Ceremony Schedule
- College of Arts & Letters: 8 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
- College of Business: 1:30 p.m.-4 p.m.
- College of Education: 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
- College of Health & Human Services (A): 8 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
- College of Health & Human Services (B) and Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies (A): 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
- Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies (B): 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
- College of Engineering & Computer Science and College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics: 8 a.m.-11 a.m.
Find more information about commencement ceremonies HERE.
Watch more on ABC10 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/sacramenot-state-2023-commencement-parking-tickets/103-fda4f2fb-9134-4e4e-bd54-2331d7272c76 | 2023-05-20T02:33:48 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/sacramenot-state-2023-commencement-parking-tickets/103-fda4f2fb-9134-4e4e-bd54-2331d7272c76 |
STOCKTON, Calif. — As Stockton holds the second annual Flavor Fest at Weber Point downtown, the city's police association is noticing a difference to just how many officers are deployed to these community events due to staffing shortages.
Couple Alex and Alejandra Dominguez are excited to come to Stockton for the festival, happy about how events like this "bring people out."
And while festival goers are seeing a highly visible police presence, the Stockton Police Officers Association says the show of force of officers at the event is much different overall.
There are currently 364 officers on the force, but the department is authorized for 485, according to the department.
The Stockton Police Officers Association point out a number of police units are understaffed and in need of more officers.
"I don't think the community needs to be so afraid that they can't go about their normal day, but they need to be cognizant that there are less police officers out there," said Patrick High, President of the Stockton Police Officers Association.
High has 16 years experience as a police officer. He works in the Investigations Division and is part of a federal task force.
He says there are a number of ways the shortage is affecting the department.
He says the Community Response Team, which takes illegal guns off the streets and more, has 10 officers but should have 20. The Gang Unit, has four officers but should have eight. The Homicide Unit, has 12 on-call officers but should have sixteen.
When we asked for confirmation of the numbers, the Stockton Police Department said "we won't be able to confirm the investigation detective numbers."
"We see that that's a trend that's happening as we've continued to lose officers and little has been done to retain the current ones that we have," said High, who adds departments in other cities offering higher salaries heavily recruit officers with Stockton PD.
High says that is making it difficult to shutdown sideshows like one at the Stockton Arena Saturday night.
High says something was tossed at a patrol car broke its windshield.
A Stockton Police District patrol vehicle on hand also had objects thrown at it.
"The city has saved substantially in payroll savings by the fact they haven't had to pay 130 officers this year. That money went somewhere. It needs to be redirected to the ones that are still here," said High.
In a statement, the Stockton Police Department says in part, "Stockton Police Department is dedicated to keeping the public safe everyday. Patrol Officers provide a presence and respond to in-progress and emergency calls being reported without delay."
The department also says injury shootings are down this year by 38%.
However, homicides are up slightly.
The department adds it continues to recruit future officers locally and across the state and country. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/stockton/stockton-police-officer-shortage/103-ed648cfb-1588-4a27-bbb1-8c37b34d00cc | 2023-05-20T02:33:54 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/stockton/stockton-police-officer-shortage/103-ed648cfb-1588-4a27-bbb1-8c37b34d00cc |
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Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. | https://www.abc10.com/video/news/local/sacramento/prisoner-transport-bus-crash-multiple-people-injured/103-8c9d65c1-d7f0-4217-8106-a6859940d2d7 | 2023-05-20T02:35:17 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/video/news/local/sacramento/prisoner-transport-bus-crash-multiple-people-injured/103-8c9d65c1-d7f0-4217-8106-a6859940d2d7 |
PHOENIX — Gov. Katie Hobbs has signed legislation that prohibits possessing or selling "sex dolls" resembling children.
House Bill 2169 makes it a Class 4 felony to knowingly own an anatomically-correct doll or mannequin with features resembling a child under the age of 12.
States like Hawaii, Tennessee, and Utah have already enacted similar laws banning these types of dolls.
Officials in Pinal County began encouraging lawmakers to introduce the legislation earlier this year after a couple of these types of dolls were allegedly found in the county.
“This sex doll is not an end result. This is not in place of. This is a stepping stone. Research shows that people who are willing to abuse children, this is one thing that they are going to use to get to that end result," Pinal County Deputy Attorney Jim Heard said earlier this year.
The bill passed through the Arizona Legislature with support from both parties. The governor signed the legislation on Friday.
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12News+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona. | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/hobbs-signs-bill-outlawing-child-sex-dolls-arizona/75-1fdf76e6-0008-409c-adc5-f77eefeadbb0 | 2023-05-20T02:38:30 | 0 | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/hobbs-signs-bill-outlawing-child-sex-dolls-arizona/75-1fdf76e6-0008-409c-adc5-f77eefeadbb0 |
OCEAN CITY — Jack Davis' knee was swollen Friday, and he walked with a slight limp.
That did not stop the senior from making an impact.
Davis scored late in the third quarter to start a four-goal rally that led the top-seeded Ocean City High School boys lacrosse team to a 12-2 victory over second-seeded Lower Cape May Regional in the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament championship at Carey Stadium.
The Red Raiders (11-6), No. 8 in The Press Elite 11, also won the title last season. Ocean City, which is undefeated against conference opponents, also captured the CAL American Division title this spring. The Capers Tigers (15-2) won the National Division.
“I just tried to move the ball around as much as possible and be a role player and have the boys step up,” Davis said.
Overall, Davis scored three to go with an assist.
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“We have been up and down with injuries, but I’ll tell you what, he is as tough as they come,” Ocean City coach Joe LaTorre said of Davis, who injured his knee May 11 in a win over Holy Spirit. “Not many kids would play through an injury like he has. You can see it on the field. He’s not going 100%. Like, he physically can’t go 100%, but he is giving you everything he has.”
Ocean City led 5-1 at halftime. With 5 minutes, 30 seconds left in the third quarter, Davis scored. John Williams, Charlie Schutta and Chayston Labarr each scored in a span of 1 minute, 14 seconds to quickly extend the lead to 9-1. Williams, a freshman, came in after standout faceoff specialist Dylan Dwyer injured his ankle during the second quarter. Williams, who had only had four faceoff attempts in a varsity game before Friday, scored his goal after winning a faceoff. It was his first career goal.
“That was honestly the turning point, when he scored,” LaTorre said. “When he scored, the momentum just swung our way.”
Davis praised many of his teammates Friday. First, he was pleased with how Williams played after Dwyer got hurt. He also pointed to Bryce Hanin, who scored in the fourth quarter, and defenders Ryan Ireland, Paul Tjoumakaris and Jackson Agnellini.
Pat Grimley scored four for the Red Raiders to reach 50 for the season. The junior has now scored 50 or more in all three of his high school seasons. Also Friday, Schutta scored twice and had two assists, and Tjoumakaris added two assists. Agnellini added one assist.
“It’s about the next man, honestly,” Davis said. “The defense held their own and got us the ball back on those turnovers. The transition game was on point. I give it to the defense, like I always do. They are underappreciated, and I want to give them some looks too.”
Lower entered the game with 12 straight wins. With three 40-plus goal scorers in Taj Turner (48), Mack Bonner (46), Brandon Loper (41), the Caper Tigers have greatly improved since their 5-9 season in 2021. Last year, Lower went 11-5 and lost in the CAL semifinals.
Lower's only other league loss this spring came against Holy Spirit on April 17. The Caper Tigers’ two biggest conference wins were arguably both against Mainland Regional (11-4): 10-9 on May 6 and 9-8 on Wednesday in the semifinals. Lower also beat Haddon Township (11-5) in one of its tough nonconference games.
“Every year, this is one of our three goals,” LaTorre said of the championship. “I’m very proud we were able to come here and execute against a high-quality team. I know the score looks a lot further away than the game actually was, but I truly believe Lower Cape May is a high quality team. They are very well-coached and a hard-working group of guys. I can’t say enough about how well they are.”
Jake Robson scored both goals for Lower. Bonner added three ground balls, and Robson and Isiah Carr-Wing each had two. Quinten Hagan made eight saves. LaTorre once coached Caper Tigers coach Cole Blackley and two Lower assistants.
“For a 5-1 (first) half, it felt a lot closer than it was,” LaTorre said. “My hat’s off to Lower Cape May’s coaching staff. Those guys, what they are doing with Lower Cape May, I am telling you now, Lower Cape May will be in this game and competing for that championship the next few years. What they are doing, Lower’s going to be one of the harder teams to beat in the next few years.”
Ocean City and Lower will await to get their seedings Monday for the state playoffs.
“I’m excited, “said LaTorre, who will be at the seeding meeting Monday and expects Ocean City to earn the second or third seed in the South Jersey Group III bracket, depending on the outcome of the Moorestown-Notre Dame contest Saturday.
Ocean City lost in the sectional semifinals in 2022 and won the title in 2021.
“It’s an amazing feeling (to win the CAL), but the job’s not finished yet,” Davis said. “It would mean the world to us (seniors) if we played our hardest the next couple and got the state, not just the South Jersey.” | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/highschool/no-8-ocean-city-beats-lower-cape-may-for-2nd-straight-cal-boys-lacrosse-title/article_b0093f66-f6a1-11ed-95da-c7aa06c71cc0.html | 2023-05-20T02:42:13 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/highschool/no-8-ocean-city-beats-lower-cape-may-for-2nd-straight-cal-boys-lacrosse-title/article_b0093f66-f6a1-11ed-95da-c7aa06c71cc0.html |
Gas station worker charged after two teenagers' deaths in January Taycheedah crash
FOND DU LAC - A gas station worker has been charged with two felonies after two 16-year-olds died and another was injured in a January crash near Taycheedah caused by alcohol and speeding, the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office said Friday.
Sanju Paudel, a 27-year-old Fond du Lac woman, faces two counts of providing alcohol to a minor causing death. Both are Class G felonies in Wisconsin.
The teenagers were driving at high speeds early in the morning Jan. 21 on Golf Course Drive, lost control of their vehicle and drove into a tree, the sheriff's office said.
The front passenger, a 16-year-old male from Eldorado, died at the scene.
The driver, a 16-year-old male from Mount Calvary, died later from his injuries at a local hospital.
The back-seat passenger, a 16-year-old female from Fond du Lac, was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries but spoke with deputies who were dispatched to the scene shortly before 3:30 a.m., the criminal complaint said.
She told deputies the driver and the passenger had been drinking before the crash.
Deputies went to the driver's home and found beer cans in and around the house, the complaint said.
Later investigation concluded the house was the site of a party that had taken place while the driver's parents were out.
Another unidentified witness involved in the incident picked up the two victims the evening of Jan. 20 and first went to an Amoco gas station. After the clerk at Amoco refused to sell them alcohol, they went to a Shell gas station on Fond du Lac Avenue.
Security footage revealed the Shell clerk, later identified as Paudel, sold the witness and victims two 30-packs of Busch Light, a bottle of Captain Morgan and vape cartridges without carding anyone, the complaint said. The alcohol was later found at the driver's home.
The case remains under investigation by the Fond du Lac County District Attorney's Office.
"The tragic death of the two boys has been emotional for our community and we know family and friends continue to grieve and mourn their loss," District Attorney Eric Toney said in a news release. "Adults have a responsibility to protect kids and this was a tragedy that could have been avoided if alcohol wasn’t sold to a child."
He also commended the Amoco clerk for refusing to make the sale and emphasized Paudel is innocent until proven guilty.
Paudel was released Thursday on $25,000 bond. She was also required to surrender her passport and ID, maintain absolute sobriety and remain in Wisconsin. Her next hearing is June 2.
Alex Garner contributed to this report.
Read more:
- Fatal head-on crash:Rosendale woman and Ripon man were killed in a head-on crash in Lamartine
- Summer events:Fond du Lac, here are 9 can't miss events happening this summer, from Walleye Weekend to Fondue Fest
- Fatal crash: Eden woman dies after single-vehicle crash on County B Tuesday morning
Rebecca Loroff is a breaking and trending news reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Contact her at rloroff@gannett.com. | https://www.fdlreporter.com/story/news/local/2023/05/19/fond-du-lac-shell-clerk-charged-after-fatal-january-crash-in-taycheedah/70235497007/ | 2023-05-20T02:43:14 | 1 | https://www.fdlreporter.com/story/news/local/2023/05/19/fond-du-lac-shell-clerk-charged-after-fatal-january-crash-in-taycheedah/70235497007/ |
SAN ANTONIO — On February 24, in San Antonio, Texas, 81-year-old Ramon Najera was killed in a dog attack on the west side. His 74-year-old wife was left in critical condition.
Both were attacked by two dogs as they prepared to enter their vehicles. A relative suffered a bite to the hand and later a firefighter was punctured in the leg.
On Friday, the Texas Senate Committee on Criminal Justice moved H.B. 4759 forward to the Senate floor. The bill would require animal authority departments like San Antonio Animal Care Services to investigate an incident when a report on a dangerous dog is made without the need of a sworn witness statement. A sworn witness statement is currently required by state law according to Animal Care Services Director Shannon Sims.
This would make it easier for community members to report dangerous dogs and it would also make it easier for those reports to be made anonymously.
Texas Senator Senator José Menéndez told fellow lawmakers Friday that neighbors knew about the dogs that eventually killed Ramon Najera but they never reported it because they feared retaliation.
"We had a known criminal threatening his neighbors," Menéndez said. "All of the neighbors were afraid to report it out of retaliation for the dog owner who is gang-affiliated and had threatened the neighborhood if anybody reported his dog."
Under the new bill, penalties for the owners of dangerous dogs would also increase when there was an incident. The minimum penalty for a dog attack, if a dog escapes the owners property, will be a class a Class B misdemeanor. Curranty these can be Class C Misdemeanor charges. Dog attacks that result in the victims death are would be a second degree felony under the new bill.
H.B. 4759 already passed the Texas House of Representatives and now must be voted on by the Senate. It has 10 days left to become law before the legislature ends on May 29. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/public-safety/dangerous-dog-bill-making-progress-in-texas-legislature-sas-council-in-favor/273-c9571079-e940-4d46-b679-3753d9ef2deb | 2023-05-20T02:44:02 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/public-safety/dangerous-dog-bill-making-progress-in-texas-legislature-sas-council-in-favor/273-c9571079-e940-4d46-b679-3753d9ef2deb |
Editor's note: This story was originally published in 2022 and updated in 2023.
In 2021, I wrote a little guide about where to eat downtown along the streetcar route. I talked about how I loved having the streetcar as an option when Tucson is such a car-dependent city: it’s more affordable than ride-shares and easier to coordinate than finding a designated driver. In the years since, a lot has changed — menus have shifted, new restaurants have cropped up.
The Sun Link Streetcar connects downtown, the Mercado District, Fourth Avenue, Main Gate Square and the University of Arizona. The streetcar’s fares are waived through 2023.
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Here’s a follow-up guide to take advantage of all Tucson’s downtown area has to offer, including nine picks.
Happy Hour
Agustin Kitchen
This summer, catch me on the Agustin Kitchen patio with a $7 daiquiri and $5 garlic frites. Their happy hour lasts from 3-6 p.m. and features a roster of simple, classic cocktails: the daiquiri is my drink of choice this summer, but sangrias and margaritas suit the heat just as well.
Happy Hour: 3-6 p.m. daily
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
For more information, check out their Google Maps site (their website has some outdated information, call 520-398-5382 for the most up-to-date info).
The Delta
The sister restaurant of The Parish brings eclectic, daring Southern cuisine downtown. The Delta offers both happy hour and late-night specials. For happy hour, you can get $3 off both specialty cocktails and a variety of rich appetizers like Texas poutine and seafood gumbo. If you have a flair for old fashioneds, you can get them at The Delta’s happy hour for only $6.
Location: 135 S. Sixth Ave.
Happy Hour: 3-6 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday | 3-7 p.m. Friday | Late night specials until midnight Friday-Saturday
Hours: 4-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday | 4 p.m. to midnight Friday-Saturday | 4-9 p.m. Sunday
For more information, check out their website.
Dinner
La Yaquesita
When going out, I find it’s best to have a meal that can sustain you. One of my favorite comfort foods is quesabirria: you can’t go wrong at La Yaquesita, which started on the far west side. Their indulgent tacos and dogos can sustain anyone embarking on a long night out on the town.
Location: 500 N. Fourth Ave.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday
For more information, check out our story.
Fullylove’s
After a brief but impressive stint on Fourth Avenue, Fullylove’s found a permanent home in Main Gate Square. With vegan options as delicious and indulgent as anything else on their comfort food menu, it’s my favorite place to go out with herbivorous friends.
Location: 994 E. University Blvd.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:30-8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, noon to 7 p.m. Sunday
For more information, check out their website.
Drinks
The Owls Club
The Owls Club is great if you want to be on the scene. Hipsters, normie Bumble dates and everyone in between who’s looking for a little something funky has passed through this mortuary-cum-jazz bar on a Friday night. Happy hour, featuring $8 classic cocktail specials, runs from 5-7 p.m.
Location: 236 S. Scott Ave.
Hours: 5 p.m. to midnight Tuesday-Sunday
For more information, check out their website.
The Shanty
For a more intimate evening, try The Shanty. It boasts Arizona’s oldest liquor license and has a quiet patio. Even though it’s a stone’s throw to high-key discotheques like Hi-Fi, it’s a world apart. Here, you’ll find an extensive beer list and pool tables. All the making for a neighborhood joint, within striking distance of a big night out.
Location: 401 E. Ninth St.
Hours: 5-11 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 5 p.m. to midnight Friday-Saturday, 3 p.m. to midnight Sunday
For more information, check out their website.
Revel
Revel is a fun, accessible wine bar, where you can either kick off a night or hunker down for an evening. Whether you want to impress a date or chill out with friends, it’s a setting for all of Tucson. Revel often books jazz shows on the weekends and if you’re interested in learning more about wine, they offer tasting classes on Sundays, usually for $15.
Location: 416 E. Ninth St.
Hours: 4-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight Friday-Saturday
For more information, check out their website.
Late Night
Empire Pizza
Empire Pizza has been the safe harbor after every night out I’ve had downtown. Their perfectly greasy cheese pizza is the panacea to whatever drink you had previously imbibed. Tucson has a lot of good pizza, and this is my favorite New York-style slice. It’s the special treat, cherry on top, of every night out — good or bad, a slice of Empire's pizza will make it better. And they’re open until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Oh, and there’s a hidden bar in the back.
Location: 137 E. Congress St.
Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday-Thursday, 11-3 a.m. Friday-Saturday
For more information, check out their website.
La Merguez
If you're looking for something you can't find anywhere else, check out La Merguez's food cart, slinging Moroccan-style lamb, chicken and vegan sandwiches at Che's Lounge most Saturdays.
Location: Che's Lounge, 350 N. Fourth Ave.
Hours: For the most up-to-date information, follow La Merguez on Instagram.
For more information, check out our story.
If you’re looking for more places to grab a bite after midnight, Main Gate Square is replete with student-focused options open until around 2 a.m., like The Blind Pig. | https://tucson.com/news/local/a-carefree-car-free-night-out-places-to-eat-and-drink-along-the-streetcar-route/article_680de5b6-f671-11ed-8416-4b63deae5058.html | 2023-05-20T02:44:19 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/a-carefree-car-free-night-out-places-to-eat-and-drink-along-the-streetcar-route/article_680de5b6-f671-11ed-8416-4b63deae5058.html |
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) – A regional softball tournament in Tuscaloosa brings some economic relief to the lull of summer months with students leaving town.
When you think of Tuscaloosa, you first think of the University of Alabama, and then busy bars, restaurants and people milling around campus and the Strip.
“Pretty barren, there’s no one really around,” UA student Erica Manfredo said.
What are usually busy areas with lots of people and traffic have significantly slowed down since graduation two weeks ago.
“When we have graduation you see a huge uptick, it’s like another football game weekend for us so huge economic impact wise but then you see a huge drop-off when you don’t have Bama bound, you don’t have anyone here because summer classes haven’t started yet either so it’s really kind of barren here,” says Stan Adams, executive director of sports for Tuscaloosa Tourism.
For the past 17 years, Tuscaloosa Tourism says businesses around town from hotels to restaurants have gotten some relief from slow traffic with the regional softball tournament.
“It’s going to be huge for us, we’re really a sports-centric town,” says Adams. “$750,000 economic impact that normally at a time of the year when normally nobody is here is a huge boost for everybody.”
Students, longtime Alabama fans and first-time visitors are all excited to enjoy local favorites after the games.
“Haven’t had anything yet, we drove in [Friday] morning so we had a nice 17-hour drive. We got in at 9 [Friday] morning so we haven’t really found anything yet but we’re definitely going to ask,” says Robert Cuffie, an LIU fan in town to see his daughter play.
“We usually hit up downtown on the strip, the T-shirt stores, because if you don’t get down there early, you don’t get a softball shirt and softball is our sport,” says Vickie Farris, a University of Alabama fan from Jasper.
Tuscaloosa Tourism says more events are scheduled throughout the summer like Grand Slam youth baseball tournaments and water ski regionals to help bring people into the city before school starts back up. | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/tuscaloosa-businesses-enjoy-break-in-summer-lull-with-regional-softball-tournament/ | 2023-05-20T02:52:27 | 0 | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/tuscaloosa-businesses-enjoy-break-in-summer-lull-with-regional-softball-tournament/ |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Conway Police Department is looking for the whereabouts of a runaway juvenile who was reported missing on May 19, 2023.
Dori Paau-Urizar, 17, was last seen on video footage leaving Conway High School around 8:15 a.m.
According to authorities, Paau-Urizar was wearing a red velvet jacket, a zebra print dress and white sandals. Police said she was also carrying a grocery bag with what appears to be additional clothing.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Conway Police Department at (501) 450-6120. | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/missing-persons-reports/conway-police-searching-for-runaway/91-ec34c9cf-c0bf-4364-b8f8-07413043d91f | 2023-05-20T02:55:50 | 0 | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/missing-persons-reports/conway-police-searching-for-runaway/91-ec34c9cf-c0bf-4364-b8f8-07413043d91f |
HOUSTON — Agitated and upset are just two words to describe the parents of a 6-year-old girl who said she was forced to change out of her dress while at school.
Jonathan Alexander said his daughter loves putting on dresses and she wears them to school nearly every day, but now the young girl is self-conscious after an incident that reportedly took place at Clear Lake City Elementary School.
Jonathan and his wife Kristie said a teacher's aide spoke to their daughter about the dresses she wore to school. Their daughter continued to wear dresses and a few days later, after going to school in a dress, the 6-year-old came back home wearing jeans.
“The first thing I asked was, ‘Did you have an accident?’ ‘No ma’am.’ ‘Ok, why did you change clothes?’ ‘The teacher made me change clothes because I was running around or playing and didn’t sit properly," Kristie explained of the conversation she had with her daughter.
Johnathan and Kristie said the next day they were sent a message by their daughter's teacher over an app used for parent-teacher communication.
The message read, in part, that, "...she was trying to maintain student dignity."
Jonathan said he believes that there was nothing wrong with the way his daughter wears dresses. He said all they are telling him and his wife is that she doesn't sit in the chair properly and you're able to see her underwear because the shorts underneath her dress were too baggy.
“Ever since the beginning of the year, my daughter has worn dresses. She wears shorts or tights or something under the dress," he said. “I do not believe that any 6-year-old is looking at another 6-year-old like that.”
Clear Creek ISD sent over the following statement:
“CCISD is not able to comment on student matters, however, the District will continue to reinforce with staff, parprofessionals, and substitute teachers what the dress code policy is in Clear Creek ISD.”
Jonathan and his wife said this is their daughter's first year at Clear Lake City Elementary School and, for now, they plan to keep her there. | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/girl-wears-dress-to-school/285-9271430f-7e47-4627-89f7-29e22cbd16b3 | 2023-05-20T03:01:41 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/girl-wears-dress-to-school/285-9271430f-7e47-4627-89f7-29e22cbd16b3 |
DALLAS — They look like dots on a map.
But they mean so much more.
“Every one of those dots is only moments away from being a fatality,” said Lake Travis Fire Chief Robert Abbott. “We can see the data in real time and share that with our neighbors in the public safety realm.”
Here on the shores of Lake Travis, those dots are pivotal to his community’s fight against the fentanyl epidemic. It’s called the Overdose Mapping and Application Program, or ODMAP.
Abbott says the system’s identified two areas with higher numbers of opioid overdoses. With that information, they’ve been able to put boxes of Narcan – the nasal spray that immediately reverses an opioid overdose – in the right places.
“The reality is we've had more problems in those areas than we thought,” Abbott said.
So how does overdose mapping work?
Agencies enter their overdoses into the ODMAP system, noting where overdose occurred, whether it was fatal, and whether Narcan was given.
“It is a model of response,” said Jeff Beeson, deputy director for the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. “If you know what's going on in real time, you have the ability to respond.”
When overdoses spike, the system triggers alerts, which allows emergency medical services to call in extra staff to reduce response times. Hospitals can get prepared for the influx. Treatment professionals can respond to offer help to overdose victims. And for law enforcement, knowing where overdoses occur can lead them to the source of the drugs.
Beeson helped create the system in 2017 as Washington and Baltimore saw a rapid rise in opioid overdoses and officials knew there that something different needed to be done.
“Having that knowledge and that understanding in real time of what's going on in my community, or even a neighboring community, that's going to improve my response protocol and get me in a better position to save lives,” he said.
What about locally?
Many departments in the Austin and Houston area have signed on. So has Plano.
“It's an epidemic at this point and we are very concerned,” said Jennifer Chapman, a police spokesperson in Plano, where fentanyl-related deaths jumped from 12 in 2021 to 24 in 2022.
But most cities in North Texas currently aren’t mapping overdoses.
“In order to track it, to understand where it is where it's going, we need that system and we need it fully across all of our municipalities in Dallas County,” said Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot.
In practice, what that means is that “we don’t get a lot of real-time data,” said Becky Tinney of the Recovery Resource Council, which covers 20 counties in North Texas.
“Oftentimes, the data that we're getting is sometimes a year or more old,” Tinney said.
Dallas
So why hasn’t Dallas been doing it?
For years, as fentanyl deaths skyrocketed, the city wouldn’t let Dallas Fire-Rescue submit overdose information to the database for fear of violating medical privacy laws.
“We had a logjam at the city attorney's office, and they were advising the city council to not go forward with it,” Creuzot said.
Creuzot blames former City Attorney Chris Caso, who retired earlier this year, for the delay in finding a solution. He says he repeatedly asked Caso to explain his concerns about participating in the overdose mapping system.
Through an open records request, he provided WFAA records of his attempts to meet with Caso.
He says only late last year after council members formed a task force did he learn that Caso’s concerns involved medical privacy laws.
“I don't know of any community that has taken that position about this,” Creuzot said. “Communities have looked at as a cost-benefit analysis, and the likelihood of being sued on that is so low. And the benefits are so high that people have moved on.”
Caso, now in private practice, did not respond to requests for comment.
City officials told WFAA that they’ve recently crafted a workaround.
There’s an exemption under current law that allows the information to be shared with a local health authority, officials said.
They’re now sending the overdose information to the county health department, which is shielded from legal claims. The county began sending daily uploads to ODMAP this week, so Dallas’ overdose information is now part of the system and being mapped.
Creuzot’s office also drafted legislation that’s now been sent to the governor to sign into law that shields emergency medical services providers from legal lability.
“This is a huge step forward in getting data into the right hands so that we can direct the resources where they are needed most,” city council member Paula Blackmon told a legislative committee in March.
Tarrant County
What about in Tarrant County? They’re served by MedStar, which covers 400 square miles.
MedStar signed up for the ODMAP program, but hasn’t been able to participate so far.
Lance Sumpter, director of the Texoma HIDTA, says MedStar was willing to provide the data to the overdose database, but their information is maintained by a private entity.
MedStar told WFAA that ImageTrend, the company that maintains MedStar’s patient care reporting system, wanted $15,000 for the initial connection, plus $5,000 annually.
“We couldn't settle on a price that was reasonable that the organization could afford or that I really think we should have to afford,” Sumpter said.
After WFAA started investigating overdose mapping, Medstar and ImageTrend this week reached an agreement. MedStar’s data will soon start flowing into the overdose mapping system.
A MedStar spokesman declined to discuss the specifics, but he credited WFAA with helping the two sides reach an agreement.
An official with ImageTrend told WFAA that the last thing the company would ever want to do is be “seen is as an obstacle to data sharing.”
“When we're having young people and old people dying from overdoses or experiencing overdoses, we can't wait a year to find out how bad the overdose circumstance was,” Sumpter said. “We need to know as soon as possible. So the people that wake up every day professionally to do something about it can respond.
Because those dots could be the difference between life and death. | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/north-texas-dfw-dallas-local-officials-slow-to-adopt-tactic-to-combat-fentanyl-overdoses/287-03ca8ea0-9060-423c-97c3-37bc9964e4eb | 2023-05-20T03:01:47 | 1 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/north-texas-dfw-dallas-local-officials-slow-to-adopt-tactic-to-combat-fentanyl-overdoses/287-03ca8ea0-9060-423c-97c3-37bc9964e4eb |
DALLAS — They look like dots on a map.
But they mean so much more.
“Every one of those dots is only moments away from being a fatality,” said Lake Travis Fire Chief Robert Abbott. “We can see the data in real time and share that with our neighbors in the public safety realm.”
Here on the shores of Lake Travis, those dots are pivotal to his community’s fight against the fentanyl epidemic. It’s called the Overdose Mapping and Application Program, or ODMAP.
Abbott says the system’s identified two areas with higher numbers of opioid overdoses. With that information, they’ve been able to put boxes of Narcan – the nasal spray that immediately reverses an opioid overdose – in the right places.
“The reality is we've had more problems in those areas than we thought,” Abbott said.
So how does overdose mapping work?
Agencies enter their overdoses into the ODMAP system, noting where overdose occurred, whether it was fatal, and whether Narcan was given.
“It is a model of response,” said Jeff Beeson, deputy director for the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. “If you know what's going on in real time, you have the ability to respond.”
When overdoses spike, the system triggers alerts, which allows emergency medical services to call in extra staff to reduce response times. Hospitals can get prepared for the influx. Treatment professionals can respond to offer help to overdose victims. And for law enforcement, knowing where overdoses occur can lead them to the source of the drugs.
Beeson helped create the system in 2017 as Washington and Baltimore saw a rapid rise in opioid overdoses and officials knew there that something different needed to be done.
“Having that knowledge and that understanding in real time of what's going on in my community, or even a neighboring community, that's going to improve my response protocol and get me in a better position to save lives,” he said.
What about locally?
Many departments in the Austin and Houston area have signed on. So has Plano.
“It's an epidemic at this point and we are very concerned,” said Jennifer Chapman, a police spokesperson in Plano, where fentanyl-related deaths jumped from 12 in 2021 to 24 in 2022.
But most cities in North Texas currently aren’t mapping overdoses.
“In order to track it, to understand where it is where it's going, we need that system and we need it fully across all of our municipalities in Dallas County,” said Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot.
In practice, what that means is that “we don’t get a lot of real-time data,” said Becky Tinney of the Recovery Resource Council, which covers 20 counties in North Texas.
“Oftentimes, the data that we're getting is sometimes a year or more old,” Tinney said.
Dallas
So why hasn’t Dallas been doing it?
For years, as fentanyl deaths skyrocketed, the city wouldn’t let Dallas Fire-Rescue submit overdose information to the database for fear of violating medical privacy laws.
“We had a logjam at the city attorney's office, and they were advising the city council to not go forward with it,” Creuzot said.
Creuzot blames former City Attorney Chris Caso, who retired earlier this year, for the delay in finding a solution. He says he repeatedly asked Caso to explain his concerns about participating in the overdose mapping system.
Through an open records request, he provided WFAA records of his attempts to meet with Caso.
He says only late last year after council members formed a task force did he learn that Caso’s concerns involved medical privacy laws.
“I don't know of any community that has taken that position about this,” Creuzot said. “Communities have looked at as a cost-benefit analysis, and the likelihood of being sued on that is so low. And the benefits are so high that people have moved on.”
Caso, now in private practice, did not respond to requests for comment.
City officials told WFAA that they’ve recently crafted a workaround.
There’s an exemption under current law that allows the information to be shared with a local health authority, officials said.
They’re now sending the overdose information to the county health department, which is shielded from legal claims. The county began sending daily uploads to ODMAP this week, so Dallas’ overdose information is now part of the system and being mapped.
Creuzot’s office also drafted legislation that’s now been sent to the governor to sign into law that shields emergency medical services providers from legal lability.
“This is a huge step forward in getting data into the right hands so that we can direct the resources where they are needed most,” city council member Paula Blackmon told a legislative committee in March.
Tarrant County
What about in Tarrant County? They’re served by MedStar, which covers 400 square miles.
MedStar signed up for the ODMAP program, but hasn’t been able to participate so far.
Lance Sumpter, director of the Texoma HIDTA, says MedStar was willing to provide the data to the overdose database, but their information is maintained by a private entity.
MedStar told WFAA that ImageTrend, the company that maintains MedStar’s patient care reporting system, wanted $15,000 for the initial connection, plus $5,000 annually.
“We couldn't settle on a price that was reasonable that the organization could afford or that I really think we should have to afford,” Sumpter said.
After WFAA started investigating overdose mapping, Medstar and ImageTrend this week reached an agreement. MedStar’s data will soon start flowing into the overdose mapping system.
A MedStar spokesman declined to discuss the specifics, but he credited WFAA with helping the two sides reach an agreement.
An official with ImageTrend told WFAA that the last thing the company would ever want to do is be “seen is as an obstacle to data sharing.”
“When we're having young people and old people dying from overdoses or experiencing overdoses, we can't wait a year to find out how bad the overdose circumstance was,” Sumpter said. “We need to know as soon as possible. So the people that wake up every day professionally to do something about it can respond.
Because those dots could be the difference between life and death. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/north-texas-dfw-dallas-local-officials-slow-to-adopt-tactic-to-combat-fentanyl-overdoses/287-03ca8ea0-9060-423c-97c3-37bc9964e4eb | 2023-05-20T03:05:52 | 1 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/north-texas-dfw-dallas-local-officials-slow-to-adopt-tactic-to-combat-fentanyl-overdoses/287-03ca8ea0-9060-423c-97c3-37bc9964e4eb |
Seventy-five years ago, Ray Coffey graduated first in his class from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Army ROTC program. On Friday, his grandson followed in his footsteps and did the same.
"I'm excited to see a lot of chapters closing and a lot of doors opening," senior Jordan Coffey said. "It feels like I'm a part of something bigger than myself, which is the story of being in the Army, and I can't be thankful enough for that but then to also have the support and legacy that my family's been a part of, it's an honor."
Jordan Coffey said there was no singular moment where he knew this was what he wanted to do — it was a culmination of little moments over the years.
"I didn't know what I wanted out of the Army when I first joined ROTC my freshman year," he said. "I didn't contract until my sophomore year, so before that I could've dropped it at any time. But as I spent more time in the program and met the people in my class, I was motivated again and again to be better and that's so instrumental to where I am today."
In the years between the two graduates, Jordan Coffey's father and two uncles also graduated from the Army ROTC program at UNL and another uncle enlisted as a soldier in the Nebraska Army National Guard.
"We have quite the military history and I'm thrilled to continue to be a part of it," Jordan Coffey said. "In our family, service is important and it's gratifying to carry that mantle now."
When he walked across the stage Friday evening, he did so as a commissioned officer and ranked among the top 2% of all graduating ROTC cadets nationwide.
A commissioned officer is a military officer who has achieved a rank before officially assuming their role, holding higher authority than a non-commissioned officer.
"I don't really belong in the same company as my dad and my son," Greg Coffey, Jordan's father, said. "I see so much of my dad in my son — my dad was kind, he was gentle, he was strong and incredibly hardworking. And that's what Jordan is."
Although Ray Coffey passed away in 2009, when Jordan was only 8 years old, the graduate continues to look up to his grandfather.
"Everything I know about my grandfather has been instilled into me by my father," Jordan Coffey said. "I grew up hearing about all these great things he had done for our family and our nation, and I found that selfless service and determination inspiring."
Greg Coffey, holding back tears, said Jordan inspires the same feeling in him.
"I am so incredibly proud of him," Greg Coffey said.
Jordan's uncle, Doug Coffey, swore him in during UNL's Army ROTC graduation ceremony Friday, administering the Oath of Office and awarding him the Major Dan C. Kingman Memorial Award for Superior ROTC performance, named in honor of a Nebraska ROTC graduate who was killed in action in Vietnam.
Doug Coffey graduated from Nebraska and received his commission in 1972. He spent 26 years in active service to the Army, before retiring as a Colonel in 1998.
Following the service, the Coffey family gathered at Ray Coffey's memorial tree outside UNL's Pershing Military & Naval Science Building to recreate a photo of Greg Coffey and his brothers with their father in the 1980s.
Jordan has been assigned to the Infantry branch and will soon leave Lincoln for Ft. Brenning to attend the Infantry Basic Officer Leader Course, after which he will be sent to Ranger School and Airborne school before moving onto his first duty station.
Photos: Lincoln first responders, UNL ROTC cadets run steps of Memorial Stadium to honor those who died on 9/11
University of Nebraska-Lincoln undergraduates will receive their degrees Saturday during a 9 a.m. ceremony in Memorial Stadium. Gates will open and student check-in begins at 7 a.m. Graduates of UNL's College of Law will hold commencement at 2 p.m. in the Lied Center for Performing Arts, with doors set to open at 1 p.m.
Lauren Penington, a Colorado native and current junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, reports on breaking news and feature stories as a news intern for the Journal Star.
Greg Coffey adjusts the uniform of his son, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Army ROTC graduate Jordan Coffey on Friday in front of the UNL Military and Naval Science Building.
From left, John Coffey, Doug Coffey, Jordan Coffey and Greg Coffey pose for a photo in front of a tree dedicated to Ray Coffey on Friday in front of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Military and Naval Science Building. | https://journalstar.com/news/local/unl-army-rotc-graduate-carries-on-family-legacy/article_ead2f266-f6a3-11ed-9e37-23d319e6b73a.html | 2023-05-20T03:10:05 | 0 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/unl-army-rotc-graduate-carries-on-family-legacy/article_ead2f266-f6a3-11ed-9e37-23d319e6b73a.html |
Early storms across northern Arizona could mean delayed fire season
Officials kept watch on a storm system making its way across northern Arizona this week, just about a month before the monsoon traditionally starts for the area.
The storms, so far, have primarily impacted communities across Yavapai County stretching down across the central and eastern portions of the Mogollon Rim.
"So far, we've mainly seen just your curb-to-curb flooding in certain parts of northern Arizona," which will likely continue through Friday, National Weather Service meteorologist Lamont Bain, in Flagstaff, said.
Rainfall at the Flagstaff airport on Friday had already set a new daily record by 1 p.m., the weather service tweeted. The old record was .50 inches, set in 1957, while the new benchmark reached .57 inches on the day.
The potential for showers and thunderstorms will start winding down through the middle of the week, Bain said.
City officials in Flagstaff hosted two meetings this month to prepare residents for the potential for more flooding this summer after the community faced dozens of flood events last year. While officials emphasized the importance of readying properties and paying attention to emergency alerts, there is no clear way to predict what lies ahead.
Thinking ahead:After last year's floods, Flagstaff begins preparing residents for monsoon
"I do think that we have to be a little careful about drawing comparisons between what we're seeing now and if that's going to necessarily be a preview of the monsoon," Bain said.
The monsoon is unpredictable by nature, Bain said, which is why meteorologists often hesitate to make firm predictions this far ahead of time.
"Unfortunately, it's one of those things that we just kind of have to wait and see how it goes," he said.
While the current storm system might have no bearing on the monsoon, it could impact the traditional wildfire season. Because the rain rolled in during what is usually the area's peak fire season, the extra moisture will also likely delay the onset of the season, Bain said.
"It will certainly keep the fire potential on the lower end of the spectrum," he said.
Bain also warned that this early rain could spark a green-up of the surrounding areas. If the traditional monsoon, which usually starts around the end of June, is also delayed, the vegetation could then dry out quickly and add to dangerous fire conditions.
Reach the reporter at LLatch@gannett.com.
The Republic’s coverage of northern Arizona is funded, in part, with grants from Vitalyst Health Foundation and Report from America. To support regional Arizona news coverage like this, make a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-weather/2023/05/19/early-rain-across-northern-arizona-could-push-back-fire-season/70238146007/ | 2023-05-20T03:11:16 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-weather/2023/05/19/early-rain-across-northern-arizona-could-push-back-fire-season/70238146007/ |
CITRUS COUNTY, Fla — From politics to pageantry, Miss Florida USA 2023 is not shying away from showing that women can do all things they set their hearts on.
Caroline Dixon was crowned Miss Florida USA on May 14. The Citrus County native graduated from Crystal River High School and went on to complete her education at Florida State University. She recently moved to Palm Harbor where she works as a senior legislative aide.
"Growing up in the Tampa Bay area was something that was always super special to me," she said. "I loved going out on the water. I loved that small-town feeling that I had back in Homosassa."
Dixon, 25, graduated from Florida State University and succeeded last year's winner, Taylor Fulford. The new Miss Florida USA has been competing in pageants since she was 13 years old. Dixon said the confidence and self-esteem boost it gives is what attracted her to the stage. A friend of hers was competing in pageants and she shared her experience with her, pushing Dixon to compete.
"For me, I really needed something that was going to help provide that positive self-esteem and boost my self-confidence, so I started competing," she explained.
This was Dixon's third try at the crown. While a typical year of preparation would look like interview coaching, fitness training and walking practice for most, including herself, this year, she took a different approach.
"This year, I had decided going into it that I wasn't going to try to fit a mold," Dixon explained. "I wasn't going to try to be this perfect title holder that I felt like the judging panel would want. I really wanted to go in and authentically be myself."
And it worked. As she was handed her flowers and had the crown placed atop her head, her mother and fiancé were in the crowd cheering.
A recent rule change at the Miss Universe level allows women who are married or have children to compete in the pageant. That allows women like Dixon, who is engaged to her high school sweetheart, to follow through with the competition with a weight off her shoulders.
"Now with this rule change, we're all allowed to live our lives freely and feel comfortable doing that," she said.
Winning the Miss Florida USA competition also happened to fall on Mother's Day. Dixon said she has a reaction video of her fiancé and mom the moment her name was called.
Caroline Dixon wins Miss Florida USA 2023
"Looking back on that video and seeing how proud I made them, it just it got me super emotional, too," she added.
As far as what's to come as Dixon prepares to fulfill her role as Miss Florida USA and for the Miss USA pageant in the fall, she said she's thrilled. Between making plans with professional sports teams and an upcoming food pantry event in St. Pete, Dixon said she can't wait to get out and serve the community.
"My message for young girls all across the state of Florida and even beyond the borders of this state is that you're capable of doing anything you set your mind to as long as you're willing to put forth the hard work and effort," Dixon said.
Want to keep up with Miss Florida USA 2023, follow her on Instagram to track the journey to Miss USA. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/citruscounty/miss-florida-usa-2023-caroline-dixon/67-f0f5d438-89d5-4bed-b7fb-6d336aac3729 | 2023-05-20T03:19:32 | 1 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/citruscounty/miss-florida-usa-2023-caroline-dixon/67-f0f5d438-89d5-4bed-b7fb-6d336aac3729 |
TAMPA, Fla. — Several South Tampa neighborhoods are on alert after dozen of people said their mail was stolen.
Thanks to social media, those homeowners are compiling video of a man and woman caught in the act. It happened this week in neighborhoods north of Gandy Boulevard.
"It’s just kind of crazy to think there’s just someone out there in the middle of the night just opening our mailboxes," one South Tampa resident, Mike Fera, said.
Fera said he’s thankful he grabbed the mail Thursday morning after seeing security video from his neighbor of a woman getting into his mailbox then continuing onto his neighbor’s.
"Honestly, I’m a big, secure, comfortable dude," Fera added. "I felt a little bit violated. It’s not cool. You don’t want someone going through your property and taking advantage of your stuff."
Fera explained his whole neighborhood was hit off of South Dale Mabry along West Paxton Avenue.
"It was my mailbox and just everyone up and down the street." Fera said.
About a mile away along South Russell Street off Interbay Boulevard—the same story.
"The first time it was a man that was coming down with a bag," another South Tampa resident, Edward Kirilloff, said.
Kirilloff explained at least 50 people where he lives had their mail stolen. He said on his neighbor's security video, it was a man and a woman.
"They were in no hurry, which was a little odd," Kirilloff said.
Kirilloff called Tampa Police twice.
"I’m sure there’s people who had stuff in the mail and they’re probably second guessing themselves," Fera said. "Like those credit card applications."
As an attorney, Kirilloff thought about the consequences of stealing mail.
"It’s concerning to realize that someone’s willing to risk that much for a federal offense," he said.
This isn’t just a South Tampa problem. The United States Postal Service reports mail thefts are on the rise nationally. Last year, just 38,500 were reported and so far this year there have already been 25,000 thefts.
For this reason, people are sealing safety on their properties. "I’m going to set up a camera that’s going to try to catch the person," Kirilloff said
As police search for the man and woman, neighbors stamp ignorance on the man and woman's alleged actions.
"Stealing mail? Go get a job at subway," Fera said. "I don’t know, there’s a better way, you’re better than this."
If your mail is stolen, you can call local law enforcement and report it to USPS. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/south-tampa-mail-stolen/67-53285128-78f2-43cb-ba75-832d87a000ef | 2023-05-20T03:19:38 | 1 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/south-tampa-mail-stolen/67-53285128-78f2-43cb-ba75-832d87a000ef |
EMORY, Va. (WJHL) — Leaders with Remote Area Medical (RAM) say they’re expecting to see more demand for services than they can fulfill at the organization’s Emory & Henry pop-up clinic this weekend.
RAM is a non-profit that runs free, pop-up clinics providing medical, dental, and vision check-ups across the country.
RAM Clinic Manager Vicki Gregg told News Channel 11 she expects to see 250-300 patients between Saturday and Sunday.
“I’m quite sure that we’ll have more patients than we’ll be able to provide services for,” Gregg said. “We had our first three cars that were already lined up at 3:30 this afternoon.”
RAM provides its services free of charge, no questions asked.
“It’s first come first serve,” said Gregg. “We don’t ask for ID. We don’t ask for insurance.”
But not all clients come without insurance, Gregg said. Their most popular services, dental cleanings, and fillings, often serve patients who have already maxed out what their insurance can cover.
“We think of ourselves as just bridging the gap,” said Gregg. “You know, a person may have insurance for medical, but may not be able to afford the co-pays.”
Saturday, patients will sit in rooms across Emory & Henry’s campus getting fitted for free pairs of glasses, having their teeth filled, or getting one of a limited number of hearing aids.
It’s hard work keeping volunteers and patients organized.
“I would go back to the hotel every night, just completely worn out,” Gregg said of her first experience volunteering as a student in 2007. “It was in July, you know, so you’re just exhausted, drained, and you get up the next morning, can’t wait to go back.”
Now, as a full-time employee of RAM, Gregg says the effort is still worth it.
“Something just bites you because you see the patients where they’re at,” Gregg said. “You see them in their own environment. It’s completely different from seeing a patient in a hospital or a doctor’s office. We see them the way they live.”
More information about the clinic can be found on RAM’s website. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/free-clinic-sets-up-for-weekend-at-emory-henry/ | 2023-05-20T03:31:08 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/free-clinic-sets-up-for-weekend-at-emory-henry/ |
INDIANAPOLIS — One person is dead after a crash on Indy's near north side.
Police said the crash happened near 30th and Meridian Street around 11 p.m. Friday.
Other details about the crash have not been released.
INDIANAPOLIS — One person is dead after a crash on Indy's near north side.
Police said the crash happened near 30th and Meridian Street around 11 p.m. Friday.
Other details about the crash have not been released. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/1-dead-in-meridian-street-crash/531-d2737095-5198-440d-882b-a376e8b03a64 | 2023-05-20T03:31:39 | 1 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/1-dead-in-meridian-street-crash/531-d2737095-5198-440d-882b-a376e8b03a64 |
ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — It was a perfect night to kick up your heels and dance to some classics.
It was the first night of Glen Mar Church's outside Summer Concert Series. Tonight's headlining act...the Bayside Big Band concert and it was all free.
Bayside played music from famous big bands from the 19-30's up to the present day.
“These concerts have been a great way for the community to come out,” said . “Families bring their kids and just have a wonderful time together.”
They also had food trucks for anyone who wanted to make a dinner date out of it.
The next concert is on Sunday, June 18. The Baltimore Youth Symphony is set to perform starting at seven.
And starting next month they're going to have a summer market on Thursdays, and they are currently looking for vendors. | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/glen-mar-church-kick-off-their-free-summer-concert-series | 2023-05-20T03:39:06 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/glen-mar-church-kick-off-their-free-summer-concert-series |
BALTIMORE — The Preakness is bringing in lots people and lots of money to the Pimlico Race Course. But its benefits go well beyond the race track to those who live around it.
Saturday is a big day, where people in that area will be cashing in on the location of their property, many turning their yards into parking lots for cars.
It's a community of homes that line the street in Park Heights and on most days is quite with a few cars parked on the side of the road. But come Preakness weekend, the neighborhood transforms. Lawns become parking lots and food stands are ready to sell refreshments for before or after the big race.
"We out here 24 hours, from six in the morning to ten at night, your car is safe, 24 hour security and you don't have to worry about anything, just enjoy yourself and have fun,” said Willia Turner who uses her lawn as parking lot.
Turner has opened up her yard to those looking for a cheaper spot to park for the last 35 years. She charges $50 and says it's a community effort where all money raised goes to the children in the neighborhood. All together the neighborhood raises a little over $2,000 each year.
"It helps when they got to get their gym clothes, gym shoes, whatever they need for school. Help them go on vacation if they want to do something in the summertime. And put them in youth programs,” said Turner.
Head to the other side of the Pimlico Race Course you'll find a similar situation, but with more of a family tradition.
"Preakness has been going on in this area since my great grandparents purchased this. This was a Jewish community and they were the first blacks to purchase this dwelling,” said Kim Mccoy-Hopkins who allows people to park on her lawn every year.
Making room for 18 cars--the Hopkins have continued what Kim's great grandparents started many decades back providing parking spots during the races, but as Omar Hopkins states, they take it a step further making it personal.
"The best part for us is that we actually get to meet the people that's parking here personally. We let them use the bathroom if they need to sit and rest. Sometimes they get back later than they usually let out and so we sit here and wait and make sure their vehicles are ok,” said Omar Hopkins who provides parking on lawn.
Just like other neighborhoods in the area, the Hopkins make no profit--charging $35 per car-- all their proceeds go back into the community for the kids.
"We give to the children in September for bookbags, money for lunches. As long as we can bring wealth back into the community we're doing fantastic that's all that matters,” said Kim.
Many of the parking yards have regulars that come back every year, some with reservations. | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/surrounding-neighborhoods-prepare-for-preakness | 2023-05-20T03:39:13 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/surrounding-neighborhoods-prepare-for-preakness |
HAGERMAN — An event this weekend has a catchy name as it combines two events in the beautiful Hagerman Valley.
The Spring Fling & Wing is part arts-and-crafts fair and part birdwatching celebration.
There’s a packed Memorial Gym as 40 vendors selling their wares from beautiful wooden bowls to hundreds of colorful aprons. Jami Drake said she’s been making aprons for years and has never made the same apron twice.
“The Magic Valley region is stuffed with artists,” said event organizer CJ Holmes, “and if you want to see their artwork, you just come to the Spring Fling.”
And what is a twist to most arts and craft fairs, people can have three items, whether it be old pieces of glasswork or a rare coin, appraised for $5.
Linda Helms, curator for the Jerome County Historical Society, sits at a small table and will look at your small items and give her opinion on their value.
People are also reading…
“I know a lot about old things,” Helms said, although admitting she on occasion needs a little help.
“Sometimes I go online or ask friends.” Proceeds from the appraisal go toward the Hagerman Foundation, celebrating its 20th year.
But then there is the birdwatching side of the event. The Hagerman Bird Festival was a regular thing for years, Holmes said, but took a hit during the pandemic, leading it to being canceled.
Birding tours, led by experts in the field, took place Friday, and more are scheduled for Saturday, including 9 a.m. trips to Ritter Island and the Jones Ranch. A Billingsley Creek kayak field trip is set for 1 p.m.
“I’m pleased that we can get these bird-type things going again,” Holmes said.
Bird watching can be a bit like a treasure hunt, said Sarah Harris, who helped lead a tour of Box Canyon on Friday. “Sometimes you see amazing things but sometimes you don’t find the ‘x’ on the map.”
It didn’t take long after pulling into the Box Canyon parking lot that the group got to work identifying birds. The first bird seen was a turkey vulture, gliding effortlessly above the canyon.
“They are king of the glide,” quipped Bill Chisholm, who calls himself more of a “bird appreciator” than a bird species expert.
Chisholm, an environmental activist, gave the group some background about his fight to keep Box Canyon undeveloped. The area is now a state park.
Harrison was hoping to see pelicans and perhaps a prairie falcon down in the canyon.
A big part of birdwatching, she said, is watching for movement and sounds.
Those on the tour came from a limited birdwatching past, from a man who just wanted to see some new country to a woman who has become more interested in it after moving to Hailey six years ago.
Now on Brenda Weeks' wish list is a pair of binoculars. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/hagerman-event-combines-arts-with-birdwatching/article_8440708c-f6a3-11ed-a5a9-7ba9c40f7366.html | 2023-05-20T03:39:50 | 0 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/hagerman-event-combines-arts-with-birdwatching/article_8440708c-f6a3-11ed-a5a9-7ba9c40f7366.html |
COVINGTON, Va. – Friday marked the end of an era for Covington High School.
The school celebrated its final graduating class before students and staff of Alleghany Highlands Public Schools will complete the district’s merger next year – an experience Covington Principal Derek Cantrell says it’s bittersweet.
“You’re ending an 83-year run of Covington High School being a big mainstay in our community,” Cantrell said.
Covington High School will be renamed Covington Middle - and it will be the only one for the district. All high schoolers will attend Alleghany High in the fall.
Class president Lauren Bragg is the last valedictorian the school will ever see.
“It’s really memorable to think that I’m going to be part of history forever. Even if the school doesn’t exist anymore, I’m still going to have to say I’m the last one,” Bragg said.
Getting emotional during her speech to her peers, Bragg reflected on the memories the halls of Covington High hold.
“It’s a little sad because you’re always going to want to be a Cougar since you started a Cougar,” Bragg said.
Senior Dean Anderson said Covington didn’t just prepare students for college but for life.
“They sent out great adults. I mean we’re sending out great people into this world,” Anderson said.
Alleghany and Covington were rivals, but Anderson said the merger will be a good thing for both schools.
“It’s not as big of a rivalry as you would think. We’re basically just one big family,” Anderson said.
Students and staff say it may be the end of an age, but the start of a new journey.
Covington City Public Schools and Alleghany County Public Schools administration merged in 2022 to create a new district, Alleghany Highlands Public Schools. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/20/covington-high-school-honors-final-graduating-class/ | 2023-05-20T03:43:12 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/20/covington-high-school-honors-final-graduating-class/ |
WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. – Two cats were rescued during a garage fire in Winter Springs on Friday evening, according to the Seminole County Fire Department.
Fire officials announced that crews arrived at a home along Gatehouse Drive following reports about the fire.
Images show crews tackling the fire — and one firefighter carrying a cat away from the blaze.
Working garage fire on Gatehouse Drive in Winter Springs this evening. Two cats were rescued, there were no injuries. The fire was contained to the garage. @RedCrossCFL assisting residents. @WFTV @WESH @UnivisionOrl @news6wkmg @MyNews13 @fox35orlando @orlandosentinel pic.twitter.com/EdiTI74gsR
— Seminole County Fire Department (SCFD) PIO Media (@scfdpio) May 20, 2023
According to the department, the fire was contained to the garage, and the Red Cross is helping the residents.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/20/2-cats-rescued-in-winter-springs-garage-fire/ | 2023-05-20T03:53:32 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/20/2-cats-rescued-in-winter-springs-garage-fire/ |
ORLANDO, Fla. – An Orlando woman — who preferred to remain anonymous — said she is now on edge after a man was caught on her surveillance camera late Thursday night, peeking through the blinds of her bedroom window.
It happened near the Lake Barton Village area just before 11 p.m.
As the man peered through the window, it appears the trespasser attempted to cover his face using his arms.
“That’s just weird. That’s uncomfortable,” she said. “I don’t know who that person is.”
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She said she was bracing for the man to break in.
“I had my Taser in one hand and my big-a** flashlight in the other hand, just in case,” she said.
A red pick-up truck was parked on the street in the video. The resident said it’s the same vehicle the man got into after walking away from her home.
He can be seen leaning out of the driver’s side door in a photo captured by the resident.
She immediately called her roommate to come home that night, then reached out to the police.
The woman told News 6 that she asked an officer to patrol the area, but she claimed the officer did not stay long.
The woman said that about 40 minutes after officer left, she saw the same red vehicle speed past her home.
“I checked my camera to see what was going on in front of my house because I was too scared to look out a window,” she said.
The woman said it will be on her mind all the time until he’s caught.
“That leaves me checking my cameras 24/7,” she said.
She said she was so frazzled Thursday night that she forgot to file a police report.
She contacted Orlando police on Friday, hoping to get it filed.
At last check, she was waiting for officers to arrive at her house.
News 6 reached out to Orlando police about this incident and protocol in these situations. They have yet to respond.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/20/orlando-woman-struggles-with-bedroom-peeper-near-lake-barton-village/ | 2023-05-20T03:53:39 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/20/orlando-woman-struggles-with-bedroom-peeper-near-lake-barton-village/ |
Shairay Jones (from left), Aaron Coen, Dustin Wartman and Erica Rios celebrate the graduation of the Crisis Intervention Team-certified office…
HOBART — Officers in 14 of Lake County's police departments have taken steps to enhance their skills in crisis intervention through a weeklong course centered on helping individuals struggling with substance abuse, mental illness and more.
Hammond, Highland, Munster, Griffith, Gary, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District and Canadian National Railroad police departments sent officers to participate in a Crisis Intervention Team course. The 40-hour class culminated in a graduation ceremony Friday night at the Northwest Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.
St. John Police CIT Officer Dustin Wartman is trained in mental health intervention.
"I have every bit of confidence you guys are going to make great CIT officers," St. John Officer Dustin Wartman told the graduates.
Wartman is a certified CIT officer and coordinator. He helped create a coalition with members from Methodist Hospitals, the National Alliance of Mental Illness, Geminus and other crisis prevention professionals to facilitate course content and recruit officers.
He reached out to numerous Lake County departments in the spring to introduce the program and asked if they would be interested in sending one or multiple officers to participate in the training. He was thrilled with the response and believes the training the officers received this week will help them better serve their communities.
"Not only can they identify when a person is in crisis," Wartman said, "they now have the skills to de-escalate the situation, get them stabilized and facilitate access to resources, whatever they may be."
The course covered how to identify various mental illnesses, substance-use disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and neurocognitive disorders. Other topics covered: cultural awareness, psychopharmacology, veteran and homelessness services, suicide prevention, officer wellness and self-care, trauma-informed care, legal detentions, officer liability, policies and procedures, child services and human trafficking.
Officers had the opportunity to hear from individuals with lived experiences, including meeting with individuals who are in recovery from substance use.
Another significant portion of the training involved active listening and verbal de-escalation skills. Officers were tested on their skills in role-playing scenarios. Wartman conducted the training with Geminus prevention specialists Aaron Coen and Shairay Jones, and police social worker Erica Rios.
Rios, one of two social workers at the Griffith Police Department, helped pitch the program. She said many individuals who police interact with on crime-related calls may struggle with substance abuse, mental illness or other disabilities. It's crucial for officers to know when the best option is to help them find treatment rather than arrest them and send them to jail.
"We need to address the trauma, the underlying stuff," Rios said. "You cannot just remove a person, put them in jail and expect there to not be a hole to fill. You have to help them where they are."
The crisis situations can be some of the toughest to navigate without the proper tools, Rios said: "For them to want to step into this role voluntarily, it says a lot about how much they value the wellness of their community."
Gary police Detective Cpl. Emmanuel Figueroa said the skills he learned are useful on and off the job. He said he got into law enforcement to help others but realized how infrequently mental health is talked about among first responders.
"It showed me what to look for in others and within myself," he said. "The resources alone are invaluable. It takes our job to another level."
Gallery: Recent arrests booked into Lake County Jail
Robert Wheeler
Age : 59
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304321
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: East Chicago Police Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Lenell Shearry
Age : 52
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304312
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: RESISTING LAW ENFORCEMENT - VEHICLE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Christopher Vorice
Age : 34
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304319
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: UNLAWFUL CARRYING OF A HANDGUN
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Mitchell Nash
Age : 21
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304332
Arrest Date: May 8, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
David Prieto
Age : 43
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304320
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: East Chicago Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jerry Hawkins
Age : 35
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304308
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SHOPLIFTING - < $750; THEFT - PROPERTY - SIMPLE - W/PRIOR CONVICTION
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Brayan Bravo
Age : 24
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304313
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Marque Hatcher
Age : 32
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304331
Arrest Date: May 8, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Amarachi Amuga
Age : 23
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304323
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESS LEGEND DRUG OR PRECURSOR
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jandi Warren
Age : 30
Residence: Matteson, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304301
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Shantell Lyons
Age : 29
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304281
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Samuel Strickland Jr.
Age : 39
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304293
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: Gary Police Department
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - W/INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Karla Johnson
Age : 24
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304304
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: Highland Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Christina Garza
Age : 38
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304282
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Andre Edwards
Age : 40
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304300
Arrest Date: May 7, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Joseph Frazier
Age : 47
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304294
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OPERATE VEHICLE AFTER BEING HABITUAL TRAFFIC OFFENDER
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Michael Dillard
Age : 60
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304283
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Christopher Coots
Age : 29
Residence: Portage, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304296
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: Merrillville Police Department
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE - PRESENCE OF CHILD < 16 YEARS OLD
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jaron Smith
Age : 34
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304254
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: East Chicago Police Department
Offense Description: DEALING - MARIJUANA
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Bonnie Starr
Age : 51
Residence: Dyer, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304258
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Winfield Police Department
Offense Description: FRAUD - DECEPTION - IDENTITY; BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - W/MODERATE BODILY INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Kasey Stewart
Age : 27
Residence: University Park, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304255
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Deondre Todd
Age : 22
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304256
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: ROBBERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Mark Redmon
Age : 48
Residence: N/A
Booking Number(s): 2304242
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Merrillville Police Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SHOPLIFTING - W/PRIOR CONVICTION; FAILURE TO RETURN TO LAWFUL DETENTION
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Eric Rickhoff
Age : 35
Residence: Schererville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304272
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Schererville Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Tavares Melvin
Age : 32
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304276
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Jason Miller Jr.
Age : 22
Residence: Lowell, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304248
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Other
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - POCKET-PICKING - $750 TO $50,000; DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Felony; Misdemeanor
Elder Marroquin
Age : 31
Residence: Lake Station, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304275
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: New Chicago Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Marshall Kathcart
Age : 48
Residence: Lake Station, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304243
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Asaia Lang
Age : 57
Residence: Crown Point, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304259
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Winfield Police Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Sherida Cesar
Age : 37
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304273
Arrest Date: May 6, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: MOTOR VEHICLE - THEFT
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Murray Harris
Age : 46
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304247
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: N/A
Offense Description: DEALING - METHAMPHETAMINE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Francisco Ismael
Age : 32
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304261
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake Station Police Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SIMPLE - $750 TO $50,000
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Kerry Brazley
Age : 52
Residence: Hobart, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304260
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Winfield Police Department
Offense Description: FRAUD - DECEPTION - IDENTITY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Anthony Bonner
Age : 38
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304250
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Sonali Aggarwal
Age : 44
Residence: Hobart, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304246
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hobart Police Department
Offense Description: BATTERY - SIMPLE - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL; RESISTING - OBSTRUCTION OF TRAFFIC
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Thomas Anderson
Age : 54
Residence: Philadelphia, PA
Booking Number(s): 2304267
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Winfield Police Department
Offense Description: FRAUD - DECEPTION - IDENTITY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Michael Ballard
Age : 62
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304257
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Dennis Shaw
Age : 36
Residence: New Palestine, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304224
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Joshua Levesque
Age : 36
Residence: Portage, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304225
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SHOPLIFTING - $750 TO $50,000
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Christopher Lobody
Age : 33
Residence: Dyer, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304240
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Schererville Police Department
Offense Description: ARSON
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Joshua Patino
Age : 42
Residence: Valparaiso, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304237
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Emanuel Pugh Jr.
Age : 24
Residence: Hobart, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304227
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hobart Police Department
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - USING A DEADLY WEAPON
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jerry Knight
Age : 37
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304236
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Elishah Elliott
Age : 21
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304241
Arrest Date: May 5, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hobart Police Department
Offense Description: FRAUD - DECEPTION - IDENTITY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Brandon Elzinga
Age : 28
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304220
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Kyle Griffin
Age : 29
Residence: Portage, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304234
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hobart Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Michael Carter
Age : 48
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304233
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Gary Police Department
Offense Description: MOTOR VEHICLE - THEFT
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jason Cooke
Age : 55
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304223
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - METHAMPHETAMINE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Kolin Burgess
Age : 24
Residence: Kouts, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304235
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: DEALING - METHAMPHETAMINE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Roy Walker
Age : 54
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304212
Arrest Date: May 3, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Daniel Torrecilla
Age : 27
Residence: Crete, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304197
Arrest Date: May 3, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Donald Gilley
Age : 37
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304215
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: RESISTING - INTERFERING WITH PUBLIC SAFETY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Steven Medsker
Age : 39
Residence: Hobart, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304207
Arrest Date: May 3, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hobart Police Department
Offense Description: BATTERY - SIMPLE - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Rene Rodriguez
Age : 51
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304210
Arrest Date: May 3, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Dante Banks
Age : 48
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304211
Arrest Date: May 3, 2023
Arresting Agency: Highland Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Felipe Cruz-Figueroa
Age : 44
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304218
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Sadie Fuller
Age : 45
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304217
Arrest Date: May 4, 2023
Arresting Agency: New Chicago Police Department
Offense Description: CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE - POSSESSION - SCHEDULE I
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Michael Walls
Age : 37
Residence: Riverdale, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304192
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: RESISTING LAW ENFORCEMENT - VEHICLE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Michelle Wellons
Age : 47
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304182
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: CONFINEMENT
Highest Offense Class: Felony
George Tovey III
Age : 31
Residence: Eau Claire, MI
Booking Number(s): 2304184
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: INTIMIDATION - STALKING VIOLATIONS
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Felicia Smith
Age : 29
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304175
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: FRAUD - FORGERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Raul Mendoza
Age : 50
Residence: Griffith, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304195
Arrest Date: May 3, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OPERATE VEHICLE AFTER BEING HABITUAL TRAFFIC OFFENDER
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Devin Price
Age : 23
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2304180
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: RESISTING - INTERFERING WITH PUBLIC SAFETY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Reinaldo Rosa
Age : 43
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304186
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - PURSE-SNATCHING - $750 TO $50,000
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Dorothy King
Age : 58
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304178
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: BATTERY - SIMPLE - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL; FAMILY OFFENSE- NEGLECT OF DEPENDANT/CHILD VIOLATIONS; INTIMIDATION
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Markus McCoy
Age : 58
Residence: St. John, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304191
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: St. John Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Phillip Davis
Age : 37
Residence: Star City, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304173
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESS HYPODERMIC SYRINGE OR NEEDLE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Christin Enyeart
Age : 31
Residence: Valparaiso, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304172
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Darryl Anthony Jr.
Age : 29
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304185
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Marcel Brooks
Age : 55
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304189
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Jacqueline Castro
Age : 27
Residence: Bremen, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304196
Arrest Date: May 3, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
James Taylor
Age : 24
Residence: Crown Point, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304144
Arrest Date: May 1, 2023
Arresting Agency: Winfield Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Harold Wireman
Age : 63
Residence: Crown Point, IN
Booking Number(s): 2303717
Arrest Date: April 17, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Richard Reyes Jr.
Age : 20
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304150
Arrest Date: May 1, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SHOPLIFTING - < $750
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Brett Kallok
Age : 39
Residence: Griffith, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304145
Arrest Date: May 1, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Nakeda Martina
Age : 37
Residence: College Park, GA
Booking Number(s): 2304161
Arrest Date: May 1, 2023
Arresting Agency: Other
Offense Description: ROBBERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Julian Ponce Sr.
Age : 33
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304164
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Brandon Feliciano
Age : 35
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304158
Arrest Date: May 1, 2023
Arresting Agency: LCCC
Offense Description: BURGLARY - PROPERTY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Michael Harlan
Age : 37
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304167
Arrest Date: May 2, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Willie England Jr.
Age : 34
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304149
Arrest Date: May 1, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: POSSESS LEGEND DRUG OR PRECURSOR
Highest Offense Class: Felony
James Collins Jr.
Age : 22
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2304154
Arrest Date: May 1, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: DEALING - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
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Get local news delivered to your inbox! | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-courts/lake-county-officers-graduate-program-with-acute-skills-in-mental-health-substance-abuse-intervention/article_6103494a-f681-11ed-aae9-036da74b8405.html | 2023-05-20T03:58:39 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-courts/lake-county-officers-graduate-program-with-acute-skills-in-mental-health-substance-abuse-intervention/article_6103494a-f681-11ed-aae9-036da74b8405.html |
LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — An 8-year-old child was hit by an SUV this morning at a Lehigh Acres bus stop.
The incident happened at the intersection of Barth Street and Adeline Avenue.
According to the Highway Patrol release the child was standing waiting for their school bus at the intersection when the SUV backed up and hit the child.
The child sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital by a family member.
This crash remains under investigation.
Count on NBC2 for more updates. | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2023/05/18/8-year-old-hit-by-car-at-lehigh-acres-bus-stop/ | 2023-05-20T04:03:33 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2023/05/18/8-year-old-hit-by-car-at-lehigh-acres-bus-stop/ |
Fort Wayne police have arrested an 18-year-old man that investigators suspect has been involved in multiple recent shootings.
Daeshawn Jones was arrested Thursday and charged with felony intimidation and criminal recklessness for allegedly shooting at the family member of a murder victim on May 8.
The victim told police that he was walking back to his vehicle after dropping off his child at the Weisser Park Youth Center when he saw Jones walking toward him, according to a probable cause affidavit written by Detective Matthew Cline.
Jones said an expletive about murder victim Johnny Yates before firing three shots at the victim, who was standing near his vehicle, which held two children, court documents said.
Yates was murdered in November during a gun trade, police have said. Lonnel Tinker, 18, was later convicted of the murder and sentenced to 65 years in prison.
During Tinker’s trial, Jones watched the court proceedings and threatened people on Facebook, the man told police. The victim had testified in the trial, court documents said.
The victim showed police screenshots of Facebook messages Jones, using a profile with a different name, had sent him after the shooting.
The profile also posted a news article about Tinker’s sentencing and said there would likely be another trial, according to court documents.
“We ain’t done yet,” the post said.
When Jones was apprehended and interviewed, he admitted to shooting the man at Weisser Park and recounted the same sequence of events as the victim, court records said.
The charges filed pertain only to the May 8 shooting, but a Fort Wayne Police Department news release said Friday that Jones is a suspect in other shootings. Police found multiple weapons when they arrested Jones, the news release said.
The Gang and Violent Crimes Unit, Narcotics Division, Aerial Support Unit, Crime Scene Management and the Allen County prosecutor’s office assisted in the investigation.
Corryn Brock of The Journal Gazette contributed to this story. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/courts/police-arrest-18-year-old-suspect-in-multiple-recent-shootings/article_d4519b74-f65c-11ed-bea5-17a026b473ff.html | 2023-05-20T04:08:01 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/courts/police-arrest-18-year-old-suspect-in-multiple-recent-shootings/article_d4519b74-f65c-11ed-bea5-17a026b473ff.html |
CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Cape Coral’s Yacht Club has been a fixture for decades, but at least one gem there could reopen soon. The boathouse restaurant could reopen in a matter of weeks.
Norma Campbell has lived in the Cape for 35 years. She knows how much the yacht club means to her community.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Cape Coral Yacht Club to be demolished after decades of history
“It’s a staple center for Cape Coral. My grandkids come down, we go down there to the beach. We go down there on the pier. There’s fishing down there. It’s just kind of a neat little place to take out-of-town guests,” she said.
The Director of Capital Improvements said The Boathouse Tiki Bar & Grill will hopefully be open by the end of May or the beginning of June.
John Fearon lives right next door and has seen the construction firsthand.
“On the boat you can see they put in a new thatched roof so they can cover the entire property so it looks like they’re not gonna have any umbrellas (etc.) and people can get out of the sun,” Fearon said.
The city hopes to tear down the main buildings, including the Tony Rotino Center, in September or October. The beach and boat ramp still have a long way to go. The city is waiting for FEMA to send a beach inspector.
PREVIOUS STORY: Cape Coral City Council discusses Yacht Club restoration
City leaders are also considering a charity auction to sell off items from the ballroom. You can count on NBC2 to keep you updated on when that happens. | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2023/05/18/cape-coral-yacht-clubs-boathouse-restaurant-gears-up-for-reopening/amp/ | 2023-05-20T04:10:58 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2023/05/18/cape-coral-yacht-clubs-boathouse-restaurant-gears-up-for-reopening/amp/ |
NAPLES Fla. – Naples Pride Fest is still scheduled for June 10 at Cambier Park in Olde Naples despite new anti-LGBTQ laws signed by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Tampa Pride had to cancel their festival after DeSantis signed HB-1438, which allows the state to “fine, suspend, or revoke the license of any public lodging establishment or public food service establishment if the establishment admits a child to an adult live performance.”
Many in opposition of this bill stated that it’s a direct attack on LGBTQ events that feature drag shows.
Naples Pride is one step ahead. Naples Pride President, Cori Craciun said they are putting their drag show indoors and limiting it to an 18+ audience.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Naples Pride Festival back on track following heated city council meeting
“We moved it inside even before this Bill became a law,” stated Craciun.
Craciun said they made the decision for the safety of attendees, not just the political pressure. | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/collier-county/2023/05/18/naples-pride-fest-continues-despite-new-anti-lgbtq-laws/amp/ | 2023-05-20T04:11:04 | 0 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/collier-county/2023/05/18/naples-pride-fest-continues-despite-new-anti-lgbtq-laws/amp/ |
NORTH PORT, Fla. — The southbound lanes of Interstate 75 in North Port were shut for several hours as crews battled a semi-truck fire.
As of 9:32 a.m., the roads are back open, the Florida Highway Patrol tweeted.
It’s unknown at this time what caused the truck to catch fire, but fortunately, nobody was injured, FHP said.
No further details were immediately available.
Count on NBC2 to provide updates as more information is released. | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2023/05/18/semi-truck-catches-fire-on-i-75-in-north-port/amp/ | 2023-05-20T04:11:11 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2023/05/18/semi-truck-catches-fire-on-i-75-in-north-port/amp/ |
FORT MYERS, Fla.— Lee County has released the operation schedule for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday.
The county will close most operations and has adjusted schedules for waste management, utilities, libraries, domestic animal services, LeeTran, and parks & recreation.
Garbage and recycling (including yard waste) throughout Lee County will be picked up one day after the originally scheduled day. For example – if your pick-up day falls on a Tuesday, the new pick-up will now be scheduled for Wednesday. This schedule will occur through Saturday, June 3 and regularly scheduled pick-up will resume on Monday, June 5.
Utilies, libraries, LeeTran, and domestic animal services will be closed Monday, May 29 in observance of the holiday and resume normal operation on Tuesday, May 30.
Pools, preserves, and parks will remain open on Memorial Day; however, parks and recreation centers will be closed and reopen on Tuesday, May 30.
To receive updates from the Lee County Government, click here. | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/lee-county/2023/05/18/lee-county-operations-announce-memorial-day-schedule-adjustments/amp/ | 2023-05-20T04:11:17 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/lee-county/2023/05/18/lee-county-operations-announce-memorial-day-schedule-adjustments/amp/ |
THORNTON, Iowa — A U.S. Supreme Court ruling on pork sales in California has impacts way beyond The Golden State.
The ruling upheld a California law, Proposition 12, that says all pork sold in the state must be born from sows given a certain amount of space, basically eliminating the use of gestation crates.
For many producers, that's a huge change. But for Paul Willis, a retired Iowa pork producer, making extra space isn't a problem.
Willis is a founding hog farmer for Niman Ranch, a nationwide network of family farmers, and became a successful pork producer in the 80s.
Back then, Willis took a different approach compared to industry standard when raising his pigs.
"We didn't want to be like the industrial model," Willis said. "And I wanted to distance myself in every way. So I started working with the Animal Welfare Institute. We wrote the standards for how animals were raised."
With his devotion to the treatment of his animals, Willis began following practices to ensure their wellbeing – standards that are now mandated by California's Proposition 12 laws.
"No gestation stalls, no farrowing crates and that's been our standards," Willis said. "And then, you know, we're using bedding and outdoors and so on. So those have been our standards since 1995."
Not all farmers see Prop 12 as the right way to ensure a pig's wellbeing.
Trish Cook, president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, says her initial reaction to the Supreme Court's ruling was a disappointment.
"My husband and I do raise pigs here in eastern Iowa on our farm," Cook said. "And what's frustrating is... the Proposition 12 guidelines and rules were set out in a way that were based upon science. They're using arbitrary guidleines."
Cook says the ruling will hurt pork producers' bottom line in an already challenging economy.
"Inflationary times, things are expensive," Cook said. "And the market has not given us enough increase in price to offset our expenses. So all the hogs that we're delivering... to the packers right now are losing money."
Willis believes Prop 12 guidelines are the way of the future, but also says farmers worried about the additional cost have options.
"They don't have to do this," Willis said. "They just can't sell pork to California. They've got 49 other states." | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/iowa-pork-producers-proposition-12-ruling-california-niman-ranch-paul-willis-founding-hog-farmer/524-8f71b5e2-c75b-4307-b5ab-108e59ea97e8 | 2023-05-20T04:16:45 | 1 | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/iowa-pork-producers-proposition-12-ruling-california-niman-ranch-paul-willis-founding-hog-farmer/524-8f71b5e2-c75b-4307-b5ab-108e59ea97e8 |
TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) — A soldier soon to be deployed overseas received a patriotic sendoff by a group of 3 and 4-year-olds.
Ty Trent is getting ready for a 9-month deployment to Kuwait with the United States Army.
He came to his daughter’s daycare Friday morning for what he thought was an end-of-the-year pizza party.
Instead, his wife and the daycare had planned a surprise party to say goodbye and give thanks.
"My family means absolutely everything to me,” he said. “Between planning this and my going-away party last week, it's been a great week this last week — just to spend a little bit more time before I get to go."
Eden and her classmates put on a patriotic performance for her father.
"This is absolutely amazing. Between Kids World putting all this together, all the kids getting up there and singing and saying the Pledge of Allegiance." | https://www.wtva.com/news/local/u-s-army-solider-gets-surprise-party-at-daughters-daycare-before-deployment/article_33acf448-f68e-11ed-9faa-632edcbb83d2.html | 2023-05-20T04:19:34 | 1 | https://www.wtva.com/news/local/u-s-army-solider-gets-surprise-party-at-daughters-daycare-before-deployment/article_33acf448-f68e-11ed-9faa-632edcbb83d2.html |
BOISE, Idaho — A federal judge on Friday denied a motion filed by Ammon Bundy to move proceedings in St. Luke's lawsuit against him to federal court.
The far-right activist and former gubernatorial candidate filed a petition May 1 to move the defamation case from the 4th Judicial District Court in Ada County to federal court. U.S. District Judge David Nye denied Bundy's request Friday, leaving him with 21 days to respond to the decision.
In his petition earlier this month, Bundy argued the case should be moved to federal court because people involved in the case live in different states, and the matter exceeds $75,000, among other reasons.
Bundy also claimed those included in the St. Luke's Health System defamation lawsuit – himself, Diego Rodriquez, Freedom Man PAC, People's Rights Network and Freedom Man Press LLC – have been "put in jeopardy" by exercising their right to free speech and right to assemble.
Throughout the long and drawn-out battle with St. Luke's, Bundy has largely ignored the legal action and has been absent from proceedings. St. Luke's Health System filed the lawsuit against Bundy in May 2022.
It began with a People's Rights Network (owned by Bundy) days-long protest outside St. Luke's Boise in March 2022, due to a child nicknamed "Baby Cyrus" being taken into custody by child protective services for health problems.
The protest caused the hospital to go on lockdown for hours on March 15, 2022, causing the hospital to deter their emergency services. St Luke's later filed a civil lawsuit against Bundy and his network for defamation after he posted about the hospital on his social media.
Even after that protest, St. Luke's claims Bundy and his friend Diego Rodriguez continued to harass and threaten St. Luke's doctors and staff. The petition filed by Bundy on May 1 said, "Petitioners have been deprived of their right of procedural due process pursuant to the 5th and 6th amendments, and finally the right of equal rights pursuant to the 14th Amendment."
In Friday's order, Nye noted while the citizenship of all 60,000 members of the People's Rights Network is not known, Bundy – the owner – is an Idaho resident. It is also noted that the Freedom Man PAC is registered in Idaho.
Nye writes that "each of the St. Luke's parties are citizens of Idaho," and Bundy lives in Emmett, thus defeating "the complete diversity requirement."
"Having reviewed the complaint, the Notice of Removal, and the rest of the record, the Court must remand this case back to state court because it lacks subject matter jurisdiction, and the Notice of Removal is procedurally defective," Nye's order said.
Again, the St. Luke's Health System lawsuit will remain in the 4th Judicial District Court in Ada County and Bundy has 21 days to respond. The order states defendants can choose to file a reply 14 days after the response deadline.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist: | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/judge-denies-ammon-bundy-request-to-move-st-lukes-defamation-case-to-federal-court/277-3b50baeb-f38d-4260-a744-5c00f3826184 | 2023-05-20T04:44:27 | 0 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/judge-denies-ammon-bundy-request-to-move-st-lukes-defamation-case-to-federal-court/277-3b50baeb-f38d-4260-a744-5c00f3826184 |
HOUSTON — Two near-drowning incidents involving Houston-area toddlers this week are reminders of the importance of pool and water safety.
A 2-year-old girl was flown to a hospital Friday morning after being found in a Baytown pool, according to police.
Editor's note: The video above originally aired in 2020.
A 3-year-old boy is fighting for his life after nearly drowning in a hotel pool. Surveillance video from the hotel showed the boy struggling near the steps and three other children playing in the pool nearby. Less than 20 feet away an adult can be seen sitting in a chair and the hotel manager said she was on her laptop. She's the one who eventually pulled the boy out.
"If you are enjoying with your electronic device it means you do not have any attention to your children, so you should not come (to) the pool with your electronic device," Rame Singh told KHOU 11. "It doesn't matter if it's a laptop, it's a musical instrument, it's a gaming instrument because the kids are your responsibility."
And don't think it couldn't happen to you. Drowning is quick and quiet and it's the second leading cause of death for children under 15. Children ages 1 to 4 have the highest rates of drowning.
Seventy-six Texas children drowned in 2022, according to the Department of Family and Protective Services, including one in a bucket. In 2023, seven of the 20 children who've drowned in Texas so far were in Harris or Galveston counties.
The City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department offers a free swimming lessons program. Click here for more information.
We've put together a list of water safety tips from getparentingtips.com.
Home Pool Safety
Backyard pools, spas, and hot tubs can be fun, but it's important to make a pool safety plan to protect your own children and guests. Keep in mind that large inflatable pools can be just as dangerous as in-ground pools. Make sure these pools are emptied after each use or they have a locked fence around them.
Every year, emergency rooms treat about 6,400 pool and spa injuries in children younger than 15 years old.
Pool Safety Tip #1: Secure the Pool Area
The first step in a pool safety plan is to think about how you'll keep children and pets from gaining access to the pool. Children often die in backyard pools when they slip through exterior doors, even pet doors, while parents are asleep or distracted. Protective fencing, gates, and doors provide the first line of defense against drownings.
- Hot tubs, spas, and pools should always be behind a fence that is at least 4 feet high.
- The fence should have a self-closing, self-latching gate that opens outward. The latches should be out of reach of children.
- Keep back doors and pet doors locked to prevent children from accessing the pool or hot tub.
- If possible, install doorknob safety covers and/or locks or bolt latches higher up on exterior doors where children cannot unlock them.
- A pool alarm can detect waves on the pool surface to let you know if a child or pet has fallen in.
- Add a lock to a gate leading to your backyard for extra precaution.
- These tips apply even if you don't have children of your own. Olympic skier Bode Miller and his wife Morgan's 19-month-old daughter drowned in 2018 when she slipped through the back door of a friend's house they were visiting. “A child under 30 pounds can drown in 30 seconds,” Morgan Beck Miller told TODAY. “And I just keep counting to 30 in my head. That was all I needed.”
Always supervise
- A responsible adult should always supervise children in and around water. Keep new swimmers and non-swimmers within arm’s reach.
- You can also designate a “water watcher” whose job is to maintain constant watch over kids at the pool during pool parties.
- Make sure the adult knows CPR and has a phone to call 911.
- Adults should leave their devices inside so they're not distracted.
- Have flotation devices available to use in a rescue
- Share rules with anyone who may watch your child
- Teach water survival skills: The CDC says swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by up to 88 percent. The earlier your child learns to swim, the better.
Along with swim lessons, your child should know how to:
- Return to the surface if they fall in over their head
- Float or tread water
- Turn in a circle in the water and look for an exit
- Swim 25 yards (75 feet)
- Get out of the pool without using the ladder
Other outdoor water safety tips
- Never leave children alone in or around water (pools, kiddie pools, lakes, creeks, buckets, beaches, ponds or drainage ditches).
- Floaties can give small children a false sense of security. They don’t realize it’s the floaties that are keeping them above water. Don’t take them off while you’re near water.
- Find out if your child's friends or neighbors have pools at their homes.
- Do not allow children to swim in any water after heavy rains or flooding.
- When the pool is in use, completely remove pool covers and cleaning machines.
Indoor safety tips
Drowning dangers aren't just limited to recreational swimming areas like pools, lakes, and rivers. Drowning can happen in less than 2 inches of water, and when babies drown, it most commonly happens in bathtubs, buckets and even toilets.
- Never leave small children alone near any container of water, including tubs, buckets, coolers, toilets or aquariums.
- Keep bathroom doors closed and secure toilet lids with locks.
- Never leave young children alone in or around the bath.
- Get what you need before filling the tub. If you need to leave the room, take the child with you.
- Make sure children can't leave the house to get to pools or hot tubs.
Source: Helpandhope.org | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/water-safety-tips-drowning-prevention/285-1f3c60ca-7242-4639-8e0c-bebaff3a7c0f | 2023-05-20T04:48:33 | 0 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/water-safety-tips-drowning-prevention/285-1f3c60ca-7242-4639-8e0c-bebaff3a7c0f |
Henry Ford Health prepares to welcome patients to new Macomb hospital tower
The $265 million Janet and Jim Riehl North Tower is the largest expansion since the hospital was built in 1975 and the largest healthcare investment in Macomb County history.
Clinton Township — Henry Ford Health System is set to begin transferring patients to a new $265 million wing of its Macomb hospital on Monday, an expansion hospital officials are calling a "historic and transformative step" for the county's health care.
The Janet and Jim Riehl North Tower stands five stories tall with 225,000 square feet of space for 160 private patient rooms. The largest expansion to the hospital since it was built in 1975 and the biggest health care investment in county history, Henry Ford officials say it has been in the works for 13 years and is connected to the main Henry Ford Macomb Hospital on 19 Mile and Dalcoma Drive.
All 160 rooms in the new tower can be converted to intensive care rooms if the demand exceeds the hospital's current capacity, said Henry Ford Macomb Hospital President and CEO Barbara Rossmann. And the additions will increase the hospital's number of intensive care beds from 48 to 60, enhancing the staff's ability to care for critically ill patients.
"All critical care will be in this tower," said Rossmann. "As critical care needs grow as they are in the county, we'll be able to convert any room that we need to in that tower to a critical care space. ... which I assume through the years we will need."
Monday's opening comes nearly two years after Henry Ford Health officially unveiled its expansion plans for the hospital, saying the new tower promised to transform its campus.
On Friday, staff prepared for the coming transfer of 48 critical care beds to the new north tower. Final touches such as arranging furniture and training nurses on how to use new features in private rooms were underway in the otherwise empty wing. The tower will provide cardiovascular, thoracic, trauma, surgical and neurological intensive care to patients, Rossmann said.
Patients will continue to be moved through the next two weeks, by the end of which all floors of the new building will be filled, she said.
"We have a whole team gathered. I mean, we have medical staff, nursing staff, respiratory therapy staff, our rapid response team, anybody and everybody. ... because it's a big deal to move intensive care patients," Rossmann said.
The hospital is the first in Macomb County to make all licensed beds available as private rooms. The rooms increase patient privacy, provide more opportunities for patients' families to be present, help prevent infection between patients and provide more space for staff to work, Rossmann said.
"One of the challenges that we currently have is our rooms are very small, and it's very difficult to have more than one family member in the room at a time," Rossmann said.
Each of the tower's new rooms is outfitted with a roll-out couch for family members to sleep on, along with other features such as sliding bathroom doors, fall mats and chairs to maximize comfort for patients and utility for clinical staff. The new private rooms were built with input from intensive care and medical surgery nurses as well as Henry Ford Health's patient family advisory council.
"We set up a mockup room... (and) we had the staff and we also had our patient family advisory council come through and look at them," said Angela Job, a nursing administrator. "Based on their feedback, we did actually move the wall of our bathroom... reconfigured some of the setup on the headwall of where we're going to be placing the oxygen, the suction, the monitors, the ventilators."
Each of the tower's five floors also has rooms for patients with disabilities and rooms specialized for patients with unique size needs or those that require secure environments. Patients who are at risk for harming themselves will stay in specially designed rooms with encased televisions, non-breakable mirrors, dry-walled ceilings and special door handles, railings and sinks designed to minimize ligature points, Rossmann said.
The hospital's north entrance, powerhouse and loading docks were also all redesigned as part of the expansion project and Henry Ford Health made roadway improvements and built a new secure staff parking lot.
More than 30 new full-time positions have been created to staff the new building, according to the health system. The jobs include nursing, pharmacy, plant operations, supply chain, patient transport, environmental services, food and nutrition services and information services.
When the hospital's existing critical care beds are moved from the south tower to the new north tower, other units will take their place. The "intricate" moving plan is expected to be completed by February 2024, Rossmann said.
"We will be moving units that are not moving into the north tower, they will be moving into what is currently our ICU critical care beds," Rossmann said. "We will be also expanding rooms that are now semi-private and instead of having two patients in those rooms, open them up so there's one patient."
The original proposal for the new tower and other renovations projected costs to be $318 million and included a second phase for renovations in the hospital's central tower, Rossmann said. When Henry Ford Health begins the second phase the goal will be to mimic the environment in the north tower, she said.
"We still have that funding set aside and that will be phase two," Rossmann said. "We are waiting for final approval for that."
Rossmann called the new addition a "historic and transformative step" in Macomb County.
"As I think about Henry Ford Health and Macomb, we are really an integrated system," Rossmann said. "What we've created is the opportunity to enhance what we've been offering into an expanded environment."
The hospital also purchased over 200 pieces of art to display throughout the new tower after more than 270 Michigan-based artists submitted at least 1,300 works for consideration in February.
hmackay@detroitnews.com | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2023/05/19/henry-ford-health-unveils-new-macomb-hospital-tower/70202730007/ | 2023-05-20T04:54:33 | 0 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2023/05/19/henry-ford-health-unveils-new-macomb-hospital-tower/70202730007/ |
Search for a mother's killer: A serial in five parts
Retired Detroit News columnist Marney Rich Keenan understands the anguish of grieving families looking for answers.
As author of the 2020 book “The Snow Killings,” on the Oakland County child murders of the 1970s, Keenan delved deeply into the emotional toll that cold cases extract on loved ones, police investigators and potential suspects.
So when the family of Gail Webster reached out, she listened with interest to their tale of another cold case connected to the Oakland County killings.
Then she got to work.
Webster’s daughters, Wendy Webster Razlog and Terry Webster King, have been on a decades-long quest to identify who bludgeoned their mother to death in her Troy apartment in October 1978.
They had police files, photographs and plenty of suspicions about a man police now agree is the prime suspect: Gail Webster’s now-deceased boyfriend, who also was questioned in the Oakland County child killings.
What they didn’t have was closure.
Over the course of six months, Keenan talked to family, friends and acquaintances of both the victim and suspect; combed through hundreds of pages of case files and photographs; and interviewed law enforcement from multiple agencies.
In a five-part series beginning Sunday, Keenan delves into the Webster family’s odyssey, their rising hope in new DNA technology and their determination to keep their mother’s memory alive. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2023/05/20/search-for-a-mothers-killer-a-serial-in-five-parts/70228518007/ | 2023-05-20T04:54:45 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2023/05/20/search-for-a-mothers-killer-a-serial-in-five-parts/70228518007/ |
PORTLAND, Maine — For the first time, a woman is now serving as Portland's city manager. Danielle West was officially appointed to the role on Monday.
"I think a lot about how I don’t want to be the last," West told NEWS CENTER Maine. "I'm really focused on doing as good of a job as I can to really address all the various things that are pending before the city."
There are a lot of significant issues, among them, the asylum seeker crisis.
"We’ve reached capacity," West said. "We have no more room to stretch."
The city had planned for a 280-bed shelter at a property on Blueberry Road in Portland to house asylum seekers as soon as this summer, but that plan could be falling through. West said this concerns her.
"Developers Collaborative Kevin Bunker is working on that project and he’s very creative and he’s looking at, I believe, other locations and potentially trying to find other ways to make it work," West explained about the property. "I'm really hopeful that will happen."
Another pressing matter for West is a city staffing shortage. There are about 250 vacancies. Some are leadership positions. By filling them, West hopes it will make it easier to fill other jobs.
“We’re also going to be working with a facilitator to help us think creatively,” she added.
Portland is also facing a homeless crisis with hundreds of people having nowhere to go.
Around eight million dollars, the most ever, has been put into the Housing Trust Fund, to go toward a variety of housing projects, according to West.
“I’m hopeful we’ll really be able to attack this, but this is an issue I think we’ll be dealing with for a while,” West said.
As she faces these tough issues, West said helping her through all of this are her two children.
“A great support system for me and so I’m cognisant of it all the time and very appreciative of them for all their love and support." | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/portland/portland-city-manager-talks-top-priorities-as-she-starts-the-job-danielle-west-politics/97-be8bb060-5540-490a-8235-3ae0e2c8a716 | 2023-05-20T04:55:17 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/portland/portland-city-manager-talks-top-priorities-as-she-starts-the-job-danielle-west-politics/97-be8bb060-5540-490a-8235-3ae0e2c8a716 |
MIDLAND, Texas —
With Memorial Day right around the corner, one nonprofit is making it their goal to restore the true meaning of the holiday, not just here in the Permian Basin, but across the nation.
On Friday, "Carry the load" passed through Midland. This was just one part of their 20,000 mile relay.
The organization will eventually make its way through 48 states, and their mission is to help remember and share stories of those who have fallen in the line of duty.
"You know, it's one of those things that you just can't imagine feeling somebody’s grief with them,” said David Lindsey, a relay manager. “A lot of times they come out and they've experienced such a loss that this is a tough time for them. And we hope we give them an avenue for them to get out and be able to walk with us and share their loved one's stories and kind of to take that load off them a little bit."
The goal this year is to raise nearly $3 million to donate. Click or tap here to find out how you can help out. | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/carry-the-load-relay-passes-through-midland/513-f2eb0855-cfc9-4e01-960b-e3505a400dff | 2023-05-20T04:57:09 | 0 | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/carry-the-load-relay-passes-through-midland/513-f2eb0855-cfc9-4e01-960b-e3505a400dff |
HOUSTON — Two near-drowning incidents involving Houston-area toddlers this week are reminders of the importance of pool and water safety.
A 2-year-old girl was flown to a hospital Friday morning after being found in a Baytown pool, according to police.
Editor's note: The video above originally aired in 2020.
A 3-year-old boy is fighting for his life after nearly drowning in a hotel pool. Surveillance video from the hotel showed the boy struggling near the steps and three other children playing in the pool nearby. Less than 20 feet away an adult can be seen sitting in a chair and the hotel manager said she was on her laptop. She's the one who eventually pulled the boy out.
"If you are enjoying with your electronic device it means you do not have any attention to your children, so you should not come (to) the pool with your electronic device," Rame Singh told KHOU 11. "It doesn't matter if it's a laptop, it's a musical instrument, it's a gaming instrument because the kids are your responsibility."
And don't think it couldn't happen to you. Drowning is quick and quiet and it's the second leading cause of death for children under 15. Children ages 1 to 4 have the highest rates of drowning.
Seventy-six Texas children drowned in 2022, according to the Department of Family and Protective Services, including one in a bucket. In 2023, seven of the 20 children who've drowned in Texas so far were in Harris or Galveston counties.
The City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department offers a free swimming lessons program. Click here for more information.
We've put together a list of water safety tips from getparentingtips.com.
Home Pool Safety
Backyard pools, spas, and hot tubs can be fun, but it's important to make a pool safety plan to protect your own children and guests. Keep in mind that large inflatable pools can be just as dangerous as in-ground pools. Make sure these pools are emptied after each use or they have a locked fence around them.
Every year, emergency rooms treat about 6,400 pool and spa injuries in children younger than 15 years old.
Pool Safety Tip #1: Secure the Pool Area
The first step in a pool safety plan is to think about how you'll keep children and pets from gaining access to the pool. Children often die in backyard pools when they slip through exterior doors, even pet doors, while parents are asleep or distracted. Protective fencing, gates, and doors provide the first line of defense against drownings.
- Hot tubs, spas, and pools should always be behind a fence that is at least 4 feet high.
- The fence should have a self-closing, self-latching gate that opens outward. The latches should be out of reach of children.
- Keep back doors and pet doors locked to prevent children from accessing the pool or hot tub.
- If possible, install doorknob safety covers and/or locks or bolt latches higher up on exterior doors where children cannot unlock them.
- A pool alarm can detect waves on the pool surface to let you know if a child or pet has fallen in.
- Add a lock to a gate leading to your backyard for extra precaution.
- These tips apply even if you don't have children of your own. Olympic skier Bode Miller and his wife Morgan's 19-month-old daughter drowned in 2018 when she slipped through the back door of a friend's house they were visiting. “A child under 30 pounds can drown in 30 seconds,” Morgan Beck Miller told TODAY. “And I just keep counting to 30 in my head. That was all I needed.”
Always supervise
- A responsible adult should always supervise children in and around water. Keep new swimmers and non-swimmers within arm’s reach.
- You can also designate a “water watcher” whose job is to maintain constant watch over kids at the pool during pool parties.
- Make sure the adult knows CPR and has a phone to call 911.
- Adults should leave their devices inside so they're not distracted.
- Have flotation devices available to use in a rescue
- Share rules with anyone who may watch your child
- Teach water survival skills: The CDC says swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by up to 88 percent. The earlier your child learns to swim, the better.
Along with swim lessons, your child should know how to:
- Return to the surface if they fall in over their head
- Float or tread water
- Turn in a circle in the water and look for an exit
- Swim 25 yards (75 feet)
- Get out of the pool without using the ladder
Other outdoor water safety tips
- Never leave children alone in or around water (pools, kiddie pools, lakes, creeks, buckets, beaches, ponds or drainage ditches).
- Floaties can give small children a false sense of security. They don’t realize it’s the floaties that are keeping them above water. Don’t take them off while you’re near water.
- Find out if your child's friends or neighbors have pools at their homes.
- Do not allow children to swim in any water after heavy rains or flooding.
- When the pool is in use, completely remove pool covers and cleaning machines.
Indoor safety tips
Drowning dangers aren't just limited to recreational swimming areas like pools, lakes, and rivers. Drowning can happen in less than 2 inches of water, and when babies drown, it most commonly happens in bathtubs, buckets and even toilets.
- Never leave small children alone near any container of water, including tubs, buckets, coolers, toilets or aquariums.
- Keep bathroom doors closed and secure toilet lids with locks.
- Never leave young children alone in or around the bath.
- Get what you need before filling the tub. If you need to leave the room, take the child with you.
- Make sure children can't leave the house to get to pools or hot tubs.
Source: Helpandhope.org | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/water-safety-tips-drowning-prevention/285-1f3c60ca-7242-4639-8e0c-bebaff3a7c0f | 2023-05-20T05:00:34 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/water-safety-tips-drowning-prevention/285-1f3c60ca-7242-4639-8e0c-bebaff3a7c0f |
DALLAS — They look like dots on a map.
But they mean so much more.
“Every one of those dots is only moments away from being a fatality,” said Lake Travis Fire Chief Robert Abbott. “We can see the data in real time and share that with our neighbors in the public safety realm.”
Here on the shores of Lake Travis, those dots are pivotal to his community’s fight against the fentanyl epidemic. It’s called the Overdose Mapping and Application Program, or ODMAP.
Abbott says the system’s identified two areas with higher numbers of opioid overdoses. With that information, they’ve been able to put boxes of Narcan – the nasal spray that immediately reverses an opioid overdose – in the right places.
“The reality is we've had more problems in those areas than we thought,” Abbott said.
So how does overdose mapping work?
Agencies enter their overdoses into the ODMAP system, noting where overdose occurred, whether it was fatal, and whether Narcan was given.
“It is a model of response,” said Jeff Beeson, deputy director for the Washington/Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. “If you know what's going on in real time, you have the ability to respond.”
When overdoses spike, the system triggers alerts, which allows emergency medical services to call in extra staff to reduce response times. Hospitals can get prepared for the influx. Treatment professionals can respond to offer help to overdose victims. And for law enforcement, knowing where overdoses occur can lead them to the source of the drugs.
Beeson helped create the system in 2017 as Washington and Baltimore saw a rapid rise in opioid overdoses and officials knew there that something different needed to be done.
“Having that knowledge and that understanding in real time of what's going on in my community, or even a neighboring community, that's going to improve my response protocol and get me in a better position to save lives,” he said.
What about locally?
Many departments in the Austin and Houston area have signed on. So has Plano.
“It's an epidemic at this point and we are very concerned,” said Jennifer Chapman, a police spokesperson in Plano, where fentanyl-related deaths jumped from 12 in 2021 to 24 in 2022.
But most cities in North Texas currently aren’t mapping overdoses.
“In order to track it, to understand where it is where it's going, we need that system and we need it fully across all of our municipalities in Dallas County,” said Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot.
In practice, what that means is that “we don’t get a lot of real-time data,” said Becky Tinney of the Recovery Resource Council, which covers 20 counties in North Texas.
“Oftentimes, the data that we're getting is sometimes a year or more old,” Tinney said.
Dallas
So why hasn’t Dallas been doing it?
For years, as fentanyl deaths skyrocketed, the city wouldn’t let Dallas Fire-Rescue submit overdose information to the database for fear of violating medical privacy laws.
“We had a logjam at the city attorney's office, and they were advising the city council to not go forward with it,” Creuzot said.
Creuzot blames former City Attorney Chris Caso, who retired earlier this year, for the delay in finding a solution. He says he repeatedly asked Caso to explain his concerns about participating in the overdose mapping system.
Through an open records request, he provided WFAA records of his attempts to meet with Caso.
He says only late last year after council members formed a task force did he learn that Caso’s concerns involved medical privacy laws.
“I don't know of any community that has taken that position about this,” Creuzot said. “Communities have looked at as a cost-benefit analysis, and the likelihood of being sued on that is so low. And the benefits are so high that people have moved on.”
Caso, now in private practice, did not respond to requests for comment.
City officials told WFAA that they’ve recently crafted a workaround.
There’s an exemption under current law that allows the information to be shared with a local health authority, officials said.
They’re now sending the overdose information to the county health department, which is shielded from legal claims. The county began sending daily uploads to ODMAP this week, so Dallas’ overdose information is now part of the system and being mapped.
Creuzot’s office also drafted legislation that’s now been sent to the governor to sign into law that shields emergency medical services providers from legal lability.
“This is a huge step forward in getting data into the right hands so that we can direct the resources where they are needed most,” city council member Paula Blackmon told a legislative committee in March.
Tarrant County
What about in Tarrant County? They’re served by MedStar, which covers 400 square miles.
MedStar signed up for the ODMAP program, but hasn’t been able to participate so far.
Lance Sumpter, director of the Texoma HIDTA, says MedStar was willing to provide the data to the overdose database, but their information is maintained by a private entity.
MedStar told WFAA that ImageTrend, the company that maintains MedStar’s patient care reporting system, wanted $15,000 for the initial connection, plus $5,000 annually.
“We couldn't settle on a price that was reasonable that the organization could afford or that I really think we should have to afford,” Sumpter said.
After WFAA started investigating overdose mapping, Medstar and ImageTrend this week reached an agreement. MedStar’s data will soon start flowing into the overdose mapping system.
A MedStar spokesman declined to discuss the specifics, but he credited WFAA with helping the two sides reach an agreement.
An official with ImageTrend told WFAA that the last thing the company would ever want to do is be “seen is as an obstacle to data sharing.”
“When we're having young people and old people dying from overdoses or experiencing overdoses, we can't wait a year to find out how bad the overdose circumstance was,” Sumpter said. “We need to know as soon as possible. So the people that wake up every day professionally to do something about it can respond.
Because those dots could be the difference between life and death. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/north-texas-dfw-dallas-local-officials-slow-to-adopt-tactic-to-combat-fentanyl-overdoses/287-03ca8ea0-9060-423c-97c3-37bc9964e4eb | 2023-05-20T05:02:44 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/north-texas-dfw-dallas-local-officials-slow-to-adopt-tactic-to-combat-fentanyl-overdoses/287-03ca8ea0-9060-423c-97c3-37bc9964e4eb |
SAN ANTONIO — Texas is continuing to grow, and in the cases of some cities it's growing faster than anywhere else in the country.
That's the gist of a new U.S. Census Bureau report released Thursday which states that more Americans are flocking to Southern states than anywhere else in the U.S. Leading the way is the Lone Star State, home to six of the nine fastest-growing cities in the region, according to the report.
With the exception of Santa Cruz, California, four of those cities are in Texas. Leading the way is Georgetown, which saw a 14.4% increase in its population from July 1, 2021 to July 1, 2022.
From a state-by-state standpoint, the new data continues a trend that's been consistent for over a decade. With four of the most populous cities in the U.S. – including Austin, leapfrogging Jacksonville to enter the top 10 – Texas trails only California when it comes to total residents.
Here's how the five most populous states have grown in relation with each other between 2010 and 2022.
The new data shows Austin is now the biggest U.S. city that has yet to top 1 million residents, with an estimated 974,447 calling Texas's capital home as of July 1, 2022.
Houston, San Antonio and Dallas stood firm in their rankings as the fourth, seventh and ninth-biggest U.S. cities, respectively.
And all but one of Texas's five biggest cities continues steady growth. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth each saw their respective populations grow over the two-year span from 2020 to 2022 (Dallas is the only one where more people left than arrived, experiencing a .3% decrease).
Of the four aforementioned communities, Fort Worth experienced the largest percent increase, its population growing by 3.5% from 2020 to 2022.
>TRENDING ON KENS 5 YOUTUBE: | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-population-growth-census-bureau-report-2022-austin-dallas-san-antonio-houston/273-67042f6c-732e-4e48-aa3e-a13f611b7a62 | 2023-05-20T05:02:50 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-population-growth-census-bureau-report-2022-austin-dallas-san-antonio-houston/273-67042f6c-732e-4e48-aa3e-a13f611b7a62 |
HOUSTON — Two near-drowning incidents involving Houston-area toddlers this week are reminders of the importance of pool and water safety.
A 2-year-old girl was flown to a hospital Friday morning after being found in a Baytown pool, according to police.
Editor's note: The video above originally aired in 2020.
A 3-year-old boy is fighting for his life after nearly drowning in a hotel pool. Surveillance video from the hotel showed the boy struggling near the steps and three other children playing in the pool nearby. Less than 20 feet away an adult can be seen sitting in a chair and the hotel manager said she was on her laptop. She's the one who eventually pulled the boy out.
"If you are enjoying with your electronic device it means you do not have any attention to your children, so you should not come (to) the pool with your electronic device," Rame Singh told KHOU 11. "It doesn't matter if it's a laptop, it's a musical instrument, it's a gaming instrument because the kids are your responsibility."
And don't think it couldn't happen to you. Drowning is quick and quiet and it's the second leading cause of death for children under 15. Children ages 1 to 4 have the highest rates of drowning.
Seventy-six Texas children drowned in 2022, according to the Department of Family and Protective Services, including one in a bucket. In 2023, seven of the 20 children who've drowned in Texas so far were in Harris or Galveston counties.
The City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department offers a free swimming lessons program. Click here for more information.
We've put together a list of water safety tips from getparentingtips.com.
Home Pool Safety
Backyard pools, spas, and hot tubs can be fun, but it's important to make a pool safety plan to protect your own children and guests. Keep in mind that large inflatable pools can be just as dangerous as in-ground pools. Make sure these pools are emptied after each use or they have a locked fence around them.
Every year, emergency rooms treat about 6,400 pool and spa injuries in children younger than 15 years old.
Pool Safety Tip #1: Secure the Pool Area
The first step in a pool safety plan is to think about how you'll keep children and pets from gaining access to the pool. Children often die in backyard pools when they slip through exterior doors, even pet doors, while parents are asleep or distracted. Protective fencing, gates, and doors provide the first line of defense against drownings.
- Hot tubs, spas, and pools should always be behind a fence that is at least 4 feet high.
- The fence should have a self-closing, self-latching gate that opens outward. The latches should be out of reach of children.
- Keep back doors and pet doors locked to prevent children from accessing the pool or hot tub.
- If possible, install doorknob safety covers and/or locks or bolt latches higher up on exterior doors where children cannot unlock them.
- A pool alarm can detect waves on the pool surface to let you know if a child or pet has fallen in.
- Add a lock to a gate leading to your backyard for extra precaution.
- These tips apply even if you don't have children of your own. Olympic skier Bode Miller and his wife Morgan's 19-month-old daughter drowned in 2018 when she slipped through the back door of a friend's house they were visiting. “A child under 30 pounds can drown in 30 seconds,” Morgan Beck Miller told TODAY. “And I just keep counting to 30 in my head. That was all I needed.”
Always supervise
- A responsible adult should always supervise children in and around water. Keep new swimmers and non-swimmers within arm’s reach.
- You can also designate a “water watcher” whose job is to maintain constant watch over kids at the pool during pool parties.
- Make sure the adult knows CPR and has a phone to call 911.
- Adults should leave their devices inside so they're not distracted.
- Have flotation devices available to use in a rescue
- Share rules with anyone who may watch your child
- Teach water survival skills: The CDC says swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by up to 88 percent. The earlier your child learns to swim, the better.
Along with swim lessons, your child should know how to:
- Return to the surface if they fall in over their head
- Float or tread water
- Turn in a circle in the water and look for an exit
- Swim 25 yards (75 feet)
- Get out of the pool without using the ladder
Other outdoor water safety tips
- Never leave children alone in or around water (pools, kiddie pools, lakes, creeks, buckets, beaches, ponds or drainage ditches).
- Floaties can give small children a false sense of security. They don’t realize it’s the floaties that are keeping them above water. Don’t take them off while you’re near water.
- Find out if your child's friends or neighbors have pools at their homes.
- Do not allow children to swim in any water after heavy rains or flooding.
- When the pool is in use, completely remove pool covers and cleaning machines.
Indoor safety tips
Drowning dangers aren't just limited to recreational swimming areas like pools, lakes, and rivers. Drowning can happen in less than 2 inches of water, and when babies drown, it most commonly happens in bathtubs, buckets and even toilets.
- Never leave small children alone near any container of water, including tubs, buckets, coolers, toilets or aquariums.
- Keep bathroom doors closed and secure toilet lids with locks.
- Never leave young children alone in or around the bath.
- Get what you need before filling the tub. If you need to leave the room, take the child with you.
- Make sure children can't leave the house to get to pools or hot tubs.
Source: Helpandhope.org | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/water-safety-tips-drowning-prevention/285-1f3c60ca-7242-4639-8e0c-bebaff3a7c0f | 2023-05-20T05:02:56 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/water-safety-tips-drowning-prevention/285-1f3c60ca-7242-4639-8e0c-bebaff3a7c0f |
SEATTLE — The pilot of the plane that crashed into Elliott Bay on Thursday said an engine failure forced him to land his Cessna.
"Once you get into one of these scenarios, your first thought is, Where am I going to put this thing where it's safe?"
It was a decision pilot Brendan Ross had 20 seconds to make.
“So, I knew Alaskan Way was going to hit people on the ground and I really didn't want to do that, so it left the waterfront," said Ross. When the engine on his Cessna stopped, the power faded out.
Many people had a front-row seat, sending in video from all angles and calling 911. People on the land say it took a while to register that a plane had crashed because of how smoothly it came down.
"It was a wild sight, seeing the water rushing up the windscreen. Not something you would normally see," Ross said.
The pressure was too strong to open the door.
"I kind of finished shutting down the best I could to try and minimize any fuel leaking into the water, I opened up a window so the water could rush in and the pressure could equalize," said Ross.
He said he held on to the wing of the plane before it went down, “It was time to swim for shore and by that time some boaters that were nearby were able to get to me."
A man who was on his boat with friends saw the crash and acted fast.
"As soon as it hit the water I thought that it was an emergency and we needed to act very fast and decided to hightail it to the crash site,” said Brent Breslin, who was on his boat in Elliott Bay with his three friends. They threw a line to Ross.
“Everybody just responded in a way that was going to get this guy out of the water and that's all we were thinking at the time," said Breslin.
Meanwhile, Ross' wife, Annabell, saw the headlines of a plane crash.
"I mean just hearing his voice I could tell he was going to be OK, it sounded like he'd done everything right," she siad.
With 1,500 flight hours and being a flight instructor himself, Ross says being prepared saved his life.
"That was about as well as it could have gone in terms of minimizing damage to the plane, to other people and I think the worst of it is to my face," said Ross.
Ross started out as an air traffic controller and in two weeks he will be flying for the airlines. He said this won’t stop him from flying, "I got some more places to fly, I got some more work to do so yeah, much more flying to come. I can't wait to get back up there. Probably in a different plane." | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/pilot-says-engine-failure-caused-crash-land-plane-elliott-bay/281-6cc5a72e-0756-41bc-858c-6210c456a53c | 2023-05-20T05:03:10 | 1 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/pilot-says-engine-failure-caused-crash-land-plane-elliott-bay/281-6cc5a72e-0756-41bc-858c-6210c456a53c |
Editor's Note: This story contains graphic and offensive language.
A federal lawsuit was filed Friday against the Hancock County Board of Commissioners and three Hancock County community corrections workers.
The suit was filed after a man serving home detention in Hancock County claimed he was the victim of racial discrimination.
Ja'Michael Bryants attorneys filed the federal civil rights action Friday. But they say the issues started months earlier with the Hancock County Community Correction staff soon after Bryant was sentenced to home detention in November of last year.
Court records say Bryant lives with his mother and when they moved, they'd notified community corrections weeks ahead of time only to be told on the day of the move by his officer Daniel Devoy that he "is the mother f**ker on home detention' and denied him permission to move.
"The court documents say Bryant's mother heard the language and contacted community corrections. Eventually, he was able to move to Indianapolis.
Months later, when Bryant's home detention bracelet broke, court records say Devoy accused Bryant of intentionally damaging the device despite determining later it was defective.
Court records say 'as an apparent punishment for the defective device', Devoy didn't let Bryant to go to work for three days following. Those lost wages meant Bryant missed payments and community corrections filed a violation against Bryant.
One month later, another corrections officer, Thomas Smith, called Bryant's phone but he didn't pick up.
Court records show a voicemail did record on Bryant's phone, picking up Smith, Devoy and another community corrections worker, Nicole Raffaelli, allegedly talking about him.
His attorneys provided 13News that voicemail.
Part of the transcript reads as follows:
Male 2: Wait until you see his house
N.R.: Is it…
MALE 1: …it looks…it looks nice; look at this neighborhood, look at this neighborhood.
MALE 2: Remember, Nicole, when we moved him out of the hood?
MALE 1: Let me see here.
MALE 2: When we moved him out of the hood
N.R.: Oh, yeah.
MALE 1: Look at that f**king house.
N.R.: That's too nice for him…
MALE 1: And he's got water in the back yard…f**k this motherf**ker's black a**.
Court records show the 3-minute voicemail details Smith, Raffaelli and Devoy mocking Bryant, even calling him lazy and saying this made them mad and they wanted to go get him.
After discovering the voicemail, court records say lawyers agreed to let Bryant complete his home detention in Marion County.
Bryant's attorneys say when this issue was brought to Hancock County, they didn't fire or even punish the employees.
In the lawsuit, Bryant's attorneys say these workers and the county board of commissioners have allowed a deep-rooted culture of racism to continue and that by failing to remove them or discipline them for their actions, 'Hancock County has expressly condoned their racist behavior'.
His attorneys are calling for a jury trial. They're asking for attorney fees and litigation costs be paid as well as compensatory and punitive damages in an amount that will deter others from engaging in this kind of conduct again.
Following the lawsuit being filed, Bryant's attorney Terrance Kinnard sent 13News this statement, "It was hurtful and heartbreaking to see Hancock County adopt discrimination as a policy. This was apparent when no action was taken against the people who acted so reprehensible and displayed racist ideology which was unchecked until local media shined a light."
13News reached out to the Hancock County Board of Commissioners President about this lawsuit. We have not yet received a response. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/lawsuit-filed-accuses-hancock-county-community-corrections-workers-of-racial-discrimination/531-92358b98-3032-4946-a134-98198260fd20 | 2023-05-20T05:07:29 | 1 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/lawsuit-filed-accuses-hancock-county-community-corrections-workers-of-racial-discrimination/531-92358b98-3032-4946-a134-98198260fd20 |
COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — Coweta County deputies are searching for a murder suspect.
Investigators announced Friday they are searching for the person who shot and killed Omar Stegall nearly a month ago.
Deputies found the 41-year-old shot on April 21 at 2:30 a.m. at a home along Geter Circle. Deputies said there was evidence someone forced themselves into the home.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to help.
Now Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $2,000 reward for anyone who can help make an arrest. Anyone who may have information about Stegall's death is encouraged to call (404) 577-8477. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/coweta-county-omar-stegall-murder/85-e4829692-3d3f-4a55-95ff-b2adda8992e2 | 2023-05-20T05:22:14 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/coweta-county-omar-stegall-murder/85-e4829692-3d3f-4a55-95ff-b2adda8992e2 |
CARROLLTON, Ga. — It's been nearly 14 years since anyone has heard from or seen Brian Wehrle.
The 39-year-old traveled to Carrollton from his home on Morningside Drive in Atlanta at the end of September 2009 to attend a Probate Court hearing. He was the executor of his parents' estate and had an appointment to sign some paperwork.
It was during this time, the City of Atlanta and surrounding communities saw record-breaking and catastrophic flooding. Wehrle's niece, Amanda Rickles said she recalled him telling her it took forever to get down to Carrollton.
On Sept. 23, 2009, Rickles said Wehrle called her while mowing his parents' lawn along Crescent Drive in Carrollton.
"He was just taking a break, going to Taco Bell," Rickles said. "He was also talking about his trip down and how frustrating it had been because it had taken him four hours to do a 45 minute drive."
Rickles said he told her he was going to go find a map so he could figure out the best route back to get around all the flooding. She said he was also not looking forward to the long drive back home after the Probate Court hearing the following morning.
Carrollton Police said they were able to track down his last few stops and the people he spoke to on the night of Sept. 23, 2009.
"We know that the last people to see him alive that we know of are his sister, Anita, and her husband Spencer. That he had gone to their house that evening," Sgt. Meredith Browning of Carrollton Police explained.
"Based on his phone records. We believe that the last person he spoke to on the phone was a friend of his. And we, of course, talked to him," she said. "But his friend doesn't live around here, did not see him in person that night. And his partner, Jeff, I believe he spoke with him that night also for a short time."
Rickels said her uncle tried to call her that same night as well, but she missed it.
"He had called and left me a message and when I called him back, he didn't answer," she said.
The only possible sighting of Wehrle after leaving his sister's home that night was by a neighbor in the overnight hours.
"The neighbors next to my grandparents’ house where he was staying saw a light on in the garage at 2 a.m.," Rickles explained. "They assumed it was him."
"We can't confirm that was Brian," Sgt. Browning said. "If that was Brian then that was the last sighting, if not, then that would obviously be a suspect or a person of interest we'd like to talk to."
The following day, Wehrle didn't show up for the Probate Court hearing. Rickles said her aunt called her asking if she'd heard from her uncle and the family soon realized, Wehrle was missing.
They found his phone, medication and all his belongings at his parents' home. Wehrle has a pacemaker. The only things that appeared to be missing were Wehrle and his light blue four-door 1992 Buick LeSabre.
It would be three months later in December, Carrollton Police would receive a call from Chattanooga Police in Tennessee.
"Officers saw the car parked against a curb on the side of a road and went to check it out because it matched the description of a car in a robbery," Sgt. Browning explained. "When they ran the tag of the vehicle, they determined the tag did not belong to the vehicle. The tag was reported stolen from another residence in Chattanooga. When they ran the VIN on the vehicle, they realized it was tied to Brian Wehrle as a missing person."
Sgt. Browning said they sent detectives up to canvass the area and process the car. She said nothing appeared to be disturbed in the vehicle. In fact, she said he had a bowl full of change that was still in it. They even found the receipt from his Taco Bell order from his dinner the night before his Probate Court hearing.
"There were some partial prints, but they are not AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System) quality to be put into the database for fingerprints," Sgt. Browning said. "We actually rechecked that recently but still had no luck."
Rickles said while the break in the case was hopeful for a short time, it was once again a dead end.
She said not only did the news hit hard on her, but also on Wehrle's partner Jeff, who had been by his side for 12 years before his disappearance.
"It was heart-wrenching -- experience my own pain and then having him, the person he loved for over a decade just completely disappear and have no answer," Rickles said.
Sgt. Browning said Jeff checked in with them routinely. Unfortunately, he has since passed away. Rickles said it's heartbreaking knowing he never got any answers into what happened to the love of his life.
As for her continued fight to find out what happened to her uncle, she said she won't stop.
"There’s someone out there that did it, was involved in it or who knows and we deserve answers," she explained.
Sgt.Browning said they've been assisted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, as they even brought in cadaver dogs to assist in the investigation. These specific K-9s are trained to alert on possible human remains.
In 2015, Carrollton PD asked Trace Sargent to bring in her specialized dogs to Wehrle's parents' property where he was staying before he vanished.
"She had three dogs and we took her to this house and there was a boat house behind the house," Sgt. Browning explained. "It's on a little a little like here in town. All three of them alerted at this very same spot outside the boat house. So we went inside the boat house. They all alerted inside the boat house. Long story short, we got a search warrant. We dug up that floor and didn't find anything."
While nothing was discovered, Sergeant Browning said the fact the dogs did hit on a scent was intriguing.
She admits it's been frustrating and she does wish things might have been handled a little differently by the original investigator on the case. She said they're just waiting for the right lead to finally break this case open.
Rickles is hoping to drum up new leads by launching a billboard campaign between Carrollton and Chattanooga.
She has started an online fundraising campaign to raise money to purchase billboards to help publicize her uncle's case.
As to any potential suspects, Carrollton Police haven't ruled out the possibility that whatever happened to Wehrle, the person responsible could be someone very close to him.
Rickles said she's also come to terms with that conclusion, considering there appeared to be no struggle at her grandparents' home at the time her uncle disappeared.
Anyone with information on Wehrle's disappearance is asked to call Carrollton Police at (770) 834-4451.
Recently, Wehrle's case was featured on a crime podcast that has helped renew interest in the case.
Watch the full story of Brian Wehrle and his mysterious disappearance below. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/missing-in-georgia/atlanta-man-brian-wehrle-still-missing-14-years-mysterious-disappearance-carrollton-parents-estate/85-550d4143-a208-441d-a068-953a8259d8c5 | 2023-05-20T05:22:20 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/missing-in-georgia/atlanta-man-brian-wehrle-still-missing-14-years-mysterious-disappearance-carrollton-parents-estate/85-550d4143-a208-441d-a068-953a8259d8c5 |
July 22, 1997 - May 18, 2023
BUHL — With our deepest sorrow, our most wonderful son, Camronn M. Hale has passed away at the age of 25. He was born on July 22, 1997.
Cam was the best big brother and loyal son anyone could ever ask for. He was born and raised in Magic Valley but spent some school years in Arizona. He graduated high school from Castleford High School and went on to college at Purdue University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Biological Engineering in 2020. He was so incredibly smart and talented. Cam worked on the family farm and recently became a Hydro Electricity Operator.
He intensely loved listening to music and enjoyed building and repairing things from model military tanks, to hover crafts. Camronn had a real sense of style when it came to clothing. He liked hanging out with his buddies, having a cold beer, smoking a cigar, making them laugh, and watching movies. Those who knew Camronn, even just a little, lost a shining light in their lives. He was known by his friends as "Doug". He cared for each and every one of them.
Camronn will be missed every day by his dad, Mike Hale; mom, Lori Hale; sisters, Abby and McKayla; grandparents, Don and Kathy Hauser; loving aunts; uncles; cousins; and many, many great friends.
We know you are with God, but we are selfish and wish you never left. We will love and miss you always, our wonderful son and brother. Until we meet again.
A graveside service will be held at 3:00 p.m., Monday, May 22, 2023, at West End Cemetery 1574 East 4150 North, Buhl.
In lieu of flowers, we request donations to be made to your favorite charity or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 199 Water Street 11th Floor New York, New York 10038.
Memories and condolences may be shared with the family on Camronn's memorial webpage at www.farmerfuneralchapel.com. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/camronn-hale/article_a88c3641-34f5-53f6-b4ce-203ce1578ab0.html | 2023-05-20T05:32:30 | 1 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/camronn-hale/article_a88c3641-34f5-53f6-b4ce-203ce1578ab0.html |
BUHL — A graveside service will be held at 3:00 p.m., Monday, May 22, 2023, at West End Cemetery 1574 East 4150 North, Buhl.
In lieu of flowers, we request donations to be made to your favorite charity or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 199 Water Street 11th Floor New York, New York 10038.
Memories and condolences may be shared with the family on Camronn's memorial webpage at www.farmerfuneralchapel.com. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/funeral-notices/camronn-hale/article_11c9c1cb-c570-5907-9d66-bed4b8fe8eb8.html | 2023-05-20T05:32:37 | 1 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/funeral-notices/camronn-hale/article_11c9c1cb-c570-5907-9d66-bed4b8fe8eb8.html |
MERIDIAN — Dontay Palomo Sr., 31, of Meridian, Idaho, passed away on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at home. A viewing will be held at 3:00 p.m. with a Celebration of Life beginning at 4:00 p.m., Friday, May 26, 2023 at Rock Creek Celebration Center, 320 Main Ave. North, Twin Falls, Idaho. Arrangements are under the care of Serenity Funeral Chapel Life Celebration Center & Cremation Services of Idaho, Twin Falls. Please visit the tribute page at www.serenityfuneralchapel.com.
Dontay Palomo Sr.
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Jerome R. Leroy Turpin, 90, of Jerome died December 22, 2022. A Celebration of LeRoy's Life will be held from 12:00 Noon until 3:00 p.m., Saturday, June 3, 2023, at the Turpin Family Home, 607 5th Ave W, Jerome. Memories and condolences may be shared on LeRoy's memorial webpage at www.farnsworthmortuary.com.
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Aug. 29, 1945 - May 16, 2023
Humberto Sanchez, born August 29, 1945, passed away peacefully on May 16, 2023. He was born to Antonio Sanchez and Carlota Garcia in Candela, Coahuila, Mexico. Being a migrant worker he traveled many states and made Twin Falls his permanent residence.
Surviving Humberto are his wife, Delia Sanchez; and daughter, Delia Patricia. Sara Sanchez, mother of his children: Cynthia Bell (Robert), Claudia Garza (Larry), Humberto Sanchez Jr. (Rosalva), Yadhira Ramirez (Rene). Grandchildren: Matthew and Amanda Martinez, Larry, Ayssa, Ashley, and Joshua Garza, Steven, Stephanie and Sam Sanchez, Jose Angel Lozano, Gabriella, David, Jacob and Elijah Ramirez, Efrain and Aryeli Cisneros and Ezequiel. Numerous great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents; brothers: Leonel Sanchez, Leopoldo Sanchez, Antonio Sanchez, and his twin brother, Gilberto Sanchez; and sisters: Socorrito Garcia and Elia Ortegon. His only surviving sibling is Ramon Sanchez.
Grandpa Beto, as he was fondly known to his grandkids, will be missed terribly as he was famous for calling on birthdays and starting the call with "Mijo/mija, it's Grandpa Beto," as if they didn't know who was calling.
There will be a funeral service honoring Humberto on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, starting at 11:00 a.m., held at St. Edwards Catholic Church of Twin Falls, with his internment to follow the service at Twin Falls Cemetery. There will be a visitation held on Monday evening, May 22, 2023, from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., with a rosary starting at 6:00 p.m., at White - Reynolds Funeral Chapel; 2466 Addison Ave. E., Twin Falls, ID, 83301. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/humberto-sanchez/article_9da621e1-e0b0-5207-a238-a64d7d6aa6b3.html | 2023-05-20T05:32:55 | 0 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/humberto-sanchez/article_9da621e1-e0b0-5207-a238-a64d7d6aa6b3.html |
Mike Trout, 31, a 2009 Millville High School graduate, is a center fielder with the Los Angeles Angels and was the 2014, 2016 and 2019 American League MVP.
Thursday: Hit a two-run home run, his second homer in as many days, to help the Angels beat the Orioles 6-5 in the series finale at Camden Yards. Batting second and playing center field, he finished 2 for 4 and was hit by a pitch.
Friday: Did not play in a 5-4 win over the visiting Twins in a series opener.
Saturday: Louie Varland (1-0, 4.30 ERA) is scheduled to start the 10:07 p.m. game for the Twins. Trout is 1 for 3 with an RBI against him.
Stats: Trout is hitting .280 (46 for 164) with 10 home runs, 23 RBIs and 31 runs scored in 42 games. He has walked 19 times and struck out 50 times. His on-base percentage is .370, his OPS .894. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/daily-mike-trout-report-angels-beat-twins-in-series-opener/article_39914738-f5c6-11ed-a718-d7ac054be98c.html | 2023-05-20T05:46:27 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/daily-mike-trout-report-angels-beat-twins-in-series-opener/article_39914738-f5c6-11ed-a718-d7ac054be98c.html |
BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) — Tattoo artists have converged on Bristol for the State Street Tattoo Fest.
The event kicked off Friday and continues through Sunday.
Organizers say dozens of artists have made their way to Bristol for the occasion.
“You could almost think of it as a giant tattoo shop,” Justin Brown said. “So, we have almost 80 tattooers here from all over the country tattooing all weekend.”
Tickets are $15 and grant all-day access.
The event will be open Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is taking place at The Foundation Event Facility, 620 State Street, Bristol, Tennessee.
A lineup of artists can be found on the event’s website. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/state-street-tattoo-fest-kicks-off-in-bristol/ | 2023-05-20T05:46:53 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/state-street-tattoo-fest-kicks-off-in-bristol/ |
The chart lists crimes through May 15 investigated by the Fort Wayne Police Department including burglary, robbery and thefts from vehicles. An attempted robbery or burglary is classified as an actual robbery or burglary, respectively. The listed addresses are those where crimes were reported and are not necessarily where the crimes occurred.
Sector 4B
5/11/23 1:15 p.m. Theft from vehicle 300 W. Jefferson Blvd.
5/11/23 9:34 p.m. Robbery 400 E Washington Blvd.
Sector 11
5/11/23 1:46 p.m. Burglary 1200 Wefel St.
5/15/23 4:06 a.m. Theft from vehicle 2900 Westbrook Drive
5/15/23 8:25 p.m. Theft from vehicle 1500 Wells St.
Sector 14
5/11/23 6:47 a.m. Theft from vehicle 1800 River Run Trail
Sector 16
5/9/23 4 p.m. Theft from vehicle 6300 Lima Road
Sector 17
5/12/23 7:01 a.m. Theft from vehicle 10100 Lima Road
Sector 21
5/12/23 8:05 a.m. Theft from vehicle 2200 Lake Ave.
Sector 24
5/11/23 9 p.m. Theft from vehicle 5600 St. Joe Road
Sector 31
5/14/23 5:30 a.m. Theft from vehicle 1000 Rockhill St.
Sector 32
5/13/23 4:33 p.m. Robbery 2300 Fairfield Ave.
Sector 33
5/10/23 4 a.m. Theft from vehicle 3600 Algonquin Pass
Sector 34
5/11/23 5:05 p.m. Theft from vehicle 5700 Wilkie Drive
5/12/23 Noon Theft from vehicle 4100 W Jefferson Blvd.
Sector 35
5/9/23 Midnight Theft from vehicle 1200 Lexington Ave.
Sector 36
5/12/23 4 p.m. Theft from vehicle 2200 Dunkelberg Road
Sector 42
5/9/23 6:45 a.m. Burglary 1800 Greentree Court
Sector 43
5/11/23 2 a.m. Burglary 2900 McCormick Ave.
Sector 45
5/12/23 8:10 p.m. Theft from vehicle 4000 Reed St.
Sector 47
5/10/23 11 a.m. Theft from vehicle 7500 Southtown Crossing
Sector 48
5/13/23 8:19 p.m. Robbery 4600 Ardon Court
5/14/23 7:54 p.m. Robbery 7900 Serenity Drive
5/15/23 11 p.m. Burglary 1900 Chartwell Drive
Sector 65
5/14/23 9 p.m. Theft from vehicle 4300 Whalers Cove
5/15/23 3 a.m. Theft from vehicle 7700 Aboite Center Road
5/15/23 4 a.m. Theft from vehicle 5300 Coventry Parkway | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/police-fire/crime-reports/crime-reports/article_5cddf6ee-f44c-11ed-892c-fffd2d678e2f.html | 2023-05-20T05:48:51 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/police-fire/crime-reports/crime-reports/article_5cddf6ee-f44c-11ed-892c-fffd2d678e2f.html |
This evening, a group of Carroll High School students will take the stage at Fort Wayne’s outdoor Foellinger Theatre, bringing down the curtain on a months-long saga that started in late February.
Marie Brammer was in a Carroll High School theater production class when she first read the script for “Marian, or The True Tale of Robin Hood.” Theater teacher Emily Grillo, in her first year at Carroll High School, had selected it to be the school’s spring play.
During auditions in February, Brammer said, she and other students completed sign-up forms that included a question asking whether they were comfortable playing a nonbinary character or a character in a same-sex relationship.
“If you didn’t want to, you could check no, and nobody would make fun of you or do anything,” she said.
On what would have been the third day of auditions, Carroll principal Cleve Million announced his decision to cancel the play.
Brammer, a junior, watched the Northwest Allen County Schools board meeting school board meeting online the next week. Brammer said she felt the parents who supported the cancellation were disrespectful.
“To a lot of students in the production, that felt like standing down to bullies,” Brammer said of the district’s decision to put on a different play.
Students standing up
Sophomore Peyton Stratton said she was excited when “Marian” was first announced because it had a female lead – a role she was eventually cast for the independent production. She wasn’t in the room when the production’s cancellation was announced and heard the news from a friend.
“At first, I think, I was just in shock,” Stratton said. “Because I wasn’t actually in the room, I only half believed it. I spent a majority of the day in between being in denial about it and freaking out.”
Stella Brewer-Vartanian, a senior at Carroll, said she doesn’t identify as LGBTQ+ and isn’t a member of the theater community – but she’s politically active.
“I’m very passionate about trying to make our district a good place for everybody,” she said.
The administration “missed out on a great opportunity to help further students’ education,” Brewer-Vartanian said, adding that the decision to cancel “Marian” could be a slippery slope toward greater censorship.
“When democracies are under threat, education institutes are the first ones threatened; they’re the first ones targeted,” she said. “I’m not saying necessarily because we’re putting on this play that democracy is saved and everything’s all good. But, unfortunately, I do think that Marian’s original cancellation is a sign of growing intolerance.”
A group of students, including Brewer-Vartanian, Tristan Wasserman and Gay-Straight Alliance President Kaitlyn Gulley, assembled a board of students to fight for the play, Brammer said.
The group then contacted adults in the Fort Wayne community, a move Brewer-Vartanian said was the best decision they made. Nikki Fultz, director of Fort Wayne Pride, said people reached out to her when the play was first canceled.
The representation of LGBTQ+ people would have been important to students at Carroll, Fultz said. Later, she got a call from “Marian” producer and one-time congressional candidate Nathan Gotsch.
“Since our name was trusted, and we had the ability (to help), we said ‘of course,’ ” Fultz said.
Building inclusivity
Brammer is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a leader in the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance. She said friends have faced discrimination, been kicked out of clubs and lost jobs because of their orientation or identity.
“You just face a lot of people being jerks. I’ve been called slurs at school,” Brammer said. “There’s been teachers that have gone out of their way to be rude to my friends because of their identities. There’s kids at school that will call you weird or stupid for no reason at all.”
Brammer hopes it’s something her peers will grow out of when they’re older.
“But, I mean, the adults of the school aren’t proving me right there,” she said.
DeAndra and Daniel Hogan, parents of Carroll junior and actor Trey McFarland, said their son has been acting since he was 10 years old. When he came to Fort Wayne, they wanted to send him to the “best school system possible” and chose NACS.
“Marian” is the first play McFarland has been in, they said. Before, he’d only tried out for musicals and participated in the school’s show choir.
“We were excited because he was finally branching out into a new theater field for himself and his career,” Daniel Hogan said. “Then, all of a sudden, we got word that it was canceled.”
DeAndra Hogan said McFarland came out to her as gay five years ago at age 13. She said her family is open and loving, but he was still scared to reveal his secret.
“As a mom, this is hard to swallow,” DeAndra Hogan said. “He was deathly afraid to come out to me even though he’s my youngest, my baby boy. … That fear broke my heart.”
The play could have opened doors and helped others in the district who are afraid of coming out to their parents, DeAndra Hogan said.
“But the sheer fact that it didn’t get done at Carroll closed that conversation completely down,” she said.
Four Carroll students – Brewer-Vartanian, Gulley, Wasserman and Meadowe Freeman – sent a letter to Gov. Eric Holcomb on Wednesday inviting him and Indiana’s state lawmakers to the independent production of “Marian” during its lone performance.
“Cancel culture claimed a real victim” when Million canceled the play, the letter claims, and the district’s “decision to side with a homophobic minority sent a very public message, intended or not, that at Carroll, queer students are second-class citizens,” the letter said.
They pointed to several bills passed this year by the Indiana legislature and signed by Holcomb that target the LGBTQ+ community, including “knock-off ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills” and a ban on gender-affirming care for Hoosier minors.
“Being exposed to stories that acknowledge the LGBTQ experience isn’t something we need to ‘protect’ people from,” the letter stated. “It’s something that can help us all better understand each other, which is sorely needed right now.”
Brammer also drew connections between elected officials’ actions toward LGBTQ+ people and the hate she and others have faced at school.
“Not talking about gay people – or not recognizing them as people – is just going to make people’s lives worse all around,” Brammer said. “It’s not going to help anyone. I feel like it’ll make people feel more negatively (about LGBTQ+ people) without hearing their stories.”
Supporting studentsThe students announced their own independent production of “Marian” on May 4 in partnership with Fort Wayne Pride.
They also set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise $50,000 to cover production expenses, including the cost to use the more than 2,700-seat Foellinger Theater. They ultimately raised more than $82,000.
Most of the tickets were sold for about $15, and the VIP seats, which include a meet-and-greet, cost about $100. All of the $15 seats were sold before Thursday evening.
The rehearsal period has been condensed, giving the student actors less than a month to prepare under the direction of North Side High School graduate Blane Pressler, who lives in New York and serves as artistic director at the Ozark Actors Theatre in Rolla, Missouri.
The three-week rehearsal process was stressful, Stratton said. Balancing studying for finals and Advance Placement tests with studying lines as the play’s titular character has been “a lot to try and juggle,” she added
During a May 10 rehearsal, the students met virtually with “Marian” playwright Adam Szymkowicz and Broadway actor Michael Oberholtzer.
Oberholtzer, who grew up in Fort Wayne and graduated from Bishop Luers High School, was nominated last year for a Tony Award for his role as Shane Mungitt in the play “Take Me Out.”
“It doesn’t matter if there’s 100 people in that audience; it doesn’t matter if there’s 50; it doesn’t matter if there’s three,” Oberholtzer told the cast. “I’ve done shows in Chicago when I was in college for, like, 10 people. … I strongly urge you all to take pride in your work and really try to reach people with this story.”
The community’s support throughout the saga has meant everything to the students, Brammer said, calling it “inspiring.”
Brewer-Vartanian, the Carroll senior who is an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, said the response shows that people’s love and tolerance is stronger than hatred.
“As a pessimist, I think that’s really important to take note of,” she said.
Recently, McFarland had an appointment with a new doctor and mentioned he was tired from school and rehearsals for the play, his parents said. The doctor replied that they had just bought tickets to the performance, which is scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m.
“Trey just looked kind of shocked,” DeAndra Hogan said. “Like, it’s not just online, it’s in person. I think he’s just astonished with the pouring out of love.” | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/schools/carroll-students-take-play-to-independent-stage-after-school-cancellation/article_99e495fe-f512-11ed-952b-43945bc1a219.html | 2023-05-20T05:48:57 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/schools/carroll-students-take-play-to-independent-stage-after-school-cancellation/article_99e495fe-f512-11ed-952b-43945bc1a219.html |
When discussing high school graduation requirements, Fort Wayne Community Schools guidance coordinator Adrienne Shroyer shares the story of a teen ready to quit school.
The welding student had a job lined up for after high school, she said, but a learning disability posed challenges when it came to passing a test required for graduation. His situation wasn’t unusual.
“It was creating such a stressful situation for students,” said Shroyer, who oversees five counselors at Snider High School. “They wanted to give up because they’d pass classes, but the test remained an obstacle.”
The graduation requirements have since changed in Indiana. The class of 2023 is the first to finish high school under the graduation pathways system, which the State Board of Education approved in December 2017 despite hours of testimony opposing the plan.
Students still must accrue course credits toward graduation, but their diploma no longer hinges on also passing a test. Instead, students must demonstrate employability skills along with postsecondary competencies – requirements that can be satisfied in numerous ways.
“It literally took away the pressure of a single test and allowed us to find ways to give kids options for finding a way to find that graduation track for them,” said Dave West, North Side High School principal.
East Allen County Schools agreed.
“Our students have more options to graduate other than passing a standardized test,” the district said in a statement. “More information was shared with students and parents about those options. We did not have concerns after sharing the choices with students and parents.”
The debate
Graduation pathways supporters included major public higher-education institutions and the business community when the new rules were proposed in 2017. Proponents said students were graduating without the skills needed to get a job or move on with postsecondary training.
The overwhelming majority of about 60 people who testified during a seven-hour State Board of Education meeting pleaded for a pause in the process because they were concerned about how the pathways would be implemented.
The new graduation rules stoked fears the graduation rate would plummet and schools would be overworked tracking the requirements.
Critics also worried whether there would be equal access to apprenticeships and work-based experiences in high schools around the state, including in rural areas with a limited business base.
The lack of information and understanding of the rules didn’t help, said Robb Robison, an assistant principal at Northrop High School.
“It wasn’t rolled out very well,” he said this month.
Requirements
Along with meeting credit requirements, Hoosier high school students must fulfill two other areas.
Students generally don’t have difficulty satisfying the employability requirement because various activities – including a part-time job, volunteer work and participation in clubs, marching band or a sports team – meet the mandate under the umbrellas of project-, service- and work-based learning, said Shroyer, who is also a licensed school counselor.
She described the third component – the postsecondary competencies – as a college and career readiness piece. She tells students that doesn’t mean they have to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
“We’ve moved away from the push that everyone has to go to a four-year school,” Shroyer said.
Robison, the Northrop administrator, said he appreciates the flexibility with that third category. Options include earning an academic honors diploma, scoring high enough on college entrance exams, taking Advanced Placement or dual-credit classes, and completing a career and technical education concentrator pathway.
“There’s a ton of different ways that you can satisfy that domain three,” Robison said, referring to the postsecondary competency requirement. “Really a lot of flexibility so that our kids can go in the area in which they’re best.”
Students might complete multiple options, Shroyer said, and counselors dissuade teens from relying solely on the honors diploma to satisfy the postsecondary competency box.
“We don’t let students ride on that,” Shroyer said, explaining a bad grade could jeopardize that plan.
Pathways in action
The new graduation rules affect students differently, said Lindsay Lackland, an assistant principal and director of guidance services at Homestead High School in Southwest Allen County Schools.
“For a lot of students, it didn’t change anything for them,” Lackland said, referring to students inclined to take college-entrance exams, Advanced Placement classes and dual-credit courses.
But the requirement doesn’t work as well for other students, who might sit through unnecessary testing to satisfy a pathway or complete a career and technical education concentrator, Lackland said.
She added students also might be forced into taking classes their school offers to satisfy pathway requirements.
Providing numerous career and technical education pathways options can be a challenge because staffing can be an issue, Lackland said. She noted the “concentrator” status requires three yearlong classes.
“This demand, combined with staffing concerns, makes numerous pathway options difficult for all schools, especially one-high-school districts,” Lackland said.
The licensing required of career and technical education teachers is a barrier, even for a 30,000-student district such as FWCS, said Shroyer, the Snider guidance coordinator.
“It’s giving unique challenges to schools,” Lackland said.
SACS can’t rely entirely on sending students to the FWCS Career Academy – which offers programs in areas including automotive, construction trades and public safety – because enrollment is limited, Lackland said.
Now, she said, schools are forming partnerships to provide students with more opportunities to satisfy graduation pathways requirements.
The SACS and Northwest Allen County Schools boards recently approved such an agreement that makes half-day programming available to their students at the plumbers and steamfitters union’s Ludwig Road facility. The partnership with Local 166 will allow students to receive training that will count toward concentrator status and industry certifications.
Attaining skills
Shroyer, the guidance coordinator, appreciates the new requirements as a parent. Her son is part of the first class to complete high school under the graduation pathways.
“I feel like it was a blessing,” she said, adding the criteria forces intentionality on students’ education.
That doesn’t mean students are stuck with the pathway chosen as freshmen – a point of contention regarding the new rules, Shroyer said.
“They can change,” she said. “Nothing’s set in stone.”
She is, however, encouraging elementary schools to talk more with students about their futures so they will start thinking about the possibilities. It’s difficult for high schoolers to say what they want to do after graduation if nobody has shown them options, she said.
West, the North Side principal, stressed that picking a graduation pathway doesn’t equate to selecting a career.
“It says graduation pathways, like is it straight to a career?” West said. “Sometimes it is, but sometimes it’s about attaining skills to prepare me for the career I might have after I initially get out of high school.” | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/schools/hoosier-high-school-seniors-graduating-this-spring-under-new-rules/article_57b9dbb0-f424-11ed-9603-07edfefd0d8f.html | 2023-05-20T05:49:03 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/schools/hoosier-high-school-seniors-graduating-this-spring-under-new-rules/article_57b9dbb0-f424-11ed-9603-07edfefd0d8f.html |
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