text string | url string | crawl_date timestamp[ms] | label int64 | id string |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Chad Berger's record-setting streak came to an end on Sunday in Texas.
The Mandan bull man had been crowned the PBR's Stock Contractor of the Year the past nine seasons and 12 times overall, typically by a wide margin.
Blake Sharp won the award for the 2023 season, which is voted on by the bull riders. The season ended on Sunday at the PBR World Finals in Fort Worth.
Berger sent 10 bulls to the World Finals, but said previously he did not think he deserved the top honor this year. Berger's dynasty began in 2007 with his first Stock Contractor of the Year award. His unbeatable streak of nine in a row began in 2014.
Berger's bulls will be in action next month at the Bismarck Event Center for the PBR Bull Riding Challenge June 16-17. Start time both nights is 7:30 p.m. Berger's events typically draw many of the top stars in the PBR.
People are also reading…
Also on Sunday, Rafael Jose de Brito became the first rider ever to win the world title and rookie of the year award in the same season.
Brito, who came to the U.S. last summer from Brazil, started the two-week event in ninth place in the world standings. Fellow Brazilian Kaique Pacheco, No. 1 in the standings when the finals began, was unable to compete due to injury.
Brito finished the finals with 783 points, 275 more than runner-up Wingson Henrique da Silva, vaulting him over 2021 champion Jose Vitor Leme, who started the finals in second.
The 31-year-old Brito finished with 1,338 points. Leme was second with 1,051.
Brito finished the season with winnings of $1,586,514 -- $1,390,500 of which was earned at the finals.
Ridin Solo was crowned the World Champion Bull for the second year in a row, netting his owners Cord McCoy/Bill McCarty/McCoy Rodeo a $100,000 bonus. Ridin Solo also earned an additional $25,000 for being named the Bull of the Finals. | https://bismarcktribune.com/sports/local/bergers-streak-snapped/article_c4e47a8a-f837-11ed-9983-278588cc0781.html | 2023-05-22T03:01:22 | 1 | https://bismarcktribune.com/sports/local/bergers-streak-snapped/article_c4e47a8a-f837-11ed-9983-278588cc0781.html |
A 14-year-old died in crash on I-794 Sunday; 17-year-old driver was taken into custody
A 14-year-old girl died in a single-vehicle crash on I-794 early Sunday morning, according to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office. The driver of the vehicle, a 17-year-old girl, has been taken into custody.
Around 2 a.m., the St. Francis Police Department notified the Cudahy Police Department that they had clocked a vehicle traveling more than 110 miles per hour southbound on I-794, the sheriff's office said.
Less than 10 minutes later, Milwaukee County 911 Dispatch told the sheriff's office that a vehicle rolled over and crashed in the curve on southbound I-794, west of Pennsylvania Avenue, and that a passenger was stuck underneath the vehicle.
A Chevrolet sedan, with four passengers, had flipped and landed down an embarkment, the sheriff's office said.
A 14-year-old girl was ejected from the vehicle and was stuck underneath it, the sheriff's office said. The vehicle's other passengers pulled her out prior to deputies arriving.
The driver, a 17-year-old girl, did CPR on the 14-year-old girl, who was unconscious. The Cudahy Fire Department continued life-saving efforts. Shortly before 2:45 a.m., the 14-year-old was pronounced dead.
The vehicle's two other passengers were taken to the hospital for minor injuries.
The driver was removed from the crash scene, and upon further investigation, was taken into custody. Additional charges are pending.
The crash caused a full freeway closure. The incident remains under investigation by the sheriff's office. | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2023/05/21/girl-14-died-in-single-vehicle-crash-on-i-794-in-milwaukee-county/70241682007/ | 2023-05-22T03:03:42 | 0 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2023/05/21/girl-14-died-in-single-vehicle-crash-on-i-794-in-milwaukee-county/70241682007/ |
A massive structure fire is underway in Slinger
A massive structure fire is underway in Slinger, according to Wisconsin Department of Transportation traffic camera video.
Shortly before 7:30 p.m., the Slinger Fire Department and Lifestar EMS were dispatched to the 3200 block of Sherman Way for a structure fire, the fire department shared in a Facebook post. Additional resources are responding to assist, the post said.
The fire department is asking people to stay out of the immediate area "to allow crews to work safely at the incident."
More information will be released at a later point, the post said.
Interstate 41 southbound at Highway 60 had been closed due to the fire, a WisDOT Traffic Management Center incident alert said. During that time, southbound traffic was being diverted to Highway 60 westbound, then southbound on Highway 175, then eastbound onto Pioneer Road, then back to I-41 southbound. | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2023/05/21/massive-structure-fire-underway-in-slinger-i-41-southbound-closed/70242029007/ | 2023-05-22T03:03:48 | 0 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2023/05/21/massive-structure-fire-underway-in-slinger-i-41-southbound-closed/70242029007/ |
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Update, 10:35 p.m.: The closed roads have now been reopened to the public, as confirmed by 511PA.
Previous: According to Franklin County Emergency Management, State Police and the Franklin County coroner's office are at the scene of a fatal crash on I-81 southbound.
Dispatch confirmed the first call came in at 7:13 p.m., and the fatal crash occurred around the 13.5-mile marker.
One individual, who was riding a motorcycle, is confirmed to be deceased, as reported by dispatchers.
511PA reports that all lanes are closed on I-81 southbound between Exit 14, Wayne Avenue, and Exit 10, Marion. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/franklin-county/state-police-and-coroner-called-i-81-crash-fox43/521-1c8dee96-19d7-44a2-b29c-2859336ac9d3 | 2023-05-22T03:03:48 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/franklin-county/state-police-and-coroner-called-i-81-crash-fox43/521-1c8dee96-19d7-44a2-b29c-2859336ac9d3 |
MILWAUKEE COUNTY
A critical missing 11-year-old boy Milwaukee Police asked for help finding has been located safe
Hannah Kirby
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A "critical missing" 11-year-old boy the Milwaukee Police Department asked for the public's help in locating Sunday has been "located safe."
Julian Mason had last been seen at 11 a.m. Sunday in the 1600 block of W. Washington Street, Milwaukee Police said. On Sunday night, police said Mason was found safe.
"Critically missing" is a label police apply to missing persons who may be in immediate danger due to a variety of factors. | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2023/05/21/milwaukee-police-asking-for-help-locating-critical-missing-boy-11/70241780007/ | 2023-05-22T03:03:54 | 0 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2023/05/21/milwaukee-police-asking-for-help-locating-critical-missing-boy-11/70241780007/ |
How much does New York City weigh?
Believe it or not, there’s actually an answer for that: roughly 1.7 trillion pounds – that’s the estimated combined weight of the skyscrapers.
According to a new geological study published in the journal “Earth’s future” the buildings are so heavy they are pushing the city down.
That’s right, the Big Apple is sinking at a rate of between 1 and 2 millimeters per year.
[TRENDING: National Hurricane Center highlights first disturbance of 2023 hurricane season | St. Cloud Pride event canceled due to so-called ‘climate of fear’ | Become a News 6 Insider]
That may not sound like a lot, but remember. sea levels are rising at the same time.
It comes as the Army Corps of Engineers works on ways to keep New York from getting submerged during future mega-storms like Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/22/nyc-sinking-under-skyscrapers-weight-study-says/ | 2023-05-22T03:08:23 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/22/nyc-sinking-under-skyscrapers-weight-study-says/ |
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After Sunday’s SpaceX Axiom Mission 2 launch, the Falcon 9 booster successfully returned and landed on Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, creating a sonic boom heard along the Space Coast.
“That’s what you’re waiting for!” an onlooker could be heard saying as the boom shook Brevard County.
Earlier Sunday, Space Launch Delta 45 posted a noise advisory warning residents of the impending boom.
[TRENDING: National Hurricane Center highlights first disturbance of 2023 hurricane season | St. Cloud Pride event canceled due to so-called ‘climate of fear’ | Become a News 6 Insider]
Please be advised, this evening's launch will be followed by a sonic boom.
— Space Launch Delta 45 (@SLDelta45) May 21, 2023
This will occur shortly after launch, as the booster lands on landing zone 1 and at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. pic.twitter.com/EKrOjiXQ6K
The launch will send the second all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
The crew for the privately-funded mission include Peggy Whitson, a retired NASA astronaut, John Shoffner of Tennessee, and Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
“This is a dream come true for everyone,” Barnawi said before the flight. “Just being able to understand that this is possible. If me and Ali can do it, then they can do it, too.”
On Monday, NASA will begin coverage of the docking to the International Space Station at 7:30 a.m., with docking scheduled for 9:16 a.m.
It’s the second private flight to the space station organized by Houston-based Axiom Space. The first was last year by three businessmen, with another retired NASA astronaut. The company plans to start adding its own rooms to the station in another few years, eventually removing them to form a stand-alone outpost available for hire.
#Ax2's @SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft has separated from its rocket—the Axiom Mission 2 crew is now on course for the @Space_Station.
— NASA (@NASA) May 21, 2023
Tune in for docking coverage (here and on NASA TV) starting at 7:30am ET (1130 UTC) on Monday, May 22. pic.twitter.com/RIRiAlOD1R
The first-stage booster that landed back at Cape Canaveral eight minutes after liftoff will be recycled for a future flight.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/22/watch-listen-heres-the-moment-a-sonic-boom-shook-the-space-coast/ | 2023-05-22T03:08:29 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/22/watch-listen-heres-the-moment-a-sonic-boom-shook-the-space-coast/ |
COMMERCE, Ga. — Hours after a beloved 72-year-old man with special needs was gunned down outside of a fast food restaurant in Commerce, police have identified a person of interest who they say may be connected to the homicide.
Commerce Police identified 23-year-old Xavier Clark as a person of interest and said Clark is wanted for questioning.
He was last seen driving a Blue Dodge Journey, the same vehicle captured in surveillance video driving away from the scene police were searching for. The vehicle's license plate is Georgia tag: CKP9568
Detectives do not have an arrest warrant out for Clark in connection with the shooting, but simply only for questioning at this time.
The shooting left the small northeast Georgia community of Commerce shaken and asking who would do such a thing.
Police said the shooting happened around 7:30 a.m. at the Hardee's at 44 Homer Rd. in Commerce, a city in Jackson County, Georgia, located 70 miles northeast of Atlanta off Interstate-85.
According to the Commerce Police Chief Ken Harmon, Calvin Varnum, 72, was standing on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant when the suspected shooter drove up in a dark blue Dodge Journey.
Harmon said the two had some sort of conversation before the suspect shot Varnum multiple times. Police said a Good Samaritan was able to resuscitate Varnum before he was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center by EMS, but the 72-year-old died a short time later.
The car, captured in the surveillance image below, was last seen driving north on Homer Road away from the Downtown Commerce.
Varnum, who was not an employee was a beloved member of the community, known for walking around the town and waving to folks every day.
When the Commerce Police Department shared information about the shooting on its Facebook page, hundreds of people flooded the comments of the post to share their shock and devastation.
"I can't imagine not waving to this man every day," one person wrote. "This affected the whole community."
"He was the sweetest man. He waved at everyone he saw. We are going to miss this sweet soul," another person added. "Why would anyone do this!? How can anyone be so cruel?"
Another resident who contacted 11Alive and shared a personal photo of Varnum described him as "such a precious, sweet man." She recounted a moment she shared with him while shopping at a drug store.
"He proudly walked up to me and told me that his name was Calvin and it was his birthday. He told me he was 71 years old and was smiling from ear to ear," she said.
Right now, police are still working the case, described an active investigation. Anyone who has information is asked to contact Detective Sgt. King at 706-335-1847. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/person-of-interest-connection-to-shooting-death-72-year-old-special-needs-commerce/85-669efe83-62ee-4eb9-89f2-cb1bf94504b3 | 2023-05-22T03:21:29 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/person-of-interest-connection-to-shooting-death-72-year-old-special-needs-commerce/85-669efe83-62ee-4eb9-89f2-cb1bf94504b3 |
TRAFFIC
2 children, 3 adults hurt in Loop 202 crash
Laura Daniella Sepulveda
Arizona Republic
A five-vehicle crash on Loop 202 left two children and three adults hospitalized Sunday afternoon, according to the Phoenix Fire Department.
The accident happened just before 5 p.m. near 32nd Street, the fire department said. According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the crash was caused by a wrong-way driver on the eastbound lanes of the 202 highway.
Firefighters found four vehicles piled up and another vehicle on the side. One person was pulled from a car and multiple people were taken to the hospital, including two girls ages 9 and 12 and three adults, the fire department said.
The roadway was closed with no estimated time for reopening, DPS said.
The accident was being investigated by authorities. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-traffic/2023/05/21/2-children-3-adults-hurt-in-loop-202-crash/70242021007/ | 2023-05-22T03:34:29 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-traffic/2023/05/21/2-children-3-adults-hurt-in-loop-202-crash/70242021007/ |
Skip to content
Main Navigation
Search
Search for:
Local
Weather
Responds
Investigations
Video
Sports
Entertainment
Newsletters
Live TV
Share
Close
Trending
Fort Worth Shooting
RSV Vaccine
State Inspections 🚗
Sign Up for Good News 😊
Expand
Local
The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/one-dead-another-injured-in-a-fort-worth-apartment-shooting/3262370/ | 2023-05-22T03:35:58 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/one-dead-another-injured-in-a-fort-worth-apartment-shooting/3262370/ |
A young person is dead and another injured after a shooting inside an apartment complex on Sunday afternoon in Fort Worth. Police said both of the people shot were juvenile victims.
In a statement, Fort Worth Police said its West Division officers arrived at 2900 Broadmoor Dr. after receiving calls about a shooting.
"I was on the phone talking to my cousin in Philadelphia, heard 5 shots, jumped up and said 'somebody just got shot," said Dalina Dennis, a neighbor.
She then described what she heard and saw.
"The gentleman fell to the ground and he then screamed out, 'It wasn't me, it wasn't me,' and stumbled a little bit and the gentleman that came from behind the dumpster was holding his shorts obviously indicating that he had a gun," described Dennis who said that person then ran off towards the dog park away from the complex and was wearing a mask.
She said earlier some of her family members had described seeing a group of boys gathered, "They drove right around them not knowing because it did look suspicious. They mentioned one or two of them had masks on, and one of them that I witnessed out here, the one that obviously did it and ran, was one of the ones with the mask on," she said.
Police said when they arrived, the two juvenile victims were located in a breezeway. One of them died at the scene, the other was taken to the hospital.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
FWPD said, "Detectives found out that the two shooting victims were together when they were approached by three undescribed suspects. The suspects pulled and fired at least one handgun striking the victims. The suspects then fled the scene prior to the arrival of responding officers. Homicide detectives are investigating."
"Somebody lost their baby today," said Dennis, a parent herself. "I'm just so sorry, I'm just sorry, sorry, I couldn't imagine." | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/police-say-a-juvenile-is-dead-another-injured-in-a-fort-worth-apartment-shooting/3262342/ | 2023-05-22T03:36:04 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/police-say-a-juvenile-is-dead-another-injured-in-a-fort-worth-apartment-shooting/3262342/ |
Skip to content
Main Navigation
Search
Search for:
Local
Weather
Responds
Investigations
Video
Sports
Entertainment
Newsletters
Live TV
Share
Close
Trending
Fort Worth Shooting
RSV Vaccine
State Inspections 🚗
Sign Up for Good News 😊
Expand
Local
The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/uvalde-school-shooting-one-year-later/3262377/ | 2023-05-22T03:36:10 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/uvalde-school-shooting-one-year-later/3262377/ |
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Atlantic Ale House held a Handmade and Vintage Market on Sunday, taking advantage of sunshine that emerged from recent storms.
The event featured clothing and other vintage or second-hand items for the public to purchase.
Visitors also got a chance to snack at local food trucks while enjoying the beautiful day by finding vintage treasures downtown. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/atlantic-ale-house-hosts-handmade-and-vintage-market/ | 2023-05-22T03:38:22 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/atlantic-ale-house-hosts-handmade-and-vintage-market/ |
I-95 was closed down for some time Sunday night due to police activity.
The highway was shut down from Penns Landing to South Philadelphia — northbound between Exit 17 - PA 611 Broad St and Exit 19 - I-76 East/Walt Whitman Bridge. All the lanes were closed but have since been reopened.
PennDOT posted the initial closing of the lanes on Twitter around 9 p.m. and all the lanes were back open by 10 p.m.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
Police could be seen blocking an exit in the area, but it is unknown why they were.
There is no word from officials on what caused the lanes to close at this time.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
As more information becomes available, this story will be updated. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/i-95-shut-down-due-to-police-activity/3570721/ | 2023-05-22T03:50:37 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/i-95-shut-down-due-to-police-activity/3570721/ |
Latino immigration topic of last 'Roots of America' presentation May 23
A discussion on the “Roots of Latino Immigration” will be presented by an expert panel starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Pollard Auditorium, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, 210 Badger Ave.
The presentation is free to the public, and light refreshments will be served with the talk commencing at 5:30 p.m.
This fourth and last lecture in the "Roots of America" exploration of cultures series co-sponsored by the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club and the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning will focus on the realities of immigration today and the myths and misunderstandings that complicate local and national response.
According to Madeline Rogero, former mayor of Knoxville and panel moderator, the topics discussed will include “immigration and asylum law, DACA/Dreamers, available resources to help our new Latino neighbors integrate into our community’s fabric, our public schools’ response, the Latino workforce and economy and the ways to create a more humane response and welcoming community.”
Rogero, who served as Knoxville’s mayor from 2011 through 2019, previously was Knoxville’s director of Community Development. She was named executive director of Knoxville’s Promise, Dolly Parton’s Dollywood Foundation and the University of Tennessee Community Partnership Center. She served on the Knox County Commission from 1990 to 1998 and was an organizer with Cesar Chavez’s farmworkers union.
The other panelists are Patricia Robledo, Claudia Caballero and Arléne Amarante.
- Patricia Robledo, a native of Colombia, works for Knox County Schools as its first Latino community outreach specialist. She is the owner of Robledo Translations LLC. In 2011, Mayor Rogero appointed Robledo to lead the newly created Office of Business Support. She was Knoxville’s first Latina immigrant appointee for the city. She continued working with Mayor Indya Kincannon’s administration until 2021.
- Claudia Caballero is president and CEO of Centro Hispano de East Tennessee. This nonprofit empowers the Latino community through education, workforce development, youth and family engagement and resource referral services. Raised between Honduras and the United States, Caballero is bicultural and bilingual. She is a member of the Knoxville Utility Board and Knoxville Chamber. This year she earned an MBA from Vanderbilt University.
- Arléne Amarante is an assistant professor of law at Lincoln Memorial University, where she teaches courses in Legal Writing, Immigration Law, Asylum Law and Critical Race Theory. She practices immigration law and previously served as executive director of a nonprofit law firm and as a legal aid attorney. She is a first-generation American whose parents emigrated from Mexico to the United States. | https://www.oakridger.com/story/news/local/2023/05/21/latino-immigration-topic-of-roots-of-america-presentation-tuesday/70232190007/ | 2023-05-22T04:00:46 | 1 | https://www.oakridger.com/story/news/local/2023/05/21/latino-immigration-topic-of-roots-of-america-presentation-tuesday/70232190007/ |
LAKE COUNTY, Ind. — A man was killed and his two children were injured Saturday when a grenade detonated in their Lake County, Indiana home, authorities said.
The coroner's office said the victim was 47-year-old Bryan Niedert. A cause of death determination is pending and an autopsy was set for Monday.
NBC News said sheriff's deputies were called to a home in the 3400 block of W. Lakeshore Drive on a report of an explosion around 6:30. It happened when the family found a hand grenade as they were looking through a relative's belongings. The device went off when someone apparently pulled its pin, according to police.
The man was found unresponsive and pronounced dead a short time later. His children, an 18-year-old woman and a boy, 17, received shrapnel wounds and were treated at a hospital.
A bomb squad was called to the scene to determine if there were other explosives on the property.
An investigation is ongoing. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/man-killed-2-children-injured-when-grenade-explodes-in-lake-county-home-bomb-squad-device/531-356248fd-6143-4e00-98be-b869f79aa96a | 2023-05-22T04:00:51 | 0 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/man-killed-2-children-injured-when-grenade-explodes-in-lake-county-home-bomb-squad-device/531-356248fd-6143-4e00-98be-b869f79aa96a |
Skip to content
Main Navigation
Search
Search for:
Weather
Local
Sports
Entertainment
Investigators
Videos
Newsletters
Live TV
Share
Close
Trending
Watch NBC10 24/7 on Roku, Peacock
2023 Philly Mayoral Race
Phillies Baseball
Expand
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Close Menu
Search for:
Local
U.S. and World
Politics
Weather
Weather Alerts
School Closings
See It, Share It
Sports
Phillies
Eagles
Sixers
Flyers
NBC Sports Philadelphia
Investigators
NBC10 Responds
Submit a tip
Watch The Lineup
Philly Live
Entertainment
Wawa Welcome America
About NBC10 Philadelphia
Our News Standards
Share a News Tip or Feedback
Share a Consumer Complaint
Share Photos and Video
Our Apps
Newsletters
Cozi TV
Follow Us
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Contact Us | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/3-year-old-girl-drowns-in-family-pool/3570738/ | 2023-05-22T04:03:42 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/3-year-old-girl-drowns-in-family-pool/3570738/ |
Skip to content
Main Navigation
Search
Search for:
Weather
Local
Sports
Entertainment
Investigators
Videos
Newsletters
Live TV
Share
Close
Trending
Watch NBC10 24/7 on Roku, Peacock
2023 Philly Mayoral Race
Phillies Baseball
Expand
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Close Menu
Search for:
Local
U.S. and World
Politics
Weather
Weather Alerts
School Closings
See It, Share It
Sports
Phillies
Eagles
Sixers
Flyers
NBC Sports Philadelphia
Investigators
NBC10 Responds
Submit a tip
Watch The Lineup
Philly Live
Entertainment
Wawa Welcome America
About NBC10 Philadelphia
Our News Standards
Share a News Tip or Feedback
Share a Consumer Complaint
Share Photos and Video
Our Apps
Newsletters
Cozi TV
Follow Us
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Contact Us | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/i-95-reopened-after-police-investigation/3570731/ | 2023-05-22T04:03:48 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/i-95-reopened-after-police-investigation/3570731/ |
CALIFORNIA, USA — A new effort to help get more books in the hands of children across California launches in June.
While there are already dozens of communities benefitting from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, the lift those nonprofit groups have to make will be getting a quite a bit lighter.
"The books are free to the kids, but it costs money to mail them, it costs money to print them. And so the Imagination Library has local partners who are responsible for that, and so now, what's changed is there's now a statewide partner and we're picking up half of the tab,” said California State Librarian Greg Lucas.
In theory, he said the ease on the costs should make it easier for partnerships to sign up more kids.
"By the state stepping in and saying we'll write a check for half of the amount, that's also an encouragement for local partners to come in because it doesn't cost them as much," said Lucas.
All it takes is a willing partner, a bulk rate mail permit and a 501c3 nonprofit organization. It's a role that could be filled by local service clubs, First Five or even the Friends of the local library.
While there's no shortage of entertainment options to keep children busy throughout the day, Lucas said the benefit of having a good book at a young age goes well beyond that.
“Having books at home, there's study after study after study that talks about this -- even with the competition from Gameboy and things like that. But having a book at home to read is, like I say, the surest way of creating stronger readers. And if we live in a state with more 'stronger readers,' a lot of the challenges we face are going to be a lot easier to solve,” he said.
Lucas added that students who come into kindergarten as strong readers have a higher chance at succeeding in school and in life.
"The more that we can do to enrich the lives of kids under the age of five, the more we can give them access to opportunity, the more you can open up the window on their life, which is what reading does. The more we can do that the better and the more successful, they're going to be as people when they grow up,” said Lucas.
The program launches in June. On average, kids can expect their first book to take up to six or eight weeks to arrive, but afterward, the books start arriving at the beginning of the month.
For additional information, click HERE or visit HERE to see if there's a program in your area already. According to the Imagination Library, 1% of the California children ages 0-5 are enrolled in current local programs for the Imagination.
WATCH ALSO: | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/california-dolly-parton-imagination-library/103-3d6ad41e-e555-40f3-853c-f7c25ea4e89f | 2023-05-22T04:04:03 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/california-dolly-parton-imagination-library/103-3d6ad41e-e555-40f3-853c-f7c25ea4e89f |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It's been just a day since Sacramento police officers shot a woman in a Midtown park, and now, community members are asking if the use of force was necessary.
The last thing Joslyn Shirley expected to see yesterday was crime tape and an active crime scene when she walked out of her front door Saturday afternoon.
"I heard one gunshot, and then several after that, like at least four," said Shirley.
Sacramento police said two officers shot a woman at Albert Winn Park on Saturday afternoon. This came after they got reports of her holding a gun.
Employees at Mast Coffee told ABC10 the incident started when that woman came to the business and waved the gun at people inside. Police said she tried to run from officers and did not listen to commands. Ultimately, the gun she was holding was not real.
Even though police have not yet identified the woman, people in the neighborhood believe she doesn't have stable housing and has a history of mental health issues. It's the exact reason why Keyon Bliss has a problem with how police handled the situation.
"This seemed like it was something where force could have been avoided," said Bliss.
Bliss is the vice chair of the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission. He says in this case, police should have approached the woman in a different manner.
"It would make more sense to actually just be calm and adjust your body language and appear non-threatening," he said.
Back in 2021, the commission helped the police department pass a new use-of-force policy that says deadly force shall only be used as a last resort. After what happened yesterday, Bliss wants to know just how that policy was applied.
"What de-escalation steps were taken in order to resolve this?" he asked.
However, for Shirley, this happened just too close to home and she doesn't see any wrong in what the officers did.
"I fully support them in this, you know, whatever is necessary, because if it was you or I caught in the crossfire, we would be thinking the same thing. And I believe they only do that when it's absolutely necessary," said Shirley.
ABC10 reached out to the Sacramento Police Department for updates on the case and if they had a response to the criticism, but a spokesperson said there was no additional information to release at this time.
WATCH ALSO: | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/community-members-question-sacramento-police-shooting/103-4d7c1ab3-0460-4f5e-8a03-886a55ccf8df | 2023-05-22T04:04:09 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/community-members-question-sacramento-police-shooting/103-4d7c1ab3-0460-4f5e-8a03-886a55ccf8df |
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Police have opened an investigation after a dead body was found inside a West Sacramento home.
The West Sacramento Police Department said they responded a report about a woman who was possibly dead inside a home along the 100 block of Rogers Street.
A spokesperson for the department said the arriving officers found a 55-year-old woman alone inside the home with blood possibly inside and outside the home.
The investigation is ongoing and no additional details were released.
WATCH ALSO: | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/west-sacramento/woman-found-dead-home-west-sacramento/103-3b96616f-62e1-4216-9521-edd8897b6c04 | 2023-05-22T04:04:15 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/west-sacramento/woman-found-dead-home-west-sacramento/103-3b96616f-62e1-4216-9521-edd8897b6c04 |
DALLAS — Five months after it began, the Texas legislative session is a week from ending. Still, several major bills are in limbo and others are likely to lead to a special session.
A key focus this week will be on property tax relief. Last week, the Texas House passed a bill 147-0 that would lower the cap on appraisal increases from 10% to 5% and a $100,000 homestead exemption while providing $12 billion for school districts to help lower tax rates.
“I would like to make sure that we do as much as we can to give as much of our surplus back to the voters,” state Rep. Brian Harrison (R–Waxahachie) told Inside Texas Politics. “That’s of utmost importance to me.”
State Rep. Victoria Neave Criado (D–Mesquite) chairs the Mexican American Legislative Caucus (MALC). She said she’s been frustrated by the focus on what she calls culture war bills during the legislative session.
“This last week we want to put our focus on real solutions that impact our community,” she said. “There has been so much focus on red meat social issues that seek to divide us.”
Her emphasis will be on retaining teachers through higher overall pay. The house will be looking at Senate Bill 9, which already passed the Senate, and would give teachers a one-time $2,000 bonus or $6,000 for teachers in districts with less than 20,000 students. Another bill the House passed and is now in the Senate would slightly increase the funding school districts receive per student.
Texas has seen an exodus of teachers in the last two years, leading to shortages across the state but especially in rural areas.
Lawmakers are also still working towards final passage on banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public universities, securing the energy grid, and a bill that would require armed security officers at every campus and encourage teachers to carry weapons.
Both sides are already disappointed at what didn’t pass. For Republicans, the key issue is school vouchers, a program that would redirect money from public schools and instead subsidize private school or homeschool education.
“It might be dead for the regular session but that doesn’t mean that it’s dead for the state of Texas this year,” Harrison said.
Harrison supports Gov. Greg Abbott’s suggestion of a special session to address school vouchers. Democrats and public school advocates have fought against the issue for years, getting support from rural and suburban Republicans to help continually block the idea.
“We need to get this right,” Harrison said. “I don’t care how long it takes or how many special sessions it takes.
On the other side of the aisle, Democrats haven’t given up on gun reform after a series of defeats. A bill to raise the age to buy a rifle from 18 to 21 failed to move forward despite weeks of emotional lobbying from Uvalde parents and the mass shooting in Allen two weeks ago that killed eight people and injured seven others.
“There are real common sense solutions to gun violence, not just raising the age but closing certain background check loopholes,” Neave Criado said. “Looking at any potential avenue to address gun safety for children is also something that’s of critical importance for us.”
Lawmakers also still must finalize a budget, which is the only piece of legislation they’re required to pass.
While there is still plenty to work out, nearly 3,000 bills have already passed the House and Senate and are waiting for the governor’s signature or veto. Key ones include a ban on transition-related care for transgender children and banning cities from passing regulations that go beyond state law, including protections for workers or noise ordinances.
The fates of more than a dozen key bills are in the air, and it’s increasingly likely this final week will be far from final. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-legislative-session-one-week-left-what-to-watch/287-52e19e4d-a60c-4b96-9541-8c262bb154f8 | 2023-05-22T04:04:27 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-legislative-session-one-week-left-what-to-watch/287-52e19e4d-a60c-4b96-9541-8c262bb154f8 |
On May 19th, 2023, at 7:29 p.m. Russell Devins called the Coos County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center on 911 to report that he was lost in the woods near the Simpson Reef Lookout off of Cape Arago Hwy.
Coos County Sheriff’s Det. B. Davis and several members of the Charleston Fire Department responded to the area. They set up a command post near the Cape Arago Pack Trailhead entrance after receiving an approximate plot of Mr. Devins’s location from the 911 call. Det. Davis and two Charleston Fire Department Members hiked into the area to locate Mr. Devins.
Rescuers hiked in dense terrain for over two hours and covered about 5 miles. Ultimately they successfully located Mr. Devins, who was well off the marked path deep into the wooded area.
Upon locating Mr. Devins, it was now dark, raining, and foggy, making navigating back to the command post more difficult. Finally, after two more hours of hiking, first responders and Mr. Devins returned to a clear-cut area where Charleston Fire Personnel from the command post could guide them back to the path with powerful lighting equipment.
My medical personnel evaluated Mr. Devins; although tired and wet, he was otherwise uninjured.
Thanks to the Coos County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center and Charleston Fire for their assistance. Reminder – If you are going hiking and choose to leave a designated trial, please ensure you have a navigation device with you, as it is very easy to get turned around. | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/lost-man-located-after-first-responders-hike-for-5-hours-through-dense-terrain/article_419b6172-f835-11ed-8bf7-6b220000783d.html | 2023-05-22T04:09:24 | 1 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/lost-man-located-after-first-responders-hike-for-5-hours-through-dense-terrain/article_419b6172-f835-11ed-8bf7-6b220000783d.html |
BOONES CREEK, Tenn. (WJHL) — The East Tennessee Bluegrass Association hosted an open Bluegrass Jam on Sunday afternoon at Johnson City Brewing Company’s Boones Creek location.
The open jams are an ongoing event that the organization hosts across the region that welcomes musicians of all skill levels, encouraging them to join the local bluegrass community.
The jams are all acoustic and bluegrass instruments of all types are welcome, including banjo, mandolin, guitar, fiddle and others.
“The big thing that we’re really shooting for here is developing a strong community of players, you know, pickers and bowers and pluckers and whatever you want to be,” said East TN Bluegrass Association member Ryan Hughes.
Hughes said even those that don’t play an instrument can still take something special away from the regularly-hosted jam sessions.
“People just coming out and listening to it can kind of, by just experiencing it themselves not even playing, can get a feel of the heritage and the history around the area because, you know, bluegrass is from the mountains and it’s a real cultural touchstone for us here,” said Hughes.
The bluegrass organization will be back at Johnson City Brewing Company in Boones Creek on June 11 for another Jam Session. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/east-tn-bluegrass-association-welcomes-community-to-open-bluegrass-jams/ | 2023-05-22T04:18:49 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/east-tn-bluegrass-association-welcomes-community-to-open-bluegrass-jams/ |
ROCHESTER, Minn.-- Perfectly Unique Events hosted their pop up May Flowers Craft and Gift Expo Sunday at the Graham Arena.
The mobile market had vendors from all over Minnesota selling a variety of handmade goods such as jewelry and clothes, household items, and food.
The owner of Perfectly Unique Events , Ashley Ames says the expo was a great opportunity to bring in anywhere between 50 and 100 vendors to network and offer unusual goods to the community.
Ames says she puts on over 80 craft and gift shows per year, and encourages locals to continue supporting small businesses.
She says many of the businesses are suffering a post-COVID-19 hit.
“Everybody was making stuff and building stuff and making stuff during COVID, and we did really great.” Ames said. “Now we're kind of seeing that down--low. The spring has been a little bit slower so if you can get out and support a farmers market or a craft show, or anything like that--get out and do it because they're really hurting for that business."
The market is returning back to the Graham Arena on Saturday, September 23 for the 2nd Annual Falling Leaves Craft and Gift Expo. | https://www.kimt.com/news/local/may-flowers-craft-and-gift-expo-sets-up-shop/article_cdb19f3a-f846-11ed-92a8-339a15719fcb.html | 2023-05-22T04:22:49 | 0 | https://www.kimt.com/news/local/may-flowers-craft-and-gift-expo-sets-up-shop/article_cdb19f3a-f846-11ed-92a8-339a15719fcb.html |
ROCHESTER, Minn.--Many people took to Lake Zumbro Park Sunday afternoon to indulge in nice weather with some boating and fishing.
One lakeside dweller, Joe Chanhthee says that since he works from home, getting outdoors--especially with warmer temps, is a way to recharge.
Chanhthee, who has lived in Rochester for over 20 years, also says he enjoys branching out to see what other water activities there are to get involved in.
Besides casting the fishing rods, Chanhthee was using the outdoors as a way to end the Rochester Pride Week festivites with a lakeside party.
"Today just happens to be the one day i get to be around my community and just kind of continue that love and support and we're out here doing what we love, which is bonding over food and fishing and enjoying each other's company." Chanhthee says.
Lake Zumbro Park is open seven days a week from 5am to 10pm. | https://www.kimt.com/news/local/warm-temperatures-bring-outdoor-fun/article_ce965b2a-f846-11ed-8d03-9f07a08f533d.html | 2023-05-22T04:22:55 | 0 | https://www.kimt.com/news/local/warm-temperatures-bring-outdoor-fun/article_ce965b2a-f846-11ed-8d03-9f07a08f533d.html |
ROANOKE, VA – A project unearthing history right here in the Star City. Hidden in Plain Site launched Sunday night, giving the people of Roanoke a look at the Black experience of the past.
It’s a process that’s taken over a year to complete.
Hidden in Plain Site strives to highlight local Black history.
Founder Dontrese Brown first began the project in Richmond.
“We can’t just go into any city and just tell that story,” Brown said. “We have to work with community leaders, influencers, historians, educators to make sure we create the right narrative for this experience.”
The full project is a documentary that can be viewed by online or by a virtual reality headset.
In addition to Henrietta Lacks’ story, the documentary highlights six spots in Roanoke that have a history of systemic racism - like the Burrell Hospital, the Old Lick Cemetery, Henry Street and the Berglund Center. All important sites to the Black community in Roanoke before urban renewal in the 1950′s and 60′s.
“From an archival photo stand point to a 360 degree capture of the current site and then overlaid it with some historical context so folks will be able to orient themselves in where they are today,” Brown said.
Council member Trish White-Boyd spearheaded the initiative in Roanoke.
“We love Roanoke, it’s a beautiful city but there’s some painful history and a part of that dismal past that we have to acknowledge,” White-Boyd said.
White-Boyd hopes Hidden in Plain Site sparks conversations on how Roanoke can continue to grow and move forward. She says they are open to exploring more historical sites to expand the project in the future.
“There are a lot of things we left. We had to stop somewhere. We chose 6 sites but sounds like we have room for more,” White-Boyd said.
If you didn’t get the opportunity to come out Sunday don’t worry, there are still two more opportunities to view the project. One showing is at Grandin Theatre and the August 16 and the other is at the Jefferson Center on September 28.
They also plan to unveil a bronze statue to Henrietta Lacks on October 4, the day declared in her honor by Governor Glenn Youngkin. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/22/hidden-in-plain-site-launches-in-roanoke/ | 2023-05-22T04:26:37 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/22/hidden-in-plain-site-launches-in-roanoke/ |
AUSTIN, Texas — The Oakwood Cemetery in East Austin wants to make sure history is not erased.
An entire weekend was dedicated to remembering the lives that have might have been forgotten.
A monument, which is decorated with white flowers and numbers inscribed on the backside, was placed next to the chapel for 36 people who were discovered buried underneath it in 2016.
The numbers are a tool to know which person is buried where, according to the cemetery's museum site coordinator, Jennifer Chenoweth.
Chenoweth said each day had a different focus. The first day consisted of a tour of the cemetery and the history of the people buried there. The second day was focused on "racial healing and transformation," and the third day was a "homegoing celebration."
"What we're trying to do is be accountable for the things that have happened before us," said Chenoweth. "There is no way of fixing the past, but there is a way of trying to repair some of the harm in the present."
The 36 remains, which are of men, women and children, are said to have been buried in the 1800s.
According to Chenoweth, the first person to be buried at the cemetery was an enslaved man in 1839. Fast forward 75 years later, in 1914, the chapel was built to have funerals. However, at the time, burial sections were segregated by race and class.
It wasn't until 2016, when the chapel was set to undergo restoration, that crews discovered the remains, which led to them being exhumed and studied for DNA.
"Of the 36, there are six individuals of Mexican descent, six people of European descent, six people of Black descent and one person of Asian descent – of the people who we were able to identify something about their ethnicities in the studies," said Chenoweth.
Greg Farrar, who became part of the project, said he stumbled upon it after he was on his own journey to track down his ancestors.
Farrar has eight family members buried at Oakwood Cemetery and discovered a whole new side of his family – something he hopes others are able to do.
"I think for me it was really kind of like a call to action where, you know, it can be very easy to be pretty frustrated, to be angry with why we're in this place, why it happened, why we don't have the records to show where someone was buried in the layouts and all of that," said Farrar.
The next step is for staff to complete the DNA and isotope analysis and continue reaching out to descendants of the 36 remains.
"If you think you had generations of ancestors here before you, we would love to hear from you," said Chenoweth. | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/oakwood-cemetery-commemoration/269-4967adca-f542-4703-8edd-159ffb99bb1f | 2023-05-22T04:30:52 | 1 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/oakwood-cemetery-commemoration/269-4967adca-f542-4703-8edd-159ffb99bb1f |
Pets of the week
Most Popular
-
Carroll students take play to independent stage after school cancellation
-
Two hurt in Fort Wayne restaurant shooting
-
Recent divorce filings in Allen County
-
Coroner rules man, woman found dead at Fort Wayne hotel died in murder-suicide
-
Religion teacher found, arrested on failure to appear warrant for molesting, child seduction charges | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/pets-of-the-week/article_daa7fffa-f65b-11ed-807b-778808fc294b.html | 2023-05-22T04:31:32 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/pets-of-the-week/article_daa7fffa-f65b-11ed-807b-778808fc294b.html |
A Southwest Allen County Schools student was nominated for Student Spotlight for his work with an elementary school robotics team. His profile follows.
Dominic DeLuca
School: Homestead High School
Grade: 12th
Favorite subject and why: My favorite subject is math because it is satisfying to be able to solve complex-looking problems down into simple numerical answers.
Book, movie, or TV show you’d recommend: If I had to recommend one book, it would be “Educated” by Tara Westover. I really enjoyed the book because it’s an inspiring coming-of-age story about overcoming family and cultural obstacles.
Favorite teacher: My favorite teacher is Mrs. Tisha Bowman-Ashby. She is the teacher of my AP calculus BC class, and she is my favorite teacher because she makes her students excited to be in class with her passion for the subject and knowledge of math in general.
Hobbies: Volunteering at Covington Elementary School for robotics; Homestead advanced jazz band; Homestead golf; keyboardist for a rock band, Center Lane; play guitar and bass in my free time; (and) programming.
With a couple of friends, I programmed a website for golf live scoring – www.bigblue.golf. We are using the website on the Homestead team this year. I also work on other programming projects.
Interesting fact about yourself: I like a lot of different styles of music, from jazz and blues to country and rock.
Recommended by: Tara Hallman, fifth grade teacher at Covington Elementary School
Reason for recommendation: “My reason for his nomination begins when he was a student at Woodside Middle School. Since seventh grade, Dominic has been a volunteer for our elementary robotics teams, Coyote Connectors.
“Over the years he consistently helped with our weekly meetings and attended our all-day competitions. He helped teams build their robots and troubleshoot problems. He was responsible for setting up the fields and helping keep score during driving matches. Behind the scenes, he also helped sort robotic pieces, test motors and batteries, and prepared kits for future use.
“Most importantly though, he is a great role model for my fifth grade students in a very authentic and genuine way! My students enjoy having a relationship with a high schooler, and I appreciate his involvement with them, modeling appropriate behavior as well as fostering a love for robotics and extracurricular activities. His involvement was consistent and reliable, and I could always count on his attendance and engagement.”
Bluffton
Bluffton High School sophomore Leah Brown competed in the “prepared speech” category during the Business Professionals of America’s National Conference in Anaheim, California. She qualified for the event while competing at the State Leadership Conference in March.
Concordia
Morgan Rohde received the Gallmeier Scholarship, a renewable $1,500 scholarship awarded annually to a graduating Concordia Lutheran High School senior who will attend a Lutheran college or university to prepare for a career in Christian education or the pastoral ministry.
Maxwell Park received the Martin Fischer Memorial Scholarship, a renewable $8,000 scholarship awarded to an outstanding Concordia senior who plans to enter a humanities-related field.
Concordia distributed senior department awards to Jocelyn Moellering, Andrew Scheiderer, Carmarion Craig, Mia Albright-Malone, Chance Harris, Cameron Cage, Dakota Hitzemann, Campbell Twomey, Jacob Mann, Morgan Rohde, Elliot McBride, Maxwell Park and Devon Hairston. Additional awards were given to Charlotte Loechner, Emma Zimmerman, Hitzemann and Kathryn Thompson.
Concordia Lutheran High School’s JROTC Cadets came in second overall at the World Championships in VEX Robotics in Dallas.
PFW
Sherif Elfayoumy will be dean of the College of Engineering, Technology and Computer Science at Purdue University Fort Wayne effective July 1. He comes to the Summit City from the University of North Florida, where he served as director of the School of Computing.
Recognition
The following school boards were among those the Indiana School Boards Association honored through its Exemplary Governance Awards program: Bluffton-Harrison Metropolitan School District, DeKalb County Central United School District, East Allen County Schools, Fort Wayne Community Schools, Northern Wells Community Schools, Northwest Allen County Schools, Southwest Allen County Schools, Warsaw Community Schools and Whitley County Consolidated Schools.
Individual honorees of the program included Heather Frank of Adams Central Community Schools; Bruce Holland, Mike Murray and Julie Thompson of Bluffton-Harrison; Heather Krebs of DeKalb County Central; Leon Steury of DeKalb County Eastern Community School District; Gayle Etzler, Steve Screeton, Todd Buckmaster and Tim Hines of EACS; Jennifer Blackman of East Noble School Corp.; Steve Corona of FWCS; J. Ryan Wall of Huntington County Community School Corp.; Tim Ehlerding of North Adams Community Schools; Gene Donaghy, Chad Kline and Angie Topp of Northern Wells Community Schools; Kristi Schlatter of NACS; Arlene Amstutz of South Adams Schools; Brad Mills, Jennifer Bennett and Mark Gilpin of SACS; Bradly Johnson and Heather Reichenbach of Warsaw Community Schools; Georgia Tenney of Whitko Community School Corp.; and Jill Western, Stanley Meyer, Mary Ann Schaefer and David Smith of Whitley County Consolidated Schools. The honors were for activities completed in 2022.
Trine
Trine University’s Hear My Voice writing contest winners included Matthew Billings of Churubusco, Alex Fosnaugh of Huntertown and Lauren Banks of Angola. The competition was organized by the Amy Salyer-Nicholls Writing Center.
Several Trine University civil engineering students, including Makenna Sheets of Fort Wayne, were recognized for their contributions and dedication to the American Society of Civil Engineers through their leadership with Trine’s student chapter. Sheets received an award and $100.
Students enrolled in Trine’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance course prepared more than 100 tax returns for qualifying area residents this spring. The group prepared returns at the Carnegie Public Library of Steuben County in conjunction with Catholic Charities of Auburn each Wednesday afternoon throughout the tax season. Al Beatty, assistant professor of accounting, estimates the students saved taxpayers nearly $20,000 in preparation fees.
Warsaw
Ten students represented Warsaw Community High School at the state Envirothon competition at Camp Illiana in Washington, a city in Daviess County. The academic competition promotes a desire to learn more about the natural environment and stewardship of natural resources. Participants included juniors Caleb Aukeman, Var Bobba, Ana Brito, Bronwyn Harrison and Ebonie Miller. The team of seniors – Keller Bailey, Piper Ellis, Cordelia Grandon, Edward Robison, and Valerie Tong – were named state champions. The title makes them eligible to represent Indiana at the NCF-Envirothon competition in New Brunswick, Canada, this summer. NCF-Envirothon is a program of the National Conservation Foundation, a nonprofit that works to develop the next generation of conservation leaders. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/schools/student-spotlight-homestead-high-school-student-shines-with-robotics-work/article_8917d97a-f33c-11ed-b122-53c683a4ba1f.html | 2023-05-22T04:31:39 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/schools/student-spotlight-homestead-high-school-student-shines-with-robotics-work/article_8917d97a-f33c-11ed-b122-53c683a4ba1f.html |
KUNA, Idaho — Did you have the chance to see the St. Jude Dream Home in Kuna, in person? Tours wrapped up over the weekend. 27,777 tickets for the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway sold out in just hours back in April. We will draw the winner June 4th live here on KTVB.
Berkeley Building Company built this year's home, again. It's in Kuna, right across from a golf course.
"It's just so serene and beautiful out here in Kuna in the Valor Community, right on the golf course at Falcon Crest," Joe Atalla, Division President for Berkeley Building Company said. "The dream home, it's always special, three bedrooms, three baths, a little over 2600 square feet, and it also includes a theater room."
This is the eleventh year that Berkeley has built the St. Jude Dream Home. Atalla just can't believe how big the campaign has become here in the Treasure Valley.
"The Dream Home program here in Idaho has just grown and grown. It's amazing to think back to when we barely sold out of tickets the first year we started, to how much growth we've had now," Atalla said. "The tickets sell out in hours. I feel our community has really gotten behind St Jude and the mission."
Atalla said visiting the hospital in Memphis was life changing for him and his team.
"Going to the actual St Jude campus is a transformative experience," Atalla said. "When you go to St Jude and you are able to walk through the halls, it's not what you would consider as a typical hospital space, it's hopeful. The staff is so great, and the way they interact with the patients, it really speaks to their mission of creating hope for the families and the children at St Jude. Cancer is a terrible disease and too many people have been affected personally by it, and when I think about a child dealing with it, it's heartbreaking. Being able to give back to St Jude and to fight that means so much to us."
Building the home each year is truly a labor of love because the home is built at no cost to St. Jude.
"Berkeley Building Company is considered a Zero Hero to St Jude," Atalla said. "What that means is that we are basically able to build the home for zero cost to the hospital. So, all the money generated from the ticket sales goes directly to St Jude for treatment and research. We have a great team of suppliers, trade partners, and consultants that help us achieve that. They are able to donate their time and their effort, and materials."
Being a Zero Hero is something really special. St. Jude is so grateful, but so are all the local businesses and people who make this home come to life year after year. Atalla says it just feels good to be a part of something so big, and so meaningful.
"This is what we do for a living, being able to do that, and to be able to raise so much money for St Jude, it just feels so great." Atalla said.
This year, the ticket sales from the dream home campaign raised almost $2.8 million. All of that money goes directly to St. Jude.
A reminder, we will draw the winner of the house plus the winners of all the other amazing prizes Sunday, June 4th at 6:30 p.m. on KTVB. There are other prizes too! Those prizes include a new Ford truck, four club seats to a Boise State Football game, and a 10-thousand-dollar shopping spree at MOR Furniture for Less! Watch us on June 4th to find out who wins.
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/outreach/sevens-hero/local-7s-hero-idahos-berkeley-building-company-builds-the-dream-home-at-no-cost-to-st-jude-childrens-hospital/277-76fe2ee3-7bc4-4f9d-b7af-6f5a8df90334 | 2023-05-22T04:31:57 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/outreach/sevens-hero/local-7s-hero-idahos-berkeley-building-company-builds-the-dream-home-at-no-cost-to-st-jude-childrens-hospital/277-76fe2ee3-7bc4-4f9d-b7af-6f5a8df90334 |
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – A community is surrounding a family after a well-known barber was found dead after a vehicle accident last week.
A large portion of the Kissimmee community is surrounding Jose Malavez-LeBron’s family with love.
Sunday, you could see dozens of flowers and candles on display showing support for the barber who family members say was taken away too soon.
“She tells us he is supposed to be back home like 3 o’clock in the morning and he never returned, so we already knew something wasn’t right,” Anthony Castaneda said.
[TRENDING: National Hurricane Center highlights first disturbance of 2023 hurricane season | St. Cloud Pride event canceled due to so-called ‘climate of fear’ | Become a News 6 Insider]
Castaneda says moments after that call with Sophia Ramirez, Malavez’s fiancé, he and family members rushed to the Kissimmee area from Eastman, Georgia.
He says they wanted to make sure his son, 36-year-old Jose Malavez-Lebron, was found after being reported missing this past Monday.
Castaneda said, “We had filed a missing person’s report which was weird because we did it in Osceola County, not knowing that the incident was in Orange County.”
Florida Highway Patrol says Malavez was found in his vehicle submerged days later on the following Friday.
Troopers say Malavez failed to negotiate a turn driving along Waters Edge Drive in Buena Ventura Lakes.
On Sunday, crowds were seen all around Barberos, which is the barbershop Malavez worked at on Osceola Parkway, where family says he impacted the community.
“She feels him here in this environment,” said a translator for Sophia Ramirez.
Sitting in the same shop she met him at, she says she is staying strong at this time as the couple was getting ready to welcome their first child together.
“She never thought he was going to be missing while the baby was going to be born,” Ramirez said.
For Castaneda, he said, “This might be surprising to all of you, I am not his biological father. He was my child since he was 3 months old”
He says the family is happy there was no foul play, but says the incident surrounding Malavez’s death is unfortunately familiar.
“His biological father perished in circumstances similar, my wife had identified him in a lake,” Castaneda said.
Castaneda says going forward they’re going to be holding on to their faith as they heal.
“We know there is a purpose for everything .The bible states that today is today and we don’t know what could happen tomorrow,” Castaneda said.
The family has provided a GoFundMe link as they look to get results for Malavez’s family to offset burial expenses as well as support the birth of a Malavez’s daughter.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/22/community-family-gather-to-mourn-kissimmee-barber-who-was-found-dead-in-a-submerged-vehicle/ | 2023-05-22T04:40:16 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/22/community-family-gather-to-mourn-kissimmee-barber-who-was-found-dead-in-a-submerged-vehicle/ |
UVALDE, Texas — This week marks one year since the tragedy in Uvalde.
Nineteen students and two teachers from Robb Elementary where shot and killed when a gunman entered the school on May 24.
Many will descend on the small Texas town to reflect and remember the lives lost. Others will go in attempts to console the grieving with a cultural cure.
Local artist Cruz Ortiz is issuing a statewide call to all mariachis for a 'Congreso en Uvalde' on Wednesday at noon in the town square. Transportation will be provided if coming from the San Antonio area.
"This is not to protest. This is more of a statement saying, 'This is what we do. This is how we heal," said Ortiz.
Plans are to play in the downtown area where a memorial dedicated to the victims remains. He is organizing the event with mariachi Anthony Medrano, who was one of many mariachis to respond and play days after the tragedy last year.
"We are consolers of the people," he told KENS 5 in a June 2022 interview.
They will rely on music to help heal the grieving, and play songs in remembrance of the 21 people gone.
"It's culture. Culture cure,' said Ortiz.
Ortiz will also hand out corridos, a Mexican narrative ballad.
"the corridos are to talk about the feelings of the people," he said.
About 80 mariachi groups played last year, according to Ortiz. He hopes groups will return to play for the community very much still consumed with grief.
"We will never forget what happened in Uvalde, just never." | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/mariachis-uvalde-artist/273-a0c6bb7b-1ad5-445b-a83e-a6002dccdaf5 | 2023-05-22T04:48:06 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/mariachis-uvalde-artist/273-a0c6bb7b-1ad5-445b-a83e-a6002dccdaf5 |
TAMPA, Fla. — Vivian Acker still remembers the time a gunman shot at her car in October.
She was asleep inside, nine weeks pregnant, with her husband and three kids. Vivian would then spend weeks at the hospital recovering with a bullet still lodged in her head.
But a recent visit to the doctor in April had her reliving the trauma. She said she was told her unborn son no longer had a heartbeat and wouldn't make it alive.
It was two days before her C-section was due, she said.
"It felt like as if I was shot in the head, and I was awake," Vivian said. "It feels like it happened to me all over again."
Now, the Acker family is planning to leave Florida for a fresh start through a GoFundMe. They're looking at North Carolina, where the family of Vivian's husband De'Marian lives, as an option.
"Right now, we just feel like we're just trapped in a cycle mentally," De'Marian said.
Vivian said she'd been visiting medical staff twice weekly since her shooting to ensure her baby was still healthy. The injuries put her at high risk pregnancy, she said.
"They did everything they could," Vivian said. "We fought so hard."
Since the shooting, the family said they've been able to temporarily stay at a hotel with support from the community right after the shooting and from De'Marian's job.
The Acker family had only been visiting town for three days when they were reportedly shot at.
Vivian said she came to help her father who had suffered a stroke. Police said while they had family in town, their relatives didn't have room for them.
Tampa Police arrested 21-year-old Christopher Stamat Jr. in October. He felt other people were stalking him in different cars before he shot at the car the family was sleeping in, authorities said.
Stamat Jr. shot at the car 13 times at a parking lot in the area of North Oregon near North Willow avenues. Stamat faces six felony charges, including second-degree attempted murder.
The couple said they no longer have a car, which Vivian said was used for Uber and DoorDash. The impact from her injuries prompted her to take time off work.
Despite the impact the shooting has had on the family, they said they forgive the shooter.
"I never thought in my life, that in my own hometown, I will lose as much as I've lost," Vivian said. "I have to get back out of here because I feel trapped."
If you'd like to help the Acker family, visit this link. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/tampa-police-family-gun-violence-survivor/67-716e9878-f8f2-46e5-8181-5add2dd1a340 | 2023-05-22T04:51:00 | 1 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/tampa-police-family-gun-violence-survivor/67-716e9878-f8f2-46e5-8181-5add2dd1a340 |
LAKELAND, Fla. — An 84-year-old man is dead after he crashed into a stop sign and tree Sunday afternoon in Lakeland, authorities say.
At around 8:35 p.m., officers arrived near the area of County Line Road and Swindell Road after receiving a report of a single-car traffic crash, the Lakeland Police Department said in a news release.
Law enforcement says just before the crash occurred, Byron Ihle was driving in an SUV northbound on County Line Road as he approached the intersection of Swindell Road.
That's when the 84-year-old reportedly crashed into a stop sign and continued across Swindell Road. He then drove off the road and hit a tree.
The police department, along with the Lakeland Fire Department and Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, all arrived at the scene of the crash to being life-saving measures, but Ihle was pronounced dead by medical personnel.
The investigation of the crash remains ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Lakeland Police Department. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/polkcounty/man-dies-lakeland-car-crash/67-8a5628b4-cf5b-4f3f-b360-0e0a1d3a33dc | 2023-05-22T04:51:06 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/polkcounty/man-dies-lakeland-car-crash/67-8a5628b4-cf5b-4f3f-b360-0e0a1d3a33dc |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A father says he coming to help the mother of his child who was shot twice and left critically injured Saturday night in Old Town.
Jamari Hoy met the mother of his child in high school. He says they were friends before their six-year relationship.
“We’ve been through good times, bad times, and I love her and everything,” Hoy said.
Hoy said when he heard the news of the mother of his child from a friend, he was hurt.
“She [friend] told me she got shot,” Hoy said. “I was like, ‘Don’t tell me that, cause I don’t want to hear nothing like that right now.'”
He says more friends began to call and text him, telling him what happened.
“I actually knew it was for real and serious, and they broke me,” Hoy said. “Cause we have a daughter, she don’t need to go through stuff like that. We’re a family.”
At the time of the shooting, Hoy was in Atlanta, Georgia. He will be in Wichita Sunday, less than 24 hours after the shooting occurred.
He says he is coming back to take care of his six-month-old baby girl and her mother.
“I know she gon’ need me as a man of our family to step up and help her out,” Hoy said.
Hoy says the mother of his child is surrounded by her family.
“Just like I am coming down to help, they all right there with her,” Hoy said. “I know she has family that’s gonna need her. I’m praying for her.”
Hoy said what happened is not right and that the alleged suspect needs to be caught.
“Whatever she [alleged suspect] did was wrong, very wrong,” Hoy said. “She has a daughter, you don’t need to pull the trigger, none of that. Let it be. It’s wrong.”
Hoy says the mother of his child is a great person.
“She’s smart, she’s good at basketball, she’s a great woman. She’s intelligent, that’s why I met her and kept her with me, cause you know, she taught me a lot of things. I taught her a lot of things. We had that connection,” Hoy said. “She’s a beautiful woman, she’s a good mother, I’ll never take that from her at all.”
At the end of the day, Hoy says he wants to make sure the mother of his child is well.
“Just wanna hear her voice, see her, just thank God that she’s still alive,” Hoy said. “She’s coming back, she’s coming back. She’s a strong woman. She can fight, fight her butt off.”
If anyone has information on this case, the Wichita Police Department asks that you please call detectives at 316-268-4407, the See Something Say Something hotline at 316-519-2282, or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/friends-speak-out-after-woman-is-critically-injured-in-shooting/ | 2023-05-22T04:55:21 | 1 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/friends-speak-out-after-woman-is-critically-injured-in-shooting/ |
Through seven months of the fiscal year, the number of people boarding an airline at Midland International is up 12.8%.
Midlanders and those around the Permian Basin are returning to the airport in post-9/11 record numbers. The latest case was in April when the City of Midland reported 51,669 people boarded either Southwest, American Eagle or United – an increase of 2.1% over April 2022.
Still, the total number of passengers through the first seven months of the fiscal year is 364,083.
The City of Midland also showed Southwest’s share of passengers is increasing this fiscal year. Southwest had 53.55% of those boarding an airline in April, up from 46.50% one year earlier. American Eagle was second with 25.40% of passengers.
Midland International Airport report
April 2023 boardings: 51,669
April 2022 boardings: 50,620
Percent change: 2.1
Year-to-date total: 364,083
Percent change: 12.8
Fuel sales
(in gallons)
April 2023: 637,563
April 2022: 616,728
Percent change: 3.4
Parking revenue
April 2023: $573,728
April 2022: $467,374
Percent change: 22.8
Year-to-date total: $4.53 million
Percent change: 41.5
April boarding history
April 2023: 51,147
April 2022: 50,620
April 2021: 39,093
April 2020: 5,262
April 2019: 50,350
April 2018: 47,827
April 2017: 40,193
April 2016: 38,313
April 2015: 41,389
April 2014: 43,594
April 2013: 40,871
April 2012: 38,091
April 2011: 37,117
April 2010: 34,837
Source: City of Midland/Reporter-Telegram records | https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/southwest-s-share-passengers-midland-18109605.php | 2023-05-22T04:55:39 | 0 | https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/southwest-s-share-passengers-midland-18109605.php |
BALTIMORE — A way to give back while sampling chili.
Sunday was the 3rd annual Fire Hero Chili Cook-Off.
Canton restaurant of Love and Regret organized the event and block party.
Right on O'Donnell Street next to the Natty Boh Tower, attendees tried over 20 types of chili.
They also had a live auction and band.
Ticket proceeds benefited the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
The owners at of Love and Regret said it's about showing up for the ones who serve us everyday and for each other. | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/canton-chili-cook-off-raises-money-for-fallen-firefighters | 2023-05-22T04:56:47 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/canton-chili-cook-off-raises-money-for-fallen-firefighters |
BALTIMORE — We Responders has a new place.
On Sunday, the non-profit hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a location on Harford Road.
It provides training for people in the community on how to provide aid in emergency situations.
That includes CPR and first aid.
Founder Nicole Bryant talked about why the mission is so important.
"I myself experienced situations where I lost two nephews, and no one knew CPR, so at that moment I realized how important it was to know CPR so that we can train and make sure no one else goes through what me and my family went through," said Bryant.
She says that in addition to training, they are also a community hub, and will offer housing and social services. | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/local-non-profit-celebrates-new-location-on-harford-road | 2023-05-22T04:56:53 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/local-non-profit-celebrates-new-location-on-harford-road |
MIAMI — Tokitae is the last surviving orca of the whales that were captured from Puget Sound and sold into captivity.
KING 5 was there when Tokitae was violently taken from her pod in August 1970 near Whidbey Island's Penn Cove.
People who were trapping the whales to sell to aquariums were using planes to spot them in the ocean and explosives to separate the adults from the young.
Several orcas died during the roundups.
Tokitae was sold to the Miami Seaquarium for about $20,000. She was believed to be just four years old.
The Lhaq'temish people, also known as the Lummi Nation, have been fighting for Tokitae's return since the day she was captured. They also call her Sk'alich'elh-tenaut, a name that means "home."
The below gallery depicts whale-catching operations in Washington State in the 1970s:
Photos of orca-capturing operations in Washington State
Tokitae arrived in Miami in late September of 1970. She was said to be "depressed" upon her arrival, refusing to eat.
Over the next fifty-plus years, Tokitae performed for crowds of hundreds under the name Lolita.
In September 2020, members of the Lummi Nation went to Miami to mark 50 years since Tokitae arrived at the Seaquarium.
In August 2021, The Dolphin Company purchased the Seaquarium, and as a condition of the sale, the U.S. Department of Agriculture told the company they had to retire Tokitae.
A month later, the USDA then released a report showing that the conditions Tokitae was living in were impacting her health.
She was being fed "poor quality" rotting food, the water in her tank was dirty and her trainers "disregarded veterinary instructions," making her perform despite her injuries.
Since Tokitae's retirement, her care was taken over by a team of independent veterinarians and her health began to improve. The new owner of the Miami Seaquarium told a Lummi Elder that he would support Tokitae's relocation if certain conditions were met.
Then in March 2023, the day that so many had been waiting for arrived: the aquarium announced that it was on board with plans to send the orca back to the Salish Sea.
The owners of the Miami Seaquarium announced a "formal and binding agreement" with Friends of Lolita to begin the process of returning the orca to Puget Sound. The joint effort is "working toward and hope the relocation will be possible in the next 18 to 24 months."
In early May, a joint report between the Miami Seaquarium and Friends of Lolita announced that Tokitae is in "good condition," and that plans to relocate her are moving forward.
The plan to move Tokitae needs to be approved by federal authorities before concrete steps can be taken.
The approval process for Tokitae's move
A number of steps need to be completed before work can begin on moving Tokitae back to the Pacific Northwest.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will be a big part of the process, but the agency has not received an application or official plan, so it is not sharing what the approval process will include.
The USDA will also be part of the approval process, then the plan will move to the State of Washington.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says a number of permits will need to be approved, including one for a hydraulic project approval. Anyone planning a project in or near state waters needs this permit.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources will study the proposed area for the sea pen to make sure the environment will not be disrupted. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/timeline-tokitae-efforts-bring-her-home/281-6c53a7c1-ced9-4805-980d-57daa0e30431 | 2023-05-22T05:10:47 | 0 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/timeline-tokitae-efforts-bring-her-home/281-6c53a7c1-ced9-4805-980d-57daa0e30431 |
PORTLAND, Oregon — A 911 dispatcher from Portland has won a big award. Stephen Zipprich was named the "911 Dispatcher of the Year” in competition with 50 other nominees from across North America.
For ten years, Zipprich has worked at Portland’s Bureau of Emergency Communications, where thousands of calls come in, many of them involving life or death situations.
Systems and protocols have changed, but the senior dispatcher at BOEC has always kept this in mind: "You never know what you're going to get, but knowing, remembering that the person on the other end of the phone matters. And that they deserve my compassion and my empathy,” Zipprich explained.
It's that kind of caring put into action on the job that got Zipprich nominated for 911 Dispatcher of the Year, one of 51 nominees out of tens of thousands of dispatchers across North America.
That got him a trip to a conference in Denver last month for the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch. The organization is a worldwide leader in emergency dispatch protocols and systems.
That's where he heard a 911 call he took last year that exemplified his work. An excerpt was played for conference attendees to hear.
“Then I heard my voice come through the speakers and that's when I knew I had won, and it very emotional” said the 911 dispatcher.
It's a big deal for a humble guy like Stephen Zipprich.
“I am proud that I got it, honored that I got it. Honestly, I’m honored.”
But much more important than the trophy is what Zipprich was able to do that helped him earn it: helping save the life of a suicidal woman who was intentionally overdosing, but then called for help.
After taking the call, Zipprich assured the woman she was not in trouble, then began asking questions that helped him understand the situation.
“You have a knife-- alright, is your breathing normal for you,” he asked.
Along with a suicide crisis counselor on the line, Zipprich was able to help the woman hang on.
The call went on for about 20 minutes before police and paramedics took over, with the lifesaving already well underway on the phone. Here is another excerpt of the call, with Zipprich responding to the woman:
“You said that you want me to not let you die today. And I don't want that to happen so I would really like for you to stay where you are so that help can get to you and find you.”
For work like that, the honor of the award is great, “But if I went my entire career in 911 communications and never got this, I would still be proud of the work that I do, that I get to help people every day,” said Zipprich.
That’s something the dispatcher is glad he can tell his two young daughters, about his work as a 911 dispatcher. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/portland-911-dispatcher-award/283-353e4b15-3c98-4727-b312-7ca20a34aa94 | 2023-05-22T05:14:02 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/portland-911-dispatcher-award/283-353e4b15-3c98-4727-b312-7ca20a34aa94 |
CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. — A rafting trip to Austin Hot Springs sent three men into the water as they tried to cross the Clackamas River on Friday morning. Only one reportedly made it out alive.
The man who survived said they were attempting to reach the springs when their raft flipped, sending the men downriver. He said he searched the area but was unable to locate the other two men, ages 66 and 67 who are brothers.
The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office says the survivor was assisted by another group who took him into town.
The vehicle belonging to the missing party was found on a Forest Service Road later in the day.
Clackamas County Search and Rescue was activated and searched for the men into the overnight hours in swift moving and extremely high river conditions.
The search continued on Saturday with additional resources from Mountain Wave Emergency Communications, aircraft from the Hood River County Sheriff's Office and drones.
The men have not been located.
The sheriff's office reminds folks that Austin Hot Springs is private property and closed to the public. They're also warning those recreating along the Clackamas River to use extreme caution. The river levels are high, currents are moving very quickly and water temperatures are still very cold.
Download the KGW News app: Download for iPhone here | Download for Android here
Stream newscasts for free on KGW+ on Roku and Amazon Fire: How to add app to your device here
See a typo in this article? Email web@kgw.com for corrections | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/rafting-trip-to-austin-hot-springs-ends-horribly-for-brothers/283-3c7ec4fd-cd04-42f8-8871-ab35e693b05c | 2023-05-22T05:14:09 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/rafting-trip-to-austin-hot-springs-ends-horribly-for-brothers/283-3c7ec4fd-cd04-42f8-8871-ab35e693b05c |
POLK CITY, Iowa — 11-year-old Harper Stribe is no stranger to hard battles. In 2017, she was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer that grew in her cheek. In May 2018, she was declared cancer-free — but that wasn't the end of the story.
"You start to think you're safe, and unfortunately at that four and a half year scan, they did find something back in that same spot in her cheek," said Nicole Stribe, Harper's mother.
Following that second diagnosis, Harper underwent a 14-hour surgery to remove the tumor, as wells months of chemotherapy. And it was during that time that the Stribe family was contacted by nonprofit My Happy Place Des Moines, who offered to give Harper's bedroom the makeover of her dreams.
"This little girl needed a happy place. She is you know going into her teen years. Having everybody knows that, when you're healing. Mental is a big part of that," said Sharon Keeling, Director of My Happy Place Des Moines.
The My Happy Place team put the finishing touches on Harper's dream room on May 20 while the Stribes stayed in a hotel nearby. Then on Sunday, May 21, friends and family gathered for the big reveal of her brand-new bedroom, based on a Pinterest board that Harper shared with the design team.
"It was just so, so fulfilling to see her so happy and know we accomplished what we set out to do," Keeling said.
While Harper's road to recovery has been long, her family is grateful for the many hands who've been with them on their journey.
"When you have a child that goes through something like this, you see how much support you have, from your family, from your friends," Stribe said. | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/iowa-girl-battling-cancer-receives-bedroom-makeover-dream-room-happy-place-polk-city/524-ad481413-91b6-4afc-9386-01749a88512f | 2023-05-22T05:36:44 | 0 | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/iowa-girl-battling-cancer-receives-bedroom-makeover-dream-room-happy-place-polk-city/524-ad481413-91b6-4afc-9386-01749a88512f |
Events
Monday, May 22
ADULT CRAFT: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.; monthly adult craft time; Mays Landing Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 40 Farragut Ave., Hamilton. 609-625-2776 or atlanticlibrary.org.
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE CLASS (VIRTUAL): 7 to 8:15 p.m. May 22, 24; held via Zoom; beginners class for non-native, English speakers; classes include interactive learning activities that focus on increasing listening, speaking, reading, grammar, and writing skills; hosted by the Atlantic City Free Public Library; registration required. 609-345-2269 or acfpl.org.
ESL CAREER READINESS LAB: 9:30 a.m. to noon Mondays through July 31; learn how to use the Engen Language Upskilling platform, which provides ESL classes and tutorials with a focus on job interview skills, and the food and beverage industry and hospitality industry; Public Library, 1 N. Tennessee Ave., Atlantic City. 609-345-2269 or acfpl.org.
People are also reading…
HAND CREAM WORKSHOP WITH DONNA & TORI TOMLIN: 6 to 7 p.m.; Cape May County Library/Cape May Court House Branch, 30 Mechanic St., Middle Township; free. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.
HOUSEPLANTS: 2 to 3 p.m. Mondays through May 22; learn how to plant, propagate, and care for a variety of popular plant species; Ventnor City Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 6500 Atlantic Ave., Ventnor. 609-823-4614 or atlanticlibrary.org.
LINE DANCING - WITH SUSAN PENNYPACKER: noon to 12:45 p.m. Mondays; no meetings May 29, Sept. 4, Oct. 9; Wildwood Crest Branch, 6300 Atlantic Ave., Wildwood Crest. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.
MEDITATIVE DRUM CIRCLE: 5 to 6 p.m. Mondays; bring your own instrument or borrow one; no meetings May 29, Aug. 28, Sept. 4, Oct. 9, Nov. 6, Dec. 25; Cape May Court House Branch, 30 Mechanic St., Middle Township. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.
RED CROSS COMMUNITY BLOOD DRIVE: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Cape May County Library/Lower Cape Branch, 2600 Bayshore Road, Lower Township. 215-756-5759.
WINDOWS AND APPLE DEVICES DROP-IN TECH WORKSHOP: 6 to 7:30 p.m.; open forum workshop for help with questions regarding a computer, phone, software, or an app; Public Library, 235 32nd St., Avalon. 609-967-7155 or avalonfreelibrary.org.
Tuesday, May 23
SCOSA'S ANNUAL SUCCESSFUL AGING FESTIVAL: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; attend workshops, browse local resources; Stockton University, Jimmie Leeds Road, Galloway Township; free admission. 609-626-3591 or stockton.edu.
Wednesday, May 24
BORED? GAMES!: 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Aug. 31; for ages 10 to adult; games are family-friendly classic board games meant for at least two players; Ventnor City Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 6500 Atlantic Ave., Ventnor; registration required. 609-823-4614 or atlanticlibrary.org.
ONE-ON-ONE COMPUTER BASICS: 1 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through May 31; for adults; Brigantine Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 201 15th St. S., Brigantine. 609-266-0110 or atlanticlibrary.org.
WEDNESDAY FAMILY GAME NIGHT: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Aug. 30; for all ages; board games provided; Pleasantville Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 33 Martin Luther King Junior Ave., Pleasantville; registration required. 609-641-1778 or atlanticlibrary.org.
Thursday, May 25
CYBER THURSDAYS: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays through Aug. 31; Pleasantville Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 33 Martin Luther King Junior Ave., Pleasantville. 609-641-1778 or atlanticlibrary.org.
SENIOR CRAFT AND ACTIVITIES: 10 a.m. to noon Thursdays through June 29; Pleasantville Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 33 Martin Luther King Junior Ave., Pleasantville. 609-641-1778 or atlanticlibrary.org.
For kids
Monday, May 22
PRE-K CLUB AND CRAFT: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays through May 22, June 5, 12; Galloway Township Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 306 E. Jimmie Leeds Road, Galloway. 609-652-2352 or atlanticlibrary.org.
PRESCHOOL STORYTIME - ABSECON: 10 to 11 a.m. Mondays; Absecon branch/Atlantic County Library System, 305 New Jersey Ave., Absecon. 609-646-2228 or atlanticlibrary.org.
PRESCHOOL STORYTIME - EGG HARBOR CITY: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays through Aug. 28; Egg Harbor City Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 134 Philadelphia Ave., Egg Harbor City. 609-804-1063 or atlanticlibrary.org.
Tuesday, May 23
FURRY BUDDIES: 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, May 23, June 13, 27, July 11, 25, Aug. 8, 22; for ages 6 to 14; read a story to therapy dogs; Galloway Township Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 306 E. Jimmie Leeds Road, Galloway Township; registration required. 609-652-2352 or atlanticlibrary.org.
ROBOTICS CLUB WITH NATE: 6 to 7 p.m. May 23, June 20, July 25, Aug. 22; for ages 8 to 15; Egg Harbor City Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 134 Philadelphia Ave., Egg Harbor City. 609-804-1063 or atlanticlibrary.org.
WONDERBOOK STORYTIME: 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, May 23, June 6, 20, July 18, August 1, 15, 29; for ages 4 to 11; kids will press play to read along with their favorite books and then switch to learning mode for literacy learning; Pleasantville Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 33 Martin Luther King Junior Ave., Pleasantville; registration required. 609-641-1778 or atlanticlibrary.org.
Wednesday, May 24
PLAYDATE AT THE LIBRARY: 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays through Aug. 9; for ages 6-36 months; enjoy stories, rhymes and songs designed to develop early literacy skills; Mays Landing Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 40 Farragut Ave., Hamilton; registration required. 609-625-2776 or atlanticlibrary.org.
STORIES AND SONGS: 10 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays through May 31; join Miss Linda for stories, songs, and rhymes; for ages 3 and younger; Public Library, 235 32nd St., Avalon. 609-967-7155 or avalonfreelibrary.org.
Thursday, May 25
123 READ & SING: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Thursdays through Aug. 10; for ages 1 1/2 to 5 and their caregivers; Galloway Township Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 306 E. Jimmie Leeds Road, Galloway Township. 609-652-2352 or atlanticlibrary.org.
LEGO CLUB: 4 to 5 p.m. Thursdays through May 25; for ages 5 to 13; Absecon branch/Atlantic County Library System, 305 New Jersey Ave., Absecon. 609-646-2228 or atlanticlibrary.org.
STORYTIME: 10 to 11 a.m. Thursdays through May 25; for ages 12 to 36 months; Ventnor City Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 6500 Atlantic Ave., Ventnor; registration required. 609-823-4614 or atlanticlibrary.org.
Groups
Monday, May 22
AL-ANON FAMILY GROUPS: 11 a.m. Mondays; for those troubled by someone else's drinking; Egg Harbor City Senior Center, 351 Cincinnati Ave., Egg Harbor City. AL-ANON.org.
LONGPORT NEEDLERS: 10 a.m. to noon Mondays; bring your needle/crochet craft project and join us for a time of crafting and socializing; Longport Public Library, 2305 Atlantic Ave., Longport. 609-487-7403 or LongportPublicLibrary.org.
MYSTERY AT THE LIBRARY BOOK CLUB: 6:30 to 8 p.m. fourth Mondays through December; virtual mystery and thriller book club for ages 18 and older; each month a new murder mystery book is picked and a book discussion will be held; presented by the Cape May County Library 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.
Tuesday, May 23
INTERMEDIATE SPANISH CONVERSATION VIRTUAL CLASS: 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays; intermediate-level Spanish Conversation class via Zoom; Atlantic City Free Public Library, 1 N. Tennessee Ave., Atlantic City. 609-345-2269 or ACFPL.org.
YARNBENDERS CROCHET AND KNITTING CLUB: 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Aug. 29; Egg Harbor Township/Atlantic County Library System, 1 Swift Drive, Egg Harbor Township. 609-927-8664 or atlanticlibrary.org.
Wednesday, May 24
LIFE IN WAVES - ONLINE WORKING WOMEN'S GROUP: 7 to 8 p.m. second and fourth Wednesdays; support and discussion group for women in the workplace; hosted by Mental Health Association in Atlantic County. 609-652-3800 or MHAAC.info.
Thursday, May 25
AL-ANON MEETING: 11 a.m. to noon Thursdays through December; by Al-Anon Family Groups; Cape May County Library/Lower Cape Branch, 2600 Bayshore Road, Lower Township. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.
CROCHET GROUP: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Aug. 31; learn and practice your craft in a fun and welcoming environment; Egg Harbor City Branch/Atlantic County Library System, 134 Philadelphia Ave., Egg Harbor City. 609-804-1063 or atlanticlibrary.org.
FAMILY MEETING SUPPORT GROUP: 10 a.m. to noon second and fourth Thursdays; support group for family members of individuals who live with a mental health concern. 609-652-3800 or MHAAC.info.
HAMILTON SUSTAINABILITEAM MEETING: 6:30 to 8 p.m. fourth Thursdays, no meeting in November; discuss how to make the Township of Hamilton more sustainable now and in the future; Municipal Building, 6101 13th St., Mays Landing. 609-805-1236 or townshipofhamilton.com.
MEETINGS FOR FAMILY MEMBERS OF INDIVIDUALS AFFECTED BY MENTAL ILLNESS AND/OR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER: 10:30 a.m. second and fourth Thursdays; 7 p.m. third Thursdays; choose from daytime or evening meeting times; online-only; workshop-style meeting among peers with a new topic each group; offered by the Mental Health Association in Atlantic County through the Intensive Family Support Services program. 609-517-8614 or mhaac.info.
Health, fitness
Monday, May 22
CHAIR YOGA - WITH LYNNE CATARRO: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays; no class 5/29, 9/4, 10/9, 12/25; Cape May County Library/Wildwood Crest Branch, 6300 Atlantic Ave., Wildwood Crest. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.
'GOT STRESS?' ONLINE GROUP: 4 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays; online group meets to discuss daily wellness, coping strategies and tools to relieve stress and reduce anxiety; offered by The Mental Health Association in Atlantic County; free. 609-652-3800 or MHAAC.info.
'PERINATAL MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS: MORE THAN POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION': 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.; program held in person or online; offered in recognition of Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month; Ocean County Library Lacey Branch, 10 E. Lacey Road, Forked River; free, registration requested. 609-693-8566 or or theoceancountylibrary.org/events.
Tuesday, May 23
DEALING WITH DEPRESSION SUPPORT GROUP: 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays; hosted by the Mental Health Association in Atlantic County; online support group for those living with depression. 609-652-3800 or MHAAC.info.
MINDFULNESS & MOVEMENT: 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through December; Cape May County Library/Wildwood Crest Branch, 6300 Atlantic Ave., Wildwood Crest. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.
ZUMBA WITH KELLIE WOOD: 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays; Cape May Court House Branch, 30 Mechanic St., Middle Township. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.
Wednesday, May 24
BARRE STAR: 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. Wednesdays through May; combination of ballet, flexibility, yoga/balance and strength training; Wildwood Crest Branch, 6300 Atlantic Ave., Wildwood Crest. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.
EXPLORING SPIRITUALITY ONLINE WELLNESS GROUP: noon to 1 p.m. Wednesdays; hosted by the Mental Health Association in Atlantic County; wellness group exploring themes of faith, hope, sense of purpose, and fulfilment. 609-652-3800 or MHAAC.info.
MEDITATION MEET-UP WITH TED COSTA: 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through December; Woodbine Community Center, 812 Longfellow St., Woodbine. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.
MIND AND BODY VIRTUAL WORKSHOP: 11 a.m. to noon Wednesdays; workshop is provided to individuals who live with a disability; participants discuss topics such as adapting, goal setting, refocusing and more; offered by the Mental Health Association in Atlantic County. 609-652-3800, ext. 308 or MHAAC.info.
STRETCH & BURN - WITH KELLIE WOOD: 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays; hosted by Cape May County Library; virtual event; no registration required. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.
TAI CHI & QIGONG: 10 and 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays; with Cheryl Crews and Denise Jones; Lower Cape Branch, 2600 Bayshore Road, Lower Township. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.
ZUMBA - WITH JANET SPADA: 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays at Wildwood Crest Library, and Thursdays at Lower Township Library; no meetings July 12, 26, Nov. 22, 23. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.
ZUMBA - WITH KELLIE: 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesdays; Sea Isle City Branch, 4800 Central Ave., Sea Isle City. 609-463-6350 or Events.CMCLibrary.org.
Thursday, May 25
GENTLE YOGA - WITH ELIZABETH KILCOURSE: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursdays; bring a yoga mat; Upper Township Branch, 2050 Tuckahoe Road, Woodbine. 609-463-6350 or events.cmclibrary.org.
'RISING MINDS' ONLINE MEETING: 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays; offered by the Mental Health Association in Atlantic County; peer-led meeting for individuals age 18 to 30; participants discuss mental health, share experiences, develop tools for self-care and connect to others. 609-652-3800 or MHAAC.info. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/community-calendar/article_1b8ad6a0-f670-11ed-b522-0fe73ab68ffe.html | 2023-05-22T05:44:31 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/community-calendar/article_1b8ad6a0-f670-11ed-b522-0fe73ab68ffe.html |
The Downtown Wildwood Farmers Market will open for its 10th season Saturday with a special celebration.
The market, taking place 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays through Labor Day weekend, is held at Byrne Plaza and the surrounding streets, from 3400 to 3501 Pacific Avenue. During the 10th anniversary celebration, there will be live music, face painting and balloon twisting, as well as the unveiling of the 2023 DOOWW magnets, all taking place from 10 a.m. to noon.
The farmers market has an average of 70 vendors each week. In addition to the typical farmers market fare of fruits and vegetables, vendors sell baked goods, honey, craft beer and spirits, and more.
For more information, visit DOOWW.com. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/downtown-wildwood-farmers-market-to-open-its-10th-season-this-saturday/article_7bc26e72-f65f-11ed-a28d-43a06908bff1.html | 2023-05-22T05:44:32 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/downtown-wildwood-farmers-market-to-open-its-10th-season-this-saturday/article_7bc26e72-f65f-11ed-a28d-43a06908bff1.html |
The second annual Galloway Arts Festival was held May 6 inside Historic Smithville Village and featured student musical performances throughout the day.
The event was organized by Absegami High School’s Tri-M Music Honors Society.
The day featured all kinds of musical performances, ranging from drum circles to vocal showcases, and the Absegami Jazz Band performed by the lake to close out the event.
Additional activities included craft stations, face painting and art exhibits. Admission was free.
“Thank you to Smithville for hosting us and giving us the perfect venue," band director Patrick O’Keefe said in a release. "The feedback from the community has been so positive and we are proud to shed such a positive light on our students.”
For more information about Absegami High School, visit absegami.net. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/second-annual-galloway-arts-festival-held-in-smithville/article_4a955234-f659-11ed-b529-d7d0c5f53de0.html | 2023-05-22T05:44:33 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/second-annual-galloway-arts-festival-held-in-smithville/article_4a955234-f659-11ed-b529-d7d0c5f53de0.html |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — In the Pettaway neighborhood lies Pettaway Square— a community that was years in the making, is now home to residential apartments and businesses.
“14 commercial businesses that are established in Pettaway Square. Additionally, there are eight residential apartments,” said Mike Orndorff, the man behind Pettaway Square.
The community is continually growing, and a coffee shop is expected to fully open its doors in the next coming weeks.
“I promised my residents, I promised the people that were opening commercial spaces here that they were going to have a coffee shop, and I’m a man of my word,” said Orndorff. “So, my wife and I just decided to do it ourselves.”
Though Orndorff explained that he didn't want an average coffee shop. He wanted to offer more, which is why Pettaway Coffee will serve as a bar too.
“We've got two local brews on tap, we've got a real red wine on tap, we got a real white wine on tap,” Orndorff described.
They’ll also serve drinks that have zero alcohol.
“My wife and I did dry January together this year and I began to notice all the nonalcoholic options or lack thereof especially here in Arkansas, and just saw the need,” he added.
Orndorff and co-owner Aaron Long carefully crafted a menu that will fit any time of day and where they can create the same drinks with or without alcohol.
“One of our non-alcoholic drinks that's going to carry from any time we want our menu from like a coffee mini to non-alcoholic is an espresso old fashioned,” said Long.
Non-alcoholic drinks have been growing in popularity. According to Nielsen IQ in just a year, almost four hundred million dollars were spent on non-alcoholic drinks in the U.S.
“Even in the last week, we're finding out more and more how many distilleries or whatever are doing alternatives to the liquor,” he said.
The two are happy to tap into this growing market.
“We have the opportunity to change the culture around alcohol here in Arkansas and that's just extremely exciting,” said Orndorff.
More than anything they just want to provide a space that has something for everyone.
“Wherever your relationship is with alcohol, we are an affirming environment, and we invite you,” he added. | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/coffee-shop-pettaway-square/91-dab72d81-d3e2-4963-b674-e6cf71f70958 | 2023-05-22T05:58:34 | 0 | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/coffee-shop-pettaway-square/91-dab72d81-d3e2-4963-b674-e6cf71f70958 |
SAN ANTONIO — A Roman bust famously sold at an Austin Good Will for $35 was originally announced as it's journey back to its rightful owners in Germany after Sunday but San Antonians are getting one last chance to see it in person.
The Denman Gallery at The San Antonio Museum of Art is home to many sculptures. For the past year though, one sculpture in particular steals the show.
"It's been a real treat to be able to have it here. It's a really special and unique story," said Tatiana Herrera-Schneider, Chief engagement officer with the San Antonio Museum of Art.
The irony is bust itself is stolen. Taken from a Bavarian art collection during World War II, before eventually becoming famous in the digital age for it's long and storied past.
"It kind of merges ancient history and modern history," Herrera-Schneider said. "It brings to light that looting isn't something that happened a long time ago, that it is a modern problem."
Antique dealer Laura Young found the bust in a Good Will in 2018. It gained international attention after it was traced to the Roman Empire from around the first century. The priceless artifact cost her $35.
The portrait was bought by King Ludwig I of Bavaria in the 1830s for his Antiquities Collection. It eventually became property of the Bavarian States Antiquities Collection under the unified German Government where it lived in a replica Pompeii villa in the town of Aschaffenburg. It disappeared after the allied forces bombed the town in 1945, close to the end of the war.
Young was able to piece all of this together with the help of her Lawyer, The University of Texas at Austin, The San Antonio Museum of Art, a consultant with Sotheby’s Auction House, and the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens, and Lakes.
"I have a lot of time on my hands, I'm self employed," she said.
Young said it was a bittersweet feeling seeing him go.
"I did cry when he left the house. I'm not going to lie. That hurt a little bit. And it'll probably hurt tonight," she said. "But it's fine. It's, he needs to go home."
Before it's discovery the bust, which Young named Dennis, spent years on a table in her home. At one point she had taken so many pictures of it, that her phone mistook it for her child.
"One of my friends joked that I was going through empty nest syndrome when he left last year," Young said.
Like any child growing up, Dennis is flying the coop: going back to Germany to be with his rightful owners. Folks here in Texas have until May 28 to get one last look. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/san-antonio-viral-roman-bust/273-8252408e-ed07-4c05-a433-ea09c8af88c9 | 2023-05-22T06:43:31 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/san-antonio-viral-roman-bust/273-8252408e-ed07-4c05-a433-ea09c8af88c9 |
BOISE, Idaho — Boise's downtown public library is turning a new page, with various renovations underway and on the books.
"We are just starting to make some investments that I'm really excited about," Director Jessica Dorr said. "We're going to improve how the public can really use the space and how we move books around."
Dorr said they are planning on installing a new roof and upgrading the building's bathrooms and staircases to ensure everything is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The City of Boise recently approved more than $650,000 for the projects. Most of the money will go toward first-floor updates, such as re-doing the circulation desk and expanding the youth area.
Some of the money will also be spent revamping the library's main study space and turning the fourth floor into more office space for staff.
"All the investments that we're doing are really aimed at making sure it's a safe and welcoming facility for everyone," Dorr said. "And that we get our readers the materials that they want as quickly as possible."
The city hopes to maximize the footprint of the library. Council President Holli Woodings said renovations are necessary, even if they are cautious about putting too much money into the building.
She said population growth means the library needs to grow, too.
"There’s more people living in the area served by the main library than ever," Woodings said. "And so, it just kind of like adds too ... I guess that it's not sufficient for what the community needs and expects. So that's why I think we'll be looking at expanding or rebuilding the library in the future.”
There have been previous initiatives to build a completely new library. But Woodings said the most recent push during the last mayoral administration was not popular with community members.
Library patron Abby Baggs said she supports the current and upcoming renovations. Her family no longer buys books since they go to the library so often.
"I think Boise is growing, the area's growing, more people are probably utilizing the library," she said. "So, I think all of the renovations sound exciting."
Dorr did not give a timeline for when construction will wrap up, although various renovations will happen for at least another year and a half. Parking may be tricky at some times because of nearby construction as well.
"As we make some of these investments, I know the building looks different, but it will be really exciting," she said.
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/local-downtown-boise-public-library-undergoing-renovations/277-062444f3-b3fe-4560-b789-0f7be91bc6f4 | 2023-05-22T06:44:26 | 0 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/local-downtown-boise-public-library-undergoing-renovations/277-062444f3-b3fe-4560-b789-0f7be91bc6f4 |
Gabe Vincent scored a career-high 29 points, Duncan Robinson added 22 and the eighth-seeded Miami Heat moved one win from the NBA Finals after rolling past the Boston Celtics 128-102 on Sunday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference title series.
Caleb Martin scored 18, Jimmy Butler finished with 16, Bam Adebayo had 13 and Max Strus added 10 for Miami, which leads the series 3-0. Every team in NBA history that has won the first three games of a best-of-seven has ultimately prevailed; the Heat are 8-0 in that situation.
Jayson Tatum scored 14 and Jaylen Brown added 12 for the Celtics, who won three times on Miami’s floor on the way to winning last season’s Eastern Conference finals — but simply never had a chance in this one and basically emptied the bench for the fourth quarter.
Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard each had 12 for Boston. Game 4 is Tuesday in Miami.
The NBA Finals start June 1, and the way things are going, that might mean the league is about to go a few days without games. The Western Conference finals could end Monday; Denver leads that series against the Los Angeles Lakers 3-0. And now, the East finals could end Tuesday.
There’s never been a season where both conference finals ended in sweeps; it happened in 1957 in the division finals immediately preceding the title series, when Boston beat Syracuse 3-0 and St. Louis beat Minneapolis 3-0.
Of all the 3-0 series leads in NBA history, this one might be the most unexpected — a No. 8 seed in the Heat, a team that struggled just to get into the playoffs, a team that was less than 3 minutes away from being eliminated in the play-in tournament, getting past top-seeded Milwaukee in five games, then fifth-seeded New York in six, and now on the brink of denying the No. 2-seeded Celtics a second consecutive East crown.
And the Heat let Boston know how much they were enjoying this one.
Mindful that Boston’s Al Horford directed a timeout signal toward the Miami bench during Game 1 when the Celtics were on a second-quarter spurt to build a comfortable lead, Butler did the same to Horford as the Heat were running away in the third quarter of Game 3.
Besides, the Heat rallied to win Game 1 anyway. There was no rally required in Game 3 by the Heat. There was barely one attempted by the Celtics, for that matter.
Boston got within 61-49 when Marcus Smart had a three-point play on the opening possession of the second half. The rest was all Miami, which immediately answered with a 28-7 run to open a 33-point lead at 89-56, which had the building rolling. The lead was so big, and there was so much time left, that the sellout crowd of 20,088 actually was subdued a bit by the time it was over.
They might have been yelled-out. Or maybe they were saving it for hockey on Monday night, when the Florida Panthers — another No. 8 seed on a magical playoff run in South Florida — will try to take a 3-0 lead in their East finals series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Robert Williams made his first shot, meaning he made 12 straight to start the series. He missed his second attempt. … The Heat encourage fans to wear white to playoff games, and Tatum also arrived in an all-white suit. … Smart appeared to throw a punch in the third quarter, but missed and after review referees determined he did not deserve a flagrant foul or a technical (which would have been his second of the night).
Heat: Robinson made five 3-pointers and now has 124 in his Heat postseason career, passing LeBron James (123) for the most in Miami history. ... Butler’s steal with 7:17 left in the first quarter was the 2,000th in Heat postseason history. … Shaquille O’Neal, at the game as part of the TNT broadcast crew, greeted former teammate (and now Heat executive) Alonzo Mourning and got a long ovation when introduced during a second-quarter time out. ... Vincent’s previous career best was 28, set in a Jan. 12 win over Milwaukee.
CONFUSED DOLPHINS?
Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, a regular at Heat games this season, tried to get the pregame crowd going by waving one of the giveaway towels. Dolphins defensive lineman Christian Wilkins was at the game — wearing green shoes on a night Miami was playing the Celtics, though it should be noted he was born in Massachusetts.
LOVE HURT
Miami’s Kevin Love checked out 4:47 into the game after what the Heat said was an undisclosed ankle injury. He went to the Heat locker room for evaluation, returned to the bench area later in the first half, and started the second half.
QUOTABLE
“The lack of mental toughness. It’s embarrassing … that was an embarrassment for the Celtics.” — TNT’s Charles Barkley at halftime, with Boston trailing 61-46 and after being down by as many as 22 points. | https://www.miamitimesonline.com/news/local/heat-roll-past-celtics-128-102-take-3-0-lead-in-eastern-conference-finals/article_dee0a194-f84f-11ed-8f15-579e562eed66.html | 2023-05-22T07:12:12 | 0 | https://www.miamitimesonline.com/news/local/heat-roll-past-celtics-128-102-take-3-0-lead-in-eastern-conference-finals/article_dee0a194-f84f-11ed-8f15-579e562eed66.html |
VANCOUVER, Wash. — Darlle Bullock and volunteer Francisco Guerrero had a reunion at Vancouver''s Esther Short park on Saturday.
“You saved my life, but I also didn't want anything to happen to you,” Guerrero told Bullock.
On Tuesday, Guerrero was at the gazebo in the park. He was confronted by several teens when he tried to stop them from moving a sign and skateboarding on the gazebo. Bullock was there checking on homeless friends in the park.
“I could see rapidly where it was going,” said Darlle Bullock.
He made his way to the gazebo and stepped up to help. Bullock says he has some martial arts training, when the violence escalated he tried his best to protect himself.
“I'm really good at deflecting blows. They swung at me 40-50 times but only landed three of them,” Bullock said.
Bullock ended up with seven staples in the back of his head and a massive bruise on his left arm. Vancouver police are investigating but no arrests have been made.
When asked if he would intervene again Bullock didn’t hesitate and said he would.
A GoFundMe has been started for Bullock to help with medical bills. He says he'll donate money received that goes beyond the 10 thousand dollar goal.
Download the KGW News app: Download for iPhone here | Download for Android here
Stream newscasts for free on KGW+ on Roku and Amazon Fire: How to add app to your device here
See a typo in this article? Email web@kgw.com for corrections | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/vancouver-man-esther-park-assault/283-28bb6715-9c33-4c8c-8633-7326a575b844 | 2023-05-22T07:16:49 | 0 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/vancouver-man-esther-park-assault/283-28bb6715-9c33-4c8c-8633-7326a575b844 |
STROUDSBURG, Pa. — While many people come to Creekview Park to fish, members of the East Penn Search and Rescue Team are using the creek to practice life-saving skills.
“Believe it or not, there's quite a few incidents in Monroe County as far as land searches or water rescues,” said Chief Roger Tobias, East Penn Search, and Rescue Team.
Whether it's on land or in the water, the East Penn Search and Rescue volunteers respond to help lost or injured people in the outdoors.
“We'll have our trailer, our members there, equipment, and we're there to assist the fire companies because they're the first ones called,” Assistant Chief Michael Tobias, East Penn Search and Rescue Team, said.
With summer crowds coming to Monroe County, the East Penn Search and Rescue Team are brushing up on its skills, prepping for any kind of incident.
“The search area of a lost person grows four times every hour, so if you start out with a simple mile radius, after an hour, that's going to be a four-hour radius,” Chief Tobias explained.
Meaning that it's crucial that they practice their skills now so they can work efficiently under stressful conditions.
“As simple as it might seem to throw a rope bag, it's real easy to miss. And that person in training's life isn't threatened, but in a real scenario, that person's life is endangered,” added Jonathan Davis, Search and Rescue Technician.
After decades of responding to rescues, the East Penn Search and Rescue volunteers urge everyone to think about safety before going on a hike or out on the water.
“The biggest thing safety-wise is that if you have a life vest, please put it on. We have recovered bodies in three feet of water, literally, all they had to do is stand,” Chief Tobias mentioned.
Rescuers say a life vest or any other personal floatation device can make it easier for the search and rescue team to find someone quickly.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/monroe-county-search-and-rescue-team-gets-in-shape-for-summer-chief-roger-tobias-wnep/523-5a183937-e656-4c79-b4c9-1bbf2b02bd14 | 2023-05-22T08:02:01 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/monroe-county-search-and-rescue-team-gets-in-shape-for-summer-chief-roger-tobias-wnep/523-5a183937-e656-4c79-b4c9-1bbf2b02bd14 |
SANGER, Calif. — An 8-year-old girl died and a 4-year-old boy was missing Sunday after the two children were swept away in a central California river swollen from rapidly melting mountain snows.
Deputies responded around 2 p.m. following a report of children missing in the Kings River near Pine Flat Dam, according to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.
About an hour later, deputies found the body of the little girl, officials said. They did not immediately say how the child died.
A search for the 4-year-old continued Sunday evening, ABC 30 TV reported.
Further north, authorities were investigating after a body was found Friday in Folsom Lake northeast of Sacramento. And two people remained missing after being swept away by the American River in recent weeks, the Placer County Sheriff's Office said.
Authorities have warned people to exercise caution along rivers where high water levels and stronger flows are creating 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," the Placer County Sheriff's Office said in a statement last week. "Be river-wise, this year IS different."
WATCH ALSO: | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/boy-missing-girl-dies-california-river/103-71206cea-6025-4f32-ac7f-64905130f1e4 | 2023-05-22T08:12:05 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/boy-missing-girl-dies-california-river/103-71206cea-6025-4f32-ac7f-64905130f1e4 |
LODI, Calif. — A new 48-megawatt power generating unit is under construction in Lodi, scheduled to be operational by the end of summer 2023.
It comes after rolling power outages last year during one of the hottest weeks of the year, after the city-run Lodi Electric Utility lost one of it's power sub transmission lines.
"This would have likely avoided the need for us to have those rotating blackouts last year," said Electric Utility Director Jeff Berkheimer.
The new power plant is being fully funded by the California Department of Water Resources as part of the state's Strategic Reliability Reserve Program.
The plant would only be used in extreme peak-demand events to provide temporary power generation to stabilize the grid and avoid local or statewide power failures.
"This is truly meant to be called out only when the overall energy grid in California is facing extreme energy challenges," said Berkheimer.
Berkheimer said the project is on the fast track with city council approving the plan in November of last year.
"This is truly a very aggressive schedule, especially for building a power plant that's this size," said Berkheimer, adding there's a strategic need for it at the statewide level to shore up capacity.
"Lodi was more than willing to do our part, and for us to have an in-area resource which would be available to dispatch if we have a local transmission emergency, and it could avoid potential rolling blackouts... We were willing to do anything we could to get the project sited here and deployed as quickly as possible," said Berkheimer.
WATCH ALSO: | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/generator-could-thwart-future-rotating-outages-lodi/103-47496024-0e8f-4c96-8812-449646305096 | 2023-05-22T08:12:11 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/generator-could-thwart-future-rotating-outages-lodi/103-47496024-0e8f-4c96-8812-449646305096 |
BOYS AND GIRLS GOLF
10 a.m.
Cumberland County Tournament at Centerton Country Club
Noon
Cape-Atlantic League Championships at Atlantic City Country Club
GIRLS LACROSSE
3:45 p.m.
Timber Creek at Cedar Creek
4 p.m.
Holy Spirit at Lower Cape May
Egg Harbor Twp. at Oakcrest
Middle Twp. at Our Lady of Mercy
Washington Twp. at Mainland
4:30 p.m.
People are also reading…
Southern at Red Bank Catholic
BOYS LACROSSE
3:45 p.m.
Cedar Creek at Timber Creek
4 p.m.
Woodstown at Vineland
Eastern at Holy Spirit
4:45 p.m.
Southern at Middletown South
BASEBALL
S.J. Group I first round
4 p.m.
(16) Gateway at (1) Buena
(12) Cape May Tech at (5) Woodstown
(10) Wildwood at (7) Pitman
S.J. Group II first round
3 p.m.
(14) Barnegat at (3) Cinnaminson
3:30 p.m.
(12) Middle Twp. at (5) Collingswood
4 p.m.
(16) Pennsauken Tech at (1) Cedar Creek
(13) Oakcrest at (4) Haddonfield
(10) Sterling at (7) Lower Cape May
(15) Pleasantville at (2) Haddon Heights
S.J. Group III first round
2 p.m.
(15) Lacey Twp. at (2) Delsea
3 p.m.
(9) Mainland at (8) Cumberland
(13) Timber Creek at (4) Hammonton
4 p.m.
(10) Clearview at (7) Ocean City
4:15 p.m.
(11) Moorestown at (6) Absegami
S.J Group IV first round
4 p.m.
(14) Toms River North at (3) Egg Harbor Twp.
(11) Eastern at (6) Millville
(10) Gloucester Tech at (7) Southern
(15) Central Reg. at (2) Vineland
Other games
4 p.m.
St. Joseph at ACIT
Pleasantville at Holy Spirit
SOFTBALL
S.J. Non-Public A first round
(9) Our Lady of Mercy at (8) Union Catholic
S.J. Non-Public B first round
(11) Wildwood Catholic at (6) Holy Cross Prep
Other games
4 p.m.
LEAP Academy at Cape May Tech Tech
Millville at Mainland
Lower Cape May at Pennsville
Bridgeton at Salem
Buena at Vineland
7 p.m.
Southern vs. Pinelands at Doc Cramer Fields
BOYS TENNIS
4 p.m.
Bridgeton at Cedar Creek
Wildwood Catholic at Hammonton
Millville at Mainland
Lower Cape May at Oakcrest
Middle Twp. at Ocean City
Absegami at St. Augustine
Buena at Vineland
Schalick at Cumberland
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
3:45 p.m.
Barnegat at Pleasantville
Lacey Twp. at Jackson Memorial
4 p.m.
St. Augustine at Cedar Creek
5:15 p.m.
Egg Harbor Twp. at Oakcrest
BOYS AND GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD
5 p.m.
Distance Night Meet at Haddonfield H.S. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/highschool/high-school-schedule-for-monday-may-22-2023/article_9c2df1a6-f5b3-11ed-a706-776ef6ec9904.html | 2023-05-22T08:29:52 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/highschool/high-school-schedule-for-monday-may-22-2023/article_9c2df1a6-f5b3-11ed-a706-776ef6ec9904.html |
PHOENIX — The end has come for the Metrocenter mall in Phoenix and not even two dudes with a time machine can save it, the mall will “party on” no more.
Sunday the community came together for one last excellent adventure to say a final goodbye to the mall used for some of the most icon’s scenes from the 1989 movie “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter.
The party was hosted by Councilwoman Ann O'Brien.
It included a special screening by Harkins Theatres of the movie that made Metrocenter famous.
Members of the community shared their memories of the mall.
Parents brought their own kids to the place they hung out as teens.
One couple said Metrocenter was where they fell in love with each other back in 2001. While others said they would spend their days there, while their parents were at work. For others, ice skating was a highlight.
Attendees said while the mall will be gone their memories will last a lifetime.
The mall opened in 1973 and was referred to as the "crown jewel" of the desert, with generations flocking to it for fun, shopping and adventure.
Metrocenter was the first mall in the United States to have five department store anchors and the first place in Arizona with indoor ice skating. It was also the largest mall west of the Mississippi River at the time of its construction.
The mall closed its doors to shoppers for the final time in June 2020 following years of decline.
In November 2022, the Phoenix City Council voted in favor of the property's $850 million redevelopment and revitalization to replace the empty mall.
Following the demolition, the site will be transformed into a walkable village with 2,600 multifamily units and 150,000 square feet of commercial, retail and restaurant space.
It's a new venture that is sure to be most excellent.
Up to Speed
Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. Subscribe today. | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/one-last-party-at-phoenix-mall-made-famous-by-bill-and-teds-excellent-adventure/75-9982ab4e-6bad-4db0-a5b9-a14b9a9bae01 | 2023-05-22T08:42:49 | 0 | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/one-last-party-at-phoenix-mall-made-famous-by-bill-and-teds-excellent-adventure/75-9982ab4e-6bad-4db0-a5b9-a14b9a9bae01 |
Heart of Stark: Malone U and Hall of Fame Village announce Learn and Earn program
In partnership with The Repository, every Monday, Stark Community Foundation highlights positive happenings in our community. Here’s to Good News Mondays!
Through the new Learn and Earn program, a partnership between Malone University and the Hall of Fame Village, students will have the opportunity to earn their undergraduate degree and acquire hands-on experience without accruing tuition debt.
Starting this fall, Malone students in the program will work in various roles at the Village within partner organizations and gain experience in marketing, sales, customer relations and hospitality management. They will work up to 29 hours a week for 40 weeks, benefiting from a flexible academic schedule that accommodates their work schedule.
The program is open to students from all majors, with a particularly strong correlation to the university’s hospitality and tourism and sport management programs.
More Heart of Stark:Local nonprofits provide sensory-friendly community activities
“Our new Learn and Earn program aligns with Malone’s strategic mission and provides excellent opportunities for Malone to lead in the development and retention of workforce talent right here in Stark County,” said Jason Moyer, executive director of strategic partnerships and innovation and associate professor at Malone. “Learn and Earn will seek to revive the dream of students working their way through college. In addition to the invaluable hands-on experiences they will gain, Malone students can earn enough through the program to finish their degree without tuition debt — in addition to pocketing their hourly wage.”
The program is designed to offer cost-neutral undergraduate tuition for students from low-income families while recruiting and retaining new talent for the region’s workforce. At the end of each semester, corporate partners will contribute to the student's tuition bill according to their attendance. This not only gives students the opportunity to gain valuable experience and earn money toward their education, but also allows organizational partners to connect with talented and motivated individuals who are eager to contribute to the community.
"Our partnership with Malone University's Learn and Earn program helps build our workforce in a unique way and provides immersive experiences to hospitality and tourism students at Hall of Fame Village,” said Lisa Gould, Hall of Fame Village senior vice president of human resources. “From event promotion and operation to food and beverage, facility and grounds care and many other areas, students will gain practical skills while preparing for future careers in Stark County and beyond."
Learn more about the program at www.malone.edu/workforcedevelopment/learn-and-earn.
Stark Community Foundation helps individuals, families, businesses and nonprofits achieve their philanthropic goals through a variety of charitable funds and strategic initiatives. Ranked in the top 10% of community foundations in the country, the foundation and its family of donors have granted $230 million to nonprofits since 1963. Learn more at www.starkcf.org. | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/stark-county/2023/05/22/heart-of-stark-malone-u-and-hall-of-fame-village-announce-learn-and-earn-program/70232176007/ | 2023-05-22T09:32:36 | 1 | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/stark-county/2023/05/22/heart-of-stark-malone-u-and-hall-of-fame-village-announce-learn-and-earn-program/70232176007/ |
Monday After: National Park in Stark and Tuscarawas counties? It almost happened
When former U.S. Rep. John F. Seiberling Jr., who represented the Akron area in Congress for 16 years, died at 89 in 2008, fellow Ohio Congressman Ralph Regula was generous with praise of the man considered a father of the national park north of Canton and Akron.
"Without John Seiberling, there would be no Cuyahoga Valley National Park," Regula said. "He was the original environmentalist. He was green way back when. He really was ahead of his time."
Similar words of admiration were spoken about Canton-area representative Regula when he passed at age 92 in 2017. The long-serving Regula "helped protect public lands," the Washington Post said in an obituary. Regula "pushed for acquiring the properties that now make up the Cuyahoga Valley National Park," noted the New York Times.
The two are forever tied by the time they spent seeking approval for the park. Seiberling, a Democrat representing Ohio's 14th District, and Regula, a Republican representing the 16th District, worked across the congressional aisle and walked over the political boundaries drawn on a state map to "co-parent" the park between Akron and Cleveland.
Regula pushed for park to stretch south
Always looking for ways to serve constituents, Regula envisioned the Cuyahoga Valley park project stretching farther south from Cuyahoga and Summit counties extending its reach into Stark and Tuscarawas counties.
A reflective "Through A Century" item that appeared Friday in The Canton Repository recalled Regula looking out for lovers of both history and nature. It reminded newspaper readers how Regula spoke to participants in a seminar at Imperial House Hotel in Stark County in 1973 — the year he arrived in Congress — and outlined his plan to introduce legislation linking the Tuscarawas River Valley to the proposed national park along the Cuyahoga River.
"There should be no illusion about this happening easily," Regula told the group 50 years ago. "Getting a national park in Stark County will take a lot of persistence."
Persistence was a quality the hard-working congressman possessed in abundance.
Within a month, Regula had introduced legislation in the House of Representatives to establish an Ohio and Erie Canal National Historical Park, encompassing about 36 miles of canal along the Tuscarawas River in Summit, Stark and Tuscarawas counties.
As Regula had originally planned, his Stark and Tuscarawas park legislation was to accompany the pending bill authorizing what was then called the Cuyahoga Valley National Historical Park and Recreation Area.
Parks pushed to open
According to a history offered at the park's website, the Cuyahoga Valley park initially met with resistance from the National Park Service, whose officials worried about "initiatives that diverted funds from western 'crown jewels' such as Yellowstone." The history noted that the Park Service director at the time went so far as to say, "I will tell you one thing. (The Cuyahoga Valley) will be a park over my dead body."
During hearings for the bill, Regula championed the concept of a park for Ohio.
"We could be the architects in preserving this heritage for future generations, it goes far beyond today in terms of the potential," he said.
Over the director's still-quite-alive body, the bill passed in 1974. Seiberling, Regula, former Republican National Committee Chairman Ray Bliss of Akron, and other Ohio leaders "encouraged a reluctant President Gerald Ford to sign the bill."
Ford did so on Dec. 27, 1974.
Regula "helped guide over $200 million (in appropriations) to the park to purchase land, restore nearly 100 historic structures, and establish activities for the public’s enjoyment."
In 2000, Regula spearheaded a campaign to change the park’s name to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Both Seiberling and Regula continued to foster solutions to environmental and recreational issues, most notably Regula's vision to link the Cuyahoga Valley with the Tuscarawas River Valley.
"In 1996 Regula sponsored legislation to create the Ohio & Erie Canalway, a 110-mile national heritage area from Cleveland to New Philadelphia that extends the Towpath Trail and Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad," notes the National Park Service website page for Cuyahoga Valley. "The Canalway physically connects the national park to local parks and 40 communities."
With that, the final piece of Regula's original national park plan for Ohio was slipped into place.
Reach Gary at gary.brown.rep@gmail.com.
On Twitter: @gbrownREP | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/stark-county/2023/05/22/monday-after-national-park-in-stark-and-tuscarawas-counties-ralph-regula/70236978007/ | 2023-05-22T09:32:42 | 0 | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/stark-county/2023/05/22/monday-after-national-park-in-stark-and-tuscarawas-counties-ralph-regula/70236978007/ |
How to see synchronous fireflies light up the Smokies even if you didn’t win the lottery
It happens every year, but its still an illuminating sight to behold. Fireflies in the woods of Great Smoky Mountains National Park will put on their annual synchronous light show in early June.
Peak dates this year for viewing the fireflies are June 4-11 near Elkmont Campground. Those lucky enough to receive a vehicle parking pass through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park lottery were notified earlier in May of their slots. But even if you missed your shot in the lottery, you still have a chance to see the luminescent show.
Here’s what you need to about the synchronous fireflies and how to view them without a lottery pass.
When can I see synchronous fireflies in the Smoky Mountains in 2023?
Great Smoky Mountains National Park will host the annual synchronous firefly viewing at Elkmont from June 4-11, according to a release. Peak viewing dates typically fall in late May or early June.
Ways to view the synchronous fireflies without a lottery pass
Over 20,000 people enter the lottery each year, and only 960 vehicle passes – 120 per night – are distributed. But there are a few other ways to view the fireflies even if you didn’t get a pass. Elkmont is only open to those with passes during on the designated nights.
If you didn't receive a pass for one of those designated nights, plan to visit Elkmont a few days before or after the 2023 peak viewing days, suggests Smoky Mountain Travel Guide. There are also reports of sightings at other areas in the Smokies around the same elevation as Elkmont and near water.
Rainbow Falls Trail and Cades Cove are areas suggested by Hipcamp, an outdoor experiences website. However, it should be noted that the main gate to Cades Cove Loop Road closes at sunset, leaving a limited time to see fireflies.
How to see synchronous fireflies in Knox County
If you can’t make it to the Smokies, there’s a chance to see synchronous fireflies in Knox County.
Molly Branch Fireflies, located at 9100 Hogskin Road in Corryton, offers the opportunity to see snappy sync fireflies June 9-18. These fireflies are a different species and have a different blinking pattern from those in the Smokies, but their natural light show is still synchronized, according to the Molly Branch website.
You might also get to see two other firefly species, Blue Ghosts and Heebie Jeebies.
Tickets are $7-$12. They are first come, first served and can be purchased at mollybranchfireflies.com, where more information can also be found.
What is a synchronous firefly?
Fireflies, aka lightning bugs, are a regular feature of summer evenings. Their flashing lights are part of their mating display. Photinus carolinus is one of at least 19 firefly species in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and is one of just a few species in North America known to synchronize its flashing light patterns, according to the National Park Service.
The typical mating season is May-June. The synchronous light show can be affected by environmental factors such as heavy rain or temperatures below 50 degrees on any given night.
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. Twitter @dturner1208.
Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe. | https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2023/05/22/synchronous-fireflies-2023-how-to-see-them-smoky-mountains/70235175007/ | 2023-05-22T09:43:05 | 1 | https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2023/05/22/synchronous-fireflies-2023-how-to-see-them-smoky-mountains/70235175007/ |
It’s headquartered in Washington, but online real estate giant CoStar Group has its biggest operation in Richmond – and it is about to get bigger.
With construction underway for a 26-story office tower and five-story multipurpose building next to its current offices at 501 S. Fifth St., CoStar is planning to hire 2,000 more people in addition to the more than 1,550 who currently work in Richmond, Chief Executive Officer Andrew C. Florance said.
The company is centralizing its research function here, but the new jobs also involve technology, operations, software development, marketing, and the writing and editing of the expanding content — including images, video and music — that Florance thinks will make shopping for real estate easier, whether that’s for a home to buy, an apartment to rent or commercial property to buy, invest in or lease.
People are also reading…
“We do a lot in Richmond, more than research — software, marketing, operations, a lot of creative,” he said.
“You want to know what it’s like in Cleveland Park, Washington, D.C.? Well, we have a field team out, taking photos, video, interviewing people there,” he said.
It’s the kind of information Florance thinks will give the company’s apartments.com service, as well as the Homes.com home sales listing service it acquired in 2021 and is busily upgrading, an important edge in the competition to attract consumer attention.
“We want to be able to tell you about neighborhoods, the schools, the parks. … We’re getting so much content, we’ll be able to tell you everything about a neighborhood,” he said.
Although the new office tower probably won’t be ready for people to move into until 2025, that’s not going to slow CoStar’s hiring push, Florance said.
“I don’t want the completion of a building be what regulates our growth,” Florance said. “We’ll make do until it’s ready.”
In the meantime, the company has acquired a building in the 900 block of Semmes Avenue in Manchester that it plans to renovate to house its growing workforce here. It leases space in the Pattern Building on Tredegar Street and subleases space in Owens & Minor’s building a few blocks to the east of its South Fifth Street building.
CoStar Chief Financial Officer Scott Wheeler says the company is looking for a 13% increase in revenue this year from 2022’s $2.18 billion.
Much of the growth CoStar is looking for, Florance said, is from segments in which Richmond plays a major role, such as its $745 million-a-year multifamily business with its flagship apartments.com service.
The company is looking for revenue here to grow by 20% to 23% this year.
Its international operations will be another major engine of growth this year, and here, too, many of the people responsible for that are based in Richmond, Florance said.
Homes.com, a sales listing site, and Homesnap, a mobile app for real estate agents and brokers, both acquired by CoStar in 2021, also are a major focus for future growth, and also have a big presence in Richmond, he said.
Continuing to develop and invest in Homes.com is a key priority for 2023, CoStar said, in its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. This effort will include creating tools for real estate agents and brokers and increased investment in marketing to build website traffic.
The company’s priorities for this year include expanding its services for investors looking to buy or invest in commercial real estate, another sector in which Richmond plays a central role, Florance said.
Richmond is also key to CoStar’s BizBuySell website for buyers and sellers of small businesses and franchises.
Even though the pandemic has led many employers to rethink the need for office and retail space, CoStar is still looking for growth from its subscription-based commercial real estate service, where it’s looking for revenue to rise 10% from 2022’s $837 million.
Florance himself had a rethink about working remotely after swinging by the Richmond office as employees began returning to work last year.
“The energy, the level of collaboration and organization just can’t be replicated over Zoom,” he said. “The mentoring, support. ... People get so much from working together.”
And he could see it as well, looking at turnover rates — the percentage of employees who were leaving — that was one-third the national average.
The company’s expanded campus will include on-site energy generation, energy-efficient building systems and enclosures and a reduced carbon footprint, as well as about 50,000 square feet of green terraces on the hillside.
“This was an industrial area, … so much rich history,” Florance said.
That included an armaments factory for the Confederacy that produced so many bullets that it cost $15 million to remediate the lead in the ground where the new campus will rise, he said.
Construction also uncovered a tunnel from the 1830s: “beautiful brick work; we’re going to reconstruct it.” The tunnel handled overflow from a now covered-up canal, he said.
Florance says Richmond’s attractions for CoStar include premier access to higher education — he is on the board of visitors of Virginia Commonwealth University — as well as such amenities as riverfront views and ample greenspace and plenty of restaurant, retail and entertainment options.
The company has invested in Richmond Public Schools and such programs as the Virginia Ready Initiative, a nonprofit organization that helps Virginians who want to develop skills for their chosen career paths.
Earlier this month, CoStar Group promised to give $18 million to Virginia Commonwealth University to build a center for arts and innovation, to be named the CoStar Center for Arts and Innovation.
It was back in 2005, with a stop at the Richmond Folk Festival, that it first struck Florance that the city might offer the kind of educational and quality-of-life base that could support a major center for the firm, which runs online real estate marketplaces and provides information and analytics for real estate markets.
CoStar came here in 2016 and became a Folk Festival sponsor. Last year at the CoStar Group stage, the Zimbabwean group Black Umfolosi’s traditional imbube music — it means “kings” — featuring singing in four-part harmony and plenty of dancing, got a crowd of Richmonders to lift arms in rhythm to the repeated words: “imbube, imbube, imbube.” | https://richmond.com/news/local/business/costar-group-plans-big-growth-in-richmond-to-add-2-000-more-jobs/article_aa0fd9e8-f0c6-11ed-a586-c7816a2688ff.html | 2023-05-22T09:51:37 | 0 | https://richmond.com/news/local/business/costar-group-plans-big-growth-in-richmond-to-add-2-000-more-jobs/article_aa0fd9e8-f0c6-11ed-a586-c7816a2688ff.html |
It is an uphill battle.
Henrico County police Chief Eric English, who was appointed in 2020 and became the county’s first Black police chief, does not mince words when asked about the diversity gap between his force and his community, and trying to recruit to close the disparity. Like the Greek myth character Sisyphus, English is pushing a boulder up a hill, only for it to feel sometimes like the boulder — with the weight of backlash and distrust — rolling back down.
“It’s very difficult,” English said. “You can’t just look at now and say all of a sudden it’s going to change, when the starting line was very different when policing began.”
People are also reading…
According to demographics, the Henrico Police Division is one of many departments across the country that does not fully represent the communities it serves. Henrico County is 51% white and 31% Black, according to U.S. Census data. The county’s police personnel data shows that the percentage of Black police officers in Henrico sits at 7.8%, compared to 85.3% for white officers, as of last June.
English said the backlash that law enforcement has taken over the past several years may have made people apprehensive to join the force, particularly in minority communities.
“There’s a huge distrust in the Black community of police,” English said. “When you look at it historically, that’s always going to be a barrier for us to acquire the necessary amount of people in order to mirror your community.”
In the city of Richmond and Hanover County, the primary law enforcement agencies are about 22% less Black, by percentage, than their local jurisdictions.
English said another part of the diversity gap is family legacy in policing.
Since arriving in Henrico, he learned that many white officers in the division have grandfathers, fathers and sons who also served. English did not see this family dynamic as much during his nearly 30 years with the Richmond police.
“It makes it a little bit more difficult in terms of diversity here, because it’s much more common in white families to have a contingency of folks that have been in law enforcement,” English said. “That’s not common for Black families; even for myself, I’m the only one in my family that’s a law enforcement officer.”
Why representation matters
Experts say race is an element when police and citizens interact and see each other through a prism of racial, cultural and ethnic diversity, but also at a time of heightened anxiety.
Jonathan Zur, president and CEO of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, noted that law enforcement often shows up in moments of high stress. He said that when people experience emergencies, they can face added stress if they have to question whether an officer understands or believes them.
“I think those types of things become easier to answer when the police department reflects and connects with the community it serves,” Zur said.
Monica Hutchinson, vice president of the Henrico NAACP, said diversity among officers can help with understanding verbal and nonverbal cues from people with different backgrounds.
“Having a group of individuals that have not just racial and ethnic diversity, but also diversity of lived experience, is going to help,” Hutchinson said. “Some of those cultural differences can be the difference between thinking that someone’s being aggressive versus knowing that someone’s not.”
The division has a multicultural liaison who partners with the various ethnic groups in Henrico. English added that officers go on community walks and speak with residents to get a gauge on the community and build relationships.
Diversity underrepresentation in policing
Data gathered from October 2022 to May 2023 from nearly 120 law enforcement agencies in 14 states shows frequent disparity in the racial and ethnic makeup of the agencies compared to the communities they are hired to protect and serve.Recruiting ups and downs
Police applications in Henrico dropped from 1,086 in 2018 to 259 in 2021, according to data compiled by Lee Enterprises, the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s parent company. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the decreased numbers, but other factors were considered by Henrico police.
Henrico police applicants have to meet certain requirements such as being 21 before the academy graduation date, having a high school diploma or GED before being hired and being a United States citizen.
A felony conviction, certain misdemeanor convictions, and a driving record with more than six penalty points within the past year are among the items that will disqualify applicants from being considered for officer.
English changed a few of the guidelines to try and increase the applicant pool; tattoos are no longer required to be covered, and are permitted on visible areas such as hands.
Before English became chief, prospective officers were not allowed to use marijuana or THC products within the previous two years. The policy has since been adjusted to only ban those products on or after their date of application.
The division’s recruiting team plans to cast a wider net at education centers, military bases (through the Army Pays program) and colleges, including historically Black institutions.
Henrico also seeks to increase gender diversity on the force. The division is involved with the 30x30 Initiative, a national program that works toward having women represent 30% of police recruits by 2030. Henrico currently employs 14% female officers, according to county personnel data.
In 2022, police applications in Henrico rose to 418 through Oct. 19, but that is less than half of the 2018 total.
Diversity not a cure-all
With the recent case of five Black Memphis officers charged with killing Tyre Nichols, a Black man, police departments are faced with looking beyond “checking boxes” and finding additional ways to improve officer-to-citizen interactions.
“I think supervision is extremely important, especially when you have specialty units,” English said, referring to the Scorpion street crime unit of which the charged Memphis officers were a part. “You’ve got to have proper oversight.”
There also has been scrutiny of officer conduct in light of the death of Irvo Otieno, 28, in March at Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County. Seven Henrico County sheriff's deputies and three employees of the psychiatric hospital have been charged with second-degree murder and are accused of smothering Otieno to death.
(The sheriff's office is separate from the Henrico County Police Department and handles security for jails and courthouses, among other duties. Data shows the racial makeup of its 307 staffers is 60% Black and 31% white.)
The family of Otieno, who was Black, has said he was experiencing a mental health crisis. Authorities have not released body camera footage of the incident.
Henrico PD has a body-worn camera policy in which supervisors conduct regular audits to see if improvements can be made based on the video footage. The department prioritizes de-escalation training and recently took part in ICAT training, which stands for integrating communications, assessment and tactics.
Henrico residents and community groups not only want to see more diverse officers, but more representation at the top positions.
“Something that has to be discussed is making sure that positions of leadership are also diversified, making sure that our Black officers have the opportunity for advancement within the police department,” Hutchinson said.
When the search for a new police chief commenced in 2020, the county conducted an external hiring process for the first time, eventually leading to English’s hire.
“[English] is absolutely the right person at the right time to put out that welcome for all of our community,” said Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas.
Henrico citizens also advocated for the county to establish a police civilian review board to increase accountability. A proposal was brought before the Board of Supervisors in 2021, but the measure never reached the voting stage.
For now, Henrico police are looking to the future. The newest batch of police recruits started this spring. The class includes eight white males, five Black males, two white females, four Black females and one Hispanic male. | https://richmond.com/news/local/crime-courts/henrico-county-diversity-police-law-enforcement-irvo-otieno/article_c9b91068-b78a-11ed-962d-bb96b9af816f.html | 2023-05-22T09:51:43 | 1 | https://richmond.com/news/local/crime-courts/henrico-county-diversity-police-law-enforcement-irvo-otieno/article_c9b91068-b78a-11ed-962d-bb96b9af816f.html |
The Henrico Police Division is one of many departments across the country that does not fully represent the communities they serve, data from The Times-Dispatch shows.
An analysis conducted by the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism team identified Henrico County's police department as facing major struggles when it comes to diversity.
In a county with a population that is 51% white and 31% Black, less than 8% of the police officers are Black, while 85% are white, according to department personnel data.
But Henrico is not the only county in the Richmond metropolitan area in which the law enforcement agency does not look quite like the community it represents, according to personnel records and census data analyzed by The Times-Dispatch.
In both the city of Richmond and Hanover County, the primary law enforcement agencies — the Richmond Police Department and the Hanover County Sheriff's Office — are approximately 22% less Black than their local jurisdictions.
People are also reading…
The state of Virginia is more than twice as Black (20%) as the ranks of the Virginia State Police (9.1%).
And in Chesterfield County, 25.3% of the population is Black — more than three times higher than the police department's 8.3% mark.
Against the backdrop of existing racial disparities, police departments across the state are facing recruitment crunches. All four agencies have seen their yearly pools of prospective officers shrink by at least 46% since 2017, with Chesterfield Police Department applications falling by 70% in that period.
Dwindling applicant bases further complicate the task for police departments that want to make their ranks more diverse, forcing them to "get creative regarding recruitment initiatives," said Hanover Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. James Cooper.
Hanover's approach includes attending job fairs at the region's two historically Black colleges and universities, Virginia Union University in Richmond and Virginia State University in Petersburg. But that is not enough when, as Cooper put it, "we're fishing in the same pond" as other law enforcement agencies, many of whom are also recruiting at VUU and VSU.
So in April, the Hanover Sheriff's Office will be going on the road to recruit at Hilbert College in Hamburg, New York. It is not the first time the department has gone to out-of-state recruiting events. But it is "not something we do often," said Cooper, who noted the department's last out-of-state event was before the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, agencies are quick to make it clear that diversity for diversity's sake is not their goal. Law enforcement agencies generally disqualify candidates with prior convictions on felony or "serious misdemeanor" charges, including DUI or theft, as well as those with a history of illicit drug use.
Other agencies have even more stringent requirements. Richmond prohibits applicants from having visible head or neck tattoos, a policy not explicitly stated by the police departments in Chesterfield, Hanover or Henrico. Richmond police shared department demographics data with The Times-Dispatch but did not respond to multiple requests for comment about current recruiting initiatives.
"We insist on not lowering our bar," Cooper said. "Our citizens deserve a professional law enforcement office that meets high standards."
Col. Jeffrey S. Katz, chief of the Chesterfield police department, concurs.
"We want prospective applicants to know that if they achieve and hold a position within this organization, it’s because they offer inherent value and talent," Katz told The Times-Dispatch via email. "We would never want a prospective applicant to feel like they helped us check a box." | https://richmond.com/news/local/crime-courts/richmond-area-police-departments-trying-to-thread-the-recruiting-needle/article_3265e350-c502-11ed-b196-936c9bdaf74a.html | 2023-05-22T09:51:49 | 0 | https://richmond.com/news/local/crime-courts/richmond-area-police-departments-trying-to-thread-the-recruiting-needle/article_3265e350-c502-11ed-b196-936c9bdaf74a.html |
Teacher from Delaware couldn't find diverse children's books so she wrote her own
When Tahiya Cooper started teaching in 2013, she never intended to become an award-winning children’s author. She just couldn’t find any diverse books to offer her students — so she decided to write them herself.
Cooper, 32, is a Newark native and educator living in Elkton, Maryland. One of the causes she's dedicated herself to is helping children deal with emotions, which she does as a school counselor at Elkton’s North East Elementary School.
TUITION IS GOING UP:Delaware announces largest tuition increase in over a decade; DSU goes up as well
“My focus as a school counselor is supporting kids, and I saw the need for children's book characters that look like them, that my students could relate to," Cooper said. "I also wanted to spread a message of kindness.”
Now, Cooper strives to help children everywhere as an author who pays special attention to creating young, diverse characters.
Her newest book, “Sunshine Rock: A Story About Empathy,” is her latest effort to spread that message. The book, which released on March 4, features a nervous third-grader, Alexis, who is entering her first day at a new school. To provide her support, Alexis' brother gives her a shiny object that will bring her joy if she is upset: the Sunshine Rock.
EDUCATION ROUNDUP:Delaware colleges receiving national recognition. How did U.S. News rank our schools?
However, it turned out that Alexis didn’t need the rock, as her nerves were put to rest when her new classmates made her feel right at home. The story is meant to teach the importance of helping others and seeing things from other's perspectives, Cooper said.
Sunshine Rock is a follow-up to the success of her first book, “Kindness Week,” which received several awards and recognition in the areas of cultural diversity, social themes and school issues.
Delaware Online/The News Journal caught up with Cooper to ask her about becoming a children’s book author, her newest release and what she hopes to accomplish.
The following Q&A has been edited for length and clarity:
Q: What initially influenced your path as a writer?
A: When I was in high school, I used to write short novels and stories and then I just stopped when I got to college because I was writing so many papers and reading. It wasn’t until I started teaching in the classroom that I renewed my passion for writing when I noticed a need for diverse books. There wasn't enough positive books for kids that were from different a background, whether it be kids who were in wheelchairs, or kids who are Hispanic or African American. I also started a kindness club at my school back in 2018, and I realized that I wanted to spread that energy that those kids created at my school to make something bigger.
Q: What kind of message do you want to send with Sunshine Rock ?
A: That kindness and empathy is a gift that everyone can afford to give. Sometimes we don’t realize that everyone else is going through something and you have to step back and realize how to help others and understand everyone is going through something. Today, I use the book as a teachable moment.
Q: How important is it to promote a message of kindness and empathy, when you reflect on the global pandemic and racial tension in the world today?
A: It's extremely important. For kids in particular, understanding empathy and really taking the time to feel how someone else is feeling is a hard concept for children to understand. Sometimes when we don't, we can get angry and frustrated, but that's where I come in to try to handle their emotions and teach self-regulation.
Q: So far, what kind of impact has your books made on children and families?
A: I've seen such an impact. Worldwide I had people from Canada, all the way down from Florida to Hawaii who have used the book or are using it in their classrooms to spread kindness. And a lot of people are sending me pictures of them making their own Sunshine Rock in their classroom.
Q: Are any of the characters in your books modeled by one of your actual students?
A: Yes. In all of my books I have references to some of the students who were a pillar to my education and helped me to become a better teacher. Alexis and a couple others from Sunshine Rock are actually some of my former students. I learned from them and I felt that they made me a better person and teacher.
Q: Any plans for a third children's book in the future?
A: Yes, I definitely do. I’m really focused on the social and emotional health of our students and creating books that will empower them. I also want to continue to help them understand that there are characters that look like them that are doing positive things and spreading great messages.
To learn more about Cooper, visit: https://hangingwithmisscooper.com. A paperback edition of Sunshine Rock, featuring illustrations by Patricia Grannum, is available on Amazon.
Contact local reporter Cameron Goodnight at cgoodnight@delawareonline.com, or by calling or texting 302-324-2208. Follow him on Twitter at @CamGoodnight. | https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2023/05/22/educator-teaching-empathy-through-new-childrens-book/70218041007/ | 2023-05-22T10:12:09 | 0 | https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2023/05/22/educator-teaching-empathy-through-new-childrens-book/70218041007/ |
DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — A Dauphin County nonprofit hosted a car show to help support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
The Blue Moon Cruisers Car Show partnered with Team Donovan's Huddle to raise awareness for suicide prevention.
The event was held at the Lower Swatara Fire Department in Dauphin County.
One member of the organization says she's used her personal experience to help bring awareness to the issue.
"Once we lost Donovan, it was important for us to just start having a conversation where we raised the awareness of changing the culture," said Barbara Righter, Donovan's mother. "When we have these events and started doing this, we understood how many people were out there who have been affected by suicide loss."
Officials with the event say they raised more than $900 dollars to help support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/dauphin-county/blue-moon-cruisers-car-show-fundraiser-team-donovans-huddle-suicide-awareness/521-74a8f45b-c615-4ddf-9c21-3bcb7fd74f7d | 2023-05-22T10:13:02 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/dauphin-county/blue-moon-cruisers-car-show-fundraiser-team-donovans-huddle-suicide-awareness/521-74a8f45b-c615-4ddf-9c21-3bcb7fd74f7d |
YORK, Pa. — Members of the community came together in York to honor fallen members of the City of York Department of Fire/Rescue Services.
The 147th Annual Memorial Service honored fallen first responders from the area.
People joined together at the Saint Matthew Lutheran Church to pray and sing songs.
The City of York's Fire Chief says it's all about remembering the lives of those who passed away.
"This is for the department that knows the citizens in the community that we have served. For our department, it's just to remember those folks that passed throughout the year," said William H. Sleeger Jr.
The event celebrated the lives of 11 firefighters who passed away throughout the year. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/york-county/community-honor-fallen-firefighters-city-of-york-department-of-fire-rescue-services/521-fb330c83-54cf-48fd-a93a-c3a162478d25 | 2023-05-22T10:13:08 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/york-county/community-honor-fallen-firefighters-city-of-york-department-of-fire-rescue-services/521-fb330c83-54cf-48fd-a93a-c3a162478d25 |
The quaint, 174-year-old East Point Lighthouse commands a dazzling view of the confluence of the Delaware Bay and Maurice River — the same forces that could soon swallow it.
Severe erosion has reduced the beach in front of the lighthouse by three-quarters since the 1940s. The lighthouse basement floods after storms.
Nancy Patterson, volunteer president of the Maurice River Historical Society, which operates the lighthouse, says the worry keeps her up at night. But her most recent insomnia stems from battles with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to not only prevent the lighthouse from being engulfed by the bay but for the society to retain management of the historical structure.
The fully restored 19th-century lighthouse perches on the state-owned Heislerville Wildlife Management Area in Cumberland County, which the DEP oversees.
People are also reading…
The historical society currently holds a state license to operate the lighthouse, but the DEP opened a new leasing arrangement to public bidding May 1. Though the society hopes to win the bid, it could be bittersweet even if it does, Patterson said, because the new financial terms are onerous. At the same time, she’s pressing for the DEP to come up with a long-term solution to erosion.
“I never know which fire to put out first,” Patterson said while walking up the beach one day last week. “Oh, my gosh, I lost so much sleep over the lease application that it’s crazy. I’m still losing sleep because after 50 years I do not want to be the one that loses this lighthouse.”
ATLANTIC CITY — Mayor Marty Small Sr. was pretty clear when he told muralist Kelley Prevard …
Second oldest lighthouse in N.J.
The historic brick lighthouse, second oldest in New Jersey after the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, was built in 1849 and has survived decades of storms, vandalism and a disastrous 1971 fire. After the fire, the Maurice River Historical Society led an $850,000 restoration effort along with the Cumberland County Improvement Authority and the New Jersey Historic Trust.
The historical society began managing the lighthouse in 1993 under a lease with the state. It took decades for the society to raise the money and complete the restoration of the lighthouse, which reopened in 2017 with a functional blinking red beacon that pulses over the dark waters each night as a navigational aid serviced by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The society’s lease expired in 2017, and the state instead issued the organization an operating license in 2021 that expires Aug. 11.
About 6,000 people annually tour the two-story, Cape Cod-style lighthouse, with its white walls and red roof, museum and gift shop. They file through rooms filled with antiques and photos placed to recreate the feel of when lighthouse keepers and their families lived there. Tourists climb the equivalent of four stories to the tower room for an unbroken view of the bay, river and surrounding wetlands. They can even turn on the beacon. Tours are limited to weekends because they are staffed by local volunteers.
In preparation for Mother's Day, purchase a hydrangea plant this weekend at the Absecon Ligh…
Erosion is eating away the bayshore
East Point Lighthouse is tucked at the end of a dirt road on a remote stretch near the end of the state where horseshoe crabs and birds outnumber people. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The bay shore faces natural erosion quickened by sea level rise and land that’s naturally sinking due to geological forces. This shoreline has no regular federal or state replenishment efforts as there are along the economically lucrative Atlantic Coast.
Larry Hajna, a DEP spokesman, called the lighthouse an “icon of the Delaware Bay region.” He said that in 2019, the DEP installed a geotextile system that includes an 8-foot-diameter tube made of a durable synthetic membrane filled with sand. The 570-foot-long system runs parallel to the shoreline between the water and the lighthouse, Hajna said, and “is working as designed to protect the lighthouse.”
Patterson said the system helps break waves but calls the design “underscaled” with a life span expected to last a few more years at the most. She said water escapes during storms and floods around the lighthouse. She believes a permanent bulkhead is needed.
State Sen. Michael Testa, R-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, recently issued a statement asking the DEP to work with Maurice River Township and the historical society on a plan to protect the lighthouse beyond the life of the current system.
“I’m concerned that the DEP hasn’t shown much urgency in developing a long-term plan to protect the historic East Point Lighthouse from future beach erosion,” Testa said in the statement, adding, “With the current protective Geotube nearing its end of life, there isn’t much time to waste.”
CAPE MAY — Visitors to the Emlen Physick Estate will have the opportunity to donate to the C…
Terms of the new lease
The nonprofit Maurice River Historical Society initially raised money over decades for the restoration through bake sales, yard sales and other fundraisers. Grants came later.
In March, the society learned it would have to bid for the new lease. The lease requires bidders to submit the highest amount they are willing to pay for each year, above a minimum 5% of their total gross revenue from things such as tours or gift shop sales.
“What an unbelievable slap in the face,” Patterson said. “The lease is horrible. Right off the top they are going to take 5%, and they can raise that at any point for no reason. They’re going to take money from any T-shirts we sell, any tours, tickets, donations or grant funding. I think it’s going to cost us an additional $10,000 a year. I have no idea where I’m going to come up with that. It’s going to kill the gift shop.”
Patterson, who grew up in Philadelphia, moved with her family to the area 20 years ago. She left teaching and became an artist. Her work, along with that of local artisans, is sold in the lighthouse gift shop.
The society has an annual budget of about $43,000 for the lighthouse.
Patterson said she does not know whether others submitted bids. She said the lease would start in June. The DEP declined to comment on the lease.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, said he has tried to mediate between the Maurice River Historical Society and DEP since 2021.
“I remain committed to ensuring that a long-term lease agreement comes to fruition between NJDEP and the Maurice River Historical Society,” Van Drew said in an email.
UPPER TOWNSHIP — A Cape May County landmark is set to go away soon, with the coming demoliti…
A perpetually flooded basement
Patterson said water from storms flows through gaps of the geotextile system and gets funneled next to the lighthouse. Two sump pumps remove water from the basement to the outside. But the discharged water has no place to go because Superstorm Sandy in 2012 filled in a drainage ditch. Patterson said she’s worked with Maurice River Township, Cumberland County and the DEP on a plan to regrade the area and build dunes. But the plan has stalled.
Meanwhile, the society also has come up with a $30,000 plan to install a basement drying system.
“The lighthouse is really an incredible success story of the community to have a place like this that’s bringing in tourism,” Patterson said. “It’s a big deal.” | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/lighthouse-operator-is-battling-not-only-rapid-bayshore-erosion-but-the-state-of-new-jersey/article_dff18fb0-f658-11ed-b5bc-6f468a292b73.html | 2023-05-22T10:27:14 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/lighthouse-operator-is-battling-not-only-rapid-bayshore-erosion-but-the-state-of-new-jersey/article_dff18fb0-f658-11ed-b5bc-6f468a292b73.html |
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association is working on a plan to bring the entire high school girls wrestling state tournament back to Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City in 2024.
The three-day tournament typically starts on the first Thursday in March, and the finals are Saturday evening. On the boys side, 448 wrestlers advance to the state tournament from eight regions throughout the state.
What is already a hectic and crowded weekend in the resort will get even moreso as the state will need to accommodate an extra 144 wrestlers, with the top three girls in each weight class at four regions advancing to states.
The NJSIAA has every intention to do just that, Colleen Maguire, its executive director, said last week. The NJSIAA governs most high school sports in the state.
"(The) NJSIAA has always strived to bring the entire girls individual state championships to Boardwalk Hall," Maguire said in an email to The Press.
People are also reading…
Several public reports last week indicated the girls state tournament would be in Atlantic City next season, though the NJSIAA had made comments publicly since March that it expects to have the full girls tournament in the resort. The challenge now is making the right plan, such as the timing of each round.
"While we are still working on the tournament format, we are confident that we will be able to accommodate 144 girls wrestlers without impacting the integrity or traditions of the boys tournament. This is a kudos to (tournament director) Howie O'Neil and his efforts exploring every and all options," Maguire added.
The girls state championships were wrestled at the venue in 2019 and 2020, alongside the boys. Both the boys and girls state tournaments were moved to Phillipsburg High School in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, the boys state tournament was held at Boardwalk Hall, while the girls remained in Phillipsburg. This past winter, the earlier rounds of the girls state tournament were wrestled at Phillipsburg with the finals at Boardwalk Hall a week later. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/highschool/njsiaa-confident-entire-girls-wrestling-tournament-will-return-to-boardwalk-hall/article_e5d85f64-f656-11ed-8883-8f96d86287e7.html | 2023-05-22T10:27:19 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/highschool/njsiaa-confident-entire-girls-wrestling-tournament-will-return-to-boardwalk-hall/article_e5d85f64-f656-11ed-8883-8f96d86287e7.html |
CEDAR FALLS — Bella is a friendly little soul.
Tail swishing, the 5-year-old Cavachon bustles down a hallway at NewAldaya Lifescapes, following her owner Peg Broadie of Cedar Falls from room to room. At each stop, Broadie asks, “Can I put her in your lap?” Most residents nod, accepting Bella into their arms, cuddling and crooning to the small dog.
Faces wreathed in smiles, residents stroke Bella’s soft cream-and-apricot fur and scratch her ears.
“She’s not an overly energetic dog, very patient and tolerant. A Cavachon is part King Charles Cavalier Spaniel and bichon frise, so she weighs only about 12 or 14 pounds. That’s a nice lap size,” said Broadie.
“I think I get more out of it than she does,” the registered nurse continued, smiling. “I feel strongly about people dealing with isolation and loss, and when you got into a care center like this and you see how much therapeutic touch can mean when you’re petting a dog, that touches my heart.”
People are also reading…
Bella gets rewarded with a Honey Nut Cheerio from each of her new friends. Together, Bella and Broadie visit NewAldaya memory care residents twice a month as members of P.E.T.P.A.L.S., an all-volunteer organization that provides animal-assisted therapy and activities throughout the Cedar Valley. Broadie serves as secretary for the group, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary in June.
The group’s name is an acronym combining two titles, “Pets in Education and Therapy” and “People and Animals in Life Sharing.” Trained volunteers use their own temperament-tested pets as therapy-givers at dozens of public and private care facilities, hospitals, colleges, preschools, adult day care centers, libraries and any other location where they can do the best good. They log 10,000 or more hours annually. Pets are screened for health, temperament and suitability as a “therapy” animal.
In recent weeks, dogs, cats and other critters, including fish and a turtle, have brought comfort and happiness at de-stress events for University of Northern Iowa and Allen College students struggling through final exams, in addition to making regular visits at care facilities.
Everyone is excited when Daisy, a three-legged golden retriever arrives with her owner Sue Schoon at North Star Community Services Canterbury Center. The Waterloo adult day care center provides services for people living with an acquired traumatic brain injury.
Like most goldens, Daisy is happy to accept pats from everyone. “They love Daisy,” said Schoon, who is “fairly new” to P.E.T.P.A.L.S. and appreciates the interaction and affection between humans and pets.
“P.E.T.P.A.L.S. has had an impact in the Cedar Valley,” agreed Christine Hess, board member and volunteer who works for the Alzheimer’s Association. Animals can help reduce depression, loneliness and anxiety and bring back happy associations with pets for people diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s, for example.
Her black Labrador retriever mix Zelda, a rescue, looks forward to monthly visits at Bickford Cottage in Cedar Falls.
“From the moment we got her, she’s enjoyed people. She likes the attention. When we go to Bickford, she knows the route and gets to the door, her tail wagging like crazy. She greets every person and knows exactly how to position herself to get her favorite scratches,” Hess said, laughing.
There’s nothing like the feeling both Broadie and Hess get when a care facility resident, particularly someone who may be despondent or is nonverbal, reacts to a therapy animal.
“I recall one lady who was in decline and her support team said she’d always been a dog person, but they weren’t sure how much she would interact,” said Broadie, a board member who has belonged to P.E.T.P.A.L.S. for 36 years. “I placed Bella in the crook of her arm, and she opened her eyes and tried to sit up and look at Bella. They told me that was the most active she had been in two weeks.
“To see how Bella touched someone’s life, how she brought a little joy, that just fills my soul,” she said.
Linda Nebbe of Cedar Falls founded P.E.T.P.A.L.S. 40 years ago in cooperation with the Cedar Bend Humane Society.
“It still blows my mind that professional therapists at the time hadn’t had any dialogue about animal-assisted therapy. We were the first program in the country,” explained Nebbe. Now retired, the professional therapist and assistant professor of applied human sciences at the University of Northern Iowa is also founder of the nonprofit Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project.
Years ago, Nebbe began visiting a nursing home with her gregarious and gentle dog, Peter. “He loved it and was the star of the show. We went every Saturday morning until Peter died.
“I’ll never forget one day, I went out to look for Peter to make our trip, and I was calling and calling for him and he didn’t come. We lived on a farmstead, and I was getting worried, when I looked over and there he was, sitting in the car waiting for me,” she recalled, laughing.
Nebbe networked with therapists nationwide to focus attention on the importance and impact of the human-animal bond. Locally, she decided to put her words into action, recruited a handful of volunteers and built P.E.T.P.A.L.S. from the ground up.
“We needed a legitimate organization to show what we were doing, how it worked,” she said. Her volunteers “were solid gold” and worked diligently to raise awareness and understanding of the project with nursing home directors and others.
“It was love at first sight for so many residents who loved animals,” Nebbe said, and P.E.T.P.A.L.S. visits began to yield “one amazing experience after another. Interest in what we were doing grew very fast.”
The organization has become a model for similar animal-assisted therapy programs, and the training manual Nebbe developed is still in use by organizations across the country, said Jan Thompsen, board president.
Thompsen has devoted more than 30 years to the group with four different dogs. Her current dog, a rascally border collie mix named Rizzo, is “still a little too bouncy” to become a pet volunteer. So she devotes her time to recruiting new volunteers.
“Our big mission is to spread the love and joy of animals throughout the Cedar Valley. The pandemic was a blow to us because we couldn’t make our visits and we lost volunteers. Now we’re building back,” she explained.
To learn more about volunteering, training and temperament testing involved or to make a contribution to the nonprofit organization, contact P.E.T.P.A.L.S. at petpalscedarvalley.org, or call (319) 610-7379. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/creature-comforts-p-e-t-p-a-l-s-volunteers-therapy-pets-bring-joy-to/article_fcc5d2b4-d214-511d-8fb2-fefacfbd9d2c.html | 2023-05-22T10:28:08 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/creature-comforts-p-e-t-p-a-l-s-volunteers-therapy-pets-bring-joy-to/article_fcc5d2b4-d214-511d-8fb2-fefacfbd9d2c.html |
WATERLOO — Three years after the death of George Floyd in Minnesota sparked calls for law enforcement reform, area police departments still lack a significant minority representation in their ranks.
Waterloo, which has a population that is 69% white, has a sworn police force that is 95% white, according to demographic data obtained last year.
Cedar Falls -- 95% white -- has a police department that is 89% white.
The Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office -- which oversees a county that is 97% white -- is 80% white.
Law enforcement agencies are cognizant of this gap and have tried to close it for decades.
More recently, the Waterloo Police Department, under its first-ever Black Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald, cast a wider net in hopes of finding minority candidates to recruit into its ranks.
Fitzgerald, who left last year for a position in Colorado, clued the police department into additional minority-focused organizations and job boards to publicize its officer openings, said Lt. Greg Fangman with WPD’s internal affairs/administrative division.
Organizations added to the department’s recruitment efforts included the National Black Law Enforcement Officer Organization, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives. The department also added Zip Recruiter.
But the additional efforts have yet to pay off.
“It hasn’t resulted in a bunch of minorities showing up for our testing,” Fangman said.
Of the 120 sworn officers with the Waterloo Police Department, three are Black, two are Hispanic/Latinx and one is Asian/Pacific Islander, according to numbers released by the department last year.
There is also a gap when it comes to leadership. Only one minority officer held a rank above patrol officer.
Diversity underrepresentation in policing
Data gathered from October 2022 to May 2023 from nearly 120 law enforcement agencies in 14 states shows frequent disparity in the racial and ethnic makeup of the agencies compared to the communities they are hired to protect and serve.
There are similar breakdowns in other local law enforcement agencies. Two of Cedar Falls’ 74 sworn officers are Black, one is Hispanic and one is Asian/Pacific Islander. Of the sworn deputies with the Sheriff’s Office, none are Black, one is Hispanic and one is Asian/Pacific Islander.
For the past few years, the Waterloo Police Department has been fighting to simply maintain its staffing levels -- qualifying, hiring and training new officers to replace those retiring or leaving for other reasons -- regardless of demographics.
The department had to replace more than 10% of its force since December 2021, and that came at a time when fewer people are looking for careers in law enforcement.
Gone are the days when 200 applicants would try out for a spot on the police department’s civil service list.
During a recent hiring round, only nine people showed up to test -- a process that includes a mile-and-a-half run, pushups, situps and the standardized written Police Officer Selection Test -- or POST -- that covers math, grammar and reading.
Only three of the nine passed the written test, Fangman said.
He said the department helps applicants prepare. During each hiring round, Fangman offers two sessions that include sample POST questions and an overview of the selection process.
“I have had four or five applicants show up. I’ve also had no one show up. I can’t say for certain the overview helped someone pass, but it can’t hurt,” he said.
The Black Hawk County Human Resources Department offered a breakdown of applicants for the position of deputy sheriff over the past five years.
Between 2017 and 2022, 227 people have applied to be placed on the civil service list for deputy sheriff. Only 50 were minority applicants, according to the county Human Resources Department.
A total of 77 applicants -- 20 of them minorities -- showed up to take the physical and entrance exams. Thirty-two applicants passed those tests -- four of them minorities, according to the county Human Resources Department.
Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson (third from right) takes a knee in solidarity with protesters and another sheriff's deputy in the Waterloo City Hall parking lot June 3, 2020. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/diversity-remains-elusive-in-waterloo-cedar-falls-police-ranks/article_bbcdf8d1-7844-50eb-b6e9-e84fe2ad12ca.html | 2023-05-22T10:28:15 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/diversity-remains-elusive-in-waterloo-cedar-falls-police-ranks/article_bbcdf8d1-7844-50eb-b6e9-e84fe2ad12ca.html |
DANVILLE, Va. – A man was taken into custody in Burlington, North Carolina in connection with the shooting death of a 16-year-old in Danville, according to the Danville Police Department.
Authorities say 20-year-old Kyon Marquez Herbin has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder and malicious wounding following a fatal shooting at Purdum Woods Apartments in the 1500 block of Richmond Blvd.
The police department told 10 News that officers arrived at the apartment complex shortly after 2 p.m. to find a 16-year-old at the K building who had been shot and killed. A 19-year-old was also shot but is expected to recover, police said.
Herbin is waiting to be extradited back to Danville.
The Danville Police Department will conduct a H.E.A.R.T. Walk in Purdum Woods Monday at 4 p.m.
Anyone who has information is asked to please contact the Danville Police Department by either calling patrol at 434-799-6510 option 4, investigations at 434-799-6508 option 1, and option 1 again, calling 911, contacting Crime Stoppers at 434-793-0000, approach any officer you see, through social media, via email crimetips@danvilleva.gov, or use our crime tips app CARE at www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=818#.
You may have noticed a difference in how we’ve been reporting on crime. To learn more, click here or email trust@wsls.com | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/22/man-arrested-in-north-carolina-in-connection-with-deadly-shooting-of-16-year-old-in-danville/ | 2023-05-22T10:31:53 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/22/man-arrested-in-north-carolina-in-connection-with-deadly-shooting-of-16-year-old-in-danville/ |
Salisbury's Unity Square is set for construction. Here's what we know?
The City of Salisbury announced Friday that construction on the long-awaited Unity Square is set to begin, creating a community gathering space not yet seen on the Eastern Shore locale.
Unity Square will serve as a brand-new space for the community to hold events, play games, and enjoy seasonal gatherings, like the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, Maryland Folk Festival, 3rd Fridays, Hops on the River, and more.
“This new space is going to revolutionize what is possible for our many Downtown visitors, businesses, and residents. Unity Square is something that folks have been looking for a long time, and we’re excited to see it finally come to fruition," said Allen Swiger, director of Arts, Business, and Culture for the city.
When will construction begin?
Beginning Monday, June 5, the eastern section of Lot 1, closest to the parking garage, will be permanently closed to the public.
The western section, which is designated for permit parking only, will remain open. 2-hour free parking will be offered in the Downtown Parking Garage on Circle Avenue. For those visiting Downtown Salisbury, other lots remain available for public parking.
What will it include?
Designed by Baltimore-based firm Design Collective, Unity Square will feature an interactive fountain, play area, flexible lawn space with seating, sculpture and public art, a reading garden, and a new flush street to connect the space with the existing food truck pad and parking garage. Development will be led by local developers Harkins Builders.
Unity Square, first proposed to City Council in 2019, is a central component to the 2015-2035 Downtown Master Plan.
Created in 2014 with the input of over 2,500 individuals in a collaborative, democratic planning process, the Downtown Master Plan outlines recommended developments to neighborhoods, buildings, streets, community spaces, and more. Some form of a central community gathering space has been recommended in Downtown Master Plans since 1965.
What about a groundbreaking?
According to a statement by the city, a public groundbreaking ceremony will be announced in the coming weeks.
“There is no doubt that Unity Square will change the landscape of Downtown Salisbury, and that is exactly its purpose,” said Mayor Jack Heath. “Not only is this something that doesn’t exist Downtown, but it’s something that doesn’t exist in our city. Unity Square is part of a much bigger picture of Salisbury, one that emphasizes community, wellness, and togetherness.”
The public is urged to visit the official website of Unity Square for the latest on the design details and its amenities.
More on a proposed property taxHow much will Salisbury raise the property tax rate? Options on the table now
More on the latest city crime reportIs violent crime rising or falling in Salisbury? New report examines 10-year trend | https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/2023/05/22/salisburys-unity-square-is-set-for-construction-heres-what-we-know/70237448007/ | 2023-05-22T10:58:42 | 1 | https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/2023/05/22/salisburys-unity-square-is-set-for-construction-heres-what-we-know/70237448007/ |
Drivers should expect backups Monday morning on the Beltway’s inner loop after a crash that involved a Maryland state trooper.
ANOTHER HIGHWAY CRASH, THIS TIME A @MDSP TROOPER STRUCK: Innerloop I-495 before University Blvd in Silver Spring-- he is heavily entrapped inside of his cruiser after being struck while on a traffic detail. Highway is shutdown. #MDtraffic https://t.co/7up0feXfmh pic.twitter.com/fLTQWoSPbb
— MoCo PG News (@MoCoPGNews) May 22, 2023
Several lanes of the Beltway were closed early Monday. The crash remains under investigation.
Shortly after 4:30 a.m. a trooper inside of his marked SUV was rear ended while working in a work zone area. He was transported to Shock Trauma. @mdsp Crash Team is on the scene. Lanes 1, 2, 3, 4 closed for the investigation. Motorists urged to find alternate routes #MDTraffic
— MD State Police (@MDSP) May 22, 2023 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/2023/05/22/inner-loop-beltway-crash/ | 2023-05-22T11:02:31 | 0 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/2023/05/22/inner-loop-beltway-crash/ |
Hicks: Big savings for ending prevailing wage
MUNCIE, Ind. – In 1931, the federal Davis-Bacon Act mandated that wages paid to contracted workers on government construction projects be set at the prevailing level. That "prevailing wage" effectively ended competition on salaries for businesses bidding for federal government construction jobs.
The most likely reason for the initial "prevailing wage" laws is that the legislation favored local unions and prevented low-cost bids from newer businesses. The great migration of African-Americans to the North was well underway in 1931, and there was widespread fear that this increased supply of workers would suppress wages.
Over the years, several states passed their own prevailing wage laws, setting a high bar for wages on construction project costs. Not surprisingly, many citizens were unhappy to pay an elevated price for government infrastructure, such as schools, roads and bridges.
Over the past three decades, a number of studies have measured different effects of these prevailing wage laws. Most found that these artificial wage and salary rules caused the cost of infrastructure to rise. A few found no effect, and many other studies looked at non-wage effects, such as the amount of job automation, the racial mix of employees or workplace safety.
The challenge of all these studies is that there were very few changes to state prevailing wages laws. So, without the change needed to take advantage of a natural experiment, none of these studies could really provide results that convinced enough policymakers to act. So, prevailing wages continued on like any other classic government giveaway program. The costs are borne by everyone, while the benefits were concentrated just to a few. There are a few loud, well-financed supporters who benefitted, while the rest of us largely suffered in silence.
Fortunately, between 2015 and 2018, six states eliminated prevailing wage legislation. Indiana was the first of these, followed by West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky, Wisconsin and finally Michigan. The timing of these changes offered sufficient variation for an economist to construct a natural experiment to test the effect of repealing the state prevailing legislation. My study of the repeal of prevailing wage was published earlier this month.
My work focused on two questions. First, did repealing state prevailing wages reduce the cost of road construction and maintenance projects? Second, did repealing state prevailing wages shift the mix of workers and equipment used on these projects?
To conduct this study, I collected data on road costs and road conditions from federal sources. I wanted to control for the effects of annual changes in road spending, recessions and border effects for jointly funded projects. There are wage trends and regional variation in wages for construction workers. The number of vehicle miles travelled also affects road quality, which I used to modify my measure of costs. It takes fewer tax dollars in the short-run if you allow roads to deteriorate.
All of these varied by year. I also used variables that controlled for factors I may have left out, like weather or climate that varies state by state or year by year. There were a few more challenges. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, federal prevailing wages were suspended briefly, and in the years thereafter, Louisiana saw an unusually large amount of road work.
State laws also varied, with different cost thresholds for prevailing wages. Thus, the lack of uniformity made measuring a law as merely a "0" or "1" value in a statistical model a concern. Also, some states have a lot higher share of federal roads than others, and, except for a few weeks in 2005, the federal prevailing wage law was in force. The problem with this is that if the federal share is high, the effects can spillover into non-federal projects.
I ran several models, just to ensure that adding or removing one of these variables didn’t overly influence the results. Across the board, my models showed that repealing state prevailing wage laws saved taxpayers money. The savings ranged from 8.5 percent to 14.3 percent of road construction and maintenance costs.
The saved costs per mile were notably large. Here in Indiana, ending the state prevailing wage law in 2015 saved Hoosier taxpayers between $4,424 per mile and $6,866 per mile. Arkansas saw the lowest savings, with a lower threshold of $3,122 per mile, while Wisconsinites saved as much as $15,682 per road mile. My findings were pretty much ‘middle of the road’ compared to earlier studies that found cost reducing benefits of ending prevailing wages.
The second part of my study examined whether prevailing wage shifted the mix of workers and equipment on road projects. Economists measure this by calculating the labor share of construction spending. The presence of prevailing wage would tend to reduce the demand for workers and cause businesses to substitute more expensive equipment instead of paying a wage premium.
Using similar techniques, I was unable to conclude that the prevailing wage law reduced the labor share of road construction spending because the effect, though large, was just outside of the commonly understood levels of statistical significance. This is a topic worth revisiting in a few years because this measure would adjust more slowly than overall costs.
In the months since I started this study, Michigan has again changed their law, and now has a state prevailing wage. I am eager to test the effects of this change, and I’m pleased that citizens of another state will provide tax dollars for this natural experiment.
I already noted the political economy of prevailing wage is to concentrate benefits but diffuse costs. This ensures an animated, vocal group of supporters but less opposition to prevailing wage. But, there’s another more important argument about its merits, or lack thereof.
Suppose that we thought there were a group of workers who needed more government support than free markets gave them. So, we wished to transfer some tax dollars to them to improve their earning capacity, or maybe we wanted to subsidize their continued schooling. These are policies that most citizens have long supported.
The prevailing wage law actually reduces available tax dollars for these programs. A state prevailing wage law diverts tax dollars away from critical infrastructure, and away from programs that would help the most needy. It sends tax dollars away from places they are needed to places where they are not. So, if you believe your state government should spend more on people, the prevailing wage law is among the worst ways to do so. Hoosiers are fortunate indeed that the legislature its wasteful prevailing wage legislation back in 2015.
Michael J. Hicks, PhD, is the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research and the George and Frances Ball distinguished professor of economics in the Miller College of Business at Ball State University. | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2023/05/21/hicks-big-savings-for-ending-prevailing-wage/70233363007/ | 2023-05-22T11:13:45 | 1 | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2023/05/21/hicks-big-savings-for-ending-prevailing-wage/70233363007/ |
ByGone Muncie: Where the heck is Tweedyville?
MUNCIE, Ind. – I have an historical conundrum that I hope the good readers of ByGone Muncie will help me figure out.
Where in Delaware County, Perry Township specifically, was (or is) the village of Tweedyville?
The name doesn’t appear on any current or historical Delaware County map, nor is it listed in the USGS database of place names. It’s only mentioned in a handful of local newspaper articles and in the U.S. 1880 Census. What, or perhaps better asked, where in the heck was Tweedyville?
This historical mystery began for me a few months ago when I happened upon a 1982 Dick Greene column that mentioned the name. If you’re unfamiliar, Greene was a long time reporter and columnist for the Muncie Star newspaper. He was also an active public historian and wrote often about Muncie and Delaware County history in his decades-long series, “Seen and Heard in Our Neighborhood.” In his column’s May 12 installment, Greene discussed a hodge-podge of local cultural ephemera, including a note he received from John Lewellen, a retired Ball State professor and the namesake of Ball State’s Lewellen Pool. According to Greene, Lewellen asked “whether I’ve ever heard of a Delaware County settlement called “Tweedyville.” Beats me, John. He found the name in an 1870 census.”
The reference was odd for a few reasons. First, Dick Greene was a walking encyclopedia of local history, especially in 1982. If neither he nor his readers knew the answer, no one else alive did. Second, I wrote a book in 2017 titled Lost Towns of Delaware County, Indiana. The publication was my attempt to provide a brief history of every hamlet, village, town, city, and ghost town settled in Delaware County. I spent two years reading and studying every source I could find on the subject. I believed, at least up until reading Greene’s 1982 column, that I had included everything. How did I miss Tweedyville? Finally, it seemed strange that such a unique name never appeared on any map published in two centuries of Delaware County history.
I looked up the 1870 U.S. Census and couldn’t find any reference to Tweedyville, though I did find a family with the surname Tweedy living in Perry Township; farmers James and Nancy Tweedy and their four children, Barney, Jemima, William, and Henry. The Tweedy’s farm was in the northeast corner of Perry Township, about a mile southwest of Windsor near the line with Randolph County.
It’s possible Lewellen meant the 1880 census, because in that year, 74 people were counted as living in “Tweedy-ville.” Of the twenty-six pages for Perry Township in the 1880 United States Census, the first eight are all Tweedyville residents. We know this because the census taker concluded that page with a matter-of-fact note: “Here ends the village of Tweedy-ville.”
Tweedyville appears rarely in local newspapers. In October of 1879, it was briefly mentioned by the Muncie Daily News, “we are informed that Sam Rodman will embark in the auction business in a few days, and will make his opening speech at Tweedyville on Wednesday next.”
The village was the setting for a tragic story in August of 1883, when the Muncie Morning News reported on a murder-suicide, “Mortimer Hill shot himself and wife at Tweedyville Sunday night. It is now developed beyond a doubt that Hill has meditated the awful crime for some time past.” The story made headlines around the state, though other newspapers identified the events as happening either at or near Selma in Liberty Township.
With exception of Dick Greene’s 1982 column, the only other “Tweedyville” reference I could find in local newspapers was on April 1881 when the Morning News reported the previous year’s final Delaware County census numbers. Perry Township, “including the village of Tweedyville,” was home to 1,200 residents, 74 of whom lived in the unincorporated Tweedyville community.
Assuming it wasn’t some ghost town forgotten by everyone, it’s possible that Tweedyville was a nickname for one of six Perry Township settlements: Gate’s Corner, Charleston, Land of Nod, Medford, Mt. Pleasant, or New Burlington. With a little research, we can narrow that list down to two.
Gate’s Corner is an unlikely candidate for Tweedyville based on population. The unincorporated hamlet grew around a post office (1898-1901) and rural general store along the old Burlington Pike. Gate’s Corner was only ever home to a small number of residents, certainly not 74 of them. The Perry Township ghost town of Charleston doesn’t fit either. It was platted in 1838 a bit south on the old Richmond Road, but no one ever lived there. Charleston was a real estate pipedream of a settler named Charles Lindley. The Land of Nod doesn’t work with the Tweedyville timeline, as it was an informal name given to a 20th century truck stop along U.S. 35. Medford can’t be it either, because it wasn’t platted until 1901 with the arrival of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (the Cardinal Greenway today).
That leaves just Mt. Pleasant and New Burlington, two of the oldest non-Native settlements in Delaware County.
Not to be confused with Mount Pleasant Township, the sleepy Perry Township village of Mt. Pleasant was platted in 1837. The historian Thomas Helm wrote in 1881 that “Mount Pleasant is a thickly settled neighborhood in the southwestern part of the township, containing three cooper-shops and a number of dwellings.” Mt. Pleasant had two post offices, Blaineton in 1880 and Hasel from 1896 to 1901.
New Burlington was also platted in 1837, although north a bit on the old Richmond Road. Helm described it in 1881 as “a rural village, boasting no manufacturing establishment of any kind, but did contain a general store, shoemaker, and wagonmaker. New Burlington was “situated on the farm entered by George Ribble, who was the original proprietor, and first laid it off into town lots.” The New Burlington post office existed in the village from 1838 until 1901 and the Muncie and New Burlington Turnpike connected the two communities in 1867.
Though Mt. Pleasant is occasionally confused in history with its post offices, both it and New Burlington have been called as such since at least the Civil War. Delaware County and Indiana state maps from 1848, 1857, 1869, 1874, 1886, and 1887 all show New Burlington and Mt. Pleasant at or near their present locations in Perry Township, with nary a Tweedyville to be seen.
Out of frustration, I just googled “Tweedyville, Delaware County, Indiana.” The only relevant result I got was an 1883 Department of the Interior publication, entitled “The National Gazetteer: A Geographical Dictionary of the United States.” In it, it lists “Tweedyville, Ind.” with a post office named “New Burlington” in Perry Township and a population of 74 residents.
So I guess “Tweedyville” was a sometimes used nickname for New Burlington around 1880. I really have no idea, or as Dick Greene said best 41 years ago, “Beats me.”
Chris Flook is a Delaware County Historical Society board member and a Senior Lecturer of Media at Ball State University. | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2023/05/22/bygone-muncie-where-the-heck-is-tweedyville/70236715007/ | 2023-05-22T11:13:51 | 1 | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2023/05/22/bygone-muncie-where-the-heck-is-tweedyville/70236715007/ |
'Text Neck:' The cost of screens on our spines
Editor's Note: The following is part of a class project originally initiated in the classroom of Ball State University professor Adam Kuban in fall 2021. Kuban continued the project this spring semester, challenging his students to find sustainability efforts in the Muncie area and pitch their ideas to Deanna Watson, editor of The Star Press, Journal & Courier and Pal-Item. This spring, stories related to health care will be featured.
MUNCIE, Ind. – Today’s world moves faster than before.
Nearly everyone is able to connect with anyone else by tapping a few buttons on a smartphone or typing up a message on a computer or laptop.
The ease with which we’re able to communicate is quite an accomplishment. However, it’s entirely possible that the use of these devices is coming at a cost that we don’t immediately realize. According to recent statistics, the average American spends just over seven hours on screens per day. Constant engagement with our various devices is taking a toll on us.
Specifically, neck and back issues have been attributed to the use of smartphones and similar devices. It is an issue that many chiropractors see time and time again, as Dr. Michael Jobe, a chiropractor at Clear Choice Chiropractic in Muncie, Ind., said.
"I’d probably say 50% of the people we get in here come from people that look at computer screens all day,” Jobe said.
According to a study published by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the frequent use of technology doesn’t have delayed consequences. In their study, a 16-year-old girl was admitted to a pediatric unit for symptoms like headache and dizziness. After different tests were done, an answer couldn’t be found. Then an MRI was done, showing spinal issues as the cause for her symptoms. Using touchscreen devices for multiple hours a day was cited as the cause for the issues.
“‘Text neck’ is the new term cause you got to think everybody’s looking down at a phone or they’re looking at a computer [and] typing away,” Jobe explained, “so the environment people are in right now is bringing people in [to the office] quite a bit.”
Jobe has been a chiropractor for nine years, but professionals at either end of the experience spectrum are also well aware of the issues of “text neck.” Dr. Gerald Langley, a chiropractor for more than 30 years at Langley Chiropractic and Acupuncture in Muncie, also spoke to the cause of the uncomfortable condition.
“Everybody hangs over the computer, hangs over their phones, and you’ll get a posture with your head hanging out front of where your hips are and where your shoulder lines are,” Langley said. “You’re not wanting that in the future ‘cause gravity works.”
Shoulder pain, headaches associated with 'text neck'
According to the Spine Wellness Center, a chiropractic office established by Dr. Sarah Johnson in 2002, symptoms of “text neck” include instant upper back or neck pain when using a handheld device, general shoulder pain and tightness, and intermittent or constant headache that worsens when looking down or using a computer.
People of all ages use these devices and are possibly at risk of developing “text neck.” Although, Logan Brackman, a chiropractic student at Logan University in Missouri, has caught himself falling in line with everyone else when it comes to using devices.
“Being in school for seven years, I definitely had that student posture sitting at a desk, and I would start to feel it in myself,” Brackman recalled. “I still kinda feel my shoulders rounding forward; I get those tight traps and that upper back stuff kinda going out to the shoulders, and it’s still kind of working its way out in me.”
However, there are ways to alleviate the pain caused by “text neck.” The Spine Wellness Center notes that a couple remedies consist of lying flat on your back on the floor or another firm surface or bending your knees and placing your hands at the side of your body. | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2023/05/22/neck-back-issues-attributed-to-use-of-smartphones-similar-devices/70236474007/ | 2023-05-22T11:13:57 | 0 | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2023/05/22/neck-back-issues-attributed-to-use-of-smartphones-similar-devices/70236474007/ |
'This is life or death for my kid’: Parent reacts to passage of Senate Bill 480
Editor's Note: The following is part of a class project originally initiated in the classroom of Ball State University professor Adam Kuban in fall 2021. Kuban continued the project this spring semester, challenging his students to find sustainability efforts in the Muncie area and pitch their ideas to Deanna Watson, editor of The Star Press, Journal & Courier and Pal-Item. This spring, stories related to health care will be featured.
MUNCIE, Ind. – Eight months.
That is how long Tiffany Erk and her 16-year-old son have to find out-of-state, gender-affirming care that used to be available just minutes away from them in Muncie, Ind.
On April 5, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed Senate Bill 480 into law, banning gender-transitioning care for those under the age of 18. Because Erk’s son started hormone therapy prior to the bill’s passage, he will have until the end of December to stay on it before he can no longer continue receiving the care in Indiana.
“As a parent who has carefully constructed a health care plan with professionals over a couple of years’ time and seen the difference that it has made in my child's life … and then have the state take that authority out of my hand as a parent to where we can't even trust medical professionals and those decisions that we're making together is infuriating,” Erk said of the bill’s passage.
Gender-affirming care and suicide prevention
Access to gender-affirming care can be especially crucial for LGBTQ+ youth. According to a 2020 survey published in the “Journal of Adolescent Health,” use of gender-affirming hormone therapy in youth transgender and nonbinary populations was associated with lower odds of recent depression and serious contemplation of suicide. This survey included representation from over 34,000 LGBTQ+ youth.
Erk has already begun constructing a game plan for the new year but not without struggle. When initially seeking gender-affirming care for her son through the Riley Children’s Gender Health Program, she said she was met with a six-month wait just to get a phone call to schedule an appointment. By the time Riley could provide the care, Kathyrn Feeney, a gender-affirming care provider and nurse practitioner, was available to do it more locally.
Feeney described SB 480 as “a logistical nightmare,” mentioning things such as out-of-state travel expenses as concerns of hers that she hopes out-of-state providers will address in their response to the legislation.
“We recognize that many, many families are not capable of (traveling out of state for care),” she said. “Ideally, my hope is that some of these providers and other states will be able to do telehealth visits with these patients so that it will minimize the travel.”
These virtual visits rose in popularity during the pandemic, and post-pandemic numbers are still up substantially from 2019. According to data from the Telehealth Services Utilization Analysis, conducted by the Center for Improving Value in Health Care, telehealth service utilization increased by 2,000% between 2019 and 2020, and it only decreased by 11% the following year.
Telehealth visits are especially relevant for those struggling with mental health. According to the same data, mental health is the top telehealth-diagnosis category for all years, and numbers continued to increase in both 2020 and 2021.
As mentioned by Feeney, telehealth visits can be especially beneficial to families without access to some form of transportation. A 2023 study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that 21% of American adults without access to a vehicle or public transportation went without needed medical care in the past year.
However, current language in SB 480 prohibits “aiding or abetting another physician or practitioner in the provision of gender transition procedures to a minor.” This means providers like Feeney will be unable to make referrals to other out-of-state providers for her current patients receiving care.
Existing resources for LGBTQ+ patients
Feeney mentioned existing resources like GenderNexus and OutCare Health, organizations aimed specifically at achieving health equity for LGBTQ+ patients. Christopher Roman, executive director of OutCare Health, said the organization has one of the largest national directories of LGBTQ+ health care providers, listing more than 3,500 across the country.
Still, programs highlighting education are among some of the most important activities OutCare Health does when dealing with legislation such as SB 480 in Indiana, he said.
“While I despise these laws that are being passed because they’re coming from a lack of understanding, I think it’s waking people up about the reality of the situation,” Roman said. “Folks are getting more educated and learning more, and slowly we’ll see hopefully that those laws will be rolled back as folks understand gender-affirming care and the gaps in care.”
This comes at a time when, according to a 2017 study, more than half of current medical providers said their training did not adequately prepare them to care for LGBTQ+ individuals. Furthermore, a 2021 survey of undergraduate medical students reported that 69% of respondents said they had not received any specific training on LGBTQ+ health needs.
“It is an undue burden to be placed on an already targeted population,” Erk said of the legislation and subsequent out-of-state search for care for her son. “Most trans people that don't get to express themselves the way that they need to are at a really high risk for suicide, and, to me, this is life or death for my kid.”
SB 480 will officially go into effect July 1. | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2023/05/22/parent-of-transgender-son-reacts-to-passage-of-indiana-senate-bill-480/70233429007/ | 2023-05-22T11:14:03 | 0 | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2023/05/22/parent-of-transgender-son-reacts-to-passage-of-indiana-senate-bill-480/70233429007/ |
NORTHWEST INDIANA — Portage Police Lt. Rob Maynard recalls a young Black man laughing and responding with a resounding "no" when asked at a career fair a couple of months ago if he was interested in a job in law enforcement.
"The other officer helping me out that day asked him why that was and this young person said their family would never accept them being a police officer," Maynard said. "He explained that when he was growing up his mother told him that the police were not a good organization to be a part of or to even be around."
While the conversation continued in a positive direction, Maynard said, he in no way felt the young man would go against his family and consider a job as a police officer.
The encounter reflects the types of challenges police departments across the Region can face when attempting to bring greater diversity to their forces.
People are also reading…
As part of a seven-month investigation by Lee Enterprises and Type Investigations, reporters reached out to more than 170 law enforcement agencies across much of the U.S. seeking data on, among other things, their racial, ethnic and gender make up. Numerous local police departments have grown in diversity since The Times 2020 analysis of police diversity. However, many of the departments still struggle to reflect the racial makeup of their communities.
Diversity underrepresentation in policing
Data gathered from October 2022 to May 2023 from nearly 120 law enforcement agencies in 14 states shows frequent disparity in the racial and ethnic makeup of the agencies compared to the communities they are hired to protect and serve.Some law enforcement officials said there is a need for diversity, equity and inclusion to establish more trust between police and the community. However, some officers disagree with the notion that a more diverse force will help police build better relationships with the people they serve.
The Portage police force of 67 men and seven females, like many others across the Region, does not exactly mirror the makeup of its diverse community with its two Black and seven Hispanic officers.
"I personally don’t think the agency needs to be an exact reflection of the statistical makeup, but I do think a police agency should have representatives from each demographic found within the community it serves," he said. "Having officers of the different sexes, races, ethnicities, or religions helps us to understand cultural nuances and more effectively communicate with community members."
The Portage department took part a couple of years ago in the citywide diversity committee, which resulted largely in gains in salary, training and equipment, he said. These gains in attracting potential hires, however, were offset by similar efforts in nearby competing departments.
The city's civilian merit board, which handles all the hiring for the department, is made up of three women and three men, with one Black member.
"The Portage Police Department has opportunities for all people regardless of race or sex," Maynard said. "Each hiring process is competitive by nature, with the applicants being ranked by their individual performance through physical and mental testing as well as an interview process with the merit board. We believe this process is fair to everyone with the ultimate goal of PPD hiring the best police officers to be had, regardless of race or sex."
When asked about having just one person of color in a leadership role at the Portage department, Maynard said most of its officers do not have the required five years of seniority to be eligible to test for a promotion.
"At this time we do have one Hispanic officer with nine years of service, and he was promoted to the rank of corporal in June of 2022," Maynard said. "Becoming a supervisor is a competitive process using a point system consisting of supervisor evaluations, years of service, interviews with the civilian police merit board and score on a written test."
The average years of service at the time of promotion is currently 11 and a half years for all officers.
Departments in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties previously have lamented their struggle to find viable candidates for the job.
The Gary Police Department has the most diverse leadership, according to the data Lee Enterprises collected from 90 police departments nationwide. Maj. Chief Jerry Williams said the department prides itself on being one of the most diverse in the area, but it doesn’t actively recruit women or people of color.
“A police department should attempt to represent the diverse nature of its community members,” Williams said. “However, choosing quality candidates should be the top priority.”
Their recruitment process is undergoing an update under Williams, who was appointed chief in January. The application process has been shortened and moved online.
The East Chicago Police Department ranks second in the national assessment of most diverse leadership, according to data. Chief Jose Rivera said the department also strives to find the most qualified candidates as opposed to focusing on diversifying the department.
Salary and benefits can make or break where an applicant chooses to begin their career. Salaries throughout Lake County's police departments vary. The starting salary for entry-level officers in Hammond, Lake County's largest city and largest department, is $51,510. In Gary, the second-largest city, police officers start at $56,650, according to the department's website. East Chicago, a heavily diverse city with a force more than half the size of Gary's, offers $57,257 to candidates, plus an abundance of incentives to join the department, including $30,000 in down payment assistance on a home in the city.
While the Porter County Sheriff's Department did not provide demographic information requested for the current report, it did release a statement saying: "We hire the best candidate regardless of sex, race or religion."
The department does not keep track of applicants and employees based on sex, race or religion, Sgt. Benjamin McFalls said.
"It’s very important to us that our composition reflects the diverse makeup of our community," he said. "We are implementing new recruitment goals and attending job fairs throughout the state and Midwest."
Valparaiso police Capt. Joe Hall said his department has tried to expand its diversity through expansion of the recruitment team and partnerships with 20 universities, academies and organizations to promote job openings.
"The Valparaiso Police Department is always looking to find the best candidates for open positions and specifically look to share our recruitment messages in ways that will promote a diverse workforce," Hall said. "We do our best to recruit quality people for our positions, looking at character and personality that is a good fit with our agency and the community."
The diversity in the Valparaiso Police Department closely represents that of the city of Valparaiso, according to the data. The force is approximately 14% people of color while the city is about 12% people of color. The biggest challenge, Hall said, is finding quality candidates of any kind.
Law enforcement agencies "are competing against each other to complete our hiring needs. Ensuring we reach all candidates is also a challenge, as law enforcement must be creative in finding ways to share their brand and publicize their openings."
In an effort to do so, Hall said, Valparaiso police increased their presence on social media and have streamlined the digital application process to reach more candidates.
"Law enforcement must be creative in finding ways to share their brand and publicize their openings," Hall said.
The Lake County Sheriff's Department is one of the more diverse departments in Lake County. According to the data, 30% of the department's officers are people of color, compared to 47% of the county. Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said he believes it's important for the department to represent the community in order to build relationships and encourage the community's confidence in their police.
"I seek to hire people from diverse backgrounds because it’s simply the right thing to do for the communities we serve," Martinez said. "It helps to forge relationships with people in our neighborhoods and increase understanding and awareness. We want to make sure all members of our community are treated with dignity and respect."
The county's police force more closely represents its population compared to departments of similar size, such as Gary or Hammond. Martinez said the department recruits through campaigns that seek to reach people from a broad range of backgrounds throughout the area, such as on roadside billboards at high-traffic intersections, area radio stations and at job fairs throughout the community.
"We have intentionally spread our hiring messages across a diverse set of platforms, including social media and law enforcement trade groups like the International Association of Chiefs of Police, to try to make contact with as many groups of people as we can," he said.
Martinez said he also strives to have diverse representation at neighborhood events like parades and festivals so the department can engage with the public and speak with people who might have an interest in working in law enforcement.
Some departments chose not to respond to Lee Enterprises’ survey this year, even in cases where they provided the data in summer 2020 — when Lee Enterprises carried out a similar but smaller-scaled analysis of police demographics.
In 2020, the Merrillville Police Department had the widest gap between percentages of minorities within the police force and the population served. They were ranked against about 65 law enforcement agencies surveyed by Lee Enterprises.
Merrillville is located within one of Indiana’s most minority-dense urban cores in northwest Indiana.
2020 Census data showed Black residents accounted for 44% of the town's population. Yet that same year, when Merrillville last supplied data, only 5.3% of its sworn police officers were Black, according to the agency. Merrillville fared the worst of all departments in Northwest Indiana, but agencies in Hammond, Griffith, Portage and Gary weren’t far behind.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the city of East Chicago — one of the region’s most diverse melting pots — had one of the most diverse police forces in 2020 and again when surveyed in 2023.
Merrillville declined to provide data to participate this year. Chief Kosta Nuses said the department leadership felt they were represented unfairly in 2020, and that the story didn’t highlight the struggles in recruiting.
“If people don't apply, you can't do anything. It would have been more accurate if you wrote it was due to lack of people applying,” Nuses said. Nuses was the department’s spokesman who was interviewed in 2020.
The 2020 story quoted a number of leaders on the many challenges that persist in recruiting and how diversity within police ranks is no solution for the systemic racism alleged by many who continue seeking reform. The story noted how departments partnered with schools, universities, community groups and others to diversify their ranks to little avail. Waves of retirements nationally compounded by a lack of new applicants was also noted.
“I can’t make people apply. It’s hard to recruit anybody, let alone a diverse pool,” Nuses said.
Like other departments nationwide, Nuses said applicants are down. The department went from fielding “100 applicants” to maybe “three to five,” he said.
“Nobody wants to be the police,” he said of the challenging profession.
Hammond is one Indiana's most diverse cities. William Short, who was named chief in 2021, is Hammond's first Black police chief. While Hammond police's diversity has increased since 2020, the numbers do not reflect that of the community. Short cites the challenges of living in a post-pandemic world where young people entering the work force choose careers that may have more flexibility, such as the ability to work from home. However, he said Hammond has "quadrupled their search efforts" to recruit from different areas of the Region.
"Officers volunteer to help us reach the public whether it’s through a live event such as visiting high schools, universities and churches or through social media and marketing platforms such as flyers, billboards and Facebook ads," Short said.
Short said he believes the force should reflect the community and is proud that Hammond's has increased. Like many others, he believes the focus should be on a candidate's character when hiring.
"We want people who stand on high moral ground and who care for, and empathize with, the people we serve," Short said.
Lauren Cross of Lee Enterprises’ Public Service Journalism team contributed to this story. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-courts/northwest-indiana-police-departments-more-diverse-than-3-years-ago-data-shows/article_9349f7cc-f4f7-11ed-acd0-e74df34aff34.html | 2023-05-22T11:14:24 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-courts/northwest-indiana-police-departments-more-diverse-than-3-years-ago-data-shows/article_9349f7cc-f4f7-11ed-acd0-e74df34aff34.html |
Two people died in a shooting in West Philadelphia's Wynnefield neighborhood overnight.
Philadelphia police responded to North Ruby Street, near Hazelhurst Street, around 3 a.m. Monday to find two men shot on the ground.
One man died at the scene, while the other died a short time later at the hospital, Philadelphia Police Capt. Anthony Ginaldi said. One man was in his 20s, while the other was in his 30s.
Police found evidence that at least eight shots were fired. They also found a gun that was stolen during a robbery "several years back," Ginaldi said.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
Also at the scene, police found a spark plug, welding hammer and welding gloves, Ginaldi said while calling those items "odd." He said at least one other jurisdiction was involved in the investigation.
Philadelphia police didn't reveal a motive for the double homicide.
Entering Monday, at least 155 homicides had been reported in Philadelphia in 2023, according to Philadelphia police data. That's down 15% from the same time last year, but on pace to be one of the deadliest years in recent history.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/two-shot-dead-in-west-philadelphia/3570820/ | 2023-05-22T11:19:47 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/two-shot-dead-in-west-philadelphia/3570820/ |
Skip to content
Main Navigation
Search
Search for:
Weather
Local
Sports
Entertainment
Investigators
Videos
Newsletters
Live TV
Share
Close
Trending
Watch NBC10 24/7 on Roku, Peacock
2023 Philly Mayoral Race
Phillies Baseball
Expand
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Close Menu
Search for:
Local
U.S. and World
Politics
Weather
Weather Alerts
School Closings
See It, Share It
Sports
Phillies
Eagles
Sixers
Flyers
NBC Sports Philadelphia
Investigators
NBC10 Responds
Submit a tip
Watch The Lineup
Philly Live
Entertainment
Wawa Welcome America
About NBC10 Philadelphia
Our News Standards
Share a News Tip or Feedback
Share a Consumer Complaint
Share Photos and Video
Our Apps
Newsletters
Cozi TV
Follow Us
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Contact Us | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/two-shot-dead-in-west-philadelphia/3570835/ | 2023-05-22T11:19:53 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/two-shot-dead-in-west-philadelphia/3570835/ |
GREENSBORO — In the Pitonzo family of four, it was Jesse who always saw and felt things differently.
His family said that from a young age, he gravitated toward helping those in need, whether they knew him as a friend or were meeting him for the first time. Some of those good deeds have been revealed to his parents and brother in the months after the 26-year-old was stabbed to death.
For some, it was Jesse’s encouragement that led them to pursue an education or a job opening. For others, he helped them financially in tough times.
He volunteered at food banks and spent time with elderly people who had no family.
“He just helped people,” said mother Beth Pitonzo, her voice breaking during a recent interview. “They all saw him as someone who inspired them. He didn’t say a lot, but when he did, they knew it was important. I don’t think he ever truly realized the impact he had.”
People are also reading…
She said Jesse was “humble” and a quiet leader.
“He wouldn’t have described himself this way, but he was a servant leader,” Beth said. “He paid attention” to what people were going through.
His father, David, described his son as a “gentle soul” who was an extremely talented artist and creative spirit. While he was a “perfectionist” when it came to his own work, Jesse was never competitive or aggressive because he was so frequently focused on helping others, David said.
Now the family continues to grieve the loss of Jesse, who was fatally stabbed in the early morning hours of Feb. 15 in the 4700 block of Champion Court. Greensboro police charged Madry Samuel Bell, 26, with first-degree murder and misdemeanor stalking.
Bell is jailed without bond and police have not released a possible motive in the slaying. A court hearing in the case is scheduled for today.
“It’s been hard,” said Jesse’s older brother, Michael, about trying to process the death of his only sibling. “He would go out of his way to help people.”
Michael, an engineer, always admired his brother’s artistic abilities. He said when it came to carving Halloween pumpkins, Jesse could easily freehand what Michael said he would need a stencil to create.
“His work looked professional,” he said. “He would sit for hours and draw and sketch. Some of the things he made were amazing.”
Jesse, who was born in Las Vegas, also lived in Oregon and New Mexico before his family located to North Carolina in 2012. Wherever he lived or visited, he seemed to absorb the sights of new places through his art and interactions with people, his family said.
“He always had a different perspective,” his father said. “He saw things differently — the way he saw the world and the way he felt it.”
Jesse’s love of music led him to play the trombone and sousaphone while attending Northwest Guilford High School, where he graduated in 2015. According to his obituary, he later learned how to play the electric guitar.
He also was successful in the classroom, his family said. He attended GTCC and earned an Associate of Science transfer degree with courses toward a welding certificate in May 2018. He then attended High Point University to earn a bachelor’s degree in design studies.
While looking for a job in his field, Jesse began working at a local Asian restaurant as a server, then took a position in the kitchen. In October 2022, he became part of the culinary staff at Greensboro Country Club.
“That’s the first time I thought he found an excitement about cooking,” said Michael, who recalled a time when Jesse was in middle school and mistakenly microwaved a frozen dinner for 30 minutes.
Jesse began taking classes in culinary arts at GTCC in fall 2022 and would have completed his studies this month.
“He found his passion,” said Beth, adding that her son dreamed of opening his own restaurant some day.
Although that dream will never be realized, the Pitonzo family wants to memorialize Jesse’s kindness and empathy through a scholarship at GTCC to help deserving students achieve their own goals.
“We all felt like it honored that part of him,” Beth said. | https://greensboro.com/news/local/jesse-pitonzo/article_7c77427c-f676-11ed-828e-77b0b42e7cd8.html | 2023-05-22T11:22:22 | 0 | https://greensboro.com/news/local/jesse-pitonzo/article_7c77427c-f676-11ed-828e-77b0b42e7cd8.html |
GREENSBORO — Many people knew Richard Bowling’s passion for developing the eastern part of the city, but some might not know how he brought disco here.
“Saturday Night Fever” had yet to hit theaters at the time. Bowling, an engineer at Western Electric in 1970, had witnessed disco’s lighted shows while he was in New York and Europe where people grooved under colored flashing lights — something he hadn’t seen anywhere else.
The next year, the Dudley High and N.C. State graduate opened the Cosmos nightclub on East Market Street, which became part of Greensboro lore as a hot spot for music and gatherings. With those engineering skills, he designed lighting that flashed in time with the music.
“At that time, they didn’t have lights — there was just sound,” Bowling told the News & Record in 1990. “I picked up on that and brought it back to North Carolina.”
People are also reading…
When the club opened, he remembers a lone woman who peered through the front door. She seemed amazed at all the lights and then left. At first he thought he had lost a customer, but the woman returned later with a crowd.
And so began Greensboro’s introduction to the disco era.
But Bowling — who died on May 8 at age 84 — did more than disco. He developed and managed one of the few Black-owned shopping centers in the United States during the 1970s and was later honored by the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce for his efforts. It was Bowling’s vision that became the chamber’s award-winning Other Voices program, aimed at understanding and overcoming prejudice in the community and workplace.
Bowling also started SEEDS, a project focused on economic development in southeast Greensboro.
“They called me an angry Black man,” Bowling once said of people who misunderstood his work to improve opportunities. “I’m not angry. But I can see what’s going on, and it’s a very unfair process.
“I’m looking at being Black, being in a predominantly Black community. You know the age-old problem. To get a major store to come into the Black community is almost impossible. The city is just growing the other way.”
Bowling had learned the power of hard work as a boy. His father taught electrical engineering for decades at N.C. A&T but had a farm as a side venture. His mother was a teacher in Greensboro for 30 years.
“I got up at 3:30 every morning to milk 100 head of cows,” Bowling once said. “Then I drove the school bus to Dudley.”
After graduating from Dudley in 1957, he was one of seven Black students out of 8,000 at N.C. State. There, he became a champion table tennis player and, after being drafted into the U.S. Army and serving in Europe, he returned to N.C. State and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering in 1964.
After 10 years at Western Electric, Bowling went to work with his father in a company that specialized in setting up elaborate sound and lighting systems for arenas and events. He had opened Cosmos in 1971, while still at Western Electric.
To open Cosmos II in 1974, Bowling had to purchase the entire Florida Street Shopping Center, which he turned into the successful Freeman Mill Square, a home for numerous minority-owned businesses.
When the club closed in the 1980s, he focused on the shopping center, which consisted of 17 stores at the corner of West Florida Street and Freeman Mill Road, including the MTA Vocational School, Champion Television and Appliance Rentals, D.J.’s Beauty Salon and Florida Street Coin Laundry.
But he was forever connected to disco.
“People still come up to me and say they used to go to Cosmos,” Bowling said in 2003. “I had someone come up to me in the Virgin Islands and say they went to the club.” | https://greensboro.com/news/local/richard-bowling/article_35cf8914-f6a9-11ed-9a39-ab08ccf2ac01.html | 2023-05-22T11:22:28 | 0 | https://greensboro.com/news/local/richard-bowling/article_35cf8914-f6a9-11ed-9a39-ab08ccf2ac01.html |
MARYVILLE, Tenn. — A Maryville veteran celebrated turning 100 years old on Saturday. Glen Baumgardner formally turned 100 years old on May 11 and celebrated the milestone on Saturday.
Baumgardner enlisted in the U.S. Navy right after graduating from high school and entered active service on June 19, 1943. He served on a variety of vessels and stations, including the Waipio Amphibious Operating Base and SLCU #34.
He left the Navy in 1946 and continued to serve in the National Guard for another three years. He was honorably discharged from the military after the birth of his third child.
"I'm glad to be here," he said. "Makes me proud that I served in the Navy, for my country, and made that out to this."
The celebration for his centennial was at Mount Carmel Baptist Church Fellowship Hall between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/maryville-veteran-centennial-celebration/51-1da0d783-9f74-42c2-94a9-13a15bbc07b5 | 2023-05-22T11:28:20 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/maryville-veteran-centennial-celebration/51-1da0d783-9f74-42c2-94a9-13a15bbc07b5 |
SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. — The Sevierville Police Department said K-9 Hank is recovering well after being shot during an arrest attempt on May 12.
The department posted a picture of Hank on his way home from a check-up at the veterinarian on Tuesday morning.
In the post, SPD thanked Dr. George Cline and Dr. Brittni Jones Moore at Parkway Animal Hospital in Sevierville who performed the emergency surgery on Hank Friday evening after he was shot.
"Because of their skill, expertise and caring, Hank made it through and is doing well," SPD wrote.
The department said it appreciates the many people and organizations that offer to bring toys and treats for Hank, but it asked for future donations to be sent to the Sevier County Animal Care Center in Sevierville, 1040 Dolly Parton Parkway. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/sevierville-police-k9-hank-recovering/51-d9a3cd1d-aa97-4746-9994-90be431c1ea3 | 2023-05-22T11:28:26 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/sevierville-police-k9-hank-recovering/51-d9a3cd1d-aa97-4746-9994-90be431c1ea3 |
The property owners of One Montgomery admit that their building has been tenantless since 2019 and that their attached roof garden — which is supposed to be open to the public — has been inaccessible since 2019.
But as city agencies hone in on potential fines against One Montgomery for not maintaining the roof garden, a privately owned public open space, typically referred to by the acronym “POPOS,” the building’s property owners have started pushing back. And they aren’t alone.
For 40-plus years, downtown San Francisco has been littered with POPOS, which include small outdoor areas, atriums and other gathering places. The idea is straightforward: Passersby and workers and anyone else should be able to enjoy greenery and free communal spaces amid the city’s skyscrapers. The POPOS are generally supposed to be open to the public during business hours.
As SFGATE reported in December 2022, a selection of POPOS has been shuttered for quite a while. For roughly three years, dating back to the start of the pandemic, San Francisco’s Planning Department made exceptions and didn’t enforce financial penalties against properties with closed POPOS. The Planning Department’s patience has since run out. On March 17, it issued a notice of violation — basically, a final threat to reopen a POPOS before fines really start adding up — at One Sansome. On April 13, the Planning Department filed a separate notice of violation at One Montgomery.
The One Montgomery situation will ultimately come down to a chicken-or-the-egg interpretation of local ordinances currently being decided on by the city’s zoning administrator.
In its notice of violation, the Planning Department noted that over a four-month span between December 2022 and late March, it conducted four site inspections at One Montgomery, each time observing that the roof garden was not accessible to the public. The department gave One Montgomery’s property owners 15 days to reopen the POPOS or appeal the notice of violation to the zoning administrator, who enforces the city’s planning codes.
One Montgomery’s property owners — believed to be REDCO Development, which purchased the site for $82 million in 2019 — opted to appeal. In an April 27 appeal letter, their legal team countered that One Montgomery currently has no staffing or security, since it has no tenants. “It is simply unreasonable to require the POPOS be open to the public while the Property is closed,” it wrote. “It would require the owner to undertake significant expense to open, staff and operate the vacant building solely to provide access to rooftop open space.”
If and when the One Montgomery property owners find a tenant, which is a big if and when, they’ve assured the Planning Department and zoning administrator that they’ll promptly reopen the POPOS. In the meantime, they don’t want to budge.
That’s not really their call, though. On May 16, Zoning Administrator Corey Teague held a brief hearing to gather more information about One Montgomery’s appeal. Representatives for the property insisted that their empty building presents safety issues to POPOS visitors and that they don’t have the staffing to oversee the POPOS itself. Teague hinted that he was looking into how to alleviate those safety issues, if he decides to rule that the POPOS needs to reopen with or without tenants. But he also signaled that he was weighing One Montgomery’s arguments.
“We’re having multiple engagements with property owners about reopening their POPOS at different stages of the conversation and process. … There’s a lot of city effort to encourage people to go back downtown, especially during weekdays,” Teague said. He later added, “[We’re] definitely not singling out this property. This is a larger issue we’re trying to address.”
Teague will issue a new letter within 30 days of May 16, with three possible outcomes: He will side with the Planning Department’s original notice of violation, he will amend it to be more flexible in light of downtown San Francisco’s struggles or, perhaps, he will side with One Montgomery entirely.
The outcome at One Montgomery has many implications for downtown’s other POPOS, especially at similarly tenantless buildings.
One Sansome’s notice of violation has veered off in a different direction. The building’s POPOS, an atrium, was also closed for years, dating back to 2019. One Sansome’s property owners, Barker Pacific Group, repeatedly cited building renovations and ensuing supply chain issues for the continued closure of the atrium.
The good news for POPOS fans is the atrium did recently reopen. The less-good news for POPOS fans is what comes next: One Sansome’s property owners have pitched the city a new proposal that would make the atrium into a sometimes-private ritzy events space, which includes a restaurant and bar.
As the property owners described it in a March 24 letter to the Planning Department, their proposal “will bring people back to Downtown San Francisco at a time when it is struggling to recover from the Pandemic, while also preserving the Conservatory for public use during most hours of the day when people would be expected to use public open space.”
One Sansome is asking for “up to 12 24-hour weekday uses of the [atrium] for private events per year, with no monthly limit,” as well as “up to 24 partial weekday closures of the [atrium] per year.” The owners say that’s just a small fraction of the amount of time the atrium will otherwise be open to the public and constitutes a fair compromise in a changing downtown that’s in desperate need of foot traffic.
“The Project will be a bellwether to achieving the Mayor’s vision for Downtown,” they wrote in their proposal. “It will activate a key corner with a new and flexible — albeit infrequent — use that will contribute to Downtown’s reputation as an event destination at a time when the area is still reeling from vacancies and low patronage. The positive impact of the Project will be felt throughout Downtown.”
The next step for One Sansome is a hearing with the Planning Department — the date is still to be decided but will be relatively soon.
It too will have implications for the future of POPOS, the presence of which seems to be viewed increasingly by downtown property owners as a nuisance rather than a benefit. | https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/building-owners-squabble-over-sf-public-spaces-18000504.php | 2023-05-22T11:29:15 | 1 | https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/building-owners-squabble-over-sf-public-spaces-18000504.php |
A year ago, I was in San Francisco and had to get to Oakland to meet a friend for a drink. I got an Uber because, being an out-of-towner who hadn’t rented a car, I figured that taking an Uber everywhere was my only legitimate choice of transport. I knew the Bay Area had a public transportation system, but I’ve lived in this country long enough to assume — often correctly — that no major American city’s public transportation infrastructure is reliable, or even all that cheap. Funny that I’d assume an Uber was the opposite of all that, but I did.
I got in my Uber and immediately found myself in a standstill traffic jam on Interstate 80 that was the result of rush hour and a car crash on the Bay Bridge making sweet, destructive love to one another. My sciatica flared up, as is customary for any middle-aged man. We hadn’t even reached the Bay Bridge yet, and I was already writhing in agony. I’m sure my Uber driver thought I was a perfectly normal person as I squirmed around and futzed with my seat in a desperate attempt to find a comfortable sitting position. I never found one, instead begging the driver to pull off at the last exit before the bridge so I could limp back to my hotel. I never saw my friend that night. I should’ve taken BART, but I was an ignorant fool.
I am no longer quite so ignorant.
A week ago, I came back to the Bay Area on assignment for SFGATE, and my editor suggested I take BART from San Francisco International Airport all the way to my hotel in Berkeley. This sounded ridiculous to me, someone who apparently loves to waste both money and fossil fuels. I had visited this place many, many times. I had traveled here for work. I had a sister who lived here for a decade. I had never taken BART. Not once. I had never even considered the idea until my editor suggested it, and even then, I got all Mister Fancy Pants about it. Moi, a renowned food critic? Take BART? Why would I do that? Isn’t it slow? Does it even stop in Berkeley? I might look stupid taking it! I might hold up the line at the ticket machine with my dad-esque cluelessness. I might look like — GASP! — a tourist.
Meanwhile, I very much DO look like a tourist, even in my own home. Look at these photos and tell me I look like anything but. Might as well have a s—ty Nikon camera dangling from my neck. But I was landing right in the middle of the morning rush, and I had to stop by SFGATE’s downtown office on my way across the bay. So to BART I went.
I got to the platform, and two cars were open and about to depart. One was a new BART car, with lumbar-friendly seats (important) and handy screens inside the car telling you where your train was and where it was going. Across the platform was an old BART car that looked like it had been dredged up from the bottom of the Pacific. No handy screens. Seats torn off the moorings. I got in the new one.
I would ride BART for the rest of my time here. I took it downtown. I took it to Berkeley, where it deposited me a foot from my hotel. I took it to the Oakland Coliseum. I took it to Fruitvale and Bay Fair. I almost took it all the way to Walnut Creek, except weekend line work had closed a couple of Yellow Line stops along the way. I rode in new cars but also in the older, dilapidated ones. I learned the map. I balked at the hideous screeching BART cars make when they enter a bend. I looked up from my phone anytime the train went aboveground so that I could look at all the stuff around me: some of it beautiful, some of it industrial, some of it run down, but not without its own vital character. I looked at my fellow passengers — businesspeople, new parents, homeless people, 20-somethings with AirPods sheltering them from the outside world — and wondered who they were and what their lives were like. I filled my Clipper card again, and again, and again.
And when I had to fly back home to Maryland, I took BART back to SFO. Taking an Uber didn’t even occur to me.
I’m 46 years old. It should not have taken me this long to understand that the best way to get to understand any city, and not simply know it, is to take its public transport. If you take a cab or Uber everywhere you go, you’re in a bubble of your own creation, moving from the inside of a hotel to the inside of a car, to the inside of a restaurant or museum, without ever living the way locals do. You won’t know a city’s geography, or its people, or much of its character. You’re Tom Friedman, thinking you know everything there is to know about a place because you and your cabbie shot the s—t for 15 minutes. You’re in a city but not of it. This is a modern world that tempts all people to insulate themselves — with their phones, with their cars and with their aforementioned AirPods — from both the world and the other people living in it. It’s easy to make wrong assumptions about everyone and everything around you when you do this because you’re not actively engaging with what’s right in front of you. And that much unfamiliarity can breed contempt, often disastrously so.
This was the way I traveled for much of my professional life. I walked where I could, often for miles at a clip, but I had never dipped into a non-New York subway station or hopped on a local bus (I still need to do more of the latter). How much did I miss by doing this? How many people did I not see? How many parts of a town did I not learn about or wonder about? How many pretty views did I not get to take in? How badly did I live up to my tourist cred by skipping all of that? You get to the back half of your life, and you do start to wonder what you missed out on, because you know you have less and less time to make up for it. It’s only now that I realize how much time I’ve wasted avoiding BART and other mass transit, all so that I could save some time that I would inevitably spend up my own ass.
BART itself may also be running out of time. The municipal exodus from the pandemic, the work-from-home revolution, and the usual squabbling and corruption among local officials have starved BART for revenue so badly that parts of it are now in grave danger. The Bay Area is hardly alone in seeing its mass transit system atrophy, in part because Americans love their cars (and, infuriatingly, their pickups) and have been conditioned, as I have, to not trust these systems. It becomes a self-inflicted doomsday loop, where a lack of faith in infrastructure ends up destroying it. After this past week, I’m not gonna be part of that loop. If you’re like me, you don’t have to be part of it, either. You can ride, and you should. Because you don’t know what you’re missing. | https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/drew-magary-loves-bay-area-bart-18109062.php | 2023-05-22T11:29:21 | 0 | https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/drew-magary-loves-bay-area-bart-18109062.php |
For me and my family, Lake Merritt is the beating heart of Oakland. Over the years we've visited hundreds of times — to play, exercise, learn and relax.
Nestled between downtown Oakland and the Grand Lake neighborhood, Lake Merritt is named after Dr. Samuel Merritt, a physician who came west for the Gold Rush, becoming mayor of Oakland in 1868. In the late 1860s, Merritt donated the 155 acres on which the lake sits. At the time, Lake Merritt, which is actually a tidal slough or lagoon, was directly linked to the San Francisco Bay through an inlet. A dam was soon built to create the so-called "lake."
From walking our dog around the 3.4-mile paved trail that rings the lake to visiting Children's Fairyland with the kids, Lake Merritt offers something for everyone, and is a particularly special spot for families looking to spend a day outdoors together.
Keep reading for all the reasons you should visit Lake Merritt, the "jewel of Oakland."
It's a great place to take a stroll or go for a run
"Let’s walk the lake," is a familiar refrain among my friends and family. You can't get any better than the 5K Lake Merritt loop for an urban hike, where you can walk your dog, run, push a stroller, roller skate or ride a bike. There are plenty of great places to grab food along the way and have a nice picnic or barbecue on the many grassy areas or at the outdoor amphitheater off Lake Merritt Boulevard between 12th Street and 1st Avenue. Traversing the lake is also great for people watching and taking in the architecture in the area, including the now-closed Beaux Arts Bellevue Club, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Cathedral of Christ the Light, which was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.
You can explore North America's oldest wildlife preserve
Dr. Samuel Merritt declared Lake Merritt a National Wildlife Preserve in 1869, making it the oldest in the country. The lake is well-known to bird watchers — hundreds of species of both migratory and year-round residents can be found here. Five bird islands were built for the thousands of migratory birds who make long journey down the Pacific Flyway, the route that stretches from Alaska to Patagonia. Today, you can spy herons, ducks, egrets, pelicans, coots, hummingbirds and, of course, ever-present Canada geese at Lake Merritt. There's even an illustrated guide, Birds of Lake Merritt, which gives a history of the lake and information for about 15 species of resident birds.
You can visit Children's Fairyland, (perhaps) the model for Disneyland
If you have young kids, Children's Fairyland is the place to go; my now-teenagers spent many a birthday party and school trip here as youngsters. Children's Fairyland consists of 60 storyboard sets of favorite tales, like The Old Woman and the Shoe and Alice and Wonderland, along with rides and farm animals to pet and feed. You can purchase a "magic key" for a small fee and unlock the storybook boxes around the park. Once unlocked, the boxes play an audio story or song that corresponds to the fairytale sets around the park. Opened in 1950, Walt Disney reportedly visited the park, perhaps getting some inspiration for Disneyland, which opened in Anaheim in 1955.
Find it: Children's Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610; 510-452-2259.
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting.
Admission: $16 per person, check website for membership information and discounts. The non-profit park is best suited to children under the age of eight.
You can get fresh produce and other goodies at the Grand Lake Farmers Market
Located in Splash Pad Park at the northeast end of the lake, the Grand Lake Farmers Market is one of the best in the Bay Area with over a hundred vendors gathering each Saturday morning, rain or shine. Sponsored by the Agricultural Institute of Marin, the market features produce from local farms, as well as a multitude of food and craft vendors. There's even a giant jumpy slide most weekends for the kids and a fountain where they can splash around when the weather is warm. The vibe is bustling village complete with music and dancing if the crowd is feeling the groove. Parking can be tough, so come early; take public transportation or bike.
Find it: Grand Lake Farmers Market, 746 Grand Ave., Oakland, CA 94610
Hours: Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., year-round
You can rent boats and paddle around the lake
One of the best ways to enjoy the lake is on the water. The Lake Merritt Boating Center offers rentals of canoes, pedal boats, row boats, kayaks and even sailboats (with a certification) for reasonable prices. Check the website for prices and hours, since they change according to season, and remember to bring your ID and cash — no credit or debit cards are accepted. A hat and sunscreen are also essential. You can also bring your own boat, so long as you follow the rules. The City of Oakland offers lessons for both kids and adults, as well as youth boating programs and summer camps.
Find it: Lake Merritt Boating Center, 568 Bellevue Ave., Oakland, CA 94610; 510-238-2196
You can unwind in The Gardens at Lake Merritt
The Gardens at Lake Merritt consist of seven acres of themed gardens devoted to succulents, lilies, rhododendrons, pollinators, native plants, palms, vireyas, bonsai trees and edible plans. My favorite is the Japanese Garden with its soothing waterfall and purple irises, which was built by members of Oakland's Japanese American community in 1959. The gardens offer a tranquil oasis full of shady areas and benches on which to relax, as well as a variety of nooks and crannies to explore. There are also special events and shows throughout the year, check the website for details.
Find it: The Gardens at Lake Merritt, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland, CA 94610.
Hours: Monday-Sunday. Check the website for current hours.
Admission: Free
This story was edited by Hearst Newspapers Managing Editor Kristina Moy; you can contact her at kristina.moy@hearst.com. | https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/lake-merritt-18074577.php | 2023-05-22T11:29:27 | 1 | https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/lake-merritt-18074577.php |
MAY
- What: Classic Cruise-In Nights
When: May 26-Sept. 29, on the last Friday of the month (4 to 8 p.m.)
Where: Outside the Kenosha History Center, 220 51st Place
Known for: Welcoming all classic vehicles
- What: Kenosha HarborMarket
When: The outdoor market is open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, through Oct. 28.
Where: On Second Avenue, between 54th and 56th streets and the adjacent Place de Douai, on the lakefront
Known for: Fresh produce, prepared foods, live music and other goods offered each week.
People are also reading…
- What: Kenosha Public Market
When: The outdoor market is open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, through Oct. 28.
Where: 625 52nd St.
Known for: Fresh produce, prepared foods, live music and other goods offered each week.
- What: U.S. Title Series Pleasant Prairie Regatta
When: May 26-28 (noon to 6 p.m. daily)
Where: Prairie Springs Park and Lake Andrea, 9900 Terwall Terrace in Pleasant Prairie
Known for: Being the first stop of the 2023 U.S. Title Series Powerboat Racing tour. Drivers from around the country gather together to race against the best in their classes.
- What: Aquanut Water Ski Shows
When: 6 p.m. Saturdays and Wednesdays, May 27 through Sept. 2
Where: In Lance Park on Lake Mary, 55 Lance Drive in Twin Lakes
Known for: Free water-skiing shows choreographed to music. (aquanutwatershows.com)
- What: Kenosha Kingfish Baseball
When: Home games are May 29 through Aug. 8 (Schedule at kingfishbaseball.com)
Where: Simmons Field, 7817 Sheridan Road
Known for: Northwoods League collegiate baseball games.
- What: Tuesday Night Bike Racing
When: 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Aug. 29
Where: Washington Park Velodrome, 1821 Washington Road
Known for: Weekly races on the historic velodrome, which opened in 1927 and is the oldest operating velodrome in the country. Spectators are welcome to "fill the hill" each week. Racers from Southeastern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois compete in various sprint and endurance track events. (info@kenoshavelodromeracing.com)
JUNE
What: Local "Places to Go" program
When: 7 p.m. June 1
Where: Kenosha County Center, 19600 75th St. in Bristol.
Known for: The Kenosha County Association for Home and Community Education group is hosting its "Places to Go & Things to Do Within 100 Miles of Kenosha" presentation, with Donna Deuster, to help people with planning for summer fun.
- What: Outdoor Movie Night
When: Dusk on June 2
Where: Hansen Park, 19806 86th Place in Bristol
Known for: Everyone is welcome to bring lawn chairs and/or blankets to enjoy an outdoor movie in the park, located off of Highway 45, south of Highway AH in Bristol.
- What: Free Fun Weekend at Bong State Recreation Area
When: June 3-4
Where: Richard Bong State Recreation Area, 26313 Burlington Road in Brighton
Known for: The Bong Naturalist Association is hosting a free weekend of activities, including free park admission and free fishing all weekend.
- What: Monster Truck Throwdown
When: June 3-4
Where: Wilmot Raceway at Kenosha County Fairgrounds, 30820 111th St. in Wilmot
Known for: Featuring two-time World Champion Avenger driven by Jim Koehler, Brutus driven by Chris Koehler, Sinistar driven by Elliott Miller and more along with backflippin' Freefstlye Motocross.
- What: Outta Sight Kite Flight
When: June 3-4
Where: Kennedy Park, 4051 Fifth Ave. (at the lakefront)
Known for: The “grand launch” of more than 300 kites that kicks off the event
- What: The Good Old Summertime Art Fair
When: June 4
Where: Civic Center Park, on Sheridan Road between 56th and 57th streets
Known for: Kicking off the summer outdoor arts & crafts fair season
- What: Monday Night Stock Bike Racing
When: 6:30 to 9 p.m. Mondays June 5-Aug. 21
Where: Washington Park Velodrome, 1821 Washington Road
Known for: Being an introduction to track racing, geared to younger riders. These racers can be anywhere from 3 years of age (on training wheels) to adults. No need for a track bike. Anyone with a bike and helmet can race.
- What: Meditation in Nature classes
When: 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, June 6-27
Where: Hawthorn Hollow Nature Sanctuary and Arboretum, 880 Green Bay Road in Somers
Known for: The course includes lectures, discussions, practice, breath awareness, finding a meditation seat, and techniques "to quiet, focus and harness your busy mind." (email lsmith@hawthornhollow.org)
- What: Shakespeare in the Park
When: June 9
Where: Richard Bong State Recreation Area, 26313 Burlington Road in Brighton
Known for: The comedy "Much Ado Nothing" is 7 to 9 p.m. The stripped-down, fast-paced production will be held in the Bong amphitheater. Bring your own lawn chair. Playing with Will Workshop is 5:30-6:30 p.m. Get outside with “Will” at this interactive workshop for kids 8 and up to explore acting, characters and creative play.
- What: Babies on the Farm Festival
When: June 10-11, 17-18
Where: Jerry Smith Farm, 7150 18th St.
Known for: A festival showcasing adorable baby animals! There will be a large variety of local farm favorites (goats, chicks, piglets, alpaca, and more), as well as some exotic animals.
- What: Cars and Coffee
When: 8 a.m. to noon June 11 (and repeating on the second Saturday of the month through Sept. 10)
Where: Outside the Kenosha History Center, 220 51st Place
Known for: Welcoming all classic vehicles. Note: The Kenosha History Center will open early on these Sundays, at 9 a.m.. so visitors can tour the exhibits and visit the gift shop. The event is free and open to all classic vehicles. Food vendors will be on site.
- What: Yoga in the Park
When: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays, June 12 through Aug. 14
Where: Petrifying Springs Park, 5555 Seventh St. in Somers
Known for: Free outdoor yoga classes, led by instructors from Hot Yoga Kenosha.
- What: Twilight Jazz Concert Series
When: June 13 (continuing on Tuesdays June 27, July 11, July 25, Aug. 8 and Aug. 22)
Where: Outside the Anderson Arts Center, 6603 Third Ave.
Known for: A variety of music performed on the lakefront.
- What: Kenosha Pops Concert Band performances
When: 7 p.m. Wednesdays, June 14 through Aug. 2
Where: The Sesquicentennial Band Shell in Pennoyer Park, on Seventh Avenue at 35th Street
Known for: Performances with everything from John Philip Sousa marches to John Williams movie scores. This is the band's 101st season. (Note: The July 26 concert is indoors at Carthage College.)
- What: Bristol Woodstock concerts
When: 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, June 14 through Aug. 16
Where: Bristol Woods County Park, 9800 160th Ave. in Bristol
Known for: Free weekly performances in a wooded setting.
- What: Pop-up Biergarten and Food Truck Rally at HarborPark
When: June 15-17
Where: Celebration Place, at Kenosha's Downtown lakefront
Known for: This three-day German-style biergarten features German and U.S. beers, along with food and live music, children's activities and stein-hoisting contests.
- What: Rhythm on the Lake Concert Series
Where: Old Settlers Park, 24100 75th St. in Paddock Lake
When: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, June 15 through Aug. 17
Known for: This is a new, free weekly concert series.
- What: Movie Night in Petrifying Springs Park
Where: 5555 Seventh St. in Somers, next to the Biergarten
When: Every Friday evening, June 16 through Aug. 18
Known for: Free movies shown outside in the park. This year's films: June 16: "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (1984), June 23: "Lightyear" (2022), June 30: "Jaws" (1975), July 7: "Top Gun: Maverick" (2022), July 14: "Ghostbusters Afterlife" (2021), July 21: "The Goonies" (1985), July 28: "Thor: Love and Thunder" (2022), Aug. 4: "Jurassic World" (2015), Aug. 11: "Mitchells vs. the Machines" (2021) and Aug. 18: "Back to the Future" (1985)
- What: Lakeside Lounge concerts
Where: Kemper Center, 6501 Third Ave.
When: 6 to 8 p.m. on three Wednesdays: June 21, July 19 and Aug. 16
Known for: Free music on the lake at Kemper Center. Bring your own lawn chairs and blankets. Picnic tables are first come, first served. A full bar will be available in the Kady Faulkner Building (no carry-ins of alcohol are allowed).
- What: Kenosha County Dairy Breakfast
When: June 17
Where: Daniels Dairy Farm II, 1166 240th Ave. in Brighton
Known for: Cooking up zillions of scrambled eggs in a huge frying pan
- What: Kenosha Art Market
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 18, continuing on the third Sunday of the month: July 16, Aug. 20, Sept. 17 and Oct. 15
Where: Union Park, 4500 Seventh Ave.
Known for: Featuring a variety of artwork, plus food and live music.
- What: Pike River Concert Series
Where: Hawthorn Hollow Nature Sanctuary and Arboretum, 880 Green Bay Road
When: 6 p.m. on three Fridays: June 23, July 28 and Aug. 18
Known for: Performances by Yves François with Rhythm de Vie (June 23), KR Bluegrass Band (July 28) and Ben Mulwana (Aug. 18). Proceeds go to support Hawthorn Hollow. (hawthornhollow.org)
- What: Pistons for Hope Car Show
Where: St. Anne's Catholic Church, 9091 Prairie Ridge Blvd., Pleasant Prairie
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 24
Known for: This is a fundraiser for the Shalom Center. The public will vote for their favorite car — New School vs. Old School. There will also be games, food trucks, a DJ and a beer tent. The public is asked to bring non-perishable items to support the Shalom Center’s Food Pantry programs.
- What: Kenosha Car Club Car Show
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 25
Where: Fireside Restaurant, 2801 30th Ave.
Known for: Welcoming all makes and models of cars. Featuring live music, food and drinks, silent auction items, a 50/50 raffle and goodie bags. Proceeds benefit Stars and Stripes Honor Flight of Wisconsin.
- What: Mud Day
When: 2 to 4 p.m. June 29
Where: Pringle Nature Center at Bristol Woods Park, 9800 160th Ave. in Bristol
Known for: Celebrating International "Mud Day." Children are encouraged to play in the mud pits. There will also be lawn games, and a sprinkler will be set up "to allow young kids to live out their dreams of becoming one with the mud." Note: Children must be accompanied by an adult.
JULY
- What: Libertyfest
When: July 1
Where: Lance Park in Twin Lakes
Known for: Aquanuts Water Ski Show, fireworks, live music. The parade steps off at 11 a.m. Food and entertainment are in Lance Park from 4 p.m. until the fireworks at dusk.
- What: Kenosha Civic Veterans Parade
When: 1 p.m. July 2
Where: Starts on Seventh Avenue and Washington Road, heading south through Downtown.
Known for: Marching bands, clowns and politicians waving to the crowd.
- What: YMCA Firecracker Race
When: 8:30 a.m. July 2
Where: Downtown Kenosha
Known for: A 5K and 1-mile fun run/walk. This year, there are in-person and virtual options. Online registration only; go to kenoshaymca.org.
- What: Celebrate America
When: July 3-4
Where: Downtown Kenosha, along the harbor and the lakefront
Known for: Live music on multiple stages, along with food vendors, a carnival and other attractions. The City of Kenosha's fireworks show goes off at dusk on July 4, Downtown at the lakefront.
- What: “Let Freedom Sing”
When: July 4
Where: In Pennoyer Park, on Seventh Avenue at 35th Street
Known for: Live music leading up to the city's fireworks. The Kenosha Pops Concert Band performs a patriotic program at 4 p.m.
- What: Somers Independence Day Parade and Ice Cream Social
When: July 4
Where: On Highway E (12th Street) in Somers
Known for: Marching bands, clowns and candy tossed to the crowd
- What: Bristol Progress Days
When: July 7-9
Where: Hansen Park in Bristol
Known for: Crowning Miss Bristol, live music, outdoor sports tournaments and a parade (with tossed candy!).
- What: "Secret Garden Walk"
When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 8
Where: Six local, private gardens, plus activities at the Gateway Horticulture Center
Known for: Being a self-guided tour, hosted by the Four Seasons Garden Club (4seasonsgardenclub.org)
- What: Bristol Renaissance Faire
When: July 8 through Sept. 4 (weekends)
Where: Just west of I-94 at the Wisconsin/Illinois border
Known for: Jousting and giant turkey legs
- What: "Tuesdays at the Shell" concert series
When: 6 p.m. Tuesdays, July 11 through Aug. 29
Where: In Pennoyer Park, on Seventh Avenue at 35th Street
Known for: Free concerts featuring area rock bands.
- What: Uke's Harley-Davidson 120th anniversary celebration
When: July 12-16
Where: Uke's Harley-Davidson, 5995 120th Ave.
Known for: Uke's is part of the 120th Harley-Davidson Homecoming in Milwaukee. There will be live music, local vendors and food available each day.
- What: Peanut Butter & Jam concert series
When: Thursdays, July 13 through Aug. 31
Where: Veterans Memorial Park, 625 52nd St.
Known for: Two concerts each week, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.
- What: Country Thunder
When: July 20-23
Where: Shadow Hill Ranch, 2305 Lance Drive in Twin Lakes
Known for: A party-type atmosphere, with outdoor concerts and mud fights in the campgrounds. Oh, there’s music, too, with national headliners.
- What: Pop-up Biergarten and Food Truck Rally at HarborPark
When: July 20-22
Where: Celebration Place, at Kenosha's Downtown lakefront
Known for: This three-day German-style biergarten features German and U.S. beers, along with food and live music, children's activities and stein-hoisting contests.
- What: Chalk Festival
When: July 22-23
Where: Jerry Smith Farm, 7150 18th St.
Known for: This event showcases chalk art (the public can vote for their favorite), plus a beer garden, food and artisan booths.
- What: Taste of Wisconsin
When: July 27-29
Where: At the lakefront on the east end of Kenosha’s HarborPark
Known for: Lots of specialty food and beverage vendors, plus live music
AUGUST
- What: Tribute Island
When: Aug. 4-6
Where: Outside the Wyndham Garden Harborside Hotel, 5125 Sixth Ave.
Known for: Tribute bands playing the music of popular groups like Chicago, Journey and Pink Floyd.
- What: Peacetree Music Festival
When: Aug. 4-5
Where: Bandshell in Pennoyer Park, at Seventh Avenue and 35th Street
Known for: Live music, food, vendors
- What: Perseids Meteor Shower Viewing
When: 9 to 10:30 p.m. Aug. 11
Where: Pringle Nature Center at Bristol Woods Park, 9800 160th Ave. in Bristol
Known for: A chance for the public "to experience the wonders of the cosmos during what is often called the best meteor shower in our region." Participants will have the opportunity to learn about this summer phenomenon and how best to view it, before spending the evening stargazing under the dark sky in Bristol Woods. Note: If the weather bad or there's too much cloud cover, the program will be rescheduled for Aug. 12.
- What: Sweet Corn Festival
When: Aug. 12-13
Where: Jerry Smith Farm in Somers
Known for: Sweet corn (naturally), plus other food, a petting zoo and children’s activities
- What: Kooler by the Lake: A Volkswagen and Audi Car Show
When: 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 12
Where: Kennedy Park, 40th Street at the lakefront
Known for: This "Volkswagen/Audi enthusiast event" will include a car show, vendors, food, a beer garden, live entertainment and a charitable fundraiser.
- What: Kenosha County Fair
When: Aug. 16-20
Where: Kenosha County Fairgrounds in Wilmot
Known for: Demolition derby action — and plenty of fried foods!
- What: Picnic in the Park
When: 4 to 9 p.m. Aug. 19
Where: Petrifying Springs Park, 5555 Seventh St. in Somers
Known for: Live music, food trucks and fireworks at dusk.
SEPTEMBER
- What: Downtown Kenosha Classic Cruise-In Car Show
When: Sept. 2
Where: The streets of downtown Kenosha
Known for: Being a huge car show, displaying all makes and models of vehicles and motorcycles
- What: Kenosha Streetcar Day
When: Sept. 9
Where: Joseph McCarthy Transit Center, downtown Kenosha
Known for: Celebrating Kenosha’s streetcars with tours, information, Lego displays and more
- What: Walk in the Woods Art Fair
When: Sept. 9
Where: Hawthorn Hollow Nature Sanctuary, 880 Green Bay Road
Known for: Live music, plus about 60 artists displaying their creations along the wooded trails and gardens of Hawthorn Hollow
- What: City of Kenosha’s Fall Festival
When: Sept. 9
Where: Veterans Memorial Park, downtown at the harbor
Known for: Giant pumpkin contest | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/2023-summer-kenosha-area-events/article_025ca104-d6ea-11ed-8686-ef8eb5d7e1e4.html | 2023-05-22T11:33:11 | 0 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/2023-summer-kenosha-area-events/article_025ca104-d6ea-11ed-8686-ef8eb5d7e1e4.html |
Art fairs attract crowds looking for everything from oil paintings to garden gnomes:
Good Old Summertime Art Fair
KENOSHA — Every year, the Kenosha Art Association’s Good Old Summertime Art Fair kicks off the Kenosha art fair season. And every year, the fair takes place in what is technically late spring (with the first day of summer coming on June 21).
This year's fair is Sunday, June 4, in Civic Center Park, on Sheridan Road between 56th and 57th streets in Downtown Kenosha.
The fair features about 70 artists and crafters in media including paintings, jewelry, mosaics, collages, ceramics, yard decorations, stained glass and photography. There will also be food vendors and live music.
The art fair attracts about 4,000 people each year.
People are also reading…
The KAA’s mission is to promote art, art education and art appreciation. The fair serves as the organization’s primary fundraiser.
Kenosha ArtMarket
KENOSHA — Starting on June 18, the Kenosha ArtMarket will be back in the Union Park Arts District.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every third Sunday of the month, June through October, area artists will be selling their original art in Union Park, 4500 Seventh Ave.
This year's dates are June 18, July 16, Aug. 20, Sept. 17 and Oct. 15.
The market features original fine art, jewelry, pottery and more. Acoustic music will be scheduled throughout the day, thanks to the Union Park Tavern. Interested vendors should go to the Art Market tab at LemonStreetGallery.org.
Walk in the Woods Art Fair
SOMERS — Hawthorn Hollow Nature Sanctuary and Arboretum will present its “Walk in the Woods” Art Fair on Sept. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
More than 60 artists will be displaying their creations along the wooded trails and gardens of Hawthorn Hollow. There will be lots of art to see, including jewelry, acrylic and watercolor paintings, photography, wood sculpting, handmade baskets and clothing, glass and garden art.
Live music throughout the day will be presented at two stages. Wine, mimosas, local craft beer, and food will be available for purchase (no carry-ins allowed).
A $10 donation per vehicle is requested. All proceeds benefit Hawthorn Hollow, owned and operated by the H. Chris Hyslop Foundation, a private nonprofit organization.
Hawthorn Hollow is located at 880 Green Bay Road Kenosha, one mile south of County Highway KR and just west of Petrifying Springs Park.
For more information, call 262-552-8196 or visit the website at hawthornhollow.org. | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/getting-creative-art-fairs-feature-variety-of-works/article_0074b6c2-eb91-11ed-9083-a752e7905302.html | 2023-05-22T11:33:17 | 0 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/getting-creative-art-fairs-feature-variety-of-works/article_0074b6c2-eb91-11ed-9083-a752e7905302.html |
Classic car fans have plenty of places to see vehicles — and show off their own "babies" — at area car shows:
Classic car cruise-in nights
KENOSHA — The Kenosha History Center, 220 50st Place, hosts Friday car cruise-nights in its parking lot, where enthusiasts can meet and show off their classic automobiles.
The free cruise-ins are 4 to 8 p.m. on the last Friday of the month, May 26 through Sept. 29, and are open to all classic vehicles.
On those nights, the History Center stays open until 7 p.m.
These events are free and open to all classic vehicles.
Note: The June 30 Cruise-In also features the Kenosha Taco Fest.
The Kenosha History Center does not charge admission. Donations are welcome. For more information regarding events or upcoming exhibits, contact Chris Allen, executive director, call 262-654-5770, ext. 102.
People are also reading…
'Cars and Coffee'
KENOSHA — New this summer at the Kenosha History Center, 220 51st Place, is "Cars and Coffee."
The free events take place 8 a.m. to noon in the venue's parking lot on the Second Sunday of each month, through Sept. 10.
Car enthusiasts will be showing off their classic vehicles.
Also, the History Center will open early, at 9 a.m., for tours. The gift shop will also be open, and food vendors will be there, too.
Downtown car show
KENOSHA — The Downtown Kenosha Classic Cruise-In Car Show is a Labor Day Weekend staple in Kenosha, taking place the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend.
This year's event is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 2.
Tony Pontillo, the car show’s main organizer, said the show continues to grow in popularity each year.
“The downtown business owners tell us this is their busiest day of the year,” he said.
That popularity means show organizers have a problem: What to do with all those cars.
But that’s a good problem to have.
The show started with about 80 cars and has grown to feature more than 1,800 vehicles.
Pontillo says about 8,000 to 10,000 people attend the car show, coming from this area and from Chicago, Milwaukee, Indiana and Minnesota.
“We’ve had people come to this show from all over,” he said. “This is one of the biggest car shows in the Midwest, and it’s the biggest free car show in the state. People love that the show is free, and we know that helps keep it so popular.”
The annual show is free to the public and exhibitors and is open to all makes and models of vehicles. Dash plaques will be awarded to the first 300 entries. The show is put on by the Kenosha Classic Street Machines group.
The Cruise-In takes over Sixth Avenue and adjoining side streets, which are closed off to traffic for the event. For many people, it brings back memories of “scooping the loop” in downtown Kenosha, Pontillo said.
Besides the classic cars, new-car dealers are also at the Cruise-In, showing off their latest models.
Cars that have been part of the Classic Cruise-In include a Sunbeam Alpine British sports car, a 1902 Rambler, a 1956 Ford Customline, a Dodge Coronet, a Chevrolet Bel Air, Pontiac Catalina, Ford Falcon, AMX and Gremlin, a 1965 Thunderbird, a silver DeLorean and flashy Cameros and Corvettes — all on display by their loving owners.
Pontillo works for several months to organize the show, contacting organizations, car clubs and city officials, he said. Club member Bob Koos also works on the show each year.
“It’s worth it,” Pontillo said, “when thousands of people come downtown for the show.”
All Airborne Car Show
SOMERS — The Southern Wisconsin All Airborne Chapter of the 82nd Airborne Division Association hosts its car show on Sunday of Labor Day Weekend.
This year's show is Sept. 3 at Petrifying Springs Park, 5555 Seventh St., near Pavilion No. 1. on the south side of the park.
The show is 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is free for spectators. There is a color guard ceremony at noon.
The show is open to all makes of vehicles for a $10 entry donation.
This car show is presented by the Southern Wisconsin All Airborne Chapter of the 82nd Airborne Association to benefit the Wounded Warriors program. Call 262-654-1041 for more information. Rain date is Sept. 11. | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/hit-the-streets-classic-car-shows-through-the-summer/article_d287746e-eb92-11ed-8f82-7714dd43f35b.html | 2023-05-22T11:33:24 | 1 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/hit-the-streets-classic-car-shows-through-the-summer/article_d287746e-eb92-11ed-8f82-7714dd43f35b.html |
How Time Flies is a daily feature looking back at Pantagraph archives to revisit what was happening in our community and region.
100 years ago
May 20, 1923: Majestically fronting the southern line of buildings that will mark the group of structures composing the Greater Illinois Wesleyan University stands what will probably be forever regarded as the gem of them all, the Buck Memorial Library. Now nearing completion, it will be dedicated on June 12.
75 years ago
May 20, 1948: More than 200 National Guardsmen will swarm over the Bloomington airport in the McLean County unit's first practice maneuver. A complete defense problem will be run off by members of the 396th antiaircraft battalion under the command of Lt. Col. Richard T. Dunn.
50 years ago
May 20, 1973: Two men who pleaded guilty to public drunkenness were sentenced by Associate Circuit Judge Ivan Johnson to Bloomington City Jail — to do janitorial duties. The prisoners were not requested by the city ... nor were they loved by the city's striking workers.
25 years ago
May 20, 1998: Illinois State University could receive $1.5 million in funding to take over Mennonite College of Nursing under a state budget proposal to be voted on by the General Assembly today. The ISU plan is among several being considered by a committee of Mennonite's board of trustees. BroMenn Healthcare, which owns and operates the college, declined to release the other options under consideration.
101 years ago: See vintage Pantagraph ads from 1922
Gerthart's
Union Gas and Electric Co.
Hoover
Dr. J.A. Moore Dentists
Moberly & Klenner
W.P. Garretson
W.H. Roland
Pease's Candy
Thor 32 Electric Washing Machine
The Kaiser's Story of the War
Ike Livingston & Sons
Gossard Corsets
Cat'n Fiddle
'Stolen Moments'
Case Model X
The Johnson Transfer & Fuel Co.
The Pantagraph want ads
Franklin Motor Car Co.
'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'
Calumet Baking Powder
Mayer Livingston & Co. Newsmarket
'The Emperor Jones'
'California Fig Syrup'
Compiled by Pantagraph staff | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/history/50-years-ago-during-strike-judge-sentences-2-to-do-bloomington-city-jail-janitor-duties/article_fa2f0bd2-f7fc-11ed-b06d-af1e72a5345b.html | 2023-05-22T11:37:09 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/history/50-years-ago-during-strike-judge-sentences-2-to-do-bloomington-city-jail-janitor-duties/article_fa2f0bd2-f7fc-11ed-b06d-af1e72a5345b.html |
VETERANS FAIR AT INTERSTATE CENTER
The Veterans Fair scheduled for 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 23, at the Interstate Center will provide access to over 40 venders and agencies concerning information about veterans benefits, special programs for veterans and employment opportunities. Don’t miss this event!
PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY ENDS, IMPACTING VA
The Public Health Emergency due to the pandemic officially ended May 11, additionally ending some of VA’s pandemic-related authorities. VA has prepared for this event for some time with the goal of transitioning VA health care to a more normal status as quickly and painlessly as possible. The changes are:
- The return to in-person visits for veteran family caregivers. During the pandemic, VA relaxed requirements for in-person visits associated with VA’s Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers using virtual visits only.
- The VA will expand use of VA Video Connect for telehealth and will resume enforcement of HIPAA rules regarding privacy of telehealth.
- During the health emergency, VA prescribed controlled medications to veterans following a telehealth examination without first having an in-person examination. The VA has implemented a temporary rule that will permit continued use of telehealth process until proposed permanent rules are adopted.
- Homeless veterans who received considerable additional direct support from the VA, besides HUDVASH during the health emergency, will no longer be eligible for those additional support services, effective May 11 Congress has proposed legislation that would authorize VA to continue providing the extended support services but has taken no final legislative action.
- VA no longer has authority to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to spouses, caregivers and veterans not enrolled in VA health care.
- Finally, the extension of the normal 30-day window for reimbursement of travel expenses for VA care expires June 9.
VA ANNOUNCES COMMITMENT TO NEW I-DEA
In an official news release dated April 28, the VA announced they have the “Same mission, new I-DEA: VA supports Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access.” The VA adopted a new mission statement several months ago: “To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those who have served in our nation’s military and for their families, caregivers and survivors.” This new mission statement is inclusive of all those who have served in our nation’s military, including female veterans, as well as veteran families, caregivers and survivors. The original mission statement referred only to men. The I-DEA news release further expands upon inclusion, diversity, equity and access for not only veterans, caregivers and survivors, but also purports to make implementation of I-DEA a “part of its (VA’s) culture.” I hope this new recognition results in the improvement of VA health care services for all veterans, caregivers and survivors, and not just an extension of political “social engineering.”
LEXINGTON MEMORIAL DAY PROGRAM
Lexington American Legion Post 291 will hold a Memorial Day program at 10 a.m. Monday, May 29, at the Lexington Community Center. The featured speaker will be David Henard, who served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive. The program will honor veterans who have died in the past year and will give a special salute to all those who have given their lives in defense of our nation.
QUOTES OF THE DAY
Many changes have taken place in America since the pandemic was first recognized and government actions changed our lives forever, without legislation or voter involvement through the ballot box. The following quotes ring as true today as they did when they were first uttered in 1961 and 1981.
“One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project.” — Ronald Reagan, in 1961
“Governments’ first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives” — Ronald Reagan, in 1981 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/veterans-corner-veterans-fair-public-health-emergency-funds-new-i-dea/article_191ee348-f5a3-11ed-b0cb-db48928c8cd7.html | 2023-05-22T11:37:15 | 1 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/veterans-corner-veterans-fair-public-health-emergency-funds-new-i-dea/article_191ee348-f5a3-11ed-b0cb-db48928c8cd7.html |
Great workplaces aren’t created by accident. They are built and nurtured. The Top Workplaces awards recognize the employers that do it well in the eyes of their employees.
The heart of the Top Workplaces award is the employee survey process. Energage administers a 24-question survey to employees, who are the sole deciders of whether a company culture merits recognition.
This is the 10th year The Times-Dispatch has partnered with Energage, an employee survey company based in Exton, Pennsylvania, to celebrate exceptional workplaces.
There is no cost to participate in Top Workplaces and no obligation to purchase any product or service. For 2023, 1,473 organizations were invited to survey their employees. Based on employee-survey feedback, 102 have earned recognition as Top Workplaces, an all-time high.
In the current job market, companies continue to focus on recruiting, retaining and motivating employees. It’s more paramount than ever for companies to be intentional about a culture that prioritizes employee appreciation and recognition, Energage CEO Eric Rubino said.
People are also reading…
“We really need workplaces that inspire employees,” he said. “You have to really acknowledge employees genuinely and consistently.”
The award is open to any employer with 35 or more employees in the Greater Richmond area. Survey results are valid only if 35% or more employees respond; employers with fewer than 85 employees have a higher response threshold, requiring responses from at least 30 employees.
Energage tabulates the survey results. Employers are grouped into small, midsize, large or mega categories to best compare similar employee experiences. Employers earn Top Workplaces recognition if their aggregated employee-feedback score exceeds national benchmarks. Energage has established those benchmarks based on feedback from more than 27 million employees over 17 years. They are ranked within those groups based on the strength of the survey feedback.
Why isn’t a particular company on the list? Perhaps it chose not to participate. Or, its employee-survey feedback might have fallen below benchmark scores. Energage runs tests on survey feedback and, in some cases, may choose to disqualify organizations based on irregularities in survey feedback.
To participate in the 2024 Top Workplaces awards, or for more information, go to the nomination page at richmond.com/top-workplaces. | https://richmond.com/business/local/top-workplaces/here-s-how-the-top-workplaces-are-determined/article_3299b326-e9ef-11ed-b2e8-23578f1f621c.html | 2023-05-22T11:37:22 | 0 | https://richmond.com/business/local/top-workplaces/here-s-how-the-top-workplaces-are-determined/article_3299b326-e9ef-11ed-b2e8-23578f1f621c.html |
Fraser library closed after vehicle crashes into building
The Detroit News
Fraser's public library is closed after a car crashed into the building over the weekend, officials said.
"Due to the library building being hit by a car, we will be closed for the foreseeable future," library officials said in a statement posted on its official Facebook page Sunday. "No humans were injured as this was after-hours, but there seems to be extensive building damage and some damage to our items."
No details were available Monday morning about what caused the crash or when exactly it happened.
The library, which is located on 14 Mile at Fruehauf, asks patrons to not use its drop box or return materials at this time. Instead, they ask materials be returned to the public library in Roseville, St. Clair Shores, or Clinton Township. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2023/05/22/fraser-library-closed-after-vehicle-crashes-into-building/70242325007/ | 2023-05-22T11:41:40 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2023/05/22/fraser-library-closed-after-vehicle-crashes-into-building/70242325007/ |
New internal medicine residency program starts at HCA Sarasota Doctors Hospital
Many doctors stay and practice in communities where the complete residency programs
HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital will welcome its first class of 12 internal medicine residents on July 1, as the facility received approval this spring from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to train and educate internal medicine residents.
The residents will receive training through HCA Florida Healthcare and the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine.
It will become the fourth hospital with an internal medicine residency program in Manatee and Sarasota counties, joining its sister hospital HCA Florida Blake Hospital, Manatee Memorial Hospital, and Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
Residency programs in the United States traditionally begin on July 1 of each year.
Michael Schandorf-Lartey, MD, director of the new resident program said that one goal of the program is to increase the number of primary care physicians in the Sarasota-Bradenton area, both to meet the need of the booming population and to offset retirement.
“We have to train more physicians, particularly primary care internal medicine physicians,” Schandorf-Lartey said. “Primarily private care physicians tend to be internal medicine, sometimes family medicine.
“Pediatrics is considered primary care as well and sometimes geriatrics but what we really need here would be internists or family medical physicians – which is why we’re training more.”
According to the American Association of Medical Colleges, more than 63% of the physicians who trained in Florida from 2012 to 2021 remained in the state.
“We hope they stay in the community,” he added. “We’re vested in the Bradenton-Sarasota area, and we know that there are challenges in finding primary care physicians.
To establish the residency program, HCA Healthcare is adding a medical simulation lab, high-tech classrooms, and resident quarters on site.
As the largest private hospital corporation in the country, HCA Healthcare is also the largest sponsor of graduate medical education in the country, with 337 accredited programs, 5,334 residents and fellows, and 62 teaching hospitals across 16 states.
Doctors Hospital will be the 10th hospital in the West Florida Division of HCA that offers residency programs – the closest of which is at HCA Florida Blake Hospital.
Program delayed by COVID-19
Jennifer Bocker, MD chief medical officer for HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital, said plans to add the residency program – which will grow to include three separate 12-member classes for a total of 36 new doctors – date back to 2020 but were shelved during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Physicians at Doctors Hospital treated the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Florida in 2020, when Schandorf-Lartey served as chief medical officer.
“Now that we’re starting to recover from COVID, we’re ready to start training," Bocker said.
Doctors Hospital ramped up its effort to start the program in August and received accreditation in April.
Bocker was excited the program will allow HCA Doctors Hospital physicians to give back.
“We were all there,” Bocker said. “I was an intern at one point, as was Dr. Schandorf.
“Now we get to train the next set of physicians and we get to train them in a way that we know is going to be benefitting our community,” she added. “The other benefit we get is our nursing staff also is very excited about the program because they really enjoy training with the residents, working with the residents.”
Once all three class years are filled out, the HCA internal medicine residency program will grow to 36 physicians.
Bocker noted that at the start of the program, the residents will primarily be on the main campus and have outpatient rotations at physicians' offices and a primary outpatient clinic to become truly well-rounded internists.
While the results won’t be seen until the first crop of graduating residents, Schandorf-Lartey stressed that a main hope is to increase the number of primary care physicians in the area.
“They don’t have to be with HCA to do that,” Schandorf-Lartey said. “They could be with HCA which we would love, or they could work with any of the other primary care practices in town.”
A high retention rate
Based on the retention results for graduates of the residency programs at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, the Doctors Hospital effort should increase the number of primary care physicians.
Sarasota Memorial Hospital started its residency program, which is affiliated with Florida State University College of Medicine, in 2017 with a class of 13. That program has grown to 39.
“At the time the primary care physician shortage was most critical in our region,” Sarasota Memorial spokeswoman Kim Savage said. “Studies have shown that where physicians train they will often put down roots and establish practices.”
SMH and Florida State also started an emergency medicine residency program with nine doctors in 2019.
That program has grown to 27 residents. The hospital also has two palliative care fellowships.
According to SMH, between 2020 and 2023, 48 physicians have graduated from the SMH internal medicine program, with 44% remaining in Sarasota County with privileges to practice at SMH, including chief residents.
In total, 69% of the class chose to stay in Florida – which is a higher percentage than the AAMC figures.
In the emergency medicine residency program, there have been 18 graduates from 2022 to 2023, with seven of those, or 39% staying at SMH and 61% staying in Florida.
Two of the six graduates of the SMH Palliative Care fellowship between 2021 and 2023 stayed at SMH, while four of the graduates chose to stay in Florida. | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/sarasota/2023/05/22/internal-medicine-residency-program-starts-july-1-at-doctors-hospital/70219049007/ | 2023-05-22T11:55:58 | 1 | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/sarasota/2023/05/22/internal-medicine-residency-program-starts-july-1-at-doctors-hospital/70219049007/ |
Sarasota County's on-demand transportation system earns praise at meeting with North Port
Need for more fixed routes discussed
Transportation improvements – specifically the increased ridership and decreased cost since Sarasota County launched its Mobility on Demand service in June 2021 – highlighted’ Thursday’s joint meeting of the North Port City Commission and Sarasota County Commission.
Jane Grogg, director of Sarasota County Area Transit, showcased how ridership within the city of North Port grew from 22,403 trips in 2019 – when fixed route buses were the only option – to 114,906 trips in 2022.
Equally important was the decrease in cost for Sarasota County to provide the service in the city decreased from $26.81 to $29.32 per passenger in 2019 to $13.25 per passenger through the on-demand model.
The on-demand mode, which started in 2021 established four zones – Lido-Longboat Key; Siesta Key; Vence-Englewood; and North Port – within which riders can make an appointment by phone or a smartphone app to be picked up at home and taken to another location within that zone for about $2 per ride.
In North Port, the most popular stop is Wal-Mart.
Rides between zones must occur on fixed bus routes.
County Commissioner Mike Moran pointed to the more than five fold increase in ridership and attributed it to the added convenience of pick up and drop off vs having to walk to a bus stop.
“I don't think ever in our wildest dreams thought it would be this successful this quickly,” Moran said.
North Port Mayor Barbara Langdon added that everyone she’s talked to who uses the service loves it but also suggested that Sarasota County should consider expanding its fixed route service too.
After the consolidation in 2021, that left North Port with only one fixed route – from a park-and-ride lot at North Port City Hall south on Sumter Boulevard then west on Tamiami Trail to the Historic Train Depot, where a rider can change buses to then travel to Sarasota.
That route does include a stop at the state State College of Florida.
That means that people who live off of North Port’s other major north-south corridor, Toledo Blade Boulevard, would have to take an on-demand ride to the fixed route to travel to Venice and Sarasota.
Commissioners Debbie McDowell and Pete Emrich pointed to a need to expand the North Pot on-demand zone to include Wellen Park, so people who live east of the Myakka River but work in the fast-growing section of the city can commute via public transportation.
The other transportation issue highlighted was North Port’s effort to work with Charlotte County to bring a new Interstate 75 interchange to Yorkshire Street and Raintree Boulevard.
The main ask there ws for Sarasota County to register support with the Florida Department of Transportation for the proposed interchange – which realistically is anywhere from 15 to 30 years away.
Sarasota County Administrator Jonathan Lewis noted that the county had previously issued a letter of support for the project but that would be updated to reflect the current proposal to use the local road network around Yorkshire and Raintree for a collector distributor interchange model.
Other items covered in the meeting included:
- Sarasota County Planning and Development Services Director Matt Osterhout offered an update on Sarasota County’s affordable housing efforts, which included a partnership with Blue Sky Communities and Community Assisted and Supported Living Inc. for a 96-unit complex targeted for 4644 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, received 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credit financing on its first application.
Related For Subscribers:Sarasota County picks developer for North Tamiami Trail affordable housing
- North Port Neighborhood Development Services Director Alaina Ray highlighted the fact that North Port is the second-fastest growing city in the United States, with 20,000 new residents added in the past six years and more than 82,000 residents and an annual growth rate of 5.5% vs. an annual average growth rate of 2.23%. Ray noted that by 2030, even with an average growth rate the city could be home to 97,000 people by 2030 but if the current growth rate is maintained it could read 125,000 people by 2030.
She noted that 90% of the city’s residents still commute elsewhere for work and, “20,000 residents in six years has placed an enormous strain on our infrastructure.”
- North Port officials also offered an update on its new Aquatic Center.
- Sarasota County officials provided an overview of its mosquito management program, including the fact that another full-time person is scheduled to be hired in the 2023 fiscal year to service the North Port area. | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/venice/2023/05/22/transportation-talk-highlights-north-port-meeting-with-sarasota-county/70217716007/ | 2023-05-22T11:56:04 | 1 | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/venice/2023/05/22/transportation-talk-highlights-north-port-meeting-with-sarasota-county/70217716007/ |
Of the 75 officers and deputies working at the Mason City Police Department, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office and the Clear Lake Police Department, just a single officer did not identify as white in surveys taken last fall and provided to the Globe Gazette.
That is one less minority than was reported in a similar survey in 2020, when two MCPD officers identified as non-white.
According to the surveys, one officer with the MCPD identifies as Asian/Pacific Islander. That's just 1.3% of the officers in the county. Zero officers or deputies identify as Black, Hispanic or Native American.
The United States Census Bureau's webpage states that at the time of the last census in 2020, 94% of county residents identified as white, 5.7% Hispanic and 2.2% Black.
Diversity underrepresentation in policing
Data gathered from October 2022 to May 2023 from nearly 120 law enforcement agencies in 14 states shows frequent disparity in the racial and ethnic makeup of the agencies compared to the communities they are hired to protect and serve.There were eight female officers and deputies — three with the MCPD, one with the CGCSO and four at the CLPD. No law enforcement officers identified as other-gendered or non-gendered.
People are also reading…
The CLPD had 14 applications last year, two from people of color. The MCPD had 82 applicants in 2022, 17 of which were from minorities.
The MCPD has had two racial profiling complaints since 2017, the CLPD had one and the CGCSO had none. The MCPD has conducted a community policing initiative since at least 2010. According to a survey answer, "Mason City PD values the relationship it has with the community. Being short staffed has limited our ability to be proactive in terms of community policing programming and events. The department plans to assign someone as community resource officer when staffing allows."
The CLPD has a similar initiative, but the CGCSO does not.
North Iowa Area Community College criminal justice instructor Jeff Fick said he speaks with his students about the history of race in law enforcement.
"We talk about history. Historically, it was a white, male organization, but that's changing incredibly quickly," he said. "There's initiatives like the 30x30 Initiative."
The 30x30 Initiative is a program with the goal of increasing the number of female officers from 12% in 2021 to 30% in 2030. According to the 30x30 website, "Research shows women officers use less force and less excessive force; are named in fewer complaints and lawsuits; are perceived by communities as being more honest and compassionate; see better outcomes for crime victims, especially in sexual assault cases; and make fewer discretionary arrests."
Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley said his department has not signed the 30x30 Pledge but supports the effort.
"It would be awesome if we could get it done," Brinkley said. "I'd love to have a department at 30% female. In a perfect world that would be a great scenario for us."
Fick said currently he has only one non-white student in his face-to-face classes.
"I think it's more about location. We're in North Iowa. Our population is predominantly white," he said. "I think for my program it's really specific to our racial diversity in the area, and that's going to impact the diversity of the program."
Brinkley said that because of the city's geographic location and demographics, finding minority candidates can be difficult at best.
"We are not getting numbers for applicants of color or females like we were years ago," Brinkley said. "We just are not having those groups of people represented in the applicant pool."
Brinkley said the department is staffed with 40 officers and authorized by the city for 48 officers. He said the department uses a marketing firm for recruitment. Cerro Gordo County Sheriff Kevin Pals said his department is in need of deputies, jailers and dispatchers.
Fick said he's seeing more women in his program. His criminal law class of 16 or 17 students is two-thirds women. He said it's about a half-and-half split between students wanting to go into law enforcement directly versus other avenues such as criminal law.
Fick uses multiple avenues to recruit students, but ultimately it can be tougher than it used to be because of what can be seen as a lack of support for a dangerous and necessary job.
For example, the New York Police Department saw retirements jump 117% from 2021 to the first two months of 2023, according to the New York Post. That came in the wake of the George Floyd murder and other civilian deaths at the hands of police.
Pals said he's seen a drop in the number of people wanting to become officers as well in that timeframe.
"The last few years, as you know with all the incidents involving police, there has been a drastic drop in people even applying for law enforcement jobs," Pals said. "Not only are we not getting a lot of applicants from people with diverse backgrounds, we are not getting any applications."
Pals echoed Brinkley and Fick in saying that the demographics in North Iowa are a large reason for the lack of diversity in law enforcement here.
"It's really just about who's interested in criminal justice at the time," he said. "I take the profession like a roller coaster; it's got its ups and its downs."
Fick said he believes having a diverse workplace is a positive regardless of the profession.
"I think having a diverse anything is important," he said. "Having a diverse group of individuals can help in certain situations."
Fick said there may be times when a woman feels comfortable speaking with another woman, or a Black person to a Black officer. | https://globegazette.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/just-one-non-white-officer-in-all-of-cerro-gordo-county/article_b07b3a37-8efd-5b4a-b53f-d1e1013fd903.html | 2023-05-22T12:00:32 | 1 | https://globegazette.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/just-one-non-white-officer-in-all-of-cerro-gordo-county/article_b07b3a37-8efd-5b4a-b53f-d1e1013fd903.html |
ROANOKE, Va. – Happy Monday! Join us at 8 a.m. for the Morning Sprint as we go over trending stories that’ll make you smile.
The digital-only newscast is filled with laughter, smiles and stories that’ll surely lift your spirits. You can catch it Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.
Don’t be shy! Be sure to join the conversation as we discuss trending stories.
Here are some of the stories we will discuss:
- Hustle for the Homeless 5k held in Roanoke
- 10-foot tall bronze spider sells for $32.8 million
- Montana firefighters rescue ducklings from storm drain
Here’s where you can watch us:
The Sprint can be watched on our website, YouTube account and wherever you stream WSLS 10 weekdays at 8 a.m.
You can also watch it on our 10 News app. Click here to download if you’re an IOS user and here to download if you have an Android.
Be sure to leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!
Thanks for watching!
Want to know more about the Morning Sprint? Leave us a question using the form below: | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/22/coming-up-firefighters-save-family-of-ducklings-from-storm-drain-the-morning-sprint/ | 2023-05-22T12:03:10 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/22/coming-up-firefighters-save-family-of-ducklings-from-storm-drain-the-morning-sprint/ |
Protesters stand in front of police at the EZ GO gas station at 25th and O streets in late May 2020.
JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star file photo
Lincoln Police Chief Teresa Ewins pins a badge on Julian Fernandez during a graduation ceremony for 13 LPD recruits last year. The graduating class will help the department as it deals with staffing issues.
In October 2020, three of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Department's 26 sworn officers were officers of color, including one Hispanic patrolman and two Black officers.
The Nebraska State Patrol fared even worse, with six Black troopers and seven Hispanic troopers on a force of 434 sworn law enforcement agents.
On a force of 82 sworn deputies, the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office employed three deputies of color.
And 1.7% of Lincoln Police Department officers were Black, while another 4.2% were Hispanic — a partial reflection of the community, but not a complete one.
“If I were to give ourselves a grade, we’re definitely not getting an A,” Lincoln Police's Jason Stille said then. “We need to do better. We have definite room to grow.”
Nearly three years after Floyd's murder and the racial reckoning that followed, the four major law enforcement agencies that police parts of Lincoln largely tout more racially diverse ranks than they did in 2020, but those forces have shrunk while agencies struggle to recruit Black law enforcement officers at the same pace as other races, according to recent staffing data.
“When you talk about diversity in law enforcement, we’re never gonna arrive," said Col. John Bolduc, head of the Nebraska State Patrol. "We’re never gonna sit back and say, ‘OK, we’ve done that.’ It’s constantly gonna be a work.
“(But) right now, recruiting anybody is a challenge. So we’re really working hard to get quality men and women into law enforcement and into our agency specifically. There’s a lot of headwinds that we’re facing.”
The four agencies — including the State Patrol, UNLPD, the sheriff's office and Lincoln Police Department — have launched various new recruiting strategies over the past three years, and three of the four agencies employ more officers of color now than they did in 2020.
But three of the four agencies also employ fewer sworn officers in general than they did three years ago — a reflection of the tough recruiting market that local law enforcement leaders pinned to various degrees on Nebraska's economy, a rash of retirements and the profession's self-inflicted hits to its reputation, which some leaders, including Bolduc, suggested had been overrepresented in the media.
The increased focus on diversity coupled with a shrinking crop of qualified candidates have forced Nebraska law enforcement agencies to strike their own balance between recruiting officers of color and recruiting officers at all.
“We just have to keep our eye on the ball. And not sacrifice — it’s not an either-or situation. It’s kind of an either-and," Bolduc said. "It’s like, we have to recruit numbers, but we have to be intentional about diversity.
"We can do both at the same time. I’m convinced of that. And I think our results are proving that."
That balance, though, looks different for each agency.
Sheriff Terry Wagner, who has been the top law enforcement official in Lancaster County since 1994, described his priority list differently.
“Our priority is just to get bodies in the door," he said. "It would be nice to have minority applicants — and we have had some — and then once we get them in the door, they’ve got to test, they’ve got to pass the test, they’ve got to qualify — they’ve got to be a qualified applicant, so there are a lot of factors involved.”
A diversifying field
In the years since 2020, three local police agencies — with Wagner's sheriff's office being the exception — have increased the number of minority officers in their ranks in gains that have largely been made through hiring Hispanic and Asian recruits, according to agency staffing data.
The State Patrol — which in 2020 employed 17 troopers of color on a force of 434 troopers — now employs 23 troopers of color despite a slimmer staff of 415 total, according to data provided by the patrol. Fourteen percent of the agency's recruits since 2020 have been from racial minority groups.
“So we’re improving," Bolduc said. "But we still have work to do.”
The results have been tangible. The State Patrol has added four Hispanic troopers to its ranks since 2020, when the agency employed seven Hispanic troopers — a 57% increase in less than three full years.
For Bolduc, the addition of four troopers is both a point of pride and shame. But he hopes the upward momentum is self-fulfilling.
“We hired our first Hispanic female I think four years ago," he said. "I mean, we’ve been around for 85 years, and the fact that we only just hired our first Hispanic female is disappointing, but we’ve hired several since then.
"So who better to recruit Hispanic females than a Hispanic female trooper? Who better to recruit Black troopers than a Black trooper?”
Diversity underrepresentation in policing
Data gathered from October 2022 to May 2023 from nearly 120 law enforcement agencies in 14 states shows frequent disparity in the racial and ethnic makeup of the agencies compared to the communities they are hired to protect and serve.
In Lincoln — where about 83% of residents are white, 4% are Black, 4.6% are Asian and 8% are Hispanic or Latinx — progress has charted a similar path.
The Lincoln Police Department has added seven officers of color to its ranks over the past three years, a feat that has come despite recruitment and retention challenges that have left the agency increasingly reliant on overtime and 30 officers short of its authorized strength.
The department has made most of its gains in diversity through the hiring of four Asian officers and the addition of five mixed-race officers, according to department data. It's unclear if all five of the mixed-race officers have been hired since 2020 or if some were previously counted as one race.
In 2020, minority officers accounted for 7.8% of the department's sworn workforce. Now, officers of color represent 10.4% of LPD's ranks.
“But you should never rest on that," Police Chief Teresa Ewins said. "Because it’s not about whether … the media’s gonna ask me questions. It’s about how diverse of a department we should be. And the sky is the limit.
"We need to represent the communities that live here, and I think that’s exactly what we’re trying to do. So as much as I’d like to say, ‘This is great. We’re being successful in recruitment.’ I also want to — there is no limit.”
Across the hall at Lincoln's Hall of Justice — the downtown building LPD shares with the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office — signs of progress are harder to find.
The sheriff's office, which touts a force of 82 sworn deputies, employs the same number of minority deputies now as it did in 2020: three.
"It’s a constant battle; it really is," Wagner said. "It’s something that we are constantly aware of; it’s something that we try to make inroads of and, once we get them in the door here to apply, they’ve got to show up to tests, they’ve got to pass the tests, they have to pass the background — everybody does."
The sheriff's office has contracted with a marketing firm over the past two years in an effort to boost recruiting, but that effort is not specifically focused on recruiting deputies of color, Wagner said.
But he said he hopes that applicants of color know there's a place for them at his agency, which is more than 96% white.
"I would like to think any minority applicant would know that they’ve got as good a chance at becoming a Lancaster County deputy sheriff as anybody else, and they do," he added. "As long as they’re a qualified applicant and they pass and meet standards, they’ve got as good a shot as anybody."
“And when they get sworn in, they’re a Lancaster County deputy sheriff. It doesn’t matter whether they’re white, purple, blue or Black. It’s — we’re glad to have them.”
UNLPD employs two more officers of color than it did in 2020, a modest increase, but one that represents nearly 8% of the department's sworn staff of 26.
Five of the agency's sworn officers are members of racial minority groups, a cohort that includes Police Chief Hassan Ramzah, who is Black, and who said that matching the racial makeup of the university is an organizational goal for his department, but not one that will be easy to meet.
"And so I always say that’s a work in progress. Because there’s — right now, across the country, there are a number of departments that are struggling with finding applicants and qualified police officers to join agencies.
“In Nebraska, it’s no different.”
'It’s like whack-a-mole'
UNL's police department is the only Lincoln-based law enforcement agency that hasn't unintentionally downsized over the past three years as recruiting challenges and a rash of retirements have combined to create a "perfectly bad" recipe for growth in law enforcement, said Bolduc, who has led the State Patrol since 2017.
The State Patrol has 19 fewer troopers now than it did in 2020.
The county sheriff's office has two fewer deputies than it did then and is four deputies short of its hiring capacity.
The Lincoln Police Department has 20 fewer officers than it did in 2020 and is 30 short of its authorized strength.
And UNLPD is stuck at 26 sworn offices — exactly where it was in October 2020, but five short of full capacity.
The shortfall of qualified candidates has left police leaders trying to balance the importance of employing a diverse workforce and employing a full workforce.
“When it comes down to filling spots, they would rather fill the spot," said Connie Morris, a criminal justice professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice who spent 25 years as a police officer in Grand Rapids, Michigan, before retiring in 2015.
But neither filling police forces to capacity nor meeting desired diversity goals have seemed possible for any local agency.
The result has been a juggling act of sorts of local law enforcement leaders, reallocating investigators from specialized units to keep up with call-for-service demand and, in the case of Lancaster County, utilizing court security staff to fill shifts.
"It’s like whack-a-mole," Wagner said. "It really is.”
And though most local agencies have found success in adding Hispanic, Asian and mixed-raced officers, they have struggled to hire Black officers in particular.
The State Patrol has added one Black trooper in the past three years. The Lincoln Police Department is down to three Black officers from six in 2020.
UNLPD has remained steady, with two Black officers among its ranks. And the sheriff's office employs one fewer Black deputy than the two it had on its payroll in 2020.
"One in a white department is kind of a lonely place," said Morris, the criminal justice professor.
Law enforcement's inability to recruit Black officers in particular is an effect that, for some leaders, lacks an articulated cause.
Bolduc acknowledged that the profession "has been our own worst enemy in some cases" but pinned much of the blame on the intense focus on such cases in the media, as well as the "negative rhetoric" surrounding policing hurled from pundits and politicians.
For Ramzah, the cause is mostly rooted in the demographics of Nebraska, where only 5.3% of residents are Black.
“There’s just too few candidates to choose from," he said. "Understanding the ‘whys’ is really, really hard."
Wagner, meanwhile, placed much of the blame on the Black community itself:
"Well, you know I’ve told minority community leaders that they need to be more supportive of members of their community that enter a traditionally white profession," he said. "What I’ve seen in the past are minority members of our agency are ostracized by their communities. So it makes it real difficult for them.”
But for Ewins, who has led Lincoln's police department since September 2021 after 25 years in the San Francisco Police Department, the rationale is so obvious it hardly needs to be spoken, she said.
"I mean, do I really need to say it? I mean, it is — and I’ve actually said it before — it is difficult to (recruit) because the Black community does not trust law enforcement. And we need to build that trust," she said, before referring to the February police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee — the latest high-profile incident in a growing list of such killings.
"And so it’s really, unfortunately, that simple, is that once again we have to mend that relationship because of what people see on TV and what the reality is in some places.
"It’s just not Lincoln.”
Photos and videos of protests in Lincoln over George Floyd's death
BLM Protest
BLM Protest
BLM Protest
BLM Protest
BLM Protest
BLM Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
WATCH NOW: Lincoln police chief provides update on overnight protests
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
George Floyd Protest
Protest at Capitol, 5.30
Protest at Capitol, 5.30
Protest at Capitol, 5.30
Protest at Capitol, 5.30
Protest at Capitol, 5.30
Protest at Capitol, 5.30
Protest at Capitol, 5.30
Protest at Capitol, 5.30
Protest at Capitol, 5.30
WATCH: Protesters return to Lincoln streets on Saturday
Protesters
Protesters
Protesters
Protesters
Mortar firework
Shattered glass
Helping tear gas victim
Throwing brick
Breaking window
Protest
Saturday protest
Water
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Leo Celis Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Early Morning Protest
Watch Now: Saturday night protests in downtown Lincoln Part 2
Watch Now: Protests erupt into violence in Lincoln Saturday night
Protest and Cleanup, 5.31
Protest and Cleanup, 5.31
Protest and Cleanup, 5.31
Protest and Cleanup, 5.31
Protest and Cleanup, 5.31
Protest and Cleanup, 5.31
Protest and Cleanup, 5.31
Protest and Cleanup, 5.31
Watch Now: Morning-after view of damage from Saturday night’s violence in Lincoln
George Floyd Protest
Protest and Cleanup, 5.31
Protest and Cleanup, 5.31
Protest and Cleanup, 5.31
Protest and Cleanup, 5.31
Protest and Cleanup, 5.31
Protest and Cleanup, 5.31
Watch: Volunteers help businesses clean up Lincoln Mall
WATCH NOW: Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird provides updates on protests in Lincoln
Sunday protest
WATCH NOW: Protests over George Floyd's death continue outside state Capitol on Sunday
BLM Peaceful Protest
BLM Peaceful Protest
BLM Peaceful Protest
BLM Peaceful Protest
BLM Peaceful Protest
BLM Peaceful Protest
BLM Peaceful Protest
BLM Peaceful Protest
BLM Peaceful Protest
BLM peaceful protest
Watch Now: Rally outside State Capitol protests George Floyd's death
Watch Now: LJS reporter detained; some protesters arrested after Lincoln curfew | https://journalstar.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/a-constant-battle-lincoln-police-agencies-show-signs-of-progress-in-diversifying-ranks/article_c1e31bfa-c981-11ed-88f1-ab8820c9e4ac.html | 2023-05-22T12:16:51 | 1 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/a-constant-battle-lincoln-police-agencies-show-signs-of-progress-in-diversifying-ranks/article_c1e31bfa-c981-11ed-88f1-ab8820c9e4ac.html |
DeLAND, Fla. – An official groundbreaking ceremony will be held Monday for the new SunRail station in DeLand.
The Florida Department of Transportation, the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission and officials from Volusia County and the city of DeLand will hold the event at 10 a.m. at the DeLand Amtrak Station at 2491 Old New York Ave. in DeLand.
The new DeLand SunRail station will extend service 12.2 miles from DeBary.
SunRail currently has 16 stations, from DeBary to Poinciana, along a 49-mile corridor.
Speakers will include FDOT Secretary Jared W. Perdue; FDOT District Five Secretary John E. Tyler; Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower; and DeLand Mayor Chris Cloudman.
[SURVEY: What would it take for you to use SunRail? | TRENDING: Become a News 6 Insider]
This story will be updated after the groundbreaking ceremony.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/22/sunrail-to-break-ground-on-new-deland-station/ | 2023-05-22T12:17:21 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/05/22/sunrail-to-break-ground-on-new-deland-station/ |
It’s elementary, my dear Watson, that we should celebrate Sherlock Holmes Day on May 22. To mark this day honoring the famous, fictional detective, please help us find our car keys!
May is National Bike Month, which is a great excuse to get on your wheels and ride. Kenosha County hosts plenty of places to enjoy a bicycle ride. The Kenosha County Bike Trail runs from Anderson Park through Lake County in Illinois on the south, then from 35th Street on the north part of Kenosha County all the way through Racine County. Also, the Pike Trail runs about 10 miles along Lake Michigan, with access points all along the lakefront. Bonus: Use this trail to connect west to the Pike Trail at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
The Kenosha Library System hosts free book clubs, open to everyone., including today’s Fantasy/Sci-Fi Book Club, meeting 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Southwest Library, 7979 38th Ave. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome.
People are also reading…
“From Curiosity to Science” — a permanent exhibit — can be toured on the second floor of the Kenosha Public Museum, 5500 First Ave. The exhibit offers visitors the chance to “take a journey of discovery from the 1600s through modern museum displays.” Admission is free. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call 262-653-4140 or log on at KenoshaPublicMuseum.org.
Monday night music alert: George’s Tavern in Racine, 1201 N. Main St., hosts an Open Jam on Monday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. Everyone is welcome.
The Milwaukee County Zoo welcomes “Dino Don’s Journey to the Ice Age,” a special attraction open through Oct. 7. The exhibit features “a magnificent menagerie of giant mammals who roamed the world “ during the ice ages, which started some 2.4 million years ago, when glaciers covered vast parts of the world. Visitors will “meet” animals including saber-toothed tigers, woolly mammoths and giant sloths. Admission is $4, in addition to regular zoo admission. milwaukeezoo.org. | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/kenosha-area-events-for-monday-may-22/article_a9c5c99e-f69c-11ed-88b5-07e630f8b839.html | 2023-05-22T12:21:09 | 1 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/kenosha-area-events-for-monday-may-22/article_a9c5c99e-f69c-11ed-88b5-07e630f8b839.html |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.