text string | url string | crawl_date timestamp[ms] | label int64 | id string |
|---|---|---|---|---|
My name is Roxy Contin. I am an assistant deputy director of Human Resources here at Payne Management, and I will be your liaison for the next two weeks of new employee orientation. On behalf of Burt Tramadol, CEO, and all the members of the Payne Management Board of Directors, I am thrilled to welcome you to our team.
As you can see from the contents of your onboarding packet, we have a lot of information to cover over the next few days. Before I get us started, let’s all of us stand, just for a moment. All of us. Everyone. In the back? Thank you. That’s it. Everyone on their feet. Good. Thank you. And reach for the sky. Again. Thank you. You may be seated.
There’s a tradition here at Payne Management to start each workday when we collectively rise from our respective workstations (Who calls them desks anymore, right? Can you say the Patriarchy? Can I get an amen? Just kidding, Burt.) and join in the company song. See the inside cover of your red binder. What say we give it a try. Ready?
People are also reading…
One and two and three and ...
Payne Management.
Payne Management.
How bright our light does shine.
Payne Management.
Payne Management.
We start our day at nine.
Not bad, not bad. Pretty darned good for a first time. A little pitchy, but we’ll work on that. By the time of the annual conference, you’ll be ready to kick butt at the branch choral competition.
Folks say I tend to induce drowsiness, so I’ve asked my assistant Natalie Proxen to run through a few housekeeping rules before we get things rolling. Natalie?
Good morning, everybody! Woo hoo! I’m thrilled to be here. Can I get a big shout out to “Payne Management!” Come on, people. I can’t hear you! Payne Management! Payne Management! OK, OK. We’ll work on that. What’s the old Vince Lombardi quote? “If you aren’t fired with enthusiasm, you’ll be fired with enthusiasm.” Word to the wise.
You know, it wasn’t that long ago when I was sitting where you are now. Grueling journey, am I right? Really? Another panel of interviewers? For goodness sake, what sort of pain does Payne Management manage? Self-induced. Am I right? Woo hoo!
But that’s all behind you now. It’s time to get to work. We prefer to keep everyone on schedule, so feel free to take two breaks every four to six hours as needed. We prefer that you refrain from driving or operating heavy machinery during the training. Personally, I prefer folding metal chairs and cold coffee as inducements to keep participants alert, but the folks in legal -- that’s right; I’m talking to you, Cephus Lexin. Let’s give Cephus and his team a big hand. If it wasn’t for them, we’d all be sitting on three-legged stools and jogging in place between sessions. Restroom breaks will be provided. No smoking. No drugs or alcohol — at least not until the reception later today. Wink, wink. Just kidding. Back to you, Roxy.
OK, people. Open your blue binder and turn to page one. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/carpenters-column-welcome-to-payne-management-inc/article_cc4596d6-fc21-11ed-8da5-63a67da9a9b7.html | 2023-05-28T15:30:39 | 1 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/carpenters-column-welcome-to-payne-management-inc/article_cc4596d6-fc21-11ed-8da5-63a67da9a9b7.html |
If federal lawmakers had not reached an agreement on raising the debt ceiling, the United States was poised to default on its debts beginning June 1.
If the United States government was unable to pay its bills, local impacts would have been sure to crop up.
That’s why the topic came up at this week’s Coconino County Board of Supervisors meeting. Vice Chair Jeronimo Vasquez was hopeful that “cooler heads would prevail” and an agreement would be reached in Washington soon.
He was on to something, as a deal was reached Saturday evening.
Coconino County Treasurer Sarah Benatar had also been monitoring the situation.
For nine years she’s served as the head of what is essentially the county’s bank. Her office handles the county’s investments, collects taxes and processes paychecks for county employees.
People are also reading…
“I am spending most of my days right now just reading the news, educating myself, having the conversation, and outlining what is the impact here and how can I minimize and mitigate any potential risk to our county,” Benatar said. “Any risk costs money and we are funded by the general fund, which is taxpayer money. That is really important. My job is to take care of taxpayer money. I am the custodian of it. How do we make sure we’re protecting our taxpayers? How are we protecting our constituents?”
Right now, the county has $32 million invested in treasury bills, which is a short-term investment that matures in anywhere from four weeks to a year. When the bill matures, the federal government pays the investor the bill’s face value.
If the federal government defaulted, what was once a stable investment for the county could have ended up going unpaid.
“How would they handle any of that if it [a treasury bill] reaches maturity? It looks like they are going to kick the maturity down the road. We’re just not going to get interest-earning,” Benatar said.
She said that as far as cash flow goes, the county is in no way reliant on treasury bonds alone.
“I actually have about $50 million just in money market accounts that I can easily have access to -- which is great. We have agency bonds and corporate bonds that are maturing out, so I’m not super worried. That’s also on top of our checking account. So, we’ll be fine to cover any major disasters or meet cash flow needs,” Benatar said.
Right now, rates on treasury bonds have risen above 5% because they now present additional risk to investors.
“I don’t think I’ve seen treasury bills at over 5% for like a four-week one, that’s what they were at. I have to ask myself: Do I want to purchase a four-week treasury bill right now? Probably not,” said Benatar. “It’s not the smartest thing to do, because there is a potential that we won’t get paid.”
If the federal government had not acted Saturday, Benatar said the outcome would have been “catastrophic.”
United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had said that if lawmakers don’t move on the issue, it would be highly likely that the U.S. might not be able to meet its payment obligations after June 1.
Benatar points out that on June 1 social security payments go out, and Medicare and Medicaid funding is dispensed. Seniors and low-income groups would have been likely feel the impact first.
“Then your federal employees aren’t getting paid -- which for us that’s a lot of our own constituents who aren’t getting their paychecks. The military isn’t getting paid,” Benatar said. “Then you think about, they’re not going to be paying out grants. If grant payments were due at this point, to the county, the state, that ripples. If the state takes it and passes it on to the county for example, the money is not going to be coming in. So what happens to those services?”
Benatar also mentioned that fire season is right around the corner. A number of agencies that employ wildland firefighters are federally funded — including the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service.
Prior to Saturday, the debt ceiling was last raised in 2011, after continuous debate. Congress ultimately voted to raise the nation’s debt limit by $2.4 trillion.
In response, the credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s (S&P) downgraded the United States’ credit rating from AAA to AA. Bentar noted when the rating was downgraded, S&P didn’t only cite a need for the government to develop a more coherent long-term debt management plan, but it also noted that partisan politics made the U.S. more likely to default.
Benatar likens the situation to one that’s faced by everyday Americans when they miss credit card payments — except this is happening on a much larger scale and with much higher stakes. If you miss a credit card payment, your credit score goes down, your interest rate might go up and your already strained finances might take a deeper hit.
“Let’s say they default. We have S&P who said they’d move them into negative watch ratings. They’ve already said if they default and they miss a payment we’ll bring them down,” Benatar said. “What does that do for us? That means rates are going to go up. On the investment side of house, that’s always nice because I would earn more on that side. Overall for our local economy and just in general, it’s not good. That means cost is going up. It means the federal government will have to pay more in interest.”
Now that an agreement has been reached, paychecks and social security monies are dispensed somewhat without interruption.
Benatar said the country had already come very close to the cliff -- close enough to have consequences even with a deal being settled on.
“Even if [these situations] aren’t reality, we are starting to get to a point where it is going to take some time for the economy to bounce back, for the rates, for the stock market to settle down,” Benatar said. "But we’ve never defaulted ever. We’re going into uncharted waters.”
Benatar remains worried the economy will take a hit either way.
“The closest thing we have recently is going back to 2011. Rates were up, markets were crazy for about a year or so. It took a while for it to settle. With the everyday person, you end up spending less money. That hurts business. You also are now having to pay higher rates on debt. Rates are high. They’re not going to go back down over night now,” Benatar said. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/county-discusses-debt-limit-options-and-impacts/article_3f81e686-fc1d-11ed-aca6-ab583f9ef6da.html | 2023-05-28T15:30:45 | 0 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/county-discusses-debt-limit-options-and-impacts/article_3f81e686-fc1d-11ed-aca6-ab583f9ef6da.html |
One year after 19 students and two teachers were shot and killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, a small group of Flagstaff activists planted a tree outside of Hal Jensen Recreation Center on Izabel Street. They invited young people from the community, and two speakers to place a plaque and remember victims of gun violence across the country.
On Wednesday, Sunshine soaked the leaves of an autumn blaze maple, which was donated by Warner's Nursery and Landscaping and installed in the center of the community center lawn with help from the City of Flagstaff.
“Getting a tree here, itself, involved our parks department. Our parks department was a great partner in terms of picking up the tree and walking us through what the space would be, ensuring it had proper irrigation,” explained Tyrone Johnson, the City of Flagstaff's recreation manager. “I thought it was a good community act.”
People are also reading…
The leaves of the maple turn a striking shade of red in the fall.
The particular species was selected with help from the city, chosen in part for its adaptability. It was also selected because of its unique position as an emblem of stability, growth and opportunities for change.
“A tree is a beautiful symbol. It’s a symbol of life. It’s a symbol of continuity, resilience,” Patricia Frederick said.
Frederick is the events lead for Moms Demand Action, the advocacy group that organized the tree planting.
“It will be here for a very long time as a symbol and as a memory for all those who died, and all those who survived gun violence,” Frederick said.
It was Frederick who first reached out to Warner’s to buy a tree. Moms Demand Action was looking for a way to honor and memorialize victims of gun violence nationwide, and because trees are a symbol used by survivors of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, they thought it would be a fitting tribute.
The nursery told them they didn’t have to make a purchase. That was in December. The group had to wait until the snow melted for a planting date. They chose to honor the victims of the Robb Elementary School mass shooting, planting the tree in May.
“In Uvalde, Texas, where 19 students and two teachers were killed, it was right after that that I started. I just couldn’t stop crying and thinking about it. I literally joined the group right after that. This is a poignant moment for me,” Frederick said.
The shooting occurred around the same time Frederick retired as a professor at Northern Arizona University.
In fact, most of the members of the Flagstaff chapter of Moms Demand Action are current and former educators. Also like Frederick, most of the members joined because they needed a place to turn their grief, fear and bewilderment into action.
Mary Grove, who is the group lead for Mom Demands Action, launched the local chapter after the Pulse Nightclub Shooting in 2016.
“Sometimes people have been very frustrated because of all the shootings. They don’t know how to take action. They don’t know where to turn,” Grove said. “It’s really nice to have a local group that meets monthly. You can get to know each other and support each other. Especially survivors of gun violence. Sometimes they don’t identify themselves. Sometimes it helps to be a part of an organization that is working on the problem.”
Grove is a retired teacher — she taught for a time at Northland Preparatory Academy. KC Hershey, who initially brought the idea of planting the tree at Hal Jensen to the group, is a teacher, too. She also works at the Sunnyside Community Center.
“This has been a remarkable center for a lot of years, as far as I am concerned. For the 35 years I’ve been around and more ... all the people who work here are so positive and awesome to all the people walking in the door,” Hershey said. “There’s just such a sense of welcome. I think there’s a need for this more in the community.”
The Hal Jensen location is a community hub, a significant gathering place.
“Back in the '80s through federal funding and the Weed and Seed Program, they designated this center as a ‘safe haven,’” Danny Neal said to the assembled crowd of more than a dozen young people standing beside Moms Demand Action members in matching red shirts. "Anybody who knows anything about this place, been around this place, your grandparents came to this place, your parents came to this place, it was a safe haven long before it was designated as a safe haven. It’s been a safe haven for generations. That’s one thing we can be really proud about."
Neal worked at Hal Jensen for more than 31 years and said he remembers the day in 2018 when the center, the place counted on to be a safe haven, became the site of a shooting.
“This community, Sunnyside, is not immune to gun violence,” Neal said. “In my 31 years of being here, there’s only been a gun pulled twice.”
The first time, a fight broke out on the basketball court. Afterward, Neal approached one of the instigators, asking them to leave. The other person involved in the scuffle entered the locker room and a gun was pulled.
“No shots were fired because I was standing in the middle of both of them,” said Neal. “The second time, tragically, we had a death here.”
Neal had been working at the community center on March 3, 2017 -- the day 20-year-old Jacob Allen was shot and killed in the facility’s bathroom. He’d gotten off work and left the community center just 15 minutes before the shooting.
On Wednesday, Neal remembered Allen the way only a coach can.
He talked about a young man who loved basketball and who freely gave hugs.
“He’d stop anytime, just to say hello, give me a hug, let me know how he was doing,” said Neal, who coached Allen in middle school basketball. “Today I still wonder if I had stayed, and he’d walked in there and seen me, would he have gave me a hug? Maybe things would have turned out different.”
Neal told the crowd he has no opposition to the First Amendment or responsible gun ownership.
He talked about his father’s childhood in Arkansas. About how he earned his speed as an athlete treeing squirrels for his father to shoot to eat. He recalls that his father also kept shotguns by the door, with pill bottles resting over the barrels to keep out dust.
“That was to protect. It was for food. It wasn’t AK-47s. It’s gotten to a point in this country now where they say the way things are going, all of us are going to face gun violence at one point or another. That’s just a fact. This center is one of those that’s been touched already,” Neal said.
He told the wrenching story of how his own life was touched and reshaped by gun violence.
“You hear these stories about these mass shootings. You wonder how these families, teachers, communities handle such tragedies. To hear a mother scream, to hear a mother cry, when she’s told her son is dead like the scream I heard when Jacob’s mom was told he was gone? That’s something I’ll never forget,” Neal said. “I don’t want to get on a soapbox, but something has to be done. Laws have to change. This tree represents the innocent lives that have been lost and the change that needs to be made -- changes that we can make happen.”
Julie Swann-Paez survived a mass shooting in San Bernadino in 2015. She spoke at the symbolic planting, urging the young people in attendance to use their voices and their votes.
“We need to change legislation -- which is why I got involved with Moms Demand Action. There is also a youth program, Students Demand Action, because we do need to demand action,” Swann-Paez said.
As a grassroots organization, Moms Demand Action advocates for public safety measures and pushes for the passage of stronger gun laws. They also “work in communities and with business leaders to encourage a culture of responsible gun ownership.”
“It’s a national crisis. It doesn’t seem to be getting much better. We’re here to bring awareness. We hope the tree will do that,” Frederick said. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/one-year-after-uvalde-flagstaff-activists-plant-tree-to-honor-victims-of-gun-violence/article_7ec167c0-fbca-11ed-9339-dfbf8a0bfd6f.html | 2023-05-28T15:30:52 | 0 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/one-year-after-uvalde-flagstaff-activists-plant-tree-to-honor-victims-of-gun-violence/article_7ec167c0-fbca-11ed-9339-dfbf8a0bfd6f.html |
For the fourth year, the Wood for Life program is back at it, looking to provide Native American communities across the region with firewood in the aftermath of the 2019 closure of Navajo Generating Station and the Kayenta coal mine.
Last week, crews from the Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps were already hard at work in parts of the Coconino National Forest southwest of Flagstaff thinning areas of the woods and creating firewood to support communities across the Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation
But this year, Ancestral Corps managers are also hoping to expand the program from providing just firewood to building materials as well, said Marshall Masayesva, the Ancestral Corps project manager for the Wood for Life effort.
The effort to expand what the program offers comes as the Ancestral Corps has taken a more significant role in running and managing the program. And Masayesva said the shift highlights the importance of having Native American involvement in such programs from the very beginning.
People are also reading…
“So what I pushed more and more for is that we need to be involved from the beginning. So felling [the trees], and then understanding that these are perfectly good materials that should not be cut up for firewood. We can repurpose it into another use. There's more than enough material in the forest to have a multiple uses,” Masayesva said.
In past years, Ancestral Corps crews would mainly be cutting the wood to size, processing logs that had already been felled by other groups. But Ancestral Corps Hopi Program manager Aeon Albert said their crews are now taking on the thinning and felling of trees themselves.
And that allows them to better use every part of the tree available, and find trees that might be better used for building materials than for firewood, said Masayesva.
Indeed, last week an Ancestral Corps Hopi crew was hard at work. As some crew members used chainsaws to cut logs into firewood, while others separated logs that might have other uses.
Ancestral Corps Hopi Program coordinator Josh Sidney said the use of ponderosa pine for building has a long history for tribes such as his.
“They used to gather groups of men and they would travel by foot here -- 90 miles just to get one beam and go back home,” Sidney said. “We're just trying to revitalize the traditional building with the ponderosa pine.”
The smallest scraps of wood, branches and limbs will also not go to waste. Those materials will be turned into mulch.
As climate change and desertification impacts tribal communities across northern Arizona, mulch has become much needed for farming and agriculture to help retain water and keep soils moist, Masayesva said.
Ancestral Corps’ Hopi Program manager Aeon Albert said they have been looking to expand from providing just firewood to building materials and mulch for several years, but this year, they have the equipment to make that a reality.
And Ancestral Corps project coordinator Hali Lomayesva said they also needed to identify the right piece of forest in order to provide both building materials and firewood.
“It's kind of like a Goldilocks thing, too; because our first sight at Heart Prairie, those [logs] were way too big to be beams, and then we went out to Dairy Springs and those were a little too small for beams. So, we finally found the right size, now we're like, 'All right, this is beautiful,'” Lomayesva said.
Albert said they have already started advertising the availability of posts and beams for building across Hopi, both on social media and by distributing flyers to older tribal members who might not be online.
Still, Masayesva said a huge part of the effort still revolves around providing firewood. He added that they hope to continue scaling up that operation as they get a better grasp on the scale of the need for firewood in tribal communities.
Last year, Ancestral Corps crews generated about 750 cords of firewood through the Wood for Life program. Masayesva said this year it is aiming to reach 1,000 cords of wood.
“There's a whole group of people that are working on demand. So what does demand look like? How do we quantify that number? And we're working on that data,” Masayesva said. “We can't wait on that number; we just have got to start scaling up now. Scaling up for me means adding more crews; so right now we've got four dedicated crews.”
The effort represents a collaboration between several organizations, including the Ancestral Corps, the National Forest Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service.
And the program is now being partially funded by dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill that passed in 2021, said Flagstaff District timber officer Jacob Dahlin.
“We got put on to a clause in the Bipartisan Infrastructure legislation that directly highlighted the utilization of youth and native crews for fire-wise type treatments,” Dahlin said.
That money requires matching funds to be used.
This year, those matching monies were provided by the Arizona Lottery.
Dahlin said they are also ramping up a wood for life program on the San Juan National Forest in Colorado. Between both programs, the infrastructure bill provided “around $12 million for five years to provide this work,” Dahlin said. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/wood-for-life-ancestral-lands-conservation-corps-to-provide-building-materials-to-tribal-communities/article_2a113b9c-fa6c-11ed-9533-d3a82aa9c05f.html | 2023-05-28T15:30:58 | 0 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/wood-for-life-ancestral-lands-conservation-corps-to-provide-building-materials-to-tribal-communities/article_2a113b9c-fa6c-11ed-9533-d3a82aa9c05f.html |
A fiery single-vehicle crash in northeastern North Dakota killed a Cando woman.
Brittney Beck, 31, was a passenger in a car that went out of control on state Highway 66 in Towner County shortly before 6 a.m. Saturday. The car crossed the center line 4 miles east of Egeland, traveled into the ditch, vaulted over a field approach and rolled multiple times, catching fire, the Highway Patrol reported.
Beck was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. Driver Jayce Thomas, 20, of Cando, suffered undisclosed injuries.
The Patrol is continuing to investigate. | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/accident-and-incident/cando-woman-dies-in-towner-county-crash/article_33a9a0ce-fd67-11ed-906f-936bbf0ce8ba.html | 2023-05-28T15:45:25 | 1 | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/accident-and-incident/cando-woman-dies-in-towner-county-crash/article_33a9a0ce-fd67-11ed-906f-936bbf0ce8ba.html |
ROSEVILLE, Calif. — An early Sunday morning crash left three Roseville men dead, officials with the California Highway Patrol's Auburn office said.
According to authorities, a 21-year-old man was driving a 2008 BMW fast around 1:50 a.m. Sunday when it hit a power pole.
The crash with the power pole caused the driver to lose control of the car, which overturned several times before coming to a rest on the shoulder, investigators say.
The crash happened on Vineyard Road just west of Cook Riolo Road in unincorporated Placer County. All three people who were inside the car, 21-year-old men from Roseville, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The CHP says that it is unknown yet whether drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash, but that a toxicology report from the Placer County Coroner's Office is pending.
Witnesses with information on the deadly crash can call the Auburn CHP office at 916-663-3344.
Watch more from ABC10: MADD brings awareness to drunk drivers ahead of Memorial Day weekend | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/placer-county-crash/103-c8f4f8e3-0970-4bbf-90ec-95bed481cc30 | 2023-05-28T15:55:33 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/placer-county-crash/103-c8f4f8e3-0970-4bbf-90ec-95bed481cc30 |
It took the author Bill Konigsberg about 5 minutes to make one of the biggest decisions of his life.
It was 2001, and Konigsberg was working as an editor at ESPN.
"It was really like working at a frat house," he said. "I mean, it was just all boys, all dudes, all the time."
There were parts of it he liked and parts he didn't. And he had a secret, one he worried that, if it ever got out, would kill his career in sports journalism.
He had entered the field seven years earlier in an unconventional way. The 1994 baseball strike was looming, and Konigsberg, a self-proclaimed nerd of the sport, had been simulating games on a computer.
He called the sports desk at the New York Daily News, told them he was a freelance journalist — he was actually just unemployed — and offered to simulate the rest of the season, writing articles as if the games had really happened.
They took him up on the offer. And then they sold it to the Miami Herald and the San Francisco Chronicle.
"And suddenly I was on TV. Dateline NBC, World News Tonight, were covering what I was doing," Konigsberg said.
The wildly successful freelance gig landed him a reporter job in New Jersey, but it wasn't a good fit.
"I was a terrible journalist. I did not care," Konigsberg said. "They would send me out to do things like cover this parade and I would drive by it to make sure that nothing bad was happening." Then he'd settle in at a coffee shop and write a story with whatever came to mind.
If he was going to be in journalism, he wanted to be in sports journalism. And in the late 1990s, he got a foot in the door at ESPN.
That's where he was in 2001 as a rumor circulated that a Major League Baseball player was planning to come out as gay. People were sounding off about it left, right and center.
"And I realized that I wasn't using my voice," Konigsberg said. "So I very, very quickly, without even thinking about the ramifications, I sat down and in about five minutes I wrote an essay. The essay was called 'Sports World Still a Struggle for Gays.'"
"And that's how I came out."
A helping hand: This pastor came to the US from Chile. Now she helps asylum-seekers
A childhood dream, interrupted
Growing up in New York City, Konigsberg had always wanted to be an author. He was a creative kid who loved writing stories, a passion he took all the way to Columbia University.
"I remember a teacher of mine saying, 'You know, you can't make money as an author,'" Konigsberg said. "And of course, that's all I wanted to do."
But he took the advice to heart, and set about finding a different career, one where he could write and make a living at the same time. That's how he landed in sports journalism, which appeared to marry his dual loves of writing and baseball.
But it wasn't a perfect match.
Konigsberg had realized he was gay when he was a teenager in the 1980s, as the AIDS crisis swept NYC. It was a traumatic time to come out, he said, the "white hot" period of his life.
He felt uneasy about how he would fare in the sports world as a gay man.
"I thought it was very likely that I would not be able to work in sports if I came out," he said.
But he was wrong.
His essay was met with support, both from his editor and from readers, who sent emails and letters. It won him a GLAAD Media Award in 2002, and led to him speaking around the country about covering gay issues in sports.
His greatest fear had instead brought success. But he had never quite let go of his dream of becoming a novelist.
So in 2002, he picked up and moved across the country to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at Arizona State University.
A lifetime of high points: Hiker Robert Packard looks back on his career
'It was the book that I needed to write'
Konigsberg didn't set out to become a young adult fiction author. It just happened that way.
When he began to write his first novel in 2003, still in the program at ASU, he said he wasn't aware young adult — YA in the industry — was a genre.
"When I was a kid, we didn't talk about young adult fiction," he said.
But as he wrote, he found himself defaulting to a teenage voice to match his protagonist, his mind gravitating back to his rocky adolescence in the 1980s.
The resulting book, a coming-out story about a gay footballer titled "Out of the Pocket," was published by Penguin in 2008. It won a Lambda Literary Award the following year.
"It was the book that I needed to write," Konigsberg said. "But I think I also began to realize that, 'Oh, I could really make a difference.'"
He sold a second novel to Penguin, but negotiations broke down and the contract was canceled.
"I was devastated," he said. "I thought my career was over."
He didn't give up on the book, continuing to work on it and craft it into the story he wanted to tell.
In 2013, "Openly Straight" was published by Arthur A. Levine Books. It has since sold in the vicinity of 200,000 copies, the most successful of Konigsberg's seven titles.
It spawned a sequel and interest from Hollywood too; Konigsberg is currently working as creator and co-writer on a potential TV show.
He published a third book in 2015, and then four more, all the way up to his most recent, "Destination Unknown," in 2022.
Along the way, he became a well-known author in the rapidly evolving world of LGBTQ young adult fiction.
"Which was very wonderful and gratifying," Konigsberg said. "And I'd get all of these lovely emails and hear from kids all the time."
Caught in a new backlash
These days, Konigsberg lives in central Phoenix with his husband, whom he met when he first moved to Arizona.
"I knew nothing about Arizona," he said, "and it's become my home."
Konigsberg initially moved back to New York after finishing the ASU program, and then, briefly, to Montana. But he found his place in Phoenix.
He's not really a desert person, Konigsberg said, but there's just something about Phoenix: the vibe, the people, the speed.
"Easily the place I've been happiest in my life by a mile," Konigsberg said. "I think I'm just a Western person who was born on the east coast."
One of his seven books is set in Arizona.
His fifth novel, "The Music Of What Happens," tells the story of two boys who fall in love over the course of a summer working at a food truck in Mesa.
In January, the novel became the subject of controversy in a California school district after a parent complained her 7-year-old could access the audiobook via a library app.
Konigsberg agrees the book isn't suitable for that age group. It was written for older teenagers. But the incident soon ballooned out of control.
After the board suspended the library app in response, the story made its way to Fox News and other websites, and Konigsberg began to receive hateful emails and messages.
He was no stranger to this kind of backlash. His novels had appeared on various lists of banned or targeted books and in 2022 he wrote an open letter to a couple seeking to ban 282 books, including one of Konigsberg's, from their local school library.
But the January incident, the vicious tenor of the messages slung his way, deeply affected him. He was labeled a pedophile and a groomer, names that Konigsberg said he found traumatic to hear because he was himself groomed as a teenager.
He came down with shingles amid the extreme stress.
"I couldn't write for a while," he said. "I found myself just angry, with nowhere to put the anger."
A growing, and evolving, genre
Months later, Konigsberg is trying to shake it off, focusing on his family and taking care of his body, reminding himself that he's a person who is trying to do good in the world.
There's some evidence of that in his inbox, emails from kids telling him that his books changed or even saved their lives.
And despite the current backlash, he believes the genre of LGBTQ young adult fiction has grown and changed for the better.
Over the past 15 years, Konigsberg has witnessed a rapid evolution in the once-niche category.
"At first it was, we need to write coming-out stories. Then it was, now we need to write stories that aren't just about coming out," he said. "And then finally, 10 years later, it's about stories in which it doesn't matter that the characters are gay."
"And now it's, of course, every possible identity, and the more the better. And I think that's wonderful." | https://www.azcentral.com/mosaic-story/news/local/arizona-people/2023/05/28/how-phoenix-author-bill-konigsberg-helps-lgbtq-teens-see-themselves/70151245007/ | 2023-05-28T15:58:14 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/mosaic-story/news/local/arizona-people/2023/05/28/how-phoenix-author-bill-konigsberg-helps-lgbtq-teens-see-themselves/70151245007/ |
They're not the tallest people in the room. How Tall Club offers a haven for Arizonans of height
Mary Elemen was in the bathroom at work one day about 23 years ago when a stranger handed her a an intriguing card.
The little piece of cardboard advertised a social group. To join, women had to measure at least 5 feet, 10 inches, and men 6 feet 2. (Yes, they measure.)
It was a club for tall people.
Elemen, who is 6 feet 1, qualified easily. She was drawn to the idea, but felt shy about joining a new group, so she filed the card away.
But she found herself mentioning it to a woman she worked with. And again. And a few more times more. Eventually, the colleague, who was of average height, drew a line.
"Enough!" she told Elemen. "You need to make the call."
They struck an agreement that Elemen would call by Jan. 1. Her colleague recorded the pledge in the top left corner of her office whiteboard. Every time Elemen walked past, she would see it.
"So I finally made the call," Elemen said.
And that's how she found herself cleaning up a California highway with the Tall Club of Silicon Valley. The year was 2000, and Elemen was 39.
That first day, picking up trash by the roadside, it didn't immediately click. There was no "whoa" moment, she said, no sign from above that she had found her people.
But there was one remark she will never forget: "We went to breakfast afterward and they said, 'Mary, you get in the back seat. You're the short one.'"
It wasn't long before Elemen was hooked.
For once in her life, she wasn't the tallest person in the room. She didn't stand out in photos, or have to angle her eyes down to meet the gaze of whoever she was talking to.
At Tall Club events, which ranged from the not-so-glamorous highway clean-up to formal balls, Elemen felt comfortable. It was exhilarating.
"I'd never danced with a man that I could look in the eye before," she said.
High school was the hardest
For Elemen, who was adopted at birth, the sense of belonging was powerful.
Her biological mother would have been eligible for the Tall Club at 5 feet, 11 inches, but her adoptive parents were shorter, her mother 5 feet 8 and her father 5 feet 7. Elemen said she felt huge in her own family, like her mother was too tiny to hug.
"I would never hug her. She would be like hugging bones," she said. "There was never that, just that huge warm hug that you get when we" — meaning her fellow tall people — "hug one another."
Growing up was a hot topic at a recent meeting of the Central Arizona Tall Society (CATS), held at Manuel's Mexican Restaurant, a colorful cantina on Indian School Road in Phoenix.
There were 13 people in attendance, most in their 60s, and all, of course, tall, though none as much as the Arizona chapter's tallest member, Bob Conlin, who stands at 7 feet.
Many remembered high school as a particularly difficult time.
Elemen recalled bursting into tears when she was paired with the shortest boy in her freshman social dance class.
"And it breaks my heart to this day that I did that to him," she said.
Billie Jean Morison, who is 6 feet, 2.5 inches, said her fellow students used to sing the jingle from the Jolly Green Giant vegetable commercial at her as she walked down the hallway.
Along with the taunting came practical difficulties. Back in the pre-internet era, finding clothes and shoes that actually fit was a nightmare.
Elemen's mom took her shopping at men's stores. Another member, Nancy Collier, learned to sew her own clothes. Several members have fond — or not so fond — memories of the now-defunct specialty chain Shelly's Tall Girl.
"My mom bought me a tweed suit. Seventh grade," Morison said. "I wore it once and it was like, 'I think I grew out of it, Mom, I can't wear it again'."
They were often seen as older than they actually were, which most recalled as an advantage, especially when it came to sneaking into bars or buying alcohol before they should have been.
But in general, after years of standing out, finding Tall Club was a relief.
Chance encounters, new members
In July last year, Elemen was crowned Miss Tall International.
The annual tradition of anointing a Tall Queen dates back to 1947, when a 6-foot woman named Grace Tattu was chosen by the California Tip Toppers, the first known society for tall people in the U.S. Elemen is the first married woman to hold the title.
Her job is to essentially act as the public face of Tall Club. Over the past year, she has visited clubs across North America, attending events and speaking to media to raise awareness of tall issues and the clubs themselves. Recruitment is a big part of the job.
But as she comes to the end of her reign, Elemen is grappling with a problem: finding new members.
The Central Arizona Tall Society is part of Tall Clubs International (TCI), the umbrella organization for tall clubs across the United States and Canada. "Raising social standards since 1938," reads a wry website tagline.
At its heyday in the 1990s, TCI boasted upward of 4,000 members, but that number has since dwindled to about 1,500.
CATS is the only TCI-affiliated club left in Arizona, and many of its members — including Elemen, who moved to Wickenburg three years ago — were previously part of tall clubs elsewhere.
As she sat on Manuel's patio, surrounded by tall people snacking on chips and salsa, Elemen wore a tiara in place of her crown — the real thing, she said, is surprisingly difficult to affix to her head — and a festive sash.
"It's not a beauty pageant, to be Queen," she said, though there is — or was, before COVID hit — an annual pageant to select the winner.
"It's just somebody who will go out and speak from the heart for TCI."
The crown and sash attract attention, Elemen said, and, occasionally, new members. Ideally, someone tall will approach to ask what all the fuss is about, opening the door for an enterprising club member to say: "Ooh, you look tall."
This kind of chance recruitment has worked well in the past.
Morison, herself a former Queen, also joined Tall Club through a random bathroom encounter. It was in the late '70s, when she was living in San Diego.
"I worked for Pacific Bell in the Union Bank building on the 19th floor, and there was a woman I'd run into in the bathroom every once in a while," she said. "And she said, 'Have you heard about this Tall Club?'"
They both went to check it out. Morison stuck with it. The other woman, who she estimates was 5 feet 11, maybe 6 feet, dropped out.
Another member, Tim Meko, said people often find Tall Club when they're looking for new friends after a divorce.
"Somebody comes up to you and goes, 'Hey, have you heard about the Tall Club?' And you're like, 'Is this a joke? Are you pulling some prank on me?'" he said.
The current Central Arizona Tall Society president, Nanci Ditchman, was born into Tall Club. Her parents met at a monthly dance hosted by the California Tip Toppers in 1938, the same year it was founded. Nancy Collier got a call from her now ex-husband's friend's wife, asking if she had heard about it. Nejla Franco's tall sister suggested they go along to a Tall Club meet-up, playing volleyball in the park.
"And for some reason, she never got into it," Franco said. "But I did."
Talls, as they sometimes refer to each other, are always ready to recruit.
"Back in the 70s when we joined, we just went to bars," said CATS publicity manager Peggy Cook. "There we were, just slip a card in their pocket."
Now?
"It's really hard. There's just not an interest in going out in public to meet," Cook said. "The generation today just doesn't do that."
Morison thinks a lot of social clubs are having a tough time finding new, committed members. She's skeptical of online bonds that don't translate into real friendship, telling a story about a young woman she met who declared she was in five online Meetup groups, but never actually met up with any of them.
"That's not support, really," Morison said. "That's the perception of support that's not really there."
New blood is hard to find
It's also a question of what kind of support young tall people need.
Earlier this year, Elemen, Morison and Cook attended a scholarship expo at the Phoenix Public Library, calling over anyone who looked tall enough.
Each year, the Central Arizona Tall Society offers a $250 scholarship to a graduating high school senior, and TCI offers a number of scholarships up to $1,000 for students entering college. Recipients must meet the same height requirements as Tall Club members. (Yes, they measure.)
Most people were surprised to find out they existed. But they found three interested takers, and got some parents interested in the club too.
Still, it's been hard to find fresh blood.
Back in the day, the club was a lifeline, a place to find community and dates and get tips on where to find pants and shoes that actually fit.
Now, members swap tips on Facebook and buy clothes on Amazon. The taunting in high school corridors is trickier to stop, but in many ways the internet has revolutionized tall life.
It's not just online shopping. Height can be listed on dating profiles, community is found far outside the confines of a school or neighborhood or city. Women's basketball and volleyball have rocketed in popularity, creating a space where, at least for those blessed with athleticism, height is a definite plus.
"I mean, there's a whole 'nother world of issues going on with young people that I didn't have to deal with," Elemen said. "But for the height thing, I'm not sure. I'm not sure what their issues will be."
'Once you're in, you're in'
There's no cheating the Central Arizona Tall Society yellow measuring stick, which goes up to 6 feet, 8 inches and is carved at the tip into a giraffe.
No shoes or thick socks are allowed at measuring time, bare feet or stockings only. But there is one trick available to those on the cusp of the height requirements, known to Tall Club members as "squeakers."
"If you're a squeaker getting through at 5 feet 10 you measure in the morning, because you're taller in the morning," Elemen said.
"Gravity hasn't sucked you down yet," Collier added.
The membership rules are strict. Spouses who don't meet the height requirements are welcome at social events, but they cannot become members.
But if you lose height as you age, even if it takes you down under the threshold, you won't be kicked out.
"Once you're in, you're in," Collier said.
It's the law according to Tall Club, but for many members, it's also literally true.
As Tim Meko talked about Tall Club, he used one word over and over: family. Meko, who is is 6 feet 7, said he felt extraordinarily welcomed when he joined some 41 years ago.
"It was like, 'Where have you been all our lives? You've been missing from our family,'" he said. He quickly realized he didn't just want to be a member, but an organizer too.
The group's myriad social events range from house parties to dinners to camping trips to afternoons playing volleyball to the annual convention, which is this year taking place on an Alaskan cruise. (The flier prominently notes the ship's ceiling height of 9 feet, 6 inches.)
"The more you get involved, the more you start to share the love," Meko said, as he thought over his time in the club.
"He's like a brother to me," Collier said, leaning over to join the conversation.
"Me too," Franco added. "Known him since 1991."
"It's just tall family," Meko said. "That's the way I feel about it. It's not age-related. It's not, you know, gender. It's not anything. It's not my job. It's not music interest. It's just about being tall and sharing love and friendship. That's what it's all about."
For many members, there's just something intangible about being around other tall people.
"I like looking up at people," Franco said. "You know, it's kind of like an unspoken camaraderie. You know, we just ... I don't know. It's hard to describe."
It's instant friends, an immediate connection, a place to land. In the same way a queer person might gravitate to the neighborhood gay bar, or an ethnic minority to a restaurant run by people from the same country, Tall Club just feels like home.
And when you're there, your height is not the most interesting thing about you.
Morison said one of the best ways of putting it she had ever heard came from a Golden Gate Tip Toppers member named Karen Eft.
"She said, the only thing we have in common is our height and so therefore, you're not the tallest person in the room when you walk in, and you have to develop a personality."
That sudden realization, of not being the odd one out, has struck most Tall Club members at one time or another.
Collier recalled an annual convention where she had lost her date, and was trying to find him in the room.
"If you're in the store or something, they stand out, you know?" she said. "But when you're with 300 other tall people … I had to stand up on a chair to find him in the room. And I'm going, 'Oh, this is what normal people have to do!'"
"We're not abnormal!" Ditchman said.
"We're above normal," Franco suggested.
"We're trying to change our terminology in how we refer to ourselves," Elemen said, as an aside.
"Those others are just vertically challenged," Ditchman said.
'You just feel comfortable'
Elemen had run for Queen once before.
In 2002, exactly 20 years before she received the crown, she entered the Miss Tall International pageant at the annual convention in Sacramento, along with 12 other tall women, wearing a gown and being interviewed and taking part in the talent segment.
She finished as fourth runner-up. In hindsight, Elemen said, she wasn't qualified to be Queen at that time. She didn't know all the things she needed to know to properly advocate for tall people.
And the universe had already given her a gift that week, the moment her mind goes to when she thinks about what Tall Club means to her.
Elemen, Morison and three other women had stayed behind in Sacramento for a media interview, while the rest of the conventioneers went off to an event in Napa. It's not the interview she remembers, or the events either side of it.
It's the walk to the studio.
"We were in old Sacramento walking down, the five of us, all tall," Elemen said. They were wearing heels, strutting down a wooden sidewalk, feeling on top of the world.
The power of that moment has lingered long in Elemen's mind.
"That feeling of, how we all just felt together," she said, grasping for the memory. "There was nothing odd. There was nothing standing out. It was just a glorious feeling to me."
"I've never felt more beautiful," she added. "It was probably the best week of my life."
Lane Sainty is a storytelling reporter for The Republic. Send story ideas to her at lane.sainty@arizonarepublic.com
You can support great storytelling in Arizona by subscribing to azcentral today. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/05/28/tall-club-offers-a-comfortable-haven-for-people-of-height-in-arizona/70205995007/ | 2023-05-28T15:58:38 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/05/28/tall-club-offers-a-comfortable-haven-for-people-of-height-in-arizona/70205995007/ |
Skip to content
Main Navigation
Search
Search for:
Local
Weather
Responds
Investigations
Video
Sports
Entertainment
Newsletters
Live TV
Share
Close
Trending
Paxton Impeached
Tax Free Weekend 💰
Plano Pirate House 🏴☠️
Hurricane Outlook 🌀
Sign Up for Good News 😊
Watch Us 24/7 📺
Expand
Local
The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/pet-of-the-week-queen/3266674/ | 2023-05-28T16:02:25 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/pet-of-the-week-queen/3266674/ |
Skip to content
Main Navigation
Search
Search for:
Local
Weather
Responds
Investigations
Video
Sports
Entertainment
Newsletters
Live TV
Share
Close
Trending
Paxton Impeached
Tax Free Weekend 💰
Plano Pirate House 🏴☠️
Hurricane Outlook 🌀
Sign Up for Good News 😊
Watch Us 24/7 📺
Expand
Local
The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/reward-offered-for-elvis-the-cat-stolen-from-hurst-petsmart/3266678/ | 2023-05-28T16:02:31 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/reward-offered-for-elvis-the-cat-stolen-from-hurst-petsmart/3266678/ |
Skip to content
Main Navigation
Search
Search for:
Local
Weather
Responds
Investigations
Video
Sports
Entertainment
Newsletters
Live TV
Share
Close
Trending
Paxton Impeached
Tax Free Weekend 💰
Plano Pirate House 🏴☠️
Hurricane Outlook 🌀
Sign Up for Good News 😊
Watch Us 24/7 📺
Expand
Texas News
News from around the state of Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/texas-house-impeaches-ken-paxton-what-comes-next/3266688/ | 2023-05-28T16:02:37 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/texas-house-impeaches-ken-paxton-what-comes-next/3266688/ |
FLINT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WJRT) - An intoxicated driver traveling the wrong way on I-75 caused a head-on crash that left two people dead Saturday night, police say.
The crash occurred just before 11 p.m. in the northbound lanes of I-75 near Beecher Road in Flint Township.
Investigators say a 43-year-old Flint Township resident got on the freeway heading south in the northbound lanes at an unknown interchange. He continued going the wrong way until crashing into a vehicle with three occupants from Genesee County.
A 24-year-old woman from Flushing and a 31-yea-old man from Mundy Township died from injuries in the crash. The 27-year-old Flushing resident driving their vehicle was hospitalized in critical condition.
The Flint Township Police Department did not say how badly the at-fault driver was injured. Officers say he was intoxicated.
Anyone with information about the crash should call Flint Township police at 810-600-3250. | https://www.abc12.com/news/local/wrong-way-driver-on-i-75-kills-2-badly-injures-1/article_d85d63b4-fd6a-11ed-b04d-6bbca287c219.html | 2023-05-28T16:07:57 | 0 | https://www.abc12.com/news/local/wrong-way-driver-on-i-75-kills-2-badly-injures-1/article_d85d63b4-fd6a-11ed-b04d-6bbca287c219.html |
INDIANAPOLIS — Speedy though Indy 500 drivers may be you have to give Snakepitters credit: they start off at a blazing pace all their own.
Gates opened at 7:00 a.m. for the Snakepit as hundreds of fans streamed in - coolers and beer cans in hand - to watch Kaskade, Jauz, and John Summitt perform throughout the day.
As the party raged at the Snakepit — fans are ready to cheer on their favorite drivers, in the hope they would be first to the checkered flag later today.
PHOTOS: Snakepit party 2023
13News is also tracking the most iconic race day fashion moments from the track, Snakepit, Turn 3 and beyond! Stay with us throughout the day. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/snakepit-2023-party-well-underway-as-kaskade-jauz-set-to-perform-indy-500-indianapolis/531-2db59c58-5c03-4cf0-8c88-143237679d14 | 2023-05-28T16:15:59 | 0 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/snakepit-2023-party-well-underway-as-kaskade-jauz-set-to-perform-indy-500-indianapolis/531-2db59c58-5c03-4cf0-8c88-143237679d14 |
My 13-year-old son Ethan has Down Syndrome. Being the parent of a young person with a disability is both one of the most fulfilling and challenging journeys one can experience.
One of the unique things about this experience is the pace of parenting Ethan is unique. He hits his milestones on a different timeline than his older siblings did, which has both pros and cons. The golden years of Ethan’s childhood have been a little longer, and the teenage angst so common with early 13-15 year-olds has yet to emerge. Or, in other words, he still thinks I’m super cool. I’ll take it.
By far, one of the toughest challenges of parenting a child with a disability comes in the realm of education. The Catholic schools attended by his siblings have lacked the confidence to help educate him, and the public school programs for kids with disabilities in both Lake and Porter counties have undergone tremendous changes in the past five to 10 years, leading frankly to some confusion and uncertainty for both school systems and families.
People are also reading…
But as parents, we have a job to do, so we use the resources available and try to make the best decisions we can for Ethan. I also know we are not alone in this voyage, as most families of kids with disabilities have felt the same at some point. It helps to have this strong community of support.
Fortunately, this community of parents in Indiana is also a community of fierce activism, and there can be no doubt, parents of kids with disabilities are a tough bunch. This activism on the state level has generated unique results, one of which is now beyond the pilot level, and since it involves money, it is fitting for the column.
Starting in 2022 for the 2022-2023 school year, Indiana created a new scholarship and grant program for students requiring special education services. The program, called the Indiana Education Scholarship Account, or INESA, allows families of students ages 5 to 21 who need special education services, utilizing an individualized education program (IEP) or a special needs service plan from a private school, to essentially direct public education dollars allocated for the child to services and education resources the family feels best provide for the child’s unique learning needs.
In order to qualify for the INESA, the family must also meet income qualifications. Currently, the qualifying student’s household must not exceed the income requirement of 400% of the Federal Free or Reduced School Meals limit, currently equivalent to about $222,000 for a family of four.
In order to access these funds, the student cannot be enrolled in the public or state charter schools. The amount of funding available to the family depends on factors such as the school system the student lives in and the level of special educations services the student requires. I’ve seen indications INESA funds can range from $7,000 to $17,000, which can be directed toward expenses such as private school tuition, educational services like testing fees, speech, occupational and other therapies, school-sponsored extracurricular activities, and up to $750 annually for education related transportation.
The INESA program is administered through an innovative online portal, which is designed to function like an online savings account. The account even allows families to “roll over” up to $1,000 in unused funds from one school year to the next. In watching the demos online, it’s clear the state intended to make utilizing this innovative program as intuitive and simple as it could. The state INESA web site even has a calculator which parents can use to estimate their INESA funding amount.
It’s not hard to imagine how over time the INESA program could inspire entirely new choices in educational providers in our state. So, as we head into the summer months, families that have been searching for the best education options for their kids should learn more about this innovative program. Start at www.in.gov/tos/inesa.
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. Stock investing includes risks, including fluctuating prices and loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or preserve against loss. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. This material may contain forward looking statements; there are no guarantees that these outcomes will come to pass.
Marc Ruiz is a wealth advisor and partner with Oak Partners and registered representative of LPL Financial. Contact Marc at marc.ruiz@oakpartners.com. Securities offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA/SIPC. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/business/mind-on-money-innovative-state-program-offers-education-benefits/article_226ca8d8-fb19-11ed-8c41-abe64af5376d.html | 2023-05-28T16:26:35 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/business/mind-on-money-innovative-state-program-offers-education-benefits/article_226ca8d8-fb19-11ed-8c41-abe64af5376d.html |
VALPARAISO — Porter County Council members held county commissioners’ feet to the fire over capital projects at the county garages, Memorial Opera House and county jail.
The Board of Commissioners plan to do essential work at the opera house to preserve the building, along with extensive work at the public works complex on Ind. 2 and essential updates at the jail.
“We’re talking about $50 million worth of projects,” council President Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, said, but only half the work would be paid for through a potential $25 million bond issue. That bond would replace the expiring bond for construction of the jail.
The council had set aside $5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money for the opera house but pulled that back after the commissioners changed direction this year and rescinded a plan to pay for work at the 1860 sheriff’s residence as well as a connection between the opera house and its neighbor to provide accessible restrooms for both facilities.
People are also reading…
The lack of accessible restrooms was a major point of contention last week.
Councilman Greg Simms said he attended a performance at the opera house last weekend and noticed an elderly couple struggling. “A wheelchair could not go in the bathroom. It wouldn’t fit,” he said. “Why aren’t we taking care of all the people?”
Simms asked board President Jim Biggs, R-North, how long it has been since he attended a performance at the opera house. “If you haven’t been there in five years, you have no idea of the experience there,” Simms replied. “You need to go to a play, see the people.”
“I’m saying we should do what we can afford to do,” Biggs said.
Earlier in the day, Biggs said, he used a restroom at a downtown restaurant that was small but worked well. “I’m struggling to find a way to do this project, fix the jail, fix this building.”
Simms suggested switching the men’s and women’s restrooms to free up more space for the women.
Memorial Opera House Executive Director Scot MacDonald said the men’s room might be able to be expanded, but that would have to be determined during the design phase.
Biggs and Commissioner Barb Regnitz, R-Center, had hoped to develop a public plaza between the opera house and sheriff’s residence, putting that where the proposed connector between the buildings would have been built, but the plaza got knocked out of contention because of the cost.
The bare-bones opera house project is now between $2.6 million and $4.4 million, said Scott Cherry of Skillman Construction. “These are pretty much things that they just have to be done,” Regnitz said.
“We’re throwing money around like it’s nothing,” Councilman Ronald “Red” Stone, R-1st, said.
“Educate yourself before you say something like that,” Councilman Michael Brickner, R-at large, said.
The Memorial Opera House Foundation has agreed to pay for seating, which will save the county some money.
“That’s quite a bit of a range, Scott,” Rivas said.
“This building has been crying for help,” Councilwoman Sylvia Graham, D-at large, said. “We have the money to do it. My concern is we’re piecemealing a building that has existed forever.”
Biggs said that once the work is completed, the building should be in good shape for 25 years. “We are not suggesting that we do a substandard job here,” he said.
There are big contingency factors built in, based on the building’s age and historical significance.
“That’s been my fear from Day One with this project, we’re dealing with a very old building,” Biggs said. He mentioned an electrical engineer who once worked on the building. The walls were so fragile they had to melt lead into the wall to hold the screws. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/porter-county-council-turns-up-heat-on-building-plans/article_407866e6-fcc7-11ed-9c75-1b93d8ce04e5.html | 2023-05-28T16:26:41 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/porter-county-council-turns-up-heat-on-building-plans/article_407866e6-fcc7-11ed-9c75-1b93d8ce04e5.html |
Before State Farm entered the scene, the Paul F. Beich Candy Co. reigned as the largest employer in town, nationally known for making many sweet treats, including the famous Whiz Bar.
In 1919 the Pantagraph published an advertisement for "women and girls" encouraging them to fill open positions at Beich. "Making and packing candy is an agreeable occupation," it said. "It is easily learned and pleasant. Our plant is bright and airy, the surroundings of the best, one's associates congenial."
This ad went to print just a year after the conclusion of World War I and before the onset of the Great Depression — two catalysts to women joining the workforce.
For employers, there were many perceived benefits for hiring women. Women were considered cleaner and more capable of attention to detail, and their wages were almost always significantly lower than men's.
The jobs available for women at Beich were respectable, coveted positions and had the added benefit of union representation. Female workers belonged to the Bakers and Confectioners Union while male workers belonged to the Teamsters and International Machinists.
However, work wasn't always sweet for the female employees at Beich, and collective action through their union proved vital in advancing all workers' rights.
Women made less than their male counterparts and worked irregular hours, and some were only allotted one 10-minute break per nine-hour shift.
One female worker, Dora Giese, reported making 1 cent for every 24 candy bars she packed. Giese, who started working at the company at the age of 15 in 1934, was part of the union organizing efforts and eventually the strikes.
More of Giese’s story is told in the Museum’s Working for a Living permanent exhibit.
On April 29, 1937, organized Beich workers walked out in protest of their working conditions. Of the 205 employees that walked out, 183 were women.
These workers banded together to request time-and-a-half pay for all work continuing beyond an eight-hour workday, a five-day workweek and an end to piecework (work paid for by the amount produced rather than hours worked).
On May 6, 1937, The Pantagraph seemed to side with their loyal advertiser, publishing a prepared statement outlining the Beich company's opposition to the request. It stated that the company previously offered wage increases, actively provided life insurance, and worked hard to keep people employed during periods of economic strife.
The workers opposed this claim, arguing that as production increased post-Depression, the working conditions became unreasonable and working hours increased without increases in breaks.
The company and unions agreed on a six-month contract on May 12, 1937, which lifted the strike. A closed shop agreement was granted in the contract, meaning that all workers were required to be part of the union.
The Bakers and Confectioners also received a wage increase, but there was still a disparity in their wages. The new minimum wage for women was 35 cents an hour, while the men received 45 cents per hour.
Both the men and the women would be granted a 1-cent increase each month over the next five months until they reached 50 and 40 cents per hour, respectively.
With the contract only guaranteed for six months, their victory was short-lived. During negotiations for the new contract, the company proposed reducing wages for women by 20% and revoking the closed shop agreement.
The union took immediate action, and approximately 300 workers walked off the job at noon on Dec. 11, 1937. Employees dropped what they were doing to head to the picket line, leaving the factory machines still running as fresh candy fell to the floor.
The strike continued into the new year, as pickets faced miserable conditions, sometimes standing in 5 inches of snow. Temperatures were frigid, dropping close to zero degrees several times throughout the strike.
Despite the difficult conditions, the pickets held the line.
On Jan. 18, the company posted a help-wanted ad in The Pantagraph. Stating that the plant would reopen, the ad served as a threat reading, "Those of its former employees who went on strike December 11 and also those who were laid off prior to that date and who have failed to apply for reinstatement will be considered as having decided not to return to the company employment, and their names will be permanently stricken from our records."
The striking workers remained steadfast, and the next day, Jan. 19, an estimated 450 workers and spectators showed up at the plant. The picketing women formed a human chain to block the factory's main entrance on Lumbar Street. This prevented applicants responding to the help-wanted advertisement from entering the building.
Their blockade was so strong that company President Otto G. Beich and Superintendent Albert Hale could not access the plant.
Despite the insistence of the striking workers, the company would not move on its refusal to allow a closed shop. This was the central sticking point between the unions and the company.
Wanting an end to the strike, Bloomington Mayor Mark B. Hayes called for a meeting with union and company leadership, saying, "The continued operation of the Paul F. Beich factory is of vital concern to all of the citizens of this community."
The mayor, the union, and the company met on Jan. 26, 1938, and after four hours of deliberation, the parties failed to reach a contractual agreement.
The offer presented to the workers was 35 cents an hour, a 48-hour workweek and an open shop. When representatives took the proposal back to the union for a vote, the results overwhelmingly favored continuing the strike, 145-15.
After another seven hours of deliberation, the strike ended on Feb. 2, 1938. All parties agreed to a 44-hour workweek and an eight-hour workday.
Men and women employed over six months were guaranteed a minimum wage of 50 and 37.5 cents, respectively. Most importantly to the workers, Bakers and Confectioners Local 342 was recognized as the sole collective bargaining agent for all employees involved in the manufacturing and production of candy.
The Beich strikes in 1937 and 1938 illustrate the significant role of women in the local labor movement. Despite their jobs and futures on the line, they steadfastly pursued justice and better working conditions for all.
Their local efforts contributed to the national labor movement, ensuring many of the benefits we take for granted today, such as weekends and lunch breaks. Although worker exploitation still exists in many industries today, we can learn a great deal about the power of collective action from the stories of these women.
After the strike, a reflection from writers at The Pantagraph read, "In the meantime, the Beich Strike is over. The lessons learned from it will, we hope, have a beneficial effect in future discussions between employers and their employees in Bloomington."
To learn more about the labor movement in Bloomington, visit blono-social-justice-tour.org or join the McLean County Museum of History for a free guided tour of downtown Bloomington's historical sites with local labor activist Mike Matejka at 5:30 p.m. June 1. To register for the tour, visit https://forms.gle/gKrPctGvVVhrChfs7. | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/history/workers-struck-in-1937-1938-at-bloomingtons-beich-candy-factory/article_cb8f0da2-fac9-11ed-8379-7bed52d0fd3e.html | 2023-05-28T16:29:04 | 1 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/history/workers-struck-in-1937-1938-at-bloomingtons-beich-candy-factory/article_cb8f0da2-fac9-11ed-8379-7bed52d0fd3e.html |
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
The Colorado River’s Lower Basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada have agreed to save water and have sent their proposal to the Federal government. During the next three years, the states will refrain from using 3 million acre-feet of Colorado River water in exchange for $1.2 billion in Federal funding.
Hold your applause.
Paying people not to use water is just short-term therapy.
The Lower Basin states have done what they know how to do: Kick the can down the road.
We have a wicked problem. The facts are simple: There’s not enough water to do what we are used to doing. Moreover, the 20th-century rules for allocations are no longer suitable for a 21st-century river and the 21st-century West. Colorado River water managers need to face up to the problem rather than just bargain for more cash from taxpayers.
People are also reading…
All the Basin States have had plenty of warnings that over-use, bad management, drought and climate change would bring us to this point.
Too many politicians and managers have buried their heads in the sands of a disappearing river.
Many government officials have excused their inaction, like the cocaine addict who sings in the blues song, “The doctor says it’ll kill me, but he won’t say when.” But here, the addiction is to the fantasy of unlimited water. Are the water managers who drove us into this ditch the best qualified to get us out?
This past winter’s weather was an answer to managers’ prayers. They got lucky on a long-shot bet. But wishin’ and hopin’ for a deep snowpack is not a plan. Depending on luck is no way to manage this critical resource for our long-term future.
There will be less water in the future. Old-fashioned water laws, including the first-in-time-first-in-right rule, fixed allocations and traditional notions of beneficial use, are no way to manage the Colorado River in the 21st century. Fear of running out of water should motivate change. Lawsuits from disgruntled users should not stand in the way.
The Federal government has stepped up with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. These funds will: compensate users for using less, build water-recycling facilities, repair water-delivery systems and pay for ways to improve efficiency.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation continues to provide superb modeling and other technical advice to the Basin States.
The current rules for managing the river expire at the end of 2026.
The river has changed, and the West has changed. It’s time for the rules to change and time for the Basin States to get to work.
Karl Flessa is an Arizona resident since 1977, an emeritus professor of geosciences at the University of Arizona. He has been studying the Colorado River since 1992. | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/local-opinion-the-colorado-river-needs-modern-management/article_451687d4-fa40-11ed-8110-eb7112ac5519.html | 2023-05-28T16:39:35 | 0 | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/local-opinion-the-colorado-river-needs-modern-management/article_451687d4-fa40-11ed-8110-eb7112ac5519.html |
DALLAS — Cindy Campos' 5-year-old son was so excited about the Winnie the Pooh book he got at school that he asked her to read it with him as soon as he got home. But her heart sank when she realized it was a tutorial about what to do when "danger is near," advising kids to lock the doors, turn off the lights and quietly hide.
As they read the "Stay Safe" book the school sent home without explanation or a warning to parents, she began crying, leaving her son confused.
"It's hard because you're reading them a bedtime story and basically now you have to explain in this cute way what the book is about, when it's not exactly cute," Campos said.
She said her first-grader, who goes to the same elementary school as her pre-K son, also got a copy of the book last week. After posting about it in an online neighborhood group, she found other concerned parents whose kids had also brought the book home.
The district's decision to send kids home with the book has made waves. California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, tweeted: "Winnie the Pooh is now teaching Texas kids about active shooters because the elected officials do not have the courage to keep our kids safe and pass common sense gun safety laws."
It sparked enough of a reaction to warrant an explanation from the Dallas Independent School District, which said in a statement Friday that it works "hard every day to prevent school shootings" by dealing with online threats and improving security measures. It also conducts active shooter drills.
"Recently a booklet was sent home so parents could discuss with their children how to stay safe in such cases," the district said. "Unfortunately, we did not provide parents any guide or context. We apologize for the confusion and are thankful to parents who reached out to assist us in being better partners."
The district did not say how many schools and grades in the district received the books.
Campos said the book was "haunting" her and that it seemed especially "tone deaf" to send it home with kids without explanation around the time the state was marking the anniversary of last year's mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, when a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers. It also comes as Texas' Republican-controlled Legislature wraps up a session in which it rejected virtually all proposals to tighten gun laws but did pass legislation banning school libraries from having books that contain descriptions, illustrations or audio depicting sexual conduct not relevant to the required school curriculum.
Active shooter drills have become common in American schools, though there's disagreement over whether they do more harm than good.
Campos said that although she doesn't disagree with the book's intent, she wished it would have come with a warning to parents so that she could introduce it to her kids at the right time and in the right way. She said she has discussed school shootings with her kids, and that she might have chosen to wait to read them the book until there was another attack.
"I would have done it on my own time," said Campos, who first spoke to the Oak Cliff Advocate.
The book's cover says: "If there is danger, let Winnie the Pooh and his crew show you what to do." Inside, it includes passages such as "If danger is near, do not fear. Hide like Pooh does until the police appear. Doors should be locked and the passage blocked. Turn off the light to stay out of sight."
The book was published by Praetorian Consulting, a Houston-based firm that provides safety, security and crisis management training and services. The company, which didn't respond to messages seeking comment, says on its website that it uses age-appropriate material to teach the concepts of "run, hide, fight" — the approach authorities say civilians should take in active shooter situations.
The company also says on its website that its K-6 curriculum features the characters of Winnie the Pooh, which are now in the public domain and even featured in a recent horror movie. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/dallas-isd-apologizes-winnie-the-pooh-book-school-shootings/287-b8b7ad93-5172-4ff2-8e39-419094a005ce | 2023-05-28T16:46:48 | 1 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/dallas-isd-apologizes-winnie-the-pooh-book-school-shootings/287-b8b7ad93-5172-4ff2-8e39-419094a005ce |
AUSTIN, Texas — With Memorial Day and warmer temperatures approaching, more Central Texans are spending time outside at pools and lakes, and are barbecuing more.
Kristen Hullum, a trauma injury prevention coordinator at St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, is aiming to remind families to remain vigilant about heat, water and fire safety.
According to Hullum, it's important to consider that heat related illnesses can happen even in temperatures that are not perceived as being particularly hot.
"So even in the mid 80s or low 90s, when it doesn't necessarily feel that hot to you, but you've been outside for a long period of time or maybe doing some activities that's causing a lot of sweat. So the things to look for are feeling weakness," said Hullum.
Early symptoms of heat-related illnesses include nausea, dizziness and lightheadedness. Hullum said the key is prevention. Try to limit time outdoors during that hottest part of the day and instead go outside early in the morning and later in the evening.
"Make sure that you are hydrating really well, that you're drinking a lot of water to replace the fluid that you're losing in your body through sweat. Even if you don't think that you've been sweating that much, you actually have been more than you think you are. So drink lots of fluids," said Hullum.
It's also important to keep children in mind, and to make sure they are drinking plenty of fluids and applying sunscreen. It's recommended to wear an SPF at least 30 or higher and reapplying it about every two hours.
If outdoor grilling is on the ledger, Hullum said adults should be supervising any children that are around the heat source and an open flame. If there's an open flame and a fire is being built, it's important to know to never use lighter fluid after a flame already exists.
"There have been lots of burns that have happened in a situation like that. So really just careful supervision, especially around children," stated Hullum.
When it comes to setting off fireworks, experts say to give children a sparkler. Also, make sure that they are far away from where an explosive firework is igniting. As for the person setting the fireworks, it's important that they are sober, and making good decisions.
"Fireworks tend to to sometimes not go off exactly when we think they are. So if you think that you've had maybe a dud, don't lean over the firework to check it, because sometimes it could go off in your face. So be really cautious when you go up to the firework and kind of squat down next to it with your head back away to ensure that it is in fact a dud," said Hullum.
Lastly, over the holiday weekend, officials see an increase in motor vehicle crashes. There're going to be more people on the road and there're vastly more people drinking at parties.
"It's really important that you have a plan if you are going to drink at some type of holiday function, please be sure that you have a driver or that you use a rideshare program because we do see an increase in those alcohol related crashes," said Hullum.
The other thing that healthcare professionals tend to see are boating related incidents. Depending on how the weather is, people are spending time out on the lake during the holiday weekends. It's important that whoever is operating the boat is experienced and understands nautical rules of the lake.
"It's very easy to kind of turn a boat quickly one way or the other to where a passenger can be ejected off of the boat, which makes it all the more important to where a U.S. Coast Guard approved lifejacket," said Hullum.
A approved lifejacket is required for everybody aged 13 and under on a boat. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/safety-tips-ahead-of-memorial-day/269-15c59f98-9251-4080-a47b-95e2a99ddb06 | 2023-05-28T16:46:54 | 0 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/safety-tips-ahead-of-memorial-day/269-15c59f98-9251-4080-a47b-95e2a99ddb06 |
WILDWOOD — Cape May County has no cannabis dispensary, although it seems inevitable that one will open eventually.
When it does, it will not open in Wildwood, which like many beach towns has opted out of allowing cannabis sales in the community, and out of the chance to charge an additional local tax on weed sales.
Which has led to some surprise and confusion with the opening of Kannavis Botanicals on New Jersey Avenue, with images of a familiar spiky leaf on the sign and “Licensed” marked under the name.
The business is licensed by the state to sell hemp and hemp-derived products, not cannabis, a distinction that has more to do with legal definitions than with plant biology. Both are from the buds of the same plant, but hemp, by definition, has less than 0.3% of THC, the chemical in marijuana that gets you high.
Many cannabis dispensary strains boast THC concentrations of more than 20%.
People are also reading…
But that distinction gets blurrier still with the assurance from Dill Nelson, who owns Kannavis with her husband, Ken, that if you smoke their hemp, you will feel it. As Ken Nelson explains it, the process of burning the hemp flowers changes the nature of other cannabinoids in the plant.
ATLANTIC CITY — Christina Casile stands in the lobby of Design 710 at 112 Park Place, the la…
“Once you light it, it changes,” he said.
“Then it’s game on,” added Dill Nelson.
The New York Avenue shop is their third location in Wildwood. The first opened on the Boardwalk in 2020, a tough time for any new business, and there is also a location on Pacific Avenue. The other locations remain open, and the New Jersey Avenue site opened April 20, often described as a “weed holiday” for its connection to 420, which has become cannabis culture slang for consumption.
This shop is in a former bank, with a drive-through in operation. The hemp and hemp products are dispensed from the old teller stations, while lighted boards show the available strains and their relative potency, much like one of the cannabis dispensaries.
The buds available for purchase at the shop are indistinguishable, by sight or smell, from the cannabis sold at a licensed dispensary, or for that matter from weed bought on the still-thriving underground market.
Presumably, a lab test could find a difference, or an experienced smoker. Ken Nelson has compared the difference between hemp and dispensary cannabis as similar to the difference between beer and whiskey, with one offering a much stronger impact.
As marijuana has become far more mainstream, potent, and sometimes dangerous, uneven regulation at the state and federal levels leaves consumers at risk.
“It’s an option for somebody who does not have the $60 or $70 to spend on an eighth at a dispensary,” he said. An eighth of an ounce is close to 3.5 grams, which is a standard measurement of sale at licensed dispensaries. Kannavis offers 5 grams of a hemp flower called Sour Haze for $20, or $5 for a single gram, which would be enough to roll about three cigarettes.
The store also offers gummies and other edibles, as well as a barbecue sauce. Several of the products in the store included the label “Contains THC.”
The store has raised concerns in Wildwood, enough so that the municipal government issued a news release this year stating that they were selling hemp, not marijuana.
“These stores are not selling anything with THC in it,” part of the release states. The products could be legally sold in a vitamin store, for instance.
The Wildwood Board of Commissioners had an appearance from the Kannavis store on the agenda for its Wednesday meeting, with a request for the owners to explain their business plan.
The name of the business, which Nelson described as Greek for hemp, and the mention of a license on the sign created confusion, said Mayor Pete Byron. The city wanted to let the public know it did not issue any licenses.
Veterinarians are growing alarmed by an apparent rise in marijuana poisonings among dogs that ingest discarded joints and edibles on city sidewalks.
“Honestly, as long as it’s not illegal, there’s nothing we can do about it,” Byron said.
Nelson said his business does have a license, from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. That means he gets an annual inspection, he said, and has to comply with other regulations that do not impact other Boardwalk stores or vape shops that offer hemp-derived products like CBD and Delta 8.
No one from the Department of Agriculture responded to requests for an interview for this story. A spokesperson for the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, the agency that issues licenses to the now-legal cannabis dispensaries, said the CRC does not regulate hemp-derived products, and directed questions to the Department of Agriculture.
As many have pointed out, hemp has been used for clothing, food and in manufacturing for thousands of years. It’s the same species of plant as marijuana, and for decades, that kept hemp products off American shelves.
In 2001, early in President George W. Bush’s administration, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration cracked down on hemp in foods, from cereals to granola bars to protein powders, even though the seeds that were used did not contain enough THC to possibly have an effect.
A federal court later rejected that effort, and in 2018, a federal farm bill made clear that hemp with under 0.3% THC was as legal as apples or any other agricultural product.
Brittney Griner got emotional quickly while speaking to reporters for the first time since her nearly 10-month detainment in Russia on drug-related charges. The WNBA star had to take a moment to compose herself after being asked about her resiliency through the ordeal. Griner's first news conference drew more than 100 people, including Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, members of the Phoenix Mercury organization and her wife, Cherelle.
That cleared the way for products containing CBD, another part of the plant, to be sold across the country so long as it was derived from hemp. Proponents say CBD has anti-inflammatory properties and other benefits.
But the DEA says THC Delta 8 and its cousin THC Delta 9 are not hemp, but instead are schedule 1 drugs, just like marijuana. The DEA has proposed changes to federal drug laws that would take Delta 8 off the shelf, and 14 states have issued an outright ban.
The potential for a legislative change that could upend his business keeps Nelson worried, he said. He added he is phasing out Delta 8 products, instead using more products that use the entire hemp flower.
Delta 8 appears in nature, but only in very small quantities. It is concentrated from hemp plants to reach effective levels.
Scott Rudder, with the industry group the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association, described hemp as a useful and beneficial plant, but he expressed concerns about the sale of products containing Delta 8 and other potential intoxicants, insisting it is not just because they are taking sales from association members.
Most of the products being sold are not tested, and consumers may have little information about what they are buying. In some instances, someone may think it is similar to CBD, which may or may not have a mild, calming influence like a cup of chamomile tea, and instead find themselves feeling intoxicated behind the wheel.
“When you see these products being sold at gas stations and at convenience stores, there’s a good chance that most of those products have not gone through a testing process,” he said.
In many instances, he said, there appears to be little care to ensure only those over 21 are buying the products, he added.
At a recent open house at the new Wildwood location, a local classic rock station blasted Tom Petty in the parking lot while staff offered samples of hot sauce, presumably infused hot sauce. Nelson said he remains scrupulous about checking IDs and will not sell anything to someone under 21. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/is-weed-by-another-name-a-legal-loophole-or-a-whole-different-plant/article_70671b16-faf3-11ed-8f4f-1768170d5ae2.html | 2023-05-28T16:47:01 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/is-weed-by-another-name-a-legal-loophole-or-a-whole-different-plant/article_70671b16-faf3-11ed-8f4f-1768170d5ae2.html |
FAYETTE — Northeast Iowa’s 166-year-old Upper Iowa University is cutting 37 positions and closing seven of its more than 20 regional education centers due to dropping enrollment, shifting student needs and headwinds facing all of higher education.
The cuts include 22 layoffs at the private university’s main campus in Fayette and 15 positions lost in Upper Iowa’s closure of its single Illinois location in Rockford and six Wisconsin sites, including locations in Madison and Milwaukee.
The cuts include 13 faculty positions and two deans, according to the Des Moines Register.
The changes are part of the university’s efforts to focus on its main residential Fayette campus; its strongest performing centers in Iowa, Louisiana and four military bases; and its online and self-paced distance learning programs, according to Upper Iowa spokeswoman Lynette Brandt.
People are also reading…
“The position eliminations reflect current enrollments and projections that significant growth in higher education is unlikely in the immediate future,” Brandt said. “Like many industries, higher education is evolving at a rapid pace, as are the needs and outcomes for students.”
Upper Iowa — founded in 1857, just over a decade after Iowa became a state — in the fall reported a total enrollment of 3,072, up slightly from 3,027 in fall 2021 but down 43% from the 5,382 it reported in fall 2018, according to Iowa College Aid.
The Fayette-based school isn’t alone in its enrollment losses — with Iowa’s total private college and university enrollment dropping from 51,330 in fall 2017 to 46,881 in fall 2022. Iowa’s public university enrollment has slid from 81,621 to 68,933 over that same period; its community college enrollment is down to 82,251 from 90,531 in 2017.
“While our enrollment on the Fayette Campus and at many of our non-residential locations have seen modest growth or remained flat this past year, our enrollments are reduced from pre-pandemic levels,” Brandt said.
Budget woes
Upper Iowa’s layoffs and closures follow the abrupt end to Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant, which ceased its 181-year run last week as the second oldest university in Iowa.
Wesleyan, Upper Iowa, Graceland University in Lamoni and William Penn University in Oskaloosa in February collaborated on a white paper to the governor’s office requesting a total of $48 million in pandemic relief funds to help their campuses.
In arguing for $12 million apiece, each campus highlighted their combined $32.3 million contribution to the Iowa business economy — employing 1,265 people and generating $116.7 million in total revenue.
Given Iowa Wesleyan’s dire financial position that nearly closed it several years ago, that campus pressed Gov. Kim Reynolds for an answer and was turned down — compelling Wesleyan to close at the end of the semester.
Reynolds’ office hasn’t yet answered the three other campus’ funding requests — including Upper Iowa, which said it would use the $12 million to support infrastructure, growing programs and partnerships in high demand and student success initiatives
Upper Iowa, according to data it gave the governor’s office, has 485 employees, 16,487 alumni in Iowa and 400 business partners. It generated $55 million in total revenue last year and $5.5 million in “Iowa business revenue.”
Its fiscal 2022 financial statements show its total assets dropped from $117 million in the 2021 budget year to $112.3 million in 2022. It generated $28.7 million in net tuition revenue in 2022, down from $35.8 million in 2021.
Upper Iowa’s endowment net assets sat at $19.8 million in 2022, down from $22.7 million in 2020.
In addition to its Fayette campus, Upper Iowa has locations in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Waterloo and the Quad Cities. It has locations in other states like Louisiana and on military bases, and it boasts online and distance learning programs that Brandt called “incredibly strong.”
Eliminated sports
Among Upper Iowa’s layoffs in Fayette are some associated with its elimination this spring of seven sports programs: men and women’s bowling, men’s cross-country, men’s indoor and outdoor track and field, women’s tennis and shotgun sports.
In its April 27 announcement of the cuts — effective this month — administrators said the institution is “not immune to the growing challenge nationwide to meet the financial resources needed to maintain competitive intercollegiate athletics.” The facilities and staff needed to support athletic programs also played a role.
“The hard truth is that Upper Iowa cannot continue to support such a high number of intercollegiate programs given the reduction of tuition revenue that is being generated currently by fewer number of students who are attending colleges across the country,” Vice President for Athletics Rick Hartzell said in a statement. “We have to reduce our sport offerings to better match our resources, facilities and staff within our athletic program.”
Upper Iowa is continuing to support 16 sports programs and maintaining its commitment to launch women’s wrestling in fall 2024. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/upper-iowa-university-announces-layoffs-site-closures/article_dc3b1bca-fcd9-11ed-918e-f30eed6d97c3.html | 2023-05-28T16:49:31 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/upper-iowa-university-announces-layoffs-site-closures/article_dc3b1bca-fcd9-11ed-918e-f30eed6d97c3.html |
LARGO, Fla. — A 38-year-old woman is dead and a child is in the hospital after a two-vehicle crash Saturday night in Largo, according to a news release.
Largo police said the crash happened around 8 p.m. at the intersection of Keene Road and Belleair Road.
A 2010 Volkswagen, driven by Kimberly Murzyn, ran a red light and crashed into a 2022 GMC Sierra that was making a left westbound turn onto Belleair Road, police said in a statement.
Authorities said Murzyn was taken to a nearby hospital where she later died from her injuries. A child who was also inside the Volkswagen was taken to the hospital and is in critical condition.
The driver of the GMC was taken to the hospital and is doing okay.
The investigation into this crash is still ongoing. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/woman-dead-child-in-critical-condition-after-crash-largo/67-fbdff942-16ca-48b4-ae52-697f1f1d72e0 | 2023-05-28T16:52:39 | 1 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/woman-dead-child-in-critical-condition-after-crash-largo/67-fbdff942-16ca-48b4-ae52-697f1f1d72e0 |
DALLAS — Cindy Campos' 5-year-old son was so excited about the Winnie the Pooh book he got at school that he asked her to read it with him as soon as he got home. But her heart sank when she realized it was a tutorial about what to do when "danger is near," advising kids to lock the doors, turn off the lights and quietly hide.
As they read the "Stay Safe" book the school sent home without explanation or a warning to parents, she began crying, leaving her son confused.
"It's hard because you're reading them a bedtime story and basically now you have to explain in this cute way what the book is about, when it's not exactly cute," Campos said.
She said her first-grader, who goes to the same elementary school as her pre-K son, also got a copy of the book last week. After posting about it in an online neighborhood group, she found other concerned parents whose kids had also brought the book home.
The district's decision to send kids home with the book has made waves. California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, tweeted: "Winnie the Pooh is now teaching Texas kids about active shooters because the elected officials do not have the courage to keep our kids safe and pass common sense gun safety laws."
It sparked enough of a reaction to warrant an explanation from the Dallas Independent School District, which said in a statement Friday that it works "hard every day to prevent school shootings" by dealing with online threats and improving security measures. It also conducts active shooter drills.
"Recently a booklet was sent home so parents could discuss with their children how to stay safe in such cases," the district said. "Unfortunately, we did not provide parents any guide or context. We apologize for the confusion and are thankful to parents who reached out to assist us in being better partners."
The district did not say how many schools and grades in the district received the books.
Campos said the book was "haunting" her and that it seemed especially "tone deaf" to send it home with kids without explanation around the time the state was marking the anniversary of last year's mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, when a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers. It also comes as Texas' Republican-controlled Legislature wraps up a session in which it rejected virtually all proposals to tighten gun laws but did pass legislation banning school libraries from having books that contain descriptions, illustrations or audio depicting sexual conduct not relevant to the required school curriculum.
Active shooter drills have become common in American schools, though there's disagreement over whether they do more harm than good.
Campos said that although she doesn't disagree with the book's intent, she wished it would have come with a warning to parents so that she could introduce it to her kids at the right time and in the right way. She said she has discussed school shootings with her kids, and that she might have chosen to wait to read them the book until there was another attack.
"I would have done it on my own time," said Campos, who first spoke to the Oak Cliff Advocate.
The book's cover says: "If there is danger, let Winnie the Pooh and his crew show you what to do." Inside, it includes passages such as "If danger is near, do not fear. Hide like Pooh does until the police appear. Doors should be locked and the passage blocked. Turn off the light to stay out of sight."
The book was published by Praetorian Consulting, a Houston-based firm that provides safety, security and crisis management training and services. The company, which didn't respond to messages seeking comment, says on its website that it uses age-appropriate material to teach the concepts of "run, hide, fight" — the approach authorities say civilians should take in active shooter situations.
The company also says on its website that its K-6 curriculum features the characters of Winnie the Pooh, which are now in the public domain and even featured in a recent horror movie. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/dallas-isd-apologizes-winnie-the-pooh-book-school-shootings/287-b8b7ad93-5172-4ff2-8e39-419094a005ce | 2023-05-28T17:08:46 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/dallas-isd-apologizes-winnie-the-pooh-book-school-shootings/287-b8b7ad93-5172-4ff2-8e39-419094a005ce |
LEWISVILLE, Texas — One suspect is in custody and two more remain at large after a Lewisville police officer found a man shot to death in a park on Saturday evening.
According to the Lewisville Police Department, one of its officers was near Central Park, located at 1899 S. Edmonds Lane, at around 6:30 p.m. when he heard gunshots and responded to the scene.
Upon arrival, police said the officer found a man near the start of the park's walking trail, deceased from a gunshot to the head.
A handgun was also found on the ground close to the the victim's body, police said.
According to police, witnesses saw three suspects running into the nearby woods around the time of the shooting. One of those suspects, police said, has been caught.
The other two are still at large as police continue to search the area.
A Department of Public Safety helicopter and a K9 unit from Carrollton were at one point called in to assist in the Lewisville Police Department's search, but those additional units have since been called off.
Police have not yet publicly identified the victim, and a said a motive has not yet been determined.
They added, however, that they did not believe the incident was a random shooting. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/fatal-shooting-lewisville-central-park-walking-trail/287-8d5ed587-2280-4ee1-93a2-adbcef9824c1 | 2023-05-28T17:08:52 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/fatal-shooting-lewisville-central-park-walking-trail/287-8d5ed587-2280-4ee1-93a2-adbcef9824c1 |
Michael J. Moeller has joined the Laird Law Firm of Mason City and Clear Lake, Iowa, on May 15, according to a press release.
“We are extremely excited to have Mike join us. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, he has a fantastic attitude, and we anticipate he will play a vital role at Laird while serving the North Iowa community for years to come,” Gerald M. Stambaugh said in a statement.
Mike added, “I feel blessed to continue my legal career with such a trusted firm where I can continue to serve the people, businesses, and organizations of North Iowa.”
Mike, a native of Clear Lake, is a graduate of the University of Iowa and Hamline University School of Law and has been practicing law with the Sorensen & Moeller Law Office in Clear Lake since 2013. He will continue to practice and serve the North Iowa community in the areas of Estate Planning, Probate, Real Estate, Family Law, and Municipal Law. | https://globegazette.com/business/local/laird-law-firm-announces-new-hire/article_9300d2c0-fb1b-11ed-bb4e-e7dfd0770f07.html | 2023-05-28T17:09:04 | 0 | https://globegazette.com/business/local/laird-law-firm-announces-new-hire/article_9300d2c0-fb1b-11ed-bb4e-e7dfd0770f07.html |
NORMAL — The Illinois State University Planetarium will present the full-dome show "Sunstruck!" starting May 31 through July 28.
Showtimes will be 2 p.m. on Wednesdays and 7:30 p.m. on Fridays. There will be no shows June 21 and 23.
The show focuses on the birth of the sun, Earth and the solar system; how the sun came to support life on Earth; how it threatens life today; and how its energy will fade away.
Admission is $5 for adults; $4 for children ages 5-12, seniors and ISU ID holders; and $3 for children ages 3-4. Cash or checks only. Tickets may be purchased next to the planetarium beginning 20 minutes before each show.
The planetarium is under the white-domed roof at the eastern end of Felmley Hall of Science Annex, at the intersection of College Avenue and School Street.
Thomas Willmitch, Illinois State University planetarium director, watches a clip of SpaceShipOne during a demonstration projection of the planetarium's new Freefall Technologies projector.
Thomas Willmitch, Illinois State University planetarium director, watches an image of an astronaut about to take a space walk during a demonstration of the planetarium's new Freefall Technologies projector. The device creates an image that fits the planetarium's 30-foot-wide dome.
Thomas Willmitch, Illinois State University planetarium director, talks about the advantages of the new Freefall Technologies projector. The Spitz A-3-P planetarium projector, which creates the night sky images, is at left.
Thomas Willmitch, Illinois State University planetarium director, watches a display of the image projected with the planetarium's new Freefall Technologies spherical projector.
Thomas Willmitch, Illinois State University planetarium director, watches the separation of a Saturn V rocket during a demonstration projection of the planetarium's new Freefall Technologies projector.
A computer monitor at Illinois State University planetarium displays the 2D view of a program run on the new Freefall Technologies projector. Once the image reaches the projector, a spherical mirror projects a correct image on the planetarium's screen.
Thomas Willmitch, Illinois State University planetarium director, talks about seating changes that will be required as the planetarium updates its programming.
A spherical projector brings new capabilities to the Illinois State University Planetarium.
040716-blm-loc-7planetarium
DAVID PROEBER, The Pantagraph
Thomas Willmitch, Illinois State University planetarium director, watches a clip of SpaceShipOne during a demonstration projection of the planetarium's new Freefall Technologies projector.
040716-blm-loc-1planetarium
DAVID PROEBER, The Pantagraph
Thomas Willmitch, Illinois State University planetarium director, watches an image of an astronaut about to take a space walk during a demonstration of the planetarium's new Freefall Technologies projector. The device creates an image that fits the planetarium's 30-foot-wide dome.
040716-blm-loc-2planetarium
DAVID PROEBER, The Pantagraph
Thomas Willmitch, Illinois State University planetarium director, talks about the advantages of the new Freefall Technologies projector. The Spitz A-3-P planetarium projector, which creates the night sky images, is at left.
040716-blm-loc-3planetarium
DAVID PROEBER, The Pantagraph
A spherical mirror on the Freefall Technologies projector, lower right, fills the 30-foot dome at Illinois State University planetarium with images.
040716-blm-loc-5planetarium
DAVID PROEBER, The Pantagraph
Thomas Willmitch, Illinois State University planetarium director, watches a display of the image projected with the planetarium's new Freefall Technologies spherical projector.
040716-blm-loc-6planetarium
DAVID PROEBER, The Pantagraph
Thomas Willmitch, Illinois State University planetarium director, watches the separation of a Saturn V rocket during a demonstration projection of the planetarium's new Freefall Technologies projector.
040716-blm-loc-4planetarium
DAVID PROEBER, The Pantagraph
A computer monitor at Illinois State University planetarium displays the 2D view of a program run on the new Freefall Technologies projector. Once the image reaches the projector, a spherical mirror projects a correct image on the planetarium's screen.
040716-blm-loc-8planetarium
DAVID PROEBER, The Pantagraph
Thomas Willmitch, Illinois State University planetarium director, controls the planetarium's projection equipment.
040716-blm-loc-9planetarium
DAVID PROEBER, The Pantagraph
Thomas Willmitch, Illinois State University planetarium director, talks about seating changes that will be required as the planetarium updates its programming.
040716-blm-loc-10planetarium
DAVID PROEBER, The Pantagraph
The Spitz A-3-P planetarium projector creates the night sky images for Illinois State University's planetarium.
Contact Olivia Jacobs at 309-820-3352. Follow Olivia on Twitter: @olivia___jacobs | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/isu-planetarium-to-present-sunstruck/article_494c002a-fbfa-11ed-a0ef-13c4f8e9dd4c.html | 2023-05-28T17:12:26 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/isu-planetarium-to-present-sunstruck/article_494c002a-fbfa-11ed-a0ef-13c4f8e9dd4c.html |
JESSUP, Md. — Maryland State Police are currently investigating a homicide at the Jessup Correctional Institution.
On Saturday, around 4:30pm, the MSP Homicide Unit was called to the correctional facility for reports of an inmate death.
Investigators arrived at the scene and located the victim, identified as 27-year-old Nicholas Delfosse, suffering from multiple wounds to his body. He was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel.
A suspect, who is also an inmate, was identified and is being held at another location.
Delfosse was a state prison inmate who was serving time for burglary.
According to investigators, the victim and the suspect were cellmates at the time that the incident occurred.
A cause of death has not yet been determined and the identity of the suspect has not been released due to no charges yet being filed.
The incident is still under investigation | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/inmate-at-jessup-correctional-institution-accused-of-murdering-cellmate | 2023-05-28T17:13:00 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/inmate-at-jessup-correctional-institution-accused-of-murdering-cellmate |
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Update, 11 a.m.: Police have identified the male victim as Christopher Coolidge, 44, of Manheim, who was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The female passenger was identified as another resident of Manheim and is currently in critical care at the hospital, according to police.
Reports from police state that Coolidge was not believed to be wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
Previous: The Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department were dispatched at 7:04 p.m. on May 27 to the intersection of Woodcrest and West Woods Avenue in Warwick Township to investigate a reported motorcycle crash.
Upon arrival, police reportedly discovered a Harley Davidson motorcycle and two victims near the intersection, an adult male and a woman.
The male, who police believed to be the operator, was pronounced dead on the scene by the Lancaster County Coroner's Office.
The female was rushed to the hospital for further treatment, and her condition is currently unknown.
Crash deconstructionist Officer Mitch Naumann was called to the scene to investigate the crash; early evidence leads officials to believe the occupants were traveling westbound on Woodcrest Ave. before exiting the northbound side of the roadway by riding through an area of mulch, shrubbery and landscape rocks.
According to police reports, the motorcycle then struck a mailbox in the 700 block of Woodcrest Ave, side-swiped a PPL utility pole, and came to rest on the north/west side of a driveway.
The investigation is currently ongoing, and anyone with information relevant to this incident is asked to contact the Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department at 717-733-0965, or by submitting a tip through CRIMEWATCH. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/lancaster-county/lancaster-county-police-investigating-fatal-motorcycle-crash-fox43/521-5982cf6a-adca-403f-917f-5b737d819eea | 2023-05-28T17:21:36 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/lancaster-county/lancaster-county-police-investigating-fatal-motorcycle-crash-fox43/521-5982cf6a-adca-403f-917f-5b737d819eea |
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Glendale police are investigating what appears to be a hit-and-run crash that left a pedestrian dead early Sunday morning.
Police were called to the area of Camelback Road and 75th Avenue around 5:30 a.m. for reports of a man lying in the roadway. First responders pronounced the man dead on the scene.
Investigators believe that the man was struck by a vehicle that then left the scene of the crash.
Camelback road was closed from 67th to 75th avenues while detectives investigate. Police expect the closures to last through the morning.
Police haven't disclosed the identity of the deceased man.
This is a developing story. Stay with 12News for more updates.
>> Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.
Up to Speed
Catch up on the latest news and stories on our 12News YouTube playlist here.
Silent Witness:
Arizona's Silent Witness program allows people to send in tips and share information about crimes happening within their local communities.
The program shares unsolved felony case information in multiple ways, including TV, radio and social media.
Anyone who has information on a crime or recognizes a suspect described by the program is asked to call 480-948-6377, go to the program's website online or download the Silent Witness app to provide a tip. The identity of anyone who submits a tip is kept anonymous.
Calls to Silent Witness are answered 24/7 by a live person and submitted tips are accepted at all times. Submitted tips are then sent to the detective(s) in charge of the specific case.
Individuals who submit tips that lead to an arrest or indictment in the case can get a reward of up to $1,000. | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/apparent-hit-and-run-crash-kills-man-glendale-police-say/75-041e7d21-15c1-4bcc-8d56-6ed35e2794e4 | 2023-05-28T17:39:13 | 0 | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/apparent-hit-and-run-crash-kills-man-glendale-police-say/75-041e7d21-15c1-4bcc-8d56-6ed35e2794e4 |
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregonians hankering for a tasty, brine-y snack are in luck: The central Oregon coast has reopened razor clam farming just in time for summer.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Friday that razor clam harvesting is back, making the journey to the north jetty of the Siuslaw River to Seal Rock all the more rewarding.
The reopening follows a temporary hiatus after shellfish samples had recently indicated high levels of domoic acid, a marine algae unsafe for human consumption. But according to marine officials, these levels have now been below the limit for two consecutive weeks.
Razor clam harvesting has been and continues to be available from the Washington border to Tillamook Head. However, other areas of the coast remain closed.
According to the ODA, “the daily razor clam limit is the first 15 clams dug, regardless of size or condition. Each digger must have their own container, dig their own clams and can only have one limit in possession while in the clam digging area.”
Officials will continue to monitor domoic acid levels twice per month, and say clam diggers can check tides and visit ODFW’s clamming page for up-to-date information.
Happy clamming! | https://www.koin.com/local/oregon-coast/central-oregon-coast-reopens-razor-clam-farming-after-toxic-algae-hiatus/ | 2023-05-28T17:41:06 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/local/oregon-coast/central-oregon-coast-reopens-razor-clam-farming-after-toxic-algae-hiatus/ |
AUSTIN, Texas — With Memorial Day and warmer temperatures approaching, more Central Texans are spending time outside at pools and lakes, and are barbecuing more.
Kristen Hullum, a trauma injury prevention coordinator at St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, is aiming to remind families to remain vigilant about heat, water and fire safety.
According to Hullum, it's important to consider that heat related illnesses can happen even in temperatures that are not perceived as being particularly hot.
"So even in the mid 80s or low 90s, when it doesn't necessarily feel that hot to you, but you've been outside for a long period of time or maybe doing some activities that's causing a lot of sweat. So the things to look for are feeling weakness," said Hullum.
Early symptoms of heat-related illnesses include nausea, dizziness and lightheadedness. Hullum said the key is prevention. Try to limit time outdoors during that hottest part of the day and instead go outside early in the morning and later in the evening.
"Make sure that you are hydrating really well, that you're drinking a lot of water to replace the fluid that you're losing in your body through sweat. Even if you don't think that you've been sweating that much, you actually have been more than you think you are. So drink lots of fluids," said Hullum.
It's also important to keep children in mind, and to make sure they are drinking plenty of fluids and applying sunscreen. It's recommended to wear an SPF at least 30 or higher and reapplying it about every two hours.
If outdoor grilling is on the ledger, Hullum said adults should be supervising any children that are around the heat source and an open flame. If there's an open flame and a fire is being built, it's important to know to never use lighter fluid after a flame already exists.
"There have been lots of burns that have happened in a situation like that. So really just careful supervision, especially around children," stated Hullum.
When it comes to setting off fireworks, experts say to give children a sparkler. Also, make sure that they are far away from where an explosive firework is igniting. As for the person setting the fireworks, it's important that they are sober, and making good decisions.
"Fireworks tend to to sometimes not go off exactly when we think they are. So if you think that you've had maybe a dud, don't lean over the firework to check it, because sometimes it could go off in your face. So be really cautious when you go up to the firework and kind of squat down next to it with your head back away to ensure that it is in fact a dud," said Hullum.
Lastly, over the holiday weekend, officials see an increase in motor vehicle crashes. There're going to be more people on the road and there're vastly more people drinking at parties.
"It's really important that you have a plan if you are going to drink at some type of holiday function, please be sure that you have a driver or that you use a rideshare program because we do see an increase in those alcohol related crashes," said Hullum.
The other thing that healthcare professionals tend to see are boating related incidents. Depending on how the weather is, people are spending time out on the lake during the holiday weekends. It's important that whoever is operating the boat is experienced and understands nautical rules of the lake.
"It's very easy to kind of turn a boat quickly one way or the other to where a passenger can be ejected off of the boat, which makes it all the more important to where a U.S. Coast Guard approved lifejacket," said Hullum.
A approved lifejacket is required for everybody aged 13 and under on a boat. | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/safety-tips-ahead-of-memorial-day/269-15c59f98-9251-4080-a47b-95e2a99ddb06 | 2023-05-28T17:43:54 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/safety-tips-ahead-of-memorial-day/269-15c59f98-9251-4080-a47b-95e2a99ddb06 |
Meet Oskar, the newest member of Rolling Hills Zoo's Pride of the Prairie exhibit
Rolling Hills Zoo announced a new addition to its Pride of the Prairie lion exhibit this week. This particular furry friend comes with a mane.
Oskar, a male African lion, will be joining the two female lions, Zalika and Kamali, who call Rolling Hills and Pride of the Prairie home.
Initially, Oskar and the female lions will be kept separately as they slowly get to know one another. During the first few days, he will be adjusting to his new home, and it might take time before he is comfortable leaving his sleeping quarters, the zoo noted in a release.
Guests are asked to be patient and kind during the "dating" process, where Oskar gets acclimated with his new environment and friends. Once he is comfortable, zoo guests will find him in the day room while the females are outside, rotating locations daily to allow each time outside while they get to know each other.
"This 'dating' process will take time, but once the keepers feel comfortable with putting them together, they will do so," said Linda Henderson, development and marketing director at Rolling Hills.
Read more about Zalika and Kamali:Come face-to-face with a lion at the remodeled exhibit at Rolling Hills Zoo in Salina
More fun facts about Oskar
At birth, Oskar was very shy. But once he came out of his shell, he became playful and confident. After making the move to Rolling Hills Zoo, Oskar is taking his time to check out his environment and warming up to new people.
Oskar was born at the Denver Zoo in 2020 and was one of two in his litter. His mother, Kamara, father, Tobias, and sister, Araali, still reside at the Denver Zoo. There, his pride consisted of seven lions: four females and three males. His half brother Tatu recently made the move to the Topeka Zoo.
At three-years-old, Oskar is just now approaching sexual maturity and will likely breed around the age of four or five.
Oskar's favorite enrichment items, according to zookeeping staff, are phone books, zoo kongs, and scents. Rolling Hills Zoo Vet Tech Siarra Abker said Oskar also particularly loves shredding paper and cardboard boxes, and loves Rhino hay, rolling around in it and getting all stinky.
"Motivated by food, Oskar is eager to train and happy to do anything his keepers ask," Abker said. "While still trying to prove he is a big, tough lion to everyone, as well as himself, Oskar is a sweetheart and enjoys spending time with his keepers, but only on his terms."
Kendrick Calfee has been a reporter with the Salina Journal since 2022, primarily covering county government and education. You can reach him at kcalfee@gannett.com or on Twitter @calfee_kc. | https://www.salina.com/story/entertainment/local/2023/05/28/rolling-hills-zoo-welcomes-male-african-lion-to-the-pride/70260591007/ | 2023-05-28T17:52:14 | 0 | https://www.salina.com/story/entertainment/local/2023/05/28/rolling-hills-zoo-welcomes-male-african-lion-to-the-pride/70260591007/ |
BOISE — Located on West Main Street in downtown Boise lies KIN. With a dark, modern aesthetic and small elements of elegance, the basement restaurant has been a quiet creative outlet for artists of all kinds for three years, providing an outdoor space for local bands and performers and offering the walls of the restaurant up for artists to hang their work.
When guests arrive, they’re greeted through a secret door and ushered in to look at the featured artists' work, cocktail in hand. At KIN, food is theater, and the show lasts almost three hours.
This is the first year Idaho has been represented in the James Beard awards final by not one, but two chefs — Kris Komori from KIN and Sal Alamilla from Amano in Caldwell. Komori has been a semifinalist for the awards five times in his career.
The James Beard Foundation awards are annual awards presented to chefs, restaurateurs, journalists and authors in the United States.
Even though this is the 39-year-old’s first year as a finalist, Komori sees the award as one for the whole staff. So, he’s bringing the whole KIN team to Chicago for the awards. Winners will be announced on June 5.
“It’s much more about the whole community than it is about us,” Remy McManus, co-owner of KIN, said. “We're just a family. But it doesn't mean just family within these walls: it means as a community we're a family and we want to support Boise.”
Komori looks at the food he makes as connective cuisine, meant to bring people together, whether it be for an evening, or a lifetime.
The staff at KIN all agree: Komori’s spot as a finalist is well deserved.
“He's an incredibly talented individual. But more than his talent as a chef, he has an incredible work ethic that is unparalleled,” McManus said. “The dedication, the ability to push yourself beyond the limits of your capabilities — he has that. He has a drive to not only make himself better but make those around him better.”
Komori often works 80- to 90-hour workweeks, spending time researching food, creating menus and working with farmers to get local ingredients, McManus said.
“He (Kris) gives all of us the credit and takes really very little for himself,” Erika Claassen, pastry chef, said. “He wants to give all of us the credit but I mean, he did this … he's facilitated the environment to make this happen."
Komori’s place as a finalist in James Beard is a “rising tide that lifts all ships,” cook Kevin Huelsmann said. If Boise’s food scene is booming, KIN is doing well.
KIN has a structure that stands out in Boise, with a menu that changes every five weeks and a new artist featured on the walls every three menu cycles. One of those three menu cycles features food that is inspired by the artist, often mimicking their technique or pulling from the artist's food memories.
“It’s not like any other kitchen,” Huelsmann said. “I don’t know of many restaurants in Boise that do this.”
The menu system provides staff with a “fun challenge,” Huelsmann said.
“We don’t take ourselves too seriously,” Chef de Cuisine Matthew Chmiel said. “We take what we do seriously.”
Each dish at KIN is inevitably based on a story, whether it be based on an artist or a theme chosen by the staff.
“We come up with a theme together,” Komori said. “It creates this really cool creative culture.”
The regular menu at KIN is $95 a person, and $40 a person for beverage pairing.
Seasonality is also incorporated in the creativity of KIN, Komori said. The menu KIN is currently running is inspired by James Beard, pulling inspiration from his life to create menu items. The restaurant normally collaborates with smaller farms to source food, but for this menu, they worked with Simplot.
“He always talked about good, local, seasonal food and that was like well before the whole movement happened in the 70s, but then he opened a culinary school up and in order to make money for it he took endorsement money from big food processing plants," Komori said. "It's a funny thing to build a dish on but there's good and bad things about some big processing plants. We were predominantly small local farms directly delivered to us but we thought it'd be a good chance to work with a big food processor.”
Komori’s ever-changing menu gives staff the chance to flex their creative muscles and do things differently than they have before.
“It's really good for us because you get to see how different people relate to food,” Huelsmann said. “People who are not making food all the time, their relationship to what they loved when they were growing up, what they liked cooking ... it's different.”
It’s those things that inspire Huelsmann and KIN staff to create dishes. For that, and the opportunity to work with Komori, this kitchen is a good one to be a part of, Huelsmann said.
“I don't know of another kitchen job like this, that checks so many boxes and allows you to be so flexible and creative, and still get paid well,” Huelsmann said. “I think it finally feels like what we've been striving for for so many years, is actually happening now.”
The bar at KIN is also unique, often using unused ingredients from the kitchen to create new drinks. No other bar in Boise collaborates with the kitchen like KIN, bar manager Tyler Cook said, which is why Komori continues to be recognized.
“Kris is a good human being,” Cook said. “He’s kind, he’s got a good heart, he goes out of his way to help the staff and elevate the community.”
Komori making it to the finals for James Beard recognizes of his food, but Huelsmann says the honor is deserved for what Komori does outside of the kitchen: his leadership and interaction with the community.
"He's never been one who is chasing accolades," Huelsmann said. "He sees the value for the community. It's recognition for us too. We have younger cooks coming in the kitchen, and that's a really big, cool thing to be a part of."
Komori is such a good chef because of his ability to collaborate, McManus said.
“Most chefs that you see believe that they are so good that they don't necessarily collaborate,” McManus said. “Without collaboration and the ability to collaborate and accept judgment or criticisms, Kris wouldn't be as good as he is.”
Komori grew up in Surrey, British Columbia, and Eugene, Oregon. He earned a biology degree at the College of Idaho and was in the process of applying to medical school when he realized he was signing up for something he didn’t want to do. So, he started learning the craft of cooking.
While attending culinary school in Vermont, Komori's path was a winding one. He worked as a front-of-house manager, in cooking lines, butcher shops and farms, often working several jobs at a time.
“I think all those experiences helped me quite a bit,” Komori said. “I did it just because I knew people that needed help in those positions, and it seemed interesting to not just go down one path.”
Komori met McManus in 2013 after moving to Boise from Portland. They started working together at State and Lemp, where he was nominated for James Beard awards three years in a row. Komori and McManus opened KIN together in 2020. | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/kinective-cuisine-boise-chef-is-a-finalist-in-james-beard-awards/article_39c05292-f677-11ed-b464-97fd3a5b9d25.html | 2023-05-28T17:54:09 | 1 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/kinective-cuisine-boise-chef-is-a-finalist-in-james-beard-awards/article_39c05292-f677-11ed-b464-97fd3a5b9d25.html |
Meet our Mid-Valley: High school seniors honored for community service
This is part of a weekly series introducing readers to individuals who are passionate about our Mid-Valley community.
Salem is recognizing 14 graduating high school seniors for their outstanding work in the community. Each donated at least 30 hours during their high school career.
Over the past year, the students helped with a number of projects and service programs, including redesigning and planting the Civic Center pollinator gardens, offering input on city planning for future development and climate efforts, volunteering at the library, joining the police cadet program and organizing the ILEAD Youth Leadership Summit.
“These students are forming habits now that will serve them well as they become the leaders of our future,” Mayor Chris Hoy said in a news release. “They are giving of their time and talents and making our community better in the process."
Three of the students shared their thoughts about the benefits of volunteering.
An Nguyen, Sprague High School
“Volunteering at the city has allowed me to grow in so many ways, most significantly helping me develop my own self-confidence and my public speaking skills. Through this, I became more sure of myself when leading others.”
Fateh Gogia, Sprague High School
“The best part about volunteering at the library is the community. From the young to the old, each person brings their hopes, dreams, and aspirations. Each day I would go, I would hear about someone's experiences that would inspire me, and before I knew it, it was time to go home.”
Samantha Murry, Seaside (formerly West Salem High)
“Even though I moved to Seaside, I still wanted to give back to the city I love and giving back to the community is something I love to do. This year, the youth council meetings were virtual, making it easier for me to give ideas and join in. Serving with the city has helped me realize how many teens want to give back and help out.”
2023 City of Salem Service Honors Recipients
Ashlyn Chess, Sprague High School
Fatehjot Gogia, Sprague High School
Riley Hurt, Teach Northwest Virtual Charter School
Kiele Jarnagin, McNary High School
Yeonwoo Jeong, Blanchet Catholic High School
Mihir Joshi, South Salem High School
Spenser Lamphear, Abiqua Academy
Shelby Rose Long, West Salem High School
Cady McManus, Summit Learning Charter School
Erin Montgomery, West Salem High School
Samantha Murry, Seaside High School, formerly West Salem High
Ann Nguyen, Sprague High School
Brandon Sims, South Salem High School
Theresa Wunderlich, Sprague High School
Alia Beard Rau is the senior news editor at the Statesman Journal. If you have an idea for someone we should profile for this series, please email her at arau@gannett.com | https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/local/2023/05/28/meet-our-mid-valley-salem-high-school-seniors-honored-for-community-service/70261929007/ | 2023-05-28T17:56:12 | 0 | https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/local/2023/05/28/meet-our-mid-valley-salem-high-school-seniors-honored-for-community-service/70261929007/ |
Study: Housing hard to reach for Oregon farmworkers
A new study from Oregon Housing and Community Services found low wages and low housing supply force many farmworkers into crowded living conditions and out of reliable housing.
Many farmworkers live in poverty, the study found, and cannot keep up with increasing costs of living. Employer-provided housing, meanwhile, is often crowded and poorly maintained, according to study participants.
The study, which OHCS said is the result of nearly four years of work, highlights the unique circumstances farmworkers face to find safe, stable housing. It also provides recommendations for state officials to consider in future funding and policy decisions.
"Farmworkers have long been an essential backbone to our state," OHCS Director Andrea Bell said in a news release. "Centering their humanity, dignity and wellbeing requires we continue advancing safe and healthy farmworker housing — as we do in service to all people of Oregon."
Agricultural workers:Farmworker advocates question poor on-farm housing
Affordable housing out of reach for farmworkers
The study's main findings boil down to this: Farmworker wages are too low to afford stable, affordable housing, especially in a state with an already-limited housing supply.
As a result, many Oregon farmworkers live in poor, overcrowded housing conditions both on and off farms.
An analysis of farmworker wages versus housing costs in Marion, Morrow, Hood River and Yamhill counties revealed significant "affordability gaps" between farmworker wages and housing costs.
In Marion County, for example, there is an estimated $510 gap between what an average farmworker household can afford and what it costs to rent a home at fair market value.
More than half the study's interview participants, consequently, lived in "severely overcrowded" housing, or housing with 1.5 people or more per bedroom. Two study respondents, for example, shared a cabin on a farm with 20 other people.
Rental application requirements and up-front move-in costs also block many farmworkers from accessing housing, the study found. Applications that require a social security number, rental history, credit history, or are only available in English all deter farmworkers, who are often immigrants, from applying at all.
Some farmworkers, especially migrant and seasonal ones, live in employer-provided housing and say it is their only option. But both employers and workers reported trouble with relying on on-farm housing. Employers said it is costly and regulations are cumbersome. Farmworkers in the study said they were afraid to report poor living conditions for fear of losing both their housing and their job.
The impact on farmworkers is far-reaching, Bell said.
"Lack of housing options leads to health disparities that leave generational impacts," Bell said. "This is not abstract. Seeing ourselves in one another requires that we take care of those that sustain our food system."
Oregon can do more to fill the housing gap
OHCS's housing study is the latest piece of a larger statewide effort to study and improve farmworker housing conditions.
Former Gov. Kate Brown commissioned the agricultural housing task force last year. One of its key recommendations, a $5 million grant for on-farm housing improvements, made its way into Gov. Tina Kotek's housing and homelessness package, which Kotek signed in March.
The Agricultural Workforce Housing Facilitation Team, facilitated by OHCS, recommended this housing study in 2017. It took nearly four years to complete, OHCS said.
The study includes recommendations state agencies should consider if they want to further address farmworker housing. Recommendations include:
- Increase farmworker incomes.
- Provide direct rental assistance to farmworkers.
- Increase the supply of housing that farmworkers can afford.
- Develop programs to provide special clearance and/or requirements, or co-signers, for farmworkers to satisfy rental application and mortgage loan requirements.
- Increase Oregon OSHA inspections of employer-based housing.
- Improve conditions of existing on-farm housing.
- Support lower-cost alternative homeownership models including community land trusts and housing cooperatives that provide ownership opportunities for farmworkers.
Read the full study and summary on OHDC's website.
Shannon Sollitt covers agricultural workers throughReport for America, a program that aims to support local journalism and democracy by reporting on under-covered issues and communities. Send tips, questions and comments to ssollitt@statesmanjournal.com. | https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/local/2023/05/28/oregon-farmworker-housing-study-low-wages-affordable-housing/70261873007/ | 2023-05-28T17:56:18 | 0 | https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/local/2023/05/28/oregon-farmworker-housing-study-low-wages-affordable-housing/70261873007/ |
Police are investigating after two men arrived at a Philadelphia hospital after being shot -- though officials have not yet determined where the shooting occurred.
According to law enforcement officials, two men were taken to a hospital by a private vehicle, and police said, they were believed to have been injured in a shooting that occurred at about 12:28 a.m. on Sunday.
However, police said the exact location of where the shooting occurred is still unknown.
An 18-year-old man who, officials said, was a victim in the shooting died after being shot in the neck.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
A 21-year-old who was brought into the hospital as well, was shot in the left arm once and three times in his right arm, and police said, he is listed in critical condition.
Law enforcement officials said this incident is still under investigation and no arrests have yet been made.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/teen-dies-in-hospital-after-double-shooting/3574889/ | 2023-05-28T18:13:38 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/teen-dies-in-hospital-after-double-shooting/3574889/ |
Cleburne Police are investigating an attempted murder-suicide.
According to a police statement, officers were called to a home on the 300 block of Gagtrix Avenue at about 2 a.m. Saturday after a man called 911 and said he'd shot his wife.
Officers arrived to find a deceased woman, identified Sunday by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office as 82-year-old Flora Jean Walker.
Police said the woman's husband, who has not yet been publicly identified, had what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
He was taken to Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth in critical condition. His current condition is not known.
Cleburne Police said their investigation into the shooting is ongoing. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/cleburne-police-investigating-apparent-attempted-murder-suicide/3266711/ | 2023-05-28T18:14:28 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/cleburne-police-investigating-apparent-attempted-murder-suicide/3266711/ |
VACAVILLE, Calif. — Fights between groups of people and a weapons arrest led to the early closure of Vacaville Fiesta Days' Carnival, officials with the Vacaville Police Department said.
Police stepped up presence at the 66-year-old festival Saturday after multiple fights throughout the day. Later in the evening, officers arrested an 18-year-old from Fairfield on suspicion of being in possession of a firearm.
Following the arrest, police closed the carnival early.
"Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety of our public, the determination was made to close the carnival an hour early," the Vacaville Police Department said in a Facebook post. "While we do not make these decisions lightly and we want nothing more than our community members to enjoy the tradition of Fiesta Days; our number one priority is and always will be the safety of our community."
Fiesta Day festivities are expected to continue Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Monday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The annual event is being held at Andrews Park on Monte Vista Avenue in Vacaville.
Watch more from ABC10: PG&E criminal charges could be dismissed | Top 10 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/fights-weapons-early-closure-fiesta-day-carnival/103-813f732f-f333-4069-9812-fcf8e0aff856 | 2023-05-28T18:21:05 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/fights-weapons-early-closure-fiesta-day-carnival/103-813f732f-f333-4069-9812-fcf8e0aff856 |
3 missing children last seen in their uncle's Toyota Camry in Mesa
Three young girls, ages 2, 5 and 8, have been missing since May 22.
They were last seen with their uncle in Mesa and are believed to be in Arizona but may be traveling to Fort Worth, Texas, according to Mesa Police Department.
The missing children are 8-year-old Barbara Demetro, 5-year-old Saleen Demetro, and 2-year-old Legend Demetro. They were last seen around 8 p.m. on May 22 near Country Club Drive and Broadway Boulevard in Mesa with their uncle Tony Hallam, 44, who has no custodial rights to the children.
Hallam and the children are still believed to be traveling in a burgundy 2000 Toyota Camry with Arizona license plate number TJA08N.
Barbara Demetro is a white girl with brown hair and brown eyes. She is 3 feet, 6 inches tall, and weighs 75 pounds. She was last seen wearing a tan t-shirt.
Saleen Demetro is a white girl with brown hair and brown eyes. She is 3 feet tall and weighs 70 pounds. She was last seen wearing a blue shirt with black stripes.
Legend Demetro is a white girl with brown hair and brown eyes. She is 2 feet tall and weighs 40 pounds. She was last seen wearing a blue shirt with black stripes.
Hallam is a white and Hispanic man who is bald with brown eyes with visible tattoos. He is 6'0" tall and weighs 250 pounds.
Mesa police have released a flier with pictures of the children and their uncle. They are asking for anyone with information to call 480-644-2211. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/mesa-breaking/2023/05/28/mesa-police-3-missing-children-toyota-camry/70265089007/ | 2023-05-28T18:22:18 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/mesa-breaking/2023/05/28/mesa-police-3-missing-children-toyota-camry/70265089007/ |
MUNSTER —Five fifth-graders from Munster are top award recipients in Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Indiana's Annual Poster Contest.
Each of the students who completed the Munster Police Department's D.A.R.E. program during the past school year were invited along with fifth-graders all over Indiana to create a poster displaying what they learned during their D.A.R.E. classes.
The entries were judged by D.A.R.E. Indiana downstate, which also sponsored the prizes for one grand prize winner and five honorable mention winners.
Laein Choi, a fifth-grader at James B. Eads Elementary School, was selected as the grand prize winner and received a $100 gift card along with an invitation to a special awards ceremony later this year at the Indiana Governor's Mansion.
Zoey Blue (Ernest R. Elliott Elementary School), Savannah Briney (St. Thomas More School), Zenna Czapka (James B. Eads Elementary School) and Adeline Martinez (James B. Eads Elementary School) all were presented with $25 gift cards as honorable mention awards. Munster students won five out of the six awards that were presented throughout the state. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/munster-students-win-top-prizes-in-state-dare-contest/article_e2d22342-fb22-11ed-95d4-9b5264539cd4.html | 2023-05-28T18:28:29 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/munster-students-win-top-prizes-in-state-dare-contest/article_e2d22342-fb22-11ed-95d4-9b5264539cd4.html |
GARY — The summer camp program offered by the YWCA of Northwest Indiana returns in early June with a new offering.
The program, geared for 5- to 14-year-olds, offers traditional activities like basketball, field trips, digital literacy, and arts and crafts.
New to the program this year is a cooking component. Through "Culinary Kids with Chef Faith Nicole," participants will learn cooking and baking skills in a fun, hands-on environment.
Summer camp starts June 5 and runs through Aug. 14. It operates from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the YWCA of NWI, 150 W. 15th Ave. in Gary.
"We wanted to add more fun and engagement for our children, while providing them with real life skills,” Executive Director Caren Jones said. "I am excited for our campers and expect them to take what they learn at the YWCA this summer and share with their family and friends.”
People are also reading…
Nicole forged her love of writing and cooking by producing a series of coloring books that contain recipes.
“I love cooking, writing and kids, so I came up with 'Cooking with the Chef Faith' coloring book," she said. “I’m all about fun and education, so I will be teaching and mentoring the campers."
The YWCA of NWI features an industrial kitchen that will serve as the backdrop for campers to learn how measure and mix ingredients, and properly use kitchen tools and equipment safely.
The YWCA has also incorporated lessons on nutrition and healthy eating habits, ensuring that children not only learn how to make delicious meals but understand the importance of making healthy choices.
Each child will receive one cookbook at no cost, and parents will be encouraged to buy others at Amazon.com so they can re-create their favorite recipes at home.
The cost of summer camp is $95 a week, with options to pay for certain days and/or field trips only. Jones anticipates that repairs to the pool will be complete by mid-July so swim lessons can be added to the curriculum.
To enroll a camper or for more information about the YWCA of NWI, call 219-881-9922 or visit ywcanwi.org. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/ywca-cooks-up-something-new-for-summer-camp/article_a2d0285a-fb1a-11ed-b7ce-ef66541d7e4a.html | 2023-05-28T18:28:35 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/ywca-cooks-up-something-new-for-summer-camp/article_a2d0285a-fb1a-11ed-b7ce-ef66541d7e4a.html |
MIDDLETOWN, Del. — It's been a busier-than-usual graduation season for President Joe Biden.
Biden and his wife, Jill, were on hand Sunday to watch granddaughter Natalie Biden graduate from high school, the White House said. Natalie is the daughter of the president's late son, Beau. She is a student at St. Andrew's School in Middletown, Delaware, and will attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall. Beau Biden graduated from Penn.
The private Episcopal school was the setting for some scenes from the 1989 movie “Dead Poets Society,” starring the late Robin Williams.
Presidents usually deliver a couple of commencement addresses every year, including at one of the military service academies. But this year, Biden also got to watch another one of his grandchildren go through that rite of passage.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
Earlier this month, Biden and the first lady attended granddaughter Maisy Biden's commencement from Penn.
Biden was the commencement speaker at Howard University's commencement on May 13. He is also scheduled to deliver the commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Thursday. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/president-attends-grandchilds-graduation-in-delaware/3574896/ | 2023-05-28T18:31:10 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/president-attends-grandchilds-graduation-in-delaware/3574896/ |
ATLANTA — Atlanta Police are investigating after two men were shot Saturday night at Rosa L. Burney Park.
Officers were called to the park just before 11:45 p.m. after gunshots were heard in the area. While they were arriving on scene, police were told that two people had shown up at a hospital with gunshot wounds.
The pair, a 27-year-old and 19-year-old, arrived at the hospital by “private vehicle” and were awake and breathing, according to a release.
Police have not said what led up to the shooting. Currently, the case is still being investigated. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/2-men-shot-rosa-l-burney-park-atlanta-police/85-bef00957-eab9-4296-9975-7ea546719aff | 2023-05-28T18:44:09 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/2-men-shot-rosa-l-burney-park-atlanta-police/85-bef00957-eab9-4296-9975-7ea546719aff |
WALTON COUNTY, Ga. — Walton County Deputies announced that an arrest warrant was issued for a 14-year-old after a person was seriously injured during a shooting.
Deputies were called to an area Friday off Youth Monroe Road. When deputies arrived, they learned that one person was taken to a hospital for their injuries.
Currently, the victim is in serious condition, according to a Facebook post from the department’s page.
Investigators then issued an arrest warrant for a 14-year-old, believed to be involved in the shooting.
If you have any information about the shooting, call the Walton County Sheriff’s office at 770-207-4151. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/arrest-warrant-issued-14-year-old-after-person-shot-walton-county/85-a84d25d7-9193-452f-bcc8-dfd4792777da | 2023-05-28T18:44:15 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/arrest-warrant-issued-14-year-old-after-person-shot-walton-county/85-a84d25d7-9193-452f-bcc8-dfd4792777da |
ATLANTA — Atlanta Police are investigating after a pedestrian died after being hit by a vehicle Saturday morning at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Police were called to the airport at around 11:49 a.m., off South Terminal Parkway. When officers arrived, they found a 62-year-old man who was hit by a vehicle.
The man was critically injured and later died at a nearby hospital, according to a release from the Atlanta Police Department.
Those involved in the wreck stayed on scene and “no other serious injuries were reported,” the release said.
The department’s Accident Investigations Unit is still investigating the incident. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/man-hit-vehicle-hartsfield-jackson-airport-dies/85-d41522e9-f0ce-4b72-ad15-8b4fa909034e | 2023-05-28T18:44:21 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/man-hit-vehicle-hartsfield-jackson-airport-dies/85-d41522e9-f0ce-4b72-ad15-8b4fa909034e |
In 2017, I left my home in Northern California and came to Flagstaff, where I spent three months living as a “fake pro runner,” having somehow convinced HOKA Northern Arizona Elite coach Ben Rosario to allow me to train with his team as a middle-age amateur and write a book about the experience.
Any runner with a true passion for the sport dreams of committing to it fully for a period of time, like the pros, and discovering their true limit, and this was my opportunity to live the dream.
I was not disappointed. By the end of that summer I felt 10 years younger, and I ran like it too -- beating a personal best marathon time I’d set nearly a decade before.
But the best part of the experience was just that: the experience. I loved running on Flagstaff’s limitless trails, loved being around young Olympic aspirants and loved all the ancillary stuff -- the healthy diet, the weekly massages, even the physical therapy sessions.
People are also reading…
Late last year, I again left California for Flagstaff -- this time for good. My mission was to recreate the magical experience I’d enjoyed in 2017 for other runners through a venture called Dream Run Camp.
Unlike traditional adult running retreats, mine features a unique rolling-attendance format, where individual runners are free to arrive anytime between May 1 and Nov. 30 and stay for one to 12 weeks. The camp is hosted at a pine-shaded five-bedroom house just west of downtown. Amenities include a commercial-quality gym, a recovery lounge, a spa pool with underwater treadmill and access to the coach-in-residence (me!).
What’s more, I’ve partnered with NAZ Elite, who have generously agreed to give Dream Runners (as I call them) in-person touchpoints just like I had. Two or three times each week, our group will meet up with Rosario’s group for a workout (our group doing a slower, scaled-down version, obviously).
Additionally, Dream Runners will have opportunities to work one-on-one with NAZ Elite–affiliated strength coaches, injury experts and other specialists. Downtime between structured activities will include fun stuff like “Live from Dream Run Camp,” where a local or visiting pro or other running community celebrity comes over for a Q&A streamed live on YouTube.
I came to Flagstaff the first time around to prove two things: First, that everyday runners aren’t so different from elite runners, and can benefit from emulating their practices and lifestyle; and second, that every runner deserves the opportunity to go all the way with the sport they love. The three months I spent doing just that were the best three months of my life. I’m thrilled beyond words to now be able to make a similar experience available to any runner who wants it, regardless of age, experience or ability.
Fitness expert Matt Fitzgerald (dreamruncamp.com) is the author of "Running the Dream: One Summer Living, Training, and Racing With a Team of World-Class Runners Half My Age" and many other books on fitness.
Send your running stories to coordinating editor Julie Hammonds (runner@juliehammonds.com) to be featured in this column. | https://azdailysun.com/sports/local/high-country-running-runners-living-the-dream-in-flagstaff/article_3c9b812e-fa7f-11ed-bb21-a7e1241f2f98.html | 2023-05-28T19:03:46 | 1 | https://azdailysun.com/sports/local/high-country-running-runners-living-the-dream-in-flagstaff/article_3c9b812e-fa7f-11ed-bb21-a7e1241f2f98.html |
Selby Gardens botanist reappointed research associate at National Museum of Natural History
John Clark, a research botanist at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, has been reappointed as a research associate in the Department of Botany at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
Clark’s appointment lasts for three years and continues an affiliation he has had with the Smithsonian since 2005. The affiliation also gives Clark access to the vast collections in the NMNH’s Department of Botany. The department’s herbarium, or collection of dried and preserved plants, currently holds 5 million specimens, making it one of the world’s 10 largest.
“This appointment promotes sharing information,” said Clark, who has contributed more than 17,000 plant collections to major herbaria. “The Smithsonian does such a good job with digitizing, curating the specimens, and making the information widely available.”
Clark said that the NMNH’s plant collection is particularly strong in “type” specimens, the specimen designated as the reference point for a plant species when it is first named. “Whenever I describe something new to science, I try to make sure that a type is at Selby Gardens and a type is at the Smithsonian,” Clark said.
The Research Associate position also facilitates Clark’s ongoing collaborative research with botanists around the country and the world.
“The renewal of John’s appointment attests to the value of the science being conducted at Selby Gardens,” said Jennifer O. Rominiecki, president and CEO of Selby Botanical Gardens. “Our botanists have discovered or first described for science more than 2,000 species, and their findings are critical to the understanding and conservation of plant biodiversity.”
Clark has been affiliated with Selby Gardens through a research partnership since 2009. He joined the staff full-time in January. Since then, he has conducted plant research expeditions to Dominican Republic and Ecuador.
Clark specializes in the plant family Gesneriaceae, flowering plants that are found throughout the world’s tropical forests. Gesneriads are an important part of Selby Gardens’ botanical research and a notable component of its living plant collection.
About a third of gesneriads are epiphytic, meaning they grow on other plants without harming them. Selby Gardens is the only botanical garden in the world dedicated to the study and display of epiphytes.
Selby Gardens is also a Smithsonian Affiliate, one of more than 200 museums and cultural institutions around the country that have engaged in a long-term partnership with the Smithsonian to promote “the increase and diffusion of knowledge” by creating experiences that educate and inspire. For more information, visit selby.org.
Submitted by Greg Luberecki | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/2023/05/28/selby-gardens-botanist-reappointed-as-smithsonian-research-associate/70244869007/ | 2023-05-28T19:10:06 | 0 | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/2023/05/28/selby-gardens-botanist-reappointed-as-smithsonian-research-associate/70244869007/ |
VIN'S PEOPLE: ESE teachers and elementary school students receive a special salute
“God’s angels ...”
Mic in hand during a festive end-of-year awards assembly, Principal Michael Escorcia addressed teachers in the Exceptional Student Education program at Rogers Garden-Bullock Elementary.
“It takes a very special person to work with ESE students,” he said that morning.
Special people, indeed.
Among them are Carina Chindamo, Amy Frye, Sharon Hopkins, Dr. Annette Maddox, Rachel Mingleton, Olga Perez, Ella Powell, Dr. Cynthia Rush, Indira Santana, Emily Townsend and Angie Walsh. They work with nearly 40 children in full-time ESE classes dealing with either Intellectual Disabilities or Autism Spectrum Disorder or are considered medically fragile.
“You have a lot of patience, a lot of heart,” said Maddox, the team leader. “At some point you really don’t see the disability as much as you see the personality. They’re cognitively impaired, but in all other aspects our kids are just kids.”
The program is self-contained where students stay with the same teacher all day.
“They have accommodations and modifications to the curriculum,” Maddox said. “For example, my class goes on community-based instruction four times per year where we learn to act appropriately within the community. Their individual education plans tend to address curriculum, social and emotional development and independent functional skills.”
At the assembly, everyone sang along to videos “That’s America to Me,” “Spread A Little Sunshine” and “We Are A Family” by children’s musician Jack Hartmann.
Then certificates were awarded to students voted Awesome Athlete, Dynamic Dancer, Fantastic Friend, Helping Hand, Magic Musician, Sweetest Soul, and more.
“These are just moments in their lives that make it special for them, that they feel like they’re like everybody else and we celebrate the gifts they have,” Escorcia said.
It was bittersweet, too, since some kids won’t be in the summer program.
“We do worry they’ll be OK and we pray for them that they have enough food and resources over the summer,” Maddox said. “And we hope they’ll be back in August healthy and well.”
· Dive Into Reading, the award-winning summer program for kids started by John and Amanda Horne, needs more volunteers. For details, visit oysterbar.net/reading.
· Chris Manring is 39. Again.
· Registered Nurse Kelly Hyman, who’s on Manatee Memorial Hospital’s Labor and Delivery nursing team, is Employee of the Month.
· That’s 32 years of wedded bliss for Bunny and Thomas Roberts
· And 29 for Gerry and Laura Russell.
· Jillian Ptak is the Center of Anna Maria Island’s new director of development.
· Nearly $35,000 in scholarships were awarded to 2023 Manatee High graduates thanks to the MHS Alumni Club, which has given more than $104,000 since 2015.
The list includes:
Andrew and Judith Economos Archimedes STEM Scholarship ($10,000), Oryel Salazar Castillo (Florida); Andrew and Judith Economos Archimedes Liberal Arts Scholarship ($5,000), Ziya Saffor (Florida A&M).
Jeanne Parrish Scholarship ($1,000), James Balzer (Florida State), Katie Evans (FSU) and Zoe Thornton (FSU).
Lynda Keever Scholarship ($2,500), Emily Bokelmann (State College of Florida), Stephanie Butscher (Florida Gulf Coast), Grant Richardson (South Florida).
Jame Forssell Scholarship ($1,000), Aubrey Barkley (FGCU), Rylan Jomisko (FGCU), Hannah Kesten (UF), Reese Riley (North Florida).
Manatee High Alumni Scholarship ($1,000), Carly Fust (Central Florida), Noah Johnson (UF), Leigh-Anne Peake (Southern Illinois), Joel Peters (Florida Southern), Samenta Rislin (Santa Fe), Laila Singer (UNF), Laura Tagliente (SFC).
Vin’s People runs Sundays. Email Vin Mannix at vinspeople@gmail.com. Or call 941-962-5944. Twitter: @vinmannix. | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/2023/05/28/vin-mannix/70244935007/ | 2023-05-28T19:10:12 | 0 | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/2023/05/28/vin-mannix/70244935007/ |
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Investigators in Vancouver are looking into the suspicious death of a man who was found dead inside the garage of a home, police confirm.
Vancouver Police say officers responded to a residence on Northeast 137th Avenue near Northeast 39th Street before 6 p.m. on Saturday for a report of an injured subject.
When officers arrived, they found a 58-year-old man deceased inside the garage with no one else at the residence, according to police. The death is believed to be suspicious at this time, police say.
The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office will release the cause and manner of death, police say.
No other details were immediately available.
The investigation remains ongoing. | https://www.koin.com/local/clark-county/investigation-underway-after-man-found-dead-inside-vancouver-home/ | 2023-05-28T19:30:25 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/local/clark-county/investigation-underway-after-man-found-dead-inside-vancouver-home/ |
Body recovered from Detroit River east of downtown
Sarah Rahal
The Detroit News
A man's body was pulled from the Detroit River Sunday morning, Detroit police said.
The body of an unidentified older man was recovered from the river near the Aretha Franklin Park and Amphitheatre (formerly Chene Park). Police said the body was found at 11:20 a.m. Sunday.
No further information was released. The department's non-emergency tip line is (313) 267-4600.
srahal@detroitnews.com | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2023/05/28/body-recovered-from-detroit-river/70265499007/ | 2023-05-28T19:41:07 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2023/05/28/body-recovered-from-detroit-river/70265499007/ |
The Garlic Press restaurant on Wadley Avenue is closed, according to a report from the Maybe in Midland-Odessa Facebook Page.
Maybe in Midland-Odessa reported the following, “Now Closed in Midland: The Garlic Press.” The post then states. “Confirmed from several sources that The Garlic Press in Midland has closed its doors after 24 years of serving Midland.”
There is no information about a closure on The Garlic Press’ website, www.thegarlicpress.net.
The Garlic Press is located at 2200 W Wadley Ave., suite No. 6. | https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/report-garlic-press-midland-closes-18123540.php | 2023-05-28T19:44:58 | 0 | https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/report-garlic-press-midland-closes-18123540.php |
RigZone, a website that lists Oil & Gas jobs since 1999, will conduct a career fair on June 22 at the Horseshoe Pavilion.
The career fair will allow Midlanders to meet with top industry employers about available career opportunities, according to the Horseshoe’s website. Positions available at the career fair vary in levels of experience, skill set and sector.
Biz Beat calendar
May 30: Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: Healing Hands Medical Clinic, 11:30 a.m. to noon, 207 Tradewinds Blvd.
June 7-8: Third-annual Shale Energy Conference and Trade Show, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Horseshoe Pavilion.
June 13-15: Venture Robotics Rescue Bots Camps, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 4410 N. Midkiff, suite A6.
June 20-22, Venture Robotics Coding Camp, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 4410 N. Midkiff, suite A6.
June 22: RigZone Career Fair, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Horseshoe Pavilion, room A.
June 24: Six-annual Odessa Under 40 Awards Dinner and Gala, 6-11 p.m., Odessa Marriott Hotel.
If you have a brief or a calendar item, please send it to ben.shaffer@hearstnp.com | https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/rigzone-conduct-career-fair-june-midland-s-18121676.php | 2023-05-28T19:45:04 | 1 | https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/rigzone-conduct-career-fair-june-midland-s-18121676.php |
Drones, native seed stock, hard work revitalizing scorched Montana forest
As the flame front crested the ridgeline flanking Sawmill Creek it was racing south as fast as a man could run. Although the winds were light that July day, the temperature was in the low 90s and it hadn’t rained in weeks. Balls of flame were crowning in the treetops, jumping from tree to tree driven by winds the fire was creating on its own. Firefighters estimate the temperature on the forest floor was close to 2,000 degrees.
It wasn’t the worst Montana wildfire during the summer of 2021, but for those who lived through it the Harris Mountain Fire was devastating. In the two weeks it took to bring it under control the Harris Mountain Fire burned close to 32,000 acres of private, state and federal timberland, much of it prime wildlife habitat, home to herds of Rocky Mountain elk, Mule deer, black bear and mountain lion.
One of the private property owners most deeply impacted by the Harris Mountain Fire is Don Harland. Within two days after the fire started on July 23, Harland and his family lost 12 structures on their Sheep Creek Ranch, including the family lodge and hunting camp. In addition, most of the nearly 4,600 acres of timberland Harland owns was critically damaged.
“This area we’re looking at right now was just black,” Harland said taking in the view from a promontory overlooking the Sheep Creek drainage basin. Everything was washing down into the creeks. It was a disaster.”
“I guess when you own land like this you find that you’re in love with it,” Harland said of his grief at the loss of his forest. “You’re the steward of this land. You want to take care of it just like you would your children or your family, and you want to leave it better than when you found it or at least as good.”
The landscape Harland was referring to looked verdant in new spring growth. Its valleys and hillsides are covered in a lush carpet of green grass, with eye-popping displays of wildflowers seemingly around ever corner. Mother Nature had already replaced much of the ground cover on the mountain slopes; yet the landscape was haunted by an expanse of blackened trees stretching as far as the eye can see.
A hotter, drier world
Wildfire is, of course, a natural part of the life of a forest. Low intensity fires are actually beneficial to a forest, clearing away dead and congested undergrowth, releasing nitrogen into the soil, and opening up areas to new growth and regeneration. However, when a fire burns at too great an intensity it damages the soil, destroying seed stocks, micro-organisms and nutrients needed by trees to begin the natural reforestation process. This is what happened on the Sheep Creek Ranch.
“When you take a step back in time and you look at the role fire played historically … we’re looking at an 80-year regrowth cycle," said Zach Bashoor, a forest resource manager and founder of Montana Forest Consultants Inc. “That’s in a perfect world. Now we are seeing hotter and drier summer seasons with fires that burn at a much higher intensity. there’s no guarantee that the forests will return at all. We’re watching forests burn and become grassland and brushland, with no reforestation happening at all."
Bashoor was one of the first people Harland contacted as he set about seeing what he could do to restore his land. Harland and Bashoor had collaborated in the past developing a plan for the sustainable harvest of timber from the Sheep Creek Ranch.
He represents a new generation of foresters taking a more intensive approach to forest management that includes developing new techniques in response to the increased frequency of devastating forest fires. Those techniques include a deep analysis of terrain, soil, vegetation, climate, and wildlife down to individual sections of land.
“We’ve got a very deep and intimate connection with Montana ecosystems,” he explained of his consulting services. “We can provide input on what trees are supposed to be and where, taking the landowners objectives into account with our prescriptions. That way we know what’s going out here is going to stand the best chance of surviving.”
The general concept is that as the forests of the western United States are exposed hotter, longer, and more destructive wildland fire seasons they need to be managed more intensely. The goal is to use every tool available through the ever-expanding understanding of biological processes to develop forests that regenerate faster and are less susceptible to catastrophic fire.
New innovations in forestry
Bashoor referred Harland to MAST Reforestation, a company Bashoor had not worked with before but was developing a reputation for using drones, nurseries, and carbon offsets to revitalize land after wildfires, often at minimal cost to the property owner.
Up until that time MAST Reforestation was primarily dedicated to reforestation projects in California and Washington state, but was eager to expand its operations into Montana. After developing a working relationship with Bashoor and Harland, MAST, which draws its name from the botanical term for the fruits of forest trees and shrubs, accepted Sheep Creek Ranch reforestation project as its pilot project in the state.
"We’re a technology forward company managed by foresters, which is unique … all in support in helping landowners recover as quickly as possible," Arnoud de Villegas, Vice-president of Development for MAST Reforestation, said. "The innovation we bring is in seed sourcing and processing, and then in developing new stock types and growing shorter rotation seedlings much faster to get that reforestation back in the ground as quickly as possible.”
“There really wasn’t anything for us until we met with MAST,” Harland said of his reforestation prospects immediately following the Harris Mountain Fire. “We’re the pilot project for them and it’s scary as hell. There’s a lot at risk for us and MAST, but it’s coming together. My dream burnt up, but we just keep moving forward and doing the best that we can.”
“The process began with an extensive mapping project,” explained de Villegas. “With that we were able to develop a sophisticated reforestation plan that took into consideration slope, aspect, soils, the availability of native seeded.”
No seeds, no trees
The collection, use and development of native seedstock is a critical component of MAST Reforestation projects. The company works to use seed genetically adapted to the specific environmental conditions of the forest they’re working on, preferably collected within no more than a few thousand feet of where the project is to take place.
However, when MAST foresters looked for suitable seedstock for the Sheep Creek Ranch project they found that there wasn’t any. It’s a growing problem across the western United States, where native forest seedstocks are at their lowest levels in decades. Much of that is attributable the sheer scale of wildland fire in the U.S. in recent years, and to a forest seed collection process that has seen little investment over that same period.
“In the last decade alone, we’ve lost 17.1 million acres to catastrophic wildfire in the western United States,” de Villegas noted. “Montana is the third most impacted state behind California and Oregon. A million-and-a-half acres in Montana has been lost to catastrophic fire. We presently as an industry; including states, the fed and private companies across the western United States only have the capability to replant perhaps half of that reforestation debt.”
“Before you get to seedlings though, you need seed,” he added. “Investments into seed collection, which historically have had a very low return on capital, have been woefully inadequate, and really the only insurance against catastrophic fire is seed. Without seed that is adapted for these landscapes we can’t reforest.”
The solution was for MAST to launch a historic cone collection program in the Big Belt Mountains in 2022, organized in partnership with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and the Bureau of Land Management.
“It was really the first of its kind in the western United States,” de Villegas said. “We collected Douglas fir cones not too far to the west from here with seed that’s adapted to this site, giving us the ability to plant seedlings from seed sources that are within 1,000 feet of the original source. The seedlings that we put back in the ground are sourced from seed that are climate adapted to the site. We were also able to increase seed supply quite substantially for the State of Montana, which we are very proud of.”
“We collected cones, extracted the seed at our factory which is the largest of its kind in the United States at Silvaseed in Washington," he continued. "We tested that seed for germination, we sowed that seed at our nursery last summer and are planting it inside of a year of that seed collected and sown at the nursery."
No escaping hard labor
The hard physical labor of replanting Don Harland’s forest began several weeks ago. High up on the ridge lines that slip down toward Sheep Creek substantial acreages of burned trees have been fallen, and now lie in a purposeful, organized pattern perpendicular to the slope of the hillsides, providing improved erosion control and preventing sediment from washing down the steep slopes that feed Sheep Creek.
“We had a couple timber crews come out and methodically fall many of these burned trees in certain patterns,” Bashoor explained. “As these trees decompose it allows nutrient recycling, putting more organic matter into these hillsides that right now is lacking. It also discourages elk and deer from coming through and browsing on the newly planted trees. We also methodically left ridge lines and draws with standing timber to allow travel corridors for elk and deer.”
When site prep is done successfully and with quality reforestation stock the forest regeneration cycle can be shortened by as much as 60 years compared with the natural forest regeneration process.
Planting across the project site began a week ago and is already completed an application of roughly 70,000 Lodgepole pine seedlings. While MAST has developed a capacity to use drones to broadcast evergreen seed across wide areas as soon as five days after a fire has been extinguished, the work on the steep slopes overlooking Sheep Creek comes down to methods developed by foresters more than 80 years ago.
The seedlings are delivered to staging areas along old logging roads where hand crews fill canvas hip-bags with 300 seedlings at a time. Carrying a large pick-like tool called a "hoedown," the planters work their way up and down the steep slopes, returning to the staging area to collect another 300 seedlings whenever their hip-bag runs empty.
The slopes they climb planting trees frequently include elevation gains of over 1,000 feet and require the planters to climb around and over fallen logs. They can make as many as six trips up and down the slopes in a single shift. During a shortened shift last Thursday, the planting crew of roughly 20 men planted approximately 18,000 seedlings.
“It is very arduous work,” de Villegas said of the tree planting process. “I’ve been told that the caloric output the planters expend is roughly equivalent to running two marathons. It’s amazing.”
Looking toward the future
The tree planting taking place this week at the Sheep Creek Ranch is the second phase of the three-year project MAST launched in 2022. The MAST team expects to complete the current planting of 200,000 Lodgepole pine seedlings over the next few weeks, then return next year for the second phase of planting, which will then exceed one million plantings of Lodgepole pine with Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine added to the mix.
MAST Reforestation’s and Montana Consultant’s commitment to the property will; however, extend many years into the future. Representatives of both firms spoke of periodically returning to the forest in the coming decades to ensure its management objectives are being met.
“We were able to secure work in us being able to do this, but its much bigger than that,” Bashoor said of his firm’s commitment to the project. “The payoff for us is getting to see this place reforested and hopefully being able to bring my grandkids our here on day and seeing a forest that we played an integral part in restoring.”
The life of the forest extends far beyond the years counted in a human lifetime. Don Harland will never see his forest return entirely to what it was before the Harris Mountain Fire, but he takes great pride in fact that future generations will reap the benefits of what’s being done today.
“We are a main natural corridor between Yellowstone, the Beartooth Mountains and Glacier National Park,” he noted of his forest place within the larger ecosystem. “Everything off to the sides of us has been developed with little ranchettes and stuff like that, but we’ve got a clear corridor going through here. You have elk, deer, bear, moose going through here.”
“When we’re done here, the property will go into a conservation easement that will keep that corridor in perpetuity,” he announced. “It will never get subdivided. It will stay there not just for our kids, but for the public and all the wildlife.”
“I’m almost 70,” he admitted. “I’m not going to see the trees get much more than probably 10-feet tall in my lifetime, but my kids are going to end up with it, and hopefully my grandkids and great grandkids. I hope we’re building something here for them that will bring it back to its glory.” | https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2023/05/28/montana-forest-devastated-by-fire-brought-back-to-life/70262018007/ | 2023-05-28T19:54:00 | 1 | https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2023/05/28/montana-forest-devastated-by-fire-brought-back-to-life/70262018007/ |
Hicks: Educational attainment, the 21st Century Fund, the future of schooling
MUNCIE, Ind. – I’ve written several columns and delivered several talks on the dire consequences that the collapse in college attendance has for Indiana.
To remind readers, Indiana is now ranked 42nd in educational attainment. Back in 2015 we had pushed college attendance up to a record 65 percent of recent high school graduates, about 8 percent behind the national average. We’ve now dropped to 53 percent of high school grads heading off to college, well below the national average. So, in the race for educational attainment, Indiana is well behind the pack and slowing down.
However, as I try to explain the problem, someone in the audience always makes the comment that it is possible to make a good living without a college degree. Of course, that is factually true. There are many fine careers one can pursue without attending college. Take the trades, for example, where the pay is a reasonably good middle-class salary.
Indiana today has about 14,000 electricians, 12,000 plumbers, and 14,600 carpenters and about 2,000 helpers of all kinds. Altogether, this is less than 43,000 workers, which is almost exactly the number of these occupations a decade ago. If we account for retirements, we’d have job openings for about 5 percent of these jobs. And, if we assumed there really are too few people working in the trades, let’s add another 10 percent.
These retirement and shortage estimates are much too high, but assuming they are true, we’d need about 6,300 more tradespeople each year. However, roughly 35,000 kids will turn 18 this year and have no college plans. The trades have nowhere near the demand for workers that Indiana’s educational system produces.
To make it even clearer, nationwide, there have been no net new jobs created for workers without a college degree in more than 30 years. Here in Indiana, just since 1998, jobs for high school graduates have declined by 57,000 workers, while jobs for college graduates have risen by 106,000 workers. This is nearly a perfect illustration of something economists call The Fallacy of Composition.
It is absolutely true that an individual can find well-paying work without a college degree, but that doesn’t hold for everyone. That is the fallacy. In fact, few young people who do not attend college will move into the ranks of the middle class. That surely isn’t the world most of us would prefer, but it is the one we have, and there are no signs of change.
However, I am not mostly concerned with the individual effects of low educational attainment. Instead I worry over the regional effect to Indiana and our counties and cities. The reason for this is that education has a spillover effect, and reduced levels of educational attainment have two very damaging influences on city, county and state economies.
The first concern is simply that places with above-average shares of educational attainment outperform everywhere else. Part of this is due to sorting of individual families, but there is a spillover effect. The empirics are compelling. Increasing the share of adults with a bachelor’s degree in an Indiana county by just 1 percent raises annual salaries for high school graduates in that county by more than $1,000 a year. That is the equivalent of more than an extra week’s earnings each year. This is true across the nation, and is alone a huge argument for boosting educational attainment.
The second big concern is inequality. Higher levels of educational attainment tend to reduce lifetime inequality between workers. The reason for this is pretty simple. Here in the United States, and across the developed world, there is rising demand for tasks that require higher levels of education. Every businesses has three choices on how to handle the tasks. They can hire workers with higher levels of educational attainment, they can buy equipment that automates the task, or they can outsource the task.
In cities or counties with an abundant share of well-educated workers, we observe growth of wages and employment for all types of workers. The reason for this is that there always are tasks across the skill spectrum that people must perform. In places with a high share of educated workers, the gap between college and non-college wage shrinks. But, in places with an excess supply of less-educated workers, the wage gap grows.
The consequences of growing educational attainment are straightforward. Places with higher levels of college graduates grow faster, and they experience less income inequality than places with low levels of educational attainment. It really is that simple.
Indiana’s experience with worsening educational attainment has yet to be fully felt. We peaked in 2015, and the cohort of students included in that peak are now moving into their mid-20s. The sting of this decline will be acute, and sadly will continue to appear in the economic data for a half century. Still, there is room for some optimism. The state legislature took two dramatic steps this year that hold much promise.
The first step is the automatic enrollment of eligible students in the 21st Century Scholarship program. In years past, only about half of eligible kids had enrolled. However, 81 percent of those enrollees attended college. For many reasons, it is unlikely that we’ll see this sort of success with the other half of eligible kids, but it is the single most discrete step we can take to make college more accessible.
The second step is the ongoing reinvention of high school. At first, I was dubious about this. Indiana’s educational policy has for too long de-emphasized college preparation and attendance, and this plan sounded like more of that same monumental policy mistake. Fortunately, the information I have seen appears to reverse the course. The focus will now be heavily on post-secondary education, with exposure to different occupations.
It is good to reserve judgement until further development, but both legislative actions are important towards reversing the trend of declining educational attendance in Indiana. They should have all our support. Still, I have two notes of caution.
The first is that part of the declining educational attainment in Indiana is due to declining resources. There are no meaningful set of reforms that can be accomplished without more tax dollars spent on education. The sooner that truth is understood, the better off we’ll be.
The second is simply that we need to do a better job communicating the importance of education to our young people. It is true that you don’t need a college degree to be successful. If you are very smart, industrious and lucky, you’ll do just fine without one. For the rest of us, a middle-class income mostly means finishing college. We’d all be wise to ignore folks who say otherwise.
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/2023/05/28/hicks-the-21st-century-fund-and-the-future-of-schooling/70257961007/ | 2023-05-28T19:55:59 | 1 | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2023/05/28/hicks-the-21st-century-fund-and-the-future-of-schooling/70257961007/ |
PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — A 72-year-old Gainsville man died after a fiery crash Saturday afternoon in Pasco County, according to Florida Highway Patrol.
FHP said the man going south on Interstate 75, south of Blanton Road in a 2017 Dodge Caravan when he failed to signal a curve and drove onto the grass shoulder of the highway, and hit a tree.
After the van crashed into the tree, it caught fire, authorities said in the news release.
The man died at the scene of the crash. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pascocounty/gainsville-man-dies-after-fiery-crash-in-pasco-county/67-64cb71fa-6ff4-4cca-ae34-3a67bb680ec8 | 2023-05-28T19:59:57 | 1 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pascocounty/gainsville-man-dies-after-fiery-crash-in-pasco-county/67-64cb71fa-6ff4-4cca-ae34-3a67bb680ec8 |
TAMPA, Fla. — While many of us are celebrating a long holiday weekend and the start of summer, military and Gold Star families are remembering their loved ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
A Memorial Day Observance ceremony was held this morning at Veterans Memorial Park in Hillsborough County. The ceremony featured our National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance, Rifle Salute and Taps.
Brig. Gen. Stephen Snelson, U.S. Air Force Deputy Director of Operations, United States Central Command was the keynote speaker.
It was also an opportunity to honor just a few of our local Gold Star families. Lorrie Fleming's son was one of those service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Sgt. Terry Michael Lisk was killed in Ramadi Iraq on June 26, 2006.
His daughter was just 7 years old at the time. Fleming said for her, every day is Memorial Day.
"I think that if everybody could just take a moment and remember. My son would want you to have your party," Fleming said. "He would want you to have your BBQ and have a good time, but take a moment to remember everyone who gave up and sacrificed so we could do what we want." | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/remembering-those-who-gave-ultimate-sacrifice/67-670b8948-70c2-42ca-8cc3-45fbae08e2f4 | 2023-05-28T20:00:02 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/remembering-those-who-gave-ultimate-sacrifice/67-670b8948-70c2-42ca-8cc3-45fbae08e2f4 |
WASHINGTON D.C., DC — An Idaho couple's nearly two-decade fight to build a home near a large lake has caused a massive change in U.S. water pollution protections.
The implications of the change could mean around 95% of Arizona's waterways are free to be polluted, according to environmentalists and water policy officials.
The U.S. Supreme Court released its judgment on the Sackett v. EPA case on Thursday, in which Michael and Chantell Sackett argued the wetland on their property shouldn't fall under the EPA's protection. The court unanimously ruled in favor of the Sacketts, saying the wetland on the couple's property fell outside of the agency's authority.
The decision focused specifically on wetlands, but it may hold implications for numerous other waterways throughout the nation. Five out of the nine judges ruled that wetlands can only be regulated under the Clean Water Act if they have a “continuous surface connection” to larger bodies of water.
THE RULING, EXPLAINED: Supreme Court rules against EPA in wetlands regulation case
This new test of what bodies of water fall under the act's protection may legally allow for the pollution of Arizona's "ephemeral streams," or streams that only flow during or after rain and snowmelt. These streams, which make up around 95% of the state's waterways, do not have a continuous surface connection to lakes or rivers, but they can carry pollutants to those bodies of water just as easily.
"The seasonal streams are so beneficial because they protect our surface and groundwater quality, the buffer downstream private property by conveying floodwaters and sediment and dirt, they replenish our groundwater," said Haley Paul, policy director at the Southwest branch of the Audubon Society.
Prior to this court decision, ephemeral streams were regulated under the Clean Water Act because they had a "significant nexus" to downstream waters, according to Joan Card, an environmental attorney and former water quality division director at the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
Since the court's ruling seemingly gets rid of that "significant nexus" requirement specifically for wetlands, it's unclear what pollution protections remain for Arizona's streams.
"Today’s decision calls into question the viability of the significant nexus test for Arizona streams," Card said. "If the significant nexus test no longer applies, those ephemeral streams would not be regulated under the federal Clean Water Act."
The ruling leaves Arizona's lawyers and policymakers uncertain of how exactly this will play out for the state's seasonal streams, with no set way to gain that certainty back. For example, 12News reached out to the City of Phoenix's Water Services Department with questions on how the ruling would affect city water policy. The city declined to comment, saying it's still reviewing the ruling and the greater implications it has on Phoenix.
"Uncertainty with our water supplies and our waterways ... ultimately I think that hurts us," Paul said. "The dream would be a durable, lasting rule that we all agree to."
Water Wars
Water levels are dwindling across the Southwest as the megadrought continues. Here's how Arizona and local communities are being affected. | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/water-wars/arizona-water-pollution-supreme-court-ruling-wetlands/75-aec3c467-cb75-469d-b87e-5960eeb05738 | 2023-05-28T20:07:06 | 0 | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/water-wars/arizona-water-pollution-supreme-court-ruling-wetlands/75-aec3c467-cb75-469d-b87e-5960eeb05738 |
IMPERIAL, Texas — After 53 years, a West Texas resident finally received his high school diploma.
John Strickland had the honor of starting off the Buena Vista High School graduation ceremony in Imperial, Texas where he got to walk across the stage and get celebrated by everyone at the event.
"I would have graduated in 1970, but switched school, and joined the air force in 1971 and got my GED," Strickland said. "I wanted to graduate, but I thought it was too late. Ten years later, I started pursuing getting my diploma, and Revis Daggett was coming and willing to help me on starting my procedure again on getting my diploma."
Strickland reached a solution to receiving his diploma from the school he went to more than 50 years ago after a conversation with Daggett in a Dairy Queen in Fort Stockton.
"Honestly John and I are friends and we started to get coffee at Dairy Queen in the Afternoon and John had mentioned that I never got high school diploma and we were talking, and he said I went to Buena Vista High School," said Revis Daggett. "And at the time, I was the acting principal at Buena Vista High School and Imperial. So, I helped john started the process. I said get the DD214 and let's get her done."
Daggett would help Strickland get the process rolling, which led to Strickland becoming a part of the ceremony that had 15 other graduates already involved.
"It is an honor for us to award him a diploma," said Buena Vista Superintendent Mason Kyle. "He was called into the military in 1970 and he got his GED but never got his Buena Vista Diploma. So, the board and I discussed about awarding him a diploma and in the affirmative, we will be awarding Mr. Strickland his diploma."
Strickland received a standing ovation from the crowd after his name was announced. Kyle and Strickland shook hands and gave each other a hug knowing the true magnitude of this moment.
"You can always achieve your dreams, never give up and good things can happen to good people," Kyle said. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/west-texas-man-graduates-high-school-after-53-years/513-b4b4bdb6-eea2-45da-accf-1e6e14653f06 | 2023-05-28T20:07:12 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/west-texas-man-graduates-high-school-after-53-years/513-b4b4bdb6-eea2-45da-accf-1e6e14653f06 |
ANDOVER, Kan. (KSNW) — The Andover YMCA water park reopened Saturday, just in time for Memorial Day weekend.
It was closed after being heavily damaged in the 2022 Andover tornado.
The water park reopened with a few changes, such as new spray features, a new bucket area and additions to the kid’s area.
“It’s refreshing to have everybody back, and I’m glad that we’ll have beautiful weather this weekend so everyone can come and enjoy it,” Shane Loy said.
As of now, the water park is only open to members. Starting June 12, guest passes will be available for those without memberships.
For more information on Greater Wichita YMCA water parks, click here. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/andover-ymca-water-park-reopens-in-time-for-memorial-day-weekend/ | 2023-05-28T20:26:05 | 1 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/andover-ymca-water-park-reopens-in-time-for-memorial-day-weekend/ |
Share this article paywall-free.
In each Sunday edition of the Times-News, we highlight our photographers’ best photos from recent stories.
Turn to Page A7 for more photos. For more photo galleries go to Magicvalley.com/gallery or follow the Times-News Instagram account @magicvalleytn.
PHOTOS: Graduations, parties and soccer
Party at Bickel Elementary
Party at Bickel Elementary
Party at Bickel Elementary
Canyon Ridge Class of '23 Graduation
Canyon Ridge Class of '23 Graduation
Canyon Ridge Class of '23 Graduation
CSI announces soccer programs
Bookstore changes hands
Twin Falls graduation, 2023
Twin Falls graduation, 2023
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/graduations-parties-and-soccer/article_4e1f3fe6-fa6e-11ed-bfe2-d78d83e90a4c.html | 2023-05-28T20:28:39 | 0 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/graduations-parties-and-soccer/article_4e1f3fe6-fa6e-11ed-bfe2-d78d83e90a4c.html |
HARRISBURG, Pa. — There has been a reported fire on the side of I-83 southbound, underneath the exit 44A sign in Swatara Township, Harrisburg.
511PA first reported the fire at 3:47 p.m. on Sunday, May 28, and as of 4 p.m., fire crews are on the scene.
There is currently a lane restriction and traffic delays are to be expected while crews work the fire, according to 511PA. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/dauphin-county/fire-on-the-side-of-i-83-southbound-pennsylvania/521-b0ae0679-5b44-4786-a608-bfac1c3ba12d | 2023-05-28T20:33:03 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/dauphin-county/fire-on-the-side-of-i-83-southbound-pennsylvania/521-b0ae0679-5b44-4786-a608-bfac1c3ba12d |
The smoky flavors that charcoal infuses into grilled meats are undeniably delicious, but cooking with gas is the healthier option. The simple reason? Charcoal burns hotter, and cooking with high heat is where the danger lies. Gas grills are also easier to control, so you can fret less about over- or undercooking your meat.
2) Keep it clean
Proper care of your grill extends its life and ensures you'll be happily grilling away for years to come. But there are also health benefits to keeping your grill and tools clean.
Charred pieces of food build up on grill grates, drip pans, and burners. Cleaning every part as thoroughly as you can helps remove food debris and prevent smoke, ash, and flare-ups — all of which can cause carcinogens to wind up on your food.
Another benefit of a clean grill? A lower risk of foodborne illnesses. No one wants steak with a side of salmonella.
3) Grill more plants
Satisfy your cravings for chargrilled eats by tossing a handful of mushrooms, peppers, and zucchini onto the grill. HCAs and PAHs don't form when grilling vegetables.
You can swap out a T-bone for a cauliflower steak. Or thread segments of corn on the cob, eggplant, and onions (or anything you like) onto a skewer with chunks of tenderloin or chicken for a clever way to grill more vegetables without forgoing your favorite cuts of meat.
You can also mix things up by grilling fruits (try these grilled peaches topped with almond cream to start). The sugars in fruit caramelize beautifully on the grill, providing a rich counterpoint that elevates the flavors on your plate — especially when paired with spice. Grilled fruits make for gourmet ingredients in summery cocktails and mocktails too.
Eating more plants in general is ideal for supporting a healthy diet. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/education/uni-college-tour-episode-now-on-amazon-prime/article_c9da30fc-fcc4-11ed-9388-a7fcb9625f68.html | 2023-05-28T20:39:54 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/education/uni-college-tour-episode-now-on-amazon-prime/article_c9da30fc-fcc4-11ed-9388-a7fcb9625f68.html |
WATERLOO — The following events are planned in June at the Waterloo Public Library:
- Mondays and the first and third Saturday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. The basement is open to shop for books at Friends Used Book Store prices.
- Monday-Thursday and Saturday, 10:30-11 a.m., storytimes in the Storytime Corner – Infant to 2-year-olds on Mondays, 3- to 5-year-olds on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 2-year-olds on Thursdays, all-ages family storytime on Saturdays.
In addition, a number of activities are happening during the first days of June:
- Thursday, 2-3:30 p.m. – The Must List discussion will focus on “binge-worthy” books, movies and TV shows in the conference room.
- Thursday 5-7 p.m. – $5-A-Bag Book Sale: Members Only Preview in the basement. Friends of the Waterloo Public Library memberships will be sold at the door. Yearly memberships are $15. Seniors may purchase a membership for $10.
- Friday 10 a.m.-noon – First Friday Flick: “Spoiler Alert” will be screened in the AB meeting room. Popcorn and soda are provided free of charge.
- Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. – $5-A-Bag Book Sale: Public Sale, we supply the bags; you fill them up. The basement will be closed the Monday following this sale to tidy up the area. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/waterloo-public-library-announces-upcoming-events/article_564e8bd8-fcbf-11ed-b3bb-1b1b2e46a309.html | 2023-05-28T20:40:00 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/waterloo-public-library-announces-upcoming-events/article_564e8bd8-fcbf-11ed-b3bb-1b1b2e46a309.html |
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — On Marco Island alone, more than 20 birds of prey have been found dead or extremely ill due to suspected rodenticide since the beginning of 2023, according to Audubon Western Everglades.
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s von Arx Wildlife Hospital has also seen significant increases in sick birds and mammals from across Collier County.
“We believe rat poison is causing a significant decrease in our population of burrowing owls and other birds of prey in the area,” said Brittany Piersma, a field biologist with Audubon Western Everglades.
“We’re killing the natural ecosystem. The natural predators that would take out these pests. It’s a vicious cycle because we are so out of whack with what we could be doing,” said Joanna Fitzgerald, the Executive Director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital.
Both groups point directly to “rat boxes,” commonly found along residential and commercial buildings.
“A lot of people think that the black boxes with the rat poison they have, the rats go inside and they eat the poison and die within the box. That’s sadly not the case. These rats are eating the poison, stumbling around as they die outside, and are easy prey for any bird of prey,” said Piersma, who adds this is the primary problem.
The rat poison affects birds primarily but can injure or kill any animal that preys on rat populations.
Animals NBC2 can confirm have been impacted in the last six months include:
- Burrowing Owls
- Bald Eagles
- Bard Owls
- Red-shouldered hawk
- Broad-Winged Hawks
- Screech Owls
- Cooper’s Hawks
- Opossums
“Now that burrowing owls are nesting and trying to feed their young, a lot of times it goes for an easy prey source to go feed their young. They feed that rat to them and they are affected,” said Piersma.
“It’s breeding season. You have adult raptors feeding their young, trying to raise them up. By default if they get across a poisoned rat, now they’re feeding it to their babies,” added Fitzgerald.
Rat poison toxicity, or rodenticide, prevents the animal’s blood from clotting, according to the von Arx Hospital Staff.
It also acts as a neurotoxin, similar to red tide, which can make birds and animals act intoxicated, stumble, and turn sedentary.
“They look like they are vomiting up what makes them sick. Others we are finding that are deceased, they start to bleed internally. That rodent poison, essentially what it is. They can’t clot,” said Piersma.
Both the von Arx Hospital and Audubon Western Everglades recommend removing “rat boxes” and using rat poison on your properties.
Other options include less toxic measures, such as glue traps and traditional mouse traps.
“It’s just an indiscriminate use of these rodenticides. They are everywhere,” said Fitzgerald.
If you see an animal that looks like it matches the description of rat poisoning, or if an animal is deceased with no visible markings, contact the following organizations based on location:
- Marco Island — owlwatchmarco@gmail.com
- Collier County / Naples — (239)262-CARE (2273) | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/collier-county/2023/05/26/collier-county-animals-dying-from-rat-poison/ | 2023-05-28T20:53:03 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/collier-county/2023/05/26/collier-county-animals-dying-from-rat-poison/ |
DALLAS — Each time it happens, Texas’s top leaders point the finger at one thing: mental illness.
And it’s happened a lot.
In 2017, 26 people were shot and killed in a church in Sutherland Springs.
In 2018, 10 students and teachers died in a mass shooting at Santa Fe High School.
In 2019, 23 people were gunned down inside an El Paso Walmart.
Weeks later, seven people died when a man went on a shooting spree that crossed through Midland and Odessa.
In 2022, 19 children and two teachers were murdered at Robb Elementary in Uvalde – the worst school shooting Texas has ever seen.
In 2023, eight people, including three children, were shot and killed at an outlet mall in Allen.
After the murders in Allen, Gov. Greg Abbott stuck to the same message he’s repeated after every mass shooting during his leadership.
“People want a quick solution,” Abbott told Fox News Sunday in the only interview he's given about the Allen massacre. “The long-term solution here is to address the mental health issue.”
STATISTICS
To say mental health is the root cause of every mass shooting is to oversimplify a complex issue, according to experts.
“There’s no relationship between mental illness as a group and mass shootings at all,” said Andy Keller, president and CEO of Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute.
“That’s a really important thing. Because there’s a huge societal bias that says people with mental illness are violent.”
Keller said if you compare the small group of people who battle severe mental illness - such as debilitating bipolar disorder, psychosis, or severe post traumatic stress disorder - and compare them to the public at large, you’ll find a slight increase in the chances they’ll commit a violent act.
“If we have 100 people in a room who are not seriously mentally ill, two of them will be violent,” Keller said. “And if we have 100 people with serious mental illness in a room, three will be violent.”
When it comes to school shooters, Keller believes they "all have some level of a treatable mental health condition – all of them."
He pointed to a 2021 study by the U.S Secret Service on school violence.
The report from that study found 70 percent of people who plotted school violence "exhibited behaviors indicating the presence of some type of mental health symptom in the time leading up to, or around, the discovery of their plot."
About one in five adults has a mental health condition and one in six children and youth will have a mental health condition, said Greg Hansch, executive director of the National Alliance of Mental Illness’s Texas chapter.
“Mental illness is everywhere. It’s part of the human condition and yet they don’t see the same rates of mass shootings in other continents as we see in the United States of America,” Hansch said.
“I don’t think we can say mental illness is at play in every single one of these mass shootings or school shootings that have happened,” he said. “But we can say that hate is a common thread and radicalism is at play.”
FUNDING
In 2022, Mental Health America ranked every state based on access to mental health care.
Texas came in last.
But things are turning around, both Hansch and Keller said.
An estimated $25 billion has been spent on mental health access under Abbott's watch, according to the Texas Tribune.
“There’s no state that I’m aware of that has made this level of investment,” Keller said. “What the state of Texas did was say we have a problem with children dying from suicide and homicide, so what are the evidence-based things we can do that we know will work.”
In 2019, after the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School the year before, the Texas legislature approved funding for the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine Program, or TCHATT.
It provides school districts with a telemedicine program that can identify and assess students who may need mental health care, and then ensure they then access that care.
By 2020, about 40% of the students in the state had access to the program.
Uvalde did not have access when the shooter who opened fire at Robb Elementary was still enrolled in high school.
TCHATT is now accessible to 60% of students, Keller said, noting that the program has been fully funded and will be available to any school that wants it by the end of 2024.
About $4 million is now being spent on care for people experiencing first episodes of psychosis, like delusions or hallucinations, Hansch said.
The state is also adding psychiatric bed capacity and ramping up mobile crisis outreach teams for suicidal youth and is increasing multi-systemic therapy programs, which Keller calls extremely impactful.
But, Hansch and Keller agree the state isn’t doing enough to address a shortage of manpower.
“Our mental health system is in a state of crisis especially when it comes to workforce,” Hansch said.
Both of their agencies lobbied for large pay raises for community mental health workers this legislative session.
Only small raises were funded.
Part of the more than $155 million that Texas has received from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn and passed by Congress one month after Uvalde, is being funneled to universities that are training future mental health service providers.
Funding from Cornyn's act is also being used to expand school-based mental services and institute safety measures or support violence prevention programs on school campuses across North Texas.
IMPACT
Keller said the investment being made in mental health in Texas is impressive, but he acknowledged the impact won’t be felt for a while.
“We just started in 2019 to allocate funds toward this. We just started,” Keller said.
It has to continue.
“Probably by the end of this decade we will be where we need to be,” he said. “These types of huge changes take time.” | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/blaming-mass-shootings-on-mental-health-oversimplifying-complex-problem-experts-say/287-381c04db-a6b6-49ce-b40f-3b7c661cc804 | 2023-05-28T20:55:26 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/blaming-mass-shootings-on-mental-health-oversimplifying-complex-problem-experts-say/287-381c04db-a6b6-49ce-b40f-3b7c661cc804 |
Suspect identified in Mesa shooting spree and linked to Phoenix homicide
The Mesa Police Department has booked a 20-year-old suspect into jail after four separate shootings in Mesa and one in Phoenix left four people dead, and one person injured on Friday and early Saturday morning.
Iren Byers, 20, has been booked into jail on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder.
On Friday afternoon around 3:40 p.m., Phoenix police say Byers shot a man next to a canal near 24th and Oak Streets in Phoenix. Officers identified the man as 41-year-old Nicholas Arnstad and pronounced him dead at the scene.
Later that evening, just before 10:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to Beverly Park near Alma School Road and Main Street for a report of a person found dead. Officers discovered the body of a 41-year-old man.
While still at the park, officers heard shots fired nearby and other officers began to search the area, police said. At about 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, officers found a 36-year-old woman with injuries at Stewart and Main Street. The woman was transported to the hospital. As of Sunday morning, police said the woman is in stable condition.
Another person called police just before 1 a.m. on Saturday to report a dead man near a bus stop at Country Club Drive and Second Avenue. Officers arrived and found the body of another 41-year-old man.
Officers saturated the area in search of the suspect and other victims and ultimately discovered another body just after 2 a.m. near South Extension Road and Main Street. This person has not been identified but is believed to be a man, police said.
Mesa police were able to preliminarily link at least one spent shell casing from most of the shooting scenes to the same handgun, a 9mm. They also found a match to a shell casing that was used in a Phoenix homicide on Friday afternoon, just before 2:45 p.m.
Phoenix police also learned that the suspect involved in the Mesa homicides matched the description of the suspect involved in the Phoenix canal shooting.
During the investigation, officers reviewed video footage from various sources in the area of the shootings. This included footage from the light rail, Circle K and a residential home equipped with a Ring camera. They found the same man in all the videos, wearing the same clothing as reported by witnesses at the time of the shootings.
Byers was located near North Extension Road and Main Street in Mesa and was taken into custody for a misdemeanor charge of trespassing. He was cooperative with officers from Mesa and Phoenix Police Departments and took responsibility for all five shootings during questioning, police said.
Byers told officers where they could find the clothing he wore and the handgun he used during his crime spree, which officers recovered at Byers' residence, after completion of a search warrant, police said.
Det. Brandi George, a spokesperson with Mesa Police Department, said victims' names will be released once next of kin is notified. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/mesa-breaking/2023/05/28/suspect-identified-mesa-shooting-spree-linked-phoenix-homicide/70265292007/ | 2023-05-28T20:59:29 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/mesa-breaking/2023/05/28/suspect-identified-mesa-shooting-spree-linked-phoenix-homicide/70265292007/ |
Rain or shine, Main Line Brewery is offering a vast lineup of music and vendors for Daydream Fest during Memorial Day weekend.
The event, which began Sunday, continues from 1 to 10 p.m. Monday and will feature music from 2:30 p.m. until the last act, which begins at 6:30 p.m.
The lineup for Sunday included CAS, Catie Lausten, Ms. Jaylin Brown, Space Koi, Deau Eyes and Drook. Monday's lineup will feature Shera Shi, Steven Boone, Lobby Boy, Morgan Burrs, DJ Harrison and Kendall Street Company.
Festival partners Pete LeBlanc and Zavi Harman met each other as bookers in the local music scene.
It is a big effort putting together a festival without backing from the city, so they decided to join forces for the Daydream Fest.
The first festival last year sold approximately 1,000 tickets for one day. This time, they decided to come back for two days.
People are also reading…
LeBlanc hopes people will find their new favorite band, and Harman hopes attendees will reconnect with local music.
“It feels like a homecoming,” Harman said.
Melissa Duffy brought her business, Cryptid Party, to the event, windproofed for the weather.
Duffy, illustrator by day, splits her product-making and art 50/50. She was one of the people who developed her business during the pandemic, she said.
“Richmond is such a great city for local support,” said Duffy, adding that it is a town full of people who understand her love for cryptids (animals never proven to exist). She was planning to have her shop set up on both days.
Nigel Groce-Wright and Deborah Keyes were sipping Session IPAs and playing a match of table football while listening to the guitar strumming onstage.
The couple were looking for something to do for their four-day weekend when they saw an Instagram post about the event.
As soon as the gates opened for the start of Sunday, they were told they were “in for a treat” with the lineup of musicians, Groce-Wright said.
This is their first time attending Daydream Fest.
“It’s quite the event,” Keyes said.
Main Line Brewery is at 1603 Ownby Lane. Tickets are $35.
Gabriela de Camargo Gonçalves (804) 649-6123
gdecamargogoncalves@timesdispatch.com
@decamgabriela on Twitter | https://richmond.com/news/local/daydream-fest-features-local-music-for-memorial-day-holiday/article_bbb4e71c-fd62-11ed-9cdb-af82cfafd424.html | 2023-05-28T21:28:15 | 1 | https://richmond.com/news/local/daydream-fest-features-local-music-for-memorial-day-holiday/article_bbb4e71c-fd62-11ed-9cdb-af82cfafd424.html |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Are the beaches safe from sharks this summer?
Let's connect the dots.
Movies like "Jaws" and "The Shallows" terrify many and even keep some people out of the water altogether.
Scientists and researchers who study sharks say potentially dangerous interactions are uncommon.
There have been typically around 70 to 80 unprovoked shark bites a year worldwide, and they're becoming rarer.
Out of thousands who swim in the ocean every year there were only 57 unprovoked bites in 2022 , and only five were fatal.
It comes as the population of sharks declines globally.
White sharks, bull sharks and tiger sharks cause the most fatalities, but many interactions happen with smaller species that are unlikely to cause serious injuries.
It might feel like it is happening more often, thanks to social media and shark reporting apps. However, you shouldn't worry.
Experts add you're at a much greater risk of getting hurt in a car accident on the way to the beach than you are to get seriously injured by a shark bite.
MORE ON WCNC
Flashpoint is a weekly in-depth look at politics in Charlotte, North Carolina, South Carolina, and beyond with host Ben Thompson. Listen to the podcast weekly.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || Google Podcasts
Locked On is the leading podcast network for local sports and is owned by WCNC Charlotte's parent company TEGNA.
Listen to Locked On here.
Wake Up Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with the team at Wake Up Charlotte.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || TuneIn || Google Podcasts
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere. | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/worry-shark-attacks-summer/275-c2816810-49cb-43f7-85bd-9afc66ce2c9a | 2023-05-28T21:34:07 | 0 | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/worry-shark-attacks-summer/275-c2816810-49cb-43f7-85bd-9afc66ce2c9a |
DES MOINES, Iowa — Marion County Officials located a missing swimmer's body after hours of searching Lake Red Rock Sunday morning.
Marion County Law Enforcement began the search for 21-year-old Urias Gbarjolo of Johnston at 7:27 p.m. Saturday after receiving reports of a missing swimmer.
Reportedly, a group of young males were swimming near the Whitebreast boat ramp Saturday evening when one of them did not resurface.
The search paused around midnight Saturday and resumed shortly before 6 a.m. Sunday.
Using scan sonar on a sheriff's office boat, officials were then able to locate Gbjarjolo's body and bring him to shore, where he was pronounced dead around 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
"My heart goes out to the family of this young man. It is always sad when an individual with such a promising future is taken from us at such a young age. Please keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers," Marion County Sheriff Jason Sandholdt said.
Gbarjolo was transported to the State Medical Examiner’s office in Ankeny for an autopsy.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Knoxville Fire and Rescue, Pleasantville Fire and Rescue and dive team, Knoxville Rural Fire Department, Pella Rural Fire Department, the Central Iowa Dive team and the Marion County Medical Examiner’s Office assisted in the search.
Local 5 will update this story as more information becomes available. Download the We Are Iowa app or subscribe to Local 5's "5 Things to Know" email newsletter for the latest updates. | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/lake-red-rock-whitebreast-boat-ramp-marion-county-iowa-missing-swimmer-updates/524-7470db0a-128f-4017-b49f-a8753a501dc8 | 2023-05-28T21:34:31 | 0 | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/lake-red-rock-whitebreast-boat-ramp-marion-county-iowa-missing-swimmer-updates/524-7470db0a-128f-4017-b49f-a8753a501dc8 |
Boiled water advisory issued for Claymont due to water main break
French-based water supplier Veolia Water Delaware released a boil water advisory after a large water main break on Darley Road in Claymont. A public notice was released around 2:05 p.m. and can be found on the company's website. The company said customers were notified by phone, text and email.
Veolia Water Delaware said late this morning, it was alerted to a large water main break on Darley Road affecting areas of Claymont, including Hillendale, Ashbourne Hills and Carpenter. Emergency crews responded to the alert and are attempting to repair the break.
The water supplier said it has issued a boil water advisory for approximately 2,000 customers located in the highlighted map below. Veolia asks that these customers boil their water until further notice.
This announcement comes days following the announcement of another water main break in the lower Delaware County, PA and North Wilmington areas.
Updates are being reported on the water utility company's website and social media channels. Veolia Water Delaware is responsible for serving more than 100,000 residents in Delaware, according to its website.
How to boil water
Veolia Water Delaware is warning customers that water coming from the tap may be contaminated with disease-causing organisms including bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Customers should use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further notice. To use properly treated tap water, they advise:
- bring all water to a rolling boil
- let it boil for one minute
- let it cool before using
Untreated water can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and associated headaches.
Veolia acquired New Jersey-based water service company Suez last June. It claims the deal made it the leading environmental services company in North America. In April 2021, Suez announced it was making $11.4 million to maintain and improve its water system in Delaware.
Contact reporter Anitra Johnson at ajohnson@delawareonline.com. Join her on the Facebook group Delaware Voices Uplifted. Support her work and become a subscriber. | https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2023/05/28/claymont-residents-advised-to-boil-drinking-water-veolia-customers/70265468007/ | 2023-05-28T21:39:53 | 0 | https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2023/05/28/claymont-residents-advised-to-boil-drinking-water-veolia-customers/70265468007/ |
A spending cap of $2.2 billion for next fiscal year’s budget was approved last week by the Tucson City Council in a spending plan that outlines significant local investments while considering the financial volatility of coming years.
The budget for fiscal year 2023-24, which starts on July 1, earmarks millions in funding for key city initiatives like public safety, transportation and core services while continuing to spend down more than $231 million in an investment plan for city programs.
After approving the tentative budget on Tuesday, the spending cap can’t be increased, but funding can be shifted to different areas. The council is set to adopt the final budget for the next fiscal year at its June 6 meeting.
The budget includes $66.5 million throughout the next fiscal year as part of the $231.6 five-year investment plan the city initiated with last year’s budget. The plan puts funding the city has above its necessary reserve levels and invests one-time dollars into key areas. The three areas with the most funding under this year’s investment plan are public safety with $35.4 million, the collector street program with $8 million and information technology with about $5.2 million.
People are also reading…
Several speakers at Tuesday’s budget hearing expressed concern the city isn’t putting enough resources behind its new Climate Action Plan council members adopted in March. The tentative budget puts about $1 million toward the first year of the plan for projects like quantifying fugitive emissions, creating an energy usage benchmark study and inventorying greenhouse gas emissions. The city’s also using American Rescue Plan funding to hire two climate resilience positions to help implement the plan.
Arizona Youth Climate Coalition member Tanish Doshi told council members while he appreciated engaging with the city in the years leading up to the climate plan, “without the resources that are necessary … we won't be able to succeed.”
Mayor Regina Romero said, “I feel absolutely comfortable with the direction that we're taking,” as the city hires a lead and co-lead to begin implementing the program in the coming fiscal year. She said the city has to “be very aggressive” in going after federal Inflation Reduction Act dollars dedicated to climate resiliency efforts.
But potential financial issues on the horizon have created “structural imbalances” in future years of the investment plan, largely due to the pending implementation of Arizona’s flat tax rate in the 2023 tax year that could result in $27 million in lost funds for Tucson annually, according to early estimates from the Arizona Center for Economic Progress.
The state income tax will drop to 2.5% for all taxpayers and replace the progressive tax rate structure based on income. Tucson will lose a significant amount of the state-shared income tax funding that makes up 12% of its general fund revenues.
To help ease the transition, the state is increasing the proportion of state-shared income tax distributed to cities and towns from 15% to 18%, which Tucson projects will generate $24.3 million above the previous sharing rate, but is considered one-time funding as the city anticipates a net reduction in future years as money lost from the progressive tax structure overcomes the slight boost from the 3% state sharing bump.
The loss of funding the city has historically relied on has led to anticipated expenditures growing greater than revenues, leading to an estimated $18 million shortfall in the investment plan beginning in the fiscal year 2024-2025. City Manager Michael Ortega said, “We are going to have to look at some changes to our expenditure lines, or there could be increases in revenues” to address the shortfall but pointed out the dollars only make up about 2% of the overall budget.
Initial ideas are to cut back on investment plan spending and utilize vacancy savings from unstaffed positions.
“(The state-shared income tax cuts) have a very direct and real impact to our budgeting in those future years,” Ortega said. “I'm not concerned about our ability to reduce the budget by 2% and come into structural balance, but I wanted to highlight that so that we don't think that ‘Oh, well, that happened at the legislature, but it doesn't have an impact on us here locally.’”
Staff raises
As part of next year’s budget, about $14.8 million will go toward 5% raises for commissioned line and police officers and 3% raises for all other city employees.
City Council last increased staff wages in November, with a 2% across-the-board pay increase and 7% for commissioned police officers. Before that, the city invested about $30 million in May 2021 to bring Tucson employees’ salaries up to par with other similar government jobs across the state.
The difference this time, Ortega said, is the raises come with consolidating the 550 individual job classifications with different pay ranges into 24 pay grades, a process the city’s spending $1.1 million to implement.
Ortega said the move is the city’s “maintenance of the market” to make sure its pay rates are competitive with similar employers in the region. But Tucson continues to struggle with hiring and retention, in line with a national trend of localities across the nation grappling with unstable employment bases. As of Mach, the city’s vacancy rate across all departments was about 12%.
In addition to the pay raises, Ortega said new Human Resources Department Director Suzette Yaezenko is “really pushing the envelope in terms of how do we get out there and make sure that people are knowing that the city of Tucson is a great place to work and a great place to have a career.”
Core Services
One key effort of this year’s budget plan Ortega sent the council is strengthening internal services to “ensure the organization is in the best position to serve our community,” largely through shoring up efforts in departments like human resources, business services and information technology.
When the 2008 recession hit, the departments that provide key services like contracting, budgeting and cybersecurity were scaled back, but “As the City became able to grow programming and external services, internal services were not proportionately grown to support them,” Ortega wrote in the memo.
“Those are core services that every other department relies on, and so we can't provide services throughout the city if we can't do those functions well,” said Chief Financial Officer Anna Rosenberry. “We realize that we need to focus on shoring up those teams so that we can support the entire organization.”
Some of the efforts to bolster the departments include $750,000 to heighten awareness of cybersecurity risk and provide support to city software users. Human resources will use $500,000 to add staffing toward its classification and compensation efforts. The city also plans to put staffing and funding into shortening the backlog of permit requests and code enforcement tasks. | https://tucson.com/news/local/tucson-approves-2-2-billion-spending-cap-for-next-fiscal-year/article_1c81a7c0-f97f-11ed-b9c3-c3451d993338.html | 2023-05-28T21:40:58 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/tucson-approves-2-2-billion-spending-cap-for-next-fiscal-year/article_1c81a7c0-f97f-11ed-b9c3-c3451d993338.html |
The North Wildwood Police Department is looking for two suspects who were involved in multiple burglaries on May 28.
On May 28, between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., two unknown suspects stole from multiple unlocked cars parked south of 19th Avenue in Wildwood, New Jersey, according to the police.
Police describe the first suspect as a white man with dark hair, who was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, black Adidas pants, gray Nike sneakers and a black Adidas backpack.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
The second suspect is a white man who was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, a black fitted hat, gray sweatpants and white sneakers.
Wildwood police are urging the public to contact them with any information about the suspects or the incident. You can contact them at 609-522-2411.
The police also remind the public to always lock your car when your car is parked.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/wildwood-police-looking-for-2-suspects-accused-of-stealing-from-unlocked-cars/3574917/ | 2023-05-28T21:55:58 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/wildwood-police-looking-for-2-suspects-accused-of-stealing-from-unlocked-cars/3574917/ |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A 34-year-old man from Wichita was seriously injured in a crash Saturday night during an attempt to flee from police.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP), at 11:40 p.m., the man was driving a 2014 Dodge Dart in the 1000 block of E Zimmerly St.
He was just west of Ida when he hit a utility pole and crashed into a guardrail.
The KHP says he was taken with suspected serious injuries to a local hospital. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/wichita-man-seriously-injured-in-crash-in-attempt-to-flee-from-police/ | 2023-05-28T21:57:41 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/wichita-man-seriously-injured-in-crash-in-attempt-to-flee-from-police/ |
ADA COUNTY, Idaho — An 18-year-old man driving a Kawasaki ZX636 motorcycle was injured in a crash that happened Saturday, May 27 around 5:44 p.m. According to Idaho State Police, the crash happened in Ada County on eastbound I-84 close to milepost 43.
Police said the motorcycle driver was driving very fast on I-84 when he rear-ended a Toyota Camry being driven by a 51-year-old man from Fruitland.
The driver of the motorcycle was wearing a helmet but was still injured and taken to the hospital. The driver of the Camry was unharmed. Police are investigating the crash and have not released any additional information.
Download the KTVB mobile app to get breaking news, weather and important stories at your fingertips.
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-18-year-old-injured-in-motorcycle-accident-in-ada-county/277-1d1bdfa2-0659-4a4d-a6b9-147cc40bc7d2 | 2023-05-28T22:07:01 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/local-18-year-old-injured-in-motorcycle-accident-in-ada-county/277-1d1bdfa2-0659-4a4d-a6b9-147cc40bc7d2 |
IDAHO, USA — According to Idaho State Police (ISP), a 20-year-old man from Caldwell driving a Kawasaki Motorcycle died after a crash on Saturday, May 27 around 6:45 p.m.
Police said the man was driving " at a high rate of speed" going east on I-84. He hit a barrier on the right-hand side of the road and then hit a Chevrolet Tahoe that was being driven by a 44-year-old woman from Las Vegas, Nevada.
ISP said although the motorcycle driver was wearing a helmet, he died at the scene. Police are still investigating the crash and have not released any more information at this time.
Download the KTVB mobile app to get breaking news, weather and important stories at your fingertips.
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-caldwell-man-dies-in-motorcycle-crash-on-i-84/277-d5981535-5a16-4743-9899-36091faf552e | 2023-05-28T22:07:07 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/local-caldwell-man-dies-in-motorcycle-crash-on-i-84/277-d5981535-5a16-4743-9899-36091faf552e |
CARROLL COUNTY — Police are on scene for a barricade situation in Hampstead.
Officers from the Carroll County Sheriff's Office are assisting Hampstead Police at the 1400 block of Fairmount Road.
The incident began around 6:30am Sunday morning and has been going on for most of the day.
Police say there is no known threat to the community but people should avoid the area due to heavy police presence .
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information becomes avvailable. | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/police-on-scene-for-a-barricade-situation-in-hampstead | 2023-05-28T22:16:18 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/police-on-scene-for-a-barricade-situation-in-hampstead |
ATLANTA — A man is dead after driving in southwest Atlanta and striking a concrete pillar.
He was the only victim of a single-vehicle wreck Saturday night, according to the Atlanta Police Department.
Officers were called around 11:45 p.m. to investigate the circumstances of the crash by Lee Street and Tucker Avenue. That's where police found a 40-year-old man trapped in a vehicle and, according to officers, he was not breathing. The driver was deemed dead at the crash site.
Initial evidence shows the vehicle left the roadway at a high rate of speed and struck a large concrete pillar that supports MARTA tracks, according to APD.
Officers have not released the name of the driver. Investigators with the accident investigations unit are looking into the circumstances of the crash. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/marta-pillar-crash-lee-street-tucker-avenue/85-dfee78b8-0e9b-4d06-8db4-37f8b0d8658f | 2023-05-28T22:22:25 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/marta-pillar-crash-lee-street-tucker-avenue/85-dfee78b8-0e9b-4d06-8db4-37f8b0d8658f |
ATLANTA — As a family is left mourning the death of a 16-year-old girl, Sunday's shooting at Benjamin E. Mays High School also came as a sobering shock for those who live in the area.
“She was 16 she didn’t even have a chance to live her life and raise her own children," Berneykia Clifton-Nixon said about Breasia Powell.
Powell just finished her sophomore year at Benjamin E. Mays High. She was among several teenagers who attended what officials say was an unauthorized gathering at the school. Police were called to the shooting at 2:30 a.m. where they found Powell and a 16-year-old boy shot. Both were rushed to the hospital. Powell did not survive; the boy is currently stable.
"That’s sad and it's why I keep my children close because you don’t know what might happen out here in this world," Clifton-Nixon said.
Some of Powell's family and friends gathered outside the high school later Sunday morning sharing photos and memories of the teen.
Ernest Wilson also lives in the neighborhood and said this latest shooting isn’t surprising.
“It's almost like 'What's new?' but we’ve got to do something about it," Wilson said. "It comes as a shock but that’s our youth, that’s our future. We’ve got to do better.”
Police have not released a motive behind the shooting. Family members spoke with 11Alive and said the group of teens had been at a graduation party before making their way back to the high school.
Parents said it makes them even more nervous that a celebration can take a heartbreaking turn.
“You don’t know who might come down and start shooting, doing drive-bys or reckless driving. I don’t even put them in any afterschool programs or take them to the park unless I’m with them," Clifton-Nixon said about her children.
Atlanta Public Schools said that mental health resources are available to students in the district via Telehealth. Hazel Health is available by calling 404-383-6806.
Crisis team members will also be at Benjamin E. Mays High School Tuesday for staff and parents. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/neighbors-share-concerns-shooting-benjamin-e-mays-high-school/85-881dbc2d-e30b-4b17-a78e-81e5116e330d | 2023-05-28T22:22:31 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/neighbors-share-concerns-shooting-benjamin-e-mays-high-school/85-881dbc2d-e30b-4b17-a78e-81e5116e330d |
The Heyburn Police Department is under fire after an officer shot and killed two dogs Saturday that officers say presented a safety hazard on Interstate 84.
Stephanie Carsner shot video of a portion of the 6 p.m. incident that has drawn outrage, with numerous people, even those living outside of southern Idaho, questioning the officer's actions and calling for his removal. She identified herself as a professional animal rescuer and said in social media posts that she had permission from an Idaho State Police trooper to catch the animals.
The Heyburn Police Department, in a press release signed by Police Chief Ryan Bertalotto, offered its version of the incident, saying that the two large dogs spotted near Exit 211 were not able to be caught and caused traffic safety concerns. It also said Carsner's actions were unsafe and her efforts to catch the dogs were to “no avail.”
People are also reading…
It said officers found the interstate to be “completely stopped” near milepost 212 at 5:57 p.m. The decision to shoot the dogs was made at 6:03 p.m., the release said.
“Recognizing traffic was heavy for Memorial Day, and in fear for the motoring public with great potential of a rear end collision at 80 mph, the offers made the decision to shoot the dogs,” the press release said.
It also said that the Carsner’s video, shot from a vehicle, highlights the risks of a crash with cars being stopped on the interstate.
It said offers tried to capture the dogs by whistling, calling and shouting, and that the dogs were not in range for a taser to be utilized.
“These circumstances are not easy for first responders or the public,” the press release says.
Carsner urged others to share the video and complain to Heyburn Mayor Dick Galbraith about the incident, and to file animal cruelty complaints. She said she and other people trying to catch the dogs almost had the dogs “in hand.”
“We need to come together as a community & as people that believe animals deserve better & bring some justice for these fur babies,” she posted, and later posted an update saying that people need to hire an attorney for an investigation into the incident.
Carsner's graphic video can be seen here. Warning: Video includes strong language.
The investigation is still under investigation, and circumstances might change as additional evidence is collected, the police department release said. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/heyburn-police-officers-shoot-dogs-video-draws-outrage/article_92f7e688-fd96-11ed-a4f4-1bb7f5702573.html | 2023-05-28T22:23:42 | 0 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/heyburn-police-officers-shoot-dogs-video-draws-outrage/article_92f7e688-fd96-11ed-a4f4-1bb7f5702573.html |
The thirty-third annual Grand Canyon Star Party will be held Saturday, June 10 through Saturday, June 17, 2023, on both the South and North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
The event is sponsored by the National Park Service, Grand Canyon Conservancy, the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association, and the Saguaro Astronomy Club of Phoenix.
Numerous telescopes will offer views of planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars, as well as double stars, star clusters, nebulae, and distant galaxies.
By day, visitors may also keep an eye out for solar telescopes pointed at the sun.
On the South Rim, events include a nightly slide show from a special guest speaker at 8 p.m. in the plaza of the Grand Canyon Visitor Center. The list of speakers can be found on the Grand Canyon National Park website.
People are also reading…
The talks are followed by free telescope viewing behind the building. Green-laser constellation tours will be offered nightly at 9, 9:30, and 10 p.m.
On the North Rim, telescopes will be set up on the terrace of the Grand Canyon Lodge every evening. Astronomers will also use green lasers to point out constellations.
For additional information on the Grand Canyon Star Party visit: | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/thirty-third-annual-grand-canyon-star-party-starts-june-10/article_4125e6e6-fc03-11ed-9161-d73c26ac14d9.html | 2023-05-28T22:23:54 | 1 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/thirty-third-annual-grand-canyon-star-party-starts-june-10/article_4125e6e6-fc03-11ed-9161-d73c26ac14d9.html |
DALLAS — Each time it happens, Texas’s top leaders point the finger at one thing: mental illness.
And it’s happened a lot.
In 2017, 26 people were shot and killed in a church in Sutherland Springs.
In 2018, 10 students and teachers died in a mass shooting at Santa Fe High School.
In 2019, 23 people were gunned down inside an El Paso Walmart.
Weeks later, seven people died when a man went on a shooting spree that crossed through Midland and Odessa.
In 2022, 19 children and two teachers were murdered at Robb Elementary in Uvalde – the worst school shooting Texas has ever seen.
In 2023, eight people, including three children, were shot and killed at an outlet mall in Allen.
After the murders in Allen, Gov. Greg Abbott stuck to the same message he’s repeated after every mass shooting during his leadership.
“People want a quick solution,” Abbott told Fox News Sunday in the only interview he's given about the Allen massacre. “The long-term solution here is to address the mental health issue.”
STATISTICS
To say mental health is the root cause of every mass shooting is to oversimplify a complex issue, according to experts.
“There’s no relationship between mental illness as a group and mass shootings at all,” said Andy Keller, president and CEO of Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute.
“That’s a really important thing. Because there’s a huge societal bias that says people with mental illness are violent.”
Keller said if you compare the small group of people who battle severe mental illness - such as debilitating bipolar disorder, psychosis, or severe post traumatic stress disorder - and compare them to the public at large, you’ll find a slight increase in the chances they’ll commit a violent act.
“If we have 100 people in a room who are not seriously mentally ill, two of them will be violent,” Keller said. “And if we have 100 people with serious mental illness in a room, three will be violent.”
When it comes to school shooters, Keller believes they "all have some level of a treatable mental health condition – all of them."
He pointed to a 2021 study by the U.S Secret Service on school violence.
The report from that study found 70 percent of people who plotted school violence "exhibited behaviors indicating the presence of some type of mental health symptom in the time leading up to, or around, the discovery of their plot."
About one in five adults has a mental health condition and one in six children and youth will have a mental health condition, said Greg Hansch, executive director of the National Alliance of Mental Illness’s Texas chapter.
“Mental illness is everywhere. It’s part of the human condition and yet they don’t see the same rates of mass shootings in other continents as we see in the United States of America,” Hansch said.
“I don’t think we can say mental illness is at play in every single one of these mass shootings or school shootings that have happened,” he said. “But we can say that hate is a common thread and radicalism is at play.”
FUNDING
In 2022, Mental Health America ranked every state based on access to mental health care.
Texas came in last.
But things are turning around, both Hansch and Keller said.
An estimated $25 billion has been spent on mental health access under Abbott's watch, according to the Texas Tribune.
“There’s no state that I’m aware of that has made this level of investment,” Keller said. “What the state of Texas did was say we have a problem with children dying from suicide and homicide, so what are the evidence-based things we can do that we know will work.”
In 2019, after the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School the year before, the Texas legislature approved funding for the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine Program, or TCHATT.
It provides school districts with a telemedicine program that can identify and assess students who may need mental health care, and then ensure they then access that care.
By 2020, about 40% of the students in the state had access to the program.
Uvalde did not have access when the shooter who opened fire at Robb Elementary was still enrolled in high school.
TCHATT is now accessible to 60% of students, Keller said, noting that the program has been fully funded and will be available to any school that wants it by the end of 2024.
About $4 million is now being spent on care for people experiencing first episodes of psychosis, like delusions or hallucinations, Hansch said.
The state is also adding psychiatric bed capacity and ramping up mobile crisis outreach teams for suicidal youth and is increasing multi-systemic therapy programs, which Keller calls extremely impactful.
But, Hansch and Keller agree the state isn’t doing enough to address a shortage of manpower.
“Our mental health system is in a state of crisis especially when it comes to workforce,” Hansch said.
Both of their agencies lobbied for large pay raises for community mental health workers this legislative session.
Only small raises were funded.
Part of the more than $155 million that Texas has received from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn and passed by Congress one month after Uvalde, is being funneled to universities that are training future mental health service providers.
Funding from Cornyn's act is also being used to expand school-based mental services and institute safety measures or support violence prevention programs on school campuses across North Texas.
IMPACT
Keller said the investment being made in mental health in Texas is impressive, but he acknowledged the impact won’t be felt for a while.
“We just started in 2019 to allocate funds toward this. We just started,” Keller said.
It has to continue.
“Probably by the end of this decade we will be where we need to be,” he said. “These types of huge changes take time.” | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/texas/blaming-mass-shootings-on-mental-health-oversimplifying-complex-problem-experts-say/287-381c04db-a6b6-49ce-b40f-3b7c661cc804 | 2023-05-28T22:28:15 | 1 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/texas/blaming-mass-shootings-on-mental-health-oversimplifying-complex-problem-experts-say/287-381c04db-a6b6-49ce-b40f-3b7c661cc804 |
REINBECK — The 2023 Carrie Chapman Catt Award was presented to Gladbrook-Reinbeck High School on May 22 by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate.
The award goes to any school that registers at least 90% of eligible students to vote. Gladbrook-Reinbeck surpassed the mark during the 2022-23 school year. This is the school's second time qualifying for the award.
The award is named after the famous Iowan who was instrumental in securing passage of the 19th Amendment, granting women access to the ballot box more than 100 years ago. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/education/gladbrook-reinbeck-high-school-presented-with-carrie-chapman-catt-award/article_e549f230-fc08-11ed-b637-bf8dd6dc30bb.html | 2023-05-28T22:28:30 | 1 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/education/gladbrook-reinbeck-high-school-presented-with-carrie-chapman-catt-award/article_e549f230-fc08-11ed-b637-bf8dd6dc30bb.html |
Lincoln Fire and Rescue responded to a fire that left a home destroyed early Sunday morning
Around 2 a.m., LFR was called to 1425 S. 16th St. When they arrived, there was a fire in the basement and all occupants were out of the house.
Crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire but the house is a total loss, according to LFR.
Inspectors said the assessed value of the property is $103,000 and around $40,000 for contents.
LFR said careless smoking was the cause of the fire. No injuries were reported.
According to LFR, eight people and one dog were displaced. | https://journalstar.com/news/local/house-destroyed-by-fire-early-sunday-morning/article_28c1fe3e-fd9b-11ed-82d8-c3bb546699ed.html | 2023-05-28T22:28:30 | 0 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/house-destroyed-by-fire-early-sunday-morning/article_28c1fe3e-fd9b-11ed-82d8-c3bb546699ed.html |
WATERLOO – A man was shot in the leg Sunday afternoon in the 900 block of Logan Avenue.
According to Sgt. Greg Erie, the individual was transported to a hospital in a private vehicle for treatment of non-life threatening wounds after Waterloo police were called to the scene on a report of shots fired shortly before 2:30 p.m.
Police recovered two spent shell casings in the street near the curb in front of the home at 917 Logan Ave. The area has seen an uptick recently in gunfire, said Erie.
No one was found upon arrival, and the injured individual was uncooperative, Erie said. No arrests have been made at this time.
Police were on scene for about an hour, and a portion of the 900 block was blocked off, beginning at the intersection with Conger Street, near U.S. Highway 63 (Mullan Avenue) and the Heritage Apartments, 65 Conger St.
People are also reading…
The shooting comes 12 hours after another shots fired call at 2:54 a.m. Sunday near 523 Logan Ave. Five shell casings were recovered outside and pieces of a damaged side mirror from a car were found.
No arrests were made in that incident. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/man-injured-during-waterloo-shooting-on-logan-avenue/article_b6ae5aa0-fd9e-11ed-912a-93a2839bc5ac.html | 2023-05-28T22:28:36 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/man-injured-during-waterloo-shooting-on-logan-avenue/article_b6ae5aa0-fd9e-11ed-912a-93a2839bc5ac.html |
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 Streaming Platforms
Wawa Welcome America
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/memorial-day-celebrations-kick-off-the-summer-season/3574378/ | 2023-05-28T22:35:13 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/memorial-day-celebrations-kick-off-the-summer-season/3574378/ |
Estimated crowds of 20,000 attended both days of the Adjacent Festival on the Atlantic City beach, enjoying a lineup of bands performing on three stages. "You see a lot of people with their families here, sharing that music with the younger ones," said fan Joe Cocola, who grew up in North Jersey and lives in San Diego
Matthew Strabuk Photos, Staff Photographer
Many of the bands, including Beach Bunny, seen performing Saturday, attracted millennial and Generation Z alternative rock fans, but concert-goers of all ages were evident.
Matthew Strabuk, Staff Photographer
Fans pack the area in front of the main stage of the Adjacent Festival near the Playground Pier to hear Beach Bunny perform Saturday in Atlantic City. Two other stages were set up to give fans plenty of listening options.
Matthew Strabuk Photos, Staff Photographer
Bella Ronca, 15, center, of Brigantine, watches from the pit while the band Beach Bunny plays Saturday. Ronca's parents, Lisa and Jeff, attended the festival both days, looking forward especially to the performance of Sunday night's headliner, Blink-182.
Matthew Strabuk, Staff Photographer
Enjoy the festival Saturday were, from left, Eric Watts, of Garfield, Bergen County, and, from San Diego, Joe Cocola and Kali Mortwood.
Matthew Strabuk, Staff Photographer
The festival gave fans the chance to set up right by the beach — and even take a dip if they so chose. The Atlantic City Beach Patrol was on duty.
ATLANTIC CITY — Jeff and Lisa Ronca exchanged looks several times Saturday.
As they peered into the mass of music fans in front of the main stage, somewhere in the middle of the crowd was their 15-year-old daughter, Bella, having the time of her life seeing one of her favorite bands, Beach Bunny, perform.
They saw their younger selves in that crowd.
About 25 years ago, the Roncas weren't much older than their daughter is now when they were watching Blink-182 perform.
The Roncas joined Bella in the pit Saturday night for Jimmy Eat World and were ready to dance among the crowd again Sunday when Blink-182 headlined the two-day Adjacent Music Festival on the beach.
"Saturday was her day, and Sunday will be ours," said Jeff Ronca, 46, of Brigantine. "I've seen (Blink-182) since I was in high school, and now I'm bringing my daughter, who is in high school, to the same concerts."
Lisa said they began taking their daughter to these concerts at a young age. She laughed at how all of Bella's teachers at Egg Harbor Township High School thought it was so cool she was going to see some of the music they also grew up on.
That's what the weekend was for many in attendance. About 20,000 people filled the beach Saturday, with another 20,000 coming out Sunday, according to public relations specialist Ike Richman. Alternative rock band Paramore headlined the first night, with Blink-182, whose music blared from many teenagers' car stereos in the 1990s and 2000s, on tap for Sunday night.
Adjacent was a part of a busy Memorial Day weekend in the city, kicking off the summer tourism season. It was supposed to be the second big outdoor music festival of the year in the resort. But the first, Bamboozle, scheduled for May 5-7 at Bader Field, was canceled after city officials said its organizers failed to do everything needed to secure permitting. No major incidents or police transports were reported through Sunday afternoon, according to city public information officer Andrew Kramer.
Mayor Marty Small Sr. said in a statement Sunday the city should be in store for "an epic season" after seeing the success of this weekend.
"The Adjacent Festival brought in massive crowds to our world famous beach, and trust me when I say this is just the beginning," Small said. "Once again, we'll be Live, Lit and Outside in Atlantic City all summer long. I just want to give kudos to our law enforcement and all public safety personnel who did a tremendous job keeping everyone safe this weekend. That's why they are the best at what they do."
'The nostalgia runs deep'
Joe Cocola and Kali Mortwood came from San Diego to sit on the Atlantic City beach, look out at the ocean and listen to music.
On Saturday, huddled under an umbrella to shade themselves, they enjoyed looking at the crowd and seeing the different generations of fans as they waited for the arrival of their friend, Eric Watts, 35, who grew up in Garfield, Bergen County.
Excited to see Andrew McMahon and the Wilderness on Saturday and Blink-182 on Sunday, they were happy that a lot of the bands they listened to as teenagers are still around.
"You see a lot of people with their families here, sharing that music with the younger ones," said Cocola, 34, who is originally from North Jersey.
McMahon has been well-known since the late 1990s with the band Something Corporate. He also also known for his solo project, Jack's Mannequin, that was big from 2004-2012.
Blink-182 became a smash hit with the 1998 album "Enema of the State," which features their anthem "All the Small Things." The Roncas were excited to see the original Blink lineup back on stage with the return of vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge.
Brittany Mills and Shawn Wood, of Wilmington, Delaware, dug themselves a nice little lounge area in the sand just outside the thick of the crowd in front of the main stage. They were ready to listen to Beach Bunny, a newer group that went viral with the hit song "Prom Queen" on TikTok in 2018.
The couple only planned to attend Saturday, mainly to watch Paramore. Mills, now 31, said they were there for her 19-year-old self, while Wood grew up listening to a wide variety of music, not just the genres that played the festival.
"This is old person music now," Mills joked, saying that her daughter listens to a lot of that music now.
"When we were kids, we wouldn't dream of listening to our parents' music," Wood added. "But kids from our generation are listening to this kind of music. It's transcending generations."
Cocola and Mortwood, the visitors from San Diego, remember watching Long Island, New York, rocker Jeff Rosenstock, who performed early Saturday on the main stage, play at VFWs in the 1990s.
"The nostalgia runs deep," Cocola said. "It's powerful, nostalgia, and I'm here for all of it."
Cooperative weather
Three stages were set up along the beach. Shortly past the general admission entrance at Kentucky Avenue were two stages — the Boot Stage and Thimble Stage. Keeping with the Monopoly board theme, the main stage was dubbed the Top Hat Stage and was backed up against the north side of the Playground Pier.
Single-day tickets started at $189 for more than 11 hours of music. Two-day packages started at $359. Many concert-goers said it was a great price for the festival, especially when comparing those prices to just seeing some of the major acts like Blink-182 and Paramore.
Jim Rude, 38, from the Poconos, and Ryan Collins, 39, of Easton, made the trek from Pennsylvania with a group of friends. Though they were happy with the price point, "it still wasn't $30 for Warped Tour," Rude said shortly after checking out I Am the Avalanche on one of the smaller stages Saturday afternoon.
"We got stupid lucky with the weather," Rude added.
There was plenty of room between the two stage areas for people to enjoy the beach, get refreshments and wander. Many found spots along the surf, enjoying a beach day in the 70-degree weather while listening to the music emanating from the stages on either end. It was more overcast Sunday with temps in the high 60s during the day.
"We just came by from listening to a couple bands over there (at the smaller stages) and migrating our way to the main stage," said Bryan Maganan, 23, of Rockland County, New York, who found a nice spot along the water with Gabby Cabral, 21, on Saturday.
Maganan had never been to Atlantic City, but Cabral came to the resort for the Warped Tour in 2019.
"This is the perfect way to start off the summer season, the relaxation and enjoying music with friends," Cabral added.
Mills and Wood, still lounging in their sand hole, found some enjoyment in people watching. Mills joked that much of the crowd didn't look like they were beach people.
"A lot of people dressed in their Doc Martens boots like they're going to an underground concert," said Wood, 29.
Few tried the cold water, some only dipping their toes in the ocean. Atlantic City Beach Patrol lifeguards were on-duty for anyone who went in.
"This is definitely my first time out in the sun this much in quite a long time," Mortwood joked."San Diego goes through a May grey, and then a blue June."
Ingrid Sitner, 27, of Staten Island, New York, wasn't turned off by the cold water. She had just gotten done taking a dip when she and Luca Lombardo, 27, decided to cuddle up by the ocean and listen to Rosenstock from the main stage Saturday.
"It was about as cold as I expected," Sitner said.
The two have been to several music festivals, but this was the first time Lombardo went to one on the beach, he said.
"It's a little different from the hard ground, that's for sure," Lombardo said.
Sitner wished the weekend had more of a festival atmosphere with more food options, games and merchandise.
"But we're having a great time," she added.
Across the generations
The Roncas, of Brigantine, were at the festival with their daughter Saturday and made their way back to the beach Sunday afternoon, ready to be front and center for Blink-182. Jeff Ronca praised the city and the event organizers for a fun-filled weekend.
They hoped Blink-182 would put on a performance, much like one of the band's hits, that could ask the elder Roncas, "What's My Age Again?"
"Seeing all ages come together and discovering new bands," Jeff said, "and sharing the music that we grew up with the next generation while discovering new music from groups we have never heard of is the best part of the festival."
I graduated from Rowan University in 2011 where I studied journalism. I've done everything from cover sports to news and have served as a copy editor and digital producer with The Press since July 2013.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account.
Estimated crowds of 20,000 attended both days of the Adjacent Festival on the Atlantic City beach, enjoying a lineup of bands performing on three stages. "You see a lot of people with their families here, sharing that music with the younger ones," said fan Joe Cocola, who grew up in North Jersey and lives in San Diego
Many of the bands, including Beach Bunny, seen performing Saturday, attracted millennial and Generation Z alternative rock fans, but concert-goers of all ages were evident.
Fans pack the area in front of the main stage of the Adjacent Festival near the Playground Pier to hear Beach Bunny perform Saturday in Atlantic City. Two other stages were set up to give fans plenty of listening options.
Bella Ronca, 15, center, of Brigantine, watches from the pit while the band Beach Bunny plays Saturday. Ronca's parents, Lisa and Jeff, attended the festival both days, looking forward especially to the performance of Sunday night's headliner, Blink-182. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/nostalgia-rules-the-vibe-at-adjacent-music-festival-in-atlantic-city/article_11835856-fce4-11ed-a821-eb456adfe10b.html | 2023-05-28T22:39:19 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/nostalgia-rules-the-vibe-at-adjacent-music-festival-in-atlantic-city/article_11835856-fce4-11ed-a821-eb456adfe10b.html |
FRISCO, Texas — More than 130 PGA Jr. League members on Saturday caught a glimpse of what's in store for their future golfing careers.
With the Senior PGA Championship happening this weekend at Frisco's newest golfing destination, it was the perfect opportunity for those junior golfers to watch some of the best play and tour the PGA of America's new headquarters.
The 2023 senior championship, which features the top over-50 players, was being held at the new Fields Ranch East course. A writer on the tournament's website described this weekend's event as "the first litmus test" for the Frisco course.
The boys and girls who attended the tournament got a chance to tour the area and take photos with the senior championship's Alfred S. Bourne trophy.
The PGA Jr. League is part of PGA of America's nonprofit PGA Reach foundation, which offers scholarships for children to join the league.
"PGA Jr. League's the future," John Lindert, president of PGA of America, said on Saturday. "... 70,000 kids last year. We're not just talking about kids playing golf now -- it's the future of the game."
"We're in a boom cycle right now for the game of golf. This facility in and of itself will continue to make the game of golf grow," Lindert said about the new Frisco headquarters. "The game is going to be growing faster and faster in this area."
According to the PGA, about 2,000 junior league golfers and coaches live and play in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Players and teams from the league will play at the new Frisco courses in October for the PGA Jr. League Championship. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/pga-jr-league-golfers-watch-senior-pga-championship-frisco-texas/287-58607e60-80eb-4a06-ad14-08d4fed42e5b | 2023-05-28T22:48:01 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/pga-jr-league-golfers-watch-senior-pga-championship-frisco-texas/287-58607e60-80eb-4a06-ad14-08d4fed42e5b |
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) — Two separate crashes, one involving a tractor-trailer, caused delays in both directions of Interstate 81 in Washington County Sunday evening, but those wrecks are now cleared.
According to the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) traffic map, a tractor-trailer crash was reported on I-81 North at mile marker 32 near Glade Spring. A statement from Virginia State Police (VSP) said the tractor-trailer ran off the roadway at around 4:04 p.m. and no injuries were reported. That crash remains under investigation, according to the VSP.
VDOT’s map said all northbound lanes were initially closed, but lanes have since opened back up. Less than a mile away on the southbound side, a separate crash had the left lane and left shoulder closed at the 32 mile marker, but according to VDOT, that crash has also been cleared. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/two-separate-crashes-causing-delays-on-i-81-in-washington-county-va/ | 2023-05-28T22:48:27 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/two-separate-crashes-causing-delays-on-i-81-in-washington-county-va/ |
ARKANSAS, USA — Fort Smith Native, Madison Marsh, was crowned Miss Colorado, on Saturday, May 27, and is now moving on to compete in Miss America, according to her social media.
Marsh will be adding to that title on Thursday when she graduates from the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) with a physics major, Representative Steve Womack said in a tweet. It doesn't stop there. Marsh recently shared on her Instagram, that she was accepted to Harvard Kennedy School where she will continue her studies.
Marsh is a 2019 graduate of Southside High School. Aside from being a USAFA cadet, she is also the president and co-founder of The Whitney Marsh Foundation (WMF) according to the website. The WMF is a non-profit organization made in honor of her late mother who died of pancreatic cancer, the website says. Marsh uses this as her platform to bring awareness to the disease.
Believe it or not, she actually has free time. The WMF website says Marsh loves to "fly planes, cook lots of desserts like her mom," and as you can see, "compete in pageants".
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/fort-smith-native-crowned-miss-colorado-arkansas-madison-marsh-ar/527-7d939153-4735-4687-8a06-dcee78151f80 | 2023-05-28T22:50:14 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/fort-smith-native-crowned-miss-colorado-arkansas-madison-marsh-ar/527-7d939153-4735-4687-8a06-dcee78151f80 |
VANCOUVER, Wash. — Building a multi-billion dollar bridge to replace the Interstate Bridge is an enormous project that starts with a great deal of planning and efforts to get people on board.
We've already seen some 3D design drawings that show a few possibilities of what may be to come for the I-5 Columbia River crossing. But at a Thursday meeting of top players from both sides of the river, we got the most realistic look yet at possible bridge designs, from several angles.
There are six designs in all, including single level, double deck (or stacked) — and yes, a lift-span version too.
Interstate Bridge Replacement Program Administrator Greg Johnson said they are well past the first step in a long process, but these designs are not set in stone.
"Not final design, but this is showing possible bridge configurations and bridge types so that folks can start thinking about the tradeoffs with different configurations,” said Johnson.
So what types of bridges are these? The single deck bridges vary, from one that will remind you of the Glen Jackson bridge on I-205 to two others with decks held up by cables; one where the cables are exposed and another "finback" version, where the cables are encased in concrete housings. Both are low profile to accommodate air traffic.
And then there is the version most partners connected to the IBR program want to avoid: a lift-span version, to accommodate a U.S. Coast Guard request, designed just in case ship clearance requirements can't be worked out.
“And finally, the two-level configuration. It saves on width and overall impact, but it also has trade-offs for people's experiences if they're walking, riding bikes or on light rail,” said Johnson.
That's because those users would be on the somewhat enclosed lower deck of that bridge design.
Choosing a bridge type is not likely tp happen until February of next year. For now, these models are out for the public's viewing and opinions. As for the program administrator, he's not about to tip the scale.
“I like them all, I think all of them have a lot of positive attributes,” said Johnson. "If any one of those are chosen, I think the area will be proud of what is built over the Columbia River."
The IBR Program has the visualization renderings online, and also a calendar of upcoming community meetings, including a Vancouver Neighborhood Forum on May 31 and a Portland Neighborhood Forum on June 6. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/interstate-bridge-replacement-design-renderings/283-f7cc3cb6-05d1-4e23-baf2-a56649ed2186 | 2023-05-28T22:50:20 | 0 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/interstate-bridge-replacement-design-renderings/283-f7cc3cb6-05d1-4e23-baf2-a56649ed2186 |
TONIGHT: An isolated shower possible along and south of I-20. Otherwise, becoming clear and comfortably cool again. Lows in the upper 50s and low 60s.
MEMORIAL DAY: Fantastic weather to round out the holiday weekend. Temperatures start out in the upper 50s in the morning, warming into the upper 70s into mid-afternoon. We’ll keep the rain chance off the board, although I suppose it’s theoretically possible a rogue shower could pop up somewhere in the state. Any overall chance of rain would be less than 10%.
TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY: Humidity and temperatures trend up. With that, isolated showers and storms return. Somewhat similar to Monday, I just don’t see enough to put a formal rain chance on Tuesday. Still, it wouldn’t shock me to see one shower pop up somewhere in Alabama. The odds of that happening in any one spot are just too low to include in the forecast. By Wednesday, enough moisture is in place to support a 10% chance of rain.
THURSDAY-SUNDAY: Shower and storm coverage increase through the end of the week. Not everyone sees rain every day, but hit-or-miss showers and storms will be a bit more plentiful from Thursday through the weekend. Highest rainfall totals will likely be south of Birmingham.
Storm Team 7 Day
Be sure to follow the CBS 42 Storm Team:
Follow Us on Facebook: Chief Meteorologist Ashley Gann, Meteorologist Dave Nussbaum, Meteorologist Michael Haynes and Meteorologist Alex Puckett | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/nice-memorial-day-rain-chances-trending-up-next-week/ | 2023-05-28T23:01:04 | 0 | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/nice-memorial-day-rain-chances-trending-up-next-week/ |
Mary Ann Long seemed amazed within moments of arriving at the Northeast Indiana Iris Society’s showcase of more than 100 irises in downtown Fort Wayne.
Long paused Sunday at a table of tall bearded irises near the entrance and turned to her companion with a question.
“You ever see one black before?” Long asked, referring to the variety labeled “black mirror.”
That flower was unique to the show, which featured about 110 irises of various types and colors. Entries included the varieties “peebee and jay,” an iris with coloring akin to peanut butter and jelly; “autumn tease,” which has yellow and orange tones; and “magical encounter,” which is pink.
“No other flowers come in such variety of colors,” said Alvie Bebertz of the local iris group. “They’re God’s flowers.”
Entry to the three-hour show was included in admission at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory. The local iris society holds the annual event to educate the public about the flower and recruit members.
“You have to have a passion for it,” Lana Wolfe, a longtime member and current president.
Wolfe showed multiple irises, including an example of the “high octane” variety. Its coloring is red brown with patches of yellow. Wolfe said it’s particularly striking in bright light.
“The gold just jumps out at you,” she said.
A self-described flower fanatic, Wolfe said she enjoys growing flowers from seed, as does Brian Wendel, the local group’s vice president.
“He grows things to perfection,” Wolfe said. “He has impeccable gardens.”
Wendel shared tips for beginning iris gardeners. Start with good soil, he said, and give the flowers attention without overly pampering them.
“Have fun and enjoy the process,” Wendel added, noting that irises are relatively easy to grow.
Some attendees, including Long, indicated they don’t grow irises. Long appreciates those who do.
“We look forward to coming to this,” she said.
Long added that she and her companion also planned to see the conservatory’s butterfly exhibit, which ends June 25, during their visit.
“It’s a win-win,” she said. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/irises-flaunt-their-colors-at-the-botanical-conservatory/article_b8ca1f10-fd88-11ed-9b9e-1b749dbfc463.html | 2023-05-28T23:14:48 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/irises-flaunt-their-colors-at-the-botanical-conservatory/article_b8ca1f10-fd88-11ed-9b9e-1b749dbfc463.html |
BEDFORD, Va. – Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears visited the historic Washington Baptist Church in Bedford Sunday morning.
She was honored for service in the military and to the community by the church and the Virginia Alliance for Women.
The lieutenant governor served in the Marine Corps from 1983 to 1986.
She spoke about the importance of recognizing the men and women who gave their lives in service of our country.
“We stand on the shoulders of giants and I believe that these men understood what they were doing was preserving America for the next generation and as Martin Luther King Jr. once said it is not the insults of his enemies that he would remember but the silence of his friends and so we don’t wanna be silent when it comes to honoring those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. It must be remembered,” Sears said.
Lieutenant Governor Sears will take part in a Memorial Day ceremony Monday at Greenwood Cemetery. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/28/lt-gov-winsome-sears-honored-at-bedfords-washington-baptist-church/ | 2023-05-28T23:18:48 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/05/28/lt-gov-winsome-sears-honored-at-bedfords-washington-baptist-church/ |
Michigan sues contractor over excavation projects allegedly violating state law
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has sued a Montrose man, alleging he repeatedly violated environmental protection laws during excavation projects across lower Michigan despite warnings from regulators.
In a lawsuit filed in Ingham County Circuit Court, state attorneys listed a series of dredging, excavation and pond construction projects undertaken by Scott Schlicht that raised red flags for EGLE inspectors.
Inspectors said Schlicht discharged sediment into waterways without authorization, built ponds without acquiring the necessary permits and placed dredged material in wetlands. Those actions violated the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, state attorneys said.
"Michigan is home to world-class natural resources, but that will only continue to be true as long as we defend them," Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement on Friday. "When people break the law and pollute our land and waterways, my office will take action to strongly enforce our environmental protection laws."
Schlicht is president of Schlicht Excavating Inc., which operates online as pondperfection.com, according to a release from the Attorney General's Office. Schlicht could not immediately be reached for comment.
The 12 projects highlighted in the state's lawsuit were conducted between 2017 and 2021 in Genesee, Jackson, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, Roscommon, and Washtenaw counties.
In Macomb County's Washington Township, Schlicht allegedly was hired to build a swim area on Cusick Lake by placing 15 cubic yards of sand within a 40-foot by 20-foot area. The permit explicitly said no dredging was allowed, but an EGLE inspector found in 2020 that an area of the lake had been excavated.
EGLE inspectors found another apparent violation in Clarkston in 2021, according to the lawsuit. An inspector observed the unauthorize construction of a pond on Oak Hill Road and saw dredge spoils had been placed within a regulated wetland, which violates state law. Schlicht was the contractor on that project.
EGLE attorneys said the court can compel Schlicht to comply with the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act and assess a civil fine of up to $5,000 per day he violates the act's Part 301, which regulates inland lakes and streams, and $10,000 per day of violation of Part 303, which regulates wetlands.
ckthompson@detroitnews.com | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/05/28/michigan-sues-contractor-over-excavation-projects-allegedly-violating-state-law/70262305007/ | 2023-05-28T23:18:55 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/05/28/michigan-sues-contractor-over-excavation-projects-allegedly-violating-state-law/70262305007/ |
United Way awards 30 Oakland County summer youth programs $4.8M in grants
Southfield — United Way for Southeastern Michigan, with Oakland County officials, will award $4.8 million in grants this summer to 30 organizations that paused or reduced social and academic enrichment programming for children and teens during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Officials estimate the grants will reach 11,820 children ages 18 and under in community and school settings. Children have begun returning to a "new normal" since the pandemic began, but learning delays have been reported by educators and parents, County Executive David Coulter said at a news conference Thursday.
"There has been a learning delay since COVID, and what I would call a social and emotional adjustment for kids that were at home and weren't socializing with each other, especially the younger kids," Coulter said. "It's hard enough to be a kid, but to be a kid that went through COVID and now to try to navigate what that looks like is really tough."
The county is allocating $4.8 million of its American Rescue Plan funds to the grants, which range from $30,000 to $400,000 and will continue educational, social and emotional programming during the summer months, Coulter said.
Recipients were chosen in conjunction with United Way for Southeastern Michigan, a social services organization, and range from the city of Pontiac and the YMCA to the Detroit Zoo and Lawrence Technological University. Programming includes tutoring, summer camps, kindergarten roundup, college readiness and support for neurodiverse students.
"The learning loss that accompanied widespread school closings and extended periods of remote learning has been widely discussed," said Tonya Adair, chief people equity and engagement officer at United Way. "Not surprisingly, students in lower-income districts with fewer resources were hit the hardest. ... Learning opportunities for time spent outside of the school will play a vital role in helping them to recover."
The funding was announced at Lawrence Tech, which received a program expansion grant for its high school summer camps. The grant will help 100 students from Hazel Park, Holly Township, Keego Harbor, Madison Heights, Oak Park, Pontiac, Southfield, Walled Lake, Wixom and Royal Oak Township attend any of the university's 20 weekly camps for free.
"They are programs ranging from all of our four colleges, so all the majors you could possibly think of in engineering; architecture and design; data analytics; science; chemistry," said Lisa Kujawa, vice president of enrollment management and outreach at Lawrence Tech. "The idea is for students, sophomores, juniors and seniors to explore their passion."
All of the youth recreation centers in Pontiac were shut down during the city's period of emergency management, and youth recreation enrichment programming largely declined, said Mayor Tim Greimel. The city will see nearly $400,000 in grant funding, which will be used for sports and athletic activities as well as art, music and entrepreneurship classes, Greimel said.
The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit, which has four locations in Oakland County will receive a grant that will help 2,129 kids across the county at the YMCA's program site and summer camps.
"We're going to focus on academic enrichment, recreation, outdoor education, social-emotional learning and activities while spending most of the days in nature," said Kyle Anderson, vice president of operations at the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit. "We'll also be offering family fun nights at our YMCAs that are free to the community, where we work on family art workshops ... family Zumba, yoga and other activities."
hmackay@detroitnews.com | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2023/05/28/oakland-co-summer-youth-programs-awarded-million-grant/70257269007/ | 2023-05-28T23:19:01 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2023/05/28/oakland-co-summer-youth-programs-awarded-million-grant/70257269007/ |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Many people honor their late loved ones, including those that served our county, Memorial Day weekend.
The American Legion placed American flags at veteran grave sites in Wichita. They had help from volunteers to cover three different cemeteries with about 2,000 flags.
“So, it does make you ponder and think about, it brings it home, I mean this the final resting place for these folks, and it’s kind of a real, real feeling of to look down and see that on a headstone,” John Tilton said.
The American Legion says the true meaning of Memorial Day is to remember the sacrifices for freedom the service men and women make, along with their families. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/american-legion-places-flags-at-veteran-grave-sites/ | 2023-05-28T23:29:03 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/american-legion-places-flags-at-veteran-grave-sites/ |
AUGUSTA - The team at old fort western has once again opened its doors for memorial day weekend. They're offering a glimpse into what life could have been like nearly 300 hundred years ago.
Stan Novak and Sage Viets-Aughton are historic interpreters at the fort, not reenactors, which, according to Novak, is an important distinction.
"I'm not a reenactor. I'm a historic interpreter who only does reenacting when I have to" says Novak.
Both give tours around the fort to provide insight into what life was like in Colonial America and they spare no details.
The interpreters cover information ranging from table manners to ammunition variations.
With so many different aspects of historical life, it's not surprising to know different guests will come for different topics according to Novak.
Novak says, "A lot of them come here because they're history buffs. A lot of them come through because they're Arnold enthusiasts. A lot of people just because they like earlier history. A lot of them come for the account books."
Viets-Aughton says parents can often turn the family trip into a lesson about more than just history.
"I hear parents all the time talking to their kids who add 'Oh that was the days. Oh you wouldn't have been on your phone then' and I'm like, well of course not. But you needed to survive and you need to survive now too," says Viets-Aughton, "It's not to say there aren't good things to take away. It's important to know how we got to where we are now. That includes the hard work. That includes the fun".
Old fort western is currently open Friday through Monday, 10 A.M. To 4 P.M.
For more details, visit here. | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/local/old-fort-western-opens-for-2023-season/article_f9deca32-fda6-11ed-95f8-abb90497f5cc.html | 2023-05-28T23:46:41 | 1 | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/local/old-fort-western-opens-for-2023-season/article_f9deca32-fda6-11ed-95f8-abb90497f5cc.html |
CLARKS GREEN, Pa. — While it may have looked like a typical service at the Servant Church in Clarks Green, many veterans and military families filled the pews for a special sermon ahead of Memorial Day.
Including Gina and Jay Jayne, who met during their time in Germany while in the Army.
“The service is for all veterans, first responders, and it just gives them a feeling of hope,” said Gina Jayne from Newton Township.
The Jaynes planned this church service and invited Sergeant Carlos Evans to give service men and women that feeling of hope.
Sergeant Evans came home from his deployment in Afghanistan without his legs and his left hand after stepping on an IED.
Today, the Marine Corps Chaplin shared what Memorial Day means to him.
“So it's very important to bring awareness, especially to the young generation, that the freedom we are enjoying today has a price,” explained Sergeant Carlos Evans, U.S. Marine Corps.
One of the goals of his sermon was to make sure service men and women feel seen.
“40% are veterans in the community. And they're amazing because they not only serve their community, but their church and their families, they are so involved,” Gina Jayne added.
Sergeant Evans hopes sharing his near-death experience will encourage other veterans to open up about their stories too.
“There's purpose in our scars. That we're not victims of our tears. That we have a purpose, we have opportunity, to look at yourself the way God sees you,” he mentioned.
And help others who may not know someone in the armed forces understands the sacrifices military personnel make.
“Today, I'm touching more people with only one hand than when I had two. I'm leaving more footprints in people's lives than when I had feet. There's no excuse to touch someone, to change their lives,” explained Sergeant Evans.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/lackawanna-county-church-honors-military-members-servant-church-clarks-green-jay-jayne-gina-carlos-evans/523-7ea4837c-01f3-443f-8986-d38cc09a6e0b | 2023-05-28T23:49:19 | 0 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/lackawanna-county-church-honors-military-members-servant-church-clarks-green-jay-jayne-gina-carlos-evans/523-7ea4837c-01f3-443f-8986-d38cc09a6e0b |
LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — An animal shelter in Luzerne County is treating a severely malnourished dog found in Lake Township.
The dog was found Sunday morning wandering in Lake Township near Harveys Lake and brought to Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge in Dallas.
Officials with Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge say this is the worst case of malnourishment they have ever seen.
Blue Chip is asking anyone with information on the dog's owner to contact them at (570) 333-5265.
Anyone who would like to help the dog can donate to Blue Chip by clicking here.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/animal-shelter-treating-malnourished-dog-found-in-luzerne-county-lake-township-harveys-lake-blue-chip-farm-animal-refuge/523-7fd0da32-e473-465f-9849-58a745b22d16 | 2023-05-28T23:49:25 | 0 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/animal-shelter-treating-malnourished-dog-found-in-luzerne-county-lake-township-harveys-lake-blue-chip-farm-animal-refuge/523-7fd0da32-e473-465f-9849-58a745b22d16 |
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Disney's live-action Little Mermaid hit the big screens this weekend, and one group made sure there was more than one Little Mermaid in the audience.
A local chapter of the national group Win With Black Women bought out three entire theaters at the AMC in Owings Mills over the weekend.
They made sure everyone who wanted to see the movie got a chance.
It's one of the first live action Disney movies to have a Black princess, and the group said it's important for young Black girls to see themselves represented.
"I'm excited as well as a lot of these young ladies cause if I had this, I would have made a lot of different decisions had I seen a girl who looked like me playing the Little Mermaid," said Danyell Winkey-Smith, a member of Win With Black Women.
They also made sure every girl felt like a princess with a red carpet, photo booth, and toy giveaway. | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/local-win-with-black-women-chapter-rents-out-theaters-for-free-screening-of-the-little-mermaid | 2023-05-28T23:53:48 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/local-win-with-black-women-chapter-rents-out-theaters-for-free-screening-of-the-little-mermaid |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.