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ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A man with a gunshot wound walked into a 7-Eleven store early Thursday in Orange County, according to sheriff’s officials.
Deputies responded around 4:15 a.m. to the store on South Orange Blossom Trail near 39th Street, where the man in his 30s was located.
He was taken to the hospital, but deputies did not release information on his condition.
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The sheriff’s office said, “no crime scene has been established and there is no suspect information.”
No other details have been released.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more information as we receive it.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/06/15/man-with-gunshot-wound-walks-into-7-eleven-in-orange-county/ | 2023-06-15T11:49:34 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/06/15/man-with-gunshot-wound-walks-into-7-eleven-in-orange-county/ |
HANOVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A fire at a recycling center prompted a big response in Luzerne County. It is at the GFL Environmental Recycling Center on Breaker Road in Hanover Township.
The fire started around 3 AM and firefighters from across the county were called to the fire.
The fire chief says there are piles and piles of plastic and cardboard so the fire can be "deeply embedded" in the materials.
There was a very similar fire at the center a little more than a year ago. The fire chief also says they just got done rebuilding. Last time it took two and a half days to get the fire out because it has to be dug through with heavy machinery.
See news happening? Call our Newstip Hotline. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/fire-recycling-center-in-luzerne-county-flames-smoke-digging-out/523-bf05f219-9a0d-4e50-9b88-50cd91837cbb | 2023-06-15T11:57:12 | 0 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/fire-recycling-center-in-luzerne-county-flames-smoke-digging-out/523-bf05f219-9a0d-4e50-9b88-50cd91837cbb |
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Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/uber-driver-shot-as-bullet-narrowly-misses-passenger/3586167/ | 2023-06-15T12:06:01 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/uber-driver-shot-as-bullet-narrowly-misses-passenger/3586167/ |
WAVERLY – Two hundred Nestlé employees and their families will celebrate Friday as the Waverly beverage factory marks 100 years in operation.
Mayor Adam Hoffman, Factory Manager Katrina Lucas, and Nestlé Zone North America Chief Technical Officer Detlef Krost are prepared to address workers at 10:30 a.m. at the facility.
“We’re extremely proud to celebrate 100 years of contributing to Nestlé’s beverage business as well as the local Waverly community,” said Lucas in response to emailed questions. “For the past century, our factory has been able to evolve to meet changing consumer needs — from pioneering instant milk in 1955 to supporting 128 different SKUs today, including 35 million pounds of Nesquik yearly.
“As the eighth-largest employer in Waverly, the Nestlé factory is committed to its role as an economic driver of the community. Our people are what has led to our success over the years, and their dedication to creating the best possible products for our consumers.”
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The journey began when Carnation Company was founded in 1899 in Kent, Washington, and began operations in Waverly as a small condensery in 1923.
Fresh milk was initially received from local dairy farms and processed into evaporated milk, and 30 years later, the company pioneered and marketed instant milk. Over time, more products were developed, more infrastructure was built and more processes were added.
The list of products grew to include Coffee Mate, Instant Breakfast, Hot Cocoa, Nesquik, Nestea and Ovaltine.
The early 1980s brought about significant changes to the operation as multiple smaller facilities were combined to form a single complex. New warehousing, truck docks, and a maintenance wing were added to accommodate continuing growth.
Carnation was purchased by Nestlé in 1985 to become part of the world’s largest food company. After Nestlé appraised the Carnation facilities for future capital investments, Waverly was eventually selected to become a major manufacturing site.
The factory, at 70 Sixth Ave. N.W., covers nearly 500,000 square feet, and now houses four processing lines and eight packaging lines. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/business/waverly-nestle-factory-open-for-100-years/article_af3422bc-09fd-11ee-b995-8b824d5a46e5.html | 2023-06-15T12:14:37 | 1 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/business/waverly-nestle-factory-open-for-100-years/article_af3422bc-09fd-11ee-b995-8b824d5a46e5.html |
Waverly-Shell Rock senior Anna Stromberg scores on a penalty kick to put the Go-Hawks ahead 1-0 against Pella in a Class 2A Girls’ Soccer semifinal on Friday, June 2 at Des Moines.
WAVERLY – Superintendent Ed Klamfoth will receive an $11,511 increase in benefits following the June 5 school board meeting, bringing his total salary to $273,113.
The raise is part of a 4.4% total package increase, $9,614 going directly toward Klamfoth’s salary. The other 16.5% of the raise value goes toward benefits, the most significant increases occurring in IPERS and Social Security.
The 4.4% increase is consistent with the raises approved for 13 other Waverly-Shell Rock faculty, including four principals and a variety of supervisors and coordinators for the district.
Last year, Klamfoth received a 3.5% package increase.
According to Board President Dennis Epley, the Waverly-Shell Rock Board of Education had been performing quarterly evaluations of Klamfoth for the past year, the most recent occurring in February.
“Our discussion centered around the superintendent’s professional goals for the current year and their relationship to the board’s goals and the district’s goals,” Epley said.
“The results of the evaluation, while not open to public disclosure, were all positive,” he said.
The school board and superintendent are working on establishing a new set of goals for the 2023-2024 school year. The draft language for the five goals includes providing meaningful student learning, providing a safe and supportive environment for students and staff, planning for state-of-the-art facilities, recruiting, retaining and supporting quality staff and ensuring the fiscal health of the district in the present and future.
In other business, the board approved the administration of the Diercks and Grekow scholarship endowments, consisting of $50,000 each. The money was transferred to the Waverly-Shell Rock Education Fund to be administered annually as scholarships.
Photos: Waverly-Shell Rock girls soccer vs. Dallas Center-Grimes in Class 2A championship | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/education/waverly-shell-rock-school-board-gives-superintendent-raise/article_8dd00e82-06f7-11ee-a92f-1b1418cfb5af.html | 2023-06-15T12:14:43 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/education/waverly-shell-rock-school-board-gives-superintendent-raise/article_8dd00e82-06f7-11ee-a92f-1b1418cfb5af.html |
News Tribune, June 15, 1983
- The Duluth-Superior metropolitan area has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, according to April statistics from the U.S. Labor Department. The Duluth-Superior unemployment rate of 20.4% translates into 22,733 unemployed people in St. Louis and Douglas counties during April.
- Tomorrow, members of the Lakeshore Bypass Committee plan to file their lawsuit that challenges the extension of Interstate 35 through downtown Duluth. The suit will question the validity of state and federal studies on the environmental effects of the freeway extension.
News Tribune, June 15, 1923
- A memorial tablet was unveiled yesterday at Fond du Lac in commemoration of the pioneers who settled on the spot where Daniel Greysolon Sieur Du Lhut once camped. The tablet is erected on a huge granite boulder which rests on a concrete base.
- An organized campaign against speeders has been inaugurated by residents of Billings Park in Superior. Ever since 21st Street was paved to Billings Park, residents say the road has been a veritable speedway, with cars sometimes traveling at 50 or 60 miles per hour. | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/bygones-40-years-ago-22-733-were-unemployed-in-st-louis-and-douglas-counties | 2023-06-15T12:19:38 | 0 | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/bygones-40-years-ago-22-733-were-unemployed-in-st-louis-and-douglas-counties |
Rainbows and Revelry: Indy’s LGBTQ+ community celebrates pride
Hours before the Indy Pride Parade kicked off Saturday, June 10, 2023, the sidewalks along Mass Ave. were already full. People clad in colorful clothing packed the parade route to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.
Flags, fans, candy, beaded necklaces and more were tossed into the crowd as parade floats passed by.
The festivities continued into the evening at Indy Pride Festival at Military Park, where people took in performances and visited food and merchandise vendors.
“Indy Pride was an opportunity to come together with a diverse group of people to celebrate everyone’s uniqueness,” Sophia Payne said. “I loved experiencing Indy come together as one. I was there to give and receive love, which I certainly did.”
Victoria Mariani and their partner have been nomads for the past seven years and have been to pride parades from San Francisco, San Diego, Boston and now Indianapolis. But many people said today was their first pride event and were happy to be there to show support and be together with so many other people.
Deborah Cox, one of the main stage headliners, ended her performance emphasizing the importance of voting and addressing the more than 20 bills that affected topics such as gender-affirming care.
“If your vote affects the way I live my life, you better change your vote,” Cox said. | https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/see-photos-indianapolis-pride-parade-festival/70316955007/ | 2023-06-15T12:20:02 | 1 | https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/see-photos-indianapolis-pride-parade-festival/70316955007/ |
Buddy Guy, 9 p.m. Friday, Ovation Hall, Ocean Casino Resort.
Guy, 86, a Louisiana native, has had a 70-year musical career. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member’s newest album is “The Blues Don’t Lie,” which was released in September.
The blues singer and guitarist performed a concert earlier this month in Brazil where he played songs that included “Damn Right, I’ve Got The Blues,” “She’s Nineteen Years Old” and “I Let My Guitar Do the Talking” from his latest album. The tour is called “Damn Right Farewell.”
Tickets are $29, $49, $59 and $79 and are available at ticketmaster.com.
Nancy Wilson’s Heart, 8 p.m. Friday, Sound Waves, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.
A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a recipient of multiple Grammy Awards, Nancy Wilson, 69, a California native, is a guitarist and one of the vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s pop-rock band Heart.
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Wilson released her solo debut album, “You and Me,” in 2021.
Nancy Wilson’s Heart group features vocalist Kimberly Nichole as well as touring members drummer Ben Smith, guitarist Ryan Waters, bassist Andy Stoller and keyboardist Dan Walker, blabbermouth.net said. Smith and Waters also worked with Wilson in her Roadcase Royale side project.
During a show earlier this month in Ontario, Canada, Wilson played the Heart songs “Straight On,” “These Dreams,” “Even It Up,” “Crazy on You,” “Barracuda” and “Mistral Wind.”
Tickets are $49, $69 and $89 and are available at ticketmaster.com.
Diplo, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, HQ2 Beachclub, Ocean Casino Resort.
A three-time Grammy-winning producer and DJ, Diplo, 44, of Mississippi, has collaborated with major artists Skrillex, Major Lazer, Labrinth and more.
Diplo is known for blending multiple genres and his hit tunes “Where Are U Now” with Justin Bieber, “Electricity” with Dua Lipa and “Heartless” featuring Morgan Wallen.
Diplo’s fourth full-length studio album was self-titled and released in March 2022. During a show in October, Diplo played songs that included “Right 2 Left” (with Mele featuring Busta Rhymes); “Heartless”; and “Don’t Forget My Love” (with Miguel).
Tickets are $70 and $80 and are available at ticketweb.com. The event is 21 and over.
Any ticket holder unable to present valid identification indicating they are at least 21 years old will not be admitted and will not be eligible for a refund.
The Platters with The Coasters and The Drifters Revue, 9 p.m. Saturday, The Grand, Golden Nugget Atlantic City.
The three vocal groups will perform a nostalgic collection of doo-wop and R&B classics, including “Only You,” “Yakety Yak,” “This Magic Moment,” “Under The Boardwalk” and many more from the 1950s and 1960s.
Tickets are $39 and $49 and are available at ticketmaster.com.
Sunil Grover: Lol Tour, 8 p.m. Saturday, Sound Waves, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.
Grover is a renowned comedian, actor and television host in India, known for his iconic characters on popular comedy shows.
Tickets are $65, $71, $95 and $150 and are available at ticketmaster.com.
RuPaul’s Drag Race Werq The World Tour 2023, 8 p.m. Saturday, Showroom, Tropicana Atlantic City.
Asia O’Hara, Laganja Estranja, Lady Camden, Bosco, Rose, DeJa Skye and select Season 15 finalists are unknowingly trapped in the Netwerq. Free your mind at the world’s largest drag production. Age 18 and over admission only.
Tickets are $153, $203, $223, $233 and $253 and are available at ticketmaster.com.
Euphoria Variety Show, 4 p.m. Sunday, Sound Waves, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.
Featuring a dynamic cast of talented performers, the Euphoria variety show takes patrons on a journey through comedy, dance and music.
Tickets are $29 and are available at ticketmaster.com.
Magical Mystery Doors, 4 p.m. Sunday, Ovation Hall, Ocean Casino Resort.
This tribute act blends the music of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and The Doors to create something new and unique. Tickets $29. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/casinos/atlantic-city-casino-headliners-for-the-weekend-of-june-16-2023/article_8d921eda-0a01-11ee-8868-9b9d1086e591.html | 2023-06-15T12:23:42 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/casinos/atlantic-city-casino-headliners-for-the-weekend-of-june-16-2023/article_8d921eda-0a01-11ee-8868-9b9d1086e591.html |
Chuck Donohue wishes he could coach for another 50 years.
The Southern Regional High School football team talked this week with enthusiasm about the Rams’ first offseason practice Monday night.
He noticed how many players were bigger, stronger and faster after a winter of weightlifting and a spring of outdoor track and field.
It’s that type of passion that keeps the 74-year-old Donohue going. This will be season No. 50 for him.
“Once you can’t put the time in that you’re asking others to put in, then it’s time to get out,” Donohue said. “I just haven’t reached that point. I’ve been very lucky health-wise and have a supportive family that bends with what I have to do when I have to do it.”
Donohue is one of the most respected high school coaches in any sport in New Jersey. On Sunday night, he received the Dr. John Bateman Education Award during the 42nd Phil Simms North/South All-Star football game at Kean University.
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Bateman coached Rutgers from 1960-1972. The award was created to honor coaches who do more than just win games. It recognizes coaches who act as mentors, teachers, role models and part-time dads to players.
“He was an extremely successful coach with a great reputation,” Donohue said of Bateman. “To win an award (named) after somebody like that adds a little to it. It also shows that I’m old and starting to run out of a little bit of time.”
Donohue’s career record is 272-201-4. His head-coaching life began at St. Joseph in Hammonton in 1974. He coached at Haddon Heights and Buena Regional before taking over at Southern Regional in 1998.
“I love the game. I love everything about it,” Donohue said. “I think it’s a great classroom for kids. They learn things out there about teamwork and sacrifice and putting the team before yourself — a lot of things they don’t learn in other areas of life. I believe strongly in football as a great experience for kids.”
Donohue led Buena to the 1988 South Jersey Group II championship but is now best known for his time at Southern. The Rams reached the 2008 South Jersey Group IV final and the 2012 South Jersey Group V final under Donohue.
“If you had told me I was going to be at Southern for 20 or 25 years when I came, I probably would have said that won’t happen,” he said. “But it’s a great place with tremendous support, from the board to the town to the administration to the faculty. Everybody just roots for each other and pulls for each other and works together really well.”
Over the years, Donohue has adapted his offensive and defensive systems to the talent of the players he has. He admits football is not the same game today than it was when he started coaching. Donohue has always been a fervent believer in attending offseason clinics. Nowadays, each week of the offseason, he picks a topic and does a deep dive into that area.
“Over the years, it’s become easier with the internet,” he said. “The information that is available is a lot easier to get. You can do a lot more from home. I just think you have to stay on top of things. The game changes every single year so much more than people realize.”
Few coaches today have lasted as long as Donohue. What makes his longevity even more impressive is that it’s going to become rarer and rarer.
These days high school sports take a toll on coaches. Pressure from parents, athletes and school boards hound coaches on the sidelines. It’s hard to envision anyone emulating Donohue by starting a head coaching career in 2023 and then still be coaching in 2073.
Donohue often hears one question: How much longer?
“The biggest thing is health,” he said. “That knocks a lot of guys out. As long as I’m doing all the things that I believe are important — you’re there in the weight room every day, you’re studying the game. You still have the drive to give your kids the best chance to win. Truthfully, I’d like to do it another 50 years.” | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/highschool/southern-regional-coaching-high-school-football/article_6a9effce-0ac9-11ee-b2b3-736ab75c1389.html | 2023-06-15T12:23:43 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/highschool/southern-regional-coaching-high-school-football/article_6a9effce-0ac9-11ee-b2b3-736ab75c1389.html |
LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — (AP) — A man wearing a ski mask opened fire at a southwest Florida home during a domestic disturbance Wednesday, leaving two people dead and the suspect and another person wounded, authorities said.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said at a news conference that deputies responded around 7 a.m. to the disturbance at a home in Lehigh Acres, just east of Fort Myers.
Yohani de Lazaro, 45, had arrived at the house wearing a ski mask and started a fight with a woman inside before opening fire, Marceno said. A man in the house was able to restrain De Lazaro while another woman called authorities, officials said.
Read: Volusia County sheriff issues ‘loser alert’ over hate group’s plan for Juneteenth
The sheriff said De Lazaro’s significant other lived at the residence, but officials didn’t immediately release the names of the two people who were killed or the other injured person. Two children at the home were unharmed, Marceno said.
Investigators haven’t released many details about the shooting, but Marceno said there were legal issues going on involving a domestic relationship.
Read: Cheers: Cheerwine cans now available at all Florida Publix stores
Officials didn’t immediately report any charges against De Lazaro, and online jail records didn’t show him to be in custody.
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/2-dead-2-hurt-shooting-florida-home-during-domestic-disturbance-sheriff-says/3RSSBPMXCVHGJJYDWHETMZCH74/ | 2023-06-15T12:24:15 | 1 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/2-dead-2-hurt-shooting-florida-home-during-domestic-disturbance-sheriff-says/3RSSBPMXCVHGJJYDWHETMZCH74/ |
TAMPA, Fla. — (AP) — Five dogs were killed in an RV fire the day before a dog show was set to begin in Florida, officials said.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
The fire was first reported Tuesday afternoon at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokesperson Rob Herrin said.
The American Kennel Club All-Breed Dog Show was scheduled to begin Wednesday at the fairgrounds and run through the weekend.
Bystanders reported seeing smoke coming from the RV’s vents and then attempted to get inside the car, but couldn’t because of the flames and smoke, Herrin said.
After firefighters extinguished the blaze, the RV owners told investigators that five boxers had been inside the vehicle.
Read: Suspect taken into custody after shootout at Sumter County truck stop
No humans were injured, officials said.
Investigators believe the fire was an accident, but they’re still narrowing down a specific cause, Herrin said.
Read: Volusia County sheriff issues ‘loser alert’ over hate group’s plan for Juneteenth
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/5-dogs-die-rv-fire-before-florida-dog-show-official-say/BGLVJG7KMNH7PMJKZRN7R3ZINI/ | 2023-06-15T12:24:16 | 0 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/5-dogs-die-rv-fire-before-florida-dog-show-official-say/BGLVJG7KMNH7PMJKZRN7R3ZINI/ |
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — (AP) — One of the longest-held inmates on Florida’s death row is set to be executed Thursday for two separate killings in 1984, the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old babysitter as two children in her care were sleeping and the other a hammer attack on a mother of two.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
Duane Owen is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at 6 p.m. EDT at Florida State Prison in Starke. He drew death sentences for the March 24, 1984, rape and stabbing attack on Karen Slattery, 14, and for the rape and killing of Georgianna Worden, 38, in May 1984, both in Palm Beach County.
Owen attacked two other women in Palm Beach County who survived. All four attacks occurred just before and after Owen’s 23rd birthday. Now 62, Owen is one of 293 people on Florida’s death row and one of the longest residing there. Besides his death sentences, he also received six life sentences.
If the lethal injection is carried out, it would be Florida’s fourth execution this year after none since 2019. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed each of the death warrants in the months before announcing he is running for president.
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Slattery was repeatedly stabbed and raped in a home in Delray Beach while two children in her care were sleeping.
Two months later, Worden was sleeping in her Boca Raton home when Owen struck her several times with a hammer and raped her. One of Worden’s children found her body the next morning while getting ready for school, according to court records.
Delray Beach and Boca Raton are both about 50 miles north of Miami, in Palm Beach County.
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Owen’s lawyers argued that he shouldn’t be executed on grounds of insanity. The state Supreme Court rejected his latest appeal last week and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected it Wednesday.
A defense psychologist testified earlier this month that Owen believes he absorbed the souls of his victims and that they still exist inside him. Owen’s lawyers had argued that he is schizophrenic and suffers from delusions.
Prosecutors argued that while Owen has mental health issues, nothing would preclude him from being executed because he’s aware it’s a punishment for his crimes. Psychiatrists for the state testified that Owen’s schizophrenia is an act that he discusses when being evaluated, but he otherwise shows no signs of the illness.
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And while the defense argued Owen has dementia and gender dysphoria, psychiatrists for the state said Owen has a good memory, doesn’t appear to present himself as female and that gender dysphoria doesn’t make people more aggressive or cause delusional thinking. They said instead, Owen is sexually sadistic, according to court records.
Owen’s mother died when he was 11 and his father took his own life when he was 13, court records indicate. They add that he was the victim of physical and sexual abuse as a child.
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/florida-set-execute-man-convicted-1984-murders-rapes-while-children-slept-nearby/IE6VNPTEZRAMBG4HOASYP2UORM/ | 2023-06-15T12:24:16 | 1 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/florida-set-execute-man-convicted-1984-murders-rapes-while-children-slept-nearby/IE6VNPTEZRAMBG4HOASYP2UORM/ |
Allen County Sheriff’s Department officers are investigating a three-vehicle crash that killed a man and injured two women Wednesday evening in Huntertown.
Police said they responded to the collision at the Indiana 3 and West Gump Road intersection about 6 p.m. and found the victims suffering from injuries.
Officers believe a SUV was traveling west on Gump when it hit another SUV headed south. A car stationary on the west side of the intersection was struck as well.
A man behind the wheel of the southbound SUV was taken to a hospital in critical condition, but later died, police said. They said the driver of the westbound SUV, a woman, and a woman passenger inside the southbound vehicle were taken to a hospital in serious condition.
The driver of the passenger car was not hurt. No further information was provided. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/1-dead-2-hurt-in-huntertown-crash/article_13979622-0b65-11ee-850d-5bb6ee92e7ce.html | 2023-06-15T12:26:50 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/1-dead-2-hurt-in-huntertown-crash/article_13979622-0b65-11ee-850d-5bb6ee92e7ce.html |
TIERRA VERDE, Fla. — Old toilets are now being used to help clean the water in Tampa Bay! It's a unique pilot program that's brought two local agencies together with the same goal of protecting the environment.
Tampa Bay Water has a program that encourages and even helps people conserve water. One of the ways the organization does that is by providing rebates for folks who get rid of their water-guzzling, old toilet and replace it with a high-efficiency one. But then, that old toilet winds up in a landfill, which is another problem altogether.
Recently, Amelia Brown, who works for Tampa Bay Water came up with a great idea.
"We approached Tampa Bay Watch to see if they'd be interested in using some crushed-up porcelain from old toilets to mix it into their concrete mixture, put it in the mold, and set it out in the water," Brown said. "And to our delight, they were excited to try this pilot program."
Eric Plage with Tampa Bay Watch says the old toilets became part of an artificial reef ball.
"An artificial reef ball is basically a half dome 150-200 pound piece of concrete with a hollow center and a lot of holes punched into the side in order to promote not only protection from wave action but grow oysters on those sides as well and allow kind of a honeycomb effect for fish and other animals to swim through," Plage said.
Brown explained why oysters are important. "Oysters are incredible for the environment. They help to clean the natural waterways."
But putting the reef balls together is no easy task, which is why Tampa Bay Watch regularly brings in volunteers to help. It's something Plage says they hope to keep doing.
"The oyster reef balls that have porcelain in them from the recycled toilets are doing well. They have barnacles, small oysters rooting to them just as we expected they would and the goal is in the future to continue to make these recycled toilet reef balls to have that be a percentage of the ones we're placing out in the bay." | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/tampa-bay-toilets-recycled-oyster-reefs/67-bd737b6a-a807-4d6f-8f0a-9c5cf2b696e6 | 2023-06-15T12:32:52 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/tampa-bay-toilets-recycled-oyster-reefs/67-bd737b6a-a807-4d6f-8f0a-9c5cf2b696e6 |
Average daily flows
Snake River at Jackson 291 cfs
Snake River at Palisades 11,851 cfs
Snake River at Heise 14,095 cfs
Snake River at Blackfoot 7,330 cfs
Snake River at American Falls 8,209 cfs
Snake River at Milner 0 cfs
Little Wood River near Carey 496 cfs
Jackson Lake is 76% full.
Palisades Reservoir is 96% full.
American Falls Reservoir is 94% full.
Upper Snake River system is at 91% of capacity.
As of June 14 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/average-daily-streamflows/article_43362cc6-0b16-11ee-951c-4f7c7a219444.html | 2023-06-15T12:45:55 | 1 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/average-daily-streamflows/article_43362cc6-0b16-11ee-951c-4f7c7a219444.html |
JEROME — At a ceremony on Wednesday morning, new Jerome County Commissioner Art Watkins was sworn in by 5th District Judge Rosemary Emory.
Watkins was appointed by Gov. Brad Little on Monday. He will serve the remaining term of former commissioner John Crozier, who stepped down in May.
Commission Chair Ben Crouch told the assembled crowd of well-wishers and witnesses that, during his interview for the position with the Jerome Republican Central Committee, Watkins discussed his 37 years of experience officiating football.
“I’d like to comment on what he said in that interview,” Crouch said, “because he said, ‘I was mostly right.’”
Following the ceremony, Watkins answered questions from the media.
As a former council member and mayor of Hazelton, Watkins told reporters that he had originally become involved in public service because he wanted to give back.
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“I felt like I should give back to the city if they wanted me, and that’s been a pleasure,” Watkins said in the interview.
Watkins said he would like to finish out his term, which ends in December, but attorneys are still looking in to whether he can hold both offices at once.
As commissioner, Watkins said he was excited to support the ventures on the east side, giving representation to Eden, Hazleton, and the rural communities. He also said he was eager to get to know more about the city of Jerome and the rest of the county.
Hazelton's Arthur Watkins has been appointed by Gov. Brad Little to the Jerome County Commission, filling the seat vacated by John Crozier in May. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/jerome-commissioner-art-watkins-sworn-in/article_dc7c148c-0ae3-11ee-8ed4-137650733bdc.html | 2023-06-15T12:46:01 | 0 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/jerome-commissioner-art-watkins-sworn-in/article_dc7c148c-0ae3-11ee-8ed4-137650733bdc.html |
Jerome County commissioners want to meet with Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Bradley Calbo next week to discuss his job status now that he is out of jail following felony charges related to a domestic dispute early this month in Oregon.
Calbo signed a release agreement on Tuesday and his next court date is Aug. 14.
Commissioners have been seeking input from the Idaho Attorney General’s office on how to deal with the matter. Jerome County Commission Chair Ben Crouch declined to say whether Calbo has been contacted or whether he has agreed to the meeting.
The meeting would be held in executive session, Crouch said.
Calbo’s whereabouts are uncertain. His release agreement in Oregon’s Lincoln Countysays he is not authorized to leave the state of Oregon without permission from the court, although his previous Jerome address has been crossed out in the document, with a new address in Jerome written in.
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Calbo, 54, has a protection order against him, saying he is not to have contact with the woman involved in the incident, her residence, or her place of employment.
He has retained attorney Marc W. Gunn, who didn’t return a phone call from the Times-News on Wednesday.
His next court date, an early resolution conference, is set for Aug. 14. The conferences are held between parties involved in domestic disputes.
Calbo was involved in a June 3 incident in Lincoln City, Oregon, in which the woman said he strangled her and committed other acts to place her “in fear of imminent serious physical injury,” the indictment obtained by the Times-News reads.
The woman made an audio recording of the alleged incident, which she played for police, reports say.
Calbo was appointed as Jerome’s prosecuting attorney last fall when former Prosecuting Attorney Mike Seib resigned from the position.
Deputy prosecutors are handling the prosecutor’s caseload during Calbo’s absence. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/jerome-county-commissioners-hope-to-meet-with-calbo/article_9397e7c0-0b09-11ee-8944-972b747ed635.html | 2023-06-15T12:46:07 | 0 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/jerome-county-commissioners-hope-to-meet-with-calbo/article_9397e7c0-0b09-11ee-8944-972b747ed635.html |
JEROME — Robert Sylvester Cook, 90, of Jerome, passed away May 7, 2023. A Vigil and Rosary will be held at 5:00 pm, Sunday, Father’s Day, June 18, 2023, at St. Jerome’s Catholic Church, 216 2nd Ave. E, Jerome. Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 am, Monday, June 19, 2023 at St. Jerome’s Catholic Church, followed by a luncheon reception in the church hall. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family on Bob’s memorial webpage at www.farnsworthmortuary.com.
Robert Sylvester Cook
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ORONO, Minn. — Only one woman has ever played in the National Hockey League and that was some 30 years ago.
But there's one girl from Orono, Minnesota who's hoping to change that and she's already breaking barriers out on the ice.
Lola Lamparske is just 10 years old but she already plays for several teams – some girls and some boys, sometimes up to four games a day. But she's always the team's goalie.
"If your goalie has a good game, you're most likely to have a good game," said Lamparkse. "Then it matters to be the best."
She's played the sport since she was 4 and her older brother, who also plays hockey, is her inspiration. While her mother is Lola's biggest cheerleader.
"I spend a ton of time at the rink," said Amy Lamparske. "We feel so blessed and frankly, Lola works harder than anybody on the ice."
It's only fitting that her fierceness means she'll set a record for Minnesota – making her the first girl from the state to play in the coveted Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament.
It's Canada's most famous youth hockey tournament and has been for three decades. The tournament is played right inside the mall in the city of Edmonton.
"Every year, it’s almost shocking to see how good the little 10-year-olds can be," said Minnesota's coach Bill Hengen. "But when they put their hockey gear on and they go out there and you watch them, you realize you’re really watching incredible natural talent."
Hengen has been Minnesota's head coach for five years, plucking 16 of the best players from all over the state, including Minnetonka, Edina, Eden Prairie and Orono where Lola is from.
"She's arguably our top goalie that we saw in the tryout," said Hengen. "And she's really won our coaching staff over."
There are 14 teams in the tournament – seven from Canada and seven from the United States. Minnesota has never won it yet, but never before has someone like Lola been playing.
"My hope is that by the time she's done with high school, women's hockey is in a different place," said Amy.
So far, the Premier Hockey Federation is the only women's professional league. It started in 2015 and now it has seven teams, including the Minnesota Whitecaps who are based out of Richfield.
Manon Rhéaume is also still the only woman to ever play in the NHL back in 1992, something Lola hopes to do one day too.
"Sometimes it matters to me as a girl because if you play with those boys now, then you can come to their level and play at the same level when they go to the NHL," said Lola.
The tournament starts on July 3 and runs through July 9. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/ten-year-old-girl-from-minnesota-is-breaking-barriers-on-the-ice-orono/89-370b2d44-05c9-4a35-907f-6803736db5f1 | 2023-06-15T12:46:46 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/ten-year-old-girl-from-minnesota-is-breaking-barriers-on-the-ice-orono/89-370b2d44-05c9-4a35-907f-6803736db5f1 |
A new ice cream stand has opened in Richmond at the former Sweet 95 and Suzy Sno spot.
Ellie’s Hot Dogs & Ice Cream has filled the walk-up sweet spot at 3312 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd.
Brandon Lewis left a 20 year career in the mortgage industry to launch Ellie’s.
“I figured it was time for a change. I wanted to do something that would put a smile on people’s faces,” Lewis said.
Ellie’s opened in early May, selling Hershey’s ice cream by the scoop, sundaes, milkshakes and all-beef and plant-based hot dogs. And pup cups too.
The ice cream stand is dog-and-family-friendly, and is named after the Lewis family dog, a one-and-a-half year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Ellie’s is counter service with a large covered deck that can seat up to 30.
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“It’s been real popular in the neighborhood with people walking or biking over. We also have a parking lot,” Lewis said. Ellie’s is located just off the entrance to Interstate 95, within walking distance to the North Side, Laburnum Park and Sherwood Park.
When deciding to make the leap to the restaurant industry, Lewis sought the advice of Vic Routsis, owner of Brick House Diner, which moved into the former Kitchen 64 spot last year. Kitchen 64 and Sweet 95 were previously both owned by the Giavos family, which vacated the premises.
“Vic and I struck up a friendship when he was catering events that I had in the mortgage industry,” Lewis said. “I ran a few ideas by him. He let me know when this spot became available.
“The mortgage business can be tough. My father had a restaurant, I grew up around it. Whenever times would get stressful, I’d think, ‘Forget this, I’ll go sell ice cream and it will be easy,” Lewis said. “It’s definitely not easy,” he said now with a laugh. “It’s a lot of work, but I’m loving it.”
Lewis and his wife have two sons, David, 21, and Brandon, 17, who have been helping scoop ice cream and serve hot dogs at Ellie’s. So far, local favorites include the classics like vanilla, chocolate and the more adventurous like Play Dough and Llamalicious, which tastes sort of like a Ukrop’s rainbow cookie, Lewis said. Ellie’s serves ice cream by the scoop in sugar cones, cake cones and waffle cones. Prices run $4.66 for a single to $5.95 for a double. Milkshakes and sundaes run around $7.
On the hot dog side, the chili dog ($4.66) is a clear favorite, along with the #6 steak & dog ($5.69), which is a hot dog topped with thinly sliced steak, cheese and onions. Hot dogs can also be topped with coleslaw, sauerkraut and nacho toppings.
Lewis said he took inspiration for Ellie’s from Stevie’s Ice Cream, an ice cream stand in Kilmarnock that he and his family would visit while on vacation.
“It was always a nice family spot. A place where you’d see families smiling and laughing,” he said.
Ellie’s is open Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. | https://richmond.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/family-run-ellie-s-hot-dogs-ice-cream-takes-over-sweet-95-spot/article_b838d3a0-0ad7-11ee-a4f8-df618088103f.html | 2023-06-15T12:48:47 | 0 | https://richmond.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/family-run-ellie-s-hot-dogs-ice-cream-takes-over-sweet-95-spot/article_b838d3a0-0ad7-11ee-a4f8-df618088103f.html |
Almost two years after its first season premiered on Apple TV+, filmed-in-Richmond drama “Swagger” returns for its second season on the streaming service Friday. Time has passed on the show as well – for practical reasons and for storytelling purposes.
“My young actors, they keep growing,” says “Swagger” executive producer Reggie Rock Bythewood. “They went from children to grown men and grown women, so it was more authentic to actually reflect that.”
The show’s second season also revolves around a new setting with basketball star Jace Carson (Isaiah R. Hill) and his teammates attending and playing basketball for Cedar Cove Prep, a predominantly white institution. Bythewood drew from his own life when crafting the new season’s story.
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“My wife and I had our youngest son, who’s an athlete who’s going to be playing baseball at UCLA, (go) through his senior year of high school at an institution that’s reflective of the Cedar Cove environment that our characters go through,” he says.
The essential question of season two, per Bythewood: “Is democracy a journey or a destination? I really wanted to see our young cast just navigate their way through manhood, adulthood and figure it out.”
To create Cedar Cove, the production filmed at several locations, including Maymont, Huguenot High and John Marshall High. “I’m really horrified to hear about what happened at the (Huguenot) graduation,” Bythewood said in a follow-up interview earlier this month, referencing the fatal shooting that took place outside the Altria Theater after Huguenot High School’s commencement ceremony June 6.
“Swagger,” inspired by NBA star Kevin Durant’s experiences, will have eight episodes in its second season, two fewer than the 10-episode first season.
New installments debut weekly on Fridays.
Viewers watching TV don’t see all the work that goes into filming what might appear to be a simple scene, but Richmond’s Dr. Joe Niamtu and hi…
“Swagger” filmed its second season from July to November 2022. Additional locations used in filming include the Arthur Ashe Jr. Athletic Center, Church Hill, Union Hill, Gilpin Court, Ginter Park, Brookland Park, South Side, the Fan District, the Museum District, Rocketts Landing, Goochland County, Mechanicsville, Sandston and downtown Richmond.
Over the show’s two seasons of filming locally, cast members say they’ve discovered favorite places to dine and hang out. Bythewood called them into meetings at the now-shuttered Max’s on Broad. Hill celebrated his 20th birthday at Lillie Pearl in downtown Richmond. Actor O’Shea Jackson Jr., who plays basketball coach Isaac “Ike” Edwards, prefers Jackie’s Restaurant on Laburnum Avenue.
“There’s some good people in there. Tell them, Shea sent you,” Jackson says to guffaws from his castmates. “Nothing’s gonna happen, but just tell them.”
Cast members largely made their temporary homes in Church Hill and the Fan during filming on Season Two, which also shot some scenes in California.
Although the pandemic continued during filming on the show’s second season, Bythewood says it felt less extreme than in Season One.
“We still had to be masked up, but if somebody hugged somebody, alarm bells didn’t go off,” he says. “There wasn’t that sense of panic.”
Season Two also didn’t have to contend with recasting a lead role deep into production — Jackson replaced Winston Duke, reportedly after Duke suffered an injury on set — and Bythewood says the cast of young “Swagger” actors grew in maturity.
“I was really blown away by the sense of vulnerability that they were able to bring to the process (this season),” he says. “It just really elevated the material.”
Actor-comedian Orlando Jones is new to the “Swagger” cast in Season Two, but he wasn’t new to Richmond. He performed stand-up in town, and he also filmed the pilot for a Travel Channel series, “Orlando Jones Takes on History,” in Richmond (it didn’t get picked up as a series).
“In Shockoe Bottom, you have a statue (devoted to) Henry “Box” Brown, so I put myself in a box and shipped myself from Richmond to Philadelphia, just like he did,” Jones recalls of Brown’s journey by steamboat, horse-drawn carriage and train. “It took him 27 hours, and if he had been detected, they would have killed him because he was a runaway slave.”
Jones, a veteran of both comedy (“Mad TV,” “Abbott Elementary”) and drama series (“Sleepy Hollow,” “American Gods”), plays Cedar Cove’s athletic director, Emory Lawson, who has high expectations for the school’s students and coaches. Bythewood expects many viewers will not like Lawson, but Jones defends his character.
“He’s right, absolutely right. He’s demanding excellence. He’s holding accountability,” Jones says. “We often see rules and regulations as wrong, and it’s not to say that things are being designed to take away your freedom, but there’s been a long tradition in this world of master and apprentice, and you become a master by apprenticing, and that requires work and commitment and time and obligation and persistence and intestinal fortitude. When you don’t have the will to move forward, you find a way. That is what master and apprenticeship is about, but if you don’t believe you ever have to apprentice, then how do you ever become a master?”
Jones says producers sent him what they’d written as Lawson’s diary entry to help Jones understand his character, whose office interior was filmed at Maymont.
“Reading about his family and his father, for me, set such a clear stage of who he was, what he was about and what was important, because I was reading his personal thoughts,” Jones says. “It was an interesting way to engage.”
Bythewood says while “Swagger” might be considered a basketball show, beneath the surface, the series explores the players’ experiences off the court by holding a mirror up to current events. Cedar Cove is challenged by a lack of diversity, and when there’s a push to challenge the curriculum and include more Black authors, it “becomes a threat to the way the system is in that school.”
A secret from Season One — Jace and his teammates beat up a coach who molested Jace’s friend Crystal (Quvenzhané Wallis) — comes to the surface, forcing Cedar Cove’s predominantly white, wealthy board to address it.
“They’re horrified, and it really becomes a challenge of, do they align with what these children are trying to express — even though it happened years ago, before they went to the school – or do they villainize them?” he says. “The way we try to explore it in the series is to do it in a way where no one is 100% right and no one is 100% wrong.”
Similarly, Ike and Emory do not see eye to eye.
“We hear Emory talk a lot about the Talented Tenth, W.E.B. Dubois’ idea that the top-tier African Americans will help pull the rest of the race up,” Bythewood says. “It’s a point of view Ike is totally against. It’s really interesting to see two intelligent men totally differ on what is a clear path to democracy in this school, within this education system and the upbringing of these young men and women.”
Just don’t refer to the show’s installments as “episodes.” Internally, the “Swagger” team calls them “mazes,” as in the second season premiere is Season Two, Maze One. (The show’s writers who slipped and used “episode” had to put $1 into a jar.)
“We don’t really think of ‘Swagger’ as an episodic film,” says series star Hill. “We really want to emphasize that life is not a straight line. Greatness is a journey. The maze is our theme throughout Seasons One and Two of our show, how life twists and turns like a maze.”
Whether those twists and turns will continue into a third season, no one is saying. But if this is the end of “Swagger,” it’s a natural breakpoint as the show is largely set in the players’ senior year of high school.
“We can always go forward,” Bythewood says. “There’s always more. It’s just where they are right now in their life and ideally just seeing where their journey continues to go.”
Season One of the drama was estimated to generate more than $50 million in direct spending in Virginia. Season Two is expected to generate over $60 million in direct spending, according to the Virginia Film Office.
Rob Owen is a former Times-Dispatch staff writer. He can be reached at RobOwenTV@gmail.com or on Facebook and Twitter as @RobOwenTV. | https://richmond.com/life-entertainment/local/movies-tv/getting-your-swagger-back-filmed-in-richmond-drama-returns-to-apple-tv-on-june-23/article_dacfbea2-038d-11ee-a110-ffb766e9b7c5.html | 2023-06-15T12:48:53 | 1 | https://richmond.com/life-entertainment/local/movies-tv/getting-your-swagger-back-filmed-in-richmond-drama-returns-to-apple-tv-on-june-23/article_dacfbea2-038d-11ee-a110-ffb766e9b7c5.html |
Viewers watching TV don’t see all the work that goes into filming what might appear to be a simple scene, but Richmond’s Dr. Joe Niamtu and his wife, April, saw firsthand the enormous effort it took to film just four scenes when they rented their home out to “Swagger” for a single day of filming last September.
Niamtu, a cosmetic facial surgeon, has rented out his home on the James River to two productions previously, but “Swagger” brought the biggest crew yet. The production team began setup work three days before the filming day and then spent two days after tearing down what had been set up.
A location manager thought the home and its setting along the river could be used as a location for some scenes.
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“When (executive producer) Reggie [Rock Bythewood] came out and saw the house and he walked through it, what they originally wanted to use the house for, they changed it completely to a different scenario that worked better for him for the (show),” Niamtu says.
“It’s really great to have standing sets on the stages,” Bythewood says, noting “Swagger” had sets built on stages at the former Virginia ABC central office and warehouse on Hermitage Road near The Diamond. “But there’s also nothing like going out there. Sometimes you can smell it when it’s a real home, a real house.”
At one point, the plan was to film as many as eight scenes at the Niamtus’ home, including one at a firepit overlooking the James River. But the production shot only four scenes before running out of time; the riverside patio scene was one that got cut.
Almost two years after its first season premiered on Apple TV+, filmed-in-Richmond drama “Sw…
A contract forbids the Niamtus from saying what “Swagger” paid to rent their home. The production offered to put them up in a hotel, but they declined, opting to stay in another part of the house with their children.
“We’ve known people that had their house used for a movie and a lot of stuff got beat up and broken,” Niamtu says. “That was not the case here.”
He described the first-day arrival of at least 100 production crew members and multiple 18-wheeler trucks full of equipment as akin to “the Normandy landing.” The Niamtus’ furniture was taken out of the house, the production’s furniture was brought in.
“Everything revolves around lighting – their lighting and natural lighting,” Niamtu says.
“They had to put scaffolding up to black out some rooms, fade out some rooms,” April Niamtu says. “They put film on all the windows, took the scaffolding down so it didn’t show in the scenes. And then when the filming was over, they had to bring the scaffolding back and put it back up to take all the film down. It was just such an amazing orchestration.”
The Niamtus’ living room was used for a scene of an impromptu, intense school board meeting in the home of the Cedar Cove prep school chairwoman (Vinessa Shaw). April Niamtu got to be an extra, playing a school board member in that scene, which is featured briefly in the trailer for the new season.
The Niamtus’ dining room was used as a dining room in a family’s home where the parents of the basketball players come together to have a meeting of the minds.
“Out of 14 hours (of filming), they literally have minutes of usable footage when it comes down to it, which they said is pretty typical,” Niamtu says. “It was interesting just to watch how Hollywood works: They have stand-ins for the actors. So they’re filming a scene at our kitchen table, which is going to be a boardroom scene. The stand-ins all come and sit down, 10 to 12 people, and take their places. And they do the lighting and the miking and everything so the stars don’t have to do any of that.”
The Niamtus praised the production team for its kindness. Niamtu grabbed a photo of himself with Ice Cube and showed it to “Swagger” star O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ice Cube’s son.
“The actors were just so open and kind and respectful,” April Niamtu says. “The crew were just as nice and respectful. They did not leave a scratch on our wood floor, a scratch on our walls. They came in and then left our house as it was.”
Rob Owen is a former Times-Dispatch staff writer. He can be reached at RobOwenTV@gmail.com or on Facebook and Twitter as @RobOwenTV. | https://richmond.com/life-entertainment/local/movies-tv/swagger-rents-out-richmond-doctors-home-on-james-river/article_1feb1612-038e-11ee-b1f7-9fbb5b3857b6.html | 2023-06-15T12:48:59 | 1 | https://richmond.com/life-entertainment/local/movies-tv/swagger-rents-out-richmond-doctors-home-on-james-river/article_1feb1612-038e-11ee-b1f7-9fbb5b3857b6.html |
A young boy is in the hospital after being struck by a train at a railroad crossing in Henrico County Wednesday night.
Henrico police and fire units were called to the intersection of Dill Road and Waverly Boulevard at 8:02 p.m. Wednesday after reports that a train had hit a toddler on railway property.
Emergency responders provided aid on scene, and the boy was taken to a local hospital, where police say he is in stable condition. No one else was injured in the collision.
The roadway was temporarily closed, but had reopened by 11 p.m. Wednesday.
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Henrico Police at (804) 501-5000 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at (804) 780-1000.
This morning's top headlines: Thursday, June 15
A committee of lawmakers has harshly rebuked former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. In a report Thursday, the House of Commons Privileges Committee says Johnson lied to Parliament about lockdown-flouting parties and was complicit in a campaign to intimidate those investigating his conduct. The committee found Johnson’s actions were such a flagrant violation of the rules that they warranted a 90-day suspension from Parliament. That sanction would have been more than enough to trigger a by-election that could have cost Johnson his seat in Parliament. But the former prime minister avoided that ignominy by resigning last week after the committee gave him advance notice of its findings.
Moments after Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to federal charges that he hoarded classified documents and then conspired to obstruct an investigation about it, the Republicans in Congress had his back. Trump's mounting legal jeopardy has quickly become a political rallying cry as they rush to stand by the indicted former president. Many Republicans say they haven't fully read the 49-page indictment against Trump. But they are adopting his grievances against the federal justice system as their own. It’s an example of how Trump has transformed the Republican Party that was once the party of “law and order,” but is now attacking the very justice system at the foundation of U.S. democracy.
Rescue workers transferred the bodies of dead migrants to refrigerated trucks as a major search continued Thursday for possible survivors of a sea disaster in southern Greece. Seventy-eight people are confirmed dead but hundreds are feared missing. More than 100 survivors were rescued after Wednesday’s disaster. A Supreme Court prosecutor ordered an investigation into the circumstances of the deaths. Greece declared three days of mourning and politicians suspended campaigning for a general election on June 25. The tragedy has focused attention on efforts by the European Union to crack down on illegal migration using bilateral agreements with nearby countries.
The suspect in a mass shooting at a Colorado Springs gay nightclub is expected to strike a plea deal to state murder and hate charges that would ensure at least a life sentence for the attack that killed five people and wounded 17. That's according to several survivors who were advised of the plans and spoke to The Associated Press. Word of a possible plea in last year’s Club Q massacre follows jailhouse phone calls from the suspect to the AP expressing plans to begin facing the consequences at the next court hearing this month. Said Anderson Lee Aldrich: “I have to take responsibility for what happened.”
A group of migrants who arrived by bus in downtown Los Angeles were sent from Texas. LA Mayor Karen Bass called the move a “despicable stunt” by a Republican governor. Forty-two people, including some children, were dropped off at Union Station around 4 p.m. Wednesday and were being cared for at a church. Immigrant rights workers say many were from Latin American countries, including Honduras and Venezuela. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the migrants were sent to Los Angeles because California had declared itself a “sanctuary” for immigrants.
Nine more women are accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assault in a lawsuit that alleges he used what they call his “enormous power, fame and prestige” to victimize them. A lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Nevada alleges that the women were individually drugged and assaulted between approximately 1979 and 1992 in Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe homes, dressing rooms and hotels. The 85-year-old Cosby has now been accused of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment by more than 60 women. He's denied all allegations. Cosby was the first celebrity tried and convicted in the #MeToo era. He spent nearly three years at a state prison near Philadelphia before a higher court threw out the conviction and released him in 2021.
The Southern Baptist Convention has refused to welcome Saddleback Church back into its fold. It has rejected an appeal by the California megachurch of its ejection for having women pastors. Southern Baptist church representatives at their annual meeting here also rejected a similar appeal by a smaller church, Fern Creek Baptist of Louisville, Kentucky, which is led by a woman pastor. The results of the Tuesday votes were announced Wednesday morning on the concluding day of the the two-day annual meeting in New Orleans. The statement of faith for the nation’s largest Protestant denomination asserts that only qualified men can serve as pastors.
Roger Payne, the scientist who spurred a worldwide environmental conservation movement with his discovery that whales could sing, has died. He was 88. Payne made the discovery in 1967 during a research trip to Bermuda in which a Navy engineer provided him with a recording of curious underwater sounds documented while listening for Russian submarines. Payne identified the haunting tones as songs whales sing to one another. He saw the discovery of whale song as a chance to spur interest in saving the giant animals, who were disappearing from the planet. He would produce the hit album “Songs of the Humpback Whale” in 1970.
This year’s Hajj is a landmark: the first full pilgrimage after a daunting period of three years when the COVID-19 pandemic sharply reduced the scale of one of Islam’s holiest rites. Millions of Muslims from around the world will start converging next week on Mecca in Saudi Arabia to begin several days of rituals. For pilgrims, it is the ultimate spiritual moment of their lives, a chance to seek God’s forgiveness for their sins and walk in the footsteps of revered prophets. It’s a mass, communal experience, with Muslims of every race and class performing it together as one. It's also deeply personal, as each pilgrim brings his or her own yearnings and experiences.
Russian forces have destroyed or damaged thousands of Ukrainian schools. But the disruption to education goes far beyond devastated buildings. Experts say schooling is suffering in unprecedented ways, in particular for refugees. The effects of war and relocation combined with the challenges of studying in a new country are compounding setbacks that date to the coronavirus pandemic. Poland has the highest number of refugees. There, refugees aren't required to enroll in Polish schools. Some do, though they don't speak Polish. Many also follow Ukrainian schools online and will take a final state exam. Students see their old buildings under attack as teachers take shelter. They're physically safe but experience trauma. An advocate calls the situation “a disaster in slow motion.” | https://richmond.com/news/local/henrico-county-collision-train-hit-toddler/article_d2223fa6-0b70-11ee-b4b3-f32943f35ef0.html | 2023-06-15T12:49:05 | 1 | https://richmond.com/news/local/henrico-county-collision-train-hit-toddler/article_d2223fa6-0b70-11ee-b4b3-f32943f35ef0.html |
Warming up in the Region, but not for long. Another cold front arrives this afternoon! Find out when the chance of rain will begin and end and what will happen to temperatures Thursday night and Friday in our updated forecast video.
5 recipes to make on the grill this summer
This week's recipe roundup features meals that are great for celebrating Father's Day, but most are easy enough to grill up all summer long.
Holidays, birthdays, graduations. All worthy occasions to indulge. This Father’s Day, we’re cooking tomahawk steak on the grill to show appreciation to the fathers in the family.
Never grilled pineapple? Get ready to be wowed. It caramelizes beautifully for a deeper flavor. Plus it’s a totally tasty match with a grilled pork chop, cilantro and a little heat from serranos.
No summertime spread is complete without a pot of baked beans. Tender beans slow-cooked in a sweet and smoky sauce pair perfectly with mains from the grill.
Traditional Caesar salad dressing uses egg yolk to make it creamy. Mayonnaise is used here, instead, for the same rich results without the raw egg.
A burger buffet proves flexible when guest count fluctuates. Condiments and side dishes can be prepared in advance. Ditto for snacks and desserts. The only cooking to do with guests at the ready is to reheat some bacon-heavy caramelized onions and cook the burgers. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/weather/weather-forecast-hammond-valparaiso-crown-point-chicago/article_68e8cb7c-0ae4-11ee-b392-6f9b9a47989f.html | 2023-06-15T12:54:40 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/weather/weather-forecast-hammond-valparaiso-crown-point-chicago/article_68e8cb7c-0ae4-11ee-b392-6f9b9a47989f.html |
BALTIMORE, Md. — Driving through some sections of Baltimore, you can’t miss all of the vacant homes, but at a special ribbon-cutting in West Baltimore’s Harlem Park, two families are receiving the keys to the first two of almost a hundred renovated homes planned for that community.
A Baltimore-based, non-profit called Parity Homes broke ground on its ambitious project to restore 96 homes in Harlem Park 18 months ago, but the pandemic brought supply chain issues and skyrocketing lumber prices that delayed renovations.
On Thursday, the families will officially take ownership of the homes that they’re purchasing at rock bottom prices as parity begins to make good on its promise to turn them around.
“Our mission is twofold,” said Bree Jones, the founder of the non-profit organization, “On the one hand, we want to attempt to heal historically redlined communities like the one we’re in now, Harlem Park in West Baltimore where redlining and systemic racism have caused thousands of vacant properties. Simultaneously, we want to turn these vacant properties into affordable homeownership opportunities particularly to narrow the racial wealth gap.”
The starting price on these homes is $240,000, but that is for a five-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath totally-renovated rowhouse, which in today’s market is a steal.
In addition to the nearly one hundred homes in Harlem Park, Parity also plans to renovate a hundred more in the city in the next few years, and its waiting list currently has over 600 people all hoping to buy into one of these communities. | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/development-without-displacement | 2023-06-15T12:57:47 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/development-without-displacement |
Greensboro and other locations in the Triad have no shortage of Juneteenth festivities this year, as multiple groups have events planned for the coming weekend.
Juneteenth — short for June 19th — honors the day that African-American slaves in Galveston, Texas were finally granted their freedom in 1865. The holiday has been celebrated in Black communities for the past 150 years, but it wasn't recognized federally until 2021.
This is third straight year that local artists and community leaders have worked together to put on a series of Black cultural events to celebrate and commemorate the Juneteenth holiday.
Here is a quick list of what's being hosted by Juneteenth GSO and the city of Greensboro, as well as some ways that other Triad organizations are marking the holiday:
Thursday, June 15
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*SiStars of Juneteenth, 7 p.m., Carolina Theater
Enjoy poetry, drama, music and dance centered around Black Girl Magic. All performances are family-friendly. Tickets can be bought online starting at $10 for children ages 5-11 and $23 for ages 12 and up.
Friday, June 16
*Celebration of Black Culture, 5-7 p.m., 3110 Forest Lawn Drive
This event will feature music, dance, poetry, art displays and products sold by Black-owned business vendors. Call (336)-373-3330 or email chanel.webster@greensboro-nc.gov for more information.
*The Arts Legacy Awards, 7:30 p.m., Van Dyke Performance Space
Honor and learn more about five Black artists and their contributions to Greensboro at a formal ceremony Friday evening. Tickets can be purchased online at theacgg.org with prices starting at $14.50.
Saturday, June 17
*Juneteenth Celebration, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Eastside Park, Asheboro
Vendors, food, and performers. Contact hopeofeastside@gmail.com for more information.
*A Juneteenth Celebration of Color, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 3400 Triangle Park Road, High Point
*Uptown Juneteenth Arts & Crafts Festival, 12-6 p.m., Sternberger Park
Have a creative afternoon watching painting competitions, puppet shows, musical performances and more. Vendors will be present selling art and food. This event is free and open to all ages of the public.
*Juneteenth Greensboro Black Food Truck Festival, 5-11 p.m., LeBauer Park
Continue the evening in downtown Greensboro complete with lively music, dance and over 40 different Black-owned food vendors. This event is free and open to all ages of the public.
Sunday, June 18
*Juneteenth Celebration, 1-4 p.m., Bill Cooke Park, Graham
Food trucks, visit with community groups, enjoy family activities and games and experience stage performances. No rain date. This event is free and open to all ages of the public. www.GrahamRecreationAndParks.com.
*Carl Chavis YMCA Juneteenth Celebration, 2-5 p.m., 2757 Granville St., High Point
A celebration with family, community, food and fun. Participate in health screenings, live entertainment, cultural exhibitions and a talent showcase. This event is free and open to all ages of the public.
*Juneteenth Gospel Superfest: Interfaith Celebration, 2:30-5:30 p.m., Barber Park
This concert and community reunion will happen on Father's Day "rain or shine". The event is free and open to all ages of the public.
Monday, June 19
*All Greensboro Transit Agency routes and Access GSO services will be free during normal operation hours from 5:30 a.m to 11:30 p.m. Access I-Ride services will still require payment. The administrative offices for GTA and the City of Greensboro will be closed all day.
*Walking Tour at UNCG, 11 a.m., Room 349, Curry Building
The 30-minute walking tour includes significant campus locations that demonstrate steps toward liberation and equality for African Americans at the University and in society. A final presentation and reception will occur in the Hodges Reading Room of the campus library at noon.
*Film Screening, 3-4 p.m., 134 S. Elm St.
Participate in a presentation by Angenita Boone, Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society of the North Carolina Piedmont-Triad Chapter, which includes a film screening of "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" and a discussion with Angelia Joyner and La'Tonya Wiley of the the International Civil Rights Center and Museum. More information at www.sitinmovement.org.
*Juneteenth March, 3 p.m., 819 Martin Luther King Drive, Asheboro
*March from the Greater St. John's Baptist Church to a memorial to the front of the Historic Randolph County Courthouse. Flowers will be laid at the base of the memorial to honor those who were enslaved.
Wednesday, June 21
*Juneteenth Mixer, 5-7 p.m., 200 N. Davie St.
This free event is hosted by the Ad-hoc Committee on African American Disparity (ACAAD) at the African American Atelier, but participant registration online is required ahead of time.
*For more information and updates about events, visit Juneteenth GSO on Facebook and Instagram. | https://greensboro.com/news/local/juneteenth-is-june-19-check-out-some-of-the-festivities-that-greensboro-area-organizations-are/article_b90bfb16-09f3-11ee-8205-8b7eadaa43b0.html | 2023-06-15T12:59:06 | 0 | https://greensboro.com/news/local/juneteenth-is-june-19-check-out-some-of-the-festivities-that-greensboro-area-organizations-are/article_b90bfb16-09f3-11ee-8205-8b7eadaa43b0.html |
KENOSHA — Starting on Sunday, June 18, the Kenosha ArtMarket will be back in the Union Park Arts District.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every third Sunday of the month (June through October), area artists will be selling their original art in Union Park, 4500 Seventh Ave.
The market features original fine art, jewelry, pottery and more. Acoustic music will be scheduled throughout the day, thanks to the Union Park Tavern.
Beth Dary, the former director of Lemon Street Gallery & ArtSpace, 4601 Sheridan Road, which helps organize and support the ArtMarket, said the gallery has "kind of adopted" Union Park, working over the years to make the space more welcoming for local artists and the ArtMarket.
“We really wanted to give artists of all calibers a way to sell original artwork,” Dary said of launching the ArtMarket.
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Dary said the number of vendors tends to increase throughout the season, which runs through October.
“We have been blown away by the response by the public. It has exceeded our expectations,” Dary said.
Since then, the park has become home to “Deep Breath,” a 13-foot-tall sculpture created by Matt Bellefeuille, along with mosaic planters created by artists and neighborhood families, flowers tended by volunteers and both a Little Free Library and a Little Free Art Gallery on the northeast and southeast corners.
Visitors are welcome to bring a book or small art piece to share with the "Little Free" collections.
For more information, including about becoming a vendor or a volunteer, go to kenoshaartmarket.org. | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/artmarket-returns-to-kenoshas-union-park-on-june-18/article_fe345028-0960-11ee-bef4-1b72d07b80ea.html | 2023-06-15T13:03:26 | 0 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/artmarket-returns-to-kenoshas-union-park-on-june-18/article_fe345028-0960-11ee-bef4-1b72d07b80ea.html |
SOMERS — Jerry Smith Farm, 7150 18th St., features newborn farm animals at the second week of “Babies on the Farm,” open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 17-18.
Admission is $10 and can be purchased online at jerrysmithfarm.com or at the gate. Kids 2 and younger are free.
The festival features "an array of adorable baby animals," organizers said. "From fluffy chicks and playful lambs to foxes, skunks and even a kangaroo, the farm becomes a lively playground."
The event also includes presentations on animal care, allowing children to learn about animal life cycles, habitats and basic farming practices.
A Fennec Fox Encounter, a Skunk Encounter and a Kangaroo Encounter are all available, for an extra fee.
The encounters take place from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and must be scheduled in advance by calling Colleen at 847-849-6303. (Note: Animals will take intermittent breaks throughout the day, determined by the handler as needed. Encounters are based on the animal’s voluntary participation and are subject to close early if the animal does not wish to participate.)
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Tickets are $60 for the 15-minute Fennec Fox Encounter. A maximum of two people can sign up for one 15-minute time slot. If you’d like to bring a friend, you can add a second person to join you for $40. Participants must be over the age of 5, and children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a paying adult. The charge for a kangaroo or skunk encounter is $30. The second person costs $20.
At all animal encounters, the handler will go over rules and directions. Guests are seated for encounters and will be taught the appropriate way to hold, pet, and interact with animals. Guests are allowed to take photographs.
During the festival, visitors can also interact with piglets, calves, lambs, bunnies and baby goats.
General admission also includes a bouncing pad, a petting zoo and hay rides.
Food will be available for purchase, and vendors will be at the venue. For more information, visit jerrysmithfarm.com. Note: All attractions are weather dependent. | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/babies-on-the-farm-is-june-17-18-at-jerry-smith-farm/article_a438423c-094c-11ee-9ca5-0bd49a8835ce.html | 2023-06-15T13:03:33 | 1 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/babies-on-the-farm-is-june-17-18-at-jerry-smith-farm/article_a438423c-094c-11ee-9ca5-0bd49a8835ce.html |
Ben Metz is passionate about creating motorcycles that nobody has seen before.
His latest build was a custom Harley Davidson big wheel motorcycle.
“It’s really cool to see people walk in the door and be like, ‘Wow. That’s wild,’” Metz said. “I don’t know. It’s a good feeling.”
Metz runs Metz Machines from the distinctive building at 3700 72nd Ave.
The big wheel bike, Metz said, sold in three weeks for $67,500
“It was bittersweet for sure,” Metz said. “I put it up for sale and I didn’t think it would happen so fast. A few weeks later someone purchased it.”
The bike is green and black — the colors of his business, Metz Machines. Metz said when he built the bike, he originally thought he would use it for advertising in the summer.
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“It was kind of one of those things where if someone takes it, I’ll sell it if the money’s there. And then someone did it and I was like, ‘man, now my bike is gone,’” he said.
Metz said building the bike took him about a year.
He said it was fun figuring out the design and how to make everything work. Specifically, he said since there’s no kickstand on his latest bike, he had to figure out the geometry to make it sit down on the frame.
The most challenging part about build, Metz said, was modifying the frame.
“In the front I had to cut where (a) weld is, so I actually cut that and had to reshape the angle of the frame to allow it to accept that big wheel,” Metz said.
Metz said it was difficult getting the right angle for the bike to sit flat. He said one degree off equaled one inch off of the wheel, so he had to be “pretty accurate.”
The engine is also not a stock. Metz said he used a 131-cubic-inch engine — the biggest one that Harley-Davidson produces. On top of that, he added a turbo charger.
“It’s very, very fast,” Metz said.
For months prior to the build, he said he found himself collecting different parts he used on the bike. Metz owns a salvage yard in Kenosha for power sports and motorcycles, so he said he was collecting parts off old bikes to use on his own creation.
“A lot of guys who build these ... they’re not really built to ride,” he said. “However, this one I tried to make it actually ride like a normal bike.”
The first custom bike he made was 10 years ago. Metz said the kind of motorcycle he made then is called a ‘T-rex’ bike.
Metz said he got into motorcycles right out of high school. When he couldn’t find a job after completing his degree, he started working on his friends’ bikes.
“Word of mouth spread that I could kind of do some different things on motorcycles and I was OK at it,” Metz said. “I was just working out of my home garage and it evolved into what it is now.”
Since then, Metz has made four custom motorcycles and has been in business since 2015.
“Those [his previous custom bikes] were priced about $20,000. So going from a $20,000 to almost a $70,000 bike I was like, ‘Oh this will probably sit for at least a year. It will take the right buyer.’ Then this gentleman came in and was like, ‘Yeah. I want it,’” Metz said.
Normally, he said he builds his bikes in the winter when his work is slower. However, due to how quickly the big wheel bike was sold, Metz said he’s contemplating starting a new one this summer.
“I’m not really sure which direction I want to go,” he said. “There’s a couple thoughts, but I haven’t really narrowed it down.”
Their shop doesn’t fulfill custom orders, but after showcasing his latest build, Metz said there have been more customers asking if he would make custom bikes.
“No custom orders yet, but the custom bikes that I’ve done have done really well in the past, so we’re starting to get some interest in it,” Metz said. “So that could be something we could evolve into in a couple years.” | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/ben-metz-local-businessman-creates-custom-motorcycles/article_479516dc-0621-11ee-94cb-836ee241a16c.html | 2023-06-15T13:03:39 | 1 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/ben-metz-local-businessman-creates-custom-motorcycles/article_479516dc-0621-11ee-94cb-836ee241a16c.html |
June is Great Outdoors Month ... so get outdoors! We have plenty of wonderful places to get outside in Wisconsin. For a guide to our state parks and campgrounds, go to travelwisconsin.com.
Here’s something new: Third Thursdays in Downtown Kenosha. On the third Thursday of each month, running through December, Downtown venues offer activities, extended hours and special deals. On June 15, offers include a “Bloomsday” celebration, named for the central characters in James Joyce’s “Ulysses.” The free event starts at 7 p.m. at Actor’s Craft Theater & Acting Studio, 4900 Seventh Ave. Also happening: a wine tasting from 5 to 7 p.m. at Equinox Botanical Boutique, 5901 Sixth Ave A.; a “spin the wheel” game at the new Hold My Beer, 621 56th St.; live music from 7 to 11 p.m. at Kenosha Creative Space, 624 57th St.; and patio specials at Gordon’s Sports Bar and Grill, 5703 Sixth Ave., and Tavern on 6th, 5712 Sixth Ave. For more details and more specials, go to
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https://godowntown
The new Rhythm on the Lake Concert Series starts it summer season of weekly free concerts in Old Settlers Park, 24100 75th St. in Paddock Lake. Concerts are 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, each week through Aug. 17, on the new band shell in the park, overlooking the lake. The group The Unusual Suspects performs on June 15. Bring lawn chairs and/or blankets. Concessions will be available for purchase, including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages from a pop-up beer garden. For more details, go to parks.kenoshacounty.org.
An outdoor German-style Biergarten is “popping up” on Downtown Kenosha’s lakefront, in Celebration Place. The biergarten will be open 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, June 15-16, and noon to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 17. Visitors can enjoy German and U.S. beers, along with hard cider, sausage and pretzels, food trucks and live music. There will also be children’s activities and stein-hoisting contests. The event, hosted by Milwaukee-based BrewFest Partners, has free admission and is designed to be family friendly.
Looking for live music tonight? The Rhythm Dogs Blues Jam starts at 8:30 tonight at Union Park Tavern, 4520 Eighth Ave. It’s free, and everyone is welcome. | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/kenosha-area-events-for-thursday-june-15/article_e97b01b2-0a56-11ee-92a0-c7ac01757569.html | 2023-06-15T13:03:45 | 1 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/kenosha-area-events-for-thursday-june-15/article_e97b01b2-0a56-11ee-92a0-c7ac01757569.html |
KENOSHA — The Kenosha Pops Concert Band continues its 101st season, with its “Pops by the Numbers” program at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 21.
The band's weekly concerts continue through Aug. 2 on Wednesday nights.
Craig Gall, starting his 21st season as the band's musical director, is joined by Kathy Ripley — also the band director at Kenosha's Tremper High School — who returns to the Pops for her second season as assistant conductor.
At the June 21 concert, "numerically speaking, you might hear a ‘number’ you like,” Gall said.
The program is filled with pieces from the band's extensive music library that have numbers in the title.
Also, “Totally Tina Turner,” a medley of the late singer’s hits, including “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” and “Proud Mary,” is slated for this night.
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“We picked this number before she died,” Gall said. “On our ‘numbers’ night, you add up all the pieces and it’s the ‘total.’ Now, of course, it’s also a memorial to her. We’ve always been known to stretch a theme.”
Guest vocalist
On June 21, Lou Rugani will sing a few numbers with the band.
Formerly a longtime host with Kenosha radio station WLIP-AM 1050, Rugani is reportedly moving to radio station WRJN (99.9 FM in Racine, 98.1 FM in Kenosha) later this summer.
His locally focused talk show will reportedly air live from 6 to 8 a.m. weekday mornings, while his "Music of the Stars with Lou Rugani” music program will air 7 a.m. to noon on Sundays.
The Pops Band's outdoor concerts, including July 4, take place on the band shell ion Pennoyer Park, on Seventh Avenue at 35th Street, along Kenosha's lakefront. The indoor concert on July 26 is at Siebert Chapel on the Carthage College campus.
Pre-concert jazz trio
The Dave Braun Trio — featuring Dave Braun on guitar, his wife Paula on bass and their son Pete on drums — will perform on June 21, starting at 6:15 p.m. on the band shell, before the Pops Band’s program.
Paula Braun also plays flute with the Pops Band.
Dave Braun — a University of Wisconsin-Parkside graduate who has been performing jazz in this area for more than three decades — also sponsors free concerts at UW-Parkside through his business, Southeast Wisconsin Hearing Center.
Pete Braun describes himself as “an actuary by day, an athlete on weekends and a musician at night.” He’s also the father of two young sons.
The Dave Braun Trio plays at the HobNob, 277 Sheridan Road, from 7 to 10 every Friday night. For more information, go to www.davebraunjazz.com. | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/kenosha-pops-band-performs-by-the-numbers-program-on-june-21/article_a39158d6-0952-11ee-a26f-f7f7799845f7.html | 2023-06-15T13:03:51 | 0 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/kenosha-pops-band-performs-by-the-numbers-program-on-june-21/article_a39158d6-0952-11ee-a26f-f7f7799845f7.html |
Big-name acoustic duo
Let’s face it. You’ve all stepped into a music venue at some point where a couple of people are sitting around playing acoustic guitars and trading links and stories. The quality of the evening all depends on who is sitting in those chairs.
What if the next time you do that, the two people are Whitesnake’s Joel Hoekstra and Devil City Angels’ Brandon Gibbs?
The two have gotten together to form a powerhouse acoustic duo, playing limited shows in-between gigs with their big-name projects. They will perform tonight at McAuliffe’s Pub in Racine.
Even though this is an acoustic duo, the music is surely not folksy. It’s high-energy music featuring songs from many of the bands they’ve performed in, along with original material. Those bands include Whitesnake, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Cher's backing band, Foreigner, Night Ranger, Poison and Devil City Angels (with Rikki Rockett and Tracii Guns). Also, expect some tour stories, which are always good. The $20 tickets are hopefully still available at eventbrite.com/e/hoekstragibbs-live-at-mcauliffes-tickets-637007846617.
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Joel Hoekstra and Brandon Gibbs perform starting at 8 Thursday night, June 15, at McAuliffe’s Pub, 3700 Meachem Road in Racine.
Pride party
June is Pride Month and on Saturday, Pavle’s Lounge in Kenosha will be throwing "Pavle’s Pride Party," with drink specials, swag, games, face painting, vendors and, yes, music. Skrat & DJ Fox will provide the music. A drag show starts at 9 p.m.
Pavle’s Pride Party starts at 7 Saturday night, June 17, at Pavle’s Lounge, 1724 52nd St. in Kenosha. The party goes until 1 a.m.
Ribs and live music
Shout out to all the fathers out there. How about a change this year in how you celebrate? Instead of firing up the backyard grill and cooking ribs, you relax in a great setting and have a bunch of people do it for you?
On Sunday, Racine’s Beachside Oasis will host its first Rib Cooking Contest. There will be rib plates available for purchase. Do you like live music to go with your ribs? Deep Pockets will perform at 3 p.m. just a step or two off Racine’s amazing beach.
The Deep Pockets band performs starting at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 18, at Racine's Beach Oasis, 100 Kewaunee St. (on North Beach) in Racine.
Music and more for Dad
Here's more Dad's Day stuff to mention, this one in Kenosha. The Petrifying Springs Park Biergarten will be celebrating Father's Day from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 18, by tapping Dad Shoes, a classic American lager brewed locally in Kenosha by Public Craft Brewing Co.
Fathers, come on out and take part in the "Dads Shoes pageant" and see if your kicks are "Dad enough" to be "Dad to the bone." The winner will get swag from Public Craft. There will also be an obstacle course and other games.
The local who’s who band The Roundabouts will perform the perfect set for most any dad. The band is made up of local legends Terry Peterson, Chris Sipos, Rick Branch and Bill Taylor. They’ll probably play a little of everything, including "dad rock."
The Roundabouts perform starting at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 18, as part of Father's Day at Petrifying Springs Park Biergarten.
House concert
This is an "act now" notice for an event happening next weekend.
Guitar stud and multi-instrumentalist Jack Grassel and vocalist Jill Jensen are hosting a jazzy two-hour concert in their 1939 home in Racine.
Home concerts are great for those who don’t like “venue” type shows. It’s quiet and relaxed and the performer/hosts will provide punch, wine, beer, iced tea, soft drinks, coffee and liquors, along with sweet and savory snacks and home-baked goodies from their dining room buffet, before the concert and at intermission.
There are three concerts — 7 to 9 p.m. Friday June 23; 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 24; and 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 25. Here’s the "act now" part. There will only be room for 22 people at each show. Prepaid $25 reservations are required. Call 262-552-4012 or email jackandjilljazz@gmail.com to reserve your seats, discuss payment options and get directions.
Jack and Jill Fest is Friday-Sunday, June 23-25, at the performers' home. Advance ticket purchase is required.
On a personal note ...
Happy Father’s Day, George Fineran. Miss you.
That’s it for this week. Bands, artists and venues, please email me at pjfineran@gmail.com, with your gig listings, event posts, bios, Facebook event invites or anything else you think might be useful. If I don’t know about it, I can’t write it up. Thanks for keeping music live. Concert-goers, please make sure to double check with the band or venue. Things can change. Stay safe. | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/music-matters-busy-week-for-kenosha-racine-live-music-june-15-22-2023/article_a8b4693a-0942-11ee-932c-77e2f7d8f2cc.html | 2023-06-15T13:03:57 | 1 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/music-matters-busy-week-for-kenosha-racine-live-music-june-15-22-2023/article_a8b4693a-0942-11ee-932c-77e2f7d8f2cc.html |
RACINE — The Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts is hosting a new exhibit, "Futures Reimagined," through Aug. 5.
The show is part of the museum's annual community-focused art exhibition.
"Futures Reimagined: RAM Community Art Show" features works by 62 artists who were asked to consider what a potential future — realistic or fantastical, possible or impossible — could look like.
Scott Terry of Mahogany Gallery in Racine organized the exhibit, inspired by the theme of Mahogany Gallery’s second annual Wisconsin Black Art and Culture Expo: Black Futures.
As a part of "Futures Reimagined," Terry invited artists who identify as Black or of the African diaspora to participate in the next iteration of the Expo theme, "Black Futures 2." He encouraged artists to consider themes of blackness in the future — what will a change in humanity look like? What would such a change feel like? How do Black histories influence Black futures?
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The Wustum Museum, 2519 Northwestern Ave., is open noon to p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. Admission is free. For more information, go to ramart.org. | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/racines-wustum-museum-showcasing-futures-reimagined-exhibit/article_c188af0c-0947-11ee-aa72-9f355756c6fd.html | 2023-06-15T13:04:04 | 0 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/racines-wustum-museum-showcasing-futures-reimagined-exhibit/article_c188af0c-0947-11ee-aa72-9f355756c6fd.html |
When it comes to baseball and LGBTQ+ inclusivity, Billy Bean often flashes back to his playing days.
Ending his career without telling his parents about his life as a closeted gay ballplayer. Shielding his secret from teammates like Brad Ausmus and Torey Lovullo. The regret of not sharing his “full self,” he says.
It’s a message Bean has delivered in clubhouses, and it resonates with today’s ballplayers — hyper-focused on staying in the majors, and being a good teammate. It’s also the lens through which Bean views baseball’s ongoing LGBTQ+ issues.
“There’s some parts of my job where I feel like some days I just, you know, I’m floating,” said Bean, a senior vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion with Major League Baseball. “Then there’s other days when I see some pushback, I’m reminded that we have 8,000 human beings connected to the sport as an athlete in one way or another, and you’re not going to always have 100% of those people agree on the same thing.”
That friction has been on display in recent seasons as MLB teams court the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month, simultaneously showing how much has changed and how much remains the same within the National Pastime — a sport with a strong connection to segments of the U.S. and Latin America where many view homosexuality as a sin.
Almost 80 years after Jackie Robinson broke the majors’ color barrier in a landmark moment for the American Civil Rights Movement, the dueling expressions of LGBTQ+ support and pop-up opposition recalled the question of when MLB might welcome its first active openly gay player — a barrier already cleared by the NBA and NFL.
“If somebody in here called a meeting and came out as gay, I think everybody would embrace that, have their back and literally just move on and focus on winning the games, which is really the important thing and what matters,” Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich said. “It doesn’t matter what somebody’s sexuality is.”
While Seattle slugger Julio Rodríguez, Chicago Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman and Toronto pitcher Kevin Gausman are among a group of players who have publicly celebrated Pride Month, the Los Angeles Dodgers have faced criticism for including the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in the team’s upcoming 10th annual Pride Night on Friday.
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw disagreed with the decision but said his objection was based on the Sisters’ satirical portrayal of religious figures and had nothing to do with LGBTQ+ support. Washington pitcher Trevor Williams said he was deeply troubled by the team’s move, decrying what he felt was the group’s mockery of his Catholic religion.
The objection to the Sisters, a group of mainly men who dress as nuns, comes a year after some Tampa Bay players cited their Christian faith in refusing to wear Pride jerseys. A couple hockey players also opted out of wearing rainbow-colored jerseys on Pride nights during the most recent NHL season.
Last month, veteran reliever Anthony Bass expressed support on social media for anti-LGBTQ+ boycotts of Target and Bud Light, and then apologized for sharing the post on his Instagram stories.
Asked if MLB’s inclusivity efforts with the LGBTQ+ community had stalled, Bass referenced baseball’s “many different beliefs” and “many different walks of life.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s causing a barrier,” Bass said before he was cut by the Blue Jays last week. “Everyone should be able to express their feelings and views, so I think that’s what we’re seeing and I don’t think it’s causing a barrier to the acceptance of the Pride community.”
Bass was booed loudly by Toronto fans after his social media post, and others seem wary of how far their favorite teams are willing to go in terms of LGBTQ+ support. Texas is the only big league team that isn’t holding a Pride Night this month.
For Mason Dunn, who grew up in a diehard Dodgers family in Southern California, it has been an emotional couple of weeks. Dunn wrote an anguished post on Facebook after the Dodgers rescinded their invitation to the Sisters, and then expressed relief when the team changed its mind.
“I really truly hope the Dodgers are using this experience to learn more about allyship,” said Dunn, who identifies as nonbinary and works for the Massachusetts LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce. “It isn’t just about rainbow logos. It’s about showing up when things are difficult and scary.”
Asked about not holding a Pride Night, the Rangers said they are committed to making everyone feel welcome and included.
“That means in our ballpark, at every game, and in all we do — for both our fans and our employees,” the team said in a statement.
For Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington, access to the best possible employees — on the field, in the front office, everywhere in the organization — is a major reason why LGBTQ+ inclusivity is important.
“It is our belief that to win at the level we want to win at, at the major league level, means that we simply can’t discriminate,” Cherington said. “If you’re around really good teams, World Series teams, teams in other sports that achieve at the highest possible level, you will see that the only way to build a team like that is to have zero bias as it relates to where people are coming from, what they look like, what their beliefs are, how they choose to spend their time away from the field.”
Dale Scott became the first out major league umpire in 2014, and there have been a handful of out players in the minor leagues. Anderson Comás, a minor league pitcher in the White Sox organization, announced that he was gay in an Instagram post in February. Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker, Mets outfielder Mark Canha and Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino responded with supportive messages on Twitter.
Speaking to reporters on June 2, the 23-year-old Comás cited the help he received from the organization as a key element of his decision to come out. He declined an interview request made this week by the AP.
Bean came out after his playing career. Glenn Burke’s sexual orientation was known within baseball, but the former big league outfielder did not come out publicly until 1982.
Burke, who died in 1995 at age 42, felt he was blackballed by the sport. “A gay man in baseball? Uh, uh. No way,″ he told the AP.
Bean, 59, said he doesn’t think the absence of an openly gay player is the right way to evaluate inclusivity in the major leagues, just like he doesn’t think the sport should be evaluated by a comment that might not be supportive.
When it comes to the timing for the majors’ first active openly gay competitor, Bean said he understands why a player would want to focus on his career instead of dealing with the challenges that go along with breaking that barrier.
“It’s really hard to play in the big leagues and you don’t get into the big leagues in 2023 unless you are front and center a baseball player first,” Bean told the AP. “And that is how an athlete would be defined.”
“Baseball is a really hard game,” he continued. “And I think that it’s more about a business decision than a cultural one at the moment. And I have respect for their personal choice there.”
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AUBURN, Maine — A man died Wednesday night after the pickup truck he was riding in went off the road and hit a tree in Auburn.
It happened around 8:15 p.m. in the area of 405 Merrow Road, according to a release from Auburn police.
Officials said a 2012 Ford pickup truck was traveling west at a high rate of speed when the driver lost control of the vehicle. The truck left the road and hit a tree.
The front passenger, a 29-year-old man, was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene, according to police.
The 24-year-old male driver and a 17-year-old male passenger were both taken to Central Maine Medical Center to be treated for injuries not considered life-threatening. They have been released from the hospital, police said.
Auburn police are reconstructing the crash.
Police said the names of those involved would not be released until their families have been notified. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/lewiston-auburn/man-dies-in-auburn-crash/97-752ef34e-fb6f-4d71-85d8-d2bd9c48b064 | 2023-06-15T13:12:06 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/lewiston-auburn/man-dies-in-auburn-crash/97-752ef34e-fb6f-4d71-85d8-d2bd9c48b064 |
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A family finally has some closure more than 40 years after their loved one went missing leaving the Tampa Bay area, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said.
On Oct. 28, 1980, then-29-year-old Ronald Gilchrist left a home on Bonner Avenue near 69th Way N in Clearwater. His destination — Miami. He was set to pick up his in-laws on Nov. 3 at the Miami International Airport and then take them to Marco Island.
Gilchrist climbed into this 1977 Ford 4-door car and started on his journey. Detectives said on Oct. 29 Gilchrist called a family member from a restaurant payphone in Mulberry.
That was the last communication he had with his family. He never arrived at the airport and has been missing ever since.
Detectives said they got photos of Gilchrist from 1980 and sent them to investigators at the Miami-Dade Police Department and the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office.
Miami police reportedly investigated a homicide in November 1980 involving a John Doe. That unidentified man, detectives would later learn, matched a similar description of Gilchrist.
On June 7, 2023, detectives received word from the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office that it had formally identified Joe Doe as Gilchrist.
His death is still being investigated as a homicide by the Miami-Dade Police Department. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/ronald-gilchrist-missing-person-1980-identified/67-79529386-ff5c-4620-aca9-a692eac9d379 | 2023-06-15T13:12:12 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/ronald-gilchrist-missing-person-1980-identified/67-79529386-ff5c-4620-aca9-a692eac9d379 |
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — The largest and longest-running street fair on the east coast is back in Mechanicsburg on Thursday.
The 93rd annual Jubilee Day is expecting around 60,000 people to attend and over 300 vendors.
Main Street in Mechanicsburg will be the site for the event, and will be packed with food, games, arts & crafts, business information, retail products, carnival rides, and more.
There will also be a children’s area with activities for the whole family to enjoy, as well as live entertainment on two stages.
For more information, you can visit Jubilee Day's website here. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/jubilee-day-2023-mechanicsburg/521-e3d20d38-c10c-48b0-8393-bfef288bf549 | 2023-06-15T13:15:06 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/jubilee-day-2023-mechanicsburg/521-e3d20d38-c10c-48b0-8393-bfef288bf549 |
‘We will never see his like again’: Remembering Cormac McCarthy beyond his bleak novels
Known for such books as “The Road,” “No Country for Old Men” and “All the Pretty Horses,” author Cormac McCarthy was praised - and criticized - for works that were brutally violent, morally ambiguous and bleak. Even so, McCarthy left an undeniable legacy in literature and in Knoxville.
The Pulitzer Prize winner, who had close ties to Knoxville in his personal history and his books, died this week at 89, just over a month shy of his 90th birthday.
“He's clearly a pretty influential writer,” Eric Dawson of Knox County’s McClung Historical Collection told Knox News last year. “You can't imitate him because it's so obvious, his language and style of prose is – well, for a lot of people, it's difficult."
“When I walk the streets of the Scruffy City, images from the novel ‘Suttree’ (by McCarthy) and the 1950s constantly arise in my mind,” Knoxville author William Walker told Knox News in an email on June 13, the day McCarthy's death was announced.
“McCarthy captured a time that is now lost, and we will never see his like again,” Walker continued, calling the late author “the greatest Knoxville writer of all times.”
Acclaimed writer Stephen King agreed, writing in a tribute on Twitter that McCarthy “may be the greatest American novelist of my time."
“He was full of years and created a fine body of work,” King continued.
Giving space to the little wonders of humanity
McCarthy, a somewhat reclusive writer, authored 12 novels. His first, “The Orchard Keeper,” was published in 1965, and his final two books were released in late 2022. He drew heavy inspiration from the South and his time in East Tennessee for his Southern gothic and neo-Western stories.
Post-apocalyptic scenes, graphic depictions of violence and a unique writing style set him apart from other writers. Every McCarthy release was “a haunted, tortured, dark and deeply sad literary event” – of the best kind, of course – USA TODAY wrote in a review for his book “The Passenger” in 2022.
But exactly what was the point? Why was McCarthy fixated on the bleak and grim?
“I think in his work he uses violence to boil down the necessity of morality and thoughtfulness and care,” Zachary Turpin, professor of American literature at the University of Idaho, shared with Knox News last year.
“It really felt like the violence was beside the point, that all that awfulness helps distill the wonders of the little moments of humanity,” Turpin said. “It's not because he loves the gore or because it's all that there is. I think that he shows life and humanity its worth, to show that there's still something behind all that that's good.”
A literary legacy built on style and purpose
Along with violent graphic detail, McCarthy was known for his writing style and cadence. He wrote in detailed, declarative sentences, often sparsely punctuated and void of attribution to dialogue. Turpin suggested this unique style is a pillar of McCarthy’s lasting literary influence.
“It would be tempting to say that he's had a big influence on the way that literature has gotten, not just the way it reads, but like what people write about or their stance toward humanity or art,” Turpin said. “It does sometimes feel like he is both, at the head of a tradition that's ongoing stylistically and also holding a torch that not a lot of people are trying to take up."
Forcing readers who can get past the gore to think critically about morality and humanity was McCarthy’s impact from Dawson’s perspective.
“If you read enough of those works you do get the sense of somebody who is very much questioning, very intellectually curious, is not afraid to ask the big questions,” Dawson said. “He asks the big questions, I think, about existence, about what we're doing here and how people interact with one another and treat one another.”
It’s what makes McCarthy’s work consistently relevant. Dawson recalled how “Suttree,” McCarthy's novel released in 1979 and set in Knoxville, asks the big questions and mirrors issues of today.
“I think ‘Suttree’ is a particularly interesting book because a lot of what he's talking about – again it’s written in ‘79 and takes place in early '50s – are things we're still dealing with now, such as urban renewal, police violence, homeless. It's these things that are in the headlines now.”
McCarthy’s life in Knoxville and East Tennessee
McCarthy’s first four novels were set in East Tennessee. “Suttree,” a semi-autographical story, was set in Knoxville, where McCarthy grew up. The main character in his fifth book, “Blood Meridian,” is a teenager from Tennessee.
“He obviously had a real interest in the rural area around here,” Dawson said. “Very few books take place in any city that go into detail about the city as much as ‘Suttree’ does.”
Born Charles McCarthy Jr. on July 20, 1933, in Rhode Island, McCarthy moved to Knoxville with his family when he was around 4 years old in 1937. His father worked as a general counsel for the Tennessee Valley Authority. They briefly lived in Sequoyah Hills and then moved to a house on Martin Hill Pike, which burned down in 2009.
McCarthy went to Knoxville Catholic High School. He showed an early interest in drama, appearing in a local film and then auditioning for Clarence Brown's 1946 MGM film, "The Yearling," but did not get the part, according to Dawson.
It’s possible he was sort of a rowdy rebel during his Knoxville days. Dawson shared a recently resurfaced story that when McCarthy was 13 or 14 years old, he and one of his friends were playing with guns and the future author accidently shot himself in the leg.
And then when he attended the University of Tennessee for one year in the early 1950s, he either “dropped out or was kicked out, depending on your sources,” reported News-Sentinel writer Don Williams in 1990. McCarthy returned to UT after serving in the Air Force, but ultimately chose to leave to focus on his writing career.
It’s unclear why McCarthy dropped Charles and began using Cormac, but Dawson noted the moniker is a traditional Irish name.
McCarthy lived in rural Sevier County and Blount County in the 1960s and ‘70s, before moving West and ultimately settling in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he died. However, East Tennessee remained an inspiration to the author.
In his highly anticipated literary return in 2022, “The Passenger" prominently featured Knoxville, Clinton and Wartburg. The main character's father even works in Oak Ridge.
Remembering McCarthy
McCarthy introduced Knoxville to the world through his books. And the city has returned the adoration. Suttree Landing Park on the Tennessee River in downtown Knoxville is an homage to the book and its lead character. Suttree's High Gravity Tavern and Harrogate's Lounge are also references to the book.
“Great artists don't come from nowhere. It takes practice. It takes dedication it takes willingness or even a readiness to fail or to throw out what doesn't work and to self-analyze,” Turpin said when reflecting on McCarthy’s career.
McCarthy received many awards during his career, including the William Faulkner Foundation Award (“The Orchard Keeper”), MacArthur Fellowship, National Book Award for fiction (“All the Pretty Horses”) and a Pulitzer Prize for “The Road,” which was also an Oprah Winfrey book club selection.
The 2007 film adaptation of “No Country for Old Men” won four Academy Awards, including best picture.
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. Twitter @dturner1208.
Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe. | https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/remembering-cormac-mccarthys-legacy-and-early-life-in-east-tennessee/70320788007/ | 2023-06-15T13:16:28 | 1 | https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/remembering-cormac-mccarthys-legacy-and-early-life-in-east-tennessee/70320788007/ |
Tennessee Black Caucus legislators will meet in Knoxville at Beck Cultural Exchange Center
The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators is working to bring change across the state, and will hold a town hall meeting at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center on June 16.
The caucus - consisting of Black state lawmakers including Knoxville Rep. Sam McKenzie, Chattanooga Rep. Yusuf Hakeem and Memphis' Rep. G.A. Hardaway, Rep. Torrey Harris, Rep. Jesse Chism, Rep. Antonio Parkinson and Rep. Karen Camper - will be in attendance to address key issues at the intersection of race and equity as well as legislation that impacts African Americans.
Also scheduled to appear is Rep. Justin Jones of Nashville. Jones was at the center of national news in April along with Knoxville Rep. Gloria Johnson and Rep. Justin Pearson of Memphis, when the three led a gun control demonstration and called on their colleagues to pass stricter gun laws during session; the House GOP voted to expel Jones and Pearson, both of whom were later re-elected to their seats.
McKenzie told Knox News that attendees at this week's town hall in Knoxville can expect broad discussion on road improvements, infrastructure and Black wealth, as well as gun control and women's reproductive rights. The town hall format is an effort to hear cares and concerns directly from the community, with the goal of educating Black Knoxvillians on what affects them most at the state and local levels.
"There's a lot of good things happening in the state, despite what we saw in April. We were able to secure a $250,000 grant for the Beck Cultural Exchange Center right here in Knoxville and several other things that benefit Black Knoxvillians in other aspects," McKenzie said. "There are opportunities for us to get involved and get part of the slice of our fair share of the state dollars and that's the goal. We really want to have dialogue but also just really take the time to listen to people."
The town hall meeting will start at 6 p.m. June 16 at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, 1927 Dandridge Ave.
Angela Dennis is the Knox News race, justice and equity reporter. Email angela.dennis@knoxnews.com. Twitter @AngeladWrites. Instagram @angeladenniswrites. Facebook at Angela Dennis Journalist.
Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe. | https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/tennessee-black-caucus-will-hold-public-meeting-in-knoxville-june-16/70317987007/ | 2023-06-15T13:16:32 | 1 | https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/tennessee-black-caucus-will-hold-public-meeting-in-knoxville-june-16/70317987007/ |
Lincoln Library plans Juneteenth celebrations
SPRINGFIELD — The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will display the Emancipation Proclamation in honor of Juneteenth.
The document will be displayed June 19-23 and June 26-30 in the ALPLM's library building, 112 N. Sixth St., Springfield.
There is no admission charage and the library is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The ALPLM will also launch a new online tool that lets people around the world explore the proclamation, which will be available online starting Monday, June 19.
The ALPM will also have a Juneteenth Block Party at the Illinois State Museum from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, June 16. There will be an activity table with hand-on crafts for children and a reproduction of the emancipation during the event.
There will also be another Juneteenth celebration from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 17 at Comer Cox Park. There will be a button maker for people to make their own buttons.
B-N artist Jan Brandt to exhibit in Batavia
BATAVIA — Bloomington-Normal artist and gallery owner Jan Brandt will exhibit at Water Street Studios in the Kane County community of Batavia.
Brandt was granted the opportunity to choose artists to exhibit with her concurrently at the gallery.
Water Street Studios began as a vision in 2007 from community members and artists and eventually opened to the public in 2009. | https://pantagraph.com/life-entertainment/local/arts-in-brief-lincoln-library-plans-juneteenth-celebrations/article_3ced317c-095c-11ee-8dd5-c3018c575ab3.html | 2023-06-15T13:16:41 | 1 | https://pantagraph.com/life-entertainment/local/arts-in-brief-lincoln-library-plans-juneteenth-celebrations/article_3ced317c-095c-11ee-8dd5-c3018c575ab3.html |
ORLANDO, Fla. – As many prepare for summer travel, Florida officials are warning of vacation schemes that could leave you without a place to stay.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said one of the biggest frauds her office has seen involves vacation rentals.
The scheme involves people posting fake offers, taking a victim’s money and leaving them without a place to stay.
“When we see trends, we want to reach out and make sure that folks can protect themselves on the front end. It is so much harder for us to seek recovery, retribution or even criminal charges on the back end,” Moody said.
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Moody said another scam involves fraudulent websites selling fake tickets to attractions and theme parks.
Experts suggest buying tickets directly from the place you want to visit rather than using a third party.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/06/15/floridians-warned-of-vacation-rental-scams-ahead-of-summer/ | 2023-06-15T13:21:26 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/06/15/floridians-warned-of-vacation-rental-scams-ahead-of-summer/ |
GoFundMe started to raise $20,000 reward for tips in Detroit neurosurgeon's slaying
Family and friends of a neurosurgeon found murdered in his Detroit home in April have started a GoFundMe page to raise a $20,000 reward for tips leading to his killer.
Devon Hoover, 53, was found April 23 in his Boston-Edison home after officers were called to conduct a wellness check. His body was found wrapped in a blanket and shoved into an upstairs crawlspace at the home, located in the 100 block of West Boston Boulevard.
The online fundraising campaign was created Tuesday, according to the page. It said the page was created by Hoover's two sisters and two friends.
"The family and friends of Devon want to help bring justice by raising a $20,000 reward for the first person who comes forward to the Detroit police or Crimestoppers with a tip leading to the arrest and prosecution of a suspect in this murder case," the page said.
As of Thursday morning, the campaign had raised $6,445 of its $20,000 goal.
The effort comes about a month after authorities announced they were offering a $1,000 reward for tips in Hoover's slaying.
Also last month, The Wayne County Medical Examiner ruled Hoover's death was a homicide and said he had been shot in the head multiple times.
Police had arrested a person of interest in connection with Hoover's murder, but released him.
Hoover was a neurosurgeon at Ascension Healthcare, which operates St. John Hospital in Detroit and lived alone.
cramirez@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @CharlesERamirez | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2023/06/15/devon-hoover-reward-tips-detroit-gofundme-neurosurgeon-boston-edison/70324538007/ | 2023-06-15T13:24:40 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2023/06/15/devon-hoover-reward-tips-detroit-gofundme-neurosurgeon-boston-edison/70324538007/ |
Oakland Twp. woman who fled to Thailand after fatal hit-and-run pleads no contest
A 57-year-old Oakland Township woman accused of fatally striking a Michigan State University student on New Year's Day and then fleeing to Thailand has pleaded no contest, according to court records.
Tubtim "Sue" Howson's plea on Wednesday in Oakland Circuit Court means she'll avoid a trial. She will be sentenced at 1 p.m. July 26 and faces up to five years in prison.
Howson is accused of hitting Benjamin Kable, 22, shortly before dawn on Jan. 1, 2023 on Rochester Road, south of Whims Lane. The fatal incident occurred after an Uber driver dropped off Kable on the side of the road following a New Year's Eve party.
Howson, a Thai American, allegedly never called police and on Jan. 3 flew on a one-way ticket to Finland, where she caught a connecting flight to Bangkok, Thailand, authorities said.
She was finally arrested several weeks after the crash with the help of Thai law enforcement officials, the FBI and U.S. Marshals after officials obtained a description of the vehicle and a tip led to identifying Howson as a suspect.
Authorities reported on Feb. 24 that Howson had voluntarily returned to the United States. She was extradited to the United States and arraigned in March in Oakland County on one count of failure to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in death.
During a news conference in February in Thailand, Howson said she was driving to work in the dark and thought she had struck a deer. She said she spotted a body, tried to call police but didn't due to shock.
“I did not think I would run away, but I was very shocked. I tried to call the police but my hands were shaking. I could not do anything,” she said at a news conference.
Kable's family was relieved when Howson was located in Thailand earlier this year and agreed to come back to the United States to face criminal proceedings, saying their son would "finally get some justice." Kable, known as Ben or BK to friends, was a senior at MSU.
"God answered our prayers for Ben," Michael Kable, Benjamin's father, told The News in February.
Associated Press contributed.
jaimery@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @wordsbyjakkar | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2023/06/15/tubtim-howson-benjamin-kable-hit-and-run-thailand-charges-no-contest-oakland-county/70324578007/ | 2023-06-15T13:24:40 | 0 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2023/06/15/tubtim-howson-benjamin-kable-hit-and-run-thailand-charges-no-contest-oakland-county/70324578007/ |
Bismarck brothers Logan and Ryan Bullinger won the North Dakota High School Fishing State Championship for the third year in a row, continuing a family tradition of supremacy in the sport.
Logan and Ryan have an older brother, Brandon, and a Century High School Bullinger brothers team has now won the state tournament five years in a row. Logan and Brandon won it twice before Logan and Ryan began their run.
"Working hard and putting the time in on the water helped us win," Ryan Bullinger said.
The tournament was held Saturday on Lake Sakakawea's Hazen Bay.
"The weather was perfect and the tournament was timed perfectly with lots of bass being caught," the North Dakota Student Angler Federation said in a statement. "Teams had to weed through many small bass to decide on their keepers. North Dakota is one of the few states that does not allow culling, so this adds another factor to tournament fishing."
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Logan and Ryan Bullinger weighed in 11.29 pounds of bass, edging out the team of Alex Martel, of Christine, and Carson Dewald, of Jamestown, who had 10.84 pounds. Anglers don't have to be from the same school to compete as a team. Martel and Dewald finished third last year.
The Bullinger brothers had the Big Bass of the Day -- 2.97 pounds.
Both teams have qualified for the 2023 national championship in La Crosse, Wisconsin, next week. They'll be competing on the Mississippi River against more than 400 teams, with college scholarships and other potential prizes on the line.
The Bullinger brothers finished 13th out of about 420 teams at last year's nationals on Pickwick Lake in Alabama, according to mother Heather Bullinger. She and her husband, Scott, are directors of the North Dakota Student Angler Federation.
Ryan Bullinger said, "Our goal has always been finishing in the Top 10, and that's our goal again this year."
Growing the program
Four teams competed in this year's state tournament, though 18 schools have been represented in various tournaments since the North Dakota program began in 2018.
Heather and Scott Bullinger are looking to increase participation, and they also are starting a junior club for eighth grade students and younger.
There also are now college clubs that have been started by former high school anglers, according to Heather Bullinger. Brandon Bullinger started a fishing club at Bismarck State College. There are clubs at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks and North Dakota State University in Fargo. Efforts are being made to start a club at Valley City State. And Martel and Dewald hope to start a club at the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton when they enroll there in the fall.
The national Student Angler Federation was developed by The Bass Federation, the nation's oldest and largest organized grassroots fishing organization. | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/bismarck-family-continues-dominance-of-high-school-fishing/article_da61a9a0-093f-11ee-9ab0-2b63e8639cd2.html | 2023-06-15T13:33:23 | 1 | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/bismarck-family-continues-dominance-of-high-school-fishing/article_da61a9a0-093f-11ee-9ab0-2b63e8639cd2.html |
Crimes against people in Bismarck rose slightly last year, driven by an uptick in homicides and a big jump in aggravated assaults from the previous year.
But Police Chief Dave Draovitch also noted positives in the 2022 report, including significant drops in sex offenses and in overall property crimes. And he said long-term trends are more important than the year-to-year changes in various crime categories.
"We look back at least five years and see where we're at," he said. "If things seem steady for five years, we consider that the norm for the city. Bismarck is still growing like crazy -- if crimes stay steady or go down, that's a good thing, in our view."
Crimes against people last year were up 5% from 2021, to 1,192, but the total remained slightly below the five-year average of 1,214.
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Aggravated assaults totaled 191 -- a 57% jump from the previous year and the most in the past five years. Draovitch said sometimes it's easy to cite a cause for such increases -- such as in 2020 when domestic assaults rose because many people were forced to isolate indoors due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. But he said it's difficult to pinpoint a reason for last year's surge, and that "We'll just have to wait and see if it continues."
There were six homicides in the city last year, compared with two the previous year, none in 2020 and 2019, and two in 2018. Draovitch said it could be an anomaly, and that residents shouldn't worry that they're more at risk.
"It's not like it's strange-on-stranger types of things," the chief said of the killings. "It's people who know one another, generally, or are doing things together."
There have been no reported homicides so far this year.
Sex offenses in 2022 dropped 11% from the year before, and the 135 reported cases were the lowest in the past five years.
"I think that as a society we're to the point where people are likely to report when something like that happens to them. I hope this (drop in reported cases) is an indication that (such crimes) are going down," Draovitch said.
Crimes against property last year plummeted 20% from 2021, though several individual categories saw rises.
There were 204 vehicle thefts reported in the city, compared with 83 the previous year. The 2022 total was up 19% from the five-year average. Personal responsibility plays a big role, according to Draovitch.
"People need to take care of their stuff," he said. "Bismarck is not a place like it was 30, 40 years ago, where you could leave your keys in your car and expect it to be there the next day."
Other categories that saw increases included forgeries, possession of stolen property and prostitution, though prostitution cases totaled only 10. Burglary cases were down slightly, and the drug crime, fraud, criminal mischief and shoplifting categories saw bigger declines.
Total arrests have been declining in recent years. They totaled 7,338 in 2018, and 3,964 last year. Draovitch said that isn't an indication that officers aren't "taking care of things." He suspects it's a trend that began with the pandemic, of officers forwarding a report to prosecutors rather than immediately arresting suspects and taking them to jail.
Lesser offenses
Lesser offenses -- typically misdemeanors -- were a mixed bag of increases and decreases in 2022.
DUIs rose 17% to the highest number -- 414 -- in the past five years, and detox arrests were up 12%, to 170, though they were well below the five-year average. Disorderly conduct cases dropped nearly 6% from 2021, and trespassing incidents were stable.
There were 36 suicide calls, down 17% and the lowest number in the past five years. Overdose calls rose just a few percent, to 138, though that number has climbed steadily from 19 in 2018. Domestic disputes dropped a few percent, to 186.
There were 643 animal-related calls, nearly unchanged from the previous two years, and 50 animal bite cases, on par with the five-year average of 53.
2023 goals
Beefing up the force is one of the department's goals for this year.
The department is authorized for 136 full-time employees and right now has eight open positions.
"With open positions, generally our patrol section is left short," Draovitch said, explaining a stated goal of "improve manpower presence in the field." "We want to make sure we get them fully staffed so they can be out and about, doing proactive work rather than reactive work."
The department is having the same issues as many other industries in finding workers amid a nationwide labor shortage, the chief said.
The department every year analyzes its workforce needs. During this year's city budget cycle it will ask for only one additional employee -- a school resource officer requested by Shiloh Christian School, according to Draovitch.
The department recently launched an online map that details crime, traffic and service calls, showing activity as far back as one month. It can be found at bit.ly/3Ou8KhR. Draovitch said the force strives for transparency and welcomes public participation.
"Bismarck is still a very safe city, and I always tout that it's because of our citizens," he said. "Our citizens do a great job of calling and reporting if they see something suspicious. We appreciate that. It gives us an opportunity to check things out; it helps us to be successful as a police department. There are plenty of cities in the country that don't have that, and we're thankful that we have that here."
The full 2022 report is at bit.ly/3N6TViJ. | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/crimes-against-people-up-in-bismarck-but-property-crimes-down-in-2022-force-looks-to/article_2ee166b8-0635-11ee-8762-9b51547f0a57.html | 2023-06-15T13:33:29 | 0 | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/crimes-against-people-up-in-bismarck-but-property-crimes-down-in-2022-force-looks-to/article_2ee166b8-0635-11ee-8762-9b51547f0a57.html |
Three jail inmates in New Jersey were convicted in the brutal beating almost two years ago that left a fellow inmate with permanent brain damage.
A jury found Byad Lockett and Darryl Watson guilty in the Sept. 2021 Essex County jail attack against then 21-year-old Jayshawn Boyd, prosecutors announced Wednesday. The jury found Lockett and Watson guilty of attempted murder, aggravated assault and possession of a microwave for an unlawful purpose.
The third inmate, Isaad Jackson, was only found guilty of the final charge. Prosecutors said the jury was hung on the attempted murder and assault charges.
The vicious beatdown was caught on video, many of the images too disturbing too watch. In it, the three men stomp on Boyd, hit him with a mop handle, douse him with bleach, throw a water cooler and then a microwave at his head. According to Essex County officials, a total of seven inmates were involved in the attack.
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“The victim was unconscious after sustaining serious head shots during the seven-on-one assault. Lockett, Watson, and Jackson then returned to the defenseless body of Boyd and struck him in the head multiple times with industrial-sized items," Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab said.
The sentencing for the three men is set for September.
That Boyd can walk at all shows his incredible will to survive -- no one thought he could live after the beating in the C-Pod at the Essex County jail. Boyd, whose family says suffers from schizophrenia, had never been put in general population before the day of the beating.
"The way they beat my son, I couldn’t even watch the video," Nacolia Boyd, Jayshawn's mother, said. "My son Is not the same. He can’t do things on his own anymore. He can’t go to the store—can’t dress himself-it’s hard for me. You don’t have the life you did before.”
The Boyd family is now suing the county and correction officials. Attorney Brooke Barnett says the duration of the beating with no intervention by jail guards was unacceptable.
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”He’s placed in the jail—in less than 10 minutes, this is what’s happening," Barnett said. "And nobody came to his aid.”
The seven-on-one attack went on for two minutes and 23 seconds, according to Barnett.
Union officials said the sole officer on duty in that unit had not been academy trained. According to prosecutors, he left for his safety and called for backup. A year and a half later, officers without academy training are still being put into units at a ratio of one to every 64 inmates.
County officials insist they have implemented safety and security changes since the assault on Boyd.
“We are employing national standards and we are employing best practices," ECCR Director Donald Charles said.
But according to internal documents obtained by the News 4 I-Team, there have been a total of 17 inmate-on-inmate or inmate-on-staff incidents since March. Officer Jeffrey Matos was stabbed and beaten by a group of inmates on May 17.
"They don't care about our safety. I've never seen the jail this dangerous in my life," Matos said.
Barnett, who represents several inmate families, agrees.
"You talk about Rikers, Essex County Jail, they're worse than Rikers," she said.
Boyd, his family says, will need a lifetime of care.
"They should have been on a job protecting these inmates. Just because you’re in jail, doesn’t mean you have to be treated like an animal. And it shouldn’t have happened to my son. No one should have gone through that," his mother said.
One defendant has already pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, while three others have yet to be tried. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/3-inmates-convicted-in-vicious-microwave-mop-bucket-beating-that-left-nj-man-brain-damaged/3586262/ | 2023-06-15T13:37:42 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/3-inmates-convicted-in-vicious-microwave-mop-bucket-beating-that-left-nj-man-brain-damaged/3586262/ |
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Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/ex-manager-awarded-25-6m-in-suit-over-firing-after-arrests-of-black-men-at-philly-starbucks/3586206/ | 2023-06-15T13:37:48 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/ex-manager-awarded-25-6m-in-suit-over-firing-after-arrests-of-black-men-at-philly-starbucks/3586206/ |
What to Know
- Measures to raise fees on millions of phone bills in Pennsylvania passed the state House of Representatives on Wednesday in a bid to bolster funding for county-run emergency communication centers and the state’s 988 suicide hotline.
- Both measures, which were backed by every Democrat and a handful of Republicans, would annually adjust the fees with inflation.
- The legislation now goes on to the Republican-controlled Senate.
Measures to raise fees on millions of phone bills in Pennsylvania passed the state House of Representatives on Wednesday in a bid to bolster funding for county-run emergency communication centers and the state’s 988 suicide hotline.
The 911 bill passed 121-82, and would increase the existing $1.65 monthly fee to $1.97 on Pennsylvanian’s phone bills. The funds will support equipment, operations and new technology, sponsors said. It is expected to generate an additional $30 million, for a projected total of $365 million in fiscal year beginning July 1.
The House passed the 988 bill 113-90, to create a new 6-cent fee beginning Jan. 1. The estimated $12 million generated annually to start would help fund operations of the call centers, with staffing, routing of calls and services.
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Both measures, which were backed by every Democrat and a handful of Republicans, would annually adjust the fees with inflation. The legislation now goes on to the Republican-controlled Senate.
The measures come as the House unanimously passed a measure on Tuesday to cut monthly phone bills by exempting cell phone use from the 6% sales tax and the 5% gross receipts tax. Sponsors say it would save Pennsylvanians an estimated $124 million per year if also passed by the state Senate.
A spokeswoman for the House Democrats said, though it would vary, a typical consumer could see about a 79-cent reduction in 2024 under just the proposed tax cut. With the proposed increase through the 911 and 988 bills, it would be net reduction of about 41 cents per month in 2024.
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Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
If you or someone you know needs help, please contact the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988, or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘Home’ to 741741, anytime.
Rep. Jared Solomon, a Democrat from Philadelphia who sponsored the 911 bill, said Pennsylvanians possibly wouldn't see an increase in their phone bills until 2028 if all three measures became law.
“Right now, our 911 system is operating off 1970s and 80s technology. We all know that the number one priority of government is to provide for the safety and security of our friends, neighbors and loved ones,” he said. “Let’s vote for this bill. Let’s say yes to safer, more secure neighborhoods.”
But opponents chafed at tying the charge to inflation and “infinity taxes,” and expressed concern that there was no guarantee the tax cut would make it through the Senate and actually offset the costs.
“Government does not have a good history of actually following through with what it says it will do,” said Rep. Bryan Cutler, a Republican from Lancaster County.
County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania said it supports the increase to 911 funds, but have called for a higher fee to adequately support the emergency services.
Last year, the U.S. launched the first nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline. The federal government provided hundreds of millions in funding to help states create systems that include mental health crisis teams and emergency mental health centers. But states need to sustain the funding. At least four others have allocated money to support the services, some through phone bill fees.
Brooke Schultz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/pennsylvania-house-oks-bills-to-increase-phone-bill-fees-to-support-911-988/3585931/ | 2023-06-15T13:37:55 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/pennsylvania-house-oks-bills-to-increase-phone-bill-fees-to-support-911-988/3585931/ |
'Waiting game': These major Peoria roads need rebuilds. Here's why they're on hold for now
The stretches of Lake Avenue and Gale Avenue maintained by Peoria County are set to undergo complete rebuilds — that is, when state money for the project is released.
Once again in the state capital bill, $6 million was allocated to Peoria County to rebuild Lake and Gale avenues. The money has been allocated every year since the Rebuild Illinois plan was adopted in 2019.
The Lake Avenue rebuild will take place between Knoxville Avenue and Sheridan Road. The Gale Avenue rebuild will be between Forrest Hill and Sterling avenues.
But Peoria County is still waiting on the state, particularly the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, to release the money.
"Right now, we're kind of in a waiting game with DCEO. We kind of have been for a couple of state fiscal years," Peoria County Administrator Scott Sorrel said. "But we're OK with it right now. It's in the queue, we're just waiting on the funding from the state to get it going."
Sorrel added there is no timeline on when the projects will be complete because the state money has not been released.
In the time since the money was originally allocated, construction inflation has spiked and the $6 million will no longer cover the cost of both road projects, Sorrel said.
"The cost of doing that little stretch of Lake Street was about $3 million," Sorrel said. "On Gale, from Forest Hill to Sterling, that was also about $3 million. Construction inflation has exploded, and we will definitely be able to get Lake Street done, but we're not going to be able to get Lake and Gale both done with that $6 million."
Sorrel said Lake Avenue will get completed before Gale and, therefore, local funds will have to be allocated to the Gale Avenue project.
Engineering has not begun yet on the Gale Avenue project yet, so Sorrel said he does not know what the cost will be. The project cannot move forward until a grant agreement is made with the state.
The rebuilds of the Lake and Gale avenues will be very similar to the current construction happening on Glen Avenue, Sorrel said. It will include sidewalks, curb, gutters and lighting.
More:Here's what to know about Peoria's new electric aggregation program and how it works
Peoria County and the city of Peoria have a longstanding deal that dictates whenever a county highway within city limits is upgraded to city standards, the cost of the project is split between the municipalities and upon completion, is turned over to the city.
"When we get to Gale, we will have to do that and we will use whatever is left over from Lake Avenue," Sorrel said.
There will also be an agreement between the city and county on Lake Avenue, but the city will not have to put forward any funds because the state grant is paying for 100% of the project. | https://www.pjstar.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/rebuilds-of-lake-and-gale-avenues-in-peoria-on-hold-for-now/70318868007/ | 2023-06-15T13:42:25 | 0 | https://www.pjstar.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/rebuilds-of-lake-and-gale-avenues-in-peoria-on-hold-for-now/70318868007/ |
Here is your Duluth News Tribune Minute podcast for Thursday, June 15, 2023.
The Duluth News Tribune Minute is a product of Forum Communications Company and is brought to you by reporters at the Duluth News Tribune, Superior Telegram and Cloquet Pine Journal. Find more news throughout the day at duluthnewstribune.com. Subscribe and rate us at
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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Just because Pat Sajak is retiring next year doesn’t mean you can’t be on Wheel of Fortune.
Legendary game-show host Pat Sajak may have announced his plan to retire Monday night, but the show will live on -- at least in a different format -- and make a stop in Corpus Christi.
“Wheel of Fortune Live!" is scheduled to stop at the American Bank Center on Dec. 23.
The game show is being adapted into a stage show to give more fans access, and more chances to win.
In the live version of the game, contestants are selected from the audience to go on stage to call consonants, buy a vowel, and maybe even solve puzzles to win big.
Tickets for the event go on sale Friday. You can buy them here.
More from 3News on KIIITV.com:
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- Lady 'Cats win first state softball title
- Former London ISD teacher who had improper relationship with student rearrested
- Man who allegedly shot, killed woman in Central Texas arrested in Ingleside
- 'Walking the stage' has special meaning for Veterans Memorial High School student
- Here's when you can watch the 2023 solar eclipse over Corpus Christi
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Do you have a news tip? Tell 3!
Email tell3@kiiitv.com so we can get in touch with you about your story should we have questions or need more information. We realize some stories are sensitive in nature. Let us know if you'd like to remain anonymous. | https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/local/wheel-of-fortune-live-is-coming-to-corpus-christi/503-1d4c97a6-ca2d-421e-8260-56a599374633 | 2023-06-15T13:55:01 | 0 | https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/local/wheel-of-fortune-live-is-coming-to-corpus-christi/503-1d4c97a6-ca2d-421e-8260-56a599374633 |
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — Residents who want to purchase land from the township will have to pay more for the privilege.
When members of the public make a request of the township to buy land, it is necessary for various administrative tasks to take place prior to the processing of the actual sales, a new ordinance states.
During the regular Township Council meeting Tuesday evening, Mayor Anthony J. Coppola Jr. said land sales involve the tax assessor, township clerk, township manager and township solicitor for the ordinance's second reading and public hearing.
For a typical land sale, the solicitor still has to be paid to prepare a deed, Township Manager Chris Johansen said.
It is necessary to charge an application fee to assist in the payment of administrative costs involved in the processing of a land sale request, the ordinance said.
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The fee schedule has been either a refundable $100 or a nonrefundable $75, Johansen said.
"The $100 fee doesn't cover our costs," Johansen said.
The amendment to the land sale request fee called for a nonrefundable fee of $500 per block and lot shall be made payable to the township upon filing of a completed land sale request to the township clerk, the ordinance said.
Coppola said he was not comfortable with the per block and lot wording in the ordinance for fear that a land sale request fee could reach as high as $100,000, if many blocks and lots were involved with the sale.
"A large majority of our requests are for one block, one lot," Johansen said.
Councilman Tom Bassford said the township did not want to overcharge.
"Five hundred dollars is probably on the inexpensive side," Coppola said. "We will use the money to recover our professional fees, not as a revenue producer."
Deputy Mayor Tony DiPietro said Coppola's concerns can be addressed with a resolution specifically for a multiple-lot sale when these instances come up.
The ordinance passed unanimously with all seven councilmen voting for it.
In other township news, council:
- Introduced the Central Galloway Redevelopment Area Osprey Rehabilitation Redevelopment Plan for one block and one lot within the area. The council referred the redevelopment plan to the Planning Board for review and a determination of the redevelopment plan's consistency with the township's master plan. The Planning Board is to report its findings to the council within 45 days. The council also appointed a conditional redeveloper and authorized a memorandum of understanding with I&S Associates LLC regarding the rehabilitation and redevelopment of property within the White Horse Pike East Galloway Manor Redevelopment District. I&S Associates has proposed to undertake the planning, design and construction of certain improvements consisting of three-story, mixed-use footprint, containing 10,000 square feet of first-floor commercial space along the White Horse Pike and up to 45 units, family rental units, with a 15% set-aside for affordable housing units. Jen Heller, who works for township planner Polistina & Associates, said there has been a change in plans to help the township with its affordable housing obligation by increasing the set-aside from 15% to 20%.
- Authorized the purchase of a new 911 recording solution system from Kova Corp., a state contract vendor.
- Authorized the Galloway Township Police Department to establish a change fund not to exceed $1,000 for National Night Out.
- Amended this year's budget for the Storm Water Assistance Grant in the amount of $25,000 from the state Department of Environmental Protection. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/galloway-land-sale/article_c6024fd0-0a9f-11ee-b1f4-03f18a522728.html | 2023-06-15T13:55:11 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/galloway-land-sale/article_c6024fd0-0a9f-11ee-b1f4-03f18a522728.html |
SANFORD, Fla. — The streets of the Washington Oaks neighborhood in Sanford finally have light.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
For months, families said their streets were in complete darkness with no explanation or solution.
Mario Hicks and his community told Channel 9 they called and wrote their commissioner.
Read: 5 dogs die in RV fire before Florida dog show, officials say
They said they also reached out to the city and FPL continuously without any concrete answers on what was being done.
“For us to have kids in this community to be in pitch darkness. Safety should be our number one concern, making sure nothing happens to our children, and our elderly,” Hicks said.
Watch: Winter Garden horse farm says development is squeezing them out of business
Crews showed up to the neighborhood on Tuesday, and the workers on site said the issue was caused by wires underground.
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/streetlights-turned-sanford-neighborhood-after-months-darkness/BUF54YPSS5EJHJ7ED3QSJSVXGU/ | 2023-06-15T14:00:17 | 1 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/streetlights-turned-sanford-neighborhood-after-months-darkness/BUF54YPSS5EJHJ7ED3QSJSVXGU/ |
Channel 9 meteorologists are monitoring a newly formed tropical wave near Africa.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
Forecast models show the wave could develop and gain strength over the next week as it moves through the Atlantic Ocean.
Seeing a tropic wave near Africa during this time of year is unusual.
Read: Hurricane season: Are you ready? Survey says many Floridians are not
The water temps are normally cool in the tropical Atlantic this time of year, but they are running way above average.
We typically see waves developing off the coast of Africa in August, not June.
Read: NOAA forecasters release predictions for 2023 Atlantic hurricane season
There are no current threats at this time, but the system will need to be monitored as it move our direction.
Red tide guide: How to check Florida beach conditions
Follow our Severe Weather team on Twitter for live updates:
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/tropical-wave-off-coast-africa-could-slowly-develop-over-next-week/HI4MUPGM3ZHF5IRL3M4QYDWMUU/ | 2023-06-15T14:00:19 | 0 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/tropical-wave-off-coast-africa-could-slowly-develop-over-next-week/HI4MUPGM3ZHF5IRL3M4QYDWMUU/ |
ODESSA, Texas — An Iraq War veteran received keys to a new car during a special ceremony at the All American Chevrolet of Odessa dealership.
The dealership donated the car to Army Specialist David Dale in partnership with the Military Warriors Support Foundation and Wells Fargo. It is part of a 'Transportation 4 Heroes' program, which provides cars to vets who were wounded in combat or to gold star families.
The ceremony also coincided with Flag Day and the US Army's birthday. | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/car-donated-to-iraq-war-veteran/513-bce07790-aefc-4e6d-b111-417db6e2d83f | 2023-06-15T14:03:53 | 1 | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/car-donated-to-iraq-war-veteran/513-bce07790-aefc-4e6d-b111-417db6e2d83f |
ODESSA, Texas — At the recent ECISD Board of Trustees meeting, ECISD officials went before the trustees to present a plan to raise district staff salaries.
The plan proposed would raise salaries by 3% for all district staff as well as raise the starting teacher salary to $60,600 per year. Superintendent Dr. Scott Muri said investing in teachers is simply the best way to attract talented educators to serve students in Ector County.
"While it isn't the only factor, it is critical factor in how we recruit, attract and retain the very best individuals to meet the needs of our students that we serve each and every day," Dr. Muri said.
The Board of Trustees will vote on whether or not to accept the proposed pay raise at their next meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday, June 20. | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/ecisd-officials-proposes-to-raise-ecisd-staff-salaries/513-65a270bf-6e0a-472f-b099-6d0c3e5271f3 | 2023-06-15T14:03:59 | 1 | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/ecisd-officials-proposes-to-raise-ecisd-staff-salaries/513-65a270bf-6e0a-472f-b099-6d0c3e5271f3 |
TEXAS, USA — Govenor Abbott recently signed the Clear Air Bill into law that was filed by State Representative Brooks Landgraf.
This all comes after the EPA tried to restrict state oil and gas production, and title the Permian Basin as a non-attainment area. Now, under House Bill 4885, Landgraf said that it'll help leverage emerging technologies to make sure the air in Texas is clean without bring harm to Texas industries.
The Lone Star State is under the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan, which is a federally required grant program by the TCEQ, so the new bill will help expand eligibility for grant recipients to include hydrogen infrastructure, vehicles and equipment upgrades.
Governor Abbott said in part that this new law will continue to help incentivize our state's workforce to use innovative technology, while helping hard working Texans. The bill will go into effect starting September 1, 2023. | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/governor-abbott-signs-clean-air-bill-into-law/513-68c82369-2b2c-4217-96e3-79d548a9e503 | 2023-06-15T14:04:05 | 0 | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/governor-abbott-signs-clean-air-bill-into-law/513-68c82369-2b2c-4217-96e3-79d548a9e503 |
MIDLAND, Texas — Kai Swinney came into Sunday's USSSA West Texas state championship game as the relief pitcher and left with a ring on his finger.
In between, Swinney was hit my a throw made by the opposing catcher after a pitch.
The Odessa native spoke with us Wednesday night about his perspective on what happened in the incident that was caught on video and has now gone viral. Swinney entered this game as a relief pitcher and everything was going fairly routine on the mound. He got his team out of the jam.
"I got brought into the game with bases loaded. I went three up, three down. Shut them out. Did that for about three innings," Swinney said.
Things only started to escalate during his at bats. The first he struck out, but the second is when he noticed something was up.
"My second at bat when I got up there I got hit on my hip. I got hit on my hip and that's when stuff started to happen," Swinney continued.
It was his third time up to the plate when the viral video was taken, showing the moment when Swinney was hit in the face by the catcher following the pitch.
"After I got hit in the eye, of course, I ran off to left field. I fell down covering my eye because it shook me up a little bit. I felt like I got socked in the face. My ears were ringing," Swinney said.
The 14-year old now has a black eye and is still recovering physically and mentally from the situation.
"Now in the batter's box, I'm kind of scared cause, of course, I got nailed in the eye from it, so seeing the ball come in is a little scary now, Swinney said.
"My eye was really swelled up. It was like a ball. It's gone down. It still hurts. Every morning I wake up and it's hurting. It's just becoming a black eye. I still have the seams on my face where he threw it. They are burnt into my skin," Swinney continued.
The pitcher's reason for speaking about this incident comes from his desire to never see it happen again because it's a dangerous situation for players.
"It could've been worse. It could've hit me in the nose and broke my nose, which I'm thankful for. I could've hit me in the temple. It could've killed me...that's one of the reasons why I don't want it to happen to anyone else," Swinney said.
He also mentioned that he did hear the opposing catcher laughing after he was hit, but did ask if Swinney was okay. The opposing coach also came over to ask if the batter was okay.
Swinney also did not want people attacking either the catcher nor the opposing coach. He added that he wanted things to be handled civilly.
He also hopes something is done about this situation by the USSSA.
We've reached out to the governing body and are still waiting for comment.
We'll continue to look into this situation and gather more information. | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/odessa-batter-kai-swinney-responses/513-34582ae2-bc6e-453f-987a-d01337eb7424 | 2023-06-15T14:04:11 | 1 | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/odessa-batter-kai-swinney-responses/513-34582ae2-bc6e-453f-987a-d01337eb7424 |
Venice council takes steps toward promoting affordable housing development
Density changes meant to foster affordable housing; accessory dwelling provision meant to broaden housing options
VENICE – The Venice City Council has initially approved an ordinance that will change the land development code to enable residents with single-family homes to build accessory dwelling units and would award increased density to developers of affordable housing.
The ordinance, which passed unanimously, would also consider multifamily units 750 square feet and smaller that qualify as affordable housing to count as half units for density purposes.
Venice Planning and Zoning Director Roger Clark said that the allowance for accessory dwelling units is not tied to any affordable housing requirement.
“It just increases the housing opportunities,” Clark said. “It may be a market-rate rental, it may be something for a family member that maybe it’s not rented at all.”
One accessory dwelling unit, commonly called mother-in-law apartments, would be allowed on an existing occupied lot, providing there are no binding master plans governing that home site, such as with a planned-unit development.
The accessory units are limited to a maximum of 1,000 square feet. They would not be counted for density purposes and would not count in lot coverage. No new parking is required.
The units must also be architecturally similar to the main residence.
“So it doesn't look like you just dropped this thing into the neighborhood,” Clark said.
Provisions to create density bonuses for developers interested in providing affordable housing in more land-use categories.
Clark later added that staff would next be coming back to the council with growth plan amendments to define how those density bonuses would work.
“Depending on the amount of affordable units you provide you would get a better bonus,” Clark said.
Essentially, Clark explained, a developer would have to want to take advantage of the density bonus options.
The same would apply for the provision allowing for 750-square-foot units to count as a half-unit for density purposes.
Those provisions would only apply to land zoned for multifamily or mixed-use development.
The ordinance changes must still be approved a second time, at the next council meeting.
Related:Buchanan, Gregory review 2023 legislative session at South County Tiger Bay luncheon
Planning staff must also bring back some more long-term policies that would help the city comply with the state’s new Live Local Act, designed to foster the development of more affordable housing.
For the current board, these three provisions represented a positive start.
“This council – all seven of us – can point to these three things," Council Member Rachel Frank said, noting they "help incentivize attainable housing.”
Vice Mayor Jim Boldt added, “This is kind of a small step but it is a step and I think we need to recognize that and make sure we don’t put in any more roadblocks that will cause people to think twice about it.” | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/venice/2023/06/15/venice-council-rule-changes-are-meant-to-promote-affordable-housing/70320590007/ | 2023-06-15T14:09:07 | 1 | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/venice/2023/06/15/venice-council-rule-changes-are-meant-to-promote-affordable-housing/70320590007/ |
Young athlete in Montana climate change trial testifies he uses inhaler due to forest fire smoke
HELENA — A high school athlete who along with 15 other young people took Montana to court over climate change testified Tuesday that increased smoke from forest fires makes it difficult for him to compete and that a doctor prescribed an inhaler to help his breathing problems.
Mica Kantor, now 15, said he has been worried about climate change since as a 4-year-old he dictated a letter to Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., because he was too young to write it himself. He said it's increasingly difficult to run or go on hikes with his family, and that the warmer conditions have shortened snowboarding seasons.
Mica testified on day two of a first-of-its-kind trial in which the 16 young Montana residents are arguing the state is violating their constitutional rights by failing to keep the environment clean. They're asking a judge to declare unconstitutional a state law that prevents agencies from considering the effect of greenhouse gasses when they issue permits for fossil fuel development.
State officials have sought to downplay Montana’s contributions to global warming as the trial is being closely watched for possible legal precedents.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs showed the court photos of Mica participating in protests against climate change at school, the local courthouse and the state’s largest public utility. He said his efforts were meant “to get people to think about climate change, which is the first step to acting,"
He said worrying about climate change can make it hard for him to fall asleep at night and he hopes the state will move in a direction that gives him hope for the future.
He shared a poem about being quarantined in the basement of his house when the rest of his family had COVID-19 and it was too smoky to play outside. In his writing, he wondered why nobody was listening and whether they cared.
The state declined to cross examine Mica or Badge Busse, 15; and did not ask questions of the three young plaintiffs who testified Monday.
Badge testified Tuesday that climate change can restrict his outdoor activities, including hunting, fishing and downhill skiing. There was a time, he said, when a forest fire near his house forced his family to prepare to evacuate, calling it “one of the most terrifying experiences of my life.”
His mother gathered baby books and he had to gather some of his treasured belongings and prepare to leave the only home he'd ever known. Fortunately, he said, they did not have to leave.
Pediatrician Lori Byron, of Crow Agency, testified about the physical and mental health effects of climate change on children and noted several of the plaintiffs have asthma or other breathing issues. Several plaintiffs have said the heat and smoke can make them depressed and anxious.
Byron said children feel more effects from high temperatures, fires, smoke and severe weather events because their bodies and brains are still developing and they breathe more quickly than adults. Children who are athletes are more competitive and more likely to keep participating, even if it's unhealthy to due to smoke or heat.
Earlier Tuesday, Cathy Whitlock, a retired professor from Montana State University, testified about the impact of climate change.
Whitlock, a climate scientist, said if fossil fuel burning continues at its current pace, the number of days with temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit will increase along with the number of “fire weather days,” where hot, dry, windy days make it easier for fires to start and burn aggressively. The number of days where wildfire smoke will make the air unhealthy to breathe will also increase by 2050, she said.
Meanwhile, the number of days where the temperature falls below freezing will continue to decrease.
Precipitation has been increasing in the spring and fall, Whitlock said, with spring rains sometimes falling on snow and causing it to melt quickly, leading to flooding like what happened in Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding area last year. Reducing the burning of fossil fuels as quickly as possible is needed to help avoid abrupt transitions between the seasons, Whitlock said.
For example, a “flash drought” in 2017 led to a record fire season in Montana, where about 7,000 square miles of land burned, smoke lingered for weeks in a western Montana valley, and crop losses totaled $2.6 billion, she said.
There are some positives to the changing climate, Whitlock said, such as a longer growing season and the ability to grow new crops like cantaloupe, which aren't typically grown in northwestern Montana. But, she said, the negatives far outweigh the positives with extreme weather events and increasing drought.
Thane Johnson, an attorney for the state, asked Whitlock if Montana completely stopping its greenhouse gas emissions would have a significant effect on the global climate.
“Every ton of CO2 put in the atmosphere contributes to global warming,” Whitlock said several times during her testimony. However, she said she was not an expert and could not calculate the effects.
Carbon dioxide, which is released when fossil fuels are burned, traps heat in the atmosphere and is largely responsible for the warming of the the climate. Carbon dioxide levels in the air this spring reached the highest levels they’ve been in over 4 million years, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration said earlier this month. Greenhouse gas emissions also reached a record last year, according to the International Energy Agency.
Johnson also noted that electric tractors aren't available for farmers and electric vehicle charging stations aren't available in rural Montana to make it easier for residents to reduce their use of fossil fuels.
Brown reported from Billings, Montana. | https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2023/06/14/montana-climate-change-trial-athlete-testifies-inhaler-forest-fire-smoke/70323432007/ | 2023-06-15T14:15:58 | 1 | https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2023/06/14/montana-climate-change-trial-athlete-testifies-inhaler-forest-fire-smoke/70323432007/ |
Gaylord Stauffer’s garden is taking a deep breath before the summer solstice arrives.
Peony blossoms have disintegrated into petal puddles, stately irises have bid adieu and May daisies are a bit bedraggled. Daffodil remains lie on the ground, food for next spring’s flowering, but nearly tucked out of site beneath spreading foliage of spiderworts, bloodworts and other greenery.
And life goes on. Hostas are unfurled — some with leaves large enough for a child to play hide-and-seek, and others no bigger than mouse ears. Hydrangeas are puffed up in shades of green, white and soft red, and the daylilies, lilies, coneflowers, monarda and other perennials are poised to burst forth into glorious summer bloom.
Stauffer’s garden at 1803 Sunnyside Drive, Cedar Falls, is one of eight gardens featured on Saturday’s 2023 Garden Tour, hosted by the Grout Museum District.
The tour is from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at gmdistrict.org/GardenTours2023, at the Grout Museum or at any garden site on tour day. Children 12 and under are free of charge.
All proceeds will support the maintenance and upkeep of the Rensselaer Russell House Museum and the Snowden House. Garden Tours presenting sponsor is Koch Construction.
Not a blade of grass is left to mow in Stauffer’s yard. For the past 20 years, he has planted in his garden paradise until it encompasses his entire property. To paraphrase a Will Rogers’ quote, Stauffer never met a plant he didn’t like — or couldn’t make room for in a bed or border.
“I started in front with planting and I’d get to a place, a sidewalk, and think, ‘I can plant on the other side, too.’ I just kept going,” said Stauffer, a retired music educator and harpist. His garden grew with plant gifts from his mother and pass-along plants from friends. A generous gardener himself, when he digs and divides perennials or hostas, for example, he’ll share the bounty with others.
Stauffer has welcomed hundreds of visitors into his garden over the years on nearly a dozen garden tours, garden club meetings and numerous gatherings, including reunions and an annual summer celebration for fellow Black Hawk County Master Gardeners.
He has cultivated a certain spirit of wild abandon, but organized within brick walks that meander on circuitous paths throughout the garden. Secluded benches and a pergola offer secluded spots to sit, rest and listen to bird song and the low rumble of pollen-laden bumblebees trundling from bloom to bloom. There’s a pond with fish, a covered patio area, and of course, more gardens in the backyard.
Stauffer spends endless hours puttering and enjoying his gardens. While it looks as if the care, feeding and watering is a full-time job, he doesn’t clock in and out.
“Nothing is ever really done. There’s always something I need to do, something new I want to plant. Now that I’m retired, I can decide to work out here today, or if I don’t get to it, there’s tomorrow,” Stauffer said.
Other gardeners will open their garden gates for the tour: Teri Sheehan, 1018 Royal Drive, and UNI Botanical Center, 2601 Missouri St., both in Cedar Falls, and in Waterloo, Joyce Halverson and Lewis Eifert, 735 Hall Ave.; Peoples Community Garden, 905 Franklin St.; Chris Schwartz, 214 Highland Blvd.; Doug Castenson and Dean Petersen, 1636 Partridge Lane. The VGM Farm, located at 6365 Ripple Road in La Porte City, will also be open for the tour. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/garden-tour-grout-museum-fundraiser/article_5fefcb12-0abf-11ee-86c9-4fd703e4039b.html | 2023-06-15T14:16:27 | 1 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/garden-tour-grout-museum-fundraiser/article_5fefcb12-0abf-11ee-86c9-4fd703e4039b.html |
WATERLOO — Empty and abandoned properties at three locations could soon be converted into more than 200 apartments in Waterloo.
The city is applying to the Workforce Housing Tax Incentives Program to turn three properties into potential housing units. They include the former Courier and Montgomery Ward building on Commercial Street, the former apartments at University Avenue Studios East and an empty lot behind the Kentucky Fried Chicken near Kimball and Ridgeway avenues.
The Iowa Economic Development Authority program provides tax benefits to developers to provide housing, focusing on projects using abandoned, empty or dilapidated properties.
The $35 million tax credit program is split equally between urban areas and small cities at $17.5 million each. Awardees will be announced in late summer. Credits are limited to $1 million per project, which must be completed within three years from the award date.
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“I feel confident we’ll get one, and hopefully we get two,” Community Planning and Development Director Noel Anderson said. “I think we’d be very fortunate if we got three.”
Anderson said if the projects don’t get the credits it would be “difficult for them to move ahead without it.”
Last year, Waterloo received one award for the construction of 32 houses on the former Edison School Site west of Magnolia Parkway, north of Falls Avenue, south of Bismark Avenue and east of an alley near Evergreen Avenue. The maximum tax credit the developer, Panther Builders, received was $656,927.
Former Courier and Montgomery Ward Building, 501-503 Commercial St.
At one time the building housed a newsroom, offices and printing presses but was left vacant in 2011 when The Courier moved to 100 E. Fourth St.
The metal-sided building and the adjoining former Montgomery Ward building made of brick, used for the printing operation, are now owned by Muscatine businessman Roy Carver Jr. He is the son of Roy Carver, a philanthropist who helped fund multiple buildings for Iowa and Illinois universities.
Carver and former business partner Rodney Blackwell bought the site as Financial District Partners OC from Lee Enterprises for $1.13 million when The Courier moved, according to Black Hawk County property records. He later acquired the property after a legal dispute with Blackwell.
City documents from 2020 show a concept to reuse the site by tearing down the buildings and replacing them with multi-story apartments and a hotel, with a skywalk access into the Waterloo Convention Center.
Now, Carver is not looking to tear down the block-length building, according to Anderson. Instead, he wants to renovate it and turn it into 69 apartment units. There is no development agreement yet, therefore no architectural plans have been produced.
The first floor would remain commercial storefronts, there would be parking below the building, and the former distribution center addition at the back of the building would be torn down.
Earlier this month, the Waterloo City Council approved a potential $345,000 infill incentive if the apartments are completed. Infill incentives are $5,000 per unit and have been implemented in the city since 2017.
Anderson defined infill development as new construction in an existing plot or property that would not create new streets or sewer systems. Although the building isn’t considered new construction, creating residential units in a former nonresidential building counts as well.
The developer could also receive historic building tax credits. The building was built in 1938. The metal siding on the building could also be considered historic, Anderson noted. If that is the case, it could not be removed. He said residential units are required to have windows, and construction workers could cut into the metal to create them.
Former University Avenue Studios East, 3350 University Ave.
A former low-rent apartment complex could also be revamped. The 95-unit property was closed on July 1, 2022. The deed was moved to 3350 University Avenue LLC — represented by Brent Dahlstrom and based in Cedar Falls — in January, according to a document from the Black Hawk County Recorder’s Office.
Under previous ownership, the apartments saw multiple fires, a shooting and a non-fatal stabbing in the past 10 years. Photos from the Waterloo rental inspector from earlier this year show a charred apartment from a 2021 fire, violations of fire codes, evidence of cockroaches and broken doors.
Anderson said the development would keep all 95 units but they will be revamped and remodeled. There is currently no development agreement, but the council approved a $475,000 infill agreement if all units are completed.
Anderson said the apartment complex is not currently eligible for the infill program because the property already has housing units, but he hopes the council will change the program to include large projects specifically for rehabilitation.
He said the apartments would look similar to the micro-apartments at 228 Spaces, also located on University Avenue.
Empty lot behind KFC on Kimball and Ridgeway avenues
Jeff Bohr, the asset manager for High Properties based in Cedar Rapids, said he hopes to turn the grassy area behind the parking lot of KFC into 48 new housing units.
It would be the second phase of Prairie Rapids. The first phase has three buildings that hold a total of 60 units farther back from the proposed 48-unit site.
The former parking lot for the now demolished Otto Schoitz Hospital would become a three-story building filled with one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartments, ranging from 560 to 700 square feet.
Bohr said he applied for the Workforce Housing Tax Incentives Program last year, but is working to make his application better and is hopeful he will be successful. The first phase received the tax credit in 2015.
Bohr said awards are usually announced in late July.
Waterloo and Cedar Falls home listings for people who need a lot of living space
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This incredible custom-built two-story features contemporary influences both inside and out. This high-quality Klunder-built home boasts five expansive bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, high-end amenities from top to bottom, and a custom architect-influenced design. Stepping inside you’re greeted by a beautiful front sitting room and an adjacent great room that is impressive with a fireplace and expansive windows allowing tons of natural light to pour in. The great room opens up to the kitchen and stunning dining area that is ideal for entertaining. The show-stopping kitchen offers custom cabinetry, high-end stainless steel appliances, an expansive kitchen island ideal for functionality, a walk-in pantry with tons of storage, as well as access to an amazing screened-in porch. The screened porch is like a private oasis that feels like a treehouse as it is nestled in mature trees. The main floor is completed with a convenient dropzone with a half bathroom. On the second level, you will find three generously sized bedrooms including the master suite, two full bathrooms, and a convenient laundry room. The master suite features an amazing ensuite with heated tile floors, dual vanities, a whirlpool tub, and a tiled shower along with a great walk-in closet with custom-designed cabinetry. The show doesn't stop there, the amazing walkout lower level includes additional living space with concrete floors, a kitchenette, two bedrooms, a full bathroom, a secondary laundry room, and heated floors throughout. Exterior amenities include an attached oversized heated garage with in-floor heat and floor drains that could fit four cars. The exterior spaces continue with an amazing patio with limestone accents, mature landscaping, and an irrigation system. This home oozes warmth and style with great textures including cork flooring, carpet, and tile, and the amenities don’t stop there. This incredible home also provides geothermal heat, a Control 4 sound system, central vac, and much more. Don’t let this rare offering pass you by! Schedule your private showing today.
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Grand Offering!!!! Located in the Fox Ridge Addition we are offering this spectacular quality 2016 built ranch style home. Over 4200 square ft. spread out over 2 floors with 4 bedrooms & 4.5 baths. Mani level offers an open floor concept wit vaulted ceilings and hardwood plank flooring. Living room with gas fireplace and stone surround and room for the TV above the fireplace. Kitchen with white cabinetry, granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, large walk in pantry and bar top area with plenty of room for the bar stools. Dining area just off of the kitchen with french door opening up to the deck. Large master bedroom with walk in closet and master bath with soaking tub and walk in shower. Two additional bedrooms each with their own private baths. Den\Home Office plus main floor laundry area. Lower level family room with custom bar area, tall ceilings, 3\4 bath, workout room, 4th bedroom and good storage area. Now for all the extra`s!!!! Geothermal, ice block foundation, garage is over 1600 sq. ft. with one side that is 50ft deep, additional storage area, dog run with access to the garage, large composite deck and concrete patio area. These are just a few of the many reasons you should consider this for your next home!!!!!! | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/government-and-politics/courier-montgomery-ward-kfc-studios-east/article_b0ffaba4-055a-11ee-8df2-1b26b5a9e2bd.html | 2023-06-15T14:16:33 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/government-and-politics/courier-montgomery-ward-kfc-studios-east/article_b0ffaba4-055a-11ee-8df2-1b26b5a9e2bd.html |
DALLAS — Four years after first taking up the issue, Dallas City Council voted just before midnight Wednesday to ban short-term rentals or STRs like Airbnb and Vrbo in areas with single-family zoning.
Roughly 1,000 STRs are currently registered in single-family areas and would now become illegal with enforcement beginning in December. Thousands of others are estimated to be currently operating across the city. Until now, STRs operated without any regulations to manage them.
Roughly 70 people spoke for more than two hours on the divisive issue with council members debating for three more. Critics of STRs lined the council chambers in shirts displaying a message of ‘Homes Not Hotels’.
“You’re ignoring current zoning and abdicating responsibility,” Dom Thomas told the council. “No one is coming forward who lives next to an STR begging you to keep them around.”
“I want to thank the residents who have shown up,” Councilman Omar Narvaez said. “You haven’t given up. You’re fighting for your neighborhoods.”
Council members in favor of regulation instead of the ban said registration would create new revenue for the city and be more likely to withstand a legal challenge or new legislation.
“We have to find a solution that’s going to survive for years to come and provide some kind of certainty for our residents,” Councilman Chad West said.
At the same time, city council approved regulations for how the city can manage STRs in areas where they’re allowed through zoning.
The regulations require STRs to register annually and pay hotel occupancy taxes. There would be a two-strikes-and-out policy for violations, and the maximum number of people in an STR was set at 12 and there must be one parking spot per bedroom.
City council voted 8-7 to prevent current STRs from being grandfathered in and allowed to continue operating.
Denise Lowry has rented the two-person cottage behind her East Dallas home more than 100 times and has repeatedly advocated for STRs.
“It’s my livelihood and it’s my joy,” Lowry said. “The whole community is very strong and if the investors are going to ruin it for us, I’ll be very mad.”
Councilmembers in favor of STRs repeatedly pointed to comments from code enforcement management that the ban approved would be tougher to regulate than a registration system.
“If you don’t think we can regulate them now, I don’t know how you expect us to do that,” Councilman Adam Bazaldua said of the ban. “It’s not enforceable. What’d I’d like us to do is solving for an issue.”
Much of the divide centered around crime with those against STRs claiming homes used for parties were leading to increased crime.
“Twenty percent of STRs have received a 311 or 911 call in the last 4 months compared to 9% for non-STRs,” Councilwoman Gay Willis said. “We cannot ignore that.”
STR supporters argued that 80% of STRs not creating any 311 or 911 calls in the first quarter of this year was evidence they weren’t creating crime. They added some owners rely on the income their rental creates.
Olive Talley helps lead the Dallas Neighborhood Coalition and says induvial operators are a minority compared to investors buying up homes to rent and creating more of a housing problem.
“They are being put out as the face of the STR industry. They are not,” she said. “We don’t have a lodging problem. We have a housing crisis here.”
“These investors, these companies, these major hotel corporations can purchase at full far or above asking price and they can pay cash,” Narvaez said. “There’s no way for regular folks like you can me to be able to compete in that kind of market.”
Both sides have claimed the other’s proposal will lead to lawsuits, which may be the most likely next step in the STR saga. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/dallas-texas-airbnb-vrbo-ban-short-term-rentals-vote-decision/287-44c4977b-637d-4f45-860f-d4ff62377016 | 2023-06-15T14:17:08 | 0 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/dallas-texas-airbnb-vrbo-ban-short-term-rentals-vote-decision/287-44c4977b-637d-4f45-860f-d4ff62377016 |
PLANO, Texas — A 35-year-old man died Wednesday in a crash in Plano, according to police.
The Plano Police Department said the crash happened at approximately 8:23 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14, on Jupiter Road and Moore Drive.
Police said the man, identified as Ryan Bush, was traveling southbound on Jupiter Road from Parker Road at a high rate of speed on a motorcycle. At the same time, an SUV driver was attempting to turn northbound onto Jupiter Road from eastbound Moore Drive and collided with Bush, police said.
The collision caused Bush to be ejected from his motorcycle and thrown into the SUV's rear driver side and he died, according to Plano police.
A 5-year-old passenger in the SUV sustained minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital as a precaution.
Plano police said its traffic unit is investigating the crash.
More Texas headlines: | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/plano-texas-motorcycle-fatal-crash-jupiter-road-moore-drive/287-33487d84-5e7e-4791-aaa6-da5d33a7be7b | 2023-06-15T14:17:15 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/plano-texas-motorcycle-fatal-crash-jupiter-road-moore-drive/287-33487d84-5e7e-4791-aaa6-da5d33a7be7b |
SAN ANTONIO — It’s going to be another hot one across Texas on Thursday, so ERCOT is asking you to conserve energy as they anticipate an increase in demand for power for the next two days.
Thursday is considered a "yellow day", which means the utility expecting a peak in demand.
CPS Energy is asking you to conserve energy from 2 p.m. until 7p.m. Thursday evening.
There are four colors the energy company wants you to know about: green, yellow, orange, and red.
CPS Energy says most days are considered ‘green.'
If ERCOT, which operates the state's power grid, declares the grid reliability is at risk, then CPS Energy will issue an orange or red alert.
An orange alert is a warning to prepare for power outages, and a red warning means there will be controlled power outages.
On a yellow day, CPS Energy asks that you set your thermostat to 78 degrees during peak hours and use a fan to keep cool.
They also ask that you avoid using large appliances during that time.
Doing this will conserve energy, and also save you money on your electric bill.
ERCOT announced that starting Thursday until June 21, they're issuing a weather watch because of hot temperatures.
Currently, conditions of the grid are normal, but this summer energy experts believe there will be record demand.
"So we need to focus on the demand responsibility piece," said Doug Lewin, energy expert. "But we've also got to focus on energy efficiency, mostly through HVAC systems, which will help in the wintertime too, by the way."
You can monitor the grid at ercot dot com. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/cps-energy-creates-color-coded-alert-sytem-to-show-user-demand-electricity-power-san-antonio-texas-ercot/273-e2137480-1d69-47fc-8674-eb637139860e | 2023-06-15T14:18:10 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/cps-energy-creates-color-coded-alert-sytem-to-show-user-demand-electricity-power-san-antonio-texas-ercot/273-e2137480-1d69-47fc-8674-eb637139860e |
SAN ANTONIO — A man is dead after police say he was shot multiple times by his girlfriend's ex during an altercation at an apartment complex near San Pedro.
Police were dispatched to CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital in Alamo Heights around 10 p.m for reports of a man who was shot multiple times.
The man, who was in his 20s, was brought to the hospital by a group of people after he was shot at a nearby apartment complex during a fight, police say.
Police say a group of people were hanging out at the apartment complex when a man walked by them and was confronted by a woman in the group who was his ex-girlfriend over rumors he was allegedly spreading about her.
The ex left, then subsequently returned and got into a fight with the woman's new boyfriend. Police say that, at some point, shots were fired and the new boyfriend was shot multiple times.
He was helped into a car by four people, and driven to the nearby hospital. The victim was then taken to the closest trauma center, University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The four men who had transported the man to the hospital were taken to police headquarters for questioning.
Police say they know who the suspect is, but he is not yet in custody. The victim's girlfriend has also not yet been located.
No other injuries were reported.
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Want to get in touch with someone at KENS 5? You can send a message using our Contacts page or email one of our team members. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/love-triangle-turns-deadly-after-man-shot-multiple-times-by-his-girlfriends-ex-sapd-san-antonio-texas-shooting-weapon-fight/273-397f696d-b8e2-49f7-8b4d-b7f9a233cd3b | 2023-06-15T14:18:10 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/love-triangle-turns-deadly-after-man-shot-multiple-times-by-his-girlfriends-ex-sapd-san-antonio-texas-shooting-weapon-fight/273-397f696d-b8e2-49f7-8b4d-b7f9a233cd3b |
Harley Fest is celebrating their 120th anniversary. Here's how you can join the celebration for free.
Harley-Davidson's four-day festival will kick off next month at several Milwaukee-area locations to celebrate the company's120th anniversary.
This year the festival will take place July 13-16. If you're looking to join in on the celebration but you're on a budget, the festival features lots of free events ranging from stunt shows to demos. Here's how you can join in on the fun:
Catch a Division BMX Stunt show all weekend
Attendees can watch Division BMX Stunt Show all weekend at the Harley Davidson Museum. Here's the schedule:
- July 13: 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
- July 14: 12 p.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
- July 15: 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
- July 16: 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Watch a Flat Out Friday Boonie Bike Race
On Friday and Sunday, attendees can come to the Harley Davidson Museum grounds for the Flat Out Friday Boonie Bike Race, which is a mini bike race, at 2 p.m. Riders must be 18 or older.
Take free tours and other demo rides
At the Harley-Davidson Powertrain Operations, July 13-14: From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. you can demo the 2023 model of your choice.
Take a tour from July 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., or July 14, from 9 a.m. to 3p.m., of the Factory Tours at Pilgrim Road Powertrain Operations where the Harley-Davidson powertrains are made. The tour will highlight the assembly line, powder coat process, cold testing and steel and aluminum machining.
On Friday and Saturday, law enforcement will provide riding demonstrations at 11:30 a.m.,1: 30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. and on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Watch free live music performances at the Harley-Davidson Museum
Free musical entertainment will be held in the evenings July 13-16 by artists like Hairball, The Now Band, Road Trip, The Toys, Rebel Grace and more.
- American Progress, July 13 at 5 p.m.
- The War Hippies, July 13 at 7 p.m.
- Hairball, July 13 at 9 p.m.
- God's Outlaw, July 14 at 5 p.m.
- The Jimmys, July 14 at 6 p.m.
- The Now Band, July 14 at 8 p.m.
- Cactus Brothers, July 15 at 5 p.m.
- Rustbucket, July 15 at 6 p.m.
- Road Trip, July 15 at 8 p.m.
Party at Down Under the Disco with tunes from pop up artists
You can park your bikes at Down Under Disco under the Holton Avenue Bridge at Milwaukee's Swing Park for music from DJ Romke and performances by Roll Train and other artists. The event is located at the Lakefront Brewery Parking Lot at 1872 N. Commerce St.
Head to Bastille Days to enjoy live music and food
From July 13-16, Harley-Davidson is partnering with the French-themed festival Bastille Days, which includes five stages of live music, street performers, more than 60 marketplace vendors and a Storm the Bastille 5k Run/Walk.
The partnership includes first come first serve free parking on lower Jefferson St. for motorcyclists. The event is located in Cathedral Square Park at 825 N. Jefferson St.
Harley-Davidson 120th Motorcycle Parade
On Sunday, you can ride along or park and watch as the festival closes out the weekend with a parade throughout the city. Parade is scheduled from 1p.m to 2:30p.m.
Tickets are required for live music performances at Veterans Park by Green Day, Foo Fighters and more
The highlight of Harley Fest will feature live performances by headliners Green Day and Foo Fighters on Friday and Saturday, respectively, at Veterans Park. Also scheduled to perform include Phantogram, The Cult, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and Cody Jinks. A general admission ticket also gives access to entertainment by Nitro Circus, Ives Brothers, and Matty Matheson, along with other family-friendly activities.
General admission and special VIP tickets with premium benefits for both days of Veterans Park events are on sale now at H-D.com/HomecomingTickets. 1-day tickets for Friday are $110 and Saturday are $120, while 2-day tickets are $205 each, plus an additional fee. Kids 10 and under get in free with the purchase of an adult general admission ticket.
Peruse interactive motorcycle exhibits at the Harley-Davidson Museum
Festivalgoers can view different displays and demos of motorcycles during the event. Entrance to the museum will require a ticket for one-day use only. Adult tickets are $22 and kids ages 5-17 are $8, plus an additional fee. Members of the Harley Owners Group, or H.O.G will get free access to the museum every day during the festival.
July 13, 14, 15 and 16 at the Harley Davidson Museum:
- You can explore the 2023 line-up of Harley Davidson motorcycles from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., including the new 2023 CVO Street Glide and the CVO Road Glide, as well as the Electra Glide Highway King and Fast Johnnie.
- The all-electric motorcycle LiveWire will be displayed at the museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Kids can take a look at the Stacyc electric balance bikes and demo them at the museum campus between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- You can take a test ride on the Serial 1 eBicycle along the Hank Aaron Trail between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/harley-davidson-homecoming-festival-free-events-how-to-get-tickets-veterans-park-green-day/70306143007/ | 2023-06-15T14:18:49 | 1 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/harley-davidson-homecoming-festival-free-events-how-to-get-tickets-veterans-park-green-day/70306143007/ |
HarleyFest is coming to Milwaukee July 13-16. Here's the full schedule.
Harley-Davidson is celebrating its 120th anniversary with a Homecoming festival in Milwaukee from July 13-16. The 4-day festival will feature live performances headlined by Green Day and Foo Fighters, a motorcycle parade and more. Here's the full schedule of events and happenings around the festival.
Several venues across Milwaukee will host Harley Fest events including Veterans Park where the main stage headliners will perform. Other venues include the Harley-Davidson Museum with showrooms and adjacent and the Harley-Davidson Powertrain Operations facility with tours available.
Thursday, July 13
Harley-Davidson Museum
The Harley-Davidson Museum on 400 West Canal Street will host several interactive exhibits throughout the weekend, live music performances in the evenings and on-site food and beverage options. Admission to the museum exhibits requires a ticket.
- Museum hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Official H.O.G member check-in: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Harley-Davidson Museum Shop: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Can Room at Motor Bar and Restaurant: 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
- Motor Bar and Restaurant: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Food trucks: 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
- The Garage - Product showroom: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- LiveWire Display and Demos: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Stacyc Display and Demos: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Serial 1 Display and Demos: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- V-Twin Visionary Speed and Style anniversary showcase: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Division BMX stunt shows: 12 p.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m.
- Live performance, American Progress: 5 p.m.
- Live performance, The War Hippies: 7 p.m.
- Live performance, Hairball: 9 p.m.
Harley-Davidson Powertrain Operations
Tours will be offered at the Harley-Davidson operations facility, demo rides, and live Police Skills demonstrations.
- Harley-Davidson Model Year 2023 demos: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Factory tours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- On-site food and beverage: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Powertrain Operations retail shop: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Police Skills riding demonstrations: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Community Events
Community events around the Milwaukee area will also take place as part of the festival's celebrations and to promote the company's hometown.
- Bonfire on the Beach, Grant Park Beach: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- H.O.G 40th Celebration Event, Bud Pavilion, Wisconsin State Fairgrounds: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday, July 14
Veterans Park
- Box office hours: 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Food and beverage vendors: 2 p.m. to 10:45 p.m.
- Merchandise booths: 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Harley-Davidson Collections Airstream: 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Del Mar motorcycle experience: 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Wall of Death by Kyle and Cody Ives: 2 p.m. to 2:20 p.m., 4:35 p.m. to 4:55 p.m., 6:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
- Harley-Davidson and LiveWire Jumpstart: 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Nitro Circus: 2:30 p.m to 3:10 p.m., 5:05 p.m. to 5:35 p.m., 7:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
- Ball of Steel: 3:20 p.m. to 3:35 p.m., 5:55 p.m. to 6:10 p.m., 8 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
- Live performance, Abby Jeanne: 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Live performance, KennyHoopla: 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
- Live performance, Phantogram: 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
- Live performance, The Cult: 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Live performance, Green Day: 8:45 p.m. to 10:45 p.m.
Harley-Davidson Museum
- Museum hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Official H.O.G Member check-in: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Harley-Davidson shop hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Can Room at Motor Bar and Restaurant: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Motor Bar and Restaurant: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Food trucks: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- The Garage - Product showroom: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- LiveWire Display and Demos: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Stacyc Display and Demos: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Serial 1 Display and Demos: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- V-Twin Visionary Performance motorcycle show: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Division BMX Stunt Show: 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m.
- Flat Out Friday Boonie Bike Race: 2 p.m.
- Live performance, God's Outlaw: 5 p.m.
- Live performance, The Jimmys: 6 p.m.
- Live performance, The Now Band: 8 p.m.
Harley-Davidson Powertrain Operations
- Harley-Davidson Model Year 2023 demos: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Factory tours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Food and beverage options: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Powertrain Operations retail shop: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Police Skills Riding Demonstrations: 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4 p.m.
- Johnsonville's Big Taste Grill: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Community Events
- Down Under Disco, Lakefront Brewery Parking Lot: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Bastille Days, Cathedral Square Park: 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 15
Veterans Park
- Box office hours: 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Food and beverage vendors: 2 p.m. to 10:45 p.m.
- Merchandise booths: 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Harley-Davidson Collections Airstream: 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Del Mar motorcycle experience: 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Wall of Death by Kyle and Cody Ives: 2 p.m. to 2:20 p.m., 4:35 p.m. to 4:55 p.m., 6:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
- Harley-Davidson and LiveWire Jumpstart: 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Nitro Circus: 2:30 p.m to 3:10 p.m., 5:05 p.m. to 5:35 p.m., 7:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
- Ball of Steel: 3:20 p.m. to 3:35 p.m., 5:55 p.m. to 6:10 p.m., 8 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
- Matty Matheson's Burger Build Off: 6:15 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Live performance, Ghost Hounds: 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Live performance, White Reaper: 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
- Live performance, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts: 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
- Live performance, Cody Jinks: 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Live performance, Foo Fighters: 8:45 p.m. to 10:45 p.m.
Harley-Davidson Museum
- Museum hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Official H.O.G Member check-in: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Harley-Davidson shop hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Can Room at Motor Bar and Restaurant: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Motor Bar and Restaurant: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Food trucks: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- The Garage - Product showroom: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- LiveWire Display and Demos: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Stacyc Display and Demos: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Serial 1 Display and Demos: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Mama Tried and Friends Motorcycle Show: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Division BMX Stunt Show: 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m.
- AMCA Badger Heritage Chapter Vintage Motorcycle Field Games Showcase: 12 p.m.
- Live performance, Cactus Brothers: 5 p.m.
- Live performance, Rustbucket: 6 p.m.
- Live performance, Road Trip: 8 p.m.
Harley-Davidson Powertrain Operations
- Harley-Davidson Model Year 2023 demos: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Factory tours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Food and beverage options: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Powertrain Operations retail shop: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Police Skills Riding Demonstrations: 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4 p.m.
- Johnsonville's Big Taste Grill: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Community Events
- Bikes on the Block, Block Party, Greenfield Ave. West Allis: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Bastille Days, Cathedral Square Park: 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 16
Harley-Davidson Museum
- H.O.G Coffee Fuel Up!: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- Museum hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Official H.O.G Member check-in: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Harley-Davidson shop hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Can Room at Motor Bar and Restaurant: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Motor Bar and Restaurant: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Food trucks: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- The Garage - Product showroom: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- LiveWire Display and Demos: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Stacyc Display and Demos: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Serial 1 Display and Demos: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Mama Tried and Friends Motorcycle Show: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Division BMX Stunt Show: 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m.
- Live performance, The Toys: 11 a.m.
- Live performance, Rebel Grace: 1 p.m.
- Flat Out Friday Boonie Bike Race: 2 p.m.
Harley-Davidson Powertrain Operations
- Harley-Davidson Model Year 2023 demos: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Factory tours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Food and beverage options: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Powertrain Operations retail shop: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Police Skills Riding Demonstrations: 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m.
Community Events
- Bastille Days, Cathedral Square Park: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Harley-Davidson 120th Motorcycle Parade, Downtown Milwaukee: 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/harley-davidson-homecoming-festival-in-milwaukee-full-schedule-events-veterans-park/70317259007/ | 2023-06-15T14:18:55 | 0 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/harley-davidson-homecoming-festival-in-milwaukee-full-schedule-events-veterans-park/70317259007/ |
Church turns vacant lot into Healing Garden in Roosevelt Grove neighborhood
Most people see vacant lots as an eyesore.
Not Pastor Martin Childs Jr. of Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church.
He saw the vacant lot across the street from his church in the 3400 block of North 38th Street, in Milwaukee's Roosevelt Grove neighborhood, as ripe with potential and opportunity.
“I tend to be the kind of person that doesn’t look at what’s not there but what is," Childs said. "I don’t look at what was but what can be. So when we see a vacant lot, we don’t see a vacant lot. We see a garden. We see an opportunity."
Childs imagined turning the lot, dotted with splotches of dirt where grass once grew, into a refuge where residents can come, relax and reflect.
That vision has come to fruition, thanks to the city’s Healing Spaces Initiative. In its third year, the initiative aims to transform vacant city-owned lots into gathering places that reduce blight and curb illegal dumping.
The church's Healing Garden is the 13th such space since the initiative began in 2021. Healing Spaces came as a response to the isolation and social-distancing practices residents endured during the pandemic. The city’s Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation oversees the program.
To make these spaces more useful, the city is providing money for programming ranging from healthy-eating workshops, yoga and Zumba classes, to outdoor therapy sessions and even aldermanic town hall meetings.
Using a $10,000 grant from Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation, the city will provide grants of up to $500 to bring subject-matter experts to host programs in these healing spaces.
“We build these spaces and sometimes they are not fully utilized and we want to make sure that they are being activated with creative and interesting types of events being held there," said Angela Mitchell Reid, community outreach liaison for the Healing Space Initiative.
“As long as it makes sense to have that event in these healing spaces to draw people in and have a communal space, we want to activate it and provide funding for it."
Childs also sees the 38th Street site as the perfect communal space. He hopes to use it to conduct outdoor bible study or even hold choir rehearsal.
The site — wedged between two homes — is well on its way. The initiative helped install a graveled pathway and installed two black metal benches. Two newly planted lilac trees stand on either side of the path and there are four raised garden beds, one of them ADA-accessible, on the lot. Work on the space began last fall.
Welcoming visitors are six colorfully decorated “peace poles” inscribed with words like "learn," "love," "faith" and "hope." A little library — provided by the Healing Space initiative — stands sentinel at the entrance, filled with books for the taking.
The church members plan to install a birdbath and planters, add perennials and put down new sod. The design features came from feedback Childs received from residents at a community meeting. The goal, he said, was to create an inviting meditative space akin to the Garden of Eden that promotes self-care. The space, he noted, is an extension of a water fountain the church installed outside its front door in 2016 to bring tranquility to the neighborhood.
“Our prayer has been, if somebody has some crazy thoughts in their heads, when they walk by and hear the fountain, they pause and be redirected,” Childs said. “The immediate goal is not the reduction of crime but to bring that sense of peace within a person. The environment is important in creating that."
Children, he added, learn from their environment and this is a small step in giving them a positive one.
Childs had his eye on the vacant lot long before it became a part of the Healing Space Initiative. Pilgrim Rest operates a transitional living center for women on Sherman Boulevard and wanted to expand the ministry. When he went to look at property All Saints Catholic Church had for sale — which included a small school building and a convent — Childs noticed the lot across the street from the convent.
When the church in 2015 purchased the complex, he knew he wanted to do something with the lot.
“Vacant lots tend to speak to what is not there. What’s missing? What’s empty?" Childs said. "Our vision was, 'What can be there; what can we do?' Our view was 'How can we make something positive happen?'”
Pilgrim Rest "adopted" the lot, cutting its grass and keeping it clean, especially from illegal dumping. But he knew that several church members garden and that community gardens are a good way to engage residents. The church asked the city for permission to use the lot. Then it connected with Groundwork Milwaukee, which transforms brownfields into community spaces, to build raised garden beds on the lot.
The church also worked with the Sherman Park Community Association's eco team to build the peace poles and plant lilac trees. It was through the association that Childs learned about Healing Spaces. He applied last year and received a $15,000 grant to help construct the space.
The garden has been bountiful, growing tomatoes, peppers, collards, squash and cabbage. Residents can take what they need, Childs said.
Robert Brooks, 72, who lives next to the lot, is pleased that the property is being used. A duplex house once stood there before it was razed after a fire gutted it five or six years ago, Brooks said. Now he has some company when he's out in his yard, tending to his own garden.
“The neighborhood is beginning to respect it and keeping an eye on it to make sure it’s OK,” Brooks said.
Applications for this year’s Healing Spaces have closed, but residents or groups can apply for funding through the city’s Community Improvement Project, which provides grants for community beautification projects. | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/milwaukee-church-turns-vacant-lot-into-garden-in-roosevelt-grove/70230607007/ | 2023-06-15T14:19:07 | 0 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/milwaukee-church-turns-vacant-lot-into-garden-in-roosevelt-grove/70230607007/ |
TACOMA, Wash. — Rodney Richardson runs his homelessness outreach ministry, Sidewalk Rescue, out of his garage in Parkland. He collects food, socks, hygiene products, and sleeping bags, and drives around Tacoma to give them out to people on the streets.
After eight years, Richardson said he still remembers why he started.
“Just as a normal person just feeling someone else’s pain and suffering and going, hey, I can make a difference,” Richardson said.
Richardson’s ministry is part of the ongoing effort to solve homelessness in Tacoma, an issue that he said everyone from city officials to volunteers like himself is struggling with.
“It’s just an overwhelming situation, and I don’t know what the whole answer is to it,” Richardson said.
Last November, the City Council tried a new approach: a measure that banned camping anywhere within a ten-block radius of Tacoma’s service providers.
“We wanted to see fewer encampments,” said John Hines, Tacoma councilmember. “The goal was to try to address encampments in these areas who were offering shelter, and try to get more people to move into shelter and housing.”
Hines remembers hearing concerns that this type of ban would criminalize homelessness.
However, new data from the city’s Neighborhood and Community Services shows that no one has been arrested or fined for violating the ban. There has not been an increase in encampments in the buffer zones.
In the time since the camping ban was enacted, 62 encampments have been removed, and over a million pounds of debris have been thrown away. Hines claimed 694 individuals showed interest in services and 123 people have accepted shelter.
“A lot of work still left to do, but so far some of the early indications are showing, I think, good success,” Hines said.
But Richardson said there may be a problem.
He said the barriers in some shelters are too high, which keeps some people away.
As a result, he’s been running out of goods to give away sooner over the past few months because more people are on the streets with nowhere to go.
"There are more gates, more fence, more boulders, more stuff to keep people out, and pretty soon, where are they going to go?“ Richardson said. “There’s this massive overflow, and that’s why I say, I think that’s the reason why I’m seeing them building up on the street corners.”
Meanwhile, Hines said breaking up larger encampments into smaller groups makes outreach more effective.
Hines said $34 million have been invested to build more shelters to meet demand, and in the meantime, work is being done to make Tacoma’s current shelter as appealing as possible.
“I do hear people say there are people who don’t want what we’re offering, and my question is always, well what do they want?" Hines said. "And how do we get closer to that? And have a conversation on whether that’s something we want to offer or not." | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/tacoma-camping-ban/281-6fd1d8cc-ee18-491f-865b-22fc7c82dc7f | 2023-06-15T14:20:54 | 1 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/tacoma-camping-ban/281-6fd1d8cc-ee18-491f-865b-22fc7c82dc7f |
KING COUNTY, Wash. — Editor's note: The above video on teens being charged as adults related to an escape from Echo Glen Children's Center originally aired on June 2.
In recent weeks, multiple teens have been charged adult court in King County due either to the seriousness of the alleged offenses or their criminal histories requiring them to be charged as adults according to state guidelines.
Recently a 16-year-old was charged as an adult for allegedly shooting and killing his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend at an Auburn intersection.
Four teens who escaped from a juvenile rehabilitation center were charged as adults for first-degree robbery, theft of a motor vehicle and escape in the first degree.
In some instances when a juvenile commits a crime, they will be charged as an adult automatically regardless of whether they’re under the age of 18. This is called an “auto-decline,” and is more common than “discretionary decline” when a prosecutor requests to charge a teen as an adult, according to the King County Department of Public Defense.
A teen will be automatically charged as an adult in these cases:
- Youth who are 16 or 17 at the time they commit a crime and are charged with a “serious violent offense,” including murder in the first or second degree, homicide by abuse, manslaughter in the first degree, first-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree rape, first-degree assault of a child, or an attempt to commit any of these offenses
- Youth who are 16 or 17 at the time of the crime and are charged with first-degree rape of a child
- Youth who are 16 or 17 at the time of the offense and are charged with a “violent offense” like robbery, or have a criminal history that includes two or more prior violent offenses or three or more of any of the following: class A or class B felony, vehicular assault, or second-degree manslaughter all committed after the age of 13.
Youth aged 16 and 17 could previously be charged as adults for first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, drive-by shootings, or any offense committed with a firearm, but a 2018 change to state law took those offenses off the auto-decline list.
A case that was automatically declined to adult court may also be sent back to juvenile court with approval from both the defense, prosecution and the judge.
Before 2018, prosecutors could request to try juveniles as adults whenever they saw fit, but changes to state law limited the situations where those requests, called "discretionary declines" could be made.
Prosecutors can request a discretionary decline in these situations:
- Youth who are 15 and older charged with a “serious violent offense,” including first or second-degree murder, homicide by abuse, first-degree manslaughter, first-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree rape, first-degree assault of a child or an attempt to commit any of these crimes.
- Youth who are 14 or younger charged with first or second-degree murder.
- Youth of any age charged with custodial assault while serving a minimum juvenile sentence to age 21.
According to a guide by the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, a declination to adult court is a “person-based” decision, meaning a judge must consider the personal traits of the child in addition to the offense they’re accused of. At a decline hearing, a judge hears evidence from the defense and the prosecution and considers the eight Kent factors before making a final decision.
The Kent factors are a set of criteria that are intended to provide guidance when making decisions about whether to move a case from juvenile to adult court, which was developed following a Supreme Court case in 1966.
Four factors have to do with the alleged offense committed and the other four with the teen in question.
A judge must consider:
- The seriousness of the alleged offense to the community and whether the protection of the community requires declination
- Whether the alleged offense was committed in an aggressive, violent, premeditated, or willful manner
- Whether the alleged offense was against persons or property, with greater weight given to offenses against persons, especially if personal injury resulted
- The merit of the complaint
- The desire for trial and disposition of the entire offense in one court – if the juvenile’s associates in the alleged offense are adults
- The sophistication and maturity of the juvenile as determined by consideration of his home, environmental situation, emotional attitude and pattern of living
- The record and previous history of the juvenile including previous contacts with law enforcement agencies, juvenile courts, prior periods of probation prior commitments to juvenile institutions
- The prospect for adequate protection of the public and the likelihood of reasonable rehabilitation of the juvenile through procedures, services and facilities currently available to the juvenile court
Judges are not told how to weigh the factors against each other when making their decision. The factors are a topic of much litigation when it comes to deciding where a juvenile's case will ultimately be tried, according to Kimberly Ambrose, a lawyer and professor at the University of Washington School of Law with expertise in juvenile justice.
"The (factor) that gets litigated largely is the juvenile’s sophistication and maturity,” Ambrose said. “With that factor often defense council representing young people will bring in expert testimony or evaluators that talk about their emotional maturity and sophistication.”
In crimes where prosecutors argue juveniles showed more careful planning, and forethought or behaved more in a manner that an adult would, that's a strike against them remaining in juvenile court.
Ambrose said the last factor dealing with prospects for rehabilitating the respondent is also often litigated, with defense attorneys commonly arguing that because the juvenile system has more of a focus on rehabilitation than the adult penal system, it would be better for the public and their client for the case to remain in juvenile court.
"One of the reasons why folks representing young people don't want folks prosecuted in the adult system is we have very extreme sentences in the adult system," Ambrose said.
Before decline and sentencing guidelines changed, Amrbose represented a juvenile who did a drive-by shooting at the age of 16 and was automatically sent to the adult system. Although the teen did not hit anybody, he received a mandatory sentence of 94 years.
"Exposure in the adult system is really high to keep these kids incarcerated," Ambrose said.
Ambrose said juvenile justice advocates are pushing for a reassessment of the way courts make decisions about whether to send some juveniles to the adult system, or whether teens should be tried as adults at all.
"Reality is that most teenage crime is pretty impulsive," Ambrose said. "Especially most of the crimes that end up in this scenario are going to involve guns, which leads to super impulsivity... There have been advocates that are still trying to... start thinking about whether the court should reconsider these factors, whether this 1966 case is really the right framework for looking at this."
If a teen is found guilty after being tried as an adult, a judge has the discretion to impose a sentence that is less than the standard adult sentence for the same crime. In a 2017 Washington State Supreme Court opinion, the justices decided judges must consider “the mitigating factors of youthfulness” when it comes to sentencing a juvenile.
Pre-trial if a teen is held in detention and post-sentencing if a teen is found guilty, they are not held in prison with adult populations. Those sentenced as teens are allowed to be held in the custody of the Department of Children, Youth and Families until the age of 25. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/teens-charged-as-adults-washington-state/281-9d1b4b01-83fb-4db5-949a-bff90f3b6005 | 2023-06-15T14:21:00 | 1 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/teens-charged-as-adults-washington-state/281-9d1b4b01-83fb-4db5-949a-bff90f3b6005 |
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – Three Naples men were arrested Wednesday morning for unlicensed contracting during a state of emergency after Hurricane Ian.
According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), Roberto Reyes-Cardenas 46, Rolando Mejia, 54 and Mark Mullaney, 59, have all been previously fined by Collier County Licensing for contracting without a license.
Before Hurricane Ian and Florida’s statewide Emergency Declaration, penalties were only a $1,000 fine. Now, CCSO states that it is a third-degree felony.
The men were arrested during what CCSO is calling, “Operation Drop the Hammer.”
“These are individuals that take advantage of the citizens of Collier County, and we take it very seriously,” said Sgt. Gus Santos, who led the operation
Small jobs like painting, laying flooring and yard maintenance, do not need a contractor’s license and are considered handyman jobs.
CCSO told NBC2 that the men were caught doing highly-skilled electrical or plumbing work, not finishing the job, and therefore scamming residents out of their payments. All the unfinished jobs were on Hurricane Ian damaged homes.
“A lot of times the victim will hire someone, and they really don’t follow up to see if they have a license or not. Maybe they go for the lowest bidder. They need the work — and being in a position where they need the work completed and with a shortage of workers, they hire these individuals and don’t bother to check,” said Sgt. Santos.
The Hurricane Ian Response Team task force is responsible for identifying and arresting unlicensed contractors who operated during the state of emergency.
“We want people to do work in Collier County. It’s important because there’s a lot of people with need, but we want them to do it the right way,” added Sgt. Santos.
Since the trio were booked early Wednesday morning, their arrest reports have not been finalized.
NBC2 asked CCSO how much money is believed to have been stolen in these separate incidents.
“I don’t have the specific numbers at this time, but I know a lot of the work done was major work,” said Sgt. Santos.
If you are concerned you may be taking part in a contracting scam, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office says they will assist in making sure the business is in fact, legitimate.
“Call us at the Sheriff’s office and we will follow up. We will verify if that company does have a license. If you feel like this isn’t right…or the individual is kind of putting you on and not calling you back, give us a call. We’re here to help,” said Sgt. Santos.
Reyes-Cardenas, Mejia, and Mullaney are all in custody at the Collier County Jail. | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2023/06/14/three-naples-men-arrested-for-unlicensed-contracting-during-ians-aftermath/ | 2023-06-15T14:21:01 | 0 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2023/06/14/three-naples-men-arrested-for-unlicensed-contracting-during-ians-aftermath/ |
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Fort Myers Police Department and Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers are looking for a group of teens who are taking ding-dong-ditching to the next level.
Investigators said the teens have been harassing a man and his family who live off of McGregor Boulevard for months.
Kevin David says every weekend, teenagers wearing ski masks to disguise themselves, come to his house in the middle of the night, banging and kicking his front door. Once, someone even showed up dressed as a bush, wearing a Ghillie Suit, to blend in.
“They’re harassing my family. We’ll be in bed, or we’ll be watching TV at night, and all of a sudden, ‘boom boom boom,’ very scary, and we open the door, and we see kids running away and jumping in a car. Sometimes they come back, curse me off and speed off.”
David said this has been happening for about a year, and he reported it to police about six months ago.
“We thought it would stop and it would go away, but it really hasn’t. It’s almost escalating now,” he said.
David said he’s tried everything to keep the unruly teens away. He added security cameras and even alarms, but the kids keep returning. He has no clue why they keep targeting him, and none of his neighbors do, either.
His neighbors are worried someone will get seriously hurt.
Brandon Robertson said, “I’ve actually seen the challenge on TikTok. It’s gonna get dangerous after a while because somebody’s not gonna find it funny anymore.”
“I’ve never had a problem with any of the kids in the neighborhood, so it sounds strange,” said one neighbor, Darren Moore. “There’s been a lot of stories of people getting shot just trying to get into the wrong car or knocking on the wrong doors lately, and I think, ‘absolutely it could be dangerous.’”
Trish Routte with SWFL Crime Stoppers said, “This is the beginning of summer break for these teenagers, and every summer, we see something else. You’ve got these bored teenagers that do stupid things that end up being criminal in nature.”
She said they might be inspired by a TikTok trend.
“Every time one of these new TikTok trends comes out, we all have to shake our heads. These kids, they just live on TikTok,” said Routte.
She said this challenge isn’t new, but this is one of the first few incidents in the Fort Myers area.
Routte added, “At this point, we’ve only had a few incidents, but how these TikTok challenges go is once the word starts getting out, more kids are going to do it.”
She said these kids are trespassing and could be charged with a felony if they bust the door down or cause damage.
“Crime Stoppers is ready to take that information and maybe teach these young gentlemen a lesson at the beginning of summer break,” said Routte.
David said, “They need to be arrested and corrected. This can’t keep going on. This is harassment, this is stalking, this is a disturbance.”
If you recognize the teens in the video, call Crime Stoppers. You could receive a cash reward of up to $3,000. You can remain anonymous. | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/lee-county/2023/06/15/fort-myers-family-awakened-by-masked-teens-banging-kicking-front-door/ | 2023-06-15T14:21:07 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/lee-county/2023/06/15/fort-myers-family-awakened-by-masked-teens-banging-kicking-front-door/ |
Mohave County suspends cat adoptions amid virus outbreak
MOHAVE COUNTY — The Mohave County Animal Shelter announced a temporary pause on the intake and adoption of cats and kittens until at least July 1.
The moratorium is in response to a recent outbreak of Feline Parvovirus, otherwise known as cat parvo, which is extremely contagious and can be life-threatening, especially for unvaccinated kittens.
The animal shelter will be deep cleaning the cat rooms and caring for the current cat population at the shelter until the county's veterinarian determines they are healthy, according to a statement announcing the new precautions.
The county's veterinarian "has not seen this level of community infection in several years," the statement said.
Mohave County has a large population of stray cats and kittens, most of which are not vaccinated, which can exacerbate the virus' spread. While there are no medicines that can kill this virus, timely veterinary care can help boost a cat's chance of survival.
If you're worried about your pet, the usual symptoms of cat parvo to look for are:
- Lethargy and depression
- Frothing at the mouth or vomiting
- Watery discharge from the nose
- Fever in the early stages, followed by a low body temperature
- Diarrhea, which may be watery or bloody
- An inability to eat and drink
If you suspect your pet may have cat parvo, contact your local veterinarian or animal hospital.
Reach the reporter at LLatch@gannett.com.
The Republic’s coverage of northern Arizona is funded, in part, with grants from Vitalyst Health Foundation and Report from America. To support regional Arizona news coverage like this, make a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/06/15/mohave-county-suspends-cat-adoptions-intakes-amid-virus-outbreak/70319716007/ | 2023-06-15T14:24:50 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/06/15/mohave-county-suspends-cat-adoptions-intakes-amid-virus-outbreak/70319716007/ |
There's a cactus that blooms for a single night every summer. Here's when and how to see
There is an unusual cactus native to the Sonoran desert that for most of the year looks like a dead stick with a jumble of gray and purplish stems. But once every summer after the sun has set, it shows its large, white, sweet-scented blooms for only a few hours.
"It's so uncactus-like in its appearance. Most people would not think it very attractive, it's not symmetrical like some other cacti are," said Matt Johnson, manager and curator of the Desert Legume Program at the University of Arizona "But then it has this espectacular flower, which is certainly the largest and showiest flower of any cactus native to Arizona."
Here's what to know about Queen of the Night, the Arizona-native flower that blooms for only one night each summer.
When does the Queen of the Night bloom?
This cactus, scientifically known as peniocereus greggii, can start to bloom from May to late July. Brian Rasmussen, curator at the University of Arizona campus arboretum, said a few individual flowers might bloom at different times during the summer months, but there's a single night in which the vast majority of them bloom in mass.
"All the plants in the area will bloom in the same night all together, and then the flowers close up in the morning," Rasmussen said. "Say the plant has 10 buds on it, probably 8 of them would bloom on that night. It's very captivating, it's an amazing plant."
The flowers usually begin to bloom after sunset around 8 p.m., reach full opening by midnight, and close by 9 a.m. the next morning. Each flower can be from 4 to 6 inches in diameter.
Johnson said no one knows exactly why this synchronized phenomenon happens, and it's extremely hard to predict when that bloom night will occur each year.
"I really have not heard and explanation for sure of why they are able to do that, but it does seem most of the flowers on a given area will grow on a certain night, so you have to catch it," Johnson said.
Rasmussen said there might be an environmental factor that could be related to rainfall, but the exact trigger behind the synchronized bloom is a mystery.
"It's very hard to tell when it will happen," Rsmussen said. "You just have to watch the buds as they grow bigger, that's really the only way you could tell. But you don't know when a blooming sequence happens until it they start opening up."
Why does it bloom for a single night?
Just like a queen, this flower is beautifully tactical.
According to Raul Puente with Desert Botanical Garden, the Queen of the Night is pollinated by a moth, which is active at night. To attract the moth, the flower uses a few strategies.
When the flower is blooming, it releases a sweet scent that, according to Puentes, is perceivable to humans, which means the fragrance is quite strong for the much more scent-sensitive moths to smell from afar.
By blooming en mass, the plant increases its chances of being pollinated since it has more buds open at once and by producing an even more intense fragrance all together.
The queen also chooses a white gown for the blooming event so she can reflect moonlight off her petals and make it easier for pollinators to find her.
The flower closes up shortly after the first sun rays hit in the morning. Puente said this could be because, being such a large flower, the plant uses quite a bit of energy for the opening and can loose a lot of water when it blooms. By blooming at night, the plant also avoids water evaporation during sunlight hours.
Rasmussen added that by closing up, the flower also protects its ovary, and if it was pollinated, it will produce a large, red fruit.
Where can I find it?
According to Puente, this plant is pretty much scattered across the desert and is very hard to find because it typically grows under nurse trees and tends to camouflage as a bunch of wispy, dry sticks amid shrub branches.
You can find them especially around washes, but your best bet is look out for the blooming event, Puente said.
"It's very hard to spot them in the wild," Rasmussen said. "The one night of the year when most of all the flowers in an area open up is typically the only way you can see it."
Tohono Chul botanical garden, located at 7366 N Paseo Del Norte in Tucson, has the world's largest collection of the Queen of the Night and hosts an event every summer so people can see their mass blooming.
Because it is hard to predict, sometimes the announcement is given roughly 12 hours in advance. To be notified, you can sign up to the Garden's Bloom Watch newsletter.
Rasmussen said people can also find them at the university's arburetum at the Krutch Garden, next to Old Main and at the Desert Plant Conservatory on top of the 6th Street garage.
The Desert Botanical Garden also has a collection planted in ports near the trails so people can see them easily when they start blooming. Two of them were expected to bloom later this week, Puente said.
Reach breaking news reporter Laura Daniella Sepulveda at laura.sepulveda@gannett.com or on Twitter @lauradaniella_s. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/06/15/queen-of-the-night-what-to-know-about-this-unusual-arizona-cactus/70315415007/ | 2023-06-15T14:24:53 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/06/15/queen-of-the-night-what-to-know-about-this-unusual-arizona-cactus/70315415007/ |
As the monsoon kicks off in Arizona, here's what Phoenix area residents can expect
As the Arizona monsoon season kicks off Thursday — officially running from June 15 until Sept. 15 — the next three months can bring powerful thunderstorms across the region with flash floods caused by increased rainfall.
According to forecasts from the National Weather Service in Phoenix, the first six days of the monsoon are expected to be both very sunny and very hot.
From Thursday to Monday, high temperatures are expected to stay around the 100-degree mark with most days having low to no chances of rain — a trend expected to last these three months, with a Phoenix meteorologist saying Valley residents will see above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation.
Here's what you need to know as the monsoon picks up.
Is a monsoon a storm?
A monsoon is described by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research as "a much larger pattern of winds and rain that spans a large geographic area like a continent, or even the entire globe."
What happens during a monsoon?
This desert weather phenomenon can look very different in an urban environment such as Phoenix, compared with the saguaro-dense hills of the Sonoran Desert.
According to the National Weather Service in Phoenix, high pressure in the atmosphere over northern Mexico strengthens and drifts northward during the summer months, which causes a reversal in the weather pattern across the Southwest.
While storms typically move from west to east in the spring, storms will move from east to west in the summer. This flow causes high levels of moisture to gather in the atmosphere across the desert landscape as tropical air moves north, according to the weather service.
With the combination of summer heat and moisture, conditions are more likely to become more favorable for periodic rain showers and thunderstorms.
Typically, the month of July is the rainiest of the year in Phoenix. About 1 to 1.05 inches of rain is expected. That's preceded by the driest month of the monsoon, June, which has an average rainfall of 0.02 inches, according to the weather service.
Does the monsoon help reservoirs?
In early March, reservoirs managed by the Salt River Project had to release water from its dams and reservoirs in order to make space for spring runoffs from snowpack. According to Patty Garcia-Likens, senior media relations representative from SRP, this winter was one of the wettest winters in the last couple of decades.
“This winter has proven to be one of the most productive in the last 30 years, filling our six reservoirs on the Salt and Verde rivers,” Garcia-Likens said.
Although most of the water in SRP reservoirs accumulated during the winter, rainfall that comes from the monsoon helps reservoirs maintain a high level of water throughout the year, providing water for the region.
“The summer monsoon can help lessen the decline of our reservoirs as it can lower summer demand, but it doesn’t significantly add to the supply,” Garcia-Likens said.
Another non-soon?Drier, hotter than normal conditions predicted for Arizona's monsoon
As of June 1, 2023, reservoirs administered by the Salt River Project on the Salt and Verde Rivers were reported to be 99% full. Although these reservoirs have provided large amounts of water, officials still urge the population to conserve water.
“It’s important to conserve as water is precious in the desert. Every drop that is stored now can provide water for our customers during the inevitable dry periods,” Garcia-Likens said.
What can be expected this monsoon?
The National Weather Service in Phoenix predicted that most of Arizona is going to have below-normal precipitation during the monsoon with above-normal temperatures, meaning Arizonans can face a hot and dry summer.
Far western areas of the state, such as Kingman and Yuma, have equal chances for above, near or below normal precipitation.
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"For the monsoon season, above normal temperatures are favored this summer with a slight tilt toward slightly below normal precipitation," said Isaac Smith, National Weather Service-Phoenix meteorologist.
This is an abrupt change from the past two years of wet monsoons that brought record-breaking rain to the state. The monsoon in 2022 tied for the seventh wettest July-September on record with an average rain of 2.23 inches in Phoenix. The 2021 season ranked as the ninth wettest on record, according to the weather service's data.
Republic reporters Ellie Willard and Raphael Romero Ruiz contributed to this article. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-weather/2023/06/15/arizona-monsoon-season-2023-what-phoenix-area-residents-can-expect/70323897007/ | 2023-06-15T14:24:55 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-weather/2023/06/15/arizona-monsoon-season-2023-what-phoenix-area-residents-can-expect/70323897007/ |
Phoenix council renews contract with shelter provider after intense debate
The Phoenix City Council had an intense debate on Wednesday about whether to renew the city’s contract with the region’s biggest homeless shelter provider, ultimately approving the contract as long as the organization agrees to stipulations of increased transparency and city oversight.
At the center of the debate was Central Arizona Shelter Services, which operates a 600-bed shelter for single adults on the Human Services Campus downtown. The contract would provide the organization $4.4 million in city funds to continue providing emergency shelter services.
Councilmember Ann O’Brien raised concerns about the organization’s past performance, claiming there was over $1 million in damages to a hotel that CASS leased out in partnership with the city and that CASS underestimated its operating budget last year, saying the organization threatened to shut down if the city didn’t provide it more funding.
“We provide millions of dollars a year to CASS, yet we don’t truly know what is going on,” O’Brien said.
CASS CEO Lisa Glow disputed those claims and said the organization has been “very transparent” with city staff. The damages to the hotel amounted to $713,000, according to city records, which the city paid. The hotel was used as a shelter for seniors and medically vulnerable people during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Glow said.
Regarding the claim about underestimating its operational budget, Glow said CASS approached the city last year about a funding gap of roughly $300,000 due to increased operating costs after CASS upped its shelter bed count from 470 to 600 and after the Human Services Campus began charging the organization more for common area maintenance. CASS asked the city if it would consider covering the additional expenses and discussed potentially reducing its shelter bed count but retracted its request after receiving $10 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars, Glow said.
“We’ve never threatened to shut down. We haven’t shut down for a minute in almost 40 years,” Glow said.
Part hotel, part homeless shelter:How one Mesa hotel does both
The debate comes at a critical moment in Phoenix's homelessness crisis. The city is currently embroiled in two competing lawsuits over how it's handled the homelessness situation, and the Phoenix Police Department is being investigated by the Department of Justice over their treatment of unhoused people, among other concerns.
Rachel Milne, director of the city’s Office of Homeless Solutions, defended CASS during the council meeting and said that the organization has been instrumental in providing shelter beds during the city’s cleanups of “The Zone” homeless encampment.
Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari, whose district includes the Human Services Campus and CASS’s single adult shelter, said she was taken aback by the allegations and urged her colleagues to approve the contract.
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“I think that it’s no easy feat running a shelter of 600 individuals every single night,” Ansari said. “We have a housing and homelessness crisis in this city, and I think that any sort of additional accountability or relationship building we want to do with CASS doesn't have to happen on the dias, and that can happen in meetings that I'm sure they’re happy to take.”
Glow of CASS said more communication between CASS and the City Council is needed and that the organization has requested to meet with O’Brien and plans to also meet with other council members.
The council unanimously voted to approve the contract, which will be finalized as long as CASS agrees to a list of a half-dozen stipulations that would increase transparency and oversight, including allowing city staff to observe shelter operations and that the city gets a nonvoting seat on CASS’s board of directors.
Glow said she is fine with the stipulations, some of which she said the organization has already agreed to in the past, and she plans to urge the organization’s board of directors to approve them.
Deputy City Manager Gina Montes said she hopes the contract will be finalized no later than June 28, when the City Council’s next meeting is scheduled. The city’s current contract with CASS ends on June 30.
Juliette Rihl covers housing insecurity and homelessness for The Arizona Republic. She can be reached at jrihl@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @julietterihl.
Coverage of housing insecurity on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2023/06/15/phoenix-renews-central-arizona-shelter-services-contract-after-intense-debate/70324058007/ | 2023-06-15T14:25:03 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2023/06/15/phoenix-renews-central-arizona-shelter-services-contract-after-intense-debate/70324058007/ |
Rio Verde community — the one with water — could get grocery store, restaurants under plan
A proposed commercial development could bring a new grocery store to the unincorporated community of Rio Verde, where residents currently must drive about 10 miles just to get groceries.
The site is not part of the nearby Rio Verde Foothills community, which has struggled with extensive issues regarding access to water, after the area was cut off from Scottsdale’s water supply.
Rio Verde is an unincorporated, master-planned community, which has water service from Epcor. Rio Verde Foothills was developed using a loophole in state law that did not require an assured 100-year water supply, creating a major issue when Scottsdale stopped allowing the area to use city water.
Park West Partners, a Scottsdale-based developer that has specialized in neighborhood-scale retail centers, submitted plans to Maricopa County to develop a roughly 17-acre site at 174th Street and Rio Verde Drive. Plans submitted to the county call for a grocery-anchored center with other small-scale commercial buildings, which could include restaurants, coffee shops, salons or medical offices.
According to the application submitted to the county, commercial development was historically discouraged in the area because of limited infrastructure, but population growth in nearby neighborhoods, which include Tonto Verde, Trilogy and Rio Verde Foothills, has increased demand for commercial development, Wendy Riddell, zoning attorney for the project, wrote.
In addition, another master plan was already approved in the area east of the site, which could bring even more residents.
The project, called the Shops at Rio Verde, is within Rio Verde and will get its water from Epcor, a private water utility that serves the area already, Riddell said.
The Maricopa County Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-1 in favor of recommending the County Board of Supervisors approve a zoning change to allow construction of the project. The plan is scheduled to go before the board in July, Riddell said in an email.
Opponents, supporters of project make their case
At the commission meeting, county staff said it had received more than 100 messages in support of the project and about 40 in opposition. Those opposed to the project raised such issues as preserving the area’s rural character, concerns about water and sustainability, adding traffic to the road and opening the door for more commercial development in the area.
Riddell said the development is designed to serve the surrounding neighborhoods and would not be a destination for anyone who does not live nearby.
Those in support of the development said it would bring the area a much-needed grocery store and would improve access to services for the community, especially for senior citizens.
Commission member Francisca Montoya was the only member to vote against recommending the board approve the rezoning, saying that she did not think it fit with the neighborhood and residents’ needs. She said residents chose to live in the area because it is remote and knew they would have to drive for access to goods and services when they chose to live in a rural setting.
In the pipeline:Second legislative solution for Rio Verde Foothills water woes heads to Hobbs' desk
Reach the reporter at cvanek@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter @CorinaVanek. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/scottsdale/2023/06/15/grocery-store-restaurants-proposed-in-rural-rio-verde-community/70323304007/ | 2023-06-15T14:25:09 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/scottsdale/2023/06/15/grocery-store-restaurants-proposed-in-rural-rio-verde-community/70323304007/ |
DeSantis appoints Judge Brandon Rafool to fill opening on Bartow-based 10th circuit court
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed Judge Brandon Rafool of Winter Haven as a Circuit Judge on the 10th Judicial Circuit Court, based in Bartow.
DeSantis’ office announced the appointment Tuesday. The seat became vacant with the mandatory retirement in March of Judge Larry Helms. Rafool has served as a county judge on the 10th Judicial Circuit Court since his appointment by DeSantis in 2021.
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Rafool previously served as the managing partner of a private law firm. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and a law degree Stetson University. | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/desantis-appoints-brandon-rafool-to-10th-judicial-circuit-court/70317562007/ | 2023-06-15T14:26:53 | 1 | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/desantis-appoints-brandon-rafool-to-10th-judicial-circuit-court/70317562007/ |
Lori Edwards will seek seventh term as Polk County Supervisor of Elections
Polk County Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards plans to pursue a seventh term.
Edwards, 66, announced Wednesday that she will run for re-election next year. First elected in 2000, the Winter Haven resident said she has conducted more than 200 elections.
Edwards easily defeated challenger Debbie Hannifan in the nonpartisan election of 2020, capturing 78% of the vote.
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“This is a challenging responsibility, and I have lots of energy and enthusiasm for the job,” Edwards said in the announcement. “Most importantly, I have the expertise to conduct elections that Polk’s voters can be proud of.”
Edwards said her accomplishments include conducting annual voter registration drives in high schools and opening nine early voting sites for countywide elections. | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/lori-edwards-seeks-7th-term-as-polk-county-supervisor-of-elections/70320819007/ | 2023-06-15T14:27:05 | 0 | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2023/06/15/lori-edwards-seeks-7th-term-as-polk-county-supervisor-of-elections/70320819007/ |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Sedgwick County Emergency Communications addressed issues concerning their new 911 computer-aided dispatch system Wednesday afternoon.
The department has received backlash online regarding slow response times and calls being transferred. They explained that they do not transfer callers, and certain times of the day result in slowdowns.
“We are going to answer the call. We are going to answer as fast as we can. We are going to get you help as fast as we can,” said Elora Forshee, Director of Sedgwick County Emergency Communications.
The department implemented the new system in May, replacing a 15-year-old system.
“Are there issues with the new system, yes. Some of those issues are an easy fix. Some of them take a little longer to fix,” said Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter.
Forshee says the biggest issue they faced involved the automatic alerting system for fire stations.
“We did have to manually alert fire stations instead of that being an automated process. The alert was still there. It just wasn’t as seamless as it typically is,” explained Forshee.
She says the problem is now fixed, and their board now has backup plans if similar issues arise in the future.
The focus is now answering calls in a timely manner.
“In 2022, we averaged about 80 percent of calls answered in 15 seconds. The industry standard is 90 percent in 15 seconds, so we know that we want improvement in that area,” said Forshee.
The Wichita Fire Union took to Facebook, saying one citizen waited five minutes before reaching an operator. Forshee clarified that the incident took two and a half minutes before a response. Wichita Firefighters IAFF Local 135 President Ted Bush says that response time is still unacceptable.
“A call is different two and a half minutes later than it was when they called. I want the system to be fixed. I want it to work for our citizens and our firefighters because the safety of our citizens and firefighters go hand in hand,” said Bush.
Bush says he supports and advocates for all dispatchers. His biggest concern is citizen and first responder safety.
Forshee says they will discuss solutions with the Advisory Board, which includes officials from local police and fire departments, to find ways to improve response times. Bush believes meeting with the Fire Union would contribute valuable insight.
“I don’t have any problem telling the truth and saying the uncomfortable things that need to be said to get things fixed,” explains Bush, “This is a system that has to work all the time.” | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/sedgwick-county-addresses-issues-with-new-911-operating-system/ | 2023-06-15T14:30:43 | 1 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/sedgwick-county-addresses-issues-with-new-911-operating-system/ |
Tucson-based biotech firm HTG Molecular Diagnostics has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, with plans to continue operations as it works out a plan to pay its debts.
The company, which developed a proprietary platform to rapidly develop molecular drug compounds, plans to exit that business to focus on its own development of new drugs to treat cancer and other diseases, according to bankruptcy filings.
In a bankruptcy petition filed June 5 in Delaware, HTG’s corporate domicile, the company listed assets totaling about $6.7 million and debts of about $9 million.
HTG, which was founded in 1997 and went public in 2015, was delisted from the Nasdaq Stock Exchange on Thursday.
The company's stock has traded as high as $24 per share in the past year but finished at 51 cents on Wednesday. For 2022, HTG posted a net loss of $21.6 million on revenue of $6.4 million.
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Under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code, a debtor is protected from legal action while it works out a plan to reorganize and pay off creditors.
Among HTG’s major secured debts, HTG owes about $2.7 million on a loan originally funded by the failed Silicon Valley Bank, now owned by successor First Citizens Bank, according to a bankruptcy declaration filed by Shaun McMeans, senior vice president and chief financial officer of HTG.
HTG said in its filing that it does not expect to have money available to pay about $6.5 million in debts owed to unsecured creditors — including vendors and other creditors whose debts are not secured by collateral.
The company’s biggest unsecured creditor is NuvoGen Research, a Tucson-based company that sold HTG cancer-testing technology in 2001. HTG says it still owes NuvoGen about $3.7 million from the $15 million deal.
Company officials could not be reached for comment, and the attorney representing HTG in the bankruptcy proceeding did not immediately respond to the Arizona Daily Star's queries.
McMeans said in his filing that the company plans to move forward with developing its own prospective drug compounds with a new drug-discovery “engine” that combines the company’s RNA-based molecular profiling system with artificial intelligence, developed in a “stealth” effort that began when COVID-19 shut down many of its research customers in 2020.
The company, which has its longtime headquarters and labs on East Global Loop on Tucson’s south side, has slashed its workforce from 88 employees last year to 15 including scientists who will continue to focus on developing new drug targets, McMeans said.
McMeans said HTG’s new drug-discovery system has already identified two promising drug targets for treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, including a drug target for a type of leukemia that could be ready for preclinical development by next year.
In the bankruptcy case, a judge has issued orders requiring utilities to continue service to HTG and allowing HTG to use its existing cash-management system.
Bankruptcy Judge J. Kate Stickles also issued a critical interim order that allows the company to temporarily use cash and equivalents — so-called cash collateral — to fund continued operations.
A hearing is scheduled for Thursday, June 15 in the Delaware court to determine if the company may use cash collateral going forward, and secured creditors may seek measures to protect their interests.
First Citizens Bank filed an objection Wednesday to the company's use of cash collateral, saying it wasn't advised of the bankruptcy before it was filed and doubting that the company can arrange financing to stay afloat.
The company now known as HTG Molecular Diagnostics was founded in 1997 as High Throughput Genomics Inc. by Bruce Seligmann, who had come to Tucson to head research at Selectide Corp., a University of Arizona spinoff. Selectide was later acquired and formed the foundation for Sanofi’s former drug-chemistry center in Oro Valley, which was later sold off and closed.
Contact senior reporter David Wichner at dwichner@tucson.com or 520-573-4181. On Twitter: @dwichner. On Facebook: Facebook.com/DailyStarBiz | https://tucson.com/news/local/business/tucson-company-bankruptcy-biotech-htg/article_3a076c86-0ae0-11ee-81a8-8f24fdd61e71.html | 2023-06-15T14:38:26 | 1 | https://tucson.com/news/local/business/tucson-company-bankruptcy-biotech-htg/article_3a076c86-0ae0-11ee-81a8-8f24fdd61e71.html |
The Pima County Superior Court is asking for the public’s input regarding the five applicants who applied for the two court commissioner vacancies.
Seven candidates were interviewed for the positions on Tuesday by the court’s selection committee, a court news release said. Out of those seven, the committee selected the following attorneys for a final interview:
• Derek Koltunovich
• Victoria Otto
• Edina Strum
• Michael Vampotic
• Nathan Wade
A court commissioner works in either the Superior or Juvenile Court complex and are assigned to cases that involve family law, child support and enforcement, probate and guardianship, juvenile law, protection orders and civil mental health matters, the news release said.
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The two vacancies are due to Randi Burnett being moved up to a judge in the Superior Court by Gov. Hobbs and the pending retirement of Deborah Pratte.
The public is invited to submit comments about the applicants no later than 2 p.m. on June 19. Written comments can be sent to the Human Resources department of the Superior Court by emailing humanresources@sc.pima.gov.
Superior Court Presiding Judge Jeffrey T. Bergin and Juvenile Court Presiding Judge Michael Butler will announce the appointments after their interviews with the finalists later that same week.
Jamie Donnelly covers courts for the Arizona Daily Star. Contact her via e-mail at jdonnelly@tucson.com | https://tucson.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/pima-county-superior-court-court-commissioner/article_3961e59c-0b06-11ee-bee6-efcaf5e3ebe9.html | 2023-06-15T14:38:27 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/pima-county-superior-court-court-commissioner/article_3961e59c-0b06-11ee-bee6-efcaf5e3ebe9.html |
President Joe Biden is hosting executives from Live Nation, Airbnb and other companies at the White House on Thursday to highlight his administration’s push to end so-called junk fees that surprise consumers.
Biden prioritized the effort to combat surprise or undisclosed fees in his State of the Union address and has called for legislation, regulation and private sector action to end them. Biden, at Thursday’s event, was set to announce actions by companies that have eliminated or plan to eliminate those surprise fees.
The consumer advocacy push is part of the Democratic president’s pitch to voters ahead of his 2024 reelection bid that government can help improve their lives in big and small ways.
At the White House, Live Nation, which is based in Beverly Hills, California, is announcing that it will provide customers with upfront all-in pricing — meaning the actual purchase price including service charges and any other fees — for its owned venues by September and that Ticketmaster will give consumers the option to view all-in pricing up front for other venues on the live-entertainment tickets platform. SeatGeek, based in New York, will also unveil features to make it easier to browse for tickets with the true cost displayed.
Airbnb, based in San Francisco, rolled out its all-in pricing tool in December, after Biden first called on companies to stop hiding fees.
“President Biden has been working to lower costs for hardworking families by bringing down inflation, capping insulin prices for seniors, and eliminating hidden junk fees,” National Economic Council director Lael Brainard said in a statement. “More companies are heeding the President’s call so that Americans know what they’re paying for up front and can save money as a result.”
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Welcome to the start of Tucson’s 2023 monsoon.
It’ll be a dry start.
Today, the official first day of the summer rainy season, will be sunny, with a high of about 97 degrees, the National Weather Service says.
And the forecast for the monsoon’s opening weekend calls for a return to higher, more typical June temperatures. Think triple digits.
Meteorologists say this is an El Niño year. They’re predicting a delay in the seasonal storm cycle across Southern Arizona, which could lead to a hotter and drier summer overall.
Though Tucson often doesn’t see its first storm activity until early July, the Southwest monsoon season officially begins on June 15 and lasts through September.
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Between June 24 and July 7 this year, there is a 70% chance of below-normal precipitation, according to the Climate Prediction Center’s outlook.
The center also says Tucson can anticipate relatively normal temperatures for the rest of June and July, which means regular triple-digit highs. | https://tucson.com/news/local/no-way-to-tell-from-our-bone-dry-heat-but-its-monsoon-season/article_61975566-0aec-11ee-ba36-9b54513389c5.html | 2023-06-15T14:38:33 | 1 | https://tucson.com/news/local/no-way-to-tell-from-our-bone-dry-heat-but-its-monsoon-season/article_61975566-0aec-11ee-ba36-9b54513389c5.html |
The Pittsburgh Pirates (34-32) suffered their second straight loss to the Chicago Cubs (30-37) after their bullpen imploded in the sixth inning.
Osvaldo Bido actually put forth a good effort for the Pirates despite going just four innings.
Bido struck out six and allowed just one earned run against the Cubs, and for his MLB debut, I’d say it’s hard to ask anything more from the righty.
Roansy Contreras came in, and after pitching one good inning, Contreras had everything blow up in his face in the sixth inning and allowed five earned runs.
When the dust settled, the Pirates fell to the Cubs 10-6 after leading 5-1 at one point in the game.
The first pitch at Wrigley Field is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET.
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The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
An elected official receiving praise is about as rare as snow in Tucson, but I feel we need to give credit where credit is due and praise our Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema for staying off of a terrible and dangerous piece of legislation. I’m proud that we have two elected officials who listen to the needs of patients when it comes to matters like these instead of playing partisan politics.
Our organization, ICAN, International Cancer Advocacy Network, recently joined several other patient and economic groups in signing onto a thank you letter to both Senators for not co-sponsoring the Strengthening Medicare and Reducing Taxpayer (SMART) Prices Act in the U.S. Senate. While the bill had a catchy title and attention-grabbing proposals, it would have damaging and long-lasting implications for patients, innovation, and creating cures.
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There were many bad things in the bill, including policies that would kill incentives to create generic competition in the drug market; creating what would essentially be a one-size-fits-all national formulary for Medicare; and hurting prescription drug access in Medicare Part D. What really stood out to us among this potpourri of bad ideas was allowing prescription drugs and biologics to be eligible for government price setting (what they call “negotiations”) just five years after approval by the Food and Drug Administration. This will have a devastating impact on the drug discovery pipeline and it will negatively affect all patients — both those suffering now and those who will be diagnosed in the future. This is true for patients fighting cancer, heart disease, and every other condition where drugs can improve health or even cure a disease.
The Inflation Reduction Act has already done damage to innovation by allowing these negotiations to occur after just nine years for small molecule drugs (think of the drugs you take in pill form). Anyone in the cancer community knows that there have been tremendous strides made in treatment with small molecule drugs in the past decade. That has only been made possible by companies spending billions for research and clinical trials, and then navigating the extensive regulatory process that is necessary to get a drug approved to fight this awful disease. They do this because they are able to recoup the billions of dollars spent on development over time. Patient groups protested (and continue to protest) the nine year provision.
The SMART Prices Act reducing that time window to an unimaginable five years is disastrous for those of us waiting and hoping for cures. The five-year provision will flat-out disincentive any and all new treatments for cancer, heart disease Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, and the countless other diseases that need cures. This legislation wouldn’t just be a roadblock for the patient community. It would be a dead end.
That is why we are forever grateful to both of our Senators for staying away from co-sponsoring this bill. It takes wisdom to understand the long-term effects of policies. It takes fortitude to look past the shiny promises of legislation like the SMART Prices Act, and really dig into what a bill like this would do to Arizona patients and treatments. We are grateful that Senator Kelly and Senator Sinema had the wisdom and fortitude to support patients and protect the drug discovery pipeline.
Steven J. Potts, Ph.D., MBA is the Founding CEO of Anticipate Bioscience (a new breast cancer biotech company based in Phoenix) and Chair of the Drug Development Council at ICAN, International Cancer Advocacy Network, a 501©(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1996. Headquartered in Phoenix, ICAN specializes in helping late-stage cancer patients find clinical trials and innovative therapies. | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/arizona-opinion-not-just-a-roadblock-but-a-dead-end-for-patients-why-the-smart/article_015270c4-03ca-11ee-bbae-33e6c25f47a9.html | 2023-06-15T14:38:49 | 1 | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/arizona-opinion-not-just-a-roadblock-but-a-dead-end-for-patients-why-the-smart/article_015270c4-03ca-11ee-bbae-33e6c25f47a9.html |
TAMPA, Fla. — City council members are expected to approve the nomination made by Mayor Jane Castor to officially appoint Lee Bercaw as the Chief of Police on Thursday.
According to his bio, Bercaw joined the department in 1997. Throughout his time at TPD, Bercaw worked in all three districts within the department.
His priorities center on community policing and continuing to take the department in what he calls a positive direction — not just reducing crime, but giving citizens the feeling that they are safe.
Earlier this month when the mayor shared her nomination, she made it clear she believes Bercaw is the best fit. “I have gotten nothing but positive feedback on the job that Chief Bercaw has done and will continue to do into the future,” said Castor.
During the same conference, Bercaw shared he is ready to take on the new role. “I have basically grown up in this department over the last 27 years,” he explained.
Bercaw has currently been serving as the interim chief after former Chief Mary O’Connor resigned in December.
“Lee Bercaw has shown me day after day, as well as city council, as well as the union, as well as the men and women of the Tampa Police Department and in our community that we had the best candidate right here in the City of Tampa,” the mayor said earlier this month.
The mayor said she was impressed with Bercaw and the job he had been doing as interim chief over the past six months. Castor also sought input from Council members, community leaders, and the police union before announcing her selection.
Mayor Castor was widely criticized for her handling of the last police chief selection, pushing through her handpicked choice of Mary O'Connor, who resigned amid controversy in December.
Her resignation came after an internal affairs investigation into a golf cart traffic stop in which body camera video showed her displaying her credentials and saying, "I'm hoping that you'll just let us go tonight."
The Nov. 12 encounter in Pinellas County involving O'Connor's husband did not meet the level of "high standards for ethical and professional behavior that apply to every member of our police force," Castor said in a previous statement. O'Connor's husband was behind the wheel of the golf cart, which authorities say didn't have a license plate and was being driven outside a residential area.
Tampa City Council then voted unanimously on Dec. 15, 2022, to officially appoint Bercaw to the position of interim chief of police in Tampa. He has served that role ever since.
10 Tampa Bay's Andrea Chu and Claire Farrow contributed to this report. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/tampa-police-chief-confirmation-lee-bercaw/67-732048c6-e758-4230-88ef-0b6e6693c610 | 2023-06-15T14:39:20 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/tampa-police-chief-confirmation-lee-bercaw/67-732048c6-e758-4230-88ef-0b6e6693c610 |
Celebrate Juneteenth in Las Cruces with these community events
LAS CRUCES – Juneteenth is Monday and Las Cruces organizations have plans to commemorate the end of slavery in the U.S.
Juneteenth is a federal holiday recognized on June 19 annually. It recognizes the day enslaved black people in Texas were finally freed, over two years after the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified into law in 1863. The hundreds of thousands of enslaved people in Confederate-controlled Texas were not truly freed until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston Bay on June 19, 1865.
Various organizations throughout Las Cruces are hosting events over the federal holiday weekend to commemorate and celebrate the day. Here is a guide to what is planned.
Third Annual New Mexico Juneteenth Jazz Arts Festival
Las Cruces Museums is hosting the third annual New Mexico Juneteenth Jazz Arts Festival from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, June 16 at the Rio Grande Theatre, located at 211 N. Main St. The event is free and open to the public.
Music groups from the region will perform throughout the evening, including the Colin McAllister Group and the Billy Townes Group.
“This music is rooted in the traditions of improvisational expression, storytelling, and community, and has a rich history that has shaped our nation. This music is alive, and as it evolves, it continues to evolve us. Jazz history is Black history. Jazz History is American history,” said Derrick Lee, festival organizer and New Mexico Music Commissioner, in a news release.
Further weekend performances will be held from 10 a.m. to noon June 17 at the Branigan Cultural Center, located at 501 N. Main St.; from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. June 18 at the Associated Students of New Mexico State University Center for the Arts, located at 1000 E. University Ave.; and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. June 19 at the NMSU Atkinson Recital Hall, located at 1075 N. Horseshoe St.
Guest speaker Roy Collins III at Las Cruces Museums
Branigan Cultural Center is hosting a presentation at noon Thursday, June 15 with Roy Collins III, general counsel and chief legal officer of NMSU. Collins will speak on the history of Juneteenth, the impact of the holiday and the importance of the era in history.
The presentation is part of the center’s “Pull Up a Chair” series and will kick off the weekend’s jazz arts festival.
According to a news release, Collins is originally from Galveston, Texas, is a published author and often speaks on topics such as intellectual property, technology transfer, electronic commerce, communications law, free speech, negotiation, contracts and diversity.
NMSU’s Black Programs 2023 Juneteenth Celebration
NMSU’s Black Programs is hosting its 2023 Juneteenth Celebration from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, June 16 at the Corbett Center Student Union outdoor stage, located at 1600 International Mall. The theme of the celebration is “Celebrating Freedom, Our Ancestor’s Courage, and the Persistent Fight for Equality!”
All are welcome to join for free food, music and yard games. Kona Ice will be on site as well as HD2 Hip Hop Studio and Las Cruces events DJ.
ASNMSU and The Men of Color Initiative celebration
ASNMSU and The Men of Color Initiative are partnering to host “Together We Stand! Together We Can” Juneteenth celebration. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 19 at the Corbett Center Student Union outdoor stage, people are invited to join singers, poets, musicians and dancers from across campus and the greater Las Cruces.
Juneteenth African dance workshop at NMSU
Community members of all ages and experience are welcome to join Soriba Fofana from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 19 in Rentfrow Hall, Room 103A for a dance workshop. According to a news release, Fofana will take people through the history of African dance with choreography and drums.
People are asked to wear comfortable clothes and shoes and to bring water to stay hydrated.
Rentfrow Hall is located at 3161 Williams Ave. on the NMSU main campus.
Juneteenth Block Party
DJ Tommy Black is hosting a Juneteenth Block Party from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on June 17 at Picacho Peak Brewing Co., located at 3900 W. Picacho Ave. Dorrough is headlining the party entertainment, along with The Party Boyz.
Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, LRomero@lcsun-news.com or @rromero_leah on Twitter.
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Canyons grow through time, ever so slowly being eroded by rain, snow, the freeze-thaw cycle, gravity and other factors. But sometimes the process speeds up: rockfalls!
Walnut Canyon has seen its share of rockfalls through the centuries and millennia. What has it meant — and what does it mean — for people whose activities are oriented around this canyon?
The Ancestral Puebloan residents of Walnut Canyon hundreds of years ago certainly knew about the dangers of canyon living. People who lived year-round in the Canyon would have been very familiar with the sound of falling rocks echoing through the canyon and might have had close brushes with danger.
But the canyon also had much to offer: proximity to water, an exceptionally wide variety of natural resources, warm and cool microclimates, the shelter and ease of building in the natural alcoves, and perhaps other attractions. And so they made the canyon their home for generations, in spite of the dangers of living in such a vertical environment.
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In recent times, two large rockfalls have occurred that have impacted the experience of visitors to Walnut Canyon. On Dec. 7 (a day that will live in infamy), 2007, in the overnight hours, a 49-ton boulder broke loose along the Island Trail, the main trail into the canyon at Walnut Canyon National Monument, splintering a bench, taking out a section of handrail, sending rocky debris cascading into the canyon, and exposing and impacting an archaeological site.
The 49-ton boulder itself came to rest — albeit tenuously, propped at one end by another giant boulder — directly athwart the Island Trail, blocking it entirely. For various reasons, including the complexity of removing such an enormous boulder, and stabilizing and repairing the trail on a narrow ledge in a steep switchback trail system 150 feet below the rim of the canyon, the trail was to remain closed for the next nine months.
Resource managers at Walnut Canyon and Flagstaff Area National Monuments, with input from Glen Canyon and Grand Canyon National Park trail crews that mapped the rockfall area, formulated a plan. They decided to use an unusual technique to remove the boulder and avoid the use of explosives.
Because there were trail switchbacks and archaeological sites below, and also because of nearby Mexican spotted owl habitat, blasting was not desirable. Instead, an expanding demolition compound was used. This was a labor-intensive process that involved drilling lines of holes in the boulder, pouring in the liquid compound and waiting several hours for the compound's expansion to break the boulder apart.
In the first and most dangerous phase, a Walnut Canyon trail crew performed this work while wearing safety harnesses attached to ropes, due to the drop-off and instability of the giant boulder. As the work progressed, American Conservation Experience (ACE) crews consisting of volunteer workers mostly from foreign countries performed the work of breaking the several now-fractured pieces of the boulder into smaller building-block-sized pieces using feathers and wedges. The now manageable-sized rock blocks were then assembled into an impressive 12-foot-high retaining wall to further stabilize and protect the site.
The beautiful wall can be admired today along the Island Trail about three quarters of the way down the main set of steps.
Lastly the trail had to be repaired, damaged concrete carried out, new concrete poured, and railings, a bench and an interpretive sign repaired. ACE crews and Park Service personnel performed this work. Finally, after nine months of closure, the public could resume using Walnut Canyon's beloved Island Trail.
A former colleague of mine who was working at Walnut Canyon in 2008 documented the many challenges involved in removing the boulder and rebuilding the trail. Interpretive Ranger Steve Nycz took photos at every step of the process. A select few of these photos are reproduced here; additional photos can be seen in the Daily Sun online version of this column, at azdailysun.com and search for "Janice Richmond."
This is the first of two Ask a Ranger columns about rockfalls at Walnut Canyon National Monument. The second column, telling the tale of a more recent rockfall (2015), will appear here next week.
Janice Richmond was a longtime Interpretive Ranger with the Flagstaff Area National Monuments. She retired in 2018, but continues to volunteer with the monuments
The NPS/USFS Roving Rangers volunteer through a unique agreement between the Flagstaff Area National Monuments and the Coconino National Forest to provide Interpretive Ranger walks and talks in the Flagstaff area each summer.
Submit questions for the Ask a Ranger weekly column to askaranger@gmail.com. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/ask-a-ranger-boulders-part-of-walnut-canyons-history/article_a422efca-0b01-11ee-b758-a786e60030ce.html | 2023-06-15T14:46:22 | 1 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/ask-a-ranger-boulders-part-of-walnut-canyons-history/article_a422efca-0b01-11ee-b758-a786e60030ce.html |
A scam caller is impersonating the Coconino County Jury Commissioner, demanding personal information and threatening arrest.
The Arizona Attorney General’s office was notified about the scam after Coconino County Clerk of the Superior Court and Jury Commissioner, Valerie Wyant, was contacted by concerned citizens — citizens who said someone had aggressively asked for their addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth.
According to a statement from Coconino County, the scam caller not only claimed to be the jury commissioner, they also threatened arrest if the victim didn’t give up sensitive information.
In light of that, Wyant said she wants to remind residents that the Superior Court does not contact the public by phone and ask for personal information.
“Official contacts are conducted according to court procedure and will not include demands or threats,” a statement from the county read.
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Community members who believe they might have been contacted by this scam caller can contact the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office at (928) 226-5012 or the Coconino County Attorney’s Office at (928) 679-8200. Victims of fraud can also make a report to the Arizona Attorney General’s office online or by calling 1-800-352-8431. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/scammer-impersonates-coconino-county-jury-commissioner/article_a5d0867e-0aee-11ee-ae29-4b111ea43d43.html | 2023-06-15T14:46:28 | 0 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/scammer-impersonates-coconino-county-jury-commissioner/article_a5d0867e-0aee-11ee-ae29-4b111ea43d43.html |
In a move that shocked the golf world last week, LIV Golf and the PGA Tour announced a merger, ending the feud between the organizations. The decision marked a sharp pivot for the PGA after executives and players had denounced LIV Golf. The fallout leaves many questions about ethics, morals and principles.
For Don Heider, professor and chief executive of the Ethics Center at Santa Clara University, the answer is clear.
“People will take a principle stand when they don’t have principles,” Heider said. “It’s remarkable what money will do.”
The WM Phoenix Open, the first full-field designated event each year, is scheduled to take place Feb. 8-11, and plans will not change with the merger, tournament chairman George Thimsen said.
“While today’s PGA TOUR announcement leaves us with unanswered questions, it will not alter our unwavering dedication to preparing for the highly anticipated 2024 WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale,” Thimsen said. “As hosts of ‘The People’s Open,’ The Thunderbirds’ sole focus is to put on a world-class sports and entertainment event for fans from across the world, while generating millions of dollars for local nonprofit organizations in our communities. That is what we have done for 88 years and look to continue doing in 2024 and beyond.”
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PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said the merger’s aim is to “unify the game of golf.” As part of the deal, the PGA and LIV have agreed to end all pending litigation.
“This ultimately is a decision that I think is in the best interest of all of the members of the PGA Tour, puts us in a position of control, allows us to partner with the PIF in a constructive and productive way, to have them invest with us, again, running the PGA Tour, having these three entities under one for-profit LLC,” Monahan said.
Many unknown details remain, but the merger will take effect in 2024. Players representing LIV will be eligible to re-apply for PGA Tour membership following this season.
As expected, PGA golfers and fans alike are critical of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf venture and skeptical of the future. The skepticism is rooted in the perceived motive of LIV and the Saudi regime’s documented violations of human rights and immoral actions.
The PGA Tour-LIV merger comes on the heels of Saudi Arabia’s latest efforts to meddle in sports by offering lucrative contracts to professional athletes and purchasing professional sports teams. In January, Cristiano Ronaldo agreed to a two-year, $200 million deal to play with Al Nassr FC, who play in Saudi Arabia. And last Wednesday, Lionel Messi chose Inter Miami over bigger offers, including one from Saudi mega-club Al Ittihad.
Backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has $650 billion in assets, LIV Golf was founded in 2021 and played its inaugural season in 2022 after offering top PGA Tour players nine-figure salaries and larger purses to join. Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson took the offer ahead of the season and faced intense backlash.
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy turned down offers to play for LIV, with Woods reportedly turning down $700 to $800 million to be a part of LIV.
Based on the Saudi government’s principles and violent history, Heider said, “there is no moral ambiguity here” considering their “abominable track record.” As a result, he believes, Saudi Arabia is participating in “sportswashing” -- the concept that through sport, they might be attempting to improve their worldwide reputation.
Reaction to the news from professional golfers was mixed. Collin Morikawa, who plays on the PGA Tour, tweeted, “I love finding out morning news on Twitter.” Mackenzie Hughes tweeted, “Nothing like finding out through Twitter that we’re merging with a tour that we said we’d never do that with.” Mickelson, on the other side, tweeted, “Awesome day today,” followed by a smiling emoji.
McIlroy spoke out last week about the positive ramifications the move could have in the future.
“I think ultimately when I try to remove myself from the situation and I look at the bigger picture, and I look at 10 years down the line, I think ultimately this is going to be good for the game of professional golf,” McIlroy said. “I think it unifies it and secures its financial future.”
The widespread divisiveness presents one of the major challenges of the new merger. Another could be the drastic increase in competition.
On the other hand, a benefit is the potential to create a unifying body for the sport of golf, instead of two organizations indefinitely competing with one another with different rules and events. LIV’s finances also could provide ample funding for the PGA. Conversely, the PGA has the long-standing reputation and prestige to help provide LIV with sponsors.
History shows that mergers have been successful in other sports, from MLB (American League and National League) to the NFL (AFL) and NBA (ABA). The previous professional sports mergers helped grow the game through unification and increased the talent pool, as well as adding competition with the additional teams.
Only time will tell if the surprising LIV and PGA unification will follow suit.
“Recognizing the uncertainty generally in the commercial realm going forward puts us in a position where I can say today to our members that we’re going to experience meaningful growth as we go forward,” Monahan said. | https://azdailysun.com/sports/local/professional-golf-merger-brings-ethics-to-forefront/article_0e0ed40e-0ae8-11ee-bc3b-dbb6cba763b6.html | 2023-06-15T14:46:35 | 1 | https://azdailysun.com/sports/local/professional-golf-merger-brings-ethics-to-forefront/article_0e0ed40e-0ae8-11ee-bc3b-dbb6cba763b6.html |
A 19-year-old Lincoln woman is set for sentencing for a crash last year that killed a 28-year-old motorcycle rider.
Alexis Kelly will face up to three years in prison at the hearing in July after pleading no contest to motor vehicle homicide while driving recklessly.
Prosecutors say on Aug. 29, Kelly had been eastbound on Cornhusker Highway when she turned to head north, in front of Pierce White, who was heading west through a green light on his motorcycle.
Their vehicles collided. White died at the scene.
A drug recognition expert with the Lincoln Police Department conducted field sobriety tests and a drug influence evaluation that indicated impairment, and a urine test revealed the presence of THC, according to court records. | https://journalstar.com/news/local/crime-courts/lincoln-teen-set-for-sentencing-for-crash-that-killed-28-year-old-motorcyclist/article_b52f956e-0af4-11ee-9f08-1f1c24be8a15.html | 2023-06-15T14:47:52 | 0 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/crime-courts/lincoln-teen-set-for-sentencing-for-crash-that-killed-28-year-old-motorcyclist/article_b52f956e-0af4-11ee-9f08-1f1c24be8a15.html |
The University of Nebraska Board of Regents will consider raising student tuition 3.5% for the 2023-24 school year as the university system prepares to address significant financial challenges.
Regents will also consider approving a 2023-24 operating budget that exceeds $1 billion when the board meets next week.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on June 22 in the Varner Hall Boardroom at 3835 Holdrege St.
The proposed tuition increases will be the first considered by the board after regents chose to freeze the costs assessed to students for two years during the coronavirus pandemic.
NU said even with raising the cost for students, NU's campuses will remain affordable for Nebraska families when compared to other colleges and universities.
* An undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln would pay $268 per credit hour next year -- an increase of $9 over the 2022-23 rate.
Students enrolled in programs that cost more to deliver -- architecture, business, and engineering, for example -- will also see their tuition rates increase by 3.5%, but the per-credit hour price will be higher than the base rate.
On average, UNL undergrad students enrolled in 30 credit hours next year will pay an additional $270 in tuition.
* At the University of Nebraska at Omaha, undergraduate students will pay $243 per credit hour, or roughly $240 more total in tuition for the 2023-24 school year.
* And undergraduate students at the University of Nebraska at Kearney will pay an additional $210 for a full course load in 2023-24. The base rate at UNK will rise $7 to $216 per credit hour.
* Programs at the University of Nebraska Medical Center vary in how price is calculated, either by a per-credit hour rate, or a flat rate for the class, but will also increase by 3.5% next year.
* The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis will also raise tuition 3.5% next year. The price will go up $5 in 2023-24 to $144 per credit hour.
Any increase in tuition revenue, along with a 2.5% increase in state appropriations, will help offset some of NU's budget woes, which President Ted Carter attributed to inflationary pressures and dwindling revenue sources at a budget briefing in May.
But the additional revenue won't bring NU out of the red on its budget sheet this year.
Administrators anticipate $27.2 million will need to be cut from NU's budget next year, and as much as $30.5 million in 2024-25, according to a budget document included in the regents' agenda.
Without the tuition increases, NU projected the budget cuts could reach $49.4 million in 2023-24 and $79.8 million in 2024-25.
Carter will also begin discussions for how NU plans to address the budget deficit at the meeting, a spokeswoman said. | https://journalstar.com/news/local/education/nebraska-regents-will-consider-3-5-tuition-hike-for-students-set-2023-24-budget/article_756aec3a-0adb-11ee-9cdb-236f45c4e8c5.html | 2023-06-15T14:47:55 | 1 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/education/nebraska-regents-will-consider-3-5-tuition-hike-for-students-set-2023-24-budget/article_756aec3a-0adb-11ee-9cdb-236f45c4e8c5.html |
The Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha has announced plans to bury three time capsules this month as it marks its 30th anniversary.
The community is invited to the ceremony on Friday, June 30, at 11 a.m. at the Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha front parking lot, 1330 52nd St.
The time capsules, which will be unearthed and opened in 2033, will contain items from the club’s Youth Center, Teen Center, and Scamps gymnastics members, along with pictures of members and staff. One capsule will contain a USB flash drive of the club’s 30th anniversary video produced with the help of the Kenosha Public Library.
“It’s a testament to the longevity of the club in Kenosha and our commitment to the sustainability of the club,” club CEO Tara Panasewicz said. “The club’s 30th anniversary time capsule burial is a way to acknowledge our organization’s impact on the lives of many Kenosha residents and a great opportunity to raise awareness of the support and programming available here.”
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The Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha was founded in 1992 for the main purpose of offering programs and activities for the youth of the Wilson Heights Neighborhood in Kenosha. For 30 years, the club has worked to enrich the lives of young people in the community, enabling them to reach their full potential as productive, caring, healthy and responsible citizens and has provided a safe and positive environment for youth and teens to learn and grow.
The club offers adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. The Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha programming promotes academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles.
The Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha is a youth guidance organization dedicated to promoting health, social, educational, vocational, cultural, character and leadership development. The club helps youth improve their lives by building skills, values, and self-esteem.
For more information, visit online at BGCKenosha.org. | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/boys-girls-club-of-kenosha-to-mark-30th-anniversary-with-time-capsule-burials/article_5b19d526-093c-11ee-8d40-c3dd6a45bb86.html | 2023-06-15T14:48:15 | 1 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/boys-girls-club-of-kenosha-to-mark-30th-anniversary-with-time-capsule-burials/article_5b19d526-093c-11ee-8d40-c3dd6a45bb86.html |
Name: Joseph Beirne
School: St. Joseph Catholic Academy
Nickname: Joey
Parents: Adam and Kristy Beirne
Most memorable high school moment: Winning the State Championship in baseball my sophomore year.
Most influential teacher: Jon Furreness in History/Cross Country Coach; Coach Furreness has always believed in me and given me the confidence to be my best at all times. He is an extremely motivational coach and a great mentor. He taught me many lessons on not only becoming a better runner but a better man and person.
School activities/clubs: Leadership team, National Honor Society, peer helpers/tutors, student government, Student Ambassador
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School athletics: Baseball, cross country
School offices held: NHS Member, Student Council Member
Honors, letters or awards: Cross Country team captain, 2x County Honorable Mention in cross country, 1st Honors Student, Baseball State Champion, 3 letters in cross country, 1 letter in baseball
Out-of-school activities/hobbies: Travel Baseball, golfing, spending time with friends and watching sports.
College choice: Marquette University in Milwaukee
Intended major/field of study: Business management
Role model: My dad Adam Beirne
Three words that best describe my role model: Kind, motivational and helpful
What I hope to accomplish in my lifetime: I hope to graduate with a degree in business management and a minor in sports management. I aspire to have a job in an NFL front office. | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/todays-teen-2023-joseph-beirne-of-st-joseph-catholic-academy/article_480f0106-097b-11ee-ac61-a7f816a3df75.html | 2023-06-15T14:48:17 | 0 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/todays-teen-2023-joseph-beirne-of-st-joseph-catholic-academy/article_480f0106-097b-11ee-ac61-a7f816a3df75.html |
LANCASTER, Pa. — A Lancaster man will serve up to 30 years in state prison following his conviction for rape of a child less than 13 years of age, the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday.
Geovanny Guzman-Cruz, 28, was sentenced to a 15- to 30-year prison term at a hearing last Thursday in Lancaster County Court, the DA's Office said.
In March, a Lancaster County jury convicted him of rape of a child, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors, indecent assault of a person less than 13, and endangering the welfare of children following a three-day trial, prosecutors said.
Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick prosecuted the case and stressed at sentencing how the mandatory minimum sentence for rape of a child is 10 to 20 years in prison before recounting some of the testimony presented at trial – namely that the victim viewed Guzman-Cruz as a father figure and trusted him – and the violent nature of the offense.
“That does not justify the minimum sentence,” Haverstick said before asking for a sentence in the range of 14 to 30 years. “(Guzman-Cruz) had an opportunity to take responsibility after horribly abusing the victim and he didn’t. Now it’s time for him to pay for what he did to her.”
Lancaster County Judge Dennis Reinaker then ordered sentence. Guzman-Cruz must register as a lifetime sex offender and follow all requirements laid forth by Megan’s Law.
On Feb. 14, 2021, prosecutors said, the Lancaster City Bureau of Police received a report from a 12-year-old and her mother regarding a sexual assault that occurred in the 300 block of S. Queen St.
On Feb. 22, 2021, the victim was interviewed at the Lancaster County Children’s Alliance and detailed the abuse.
Guzman-Cruz was 26 at the time of the assault and was in a caretaking role at the time while the victim’s mother was at work.
Lancaster City Bureau of Police Detective Jessica Higgins filed charges. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/lancaster-county/sentencing-prison-child-rape-lancaster-county/521-a29ed1f0-5909-4245-840b-dcc9048f8cc8 | 2023-06-15T14:50:06 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/lancaster-county/sentencing-prison-child-rape-lancaster-county/521-a29ed1f0-5909-4245-840b-dcc9048f8cc8 |
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Note: The video is from April 3.
The Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Department announced it is offering free steering wheel locks to residents in its jurisdiction that own keyed (non-push-button start) Kia or Hyundai vehicles.
The department said it reached out to Kia and Hyundai to secure the steering wheel locks after several reported thefts of the vehicles in the area.
The sharp uptick has been linked to viral videos, posted to TikTok and other social media platforms, teaching people how to start the cars with USB cables and exploit a security vulnerability in some models sold in the U.S. without engine immobilizers, a standard feature on most cars since the 1990s preventing the engine from starting unless the key is present.
The offer is good to Kia or Hyundai owners who are residents of Penn, Warwick or Clay townships, the department said.
The locks are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the NLCRPD Station on 860 Durlach Road in Stevens.
"Vehicle thefts are on the rise in the last few weeks within our area and surrounding jurisdictions," the department said. "Please let us help you take steps to secure your vehicle and stop the plague of Kia/Hyundai thefts in our area.
"Remember to lock your vehicles and secure your belongings inside your home."
The department said if anyone has information about the person or persons committing vehicle thefts in the area, they are encouraged to contact NLCRPD at (717) 733-0965 or submit a tip online. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/nlcrpd-steering-wheel-lock-offer-kia-hyundai-owners-lancaster-county/521-472f7804-fed4-4e7d-b3b0-0d230e40c0c0 | 2023-06-15T14:50:12 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/nlcrpd-steering-wheel-lock-offer-kia-hyundai-owners-lancaster-county/521-472f7804-fed4-4e7d-b3b0-0d230e40c0c0 |
McCALLA, Ala. (WIAT) — A public meeting will be hosted by Jefferson County Roads and Transportation in McCalla Thursday to introduce new road projects.
The county looks to replace Charles Hamilton Road Bridge and two more new lanes will be added on Old Tuscaloosa Highway.
Those who drive in for work said Old Tuscaloosa Highway can get really congested when coming and going.
Community members like Corey Smith referenced past road projects that really helped relieve traffic, saying he hopes this one will do the same.
“It really just depends on the time of day, but thinking about it, with the warehouses that coming up all down the road through here, it could really help I guess,” said Smith.
“Sometimes there’s a lot of wrecks in the evening times by the lanes being shortened, so it’ll help out tremendously,” said Thaddeus Pratt, who commutes to McCalla for work.
The county manager, Cal Markert, said the widening project in particular will help meet the needs of this fast-growing area.
“The area is growing, industry has been coming to our industrial park out there and the traffic demand has gotten to the point where we’ve just got to look at it to keep getting people to and from work and in and out of school and those kind of things,” said Markert. “So, we’re really excited to have this problem. It’s going to be a challenge, but we’re fortunate to still be growing.”
Markert said they will give Charles Hamilton Road Bridge a much needed face lift. It crosses over Five Mile Creek.
He says today’s meeting will allow citizens to give feedback on the best way to re-route traffic when it’s being worked on. Pratt, who is familiar with the bridge, said the faster it’s replaced, the better.
“Depending on the seasons, like in the wintertime, the winter months, it’s a lot of ice on it- you have to be careful going across it,” said Pratt. “So, if they are going to re-do it that’ll be good.”
“It’s a transportation issue,” said Markert. “The bridge has reached the end of its life and inspections say it’s time to replace it.”
To learn more about the proposed road projects you can attend today’s public meeting at McAdory Middle School anytime between 4-7 p.m. It is an open house format. | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/mccalla-roads-set-to-receive-face-lift/ | 2023-06-15T14:52:47 | 1 | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/mccalla-roads-set-to-receive-face-lift/ |
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – One person was shot in a parking lot Thursday morning in New Smyrna Beach, according to the police department.
The shooting happened in the 1500 block of South Dixie Freeway.
The New Smyrna Beach Police Department said the shooter is in custody.
The victim was taken as a trauma alert patient to Halifax Hospital, according to New Smyrna Beach fire rescue officials.
Details of the shooting, including the shooter’s name, have not been released.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more information as we receive it.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/06/15/1-shot-in-new-smyrna-beach-shooter-in-custody/ | 2023-06-15T14:52:50 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/06/15/1-shot-in-new-smyrna-beach-shooter-in-custody/ |
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