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PICKSTOWN, S.D. — While Lake Francis Case isn’t Duane Hjelm’s home body of water, the South Dakota pro angler has spent a fair amount of time over the years catching walleye out of the fishery that’s a short drive from his Pierre home.
On Thursday in Pickstown, it showed. Hjelm hauled in a 15 pound bag of fish to take the lead of the Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shop National Walleye Tour tournament in front of a packed crowd who were proud to see a South Dakota angler atop the leaderboard on day one of the event.
“It was really a fun day. The bite was a little bit off today, but we never really lost good fish,” Hjelm said of his opening day performance.
Hjelm’s 15 pound bag has him narrowly sitting in first place ahead of Friday’s finale. Trailing Hjelm by one pound is another Pierre pro angler, Ryan Thompson, and Wisconsin’s Eric McQuoid, who are tied for second.
The two over 20-inch walleye that Hjelm and his co-angler caught were good enough to skip the thought of throwing them back and hoping for another larger fish to weigh.
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“I never weighed any of the big ones. We just threw them in and were high-fiving,” Hjelm said of the two over 20-inch fish he reeled in. “I thought I had 13.5 pounds, but I was surprised to see it turn out to be more.”
Heading into the tournament, Hjelm predicted a combined 30 pound bag of fish will be enough to win the Pickstown stop. Hjelm knows it will take another good day of fishing Friday to hoist the trophy and earn a $15,000 check, along with a new 2023 Ranger fishing boat.
The strong start to the Pickstown tournament is just the latest big performance from Hjelm, who grew up in Woonsocket prior to beginning his professional fishing career in Pierre. In 2022, he strung together a dominant season, claiming first place at the Green Bay, Wisconsin tournament, followed by a runner-up finish at the season championship event and being named the Angler of the Year.
Hjelm’s momentum hasn’t relented this year, as he finished second at the season opening tournament in Illinois. Midway through the season, he’s sitting in third place for the Angler of the Year standings.
When Minnesota pro angler John Hoyer got off the water to weigh his fish and found out Hjelm brought in 15 pounds of walleye, he said “that’s what Dewey (Hjelm’s nickname) does, he just catches big fish” during his conversation with a tournament official.
Although anglers reported sudden changes in fish patterns compared to what they’ve seen over the past few weeks, South Dakota’s pro anglers showed they know how to figure the river system out. Five pro anglers sitting in the top 10 of the leaderboard hail from South Dakota.
Mitchell’s Jared Mohnen is among the state’s pro anglers who strung together a big day on Lake Francis Case. Mohnen hauled in a 13 pound bag, which has him sitting in fifth place.
The Pickstown tournament has a field of 132 pro anglers and co-anglers competing on the 100,000-acre Missouri River reservoir lake.
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As part of the tournament rules, anglers have a daily five fish limit. Each day, they are allowed to weigh two walleye over 20 inches and three under 20 inches. However, the minimum length of the three under 20-inch fish is 15 inches.
Each boat consists of a pro angler and a co-angler. Boats launch at 7 a.m. from a Lake Andes ramp and finish before 3 p.m. for weigh-ins.
As Hjelm will hit the water Friday morning with a narrow lead, it could set the stage for a dramatic finish. And South Dakota could be represented well when the tournament wraps up. | https://www.mitchellrepublic.com/news/local/south-dakotas-duane-hjelm-hauls-in-15-pound-bag-to-take-lead-of-national-walleye-tour | 2023-06-23T05:44:14 | 1 | https://www.mitchellrepublic.com/news/local/south-dakotas-duane-hjelm-hauls-in-15-pound-bag-to-take-lead-of-national-walleye-tour |
DES MOINES, Iowa — Earlier this year, the Iowa legislature passed Senate File 496.
Known as the parental rights bill or the "book ban" bill, the legislation requires that all books depicting sex acts be removed from school libraries.
While the bill has been sparking conversation for months now, the legislation will officially go into effect July 1.
"I think traditionally, Americans have agreed on the premise of age appropriateness: we have ratings for movies, we have ratings for video games, we have explicit warnings for music and internet access, and kids don’t have unfettered access to these things in schools, so books are no different," said Samantha Fett of Moms for Liberty Warren County.
Opponents of the legislation believe the law will disproportionately harm LGBTQ+ students.
“Our organization, as well as many of our students, would reject the premise that the far right has put forward that these books are sexually explicit," said Damian Thompson, director of public policy and communication for Iowa Safe Schools. "The fact of the matter is, in states that have implemented similar bans, if not verbatim bans, the vast majority of books that are banned feature LGBTQ protagonists and LGBTQ themes."
One major question about the law still remains: how will parents ensure that these books are being taken out of the schools?
“It is really up to the school to make it a priority, however they would like, to find out what books are in their school library or educational materials that would break the law," Fett said.
Thompson encourages community members to give feedback about how the policy is implemented.
“I would ensure that they are receiving feedback from the community at large, that they are being transparent about implementing these policies, and also making sure that our most important population when it comes to schools, our student’s voices are heard as well," Thompson said.
In a statement, the Iowa Department of Education told Local 5, "The Iowa Department of Education will not be providing additional guidance regarding Senate File 496. We recommend schools and municipalities consult with their legal counsel if they have questions about the new law."
Penalizations for this law will not go into effect until January 2024. However, books will be expected to be taken out of the schools by July 1. | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/local-politics/iowa-parental-rights-bill-book-ban-legislation-goes-into-effect-july-1/524-daa84df1-ff32-44b8-a717-f7f523ca86b0 | 2023-06-23T05:50:50 | 1 | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/local-politics/iowa-parental-rights-bill-book-ban-legislation-goes-into-effect-july-1/524-daa84df1-ff32-44b8-a717-f7f523ca86b0 |
KIMBERLY—John Horott, 77, of Kimberly, passed away on June 20, 2023, at St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center in Twin Falls. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. To leave online condolences and a full obituary, please go to: www.magicvalleyfuneralhome.com Arrangements are under the care of Parke’s Magic Valley Funeral Home in Twin Falls.
John Horott
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Dec. 15, 1927—June 16, 2023
Gilbert Allen Nicholson passed from time into eternity on June 16, 2023, at the age of 95. He was born on December 15, 1927, to Walter Whitcomb Nicholson and Nora Viola Sherlock on a farm in Kimberly, Idaho.
At the beginning of the Great Depression, they moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, where he graduated from high school.
While a student at the University of Idaho, Gilbert met his “true love”, Genevieve Ruth Puckett, on a blind date in February of 1949. They married August 28, 1950, and had 70 years together before Gen died in 2019. Their marriage exemplified a true love partnership for their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Gil graduated from the University of Idaho in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering. He later completed his formal education when he earned his Masters of Chemical Engineering from U of I in 1961. Upon graduating from college in 1951, he entered the Air Force ROTC, attended officer training, and spent two years as an Air Force Lieutenant in Dayton, Ohio where the first of their five children were born.
While raising their children, Gil worked for over 20 years at the Hanford Nuclear Plant in Richland, Washington. After which, they purchased and operated a KOA campground in Dillon, Montana for eleven years. He completed his career by contracting with an engineering consulting firm until he retired in 1994 at the age of 67.
Upon retirement, Gil and Gen moved to Cove, Oregon where they designed and built their dream log home overlooking the LaGrande Valley. While in Cove, they celebrated their 50th Anniversary. Shortly thereafter, Gil felt the Holy Spirit’s work in his life and began his walk of faith. He finished his days in this life with the beautiful Spirit of God guiding his words, actions, and attitude.
They enjoyed 20 years in their Cove retirement house prior to moving to Wilder, Idaho to be closer to their youngest daughter Debbie. In December, 2022, one day before his 95th birthday, Gil moved into assisted living at The Gables. He died, peacefully, the Friday before Fathers’ Day with his children at his bedside.
Gilbert was predeceased by his wife, Genevieve and their oldest son, Allen. He is survived by his children: Julie (Terry) Ley, Denise (George) Kirkpatrick, Debbie (Kelly) Vance, and Steve (Kelli) Nicholson, twelve grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and numerous friends and relatives.
A graveside memorial service and interment of both Gen and Gil’s ashes will be held at Parkview Cemetery, New Plymouth, Idaho, on Saturday, July 1, 2023 at 10:00 AM. Condolences and memories can be shared at www.flahifffuneralchapel.com. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/gilbert-allen-nicholson/article_c5d874ab-4917-591b-aed1-af3ea93219be.html | 2023-06-23T05:59:46 | 1 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/gilbert-allen-nicholson/article_c5d874ab-4917-591b-aed1-af3ea93219be.html |
CALIFORNIA, USA — Aerial fire retardant is one of the most important tools used to keep people and property safe during wildfires.
A lawsuit that recently made its way through court could have jeopardized the way wildfires are fought in the West, but a judge gave the OK for firefighters to keep using the chemical despite environmental concerns.
So, what does the ruling mean for California?
“It's probably the right decision at this point in time. It's one of our most effective tools that we have,” said UC Davis environmental toxicology professor, Ronald Tjeerdema.
The ruling from a U.S. District judge in Montana last month allows the government to keep using chemical retardant to fight wildfires even though the practice pollutes streams in western states — a violation of federal law.
Environmentalists sued the U.S. Forest Service for dropping the red slurry material hundreds of times into waterways over the last decade.
“The benefits outweigh the costs, the environmental costs, especially if it's managed properly and applied appropriately,” said Tjeerdema.
Government officials say chemical fire retardant is sometimes crucial to slowing the advance of dangerous fires as they’ve grown bigger and more destructive in North America.
“If you were just to use water and spray it to get a retardant effect, the water when it evaporates… that's the end of it,” said Tjeerdema.
More than 200 loads of retardant got into waterways over the last decade. Federal officials say those situations usually happened on accident and in less than 1% of the thousands of loads they dump annually.
Tjeerdema says a ruling against the use of aerial fire retardants likely wouldn’t have prevented other retardants from making their way into waterways.
“There's no perfect decision. You will still have situations where some retardant may get into water,” he said. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/what-ruling-on-fire-retardant-drops-means-for-california/103-39a82602-ff39-4f47-b74d-fe528a5f68ca | 2023-06-23T06:06:11 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/what-ruling-on-fire-retardant-drops-means-for-california/103-39a82602-ff39-4f47-b74d-fe528a5f68ca |
Family dogs killed in house fire
Five dogs were killed and a couple was left homeless when a fire destroyed a house in Belmont Thursday morning.
The fire was reported shortly after 9 a.m. at a house on the 800 block of Hickory Grove Road. Teresa Price, who lived in the house with her husband, Johnnie, said that she is heartbroken over the loss of five of their dogs, as well as irreplaceable family mementos.
"All of my belongings, my son from when he was born, all the pictures, they're gone," she said.
Teresa Price said she learned of the fire when a neighbor called her, but she didn't realize the severity until she returned home.
"And then I saw the fire going out of the window in the front," she said.
The loss of her dogs has been especially gut wrenching.
"They were my life. They were my babies. They were my children," she said.
A firefighter from the Belmont Fire Department was taken to a hospital with a knee injury, but he was later released. The cause of the fire was undetermined later Thursday afternoon. | https://www.gastongazette.com/story/news/local/2023/06/22/family-dogs-killed-in-house-fire/70347634007/ | 2023-06-23T06:33:29 | 1 | https://www.gastongazette.com/story/news/local/2023/06/22/family-dogs-killed-in-house-fire/70347634007/ |
DES MOINES, Wash. — Businesses in parts of Des Moines and Normandy Park have been closed for five days due to a boil water notice after E Coli was detected in the water supply.
As of Thursday, there's no word when the advisory will be lifted and it's having major impacts on businesses' bottom line.
“The day came and went and we don't know for tomorrow," said Susie Horton, owner of Auntie Irene's. "We've just had no communication. I think that's been everyone's biggest frustration that I’ve talked to."
Horton had to close her doors after King County Water District 54 detected E coli in the water supply two days earlier.
“We were closed at noon on Sunday for Father’s Day,” said Horton.
Horton missed out on business for two holidays including Juneteenth, that on top of the daily lines out the door as a local favorite.
“On a scale of one to 10 we run at 10 all day long because we are just that busy,” Horton said.
An empty restaurant is costing Horton and her 18 employees major money.
“Thirty-five thousand dollars minimum plus staff not getting paid their hourly wage including tips,” said Horton.
Horton said that loss doesn't include the hundreds of pounds of food that had to be thrown out.
Restaurants in the boil water zone were closed by public health officials. The state Department of Health has to sign off before they can re-open.
“We're waiting for that moment that hasn't happened yet. Everything is literally done and we're all just waiting for that phone call,” Horton said.
In the meantime, Horton is thankful for the outpouring of support from customers ready to come back in.
“We've really created a family here and I can't take care of that family right now and I’m so frustrated,” Horton said.
The district started chlorinating the water system on Saturday and it suspects the E. coli detected was from a water main break that dislodged some buildup.
Residents who reside within the notice area should bring their water to a rolling boil for at least one minute and allow it to cool before using it. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and preparing food until the notice is lifted, according to a release from the district. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/des-moines-businesses-closed-boil-water-notice/281-4efe4003-220a-41c3-9932-d442d4782935 | 2023-06-23T06:56:24 | 1 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/des-moines-businesses-closed-boil-water-notice/281-4efe4003-220a-41c3-9932-d442d4782935 |
SEATTLE, Wash — The LGBTQIA+ community and its allies are gearing up for the Seattle Pride Parade this Sunday, and this year, the event comes after a slew of national legislation aimed at the transgender and drag communities.
For this reason, local drag performers like Pupusa told KING 5 they are looking forward to bringing even more pride to the parade this weekend.
"With the legislation and everything, it’s just more important to be like, louder, prouder, and more in your face," said Pupusa.
Fashion goes hand-in-hand with self-expression, and fashion means so much more when there’s an intention behind it.
So Pupusa, alongside two other Seattle drag queens, Lavish Leone and D'Monica Leone, spent the day at the Evergreen Goodwill on Capitol Hill encouraging others to style themselves freely and unapologetically.
"Drag is like, finding unique things and finding them on a budget," said Pupusa.
The Leones said they believe the theme of this year's event will be non-conformity and breaking the mold.
"It’s OK to have kids and also do drag. It’s okay to be a woman and also do drag," said Lavish Leone.
Their fiercely colorful and patterned ensembles will be intentionally constructed.
"Every day that we wake up, it’s an act of retaliation," said D'Monica Leone.
They said pride is an important quality to exude in the face of adversity.
"You can be a parent and be a drag queen, you can bring your kids to drag shows and they’re safe. There are so many things that we are trying to disprove and I think pride is a really big way to do that," said Lavish Leone.
Pupusa echoed that sentiment and encouraged the community to attend the event.
"Like pride is not just for the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s for everyone," said Pupusa.
Every purchase made at the Capitol Hill Goodwill Thursday will go to support Goodwill's free education and job training programs.
On Sunday, the Seattle Pride Parade will start at 11 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. along 4th Avenue between Pike Street and Denny Way. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/lgbtq/dressing-intention-fashion-protest-pride-weekend/281-15777257-9a09-412c-afea-199a3f1212e9 | 2023-06-23T06:56:31 | 0 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/lgbtq/dressing-intention-fashion-protest-pride-weekend/281-15777257-9a09-412c-afea-199a3f1212e9 |
SEATTLE — The seemingly random killing of a pregnant woman and her infant child in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood has garnered national attention and put a spotlight on public safety and gun crime in the city.
Eina Kwon, 34, was shot four times, including in the head and chest, at the intersection of 4th Avenue and Lenora Street. She was rushed to Harborview Medical Center but both she and her baby, who was emergently delivered at the hospital, died.
In the aftermath of Kwon's death, residents have turned toward city leaders like Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz and Mayor Bruce Harrell, demanding action on public safety.
KING 5 sat down with Diaz to talk about what the department is doing, and to ask him: Is Seattle safe?
"I believe it is safe," Diaz said.
However, he acknowledged in the aftermath of the Belltown shooting tragedy, others may not believe so.
"We have to gain that trust back," Diaz said.
Diaz pointed to numbers from the first five months of 2022 and 2023 that show shootings have fallen from 78 last year to 67 this year.
When looking at just shooting deaths in that same time frame, last year 15 people had died in shootings in Seattle, while that number is 18 as of the end of May this year.
Last week, Diaz introduced a new Community Violence Task Force, the focus of which is to help make sure people are being held accountable for committing acts of violence. So far, Diaz said there seems to be some improvement.
“We actually saw some success during the weekend where we saw a reduction in shootings,” Diaz said. “But as we get into the summer days, sunnier days, that will be really where we’re pulling all of our resources to make sure that this (taskforce) is fully up and running and functional.”
Diaz said the task force is pulling resources from existing specialty units that are focused on robbery, human trafficking, drug sales, gun crime and even the SWAT team. The task force will focus the efforts of 50 to 60 officers and detectives in Seattle’s Central District, Aurora, the South End and Downtown.
But for a department that has been plagued with staffing shortages and trouble recruiting new officers, KING 5 asked, how will that impact the rest of the department? Do Seattle police have the manpower?
“It’s going to be very difficult for some of our units,” Diaz said. “But we’re hoping that if we can actually make an impact, it actually reduces some of those officers’ and detectives’ workloads.”
Diaz said he hopes the task force’s work can lessen the burden on some of his other units by making arrests and getting weapons off the streets.
“That should be reducing robberies, that should be reducing human trafficking and so on,” Diaz said. “So it’s kind of, you’re trying to play with the pieces you have to try and reduce overall violence.”
Diaz said the department is still managing a shortage of about 360 police officers, but Diaz said he believes his current officers are finding ways to do more with less.
“They’re working a lot of overtime, and we’re already making more gun arrests than we’ve ever made,” Diaz said. “I mean, we’ve recovered 629 guns this year, which is more guns than we’ve ever had in 15 years. So even being short-staffed, our officers are doing amazing work.”
Mental health crises
In court documents, police who interviewed the suspect in the Belltown shooting said it was apparent that the suspect was having a mental health crisis, or behaving in the manner of someone who was. At a time when mental health resources are badly needed, yet hard to come by, Diaz said his department is fielding about 11,000 calls a year just for people who are in crisis.
“A majority of those are not criminal-related,” Diaz said.
Diaz said in those cases often the department’s role is to “involuntarily treat” someone, meaning they take them to the hospital. Diaz said about 33% of those 11,000 calls go into treatment.
“We actually are trying to get people resources and services,” Diaz said. He said the department is actively working with a crisis intervention community committee to try and get more nonprofits, NGOs and caseworkers involved in addressing crisis situations.
“That’s part of our overall goal is to actually reduce some of those calls for service (so we aren’t) actually taking it,” Diaz said.
Calling, but no response
However, in some cases, people calling due to a person in crisis don’t get a police response. What should people do then?
“Call again,” Diaz said. “Now we know that pain, you know, it’s going to be difficult to respond to every crisis call, but I would say call again.”
Other types of calls in Seattle that residents have complained go unacknowledged include property crime; an issue that has been a constant frustration for downtown business owners. Car-related crimes, like break-ins and vandalism may also not get an officer response.
Diaz said he still wants people to report property crimes, just not through a 911 call.
“We’re still going to be invested in that,” Diaz said. “What we do is we ask people to do online reporting, so that way it puts a case in a queue.”
Diaz said property crimes can take longer to respond to because the department triages calls, responding to the most urgent requests first, with a priority on human life. Diaz said they’re still putting cases together on those incidents, and making arrests when they can establish who is responsible, but the department has to focus “really heavily” on shootings. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/is-seattle-safe-police-chief-adrian-diaz/281-2af24456-cab3-4af8-8eb1-e3f7b0c633d1 | 2023-06-23T06:56:37 | 1 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/is-seattle-safe-police-chief-adrian-diaz/281-2af24456-cab3-4af8-8eb1-e3f7b0c633d1 |
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Healthcare workers rallied in front of the Hillsboro Medical Center Thursday in solidarity with employees who face an uncertain future after the hospital announced a department-wide layoff.
More than 50 housekeeping and café employees were given a 30-day layoff notice after the hospital announced a plan to outsource the department’s work to Compass One, a third-party company.
Hospital officials say they made the switch for their employees, but workers impacted by the decision say they won’t get the paid hours they earned if they stay and weren’t offered a fair severance package if they leave.
“They just come in and, ‘In thirty days you’re out of here, and you don’t get your money that you saved up all these years,’” said Gina Claiborne, a medical center employee.
Dennis Ziemer, an Oregon American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) council 75 representative, told KOIN 6 the move left employees vulnerable with little time to find employment. They are also at risk of losing hundreds of hours in vacation and sick leave.
“They are losing essentially what is a part of their retirement, it’s now taken away,” Zeimer said. “The hospital says, ‘It’s not yours it’s ours.'”
One of the employees at risk of losing vacation and extended leave hours is Hortecas – who after 17 years working with the hospital has accrued 658 hours of paid time off that she can no longer use.
Hortecas, an Environmental Services and Food and Nutrition employee, said she felt blindsided along with the rest of her team.
“They don’t give us any answers, and then they say, ‘If you want to stay you have to apply with this company’…that means you’re new, and it’s a contract for three years,” she said. “It’s not like a permanent job.”
Equipped with signs, snacks and impassioned speeches, Washington County representatives and fellow healthcare workers joined in the plea for Hillsboro Medical Center to grant the employees all hours earned during their tenure, the opportunity to rejoin employment and a fair severance package.
“These are the people that worked through the pandemic,” said Claiborne. “How quickly we forget that they were here every day beside each and every one of us. Heroes. How did we forget that?”
The majority of the impacted cafe and housekeeping workers were not only on the front lines of the pandemic, but were also primarily women of color.
“Our department is just Spanish, Black, people of color and different countries, and I think that’s why they went to our department – because we are minorities,” Hortecas said.
In response to the rally, Hillsboro Medical Center told KOIN 6 they value their staff and chose to transition the department to Compass One because the private contractor can offer more resources, training and staffing support for their employees.
According to a statement from the medical center: “Compass One has pledged to meet or exceed all pay and benefits for current employees; no positions will be eliminated…This transition was necessary to better serve our employees and patients in a challenging workforce environment as we emerge from the pandemic.”
Stay with KOIN 6 as this story develops. | https://www.koin.com/local/hillsboro-medical-center-workers-get-30-day-layoff-notice-lose-accrued-vacation-time/ | 2023-06-23T07:30:27 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/local/hillsboro-medical-center-workers-get-30-day-layoff-notice-lose-accrued-vacation-time/ |
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland’s Forest Park is the inspiration behind a local distillery’s latest creation.
On Thursday, Freeland Spirits released their new creation, Forest Gin. Some of the distilled ingredients are Douglas fir tips, chanterelle mushrooms, berries and nettle.
Freeland is five blocks away from Forest Park, which is one of the nation’s largest urban forest reserves.
In Northwest Grown, KOIN 6 recently met the master distiller at the women-led business, who showed some of the science behind making this particular gin.
“This is what we call a flavor bomb. Right now we’re doing spruce tips for our next gin product,” said Molly Troupe, the master distiller at Freeland.
Freeland says its Forest Gin is a permanent addition to its collection, which already includes bourbon whiskey and other gins. | https://www.koin.com/local/portland-distillery-releases-new-gin-inspired-by-local-park/ | 2023-06-23T07:30:33 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/local/portland-distillery-releases-new-gin-inspired-by-local-park/ |
The Coos County Airport District Board of Commissioners has announced the recruitment for the next executive director of the Southwest Oregon Regional Airport.
The current Executive Director, Theresa Cook, is completing her contract in November of 2023, and will not be renewing her contract for medical reasons. The Southwest Oregon Regional Airport serves southwestern Oregon with daily flights to San Francisco and direct flights to Denver.
“We appreciate the airport’s growth and development under Theresa’s leadership,” said Mike Collins, Coos County Airport District Board Chair. “Theresa has led us through major projects including the construction and lease of the DHS multi-service building, commercial hangar, the new Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting station, as well as expansion of our flights. Her willingness to help with a smooth transition to new leadership shows dedication to the organization, staff, and the community. She will be missed, and we wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors.”
Cook increased and diversified the district’s revenue sources, serving to stabilize and preserve air service to the area for years to come. The airport board is actively recruiting for the next executive director. The job posting can be found on the Coos County Airport District Website at www.flyoth.com/administration. The first consideration of applications will occur on June 21. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. Submit resumes to ExecutiveDirector
The Coos County Airport District owns and operates the Southwest Oregon Regional Airport, the only Part 139 Certified Airport on the Oregon Coast. CCAD has owned the airport and 619 landside and airside acres for 20 years. It also leases over 33 commercial facilities that, combined with those tenants, help employ over 600 personnel.
For more information, call (541) 756-8531 or visit the CCAD website at www.flyoth.com. | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/airport-district-looking-for-new-executive-director/article_2d86274e-1149-11ee-81ac-bb1d2d5b2a28.html | 2023-06-23T07:40:11 | 1 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/airport-district-looking-for-new-executive-director/article_2d86274e-1149-11ee-81ac-bb1d2d5b2a28.html |
Coquille School District will be receiving its first-ever school resource officer, according to Coos County Sheriff Gabe Fabrizio.
Sheriff Fabrizio presented the news to the Coos County Board of Commissioners at their bi-weekly meeting.
“We’re pretty excited about this,” Sheriff Fabrizio said. “It’s pretty unusual for a sheriff’s office to have a school resource officer. Going forward, we are hoping to provide a full-time officer for Coquille School District and helping out all five of the schools with lots of different programs.”
Coos County Commissioners appeared to be excited about the proposition of having an officer in the schools. Commissioner John Sweet believed the acquisition provided an example of how different forms of government can work together.
“Thank you for your work. I think working together is really good for all forms of government,” Commissioner Sweet said.
Commissioner Rod Taylor expressed his relief over seeing the Sheriff’s department being able to add more personnel. The news comes as other Oregon cities are contemplating budget moves that would move funding for vacant police positions to contingency funds for the next fiscal year.
“I find that in this season of post defund the police that this is exactly what we need to be seeing happen and I’m just thrilled. Thank you for approaching with this, and thank you, Sheriff, for your work,” Commissioner Taylor said.
After the announcement ended, an audible “Yay!” could be heard from audience members, accompanied with a round of applause.
Commissioners Approve Hire of Katrinka McReynolds, Purchase of Portable Bleachers
In other news, the Coos County Board of Commissioners approved the hire of Katrinka McReynolds as the Coos Health and Wellness Prevention Services Program Manager. Coos Health and Wellness (CHW) stated that McReynolds – a current CHW employee – was the only applicant for the position.
Commissioner Taylor thanked McReynolds for her great work, putting his stamp of approval on the hire.
“I think that Katrinka is a phenomenal asset to the county. I absolutely, 100% agree, she is an amazing person. Katrinka, thank you for the great work,” he noted.
One resident attending the meeting also pledged their support for McReynolds.
“I want to give an atta girl to Katrinka. She is a fabulous employee. Kudos to you, Katrinka,” they said.
Coos County Commissioners also approved the repurposing of $38,352 for the Coos County Fair and Rodeo Department to purchase portable bleachers. The funds were originally granted to the department through the American Rescue Plan and will be used to purchase portable bleachers for the large arena. The department states that the bleachers will also be used for “other events at the fair such as 4-H shows, livestock shows, baseball games, and other events.”
Commissioner Sweet voted to approve the repurposing of the funds, but under the condition that the department seeks to repair the existing bleachers first.
“I would like us to emphasize for safety’s sake the retrofit of the existing bleachers before we engage in buying new bleachers. Let’s make sure the one’s we have are in good shape,” Commissioner Sweet added.
Gary Haga, a Coos County Fair and Rodeo Board Member, also gave an update on some of the exciting changes happening at the fairgrounds.
“The [Karen] Morrow Arena has gotten all new fencing on three sides,” Haga said. “We have a new set of bleachers there. The brand-new bleachers that seat 700 people are installed and ready for use. ODOT is donating a light pole to use as our big flagpole. Pacific Power is donating their time next week to put up the light poles for us.”
Follow updates on the Coos County Board of Commissioners and other Coos County News at theworldlink.com/news/. | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/coquille-school-district-to-receive-first-school-resource-officer/article_9e7ca574-1147-11ee-8a51-5bc41d9cfc3c.html | 2023-06-23T07:40:17 | 0 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/coquille-school-district-to-receive-first-school-resource-officer/article_9e7ca574-1147-11ee-8a51-5bc41d9cfc3c.html |
The City of Coos Bay is seeking volunteers to fill openings on the Library Board. Applications are available from the city manager’s office during the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, by calling 541- 269-8912, or on the city’s website at www.coos.bay.org or email Christine Sylvester at csylvester@coosbayor.gov.
Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. Thursday, June 30. Applicants will be contacted for interviews, and appointments will be made by the city council at the July 18 regular council meeting. | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/library-board-members-needed/article_7a052b10-1149-11ee-bdbc-87acb79f17fa.html | 2023-06-23T07:40:23 | 0 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/library-board-members-needed/article_7a052b10-1149-11ee-bdbc-87acb79f17fa.html |
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — The basement of the Osterhout Free Library on Franklin Street in Wilkes-Barre is filled with stacks of newspapers.
"We get various periodicals, newspapers donated for our archives and we take a lot of book donations too so it's a common occurrence," said Michelle Riley, Director of Development and Community Relations.
So when a donation came in earlier this week, staff didn't think anything of it.
Until they sifted through the pages, finding four old photographs.
"These are treasured moments, these are photographs from a different time. There are some children playing, it looks to be a close family," said Laura Harding, young adult librarian.
There are even handwritten notes on the backs of the photos.
Staff at the Osterhout Library tell Newswatch 16 they want to help get these photos back home.
"I would want them back in my family possession if they happened to be donated by mistake, so we are really hoping to find the donor," said Riley.
Staff didn't get the woman's name or any contact information when she dropped them off, just a little small talk about the papers.
"She came in and mentioned that her aunt had them in her attic and that she had been holding onto them regarding different periods of time that she thought we would like to hold onto," said Harding.
If you have any information on the photographs, you can call the Osterhout Free Library at 570-823-0156. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/family-photos-found-in-library-donation/523-6e330660-c70a-4590-9a4e-27ba09031b89 | 2023-06-23T08:05:15 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/family-photos-found-in-library-donation/523-6e330660-c70a-4590-9a4e-27ba09031b89 |
YORK COUNTY, Pa. — The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Harrisburg 112 Chapter in Fairview Township is offering passengers a rare view of what luxury flights were like nearly a century ago with a piece of aviation history.
The new opportunity allows passengers to be transported back to the past and experience what commercial aviation was like in the late 1920s.
“When I see them and they first get in the airplane, they’re smiling because they’re looking forward to it. By the time they get out, everybody has got a much bigger smile than when they went in,” said EAA Pilot Ed Kornfield.
Guests are treated to a half-hour flight in the vintage aircraft, which takes up to nine people at a time around York County. However, anyone interested in flying old school is required to sign a waiver before boarding.
“It is a unique aircraft, it was really the first airliner of the 1920s, this particular aircraft is actually the first aircraft to initiate the transcontinental air routes from back in the 29 period,” described the EAA's Special Projects Coordinator Brian McDonald.
The Ford Tri-Motor 5-AT-B aircraft that was available to ride proudly stands as one of nearly 200 built in it's heyday, and has been taken to the sky for nearly 100 years.
Members of the EAA say it works just as well as it did back then, sespite a few changes over the years.
“Obviously the wings, the ailerons and the control services are the same as modern airplanes, but it is much older. It is just a unique airplane to fly,” Kornfield said.
One noticeable alteration to the aircraft is inside the haul. Passenger seats used to be made of twine, but this was later changed to more durable material due to increased safety regulations.
The model aircraft itself was phased out in the 1940s and 1950s, with EAA members citing the Second World War as a contributor for the rapid increase in aviation technology.
However, members of the EAA also use the Ford Tri-Motor as an education tool. The EAA hosts several child-friendly day programs during the summer to get kids interested in aviation at an early age, with the next event being held in September.
“One of the primary roles of [the] Experimental Aircraft Association, EAA, [is] to keep that alive and to talk about the golden age of aviation, as the Ford Tri-Motor is,” McDonald said.
Rides are available from June 22-25 at Capital City Airport. Pricing varies on whether a passenger is an EAA member; adults are charged $95 a ride, while tickets for children are $65. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/historic-aircraft-airplane-passengers-airport-flying/521-51405e95-5f9b-4547-9a68-6e0f72a4dd11 | 2023-06-23T08:05:21 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/historic-aircraft-airplane-passengers-airport-flying/521-51405e95-5f9b-4547-9a68-6e0f72a4dd11 |
LANCASTER, Pa. — A break in the rainy weather on Thursday helped bring dozens of people out to Musser Park for the Lancaster Rec's traveling beer garden's opening night.
“It’s not raining, so why not be outside and enjoy some time with friends," said Mike Cantafio, who visited the beer garden with his friends.
“It’s nice and cool, so it’s good to sit outside for a long while," Mel Cronin, a park-goer who brought her pooch along.
Over the next 10 days, people will be able to enjoy locally crafted beer and wine at Musser Park. The proceeds will help raise money for sports and recreation activities run by the Lancaster Rec.
“That includes soccer, baseball [and] basketball. Families can apply to scholarships that can help fund 50 percent of registration costs," said Spencer Shambaugh, a coordinator with Lancaster Rec.
Since last year, Lancaster Rec has raised over $20,000 with its traveling beer gardens.
“They’re making it really easy to support a good cause, by having a nice, laid-back event outside," said Cronin.
Rain or shine, the beer gardens are helping more and more people unite with good causes in Lancaster’s parks.
“I want people to feel connected to their city, their parks, and each other," said Shambaugh.
The beer garden will be open weekdays from 4 p.m. until 10:00 p.m., Saturdays from 1 p.m. until 10 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Musser Park will host the beer garden from June 22 until July 1. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/lancaster-county/lancaster-beer-garden-helps-raise-money-for-local-rec-center-community-fundraising-lancaster-county/521-e8492ee0-f77b-4f1d-924f-812374ce12a3 | 2023-06-23T08:05:22 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/lancaster-county/lancaster-beer-garden-helps-raise-money-for-local-rec-center-community-fundraising-lancaster-county/521-e8492ee0-f77b-4f1d-924f-812374ce12a3 |
WASHINGTON — A new exhibition is giving visitors an extremely rare opportunity to view Leonardo da Vinci sketches dating back to the 1400s. The sketches, not seen in the United States until now, are at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library until Aug. 20, as part of the exhibition “Imagining the future. Leonardo da Vinci: in the mind of an Italian genius.” It's the first monographic exhibition dedicated to the Atlantic Codex.
The exhibit is spearheaded by Confindustria, the largest business association representing manufacturing and service companies in Italy.
“With this exhibition, we want to narrate humanity’s ability to conduct business in an unprecedented way through a monumental and iconic work: a collection of futuristic projects by one of the greatest geniuses of humanity, father, and forerunner of innovations in the most disparate fields of art and knowledge: Leonardo da Vinci, the symbol of Italian talent and know-how,” said Carlo Bomoni, President of Confindustria. “We organized this first monographic exhibition of Da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus in the United States to promote the entrepreneurial spirit as the engine of economic, social, and civil growth in all countries."
Twelve autograph drawings were selected from the 1,119 sheets that make up the Codex.
“The DC Public Library is proud to partner with the Biblioteca Ambrosiana and Confindustria in bringing the Codex Atlanticus to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C.,” said Richard Reyes-Gavilan, Executive Director of the DC Public Library in a press statement. “These 12 notebook drawings are making their first-ever trip to the United States and provide visitors an idea of Leonardo's boundless curiosity and prescient genius. The drawings and related hands-on children's exhibition will awe, entertain, and inspire all who attend.”
Alongside the exhibit, the Library is hosting “Leonardo’s Lab,” an interactive exhibition developed by the Carnegie Science Center, with the opportunity for children and guys (6-14 years) to participate in activities like constructing structures with wooden slats, exploring aerodynamics with homemade 'ornithopters' and testing their skills at reverse writing on mounted chalkboards. Leonardo’s Lab is brought to the public by the DC Public Library Foundation.
The exhibit bears witness to the intellectual life of the Italian Master from 1478 to 1519, and retraces the themes most studied by Leonardo: mechanics, flight, hydraulics, perpetual motion, development of machines and gears. The philosophy of genius was based on observation and experimentation, which represent the cornerstones of Italian entrepreneurship.
The exhibit is open and free to the public during regular library hours, but you may encounter a wait due to the popularity of the display. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/leonardo-da-vinci-sketches-in-dc/65-017ff016-336c-424e-977b-16ce4b0e2242 | 2023-06-23T08:05:23 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/leonardo-da-vinci-sketches-in-dc/65-017ff016-336c-424e-977b-16ce4b0e2242 |
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Throwing out an empty coffee cup or water bottle could soon be a lot more costly. Driving the change is a proposed law that would raise the maximum fine for littering.
Under HB 95, the punishment for a first conviction for an individual litterer would rise from a fine of $300 to $2,000, as well as up to 30 hours of community service picking up trash and/or up to a year in prison. Additional convictions could receive a maximum fine of $5,000 and 100 hours of community service.
Garbage collection businesses that dump their loads on roads or waterways could face fines up to $10,000 for a first conviction, up from the current $5,000.
State Rep. Donna Bullock, (D-Phila.), who introduced the bill, said it was necessary to prevent both individual litterers and unscrupulous garbage collection business operators.
“They’re going to see it as just the cost of business to just dump it in the community and take the fine instead of just paying to dispose of that waste in a proper way,” she said.
Republican lawmakers in the House have argued that rather than more fines, more enforcement is needed of litter laws, as well as more pressing priorities.
Despite disagreements over how to fix it, litter is a growing issue in Pennsylvania—literally. There are 502.5 million pieces of litter on the states roads, according to the Pa. DEP. The most common littered items are cigarette butts and plastics.
As trash builds up, so do the costs. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, a nonprofit, estimates municipalities end up paying $600 per ton for cleanups.
“Areas that are already have litter and illegal dumping are more likely to receive more of that down the road. Cleanups are 100 percent essential but cleanups are not sustainable,” said Rob Dubas, program coordinator at Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.
The group released a Litter Law Enforcement Study in January that found members of law enforcement and the criminal justice system do not necessarily favor higher fines as a method to prevent littering. Instead, the study recommended simplified littering laws, stronger enforcement and more public education on the proper ways to dispose of items. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/littering-illegal-dumping-pennsylvania-law/521-e0d6e341-3c17-4665-990d-4bc88fee789f | 2023-06-23T08:05:25 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/littering-illegal-dumping-pennsylvania-law/521-e0d6e341-3c17-4665-990d-4bc88fee789f |
YORK, Pa. — It’s a first-of-its-kind program aiming to combat gun violence.
“What we’ve done today, what we’ve been able to pull off, is going to stand for hope," said Michael Muldrow, York City Police Commissioner. "It’s going to stand for people being able to dream again.”
York City police and the York County District Attorney are teaming up with Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) to give scholarships for the school to those who have been impacted by gun violence.
The scholarship is called the "More Graduations, Less Funerals" Opportunity Scholarship.
“Part of our goal and our mission is to look at changing lives, destinies and family trees," said Dr. John "Ski" Sygielski, president of HACC. "And this gives us an opportunity to be able to do that.”
Applications are open to both victims of gun violence, as well as offenders who have served their time and have an otherwise clean record.
Family members of these individuals are also eligible to apply.
“This is a door. This is literally going to be a door for people on both sides of those lines to be able to open a door to a better life," said Commissioner Muldrow. "And not only for them but to be able to take their family, a whole generation of people with them.”
The scholarships will allow individuals to take courses in nursing, welding, and other fields, helping them get back on their feet and back into the working world.
“When people work they can pay taxes, they can take care of their families," said Dave Sunday, York County District Attorney. "This is a win across the board and I’m very proud to be a part of this.”
York police are starting with $50,000 of their own funding, which will sustain the program through January of next year.
Mayor Michael Helfrich is also asking City Council to approve $500,000 in ARPA funds to keep it going.
“We don’t just talk the talk. We don’t just scream, ‘More graduations and less funerals,’ and walk away," said Tiff Lowe, project manager of Group Violence Intervention. "We’re going to do something about it and [we're] making history. And it’s going to be good history.”
More information about the scholarship program and how to apply can be found here.
Download the FOX43 app here. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/york-city-police-hacc-new-scholarship-initiative-gun-violence-crime/521-0744c917-c7e7-4784-ad5e-ba2285ac569a | 2023-06-23T08:05:35 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/york-city-police-hacc-new-scholarship-initiative-gun-violence-crime/521-0744c917-c7e7-4784-ad5e-ba2285ac569a |
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Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego talk green energy jobs in Arizona | https://www.azcentral.com/videos/news/local/arizona-wildfires/2023/06/23/plane-drops-fire-retardant-post-fire-southwest-benson-arizona/12151827002/ | 2023-06-23T08:15:27 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/videos/news/local/arizona-wildfires/2023/06/23/plane-drops-fire-retardant-post-fire-southwest-benson-arizona/12151827002/ |
BALTIMORE — A Baltimore-based, food rescue organization, is trying to rebound after a fire ripped through its facility.
J.C. Faulk, the founder of “Bmore Community Food,” believes it was arson after spotting someone on one of the building’s surveillance cameras.
In the video that Faulk shared with WMAR-2 News, it appears a white male, wearing green shorts and a backpack, can be seen walking on the property and watching the fire shortly after it started.
“That first day man, it kind of got to me a little bit,” Faulk said. “I’ve been working 10 to 18 hour days for three years to build this thing and then one idiot can show up with a match [and] just disrupt it in a split second.”
Faulk also says this was the “opportune time” to attack their organization because, in their efforts to feed hungry people in the city, they were in the middle of their most successful month yet.
“The most that we’ve ever imported or exported in any month up to this month was 360,000 pounds,” he said. “Halfway through the month, we’re already up to 995,000 pounds. They hope [we’ll] go away. Well, we ain’t going nowhere. We’ll be right here.”
Faulk started the nonprofit after taking it upon himself to help feed his neighbors during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Back then, he was helping feed people out of the trunk of his car.
Now, Bmore Community Food has a facility that takes up 11,000 square feet, with the support of volunteers, local organizations and large food distributors who help them dish out thousands of pounds of food on a weekly basis. Even after the fire, Faulk says they were still able to get out a good amount of the food that went untouched by the fire.
“It didn’t completely stop us,” he said. “It just halted us for a minute, [but] we’ll be right back up and better than ever.”
Some of Bmore Community Food’s partners have already started helping with repairs to the roof and other damaged areas in the building. Faulk says it’s a testament to the works they’re doing and the people they’ve helped along the way and he believes it has actually bringing people together.
“People who were supporting us already and [that] we were supporting, are supporting us and rallying around us even more,” Faulk said. “I don’t think that, that was the intention of the person who did this.”
If you’d like to donate to Bmore Community Food and help with its recovery efforts, give to the cause or become a volunteer, head to www.food4bmore.org | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/fire-wont-stop-bmore-community-food | 2023-06-23T08:48:46 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/fire-wont-stop-bmore-community-food |
Rochester school board censures one of its own after posts about student field trip
A tense, four-hour Rochester school board hearing Thursday night ended with a vote to censure board member Andrew Weaver over social media posts and TV interviews about a sixth-grade field trip last fall that involved pizza and dancer poles.
The Rochester Community Schools board heard before the vote from five Hart Middle School employees who filed complaints against Weaver, a trustee, for his role in what they said caused the spread of misinformation about the field trip, which made national news, forced the middle school staff to seek police protection and launched a district investigation.
The controversy led the board of education to conduct a hearing addressing the complaints against Weaver on Thursday, the first of its kind in the district. In the end, his fellow board members decided he spread "speculation and hearsay."
"The board finds that board member Andrew Weaver ignored his responsibilities as a board member to work cooperatively with other board members, administrators or district staff to seek to understand before using his social media pages and media interviews to create a public space for speculation and hearsay," said board vice president Barbara Anness.
According to board president Michelle Bueltel, it is the first censure issued by the board against one of its members.
Under the resolution that issued a formal statement of disapproval, the panel called for Weaver to remove his original social media post about the trip, which contains a photo of students visiting a Detroit pizzeria and asked him to write a letter of apology to the staff who lodged the complaints, acknowledging that his posts resulted in workplace distress for the staff and inaccuracies about the field trip.
The field trip ended upstairs at the restaurant, to which, because of the size of the group, with 150 students, they were directed. The upper quarters of the restaurant featured a nightclub-style lounge with dancer poles and ads for alcohol.
The board asked him to post the apology on his social media pages and said it expects the removal of the post and the apology within five days.
The resolution also chided Weaver for disregarding the wishes and rights of parents by reposting photos of students on his social media without their consent. Parents of one student specifically requested that photos of their child on the field trip not be shared on social media.
Weaver insisted his posts were accurate and that he would not have done anything differently.
"The facts I posted were factually accurate. I did do due diligence to verify information," Weaver said Thursday after the vote.
Weaver said his public comments were meant to invite conversation and that the district's lack of policies and communication after the restaurant visit sparked his concern.
"There isn't a policy that directs (the administration in) how to handle situations like this," Weaver said speaking during the hearing from a table facing the board, with the district employees who filed complaints against him seated at a table next to him. "We lack policies, and policies are the purview of the board."
School secretary Linda Key said Weaver's social media posts spurred hateful phone calls from people in and outside of the Rochester Community School district.
"A cascade of people contacted the Hart office, where I'm the principal secretary, and unleashed a torrent of profanity directed at Hart in general but also threatened vile obscenities at me simply because I answered the phone," Key told the board before the vote.
A field trip in November was led by Hart Middle School music teacher Amy Rever-Oberle, who took 150 sixth-grade students to see the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The students went to lunch at Niki's pizza restaurant in Greektown in Detroit after the performance.
The restaurant staff seated the group in an upstairs, night-club style lounge area outfitted with poles, couches and advertisements for alcohol. The group ate and exited within 45 minutes after Rever-Oberle noted the awkward situation.
Rever-Oberle then informed Hart Principal Allison Roberts, according to the report commissioned by the district after the controversy developed. No information about the incident was sent to parents, although Roberts received some inquiries in the following months.
The trip made national news nearly three months later when Weaver, newly elected to the board, posted about it on social media and was invited to appear on the national TV talk show "Fox and Friends." Weaver did not talk to Rever-Oberle or Roberts about the events of the trip prior to posting about it.
"This past November Rochester Community Schools Hart Middle School band teacher took sixth-grade students on a field trip to the Detroit symphony orchestra," Weaver's post said. "The students were also taken to lunch at Niki's Pizza which is attached to Niki's lounge. The students were then moved from Niki's pizza, due to lack of available space, to the lounge where they tried out some pole dancing."
Rever-Oberle said the statement "where the students tried out some poll dancing" was misleading.
"Yes, I know that there are pictures of our kids that circulated around, but that was putting an opinion on what those kids were doing, that was putting an adult interpretation on what those kids were doing," Rever-Oberle said. "I think if we had had the opportunity to have a discussion beforehand, I think it would have been interpreted and looked at differently and hopefully pictures of our kids would not have ended up in international news."
After Weaver's first post, Hart Middle School began receiving threatening phone calls from across the country on Jan. 12. The threats prompted the school to bring in extra security.
Michelle Miller, a bookkeeper; Linda Key, a principal secretary; Anne Maloney, a counseling secretary; Cathleen Clark, an attendance secretary; and Rever-Oberle filed complaints against Weaver, prompting the investigation and Thursday's hearing.
The employees said they have felt anxious, uncomfortable and scared in and out of their workplace since the social media posts and attention.
"On Jan. 17, I listened to the caller that I thought might be a legitimate threat in a voicemail," counseling secretary Anne Maloney said at the meeting. "He said he was from another state and calmly laid out his thoughts about Hart. ... He called Hart staff pedophiles, groomers with distorted thinking and said that our teachers all needed to be locked up."
The school board asked Detroit-based law firm Miller Johnson to investigate. The law firm found that Weaver had violated five board bylaws and policies, according to a report filed this week.
"Weaver acted independently when posting information about the field trip November 2022," Miller Johnson attorney Sandra Andre said in the report. "He did not follow the chain of command, did not speak to his fellow Board members to bring any concern forward, did not seek understanding or information, did not seek to resolve any matter of question by or through him. Did not seek information or share any concerns with any administrator. He used his position as a school board member to influence others."
The board also voted for Weaver to be immediately removed from the school liaison roles at Meadow Brook, Baldwin and McGregor Elementary Schools, and from his seat on the district's Career Technical Education Committee.
Weaver, who has children in the district, had been highly critical of the district's decisions over masking and keeping schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has created a trustee Facebook page for discussions and a blog on the district. His term on the board ends in 2024.
The investigation did not find evidence that Weaver directly harassed the staffers, but said they were harassed by others allegedly as a result of his actions.
"There is no evidence to support that I actually encouraged anyone to make inappropriate phone calls. ... if anyone had made threats, they absolutely should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Weaver said.
Many parents during the public comment period at the meeting praised Weaver for his actions after the students' trip to Niki's lounge.
John Markel of Oakland Township called the hearing an embarrassment.
"One man had the guts to stand up and say something happened and people knew about it for a long time, and then when all hell broke loose, you hung him out to dry," Markel said. "You all are dysfunctional."
Doug Hill, president of the Rochester Education Association, called Weaver's censure warranted.
"By choosing not to do his due diligence and verify social media posts on his pages, he not only showed careless disregard for work policies ... he also created a hostile and unsafe working environment for multiple individuals at Hart Middle School," Hill said.
"The fear was palpable. ... and it was all due to Weaver's wanton disregard for the protocols that are in place for the (Rochester Community Schools) Board of Education."
hmackay@detroitnews.com | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2023/06/23/rochester-school-board-censures-one-of-its-own-after-posts-about-student-field-trip/70348422007/ | 2023-06-23T08:53:21 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2023/06/23/rochester-school-board-censures-one-of-its-own-after-posts-about-student-field-trip/70348422007/ |
Iowa City Marketplace, home to Planet Fitness and Dollar Tree, is up for auction next month
Iowa City Marketplace will go up for auction next month.
Bidding for the shopping center formerly known as the Sycamore Mall and home of the state’s first Ollie’s Discount Market will open at $5 million and run from July 17-19, according to a listing on the RI Marketplace website, an online commercial real estate auction house. The starting price is nearly $10 million less than the purchase point last October.
The marketplace, located on Sycamore Street in southeast Iowa City, includes stores like JoAnn and Dollar Tree, Planet Fitness, and Marcus Theatres. A future purchase will include nearly 21 acres of land and 250,000 square feet of space. The listing says that 81% of the center is occupied and provides an opportunity to add value to the purchase by leasing additional portions of the property.
The building was purchased for $14.2 million by Brookwood Capital Advisors, a real estate development firm in Fredricksburg, Virginia, last October. Brookwood founder Ben Hamd told the Press-Citizen last year that the intent was to redevelop the property and bring back a large retail store.
Hamd told the Press-Citizen on Thursday that they have achieved that goal by bringing the state’s first Ollie’s location, which he described as a fusion of stores like T.J. Maxx with a grocery side. It is expected to open later this year.
“To have Ollie’s select the first store in Iowa, of all the places they could pick, [it was] not Cedar Rapids, not Davenport, not anywhere else, they picked Iowa City,” Hamd said. “It is like a big, big nod to the strength of the University of Iowa and the strength of the community of Iowa City in general.”
The opening price of $5 million is far from the true selling price at auction, Hamd said. He expects the final sale price to land between last year’s purchase price of $14 million and $20 million.
Hamd called Iowa City home for more than a year after graduating college and immediately recognized the property's value when Brookwood had the opportunity to purchase it.
“I bought this because I used to live in Iowa City and I knew the value and we unlocked even more value by bringing in that lease,” Hamd said, referring to the introduction of Ollie’s Discount Market. “But there's still a bunch more value to be unlocked.”
Brookwood works “only on redeveloping shopping centers,” according to its website, which includes finding empty sites and leasing those to full capacity. The company helps lure occupants, touting a more than 40% rise in property occupancy rates.
Hamd, who has lived in Iowa City, previously told the Press-Citizen he was familiar with the Iowa City Marketplace. He wants to see the building thrive.
“It's always been an interesting piece of the Iowa City retail landscape, Iowa City in general. I mean, this space should not be vacant. Iowa City in general is a really, really good market, decent income, it's good demographics, growing population base,” he said. “So it really just takes a hands-on owner that knows retail to do something with that box, which is where we come in.”
The company touts at least 10 "completed" projects in Indiana, Tennessee, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois and Minnesota.
Ollie’s signed a seven-year lease with the property, according to the property listing, and is set to open later this year. The discount store has more than 400 locations nationwide, but its closest location is more than 100 miles away, in Peoria, Illinois. The local business will occupy the “anchor” spot, the dominant retail store, on the property. Von Maur previously held that title before it moved its location to Coralville's Iowa River Landing one decade ago. Lucky’s Market also occupied the space for a few years before closing in 2019.
The marketplace brings in roughly $1.8 million per year in Net Operating Income, NOI, the listing says. NOI is calculated after operating costs, property taxes, and other expenses are subtracted from revenue.
Hamd said he was familiar with the marketplace from his time in town and hopes it stays in local hands.
“We'd love to see local money because when local money gets invested in something like this, they'll get a higher return than what they're used to,” Hamd said. “They're going to be just as invested as we were and probably add even more tenants and make this building worth even more in the future, and bring more cool businesses there.”
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached atrhansen@press-citizen.com or on Twitter @ryanhansen01. | https://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/local/2023/06/22/iowa-city-marketplace-will-go-to-auction-for-5-million-in-july/70346608007/ | 2023-06-23T09:15:39 | 0 | https://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/local/2023/06/22/iowa-city-marketplace-will-go-to-auction-for-5-million-in-july/70346608007/ |
Will the battle between Fenwick Island mayor and outgoing police chief end up in court?
Fenwick Island Police Chief John J. Devlin's lawyer has emailed a letter to the Town Council demanding they pay his legal fees and reverse their decision not to renew his contract.
The email, authored by Wilmington attorney Thomas Neuberger and dated June 20, claims the decision was made in retaliation after Devlin reported an incident in which he claims Mayor Natalie Madgeburger "illegally" entered the police department.
Without explanation, on May 1, Madgeburger handed Devlin a letter notifying him the town would allow his contract to expire Aug. 31, rather than take the option to renew it for two more years. Devlin said he was shocked, having been lauded for his 20 years of service in March.
Madgeburger told Delaware Online/The News Journal in May the decision was the result of an April 28 Town Council executive session, but that it is against town policy to discuss personnel matters. When asked for comment on Neuberger's letter, she said Thursday it is in neither the chief nor the town's best interest to discuss it.
The town continues to search for a new chief, Madgeburger said.
Two versions of events
Neuberger's email centers around what Devlin alleges happened April 23, while Devlin was away at a conference.
Around 9:30 p.m., Neuberger wrote, Madgeburger “entered two different security codes on gaining entrance through two doors into the back of the Police Department into the areas where six secure computer stations were located containing highly confidential ‘Criminal Justice Information’ relating to local and national criminal activity data and other sensitive information.”
Background:Longtime Fenwick police chief's contract not renewed. He says he has 'no indication' why
“On duty police officers then engaged the Mayor and escorted her out of the secure area,” he continued.
It’s unknown how many times Madgeburger may have previously entered the police department, Neuberger said.
Devlin, when reached by phone, said there is video proof of his claims, but declined to provide it.
Madgeburger's version of events April 23 is markedly different.
“For years, members of Town Council and Town staff have had access to the Town’s police building through the use of a security door code. Chief Devlin had personally provided the Mayor with the security door code to gain access to the building and had shown her how to use it,” she said in a statement.
Madgeburger went on to say she used the code on the first door but not the second, and that one of the officers inside opened the second door. She said she went to the department to obtain a schedule, while Devlin said she had already been emailed the schedule.
Madgeburger did not seek or gain access to any information contained within the Delaware Criminal Justice Information System, housed on certain police department computers, she said.
More:What does it mean to be a 'quiet resort' town amid rapid growth? No easy answer in Fenwick
“The Mayor and the Town Council take security very seriously. The Town Council will request, and will fully cooperate with, a thorough, professional and independent investigation and review of procedures and actual events regarding security at the Town‘s police building,” Madgeburger said in a May statement.
Devlin reported the incident “to the appropriate State officials” the next day, according to Neuberger's email, and ordered the two security codes be changed. That day and the next, Madgeburger “or her agent demanded the new security codes from Chief Devlin’s subordinate who was the security officer," Neuberger wrote.
Neuberger claims the close proximity of Devlin's report on April 24 and the notification of his nonrenewal on May 1 indicates the two are related. Madgeburger said the timing was due to the terms of Devlin's employment agreement, which required he be notified by May 1.
Was there a DELJIS violation?
According to its website, the Delaware Criminal Justice Information System is "the central state agency responsible for providing efficient and reliable development and operation of the hardware, software, network and database which comprise the criminal justice information system."
While Devlin claims Madgeburger accessed the area in which DELJIS computers are housed, he has not claimed she accessed the system, and Madgeburger has said outright she did not.
Whether the mayor's unauthorized entry into the police station is a punishable crime is unclear. Neuberger's letter implies it is.
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Whether DELJIS is investigating the incident, or has declined to, is also unclear.
Executive Director Spencer Price said in an email he could not comment on “specific situations.” Delaware Online/The News Journal submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for information on recent security breaches, which has not yet been fulfilled.
What the letter threatens
"Apparently, the Town and its Mayor wish to undermine the law enforcement function and have a police department subservient to the wishes of its Mayor and other elected officials," Neuberger wrote. "This is a slippery slope which can only lead to corruption."
If the nonrenewal of Devlin's contract is indeed an act of retaliation, it's a violation of his First Amendment rights, according to Neuberger.
"Each of you shall have to explain to a federal court and jury how you justified your vote to get rid of Chief Devlin," Neuberger wrote to the Town Council.
He went on to point out Sussex County's last First Amendment retaliation case (in which a jury found a Sussex Technical School district employee was not promoted because she cooperated in an investigation against a superintendent) resulted in the plaintiff being awarded over $1 million in damages.
"My client will be able to recover not just his lost wages and benefits but also additional damages to compensate him for emotional distress, injury to reputation and the humiliation he suffered," Neuberger said.
That's in addition to punitive damages against each separate council member and attorney's fees, according to Neuberger, which are often over $1 million.
No suit has been filed, to date.
More:It's officially summer at the Delaware beaches. Your weekend guide.
Politics in a tiny beach town
Fenwick Island, with its population of about 500, begins in the north with Fenwick Island State Park. It exists on a narrow strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and Little Assawoman Bay, with the residents and businesses building up along Coastal Highway until it reaches the state line and turns into Ocean City, Maryland.
It’s considered one of Delaware’s “quiet resorts,” and there’s much debate about how to keep it that way. The town has faced several lawsuits in recent years as it wrestles with change and growth.
More:Why Fenwick Island can't enforce ban on low-speed vehicles in town, at least temporarily
In August 2021, there was a shakeup in town politics. Fenwick’s town manager, town solicitor, two council members and 15 committee members resigned, just as four incumbent town council members lost their elections to newcomers.
Former councilmembers Gardner Bunting and Bernie Merritt were not up for election in 2021 and had years left in their terms, yet resigned due to the “misleading” and “distorted” information spread in the new councilmembers’ campaigns, they told Delaware Online/The News Journal.
Madgeburger, an attorney herself, was one of the newcomers. The only incumbent left was her mother, Vicki Carmean. Carmean was then named mayor, and last year, her daughter succeeded her in the position.
Meanwhile, Devlin has spent over 20 years with the Fenwick Island Police Department, becoming chief in 2020. He replaced William Boyden, who was indicted on and eventually pleaded guilty to charges of falsifying reports to the Delaware Council on Police Training related to firearm "certifications and qualifications.”
Up until he received the letter from Madgeburger, Devlin said there was no indication his contract would not be renewed.
He had been lauded by the Town Council in March for his 20 years of service and given his own parking sign. According to Neuberger, Devlin received a 48 out of 50 in his last employee evaluation.
"Just seems strange," he said in May. "Praising me one month and then, the next month, saying you don't want my services anymore."
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on Sussex County and beyond. Reach her at smcaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught | https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/fenwick-island-police-chiefs-lawyer-demands-his-contract-be-renewed/70342138007/ | 2023-06-23T09:25:37 | 1 | https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/fenwick-island-police-chiefs-lawyer-demands-his-contract-be-renewed/70342138007/ |
The Tri-Cape baseball team made history in 2022.
Tri-Cape, which consists of standouts from the Cape-Atlantic League and Tri-County Conference, is two games away from more history.
Tri-Cape will face Delaware South in the Carpenter Cup Classic semifinals at 12:30 p.m. Monday at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Tri-Cape won the title the last two years, the first team to repeat since Olympic-Colonial in 1991 and 1992. However, no team has captured three consecutive championships in the 37-year history of the single-elimination tournament.
“It’s extremely exciting just being in a position to do that,” said coach DJ Gore, noting Tri-Cape has won 10 straight since 2021 and is unsure if any team has done that. “I think it’s just extraordinary to see what these kids have been able to do and to just be able to be a part of it has been fantastic. It really has.”
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Olympic-Colonial will play Jersey Shore at 9 a.m. Monday in the other semifinal. Olympic-Colonial, which features all-stars from the Olympic and Colonial conferences, has won five titles. The championship is set for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.
Tri-Cape will play at the Phillies' stadium for the third straight season.
"I will appreciate being there again even more because you are always worried about everything that goes along with the game," said Gore, who is Highland Regional's coach. "But now we've been there a couple years, and I think it’s not new to a lot of us, but there is still a little bit of a kid in all of us. It’s always cool to be on that field and in that dugout and create new memories for a new group of kids."
Mainland Regional coach Billy Kern, a Tri-Cape assistant, called the experience "thrilling" for the players.
“I’m happy for the kids,” Kern said. “It has seemed to become an expectation for the players of both conferences to make it to Citizens Bank (Park) and to ultimately win it. So, I‘m excited for the kids and I think they have a great opportunity on Monday.”
Tri-Cape defeated Lehigh Valley 7-4 in the first-round June 15 and Mercer County 8-6 in the quarterfinals two days later. Tri-Cape scored most of its runs early in both games. Limiting those mistakes and continuing to score, along with timely pitching, will be crucial for Tri-Cape.
Teams must rotate lineups every three to five innings in the tournament.
“It’s still all-star caliber baseball,” Gore said. “So, sometimes these teams play a better roster in the first four innings or the last five. We try to spread it out, but I can’t speak for the other franchises. I just think we ran into a little bad luck where we haven't played as well later in the games and that allowed teams to hang in there and play. We definitely have to play better defensively if we are going to have a chance to win this whole event.”
Egg Harbor Township’s Jacob Cagna, Jason Salsbery and Cameron Flukey; Vineland’s Yenuelle Rodriguez and Xavier Cortez; Millville’s Wayne Hill and Sergio Droz; St. Augustine Prep’s Marco Levari and CJ Furey; Ocean City’s Evan Taylor, Absegami’s Mike DeBlasio, Hammonton’s Drew Haines, Lower Cape May Regional’s Hunter Ray, Cumberland Regional’s Luke Fithian and Cape May Tech’s Tanner Oliva were the locals in Tri-Cape's first two games.
But some new players will be added Monday from both conferences due to scheduling conflicts with current players. The updated roster will not be available until later Friday.
Flukey, Levari, Furey, Tanner Nolan (Gloucester Catholic), DeBlasio, Fithian and Luke Wood (Pennsville) were solid on the mound in the first two games for Tri-Cape. Hill has gone 4 for 6 with three runs and two RBIs, and Nick Spaventa (GCIT) has gone 4 for 5 with four RBIs. Austin Dubler (Timber Creek), Droz, Haines Vinny Davis (Highland) and Salsbery, among others, have also made contributions.
Kern, Brent Bean (Atlantic City), Andrew Bristol (Ocean City), Jim Slade (Williamstown), Bob DelVecchio (Kingsway Regional assistant) and Ed Charlton (co-owner of Baseball Performance Center in Pleasantville and St. Augustine graduate) are Tri-Cape’s assistants.
“I think the biggest thing in these Carpenter games is to throw strikes and consistently field baseballs because you really have no idea what the other team is doing in terms of front loading the lineup or back loading the lineup or evening it out between the four or five innings you have to set the lineup,” Kern said. "We are excited to keep this thing rolling and hope to play a clean game and enjoy every moment.” | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/highschool/tri-cape-baseball-carpenter-cup-semifinals/article_39aaa1ca-1122-11ee-88d7-c7b87e7708e7.html | 2023-06-23T09:28:30 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/highschool/tri-cape-baseball-carpenter-cup-semifinals/article_39aaa1ca-1122-11ee-88d7-c7b87e7708e7.html |
Damien Center will renovate former LGBTQ+ nightclub into cafe, community resource center
The Damien Center, an Indianapolis-based HIV/AIDS service organization, has announced plans to renovate a former night club into an LGBTQ+ community space.
The nonprofit will develop the building which formerly housed Zonie’s Closet, an east side gay bar that closed last year, into a coffee shop and employment center. Damien Center CEO Alan Witchey said Zonie’s reached out to the organization in 2021 and asked it to take over the space.
The Damien Center conferred with its client base — LGBTQ+ people, citizens living with HIV and underserved community members — to envision the best use of the space. While the space is geared toward LGBTQ+ folks, all are welcome to visit. Locals echoed two needs: employment resources and a safe, social gathering spot for gay, trans and HIV positive people.
“A predominant voice that we heard from a lot of people in the LGBT community was, ‘We really don't have a sober place for people to go and hang out meet each other,” Witchey said.
And thus, the café and career services hub was born.
On the building’s top floor, the Damien Center will provide a bevy of job resources. This will include essential programs such as resume writing help and tools to get interviews, as well as specialized skill workshops and management training. The nonprofit already partners with FedEx and the Latinas Welding Guild to provide job training and skill certification for clients today.
Plus, Witchey said the Damien Center will partner with Warren Township to offer adult basic education classes for clients to obtain their GED, which he hopes to kick off soon at the organization’s main office prior to the career center’s opening.
"I support any educational effort that reduces crime and improves quality of life," Warren Township Trustee Vernon Brown said of the program.
A coffee shop will open on the bottom floor, the revenue from which will be funneled directly back into the employment programming upstairs. The space will function as an LGBTQ+, sober-friendly hangout. Witchey envisions weekend and evening gatherings here — poetry readings, drag performances and band gigs.
Renovations on the building, which include structural repairs and building safety updates, are scheduled to begin in July. Damien Center worked with the United Way of Central Indiana to fund the $1 million endeavor. The project is slated to hold its grand opening in March 2024.
Zonie's closing is a loss
Zonie’s closing was a loss for Indianapolis, Witchey said. He mourns the fact that an entire generation won’t get to visit it. During the club’s 14-year lifespan, many people made fond memories there, including Witchey.
“It was probably the first building that I went into as a young gay man and saw a real drag show,” he said. “That was something that seemed very foreign to me at the time, and it really helped me see and understand part of my community in a different way.”
The building, constructed in 1891, has a long history within the LGBTQ+ community. Before Zonie’s, it was Illusions, a drag and karaoke bar. Witchey said the Damien Center wants this project to honor the building’s roots and the LGBTQ+ community that’s lived inside it, especially today.
Witchey said many local bars and businesses geared toward LGBTQ+ people have closed in recent years, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. Plus, he said the community has felt a rise in homophobic threats and harassment, making the loss of these places even more impactful. Witchey said that often when a business closes, its space is absorbed by another that isn’t welcoming or oriented toward LGBTQ+ people.
Just last week, the Damien Center and Witchey were targeted with anti-gay threats, he said.
“In today's world, LGBTQ communities are really under attack, maybe more than we ever have overtly,” Witchey said. "That makes it more important than ever to create safe places for people.”
Michelle Harris, a client and volunteer at the Damien Center, said the organization consistently provides safe spaces for Hoosiers. After receiving her own HIV diagnosis, Harris sought out support to alleviate her health anxieties. Four years ago, the Damien Center helped her move from Fort Wayne to Indianapolis to receive care.
Since joining ranks at the nonprofit, Harris has found a community here. She said when she visits the Damien Center, she sees her friends. There's laughing, talking, hugging. Earlier this month, Harris was at the construction site, armed with a purple shovel, when the staff ceremonially broke ground on renovations. Clients, volunteers and staff are all part of this project, she said, they're a family.
"Having this actual facility, this building, it keeps you more grounded," she said. "It lets you know that you are loved."
Harris thinks the city is changing a lot, and for the better. While she says other places in the state aren't as kind to people living with HIV, Indianapolis has opened its arms to her — all thanks to the Damien Center. She's looking forward to spreading this kindness when she volunteers at the new facility and she's ready to collaborate with the nonprofit to serve the city.
"We've got to figure out how it's going to work and how it's going to work easy to get all of the needs met of the community," Harris said.
Contact IndyStar reporter Tory Basile at vbasile@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @torybasilee. | https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/damien-center-zonies-cafe-employmentcenter/70322496007/ | 2023-06-23T09:32:04 | 0 | https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/damien-center-zonies-cafe-employmentcenter/70322496007/ |
ORLANDO, Fla. — Central Florida will continue to see an active storm pattern on Friday.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
Our northern zones will see most of the rain this morning as the stormy weather moves south.
Central Florida will have a 70% chance of seeing rain and storms today.
Areas of flooding are possible with some of the storms being strong to severe.
The high temperature in Orlando should reach around 91 degrees Friday afternoon.
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We will see scattered rain Friday night with overnight lows in the mid-70s.
Our forecast will be more of the same on Saturday and Sunday.
Read: 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/afternoon-storms-chances-stay-active-friday-central-florida/G3NK445CUZDQPAIIK3633FVURQ/ | 2023-06-23T09:33:47 | 1 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/afternoon-storms-chances-stay-active-friday-central-florida/G3NK445CUZDQPAIIK3633FVURQ/ |
Why Buc-ee’s fans love the store so much: 'I just can’t get enough of everything Buc-ee’s'
April McFann lives in Ohio. But during the morning hours of June 26, you’ll find her perusing the aisles of the new Buc-ee’s in Sevierville.
The largest Buc-ee’s in the world (for now) is finally opening its doors and gas pumps starting at 6 a.m. Monday. It will not only be a pit stop for travelers but also a bucket list destination for many Buc-ee’s super fans to load up on Beaver Nuggets and the bragging rights to say, “I’ve been to the Sevierville Buc-ee's.”
But why do people have so much love for a chain of giant gas stations? Is it the wall of beef jerky, the iconic beaver mascot, the famously clean bathrooms? Well, it might just be all of that.
Super fans share their Buc-ee’s love
Knox News ventured into the world of Buc-ee’s fandom and asked super fans to share what they loved most about the Texas-based convenience stores, and their favorite memories.
“We have to stop whenever we see one! It is an experience to go,” Wendy Rusie, a member of a Buc-ee’s fanatic group on Facebook explained. “We love to see everything in the store.”
Rusie loves the brisket sandwiches, fudge, hot dogs, hot almonds and Beaver Nuggets. McFann, whose travelling to Sevierville for the opening location, is excited to get banana pudding and beaver-clad items for her dog. Plus, it’s the perfect place to get a Buc-ee’s Tennessee shirt to add to her collection.
“It’s truly an amazing experience! I have a collection of T-shirts, holiday, state, and location signs, wind chimes, tumblers, magnets, key chains and hats,” Bridgette Firestone said. “I just can’t get enough of everything Buc-ee’s.”
The joy of a Buc-ee’s experience
With the addition of Sevierville, there are 58 Buc-ee's locations across Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee. Exploring as many as possible, whenever possible is a thrill for many Buc-ee’s fans.
“We hit 11 Buc-ee’s in nine days,” Glenn Stoker of Georgia said. “My Buc-ee’s count is up to 14. I plan on (going to) Sevierville next month.”
For Firestone, all road trips she takes with her family must include a stop at every Buc-ee’s along the route. In fact, an excursion to Buc-ee’s is her gift for special days throughout the year like her birthday, Valentine’s Day and even Mother’s Day.
“It was a road trip with my son to Texas and back to Georgia. It included three different Buc-ee’s locations and my son let me shop at all three of them!” she shared. "It will definitely go down as an epic Mother’s Day road trip!”
The largest Buc-ee’s in the world
Located at 170 Buc-ee's Boulevard off of Interstate 40 exit 407,the new Buc-ee’s in Sevierville will have its grand opening at 6 a.m. June 26, with a ribbon-cutting between 10 and 11 a.m.
It features 120 gas pumps, including diesel, and 22 electric vehicle charging stations, and a giant 250-foot car wash. At 74,000 square feet, it will be the largest Buc-ee’s ever, (but will eventually be surpassed by one being built in Texas).
Simply put, the Sevierville Buc-ee’s is a fanatic's dream.
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/2023/06/23/bucees-fans-share-what-they-love-giant-convenience-store/70341537007/ | 2023-06-23T09:44:33 | 1 | https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/bucees-fans-share-what-they-love-giant-convenience-store/70341537007/ |
Planned Parenthood's Knoxville clinic set to reopen next year after delay from fire
June 24 marks one year since the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which ended the constitutional right to an abortion and led to the outright banning of abortion in Tennessee a few short months later.
Access to abortions in Knoxville already had been severely curtailed when the Planned Parenthood clinic was burned to the ground in a deliberate act of arson on Dec. 31, 2021. The center was weeks away from opening after a $2.2 million renovation.
Planned Parenthood vowed to rebuild, but the site has been untouched. Leaders from the nonprofit this week offered an update to the community.
When will the new Knoxville Planned Parenthood clinic be built?
Planned Parenthood officials vowed to reopen after the fire, but have seen some delays since construction was supposed to start this spring.
The renovation would have nearly doubled the size of the facility, Aimee Lewis, chief development officer for Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, told Knox News. Having to rebuild from the ground up, rather than simply renovating an existing building, meant coordinating a lot of moving parts and delayed the reopening date, she said.
A construction permit was submitted in March and the building review was approved June 20, according to the city of Knoxville website.
Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi CEO Ashley Coffield said she expects to have all the additional permits lined up this summer. The clinic will reopen in its original location at the corner of North Cherry Street and Washington Avenue next year, Coffield said.
East Tennessee's mobile clinic is up and running with a variety of services
Planned Parenthood is providing services through its mobile clinic, which is located at Messiah Lutheran Church at 6900 Kingston Pike. The mobile clinic offers birth control and pregnancy testing, STD testing and treatment, transgender hormone therapy, women's health care, the morning-after pill and abortion referrals, according to its website.
"The mobile clinic is operating five days a week," Coffield said. "We are starting to see our numbers go up as more people become aware it is available."
The Knoxville facility cannot provide abortions. Its staff can help clients access abortion care in other states as well as financial assistance.
What has abortion ban meant to East Tennessee patients?
Coffield was blunt in her assessment of the potential harms caused by the abortion ban that has turned Tennessee into a "forced birth state."
"If you're pregnant, you shouldn’t travel here," she said, adding there has been a "government seizure of bodily autonomy."
Coffield said she expects Tennessee lawmakers to try to criminalize other aspects of reproductive care, including a ban on contraceptives and restrictions on interstate travel to access an abortion.
Planned Parenthood has seen a marked decrease in the number of clients seeking abortions since the ban took effect. Coffield said the organization had estimated they would see 2,000 to 3,000 pregnant clients reaching out for assistance and have assisted just 500.
"We have been shocked at how low the numbers are" despite substantial outreach, she said.
"We are seeing less patients reaching out to us directly" since the ban, said Robyn Baldridge of Abortion Care Tennessee, which provides funding to abortion clinics. "Now people are waiting longer to decide whether they want to seek abortion care. ... People are finding out they're pregnant, but they feel less safe even asking questions to get information about all their options."
National numbers compiled by the Society of Family Planning, an abortion science group, bear out the anecdotal data. It found that in the nine months following the Dobbs decision, there were 25,640 cumulative fewer abortions in the United States from July 2022 to March 2023. Tennessee had one of the largest declines, going from just over 10,000 to zero reported abortions.
Liz Kellar is a public safety reporter. Email lkellar@knoxnews.com.
Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe. | https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/planned-parenthood-knoxville-clinic-set-to-reopen-in-2024/70339561007/ | 2023-06-23T09:44:39 | 0 | https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/planned-parenthood-knoxville-clinic-set-to-reopen-in-2024/70339561007/ |
USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships won't be in Knoxville next year, but may return in future
The USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships have been a mainstay of Knoxville summers the last seven years. But this is the last year the event will take place in Knoxville – for now.
USA Cycling typically only keeps the event in one location for two years, but it returned to Knoxville year after year not only because it was such a great experience, but because of the riders, according to USA Cycling CEO Brendan Quirk.
"The riders just love it," Quirk said Thursday. "They love the environment, and I think that's what matters the most is they were fired up to come back every year. I think that as much as anything else made it exciting to come back for so many years in a row."
Quirk said there are a few things about Knoxville they enjoy. One is the terrain, which he said is tailor-made for bike racing.
"It's beautiful rolling terrain, sharp climbs, especially that climb in the road race – it's pretty much iconic in American cycling at this point," Quirk said. "You see how the crowd gathers around that, it feels like you're in a Tour de France stage because the terrain is so severe and the crowd is so wild."
One of the biggest benefits of hosting the event in Knoxville is being able to have the race course on a downtown environment. Both the Criterium – which is raced on a 1.1-mile circuit – and the 6.8-mile peloton route go through downtown Knoxville.
The downtown location draws more local residents to be spectators, USA Cycling Marketing Operations Manager Tom Mahoney said.
"As a spectator, watching the crowds on Sherrod Road is unreal," Mahoney said. There are very few occasions of spectating like that in the U.S., and it is thrilling to watch it. It really is."
Chuck Hodge, the former USA Cycling Chief of Racing and Events, said Knoxville is a city the national championships are a good fit in, and the terrain is ideal. The first year USA Cycling held the event in Knoxville in 2016, only the time trials and road race were part of the event. But after the first year, the event expanded to hold the Criterium, which is an event in which cyclists race for a set amount of time to finish the highest number of laps.
Quirk said the Criterium drives participation and rider enthusiasm. But the expansion's success in Knoxville also encouraged them to think about the future of the event and how USA Cycling can keep growing it.
"What we've learned in Knoxville is that when you partner up with a great community and you get ambitious by adding events, it just causes the event to magnify and grow," Quirk. "We want to continue to push that. We've learned lessons in Knoxville that is going to make the U.S. pro event, this whole week, bigger and better moving forward."
USA CYCLING:Five things to know about USA Cycling Pro Road National Championship in Knoxville
Quirk said Knoxville sets the standard for how communities can step up to host a race, and he'll compare every future location to the experience here. But he also understands the demands hosting an event this large puts on the community, especially the police department and first responders.
The Pro Road National Championships may be leaving after this year, but that doesn't mean it won't return.
"We would be really, really excited, whether it's to host this event or other USA Cycling events in Knoxville, we would love to do that," Quirk said. "We would come back to Knoxville in a nanosecond." | https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/local/2023/06/23/usa-cycling-national-championships-wont-return-to-knoxville-next-year/70343076007/ | 2023-06-23T09:44:51 | 1 | https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/local/2023/06/23/usa-cycling-national-championships-wont-return-to-knoxville-next-year/70343076007/ |
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“To our beloved community. Tang & Biscuit was created to blend the diversity of our town ... We believe we accomplished that mission in our neighborhood, and therefore effective immediately Tang & Biscuit is closing. Thank you for the amazing journey and the very important role we played in Richmond,” the restaurant posted.
David Gallagher and David Fratkin opened the shuffleboard venue in 2018. Gallagher is also the CEO of Dominion Payroll, the Richmond-based payroll and human resource services company. Fratkin had stepped away from the project earlier.
However, their investment group spent roughly $5 million on the project, renovating the 18,000-square-foot space with 10 shuffleboard courts, hiring staff and paying for other startup costs. Gallagher could not be reached at press time.
The venue was very popular, often drawing lines out the door on Friday and Saturday nights for bands, music and shuffleboard.
Richmond BizSense reported earlier this week that Henrico County-based Capital Square plans to redevelop 3406 Moore St., the home of Tang & Biscuit, and 1600 Roseneath Road, formerly home to Biscuits & Gravy, also owned by the Tang & Biscuit team, which also closed its doors recently.
Capital Square recently wrapped up work on The Otis, the mixed-use development with 350 apartments and shops, including Grit Coffee, encompassing a city block at 1601 Roseneath Road in Scott’s Addition. Capital Square is also working on The Gem building with 72 units and retail space at 3001 W. Leigh St. in Scott’s Addition.
Richmond muralist Emily Herr unveiled her new, massive 4,000-square-foot mural in Scott’s Addition on Tuesday.
Tang & Biscuit, seen in March 2019, opened at 3406 Moore St. in Scott's Addition in 2018. It announced on social media that it was closing in late June 2023.
Danny Schulfer, left, and Skylar Doerwaldt play shuffleboard at Tang & Biscuit in March 2019 during a team-building event with Stanley Martin Homes and First Heritage Mortgage. | https://richmond.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/tang--biscuit-scotts-addition-richmond/article_928d79b4-112e-11ee-9484-2f57846104a0.html | 2023-06-23T09:54:24 | 0 | https://richmond.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/tang--biscuit-scotts-addition-richmond/article_928d79b4-112e-11ee-9484-2f57846104a0.html |
More chickens now allowed in Hutchinson's residential backyards, council says
On Tuesday, the Hutchinson City Council agreed to change both chicken and fireworks regulations. The council also decided to go ahead with putting down turf on three baseball fields as long as the verbal agreements from two stakeholders come through.
Fireworks changes in Hutchinson
Hutchinson City Council members approved a change to the fireworks rules.
Residents of the city may shoot off certain fireworks from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. from June 30 to July 4.
Sales permits are still required for anyone selling fireworks in Hutchinson. The fee for a permit remains$2,500 per site per year and is payable to the City of Hutchinson.
Although fireworks discharges are permissible on private property, one of the major changes to the regulations is to require a permit if someone wants to use fireworks on public streets. Shooting fireworks on the street when the street is not closed off is illegal.
Another change is that parents will be held responsible for children using fireworks illegally.
Regulations remain in place for sky lanterns and aerial luminaries.
More:The amount of chickens allowed in Hutchinson backyards might soon increase
Hutchinson homeowners can increase their chicken flocks
The Hutchinson City Council also decided to increase the number of chickens a resident can own, changing it from three to eight chickens on most city properties.
However, roosters are still not allowed in Hutchinson.
Jim Sietnater, interim planning director, said keeping chickens is a growing trend.
If someone wants a larger flock of chickens and has the area to do that, they can add an additional chicken for every 250 square feet. That maxes out at 20 chickens. All chickens must be fenced in, with coops being kept neat in appearance.
The public slaughtering or processing of chickens is still not allowed.
Mayor John Richardson saw a discrepancy with the ordinance with regard to rural lands in the city. Sietnater said they would fix that part of the ordinance.
In the rural areas, there remain allowances for cattle, horses, sheep, deer, goats, chickens, turkeys, ducks, gamebirds, geese and other poultry. However, pigs are no longer allowed.
More:Hutchinson's first Chalk the Town event will include activities, demonstrations
Evergy substation tabled until July 5
Evergy Kansas Central bought property on Lorraine Street. It wants to build a substation there.
The 7 acres of property is on the west side of North Lorraine Street and just south of East 23rd Avenue.
Councilmembers, who received a petition from residents of nearby neighborhoods, voted to table the motion until the city's attorney, Paul Brown, was present.
Hiring a police chief and other positions
Councilmember Stuart Conklin said the council needs to hire the next city manager as soon as possible.
"I am eager to get into the permanent city manager," he said. "That is the biggest issue we have, and that's the one that we need to put on making sure that we find the right person. That needs 10 times more attention than anything else that's going on."
For the interim city manager, Mary Grace Clements, hiring a full-time chief of police is the top priority.
"We've worked with the HR team, and we've got a semi-final list of candidates," she said. "And we're looking to start those interviews (toward) the end of next week."
Clements is also looking to hire other open positions.
Turf most likely heading to baseball fields
During their budget meeting, city council members learned that Hutchinson Community College verbally agreed to do a 50/50 split to resurface and correct flooding on Hobart-Detter Field. Hutchinson Public Schools also gave a possible positive response for resurfacing with turf two other fields at Fun Valley.
Because of the possible splits, the council is hoping to move up the resurfacing of the diamonds.
The next city council meeting will be at 9 a.m. July 5. | https://www.hutchnews.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/hutchinson-chicken-owners-can-increase-their-flocks-size-city-council-says/70337631007/ | 2023-06-23T10:04:45 | 0 | https://www.hutchnews.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/hutchinson-chicken-owners-can-increase-their-flocks-size-city-council-says/70337631007/ |
What are those poles off Rt. 37? It's the Topgolf facility − here's a closer look.
The Topgolf construction cost $40 million
- More development is planned for the former Citizens Bank campus
- The facility could open by late summer or early fall at the earliest
CRANSTON − Rising high above Route 37 like sentinels, white poles mark the boundaries of the new Topgolf complex on Sockanosset Road, a golf entertainment center that is replacing the expansive parking lot at the former Citizens Bank campus.
Those mysterious white poles will hold up a mesh net to keep golf balls from escaping the Topgolf range, where they could start flying as early as late summer.
The site is owned by the Carpionato Group, which will lease the facility to Topgolf.
Construction at the site has been underway since July 2022. What was once asphalt has been torn up and will be replaced with fake grass, while a hill behind the back of the facility has been leveled to be turned into a 470-space parking lot, Carpionato Group President Kelly Coates said.
The dirt mound, from the former hill, is visible from Route 37, but will soon be removed.
What is Topgolf?
Topgolf bills itself as a "sports entertainment complex" with a "high-tech golf game."
While the large net encompassing the facility prevents golf balls from flying out, the main idea of Topgolf is to earn points by hitting targets. Each ball has a microchip that lets it be tracked through its flight and into targets, each worth a specific number of points.
While some may try to treat the complex as a driving range cut short by nets, the targets make the game interesting for children and adults alike, Coates said.
"It's a kid's dream," he said.
The complex will have a total of 111 bays for hitting balls across its three levels.
The facility will serve food and have two bars.
Coates said he expects the facility will generate 150 well-paying full-time jobs and 300 part-time jobs, in addition to an estimated $1 million in real estate taxes and sales tax to the city.
When will Topgolf in Cranston open?
Construction on the Topgolf site is expected to finish by late August and open between later summer and early fall, Coates said.
Originally the project was to begin years earlier, but when the pandemic began, Topgolf locations were part of lockdown orders and the project was put on pause, Coates said. Construction started in July 2022.
What happens after Topgolf is done?
Once the Topgolf project is complete, work will begin on the next phase of the project. Most of single-level building that used to house Citizens Bank will be razed. The entire site is just under 25 acres.
The remaining two-story building will be renovated and turned into "experiential retail." The plans approved by Cranston call for a new building, with retail and a drive-in restaurant, near the front of the site.
Announcements about retailers are coming, Coates said
"Experiential" retail is stores that offer an experience, instead of just selling products, like a Cabela's/Bass Pro Shops or REI, which is currently in the Chapel View shopping center up the street. Other examples include Apple stores.
Cranston Topgolf expected to be a regional draw
The Topgolf facility is expected to bring in customers to Cranston from surrounding states. The nearest Topgolf facility, in Canton, Massachusetts, is expected to open by the end of this year.
The Cranston Topgolf facility should bring in people from Massachusetts and Connecticut. Coates said the hope is that those out-of-area and out-of-state visitors will patronize the facility as well as the surrounding shopping and dining at the nearby Garden City Center and Chapel View complexes.
The facility is directly off Route 37, which connects interstates 95 and 295, meaning it offers easy access for out-of-Cranston and out-of-state visitors, Coates said.
How much does Topgolf cost?
While the website for the Topgolf in Cranston does not list prices, the website independentgolfreviews.com puts the prices for a bay between $45 an hour to $90 an hour.
A single lane rental at area bowling alleys, by comparison, costs up to $50 an hour.
How much will the project cost?
The Topgolf construction is expected to cost $40 million.
Coates said the project received no government funding, subsidies or tax treaties.
Another big sports complex, the Tidewater Landing soccer stadium in Providence, estimated to cost $124 million, is receiving $60 million in public incentives, including $36 million in public borrowing, $14 million in state tax credits and $10 million from Pawtucket.
What is the history of the Topgolf site?
Citizens Bank announced in 2016 it would vacate its campus in Cranston and build a new one on 108 acres in Johnston. Its lease lapsed in 2018.
During the pandemic, the building was used as a COVID-19 field hospital.
Once Citizens Bank announced its intentions to vacate the premises, the Carpionato Group went to city to ask for custom zoning changes for the site, allowing them to go taller.
December 2019:Topgolf complex nearing final OKs from Cranston
The complex received final approval in December 2019.
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Reach Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com or follow him on Twitter @WheelerReporter. | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/when-will-cranston-topgolf-open-golf-balls-could-fly-by-late-summer/70342666007/ | 2023-06-23T10:05:34 | 1 | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/when-will-cranston-topgolf-open-golf-balls-could-fly-by-late-summer/70342666007/ |
One person was injured when a vehicle crashed into a pole early Friday in Bellevue.
It happened around 1 a.m. at Route 65 and Kendall Avenue.
Officials said one person was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. The extent of their injuries was not known.
The road was temporarily closed while crews worked to clear the scene.
A Channel 11 photographer captured video of the sheared utility pole and of the vehicle, which had extensive damage.
The road has since reopened.
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©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/pole-sheared-site-bellevue-crash-1-injured/D5WMSJ4VNRCNBI4LYLZMAHH4RY/ | 2023-06-23T10:42:17 | 1 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/pole-sheared-site-bellevue-crash-1-injured/D5WMSJ4VNRCNBI4LYLZMAHH4RY/ |
Was your child locked down at school? Here's what Carlsbad schools are doing about it
CARLSBAD ― A string of lockdowns at Carlsbad schools during the last academic year left the community on edge, with parents and officials looking for better ways to protect children.
Records reviewed by the Carlsbad Current-Argus show schools were forced to go into at least eight lockdowns.
In four of those cases, authorities determined the threats were unfounded, and in a fifth case it’s unclear what the investigation into a social media post revealed. Two other lockdowns were triggered by disturbances near schools — one in which someone was walking with a BB gun and the other in which a group of people were arguing. Rounding out the list of incidents was a SWAT operation in a neighborhood that sent the nearby school into lockdown.
The newspaper, via the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act, examined incident reports and narratives from the Carlsbad Police Department. The cases underscore the growing challenges educators and law enforcement officers face trying to identify real threats as gun violence and mass shootings continue to rise in America.
It's prompted Carlsbad Municipal Schools officials make changes to safety and security on campuses. They're also talking about what they can do different to assess threats and prevent attacks.
More:CMS and City of Carlsbad work to increase police presence at local schools
School lockdowns in Carlsbad: A timeline
The lockdowns occurred at four schools from August 2022 to May. Here's a look at what the Current-Argus found on each incident:
May 16 and 18, 2023 lockdowns at Desert Willow Elementary
The most recent lockdowns were called at Desert Willow Elementary School, records show. The reasons listed were “disturbance” in the first incident and a man with a gun two days later.
On May 16, police said a school official reported that a man was observed loading a rifle near the school and then walking toward the building. Police placed Desert Willow on lockdown and secured a perimeter.
More:City of Carlsbad top 3 wishes for capital spending. Here is what we know for 2025-2029
Police stopped a man nearby and said he was walking toward his home carrying an inoperable BB gun. He was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct, although court records indicate no charges were filed against him, and the charge was not pursued.
Two days later, again at Desert Willow, police were called by a parent who said her 16-year-old daughter was dropping off the other kids when she saw a man with a gun walking toward the school.
This time, the lockdown took effect as police checked security camera footage. About two hours later officers determined the threat was unfounded, and the school returned to normal operations.
More:Carlsbad man charged with homicide by vehicle out on bail while awaiting trial
April 28, 2023 lockdown at Sunset Elementary
About two weeks earlier, police locked down Sunset Elementary during a SWAT operation at a nearby home that's in the 1400 block of Edward Street.
In that case, police were serving a search warrant to someone with connection to several violent crimes who they said lives at the home and believed to be armed.
A 7-year-old child, who also is known to live there, was dropped off by his mother at school ahead of the mission, police said.
More:Dell City man killed in truck crash in Culberson County, Texas near Guadalupe Mountains
Police used gas and arrested several people. The school lifted the lockdown about an hour later.
Aug. 30, 2022 and Feb. 28, 2023 lockdowns at Carlsbad High
Carlsbad High School had two lockdowns. The August 2022 incident was prompted after someone alerted police about posts on the social app Yik Yak that indicated a shooting would occur. Police gave no details on that Feb. 28 lockdown.
In the Aug. 30, 2022 case, Carlsbad police were able to track the statements to students that same day. Officers found no credible threats to school safety.
More:Carlsbad police struggled to solve Donna Hyatt's murder for decades. DNA brought answers
August 2022 and February 2023 lockdowns at Alta Vista
Three other lockdowns were called at Alta Vista Middle School on Aug. 22 and Aug. 23, 2022 and again on Feb. 21, 2023.
Both of the August 2022 lockdowns were in response to welfare check, records show. The February incident was listed as a “disturbance.”
More:Fatal shooting of 15-year-old boy in Carlsbad followed fight at apartment, police say
Records show in the Aug. 22 incident, a caller reported a student showed her son a gun but said it was left at a bus stop. The Aug. 23 lockdown was in response to a student “bragging about having a gun on the property.”
The Feb. 21 lockdown was called when a group of people were seen arguing in front of the school, and police reportedly observed one of them had a gun.
Police said the people arguing left the scene, and no threat remained for the school.
More:Program targets semitrailer safety awareness in Eddy County
See something? Say Something. Students and parents can anonymously submit reports of suspicious activity, bullying and other issues to Carlsbad Municipal Schools by visiting anonymousalerts.com/carlsbadms.
What are Carlsbad school leaders doing about the threats?
That series of incidents and potential threats to students left Carlsbad Municipal Schools retooling some of its security measures and how it identifies threats of violence from students and the community.
This included adding security cameras and designing security vestibules to prevent people from entering school buildings without permission, said Superintendent Gerry Washburn.
Washburn said the district also sought state funding to hire five additional school resource officers. SROs are sworn police officers who are assigned to keep school grounds safe.
More:Artesia mother Alexee Trevizo accused of killing newborn released by court ahead of trial
There are two SROs for the entire district, he said, and each position requires $125,000 to fund.
Despite many threats deemed unfounded in the last year, officials continued to take them seriously, Washburn said, amid the proliferation of social media giving a higher platform to gossip and rumors.
“It’s the equivalent of yelling fire in a theater. You just scare everyone,” Washburn said. “People have a right to be concerned. Terrible things have happened. Everything this year has been driven by social media.”
More:Carlsbad schools working to meet new state mandates for 'at-risk' students, class hours
Carlsbad Police Cpl. Tony Baca said the authorities can respond in two different ways when facing an active school threat.
For threats active on school property, police will institute a lockdown, closing the school off from outside access and calling for people to find a safe place to barricade.
They can also call for a shelter-in-place, Baca said, when there is police activity nearby. These operations allow people to move throughout the building but restrict them from leaving campus.
More:Trial delayed for Alexis Murray, mother of Brent Sullivan who died of fentanyl overdose
Police also follow up on threats that include notes in the bathroom or statements made by students, investigating and hoping to debunk the threats as unfounded.
“They’re almost all hoaxes,” Washburn said. “We have to take every one of them as if they’re real. No one wants to be the group that said it’s not a big deal, and then something terrible happens. We just need cooperation from the public to not share things far and wide.”
But when a specific student might be in danger of bringing violence to a Carlsbad school, police plan to use a new form of threat assessment next year, examining students psychologically to determine if a true threat exists.
Baca said it will include interviewing witnesses and the student in question. Police will also evaluate a student's home and academic situation and provide counseling to prevent a situation from escalating.
Officers look for a combination of severe mental trauma and access to firearms when determining a high risk, he said.
“We look at the facts,” Baca said. “We look at the totality of the situation. It’s the right way to do it.”
Lt. Andrew Swanson said it is important law enforcement and school district officials work hand-in-hand to find and neutralize threats before they become tragic.
“It’s not just a P.D. issue,” he said. “The onus is not just on the schools. It’s multi-faceted. It’s a group effort.”
Swanson said police operate under and assumption that an incident could occur on school grounds.
He said since a mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas left 21 dead and 18 injured in May 2022, officers throughout the nation should be at the ready following this deadliest shooting in the state's history.
“It’s not if, it’s when,” Swanson said. “We treat every one of these threats as the real deal.”
Washburn said the district’s goal to keep kids safe is unchanged but evolved, with more tools being put in place to prevent a tragedy like that coming to Carlsbad.
“I’ve always believed schools are the safest place for kids to be and I believe that with all my heart,” he said. “People that want a 100 percent guarantee, I can’t give them a 100 percent guarantee, but I can give them the closest thing there is to that.”
Adrian Heddencan be reached at 575-628-5516,achedden@currentargus.com or@AdrianHedden on Twitter. | https://www.currentargus.com/story/news/local/2023/06/22/carlsbad-district-police-respond-to-series-of-lockdowns-at-schools-shooting-uvalde-safety-police/70321085007/ | 2023-06-23T10:42:53 | 0 | https://www.currentargus.com/story/news/local/2023/06/22/carlsbad-district-police-respond-to-series-of-lockdowns-at-schools-shooting-uvalde-safety-police/70321085007/ |
Can you buy fireworks in Eddy County? Yes. Here's what you need to know
Amy’s Fireworks general manager Bobby Arnett and employees spent time stocking shelves on Friday with pyrotechnics at the Artesia location on First Street as Fourth of July fireworks sales start next week.
The Roswell-based company's manager said fireworks stands in Chaves and Eddy counties would open in phases.
The Roswell location opens June 20. Firework sales in Artesia should start June 21 or June 22 and Carlsbad sales would start after the Artesia location opens.
After receiving rain in May and portions of June, Eddy County and southeast New Mexico were hit with a hot and dry spell during the week on June 12.
More:Heinrich, Lujan call for funds to protect New Mexico water systems amid statewide drought
The latest drought monitor from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) indicates drought conditions across southeast New Mexico vary from abnormally dry to severe drought.
Under three inches of precipitation was recorded since January at the Cavern City Air Terminal south of Carlsbad, said manager Cari Pickens.
Despite the lack of rain and hot temperatures, Eddy County Fire and Rescue (ECFR) Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal Jarod Zuniga does not expect a ban or restrictions on fireworks sales in portions of Eddy County between now and the Fourth of July.
“To ban or restrict fireworks, requires the (Eddy) County Commission to take that action. I have not heard of Eddy County looking to do this. Next Tuesday (June 20) is the last meeting before July 4 and there is no action item on the agenda,” he said.
Arnett said late arrival of hot and dry weather came at a good time for fireworks vendors like Amy’s.
He said recent rains that fell in portions of Chaves and Eddy counties came at a good time as fireworks sales start June 20 across New Mexico.
More:2023 Fourth of July in Carlsbad should be excellent
Zuniga said fireworks stands operating in Eddy County would have a minimum of two inspections.
“Once by the State Fire Marshal’s office and once by ECFR. We will be inspecting to ensure they are operating safely and within regulations,” he said.
Arnett said Amy’s stands should have a “fairly decent amount of inventory.”
He was not sure of how sales may compare to previous years.
“You never know, it varies from year to year. I think it will be a decent year,” Arnett said.
Fourth of July weather forecast
Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham with the AccuWeather forecast service based in Pennsylvania said forecasts point to increasing heat and winds across Eddy County for the rest of June into early July.
He said a high-pressure system moving into southeast New Mexico in late June could mean little to no rain and above average temperatures.
Buckingham said people igniting fireworks on the Fourth of July should be aware of their surroundings and the forecast.
More:Wildfires burned New Mexico last spring, prompting bill to ban burns during season
“Be mindful of surroundings. There maybe dry tinder (brush) nearby. Check on wind speeds with persistent dryness err on the side of caution,” he said.
Some state parks under fire restrictions
Anyone in Eddy County seeking refuge from the heat at Brantley Lake State Park should be aware Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are in place.
“This means building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, charcoal, coal, or wood stove is prohibited,” said Wendy Mason, spokesperson for the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Division (EMNRD) State Parks Department.
“The use of devices fueled solely by liquid petroleum or liquid propane gas (LPG) fuels that can be turned on and off is allowed. Such devices can only be used in an area that is barren or cleared of all overhead and surrounding flammable materials within three feet of the device. Smoking is prohibited, except within an enclosed vehicle or building,” she added.
Mason said the State Forester has not placed any restrictions at this time.
“But depending on local conditions, State Parks have the discretion to go into or remain in, fire restrictions at any time. Fireworks are always prohibited within state parks unless advanced approval is received from the agency,” she said.
City of Carlsbad has certain rules governing fireworks sale and usage
- The sale or use of any aerial device or ground audible device is prohibited, according to the City of Carlsbad Fireworks Licensing and Safety ordinance.
- Permits for fireworks sales in the City of Carlsbad require a city business license and separate permits for retail locations.
- No one shall be issued a permit for the sale of fireworks in the city unless an appropriate license or permit was obtained from the state.
- It is unlawful to sell fireworks to children under 16 years of age or anyone intoxicated.
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter. | https://www.currentargus.com/story/news/local/2023/06/22/fire-works-sales-proceed-in-eddy-county-despite-heat-and-drought-fourth-of-july-fireworks-sales/70314784007/ | 2023-06-23T10:42:59 | 1 | https://www.currentargus.com/story/news/local/2023/06/22/fire-works-sales-proceed-in-eddy-county-despite-heat-and-drought-fourth-of-july-fireworks-sales/70314784007/ |
Love the Hub, TXU donate cool relief to hundreds in Lubbock
Amid a record-breaking heat wave gripping the Hub City this week, volunteers from nonprofit Love the Hub and TXU Energy distributed hundreds of free box fans and window air-conditioning units in the Heart of Lubbock Thursday morning.
TXU, one of the retail electric providers expected to enter the Lubbock market sometime in 2024, donated $25,000 to Love the Hub to put toward the project as part of TXU's "Beat the Heat" initiative.
The money provided 275 fans and 70 window A/C units for Lubbock families.
"This is the 25th year of our Beat the Heat, and our very first in Lubbock," said Kim Campbell, senior manager of customer advocacy for TXU. "We wanted to do something that really ingrained us into the community, and partnering with Love the Hub is a great way to do that."
People started lining up outside of the CO-OP Church, 2005 Ave. T, at 7 a.m., three hours before the relief would be handed out. The final fan for the event was handed out around 11:50 a.m.
"We were a little surprised by the overwhelming turnout," Campbell said. "I think that speaks volumes to the needs in the community, and we're very thankful we're able to help."
Love the Hub, a 501c3 nonprofit that began during the pandemic, is a newer nonprofit to Lubbock and the surrounding area. The group aims to help people through temporary crises by helping with rent, utilities and food.
People can get assistance from and donate to Love the Hub by visiting lovethehub.org. Assistance applications open Tuesdays at 9 a.m. and are limited.
"We've noticed that there's some rising needs here in the Lubbock community, and we want to try and better support," said Josh Hurst, executive director for Love the Hub.
TXU has partnered with Meals on Wheels for another Beat the Heat event in July. Nonprofits or potential partners who want to reach out to TXU can contact them via emailing energyaid@txu.com.
Campbell also mentioned that once the energy market opens in Lubbock, they will begin a program to help customers in crisis situations. | https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/hundreds-in-lubbock-receive-free-fans-ac-units-from-love-the-hub-txu/70347077007/ | 2023-06-23T10:53:57 | 1 | https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/hundreds-in-lubbock-receive-free-fans-ac-units-from-love-the-hub-txu/70347077007/ |
PLEASANTVILLE — It is graduation season, and students are preparing to embark onto the next chapter of their lives.
One local school is drawing the praise of students and casino insiders alike for readying its pupils to enter into the staple industry of the Atlantic City area.
The Casino Dealer Division of the T. Byrd Training Center is now graduating students into the workforce. It recently held its first graduation ceremony and expects to graduate another set of students in a couple of weeks. The school is state certified as an official job training program.
Angel Jones, director of the casino dealer program and a longtime dealers teacher, spoke about what the school’s success signified for her and the community.
“It was something that I dreamed about, to be a director of a state-approved school,” Jones said at a graduation ceremony in May. “My passion is just to help people.”
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The casino school held a grand opening last fall. Classes began at the school in April, and it held its first graduation in May. Its curriculum includes lessons on how to deal a combination of games, potentially including mini baccarat, blackjack, craps, poker and roulette. The specific games featured can be adjusted, school officials said, based on the expressed needs of partner casinos.
Recent graduates expressed their enthusiasm for the program. Kamia Walker, 35, of Mays Landing, said the school let her pursue a career in a field she has always enjoyed. She said she had a job lined up for her at Resorts Casino Hotel. Her family was in attendance to congratulate Walker at the May graduation, which included freshly cooked food, cake and the band Angela Burton & Passion playing live music.
“I love talking, I love having fun, I love hosting and I love playing games. ... It really means a lot to me,” Walker said. “I haven’t been to school in like a decade, so they’re really, really proud of me. They’re really happy that I took the time out to try and better myself and move forward.”
Daniel Harlan, 19, of Absecon, said, “I want to make sure I get a good future, make sure I’m making some money and doing good for myself, being successful. I’m going to go out here, make it big, get it going. ... I want to go ahead and make my mom proud.”
ATLANTIC CITY — An Atlantic County woman won it all Saturday night.
In addition to helping newcomers, the school helps those with experience hone their skills. Niasia Miller, a 22-year-old woman originally from Pleasantville who lives in Atlantic City, said she previously dealt for an online gaming platform. She said the school taught her aspects of dealing unique to the in-person experience, including counting chips, handling money and dealing with players.
“It came easy to me, and I really liked it, so I figured why don’t I come on the table floor and do it,” Miller said of her experience with online gaming. “Here (at the T. Byrd Center) we learned everything.”
New challenges
Jones has decades of experience in dealing, having started in 1979, and has been teaching how to deal since 1994. She also is the CEO of the Casino Dealers Academy at the Tilton Shopping Center in Northfield and works to provide hospice care to people in the community.
In recent years, however, Jones has endured a gauntlet of new challenges in her teaching career. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Northfield school into dire straits and left the future of her casino teaching career in doubt. She also described an arduous process to obtain state accreditation for the school at the T. Byrd Training Center and other challenges in getting the school off the ground.
“We just hung in there and waited and waited,” Jones said. “Since I’ve been doing this for so long, it’s been an experience because all these people ... have jobs lined up.”
The T. Byrd center had been the site of a computer-training school, led by its namesake and CEO, Trina Byrd, who said she has been involved in computer teaching for more than 20 years. When many of those classes were moved to a virtual setting, Byrd said she needed to find a new purpose. She said the dealing classes thus far have proved to be a success, helping young people into what she described as a growing casino industry.
“It’s rewarding. It's what we call today a pivot,” Byrd said. “The demand for casino jobs in this area is enormous.”
ATLANTIC CITY — John DeRichie set up beyond the 3-point line and watched as the play unfolded.
That sentiment was reflected by several casino officials who have worked with Jones’ school. Peter Perfetti, a casino manager at Bally’s Atlantic City, said he had directed several students to the T. Byrd center to prepare for the role. He said it was natural for Bally’s to have made “a good partner” with the new school.
“I have a couple of them on the floor right now, and they’re doing a great job,” Perfetti said of the students. “I saw an opportunity for them.”
Perfetti said casinos in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and nationwide are facing a shortage of dealers amid a tight labor market and an economy growing following pandemic public-health shutdowns. He said programs such as Jones’ could help satisfy the demand for new dealers in the region.
Diane Spiers, vice president of marketing and public relations at Bally’s, agreed and added that having a deep stock of well-trained dealers would improve the gaming experience for casino patrons.
“It’s a win-win for everybody,” Spiers said.
Barbara Hulsizer, vice president for workforce development at Resorts, said the casino was “thrilled to be partnered with Trina Byrd and Angel Jones.” She described the new school as an exceptional, grassroots service that was critically needed given the tight labor market.
“Their Table Games Professional program is the most comprehensive in the area and provides an emphasis on customer service,” Hulsizer said. “So far, the program has produced graduates with exceptional skills who are poised to have long, successful careers at Resorts.”
State assistance
ATLANTIC CITY — With the past several years bringing health inequities to the forefront, the…
Those pursuing a career at the school will be able to do so with support from Trenton.
Tuition is $5,000 for 240 hours of training and certification in two table games, such as blackjack or mini baccarat; and three carnival games, including three-card poker, four-card poker and let it ride. Byrd said tuition is fully covered by a state workforce development grant, so students paid nothing out of pocket. To apply for a grant, Byrd added, students can contact the Atlantic County One Stop Career Center, located on Main Street in Pleasantville, at 609-485-0052 and schedule an in-person or virtual workforce-development orientation session.
Another recent graduate, Hamzah Aijaz, 24, of Galloway Township, said the casino school can be a critical resource for those looking for a new job or career.
“Many times, we’re not given the opportunity to excel, and life is kind of tough when you’re not given opportunity, especially when you’re unemployed,” Aijaz said. “It’s overwhelming when people ... give you the opportunity to do well.”
Claria Barrigher, of Atlantic City, said she was eager to challenge herself by joining the school. She said she was motivated to enroll to become a positive role model for her young children and let them know anything is possible.
“I like challenges. I felt like it was going to be something hard for me to do, which it was," Barrigher said. “But you know, I conquered it. I did it, and I succeeded and now I’m a graduate.” | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/pleasantville-dealer-school-students-partnering-with-local-casinos-in-win-win/article_64e49e10-0e32-11ee-8f3d-0b5ea8890d7d.html | 2023-06-23T10:59:54 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/pleasantville-dealer-school-students-partnering-with-local-casinos-in-win-win/article_64e49e10-0e32-11ee-8f3d-0b5ea8890d7d.html |
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — SpaceX is counting down to the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket that’s scheduled to lift off Friday morning.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
The rocket will aim to send another batch of Starlink satellites into orbit.
The 56 satellites are meant to provide internet in rural and hard-to-reach locations, worldwide.
READ: Tropical Storm Cindy develops in the Atlantic
Targeting Friday, June 23 at 9:56 a.m. ET for Falcon 9’s launch of 56 @Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from SLC-40 in Florida → https://t.co/SpsRVRsvz1
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 22, 2023
Liftoff is scheduled for 9:56 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
If the launch happens, you can watch it live here and on Channel 9.
50 schools across Rwanda are now connected with Starlink’s high-speed internet ❤️🛰️🇷🇼
— Starlink (@Starlink) June 22, 2023
h/t @RwandaGov and @InstituteGC → https://t.co/jSYsrZYAX4 pic.twitter.com/5bT0ynP15K
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/today-spacex-launch-more-starlink-satellites-space-coast/CWF2DPJHT5E2NI7C6I2YLFNL4E/ | 2023-06-23T11:05:18 | 0 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/today-spacex-launch-more-starlink-satellites-space-coast/CWF2DPJHT5E2NI7C6I2YLFNL4E/ |
ORLANDO, Fla. — Channel 9 meteorologists are tracking two tropical storms in the Atlantic on Friday.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
Tropical Storm Bret is moving into the Caribbean as it blows past the Windward Islands.
Read: Hurricane season: Are you ready? Survey says many Floridians are not
Bret is forecast to weaken Saturday and Sunday before it falls apart over the Yucatán Peninsula.
Tropical Storm Cindy formed Thursday night as it continues to move through the Atlantic.
Read: NOAA forecasters release predictions for 2023 Atlantic hurricane season
Cindy will gain some strength before it also starts to weaken Sunday and into next week.
It’s unclear where Cindy will go next week.
Read: 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/ts-bret-cindy-continue-westward-moves-both-storms-set-weaken-over-weekend/IPN5CPKJPZBR3CFHR6BOZNWZII/ | 2023-06-23T11:05:18 | 1 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/ts-bret-cindy-continue-westward-moves-both-storms-set-weaken-over-weekend/IPN5CPKJPZBR3CFHR6BOZNWZII/ |
Father Mike Hammer of Milwaukee reflected Jesus' compassion in support of people with AIDS
The Rev. Mike Hammer, a well-known Catholic priest in Milwaukee who ministered to people with HIV and AIDs and earned the nickname "the bishop of the east side," is being remembered for his compassionate and joyful nature.
Hammer, who died last week at 80, established the Catholic AIDS Ministry Office at the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Throughout the AIDS epidemic, he spent much of his time with people who were dying of the disease, and presided over hundreds of funerals for its victims.
In recent years Hammer served as an assisting priest at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist and occasionally preached at the Three Holy Women and Old St. Mary parishes on Milwaukee's east side. His down-to-earth homilies touched the hearts of many area Catholics, said his longtime friend, Bob Mansell.
"He just had a way of meeting people where they were at, and trying to speak to their heart," Mansell said.
In the 1980s, Hammer was helping to establish parish councils at every church in the 10-county Milwaukee archdiocese when he read an article about a young man who had been rejected by his friends and family before he died of AIDS. It would change the direction of his life.
Hammer went to St. Joseph's Hospital and asked to meet any AIDS patients in hospice care. The nurse directed him to a dying man whose family refused to visit him, Hammer recounted in an oral history interview conducted in 2017 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Hammer flew to the east coast and asked the man's parents why they hadn't visited. They said their pastor had told them not to; their son had led a sinful life as a gay person.
"What do you think Jesus wants you to do?" Hammer asked.
"And they start crying. And I said, 'Well, then you come.' And they did. They came, and they were with him when he died," Hammer recounted in the UWM interview.
Hammer bridged divide between AIDS patients, families
Born in Beaver Dam, Hammer attended seminary in St. Francis and spent 14 years at St. Veronica and St. Bernadette parishes. Once he got the position creating parish councils, he moved to an apartment on the city's east side, where he said he befriended neighbors who were members of the gay community and learned more about the struggles they faced. He soon founded the Catholic AIDS Ministry Office and it became his full-time work.
Hammer became known for the comfort he offered those suffering from HIV and AIDS, and for his efforts to help repair relationships with estranged family members. In the early years of the crisis, he presided over funerals every week.
At those funerals, Hammer met many religious parents who grieved the loss of their sons but believed they were going to hell for being gay. Hammer offered solace and an opportunity for reconciliation.
"I could say, listen, God is much bigger than all of this. God’s got his arms ready for your son as he has for anyone else," Hammer said in the UWM interview. "That was a really motivating factor for me, to be able to say that on behalf of the church."
Through the Catholic AIDS Ministry Office, Hammer held support groups for those with HIV and AIDS as well as for families and loved ones. He raised money to fund experimental medicines for local patients, and he brought patients to archdiocesan schools to educate children about the disease. In later years, as patients began to live longer, he helped them find stable jobs.
Even though the Milwaukee AIDS Project had its own chaplains, staff often called Hammer to ask him to provide the kind of spiritual guidance no one else could, Mansell said.
As Hammer's reputation grew, AIDS patients who weren't Catholic or even religious reached out to him, asking him to be with them at their deathbed or to preside at their funerals.
Once, a pastor of a different denomination refused to preside at a funeral for the church's beloved organist, who died of AIDS, Hammer said in the UWM interview. Women in the choir asked Hammer if he could hold the funeral, and he did. It's one example of his open-hearted generosity.
"It's simply being who we should be," Hammer said.
Hammer's mission was driven by a deep sense of compassion and faith, his friends said.
"He was very Christ-like in his accepting of folks who were considered outcasts, and the unloved and the unaccepted," Mansell said. "It was living out the Gospel message as Jesus instructed us to do."
The Rev. Tim Kitzke, pastor of the Three Holy Women and Old St. Mary parishes, and Hammer's longtime friend, characterized him as "Big Mike with a gentle soul."
"He was always trying to be present to people in a very joyful way," Kitzke said. "He always stood for something more, and I think it was the value and dignity of the human person."
An outgoing personality and a good listener
Hammer's outgoing personality drew in people from all backgrounds "like a magnet," Mansell said. To mark the 25th anniversary of his ordination as a priest, Hammer joked he invited his closest friends. More than 800 people showed up.
Even as he dealt with health issues in his later years, he was like the "energizer bunny," Kitzke said, helping out at the east-side parishes.
"He was readily available for people and their needs," Kitzke said.
Although he once sported a full beard, as he grew older, Hammer's big, white handlebar mustache became his trademark. "He looks like he’d be more comfortable serving up tequila in a Walker’s Point biker bar than serving communion," a Milwaukee Magazine article said.
In reality, Hammer was "a soft-spoken, teddy bear of a guy," the article said.
In the last year, nurses at the Milwaukee Catholic Home said Hammer was their most-visited resident. Visitors "would just sit there and talk to him for hours," Mansell said.
Hammer's comforting presence soothed others, even in his final days.
Hammer is survived by his siblings, Tony, Chuck and Mary, as well as many nieces and nephews and other relatives.
Hammer's visitation will take place 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on June 27 at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 812 N. Jackson St. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 12 p.m. There will be another set of services on June 29 in Beaver Dam. The visitation will be 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at St. Katharine Drexel Parish, 511 S. Spring St., followed by Mass at 12 p.m. and burial at St. Michael Cemetery. | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/father-mike-hammer-of-milwaukee-reached-out-to-aids-patients/70335378007/ | 2023-06-23T11:08:21 | 1 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/father-mike-hammer-of-milwaukee-reached-out-to-aids-patients/70335378007/ |
25 years ago: Bloomington OKs extra downtown police patrols
Learn to navigate the Newspapers.com database, perform browsing and complex search functions, and save clippings using a free user account. Tutorial developed by the University of Alabama Libraries.
How Time Flies is a daily feature looking back at Pantagraph archives to revisit what was happening in our community and region.
100 years ago
June 23, 1923: From July 6-11, a Chautauqua will be held in Bloomington under the auspices of the Kiwanis Club. This year, the entire profits will be turned over to the burial ground fund of the American Legion post. Sessions will be at Illinois Wesleyan gym.
75 years ago
June 23, 1948: Establishment of a College of Fine Arts on the Illinois Wesleyan University campus, effective with the new school year in September, was announced by President Merrill J. Holmes. The School of Music, Art and Dramatics are the nucleus of the new College of Fine Arts.
50 years ago
June 23, 1973: With a goal of $150,000 for its new building fund, the Association of Commerce and Industry has $102,000 pledged so far, according to Craig Hart, fund drive chairman. Keith Middleton, ACI president, reported that the building will not be completed until February.
25 years ago
June 23, 1998: Four Bloomington police officers will patrol downtown bar districts on weekend nights to help combat problems associated with drunkenness. The Bloomington City Council voted to spend $10,000 to pay to ensure four officers will be available from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. North Main and Front streets will be the target areas.
101 years ago: See vintage Pantagraph ads from 1922 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/history/25-years-ago-bloomington-oks-extra-downtown-police-patrols/article_c27f069c-106b-11ee-9877-8fe1e1446f26.html | 2023-06-23T11:09:53 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/history/25-years-ago-bloomington-oks-extra-downtown-police-patrols/article_c27f069c-106b-11ee-9877-8fe1e1446f26.html |
Jerome County commissioners have hired legal counsel to help them navigate the situation of the county’s prosecuting attorney facing felony charges in Oregon.
Members of the Jerome law firm Williams Meservy & Larsen met with commissioners for more than an hour Tuesday to discuss legal questions after prosecutor Christopher Bradley Calbo was charged June 5 with a pair of felonies after an alleged domestic dispute during a trip to the Oregon Coast. He was released from jail June 13.
Commissioner Ben Crouch said commissioners have been in communication with Calbo but don’t know where he is.
“I believe he’s in Idaho, but not exactly where,” Crouch said.
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Commissioners had hoped to meet with Calbo to discuss his intentions, but that apparently won’t happen this week. The last communication commissioners received from Calbo, Commissioner Charlie Howell said, was a text message stating he would be absent for an unspecified amount of time.
Despite no time being set, Crouch said he is confident that at one point the commissioners will meet with Calbo. Crouch said it was his opinion that Calbo was trying to sort out the situation and decide what to do.
He said Calbo has assured commissioners that he would do what is best for the county.
It is an unusual situation that commissioners find themselves in, Crouch said. Usually, they depend on the prosecuting attorney for legal advice, but that won’t happen this time because of Calbo’s situation.
Howell said the county has sought advice from the Idaho Attorney General’s office, but the office has provided limited help, so commissioners sought out the law firm, which charges $250 per hour for its work in researching answers to questions the county has.
The situation is awkward because both the commissioners and Calbo hold elected office.
“There is only so much commissioners can do,” Crouch said.
Getting the situation resolved is going to take time, he said.
Howell said that commissioners mean no ill-will toward Calbo.
“We wish him the best,” he said.
Calbo is facing felony charges including coercion and strangulation, and he is facing misdemeanor 4th degree assault and menacing charges from an incident in Lincoln City, Oregon. A police report shows that a woman accused him of physically assaulting her, and a grand jury indicted Calbo on the charges.
The indictment reads that Calbo placed the woman “in fear of imminent serious physical injury.”
Calbo’s next court hearing is set for Aug. 14.
Because of Calbo’s extended absence, commissioners are seeking to hire another deputy prosecutor to help the prosecutor’s office with its caseload.
“We want to take care of the prosecutor’s office,” Howell said. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/jerome-county-hires-law-firm-to-help-them-calbo-situation/article_0c5947b0-114c-11ee-8d27-bb26844e0cc6.html | 2023-06-23T11:21:14 | 0 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/jerome-county-hires-law-firm-to-help-them-calbo-situation/article_0c5947b0-114c-11ee-8d27-bb26844e0cc6.html |
TWIN FALLS — The town is alive with music this summer.
The Twin Falls Municipal Band is in its 118th concert season, with the performances taking place at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Aug. 3 at City Park. Each concert has a theme, and on Thursday it was musicals, with the band playing selections from musicals including Pocahontas, Wicked, and Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Concerts are free, and they usually last until 9 p.m. Residents are invited to bring lawn chairs and food to munch on. Snacks, including popcorn and huge cookies, are available for purchase from the Rotary Club.
Also, the Twin Falls Tonight summer concert series has kicked off at the Downtown Commons. Shenanigans performed Wednesday, playing hit songs from the 1950s to 2000.
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The concerts take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through July 26. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/tf-municipal-band-in-118th-season/article_d06810aa-1124-11ee-8ce6-6b3ac9798922.html | 2023-06-23T11:21:20 | 0 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/tf-municipal-band-in-118th-season/article_d06810aa-1124-11ee-8ce6-6b3ac9798922.html |
Gaylord man accused of home invasion in Bagley Township
GAYLORD — Troopers from the Michigan State Police Gaylord Post were dispatched to a residence in Bagley Township for a breaking and entering in progress on June 16.
The complainant called 911 and told the dispatcher she and two other people were hiding inside a bathroom in the home. A man she knew was outside of the home, kicking the doors while attempting to gain entry. When troopers arrived, they found 35-year-old Anthony Joseph Fortier of Gaylord standing in the driveway.
The entry door to the garage was broken and the glass was smashed. Fortier’s right hand was cut, and he had blood on his hand. The complainant told troopers she had recently ended a relationship with Fortier and moved into her mother’s home.
Fortier was arrested and lodged in the Otsego County Jail. He was arraigned Tuesday in the 87-A District Court in Otsego County on one count Home Invasion Third Degree and Malicious Destruction of Property Greater than $200 but less than $1,000. His bond was set at 10% of $5,000.
His next scheduled court appearance is July 6. | https://www.petoskeynews.com/story/news/local/gaylord/2023/06/23/gaylord-man-accused-of-home-invasion-in-bagley-township/70342324007/ | 2023-06-23T11:33:27 | 0 | https://www.petoskeynews.com/story/news/local/gaylord/2023/06/23/gaylord-man-accused-of-home-invasion-in-bagley-township/70342324007/ |
GAYLORD
MSP golf outing raises $20,000 for book vending machines
Gaylord Herald Times
GAYLORD — Over 100 golfers participated in the second annual S.T.O.P. (State Trooper Outreach Partnership) Golf Outing with the Michigan State Police Gaylord Post on June 16 at the Otsego Resort.
Sgt. Ashley Miller of the state police said the event raised over $20,000.
"We would like to purchase three book vending machines for the elementary schools in Otsego County," said Miller. "We are so thankful for our family, friends, business owners and community members for their time and generosity."
In May students, staff and Michigan State Police troopers were at the South Maple Elementary School in Gaylord for a ribbon-cutting for a new book vending machine. | https://www.petoskeynews.com/story/news/local/gaylord/2023/06/23/msp-golf-outing-raises-20000-for-book-vending-machines/70337267007/ | 2023-06-23T11:33:33 | 1 | https://www.petoskeynews.com/story/news/local/gaylord/2023/06/23/msp-golf-outing-raises-20000-for-book-vending-machines/70337267007/ |
New Gaylord bookstore completes owner's childhood goal
GAYLORD — Lindsay Kline fulfilled a goal she has had since childhood when she recently opened Plot Bound Books in Gaylord.
"I have always wanted to own a bookstore since I was little. We are from Colorado and I originally wanted to open it there. My husband is in the military (at Camp Grayling). I am hoping to fill the void since Saturn closed," Kline said.
Kline's cozy shop is at 131 W. Main St., right next to where the beloved Saturn Books was located for many years until it closed last year. Kline is hopeful that being located next to where Saturn was in the downtown will be advantageous.
More:Owner places for sale sign on Saturn Booksellers as she eyes retirement
"I just need to get my name out there and people need to know I am here. I am near where the old bookstore was so hopefully tourists and others who haven't been downtown in awhile will check me out," Kline said.
"I had to do this on a small scale because I am doing this with no loans. I even built my own shelving," she added.
Kline carries a variety of book genres.
"I don't have a specialty as I have a little bit of everything. I can order books, which usually takes four to five days," she said.
Despite the trend towards digital, Kline said there is still a demand for print.
"I feel that the demand has gone up since Covid. More people want to hold a book thanks to TikTok and Instagram. The book smell is very important to some. A lot of people will have a copy on their Kindle and a physical copy," said Kline.
Kline's store has been open since Memorial Day weekend and she has noticed that so far readers seem to be interested in mystery/thriller, romance and science fiction works.
Her nonfiction section is small because "when I made my first order some got lost in transit. Slowly but surely I am adding to it every day," she said.
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Plot Bound Books is closed on Wednesday but open the other days, including Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
"I think everyone recognizes that it is important to have local shops, especially in the downtown. As long as the community supports me I will be able to grow," Kline said.
— Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com. | https://www.petoskeynews.com/story/news/local/gaylord/2023/06/23/new-gaylord-bookstore-completes-owners-childhood-goal/70338176007/ | 2023-06-23T11:33:39 | 1 | https://www.petoskeynews.com/story/news/local/gaylord/2023/06/23/new-gaylord-bookstore-completes-owners-childhood-goal/70338176007/ |
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The business has two locations, in Richmond’s Carytown at 3449 W. Cary St. and Henrico County’s 5404 Lakeside Ave. Both the businesses and the building at 3449 W. Cary St. are for sale.
Owner Mike Barber said this was not an overnight decision, as he has been struggling with his health.
“I’ve fought for as long as I could,” said Barber, adding that even though business is booming, it’s the right thing to do.
Principal broker Nathan Hughes with Sperity Ventures is listing the businesses and co-listing the real estate with Tony Rolando at Pollard & Bagby.
The property on Cary Street is priced at $675,000, according to Rolando.
Barber said he hopes for an energetic and excited owner who will continue his legacy to give Richmond a great product.
“We have worked incredibly hard to build this restaurant, put in blood, sweat and tears and everything we have to make sure we make Richmond a better place,” Barber said.
Barber established Carytown Burgers & Fries in 1999. Though not a Richmond native, he said the city is a great place to start a successful restaurant, and it’s a good test market for more than one restaurant.
Since then, the business has accrued multiple awards and lists, landing on many top 10 lists such as the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Best list, Richmond Magazine’s Best of Richmond and more.
“My goal is to have that continue without any disruption,” Barber said.
The secret to Carytown Burgers’ success is the quality of the meat and getting the best products, Barber said. He is hoping for a smooth transition, with a full staff in place, catering events booked out for months, and the opportunity for business expansions.
“If I wasn’t sick, and my doctors weren’t telling me I have to stop, I would still be here,” Barber said.
He has been dealing with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, and cancer surgeries, so it’s time to take care of his health, he said.
He has notified management, his “core people,” and has received their full support.
“They’re obviously going to stick around and do whatever it takes to make the transition as easy on the next owner as possible,” Barber said.
Any parties interested in the location can contact Hughes at (804) 464-3898 or Rolando at (804) 647-6700.
Top five weekend events: 'Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,' David Cross & Caribbean Fest
Ember Music Hall, a new music venue from the LX Group, is set to open in July at 309 E. Broad St.
After 24 years, Mike Barber, the owner of Carytown Burgers & Fries, is selling the Richmond and Henrico County businesses and the building at 3449 W. Cary St.
The business has two locations, in Richmond's Carytown at 3449 W. Cary St. and Henrico County's 5404 Lakeside Ave. Both the businesses and the building on 3449 W. Cary St. are for sale. | https://richmond.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/legendary-richmond-spot-carytown-burgers-fries-is-for-sale/article_ce3c4878-1124-11ee-9696-27ce077f7e22.html | 2023-06-23T11:34:12 | 1 | https://richmond.com/life-entertainment/local/food-drink/legendary-richmond-spot-carytown-burgers-fries-is-for-sale/article_ce3c4878-1124-11ee-9696-27ce077f7e22.html |
Ember Music Hall, a new music venue from the LX Group, is set to open in July at 309 E. Broad St.
The music hall will host a wide range of music and genres, featuring live bands, nationally renowned DJs, and singers. It will have a standing room capacity of 370, with an additional 72 VIP elevated seats available.
“Ember is our passion project,” Kunal Shah, managing partner at LX Group, said. “We always had a plan to build a live music venue in Richmond.”
Shah and Neal Patel own the LX Group, which operates Kabana Rooftop, Nama, and Switch. They also have part ownership in Juan’s Rooftop and Cantina, Wok This Way, Botanya Restaurant and Bar and Casta’s Rum Bar.
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“We began as talent buyers and promoters in D.C. from the late 90s to the early 2000s,” Shah said. They booked shows at the 9:30 Club and The Echostage in D.C., before moving to Richmond to launch Kabana.
Shah and Patel grew up in Richmond, with Shah graduating from Collegiate School and Patel graduating from Miles E. Godwin High School. They moved back to Richmond in 2013, when they felt the D.C. music scene was getting saturated.
“We decided to move our whole company down here,” Shah said. “We’ve been waiting for the perfect time, getting our feet on the ground here in Richmond, understanding the market. This was the perfect year to do it.”
They partnered with their long-time friend Aditya Mehta, from Kabana, to launch Ember.
Patel said the group was looking to find a space in the heart of downtown in the Arts District that stuck “the right balance between size and intimacy. After nearly two years of searching, we finally came across this space at 309 E. Broad St.”
Ember is located across the street from Mike Lindsey's ML Steak and a few blocks away from The National, another prominent music venue with a capacity for 1,500 in downtown Richmond.
The space will have a box office, green rooms, an A/V lighting room, elevated VIP seating, a standing room area, multiple bars, and a stage. The vibe is dark and industrial, with two rose-gold steel plated bars that can handle sound vibrations. Teal banquettes line the perimeter of the room for additional and VIP seating. Ember has invested in sound and lighting with the ability to host a high-end LED visual experience.
“We can also do a 360 experience. The new trend at a lot of concerts (is that) DJs play in the middle. The crowd has a more up-close experience with the artist,” Shah said.
“Electronic DJs are very particular about venues. If you don’t have certain visuals and tech specs, they won’t perform in your room,” Shah said.
Ember has invested in over 90 units of intelligent lighting and DMX lighting, plus 80 LED screens behind the stage, for electronic DJs and performers.
For frame of reference, The Broadberry has a capacity for 550, Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House is 300 and The Camel is 150.
Ember Music Hall is designed for a standing experience, with VIP banquettes also available. Standard American fare will be served, such as flatbreads and chicken fingers, plus mixed drinks, frozen drinks and VIP bottle service.
Ember is scheduled to open the week of July 17. Opening week lineup includes country, Southern rockers Texas Hill on July 19, Charlottesville rock and roll band The Barons on July 21, and Ookay, a California DJ, on July 22. Tickets for local performers will run $10-$25 and national touring artists are expected to cost $20-$40.
Ember expects to hire 30 to 40 staffers and is currently in the hiring process.
"We are extremely excited to return to our roots of organizing shows and owning our own live music venue," Patel said. “Ember has always been our dream project, driven by our unwavering passion for the live music scene.”
For more details, visit the Ember Music website at https://embermusichall.com. | https://richmond.com/life-entertainment/local/music/ember-music-hall-new-music-venue-to-open-on-broad-street/article_62e4c03e-1104-11ee-83a8-b380fc737482.html | 2023-06-23T11:34:18 | 0 | https://richmond.com/life-entertainment/local/music/ember-music-hall-new-music-venue-to-open-on-broad-street/article_62e4c03e-1104-11ee-83a8-b380fc737482.html |
The Henrico Sports and Events Center is edging ever closer to full completion. It’s already been booked for most of the first year when it opens its doors in October.
The recently created Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority, which oversees the facility, opened it June 20 for a first tour of its interior.
The Entertainment Authority announced that it had finalized contracts covering 135 event dates from October through 2024. It also said that based on current discussions, that number could double.
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The 185,000-square foot facility will be able to host a number of event types from sports, to concerts and graduations. Many of the booked events are youth sports tournaments while Henrico County will also move its graduations to the massive facility.
The interior can hold about 12 basketball courts, or 24 volleyball courts. One side converts into a 3,500 seat arena. The Atlantic 10 Conference recently announced that it will be holding its end of season women's basketball tournaments in the arena for 2024 and 2025, with talks of more events like concerts, consumer shows and trade shows.
“This is not a gymnasium. This is a multi-purpose event center,” said Dennis Bickmeier, executive director for the Henrico Sports and Entertainment Authority. “And we've been very purposeful in how we've approached the construction of this building and the amenities that we are bringing to this building. These amenities will serve for all these event promoters, those amenities will serve your guests well.”
Some of those amenities are features like upstairs terraces that can allow recruiting college coaches to watch youth athletes play, without breaking NCAA rules around recruiting contact. It also has facets such as a room for press conferences and a two-level café, restaurant area that will have TVs for the feeling of a sports bar.
The Entertainment Authority announced the names of 31 organizations that are going to use the facility in the coming year.
One of those groups is FutsalRVA. Futsal is a soccer-like game played in a hard court, like a basketball court. It uses smaller goals and is known for the increased level of skill it takes to control the smaller, harder ball and is a valuable developmental tool for full field soccer players. Many of the world’s best soccer players grew up playing it.
FutsalRVA has been spread in facilities across the region but will now be able to host all 200 of its teams in one location.
“Just having this facility is priceless. This is going to be able to open the game of futsal to many more kids,” said Greg Simmonds, FutsalRVA vice president.
Simmonds said his goal is to bring the U.S. Youth Futsal national championship to Henrico in the coming years.
The Henrico Sports and Events Center will have successfully pulled an event from a competing area upon opening. For more than 20 years, Special Olympics of Virginia has held its tournaments and events at high schools across Northern Virginia. Now its moving to put everything under one roof in Henrico.
“When this facility began construction, we started looking at ways that we could be more efficient, more effective, provide a better atmosphere for our athletes,” said Roy Zeidman, senior vice president for Special Olympics Virginia. “And we think this facility is going to do that for us because having everybody in one location, instead of spread out among 10 or 12 locations, makes it much easier for us to manage.
Sports tourism as a driver for economic development
Henrico County has been heavily promoting sports tourism as way to achieve development growth in the county. While many local groups have a new place to play sports like basketball, futsal, volleyball and cheer, many of the booked events are bringing hundreds of people from out of town.
Henrico estimated that it could double the annual economic impact from sports tourism from $60 million to $120 million once the center opens on Oct. 12.
Richmond Region Tourism said in October 2022 that 70% of its bookings over the previous year were made because of sports tourism. Across all of Central Virginia, that accounted for about $89 million in economic impact for 2022.
Henrico’s founding of its Sports and Entertainment Authority in 2022 and the appointment of Bickmeier – who previously led the Richmond Raceway – showed the county’s decision to double down on sports as a way to bring in revenue.
Bickmeier said he floated the idea to the county and consideration for the facility happened as far back as 2016. The county fact-finding mission brought it to other large indoor facilities like the Rocky Mount Event Center and Spooky Nook locations in Pennsylvania.
Each is tailored slightly differently. Rocky Mount’s facility doubles its sports space as a convention center. Bickmeier said the convertibility into a live event venue is Henrico’s distinguishing characteristic.
“It wouldn't be out of the question to do a concert we've had, we've talked to concerts. We've talked to consumer shows and trade shows and we want to try to set up in there. So we're open to a lot of different things just because the building allows for that kind of variety.”
Ultimately, the Sports and Events Center will be the “little brother” to the 17,000 seat arena included in the $2.3 Billion GreenCity ecodistrict coming a few miles away.
“This building will fit a niche and I think that’s key,” Bickmeier said. "Women’s basketball, a big high school showcase, those are things that fit very nicely in a building like this where you can have them here and have a couple thousand tickets sold and create an amazing atmosphere." | https://richmond.com/news/local/business/henrico-sports-and-events-center-to-bring-at-least-135-events-to-the-area-opening/article_0be4dccc-1070-11ee-b74c-3bb2c7410090.html | 2023-06-23T11:34:24 | 0 | https://richmond.com/news/local/business/henrico-sports-and-events-center-to-bring-at-least-135-events-to-the-area-opening/article_0be4dccc-1070-11ee-b74c-3bb2c7410090.html |
NORTHFIELD — Atlantic County is maintaining its high credit ratings that it has for the past 15 years, officials said on Thursday.
Both Moody's Investors and Standard & Poor's have given the county in their latest report rating of Aa2 and AA, respectively, officials said in a news release.
A high credit grade keeps interest rates imposed on the county low for capital improvements and purchases, officials said.
“Atlantic County has once again earned an A on its financial report card,” said County Executive Dennis Levinson in a statement. “The financial team we have put in place does an outstanding job in keeping the best interests of our taxpayers a priority.”
The continued rating is important now, more than ever, because inflation continues to impact the U.S. economy. The ratings help alleviate a higher burden put on taxpayers, Levinson said.
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“As the public struggles with higher costs for housing, food and recreation, they can be assured that Atlantic County is working to keep more money in their pockets," he said.
Both credit accessors factored in the county's strong management, conservative financial practices and aggressive economic development, officials said.
“The stable outlook reflects our expectations that given management’s strong track record and detailed planning, the county’s finances will continue the historic trend of remarkable stability,” Moody's said in a statement provided by county officials.
Long-term planning includes a seven-year financial plan, with annual updates and quarterly budget-to-actual monitoring and reporting, in addition to a six-year capital improvement plan with identified projects and funding resources, officials said.
The county’s strong liquidity, low debt and deep reserves were highlighted by both agencies. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/atlanticcounty-newjersey-bond-rating/article_2ea47bdc-10fc-11ee-9052-93daf15715dc.html | 2023-06-23T11:35:08 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/atlanticcounty-newjersey-bond-rating/article_2ea47bdc-10fc-11ee-9052-93daf15715dc.html |
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — An 81-year-old man was reported missing in DeKalb County on Thursday, according to police.
Robert Slaton is diagnosed with dementia, so the police department also issued a Mattie's Call. Slaton was last seen wearing a long sleeve blue flannel, and DeKalb County Police Department described him as being 5 feet and 8 inches tall, weighing around 130 pounds.
Its release also stated he had brown eyes, and his hair was black and grey in a low-cut style. A photo was released of Slaton from the police department.
Contact the DeKalb County Police Department to provide any information about Slaton's disappearance.
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- Look at our TV guide to see when we're airing on cable TV | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/missing-in-georgia/matties-call-81-year-old-man-missing-dekalb-county-robert-slaton/85-e59eb56a-6191-4de9-86f4-5c18f7cf7015 | 2023-06-23T11:44:50 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/missing-in-georgia/matties-call-81-year-old-man-missing-dekalb-county-robert-slaton/85-e59eb56a-6191-4de9-86f4-5c18f7cf7015 |
ATLANTA — Conflict is intensifying between the Fulton County sheriff and commission over what to do with the Fulton County Jail's overcrowded, dilapidated and dangerous state.
According to Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, he has been begging the commissioners for millions of dollars to try to alleviate and fix the numerous issues at the jail.
Meanwhile, the commissioners are trying to keep a tighter rein on how the sheriff runs the jail.
No one seems to dispute that the Fulton County Jail, now 40 years old, is worse than it ever was -- unsafe for staff and inmates, understaffed and overcapacity. The county wants to build a new jail, but that's years away.
Labat told commissioners at a recent meeting he doesn’t know how the building is still standing.
“God knows how, at this point,” he said. “Duct tape and bubble gum.”
Sheriff Labat and county commissioners are clashing over how to keep the jail operating without any more violence and deaths inside. For example, the inmate died in his cell last year in inhumane conditions, consumed by bed bugs.
“Hundreds of toilets and sinks out of order,” Labat told commissioners, “it’s a human crisis, and I have been begging for the resources for 887 days....I’m really, really tired of begging for money to do my job.”
Earlier this month, the sheriff asked the commission for $27 million more for the jail as an emergency stopgap. However, Fulton County Vice Chairman Bob Ellis told the sheriff that he wants to see results from the money already spent on the jail to deal with issues like overcrowding.
“I like data, but I damn well like results better,” Ellis said to Labat at the meeting, “and we’ve provided a significant amount of funding.”
That's when Labat interjected. The two began raising their voices, talking over each other until Chair Robb Pitts verbally intervened to stop the argument. Labat told commissioners on Wednesday that he almost quit over that exchange.
“I started to walk out of here,” Labat said, “but I didn’t because what I’m not going to be is the target of anybody’s political aspirations in terms of vacancies.”
The commissioners voted to keep Labat on a short leash, requiring him to report to them monthly about jail conditions and improvements.
All in all, no one seems to be disputing the jail's problems -- just the immediate solutions. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/sheriff-county-commissioners-fulton-county-jail-abat-bob-ellis-funding/85-29b99e7a-cd2f-413f-9d55-ea8705745f7e | 2023-06-23T11:44:56 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/sheriff-county-commissioners-fulton-county-jail-abat-bob-ellis-funding/85-29b99e7a-cd2f-413f-9d55-ea8705745f7e |
New city budget may include higher water, trash bills
Wichita Falls residents may see their bills from the city go up beginning in October.
Although the City Council hasn’t begun actual work on the 2023-24 budget yet, on Tuesday members got a sneak peek at what to expect in a pre-budget workshop presented by City Finance Director Jessica Williams.
Wichitans are likely to see their water bills increase five percent. That decision was actually made months ago when the council decided to spread a 10 percent increase in the bills over two years, rather than hitting customers all at once. A five-percent increase was included in the 2022-23 budget and the other five percent is in the coming budget. That would make the water and sewer bill for a typical residential user $64.45.
Another possible increases in fees for trash service got considerable discussion Tuesday because residents with alley service may see a higher increase than those with curbside service.
Williams said increases are necessary because the cost of picking up the trash has gone up substantially over the past five years and revenue doesn’t support those increases.
Councilors will look at raising curbside pickup by 99 cents a month and alley service by $3 per month. Williams said the cost of providing alley service is far more than providing curb service.
“The curbside customers are subsidizing the alley customers is what it boils down to,” City Manager Darron Leiker said.
“The alley service is so inefficient,” Public Works Director Russell Schreiber said, “and it costs us more.”
He said alley trucks make eight trips per day to the transfer station while curbside trucks make one, plus it has become nearly impossible to find replacement trucks suitable for alley service.
Mayor Stephen Santellana said the council may have to reconsider alley pickup in the future, which presently serves about 30 percent of Wichita Falls customers.
Schreiber said adopting just a single method, such as curbside, may eliminate the need for the aging transfer station, whose primary function is to serve the alley trucks. He said sanitation service will require large capital expenditures in the coming years.
“There’s going to be some hard decisions we all have to make,” Schreiber said.
Because property values increased substantially in the past year, the city will look at cutting its tax rate by two percent and still maintain adequate revenue.
Leiker said the property tax cost per capita in Wichita Falls is lower than many similar cities in Texas.
“Folks here are getting a good bargain for their municipal services,” he said.
The city will not have official property value numbers until late July.
Sales tax revenue, the second largest pot of city money, grew over the past couple of years, but Williams predicted that would level off in 2024.
The city received $29 million from the federal government in the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA), but the government has turned down the city’s plan to use about $5 million of that money for leasing fire equipment, future capital infrastructure and future capital equipment.
Williams’ preliminary budget figures did not include any salary increases for city employees, which she expects to be about six percent.
The council will adopt a final budget Sept. 5. | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/new-city-budget-may-include-higher-water-trash-bills/70346690007/ | 2023-06-23T11:48:50 | 1 | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/new-city-budget-may-include-higher-water-trash-bills/70346690007/ |
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Almost everyone in the Coastal Bend has been able to experience our beaches when summer rolls around. But for those in wheelchairs, that journey to the shore may be a little more difficult.
But after Texas General Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham announced she would be purchasing mobility items for Coastal communities, that journey might become easier.
Buckingham purchased four new wheelchairs for Nueces County and two for the City of Corpus Christi to help those in wheelchairs enjoy our local beaches.
"As Commissioner of the General Land Office and a Texan who grew up on the Texas coast, I just want to be sure that everybody who wants to go to the beach can go to the beach, including those with disabilities," Buckingham said.
Chair of the People with Disabilities Community in Corpus Christi Jennifer Scott said that these accessible additions to our beaches are a must and can make those with disabilities feel and seen.
"We need those specialized wheelchairs for our population that are in wheelchairs to be able to access our beautiful beaches," Scott said. "And that's in anything that we do in the city. I mean, accessibility is extremely important for all of our individuals with disabilities."
Chief Marketing Officer for Visit Corpus Christi Emily Zertuche hopes bringing in more of these resources sets the standard for all beaches in our country.
"It's putting a step forward for the City of Corpus Christi. It's really just bringing Corpus to another level and setting an example for how all beaches should be accessible for everyone," she said.
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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.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/coastal-bend-to-receive-beach-accessible-wheelchairs/503-b4121227-dd07-4d1d-a1d9-5e88ba10ab6b | 2023-06-23T11:50:31 | 1 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/coastal-bend-to-receive-beach-accessible-wheelchairs/503-b4121227-dd07-4d1d-a1d9-5e88ba10ab6b |
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A judge is expected to decide if a trial will proceed for a man accused of stabbing a Daytona Beach couple to death during Bike Week last year.
A competency hearing is scheduled Friday for Jean Macean, who’s accused of randomly attacking Terry and Brenda Aultman in March 2022 on Wild Olive Avenue in Daytona Beach.
Police said the couple was riding their bicycles home from Bike Week festivities when Macean attacked them with a knife, stabbing them and slashing their throats.
In February, a judge ruled Macean had an unspecified psychosis after experts who examined Macean said he experienced auditory and visual hallucinations and had brain trauma.
Last month, however, a doctor from the Florida Department of Children and Families said he no longer meets the criteria for commitment to the Florida State Hospital.
During a hearing last month, state prosecutors said they’re ready to proceed to trial, however, Macean’s defense team maintained he’s incompetent to stand trial and requested an outside evaluation.
The judge gave the defense until June before she moves forward in the process of deciding if he’s competent.
Friday’s hearing is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/06/23/competency-hearing-set-for-man-accused-of-stabbing-daytona-beach-couple-to-death/ | 2023-06-23T11:51:22 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/06/23/competency-hearing-set-for-man-accused-of-stabbing-daytona-beach-couple-to-death/ |
ORLANDO, Fla. – Each year, National HIV Testing Day advocates for people to get tested, know their status, and get information about care and treatment.
HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. If left untreated, HIV can lead to AIDS.
National HIV Testing Day was first observed in 1995, and each year this important day falls on June 27. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this year’s theme is “Take the Test & Take the Next Step.”
About 1.2 million people in the U.S. have HIV, according to the website HIV.gov – and around 13% do now know they are positive.
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Racial and ethnic minorities and gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men are disproportionately impacted by the virus with the the highest rates of new diagnoses continue to occur in the South.
Where to get free HIV tests in Central Florida?
FLAGLER COUNTY
301 Dr. Carter Blvd., Bunnell
386-437-7350
ORANGE COUNTY
1701 N. Mills Ave., Orlando
407-204-7000
Comprehensive Health Center LLC
1018 W. Oak Ridge Rd., Orlando
407-859-8797
Hope and Help Center of Central Florida Inc.
4122 Metric Drive, Winter Park
407-645-2577
189 S. Orange Ave., Orlando
407-777-2022
801 N. Magnolia Ave., Orlando
321-800-2922
711 Seminole Ave., Orlando
407-532-0070
1695 Lee Road. Winter Park
407-745-1171
946 N. Mills Ave., Orlando
407-228-8272
VOLUSIA COUNTY
1702 Ridgewood Ave., Holly Hill
904-458-5444
Florida Health Volusia County (multiple locations)
1845 Holsonback Drive, Daytona Beach
386-274-0634
717 W. Canal Street, New Smyrna Beach
386-424-2065
775 Harley Strickland Blvd., Orange City
Suite 106, 108, 110
386-457-6300
1435 Dunn Ave, Daytona Beach
Suite #101
386-274-7651
340 S Woodland Blvd., DeLand
386-202-4209
The Florida Department of Health also offers free at-home HIV testing kits for residents of Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Brevard counties. Learn more by visiting the Talk Test Treat Central Florida website here. The self-administered kit will be mailed to individuals at no cost and comes with step-by-step instructions, the oral testing swab, and test tube.
There are three types of HIV tests: antibody tests, antigen/antibody tests, and nucleic acid tests (NAT).
Antibody Test
An antibody test looks for antibodies to HIV in your blood or oral fluid.
- Most rapid tests and the only HIV self-test approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are antibody tests.
- In general, antibody tests that use blood from a vein can detect HIV sooner than tests done with blood from a finger stick or with oral fluid.
Antigen/Antibody Test
An antigen/antibody test looks for both HIV antibodies and antigens.
- Antigen/antibody tests are recommended for testing done in labs and are common in the U.S. This lab test involves drawing blood from a vein.
- There is also a rapid antigen/antibody test available that is done with blood from a finger stick.
Nucleic Acid Test (NAT)
A NAT looks for the actual virus in the blood.
- With a NAT, the health care provider will draw blood from your vein and send the sample to a lab for testing.
- This test can tell if a person has HIV or how much virus is present in the blood (HIV viral load test).
- A NAT can detect HIV sooner than other types of tests.
- This test should be considered for people who have had a recent exposure or a possible exposure and have early symptoms of HIV and who have tested negative with an antibody or antigen/antibody test.
The National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative both emphasize diagnosing individuals as soon as possible and ensuring the availability of multiple HIV testing options. If you opt for a self-test, you can learn about both options below.
Today, there are more HIV testing options available than ever before. . Get tested to check your status and be in the know.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/06/23/where-to-get-free-tests-in-central-florida-for-national-hiv-testing-day/ | 2023-06-23T11:51:28 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/06/23/where-to-get-free-tests-in-central-florida-for-national-hiv-testing-day/ |
Miss Volunteer America pageant returns to Jackson for second year, all states participate
As the preliminaries began, one contestant from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia competed in the second annual Miss Volunteer America pageant as night one commenced on Wednesday at the Carl Perkins Civic Center.
A total of 1,205 tickets were sold for the first night of the event as both locals and families and friends of contestants alike traveled from every corner of the country to watch the budding annual competition.
Local educator Mal Matthews kicked off the night promptly at 7 p.m. with the singing of the National Anthem before co-hosts Allison Alderson DeMarcus and her husband Jay took to the stage to introduce the contestants.
Scores are equally based out of 25% each on the following competition phases: Talent, Interview, Evening Gown, and Fitness and Wellness, though the interview portion is not conducted in front of the audience. Contestants are divided into Groups A, B, and C with a different groups performing in different categories every night until the overall winner is announced on Saturday.
To be eligible to compete in the national competition, contestants must have won local and state pageants.
A familiar face for many, Knoxville native Paige Clark, who was crowned as Miss Volunteer Tennessee in 2022, is competing in the pageant. Clark, who is pursuing a degree in the medical field, performed a clogging routine on Wednesday during the Talent competition.
More:'Won the judges' heart': Miss Knoxville Paige Clark is crowned Miss Tennessee Volunteer 2022
Two contestants take the win on Day 1
Miss Indiana Volunteer Stevie Griffin took home the honor for Fitness and Health, an award she described as "the most incredible feeling ever." The Fitness and Health component of the pageant allows contestants to show health and confidence through the swimsuit competition.
Griffin said her focus on fitness also helped to improve her mental health through working out.
"A lot of it was discipline but also just staying dedicated to myself because I knew how I wanted to feel on stage," Griffin said. "It wasn't as much about a physical physique that I was trying to achieve as it was just an emotional feeling. I started working out because I struggled with mental health and being able to work out is like my medicine."
A recent college graduate with a degree in vocal performance, Miss Georgia Volunteer Victoria Hill won the Talent portion of the evening with her performance of Georges Bizet's 1875 "Habanera" from the opera "Carmen."
"I love Carmen because she is a free-spirited woman, and she's confident," Hill said. "I love her confidence because for the longest time, I feel like I've been more of a people-pleaser and now that I'm older I'm like if people don't like me, that's okay, and I'm going to let it roll off my back."
Group B will perform on Thursday night, followed by Group C on Friday night, culminating with the crowning of one of the 15 semi-finalists on Saturday along with the People's Choice winner.
Major tourism driver for Jackson
Darren Lykes, who serves as the Director for Diversity and Inclusion on the national staff for Miss Volunteer America, explained that pageant season is a major tourism driver in Jackson.
"People are coming here, they're staying at AirBnB's, they're staying at hotels, they're eating in our restaurants and there definitely is a huge economic impact on Jackson," Lykes said. "It's one of the largest events in town like this, and it's substantial for our economy in Jackson."
Jackson local pageant visionary Jane Alderson has helped build the foundation of Miss Volunteer America over the past two years as the event draws more and more participants. Last year, drawing participation from over 45 states, the pageant this year includes all states and the District of Columbia.
In 2017, she was named as Jackson Rotary Woman of the Year because of her volunteerism in the community and with Union University.
A renowned figure in the pageant world, Alderson completed the first night without a hitch as the contest moves forward to name its next Miss Volunteer America on Saturday. | https://www.jacksonsun.com/story/news/local/miss-tennessee/2023/06/22/miss-volunteer-america-pageant-kicks-off-for-2nd-year-in-jackson/70344195007/ | 2023-06-23T11:54:58 | 0 | https://www.jacksonsun.com/story/news/local/miss-tennessee/2023/06/22/miss-volunteer-america-pageant-kicks-off-for-2nd-year-in-jackson/70344195007/ |
Good morning, folks, and welcome back to "Long Story Short," the weekly podcast from Lee Enterprises that's loaded with Central Illinois news.
On the pod this week, Jack, Kelsey and Tim are joined by Pantagraph intern reporter Charlotte Calmes!
Together the crew discusses:
Rocky, a 9-year-old boxer, gets ready to be measured for the Guinness World Record's longest tongue on Thursday at Kruger Animal Hospital in Bloomington.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
To read more about any of the stories mentioned this week, find our full reporting at pantagraph.com , herald-review.com and jg-tc.com or download our apps, available for Apple and Android.
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Artistic Director John C. Stark talks about the Illinois Shakespeare Festival’s show “The Comedy of Errors”
Photos: 2023 History Makers Gala
Tom Eder, left, and Carolyn Yockey close out the 2023 History Makers Gala on Wednesday. The event marked the end of Eder's tenure as president of the McLean County Museum of History Board, a role now filled by Yockey.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Charles Halbert, left, and Willie Halbert speak to the crowd after being honored on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala in the Brown Ballroom on the campus of Illinois State University.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Charles Halbert, left, and Willie Halbert speak to the crowd after being honored on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala in the Brown Ballroom on the campus of Illinois State University.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Sarah McManus, left, holds the microphone for her mother, Dottie Bushnell, on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala in the Brown Ballroom on the campus of Illinois State University.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Sarah McManus, left, holds the microphone for her mother, Dottie Bushnell, on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala in the Brown Ballroom on the campus of Illinois State University.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Bob Lenz, left, introduces Guy Fraker on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala in the Brown Ballroom on the campus of Illinois State University.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Bob Lenz, left, and Guy Fraker pose with the award on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala in the Brown Ballroom on the campus of Illinois State University.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Bob Lenz, left, introduces Guy Fraker on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala in the Brown Ballroom on the campus of Illinois State University.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Hank and Mary Campbell are recognized on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala in the Brown Ballroom on the campus of Illinois State University.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Hank and Mary Campbell on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala in the Brown Ballroom on the campus of Illinois State University.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Hank Campbell speaks after being honored on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala in the Brown Ballroom on the campus of Illinois State University.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Hank Campbell speaks after being honored on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala in the Brown Ballroom on the campus of Illinois State University.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Illinois Voices Theatre's Cristen Monson, left, and Eden Susong perform on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala in the Brown Ballroom on the campus of Illinois State University.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Illinois Voices Theatre's Jennifer Rusk, left to right, Cristen Monson and Eden Susong on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala in the Brown Ballroom on the campus of Illinois State University.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Julie Emig, executive director of the McLean County Museum of History, speaks on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala in the Brown Ballroom on the campus of Illinois State University.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Mary Campbell on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala in the Brown Ballroom on the campus of Illinois State University.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Timothy Mark Harris, left, introduces Charles Halbert on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala. Halbert and his wife, Willie, were recognized for long efforts to advocate for justice and equality in Bloomington-Normal.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
McLean County Museum of History Board President Tom Eder, left, and Executive Director Julie Emig address the hundreds of attendees at the 2023 History Makers Gala.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Willie and Charles Halbert smile on Wednesday as they are honored during the 2023 History Makers Gala in the Brown Ballroom at Illinois State University.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Charles and Willie Halbert, center, pose for a photo with Timothy Mark Harris and Karin Harris on Wednesday at the 2023 History Makers Gala. The Harrises delivered remarks honoring the Halberts during the event, held at Illinois State University's Brown Ballroom.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Charles and Willie Halbert, center, pose for a photo with Timothy Mark Harris and Karin Harris on Wednesday at the 2023 History Makers Gala. The Harrises delivered remarks honoring the Halberts during the event, held at Illinois State University's Brown Ballroom.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Willie Halbert reacts on Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala, where she and her husband were recognized for their contributions to the Bloomington-Normal community.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Willie Halbert reacts Wednesday during the 2023 History Makers Gala, where she and her husband Charles were among those recognized.
CLAY JACKSON, THE PANTAGRAPH
Contact Kelsey Watznauer at (309) 820-3254. Follow her on Twitter: @kwatznauer.
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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s state Senate wants to expand a ban on texting while driving and approved legislation on Thursday that would increase the penalties for motorists who are handling their cell phones for almost any activity while driving.
The bill, approved 37-11, goes to the state House of Representatives.
Pennsylvania first banned texting while driving in 2012, a summary offense punishable by a $50 fine. Under the new legislation, motorists cannot handle their cell phones to make a call or almost any other function while driving. That includes while sitting in traffic or at a stoplight.
However, it allows people to push a single button to start or end a phone conversation on a phone that is within easy reach and to use it for navigation or listening to music.
A first offense is punishable by a $150 fine. The bill carries exceptions for emergency responders and for people calling 911.
Offenders who cause serious accidents could get more time in prison.
In cases where the offender is convicted of homicide by vehicle, a court can add a sentence of up to five years. In cases where the offender is convicted of aggravated assault by vehicle, a court can add a sentence of up to two years.
The bill would give drivers a grace period of a year in which they would only receive a written warning for violating it.
It would require driving tests to ask a question about the effects of distracted driving and student driving manuals to include a section on distracted driving and the penalties.
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The Pittsburgh Pirates (34-40) losing streak has now extended to ten games in a row after their bullpen blew a late lead Thursday night against the Miami Marlins (43-33).
The Pirates were leading 4-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning after a pair of home runs from Henry Davis and Ke’Bryan Hayes.
Dauri Moreta then came in to hold the lead and allowed a leadoff double, a walk, and a single to load the bases. Carmen Mlodzinski came into a tough situation.
A single and a three-run homer for the Marlins gave them an insurmountable 6-4 lead, leading the Pirates to their tenth straight loss.
First pitch at loanDepot Park is scheduled for 6:40 p.m.
Read more from our partners at Sports Now Group Pittsburgh.
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Firefighters who responded to February’s fiery train derailment in Ohio struggled to immediately identify the hazardous chemicals the train was hauling due to a lack of communication from the railroad, officials said Thursday.
During a public hearing in East Palestine — where thousands of residents had to evacuate their homes because of the derailment — National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Jennifer Homendy asked why Norfolk Southern was able to provide details of the freight to one of its contractors within 10 minutes of the Feb. 3 derailment, but that it took an hour to get that information to first responders.
Knowing what was on the train helps firefighters determine the proper response.
The two-day NTSB hearing was designed to provide information to residents, officials and investigators about the emergency response and the crucial decision three days after the derailment to release toxic vinyl chloride from five tank cars and burn it to keep them from exploding.
That sent a towering plume of black smoke over the town near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border and prompted the evacuation of about half of its 5,000 residents. Even now, residents are concerned about lingering impacts on health, even though state and federal officials say tests show the town’s air and water are safe.
East Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick said Thursday that there was a consensus in the command center that releasing and burning the chemicals was the “least bad option.”
Railroad experts and contractors who helped with the emergency response said they believed they had no choice except to use explosives to blow a hole in the tank cars to release and burn the vinyl chloride. Moving the cars or draining the chemicals were not options.
Temperature readings and malfunctioning pressure relief valves led experts to believe a chemical reaction was taking place inside the tank cars that was building pressure, and that this could cause an explosion.
Drew McCarty with Specialized Profession Services said one of the tank cars “frankly scared the hell out of us” when it violently released vinyl chloride with a roar after hours of calm. McCarty said that, combined with his decades of experience, made him think the cars could explode.
Officials from Oxy Vinyls — the company that produced the vinyl chloride — said they were convinced that the chemical remained stable inside those cars and they tried to explain that to the railroad before officials decided to vent the cars and burn the vinyl chloride, but Norfolk Southern didn’t explain that to decision makers. Tests the company did later showed no evidence that the reaction had occurred.
Drabick said it would have been helpful to know about Oxy Vinyls’ opinion at the time, but he doesn’t think it would have changed the decision.
Norfolk Southern’s Robert Wood said even if there wasn’t a chemical reaction, officials were still concerned that the tank cars could fail and release the vinyl chloride.
“If that car fails, that is a large cloud of liquefied flammable gas that’s going to light off and can have devastating consequences,” Wood said.
Drabick and other first responders who testified said firefighters need more training — particularly volunteer firefighters like those first on the scene after the derailment — on how to handle hazardous materials. But he conceded it would be hard to imagine ever being fully ready for a disaster of that magnitude.
“I don’t think you can ever be prepared for something like this,” Drabick said.
Ohio officials said volunteer firefighters receive only 36 hours of initial training when they are certified — significantly less than the 200 hours professional firefighters receive — and that includes no hazardous materials training.
The fire chiefs said the initial response to the derailment was complicated because the radios used by the different departments don’t work with each other. It also took time for emergency responders to discover exactly what the train was carrying because the first firefighters on scene didn’t have access to the AskRail app that railroads developed to provide that information. The train crew that also had that information was a mile away after moving the locomotive and didn’t immediately connect with first responders.
Drabick said it took about 45 minutes for his department to discover what was in the cars. Homendy said the railroad didn’t immediately provide that information to dispatchers and officials who requested it.
Eventually, officials learned about the dangerous nature of the cargo and pulled firefighters back from the derailment site. They also ordered the evacuation of all homes within one mile.
The NTSB said in its preliminary report that an overheated bearing on one of the railcars likely caused the derailment, but it could take more than a year before the agency publishes its final report. The bearing started heating up miles before the derailment, according to sensors on the tracks, but it didn’t get hot enough to trigger an alarm until just before the crash. The crew had little time to react.
Video gathered by investigators showed sparks or fire beneath one of the rail cars starting at least 26 miles (42 kilometers) before the derailment in Salem, Ohio.
The hearing on Friday will focus on tank car safety and the trackside detectors.
This derailment and others generated nationwide concern about railroad safety and prompted members of Congress to propose reforms. Norfolk Southern’s CEO Alan Shaw was grilled at two Senate hearings where he apologized for the derailment and promised to make things right in East Palestine.
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All but one of the 30 of the Major League Baseball teams are hosting Pride Nights this season, most during Pride Month, which celebrates and supports LGBTQ+ culture and rights.
The Texas Rangers are the only team without a Pride Night. They say they are committed to making everyone feel welcome at all games.
HAVE THE RANGERS EVER HOSTED A PRIDE NIGHT?
No. In September 2003, two years after the Chicago Cubs hosted what is considered the first Pride game, the Rangers invited local LGBTQ+ groups to a game as part of a fundraising event, similar to what they do for all kinds of groups throughout each season. There were some Rangers fans who expressed opposition through a website beforehand and, while not widespread, there were some protests outside the stadium before that game.
WHAT DO THE RANGERS SAY ABOUT NOT HOSTING A PRIDE NIGHT?
The team has been consistent with its response when asked: “Our commitment is to make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball. That means in our ballpark, at every game, and in all we do — for both our fans and our employees. We deliver on that promise across our many programs to have a positive impact across our entire community.”
WHAT ROLE COULD TEXAS POLITICS PLAY IN THE DECISION?
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The latest news from around North Texas.
Texas has been dominated by Republicans for a generation, and state lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott this year joined the push from many conservative states to limit LBGTQ+ rights.
The Legislature this year passed new laws expanding definitions of prohibited sexual content in public performances and in school books, and activists fear those measures will be used to target drag shows and ban LGBTQ+ literature from libraries and classrooms.
Texas become the most populous of at least 19 states to ban gender-affirming care for minors. And Texas public universities must dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion offices and training starting in 2024.
Abbott also signed into law the “Save Women’s Sports Act” that bars transgender college athletes from competing on teams that match their gender identity. Texas already had a similar law for high school athletes.
Amid that conservative political landscape, there is less outside resistance in their home market to the Rangers not having a Pride Night.
Rangers majority owner Ray C. Davis has donated at least $225,000 to Texans for Greg Abbott since July 2021, according to state campaign finance records.
WHY DO THE HOUSTON ASTROS HAVE A PRIDE NIGHT, BUT RANGERS DO NOT?
The Astros hosted their first Pride Night in 2021. Houston, the state’s most-populated city with about 2.3 million people in a metro area of about 6.7 million, is one of the biggest strongholds for Democrats in Texas. Another is Dallas, not far from the Rangers’ home ballpark.
A majority of the elected officials in Houston and Dallas are Democrats.
The Rangers’ ballpark in Arlington, Texas, is just off Interstate 30, halfway between downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas. Fort Worth and Tarrant County, where Arlington is, are still prominently Republican.
DO THE RANGERS DO ANYTHING TO SUPPORT THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY?
The Rangers were a sponsor of the NAGAAA Gay Softball World Series last August when the event took place in Dallas and Waxahachie. The club participated in the opening ceremonies in Dallas and worked with the local organizers and NAGAAA officials on several initiatives for the event.
The team is working on initiatives with local groups, including the Pegasus Slow-Pitch Softball Association, which promotes quality amateur softball at all levels of play with a special emphasis on the participation of members of the LGBTQ+ community.
That softball organization is promoting on its website a PSSA night at Globe Life Field next month, with the group reserving a large block of tickets like any groups are able to do. In those cases, the groups, not the team, handle the promotion and coordination of tickets.
The Rangers have worked for several years with the Resource Center, which provides programs and assistance to LGBTQ+ communities and anyone impacted in North Dallas by HIV/AIDS through advocacy, health and education. Team employees volunteer and support Resource Center events.
An Inclusion and Community Impact Council was developed by the team to foster conversations, ideas and programs to support employees internally and to the community externally. Rangers employees participate in anti-harassment programs, and education programs offered by MLB. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/why-are-the-texas-rangers-the-only-mlb-team-without-a-pride-night/3283197/ | 2023-06-23T12:34:03 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/why-are-the-texas-rangers-the-only-mlb-team-without-a-pride-night/3283197/ |
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A judge is expected to announce if a man is competent to stand trial after investigators said he killed a couple during last year’s Bike Week in Daytona Beach.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
Police said Jean Macean murdered Terry and Brenda Aultman in March of 2022.
Read: ‘A monster’: Man arrested in connection with deadly stabbing of Daytona Beach couple
Last month, medical staff from a state hospital testified Macean has regained his mental fitness.
Doctors testified in February that Macean had mental health issues including schizophrenia.
Read: Police: Suspect in fatal stabbing of Daytona Beach couple confessed to murders
Channel 9 will have a crew in court for Friday morning’s hearing and will provide updates on Eyewitness News.
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.
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News Tribune, June 23, 1983
Eveleth Taconite Co., the only Iron Range plant not to close temporarily during 1982, announced a three-month shutdown yesterday. The plant will lay off 1,000 people starting July 31, and it is scheduled to reopen sometime in October.
Duluth may become home to a reborn John Beargrease Sled Dog Race next year, and officials say it could become the largest in the lower 48 states. The race has been run in shortened versions before, but it wasn't successful because of a lack of funding.
News Tribune, June 23, 1923
A committee representing Duluth civic organizations yesterday recommended operating the Aerial Bridge on a ten-minute schedule to avoid traffic congestion. A resolution to that effect will be presented to the City Council at its meeting Monday in City Hall.
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Members of the West Duluth Commercial Club last night voted to support the construction of an incinerator on a site between the ore docks and 46th Avenue West. The group concluded that the present incinerator cannot handle the refuse from the western part of Duluth. | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/bygones-in-1983-john-beargrease-sled-dog-race-officials-considered-resurrecting-marathon | 2023-06-23T12:40:01 | 1 | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/bygones-in-1983-john-beargrease-sled-dog-race-officials-considered-resurrecting-marathon |
ALTAVISTA, Va. – Two people were taken to the hospital after a crash in Altavista on Thursday, according to the Altavista Fire Company.
Crews said they responded to the 1400 block of Wards Road at 12:50 p.m. Thursday for reports of a two-car crash.
When Rescue 10 got to the scene, they found a dump truck in the road with front end damage and a heavily damaged pickup truck overturned on its roof in the median, authorities said.
We’re told bystanders were able to pry the door open and remove one person from the flipped truck. The person was transported to LewisGale in serious condition.
Another person was transported by Medic 8 with minor injuries, the department said.
Crews said Virginia State Police is investigating the cause of the crash. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/22/altavista-crash-leaves-one-in-serious-condition-another-with-minor-injuries/ | 2023-06-23T12:46:24 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/22/altavista-crash-leaves-one-in-serious-condition-another-with-minor-injuries/ |
ROANOKE, Va. – More people are riding the rails this year, according to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority.
The Roanoke Amtrak trains saw an almost 40% increase in passengers in April in comparison to the year before.
Staff said that since the pandemic, more people have chosen to ride.
Plus, Virginians are traveling more on the weekends instead of weekdays.
Virginia Passenger Rail Authority spokesperson Karina Romero said that signals people in the Commonwealth are traveling for leisure.
“We added a new round-trip between Washington D.C. and Roanoke last July,” Romero said. “That’s definitely contributed to the increase in ridership down in Roanoke. We knew that people were interested in a second round trip and they definitely turned out and supported that effort, and so we’re thrilled.” | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/22/amtrak-ridership-up-in-the-star-city/ | 2023-06-23T12:46:30 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/22/amtrak-ridership-up-in-the-star-city/ |
DALEVILLE, Va. – As the Daleville Town Center grows and expands, county economic leaders said the local economy is reaping the benefits.
“There’s a Dairy Queen under construction, there are services across the street at the Food Lion shopping center area, and we’re also welcoming a new Hampton Inn,” Botetourt County Director of Economic Development Ken McFadyen said.
That’s just some of what’s moving in or expanding in and around the Daleville Town Center. More land and space are up for grabs.
Andy Kelderhouse, President of Fralin and Waldron, with the Daleville Town Center, said what we see today has taken almost two decades of work.
“We’ve been at it for about 17 years, so it’s been very incremental,” Kelderhouse said. “It’s been a pretty noticeable shift in the absorption if you will in the last four, I would say, or five.”
Kelderhouse said the center generates about $1 million in real estate taxes alone per year.
Meanwhile, the county as a whole is doing well too. McFadyen said the county has seen over 1,200 new jobs since 2016, which injects an additional $50 million per year in payroll back into the local and regional economy.
He said the community is excited and people shouldn’t fear the growth.
“Daleville is a very well planned in terms of land use community,” McFadyen said. “I know that folks talk about the traffic, but that is a growing pain that every community that has growth experiences. All the right steps are being taken to alleviate any of that congestion.” | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/22/daleville-town-center-welcomes-continued-expansion/ | 2023-06-23T12:46:36 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/22/daleville-town-center-welcomes-continued-expansion/ |
GRAYSON CO., Va. – UPDATE
The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man and a woman after a foot pursuit on Thursday.
The sheriff’s office was searching for a man who they said was armed in the Fries area on Thursday. Later in the evening, deputies said the man, now identified as Troy Stamper of Ivanhoe was found walking on Carsonville Road.
When he was arrested, authorities said they found a handgun. We’re told Stamper was wanted on probation violations out of Grayson County and Wythe County.
Earlier in the day, the sheriff’s office arrested a woman involved in the situation, who has now been identified as Sena Hash of Fries. Hash was wanted on a circuit court capias, according to the sheriff’s office.
Now, there is said to be a third person involved. Authorities said the man was last seen in a dark-colored shirt around 4:45 p.m. near Clito Road. Charges against the man were unclear.
According to the sheriff’s office, additional charges for drug possession and weapons possession are pending.
ORIGINAL STORY
The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office is actively searching for a man they say is armed.
We’re told a man and a woman – who are both currently publicly unidentified – were at the end of Beagle Lane near Fries.
Authorities said residents that live in the area of Clito Road, Spring Valley Road, Turkey Knob Rd, and the surrounding area should be on the lookout.
The man is reported to be armed, according to the sheriff’s office. Details about his clothing, stature, and hair color were not available.
The woman was taken into custody on Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
If you see the man, you’re urged to call GCSO at 236-9988.
Other details surrounding the foot pursuit are limited at this time. 10 News is working for you to learn more.
Stay with 10 News as this story develops. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/22/grayson-co-sheriffs-office-chasing-armed-man-on-foot/ | 2023-06-23T12:46:42 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/22/grayson-co-sheriffs-office-chasing-armed-man-on-foot/ |
HALIFAX COUNTY, Va. – This month marks six years since a Halifax County woman, Emma Compton Layne, was murdered. To this day, no arrests have been made.
10 News spoke with Emma’s sister, Shawna Krohn, who says no matter how much time passes, she’ll never give up fighting for justice.
“I feel broken,” Krohn said. “A lot of people say as time passes, it gets easier. But for me, it’s gotten harder.”
Layne was last seen leaving the Cody Convenience Store in Halifax County the night of June 17, 2017. When her family didn’t hear from her, they knew something was wrong and called police.
“When I called Momma Monday morning, that’s when we realized Emma was gone,” Krohn said.
Five months later, hunters found her remains in the woods less than a mile from the property Layne and her husband owned.
Investigators say she was violently murdered.
“I’m never gonna have closure,” Krohn said, in tears remembering her baby sister. “Her smile, her laughter, her jokes. She loved jokes. I miss everything.”
Krohn says investigators are still working the case.
“They still say it’s top priority and that it’s moving forward,” Krohn said.
Criminologist Dr. Tod Burke says older cases can be more difficult to investigate.
“The longer the case goes on, the more difficult the case is to solve. But it’s not impossible,” Burke said.
He says fresh eyes and new technology can help crack a case.
“There’s always clues. There’s always investigative tools. And in particular, one of the advantages to an older case is sometimes new investigative and forensic techniques come out that were not available at the time of the incident,” Burke said.
Krohn says she’s not giving up and she has a message for her sister’s killer.
“We’re going to get justice for Emma. So just hiding, being cowards, it’s not going to make a difference because I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to fight for Emma every day,” Krohn said.
10 News spoke with the lead investigator, but he said he couldn’t comment on the case. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/22/six-years-later-still-no-arrests-in-murder-of-emma-compton-layne/ | 2023-06-23T12:46:43 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/22/six-years-later-still-no-arrests-in-murder-of-emma-compton-layne/ |
ROANOKE, Va. – On Thursday, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Virginia received a $16,000 donation.
About 57 local McDonald’s restaurant chains teamed up for the inaugural “Happy Meals for the House” fundraiser.
For one week, 10 percent of all Happy Meal sales were raised, totaling $16,000.
The house helps families stay together while their children are in the hospital. Executive Director Shannon Boothe says it costs about $900,000 to run the house each year, so this money will be put to good use.
“It means a lot to us because we see the families day in and day out,” Boothe said. “We see the difference that we’re making in their lives.”
One local McDonald’s restaurant owner says this is just the beginning.
“It’s a good start and I think that as it takes off and we build this fundraiser out, we’ll see bigger checks moving forward,” Dan Jackson, a local McDonald’s restaurant owner/operator said. “So, I think it’s a good first start, but more to come on that.”
If you’d like to help, you can round up the cost of your McDonald’s meal and the difference will benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Virginia. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/22/southwest-virginia-ronald-mcdonald-house-gets-16000-donation/ | 2023-06-23T12:46:49 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/22/southwest-virginia-ronald-mcdonald-house-gets-16000-donation/ |
ROANOKE CO., Va, – UPDATE
According to VDOT, the crash has been cleared.
ORIGINAL STORY
Drivers headed north on I-81 in Roanoke County can expect delays due to a tractor-trailer crash, according to VDOT.
The crash happened at mile marker 134.7, crews said.
As of 5:41 p.m., the north left shoulder, left lane, and right lane were closed, and traffic was backed up for around 5 miles. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/22/tractor-trailer-crash-on-i-81-in-roanoke-county-causing-delays/ | 2023-06-23T12:46:55 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/22/tractor-trailer-crash-on-i-81-in-roanoke-county-causing-delays/ |
Despite the rainy weather, 128 volunteers are committing 438 hours of community service in the Roanoke Valley.
“This year, we chose Days of Action versus one day and we wanted to do that because United Way of Roanoke Valley actually covers a footprint of about 16 cities and counties,” Vice President of Community Impact Cheryl Mosley said.
The volunteers worked with Habitat for Humanity Thursday at a new build, and volunteers helped to finalize the home for a family in need.
“This is wonderful to see this many volunteers, not just working with Habitat, but with many non-profit organizations throughout the city,” Senior Director of Community Engagement Betty Jean Wolfe said.
Volunteers also helped out at Presbyterian Community Center, where they helped to sort food, prepare food for distribution, and are helping to spruce up a room in need of some work.
“For me personally, giving is my life, is my passion, and if I can pour back into my community, then I feel fulfilled,” Mosley said.
Learn more about Days of Action, here. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/22/united-way-of-roanoke-valley-hosts-2023-days-of-action/ | 2023-06-23T12:47:01 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/22/united-way-of-roanoke-valley-hosts-2023-days-of-action/ |
DANVILLE, Va. – A man has been taken into custody after a shooting that left a 43-year-old man dead, according to the Danville Police Department.
Police say Demetrius Agee Townes, 35, has been charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in connection with the incident.
At about 8:15 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 1600 block of Washington Street for a shots fired call and arrived to find a man inside of a vehicle who had been shot.
Police are now identifying him as 43-year-old Joe Arnold Martin.
While waiting for the Danville Life Saving Crew to arrive, officers gave the victim CPR.
The man did not survive the shooting and was pronounced dead at SOVAH Health, according to the police department. His family has been alerted.
Authorities don’t believe the incident was at random and said they aren’t searching for any additional suspects.
So far this year, there have been five homicides in Danville, all of which have been cleared by arrest.
A H.E.A.R.T. Walk will be held on Washington Street at 4 p.m. Friday.
Anyone who has information is asked to please contact the Danville Police Department by either calling patrol at 434-799-6510 option 4, investigations at 434-799-6508 option 1, and option 1 again, calling 911, contacting Crime Stoppers at 434-793-0000, approach any officer you see, through social media, via email crimetips@danvilleva.gov, or use our crime tips app CARE at www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=818#.
You may have noticed a difference in how we’ve been reporting on crime. To learn more, click here or email trust@wsls.com | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/23/43-year-old-dead-after-shooting-in-danville-police-say/ | 2023-06-23T12:47:03 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/23/43-year-old-dead-after-shooting-in-danville-police-say/ |
ROANOKE, Va. – Happy Friday! Grab your morning coffee and check out the Morning Sprint to find out what’s trending.
The digital-only newscast is filled with laughter, smiles and stories you won’t want to miss. You can catch it Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.
Don’t be shy! Be sure to join the conversation as we chat about the news of the day.
Here are some of the stories we discussed:
- New video shows details of Dad arrested taking his daughter to ER
- Bridgewater officers killed in shooting honored with student awards
- Southwest Virginia Ronald McDonald House receives $16,000 donation
Here’s where you can watch us:
The Sprint can be watched on our website, YouTube account and wherever you stream WSLS 10 weekdays at 8 a.m.
You can also watch it on our 10 News app. Click here to download if you’re an IOS user and here to download if you have an Android.
Be sure to leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!
Thanks for watching!
Want to know more about the Morning Sprint? Leave us a question using the form below: | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/23/coming-up-get-a-sneak-peek-of-a-10-news-exclusive-the-morning-sprint/ | 2023-06-23T12:47:09 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/23/coming-up-get-a-sneak-peek-of-a-10-news-exclusive-the-morning-sprint/ |
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. – UPDATE
This crash has been cleared, according to VDOT.
ORIGINAL STORY
A crash on I-81S in Montgomery County is slowing down traffic Friday morning, according to VDOT.
Authorities say a vehicle crash at the 121.5 mile marker has led to a 2-mile-long backup.
At this time, the south left shoulder, left lane, and center lane are closed.
We reached out to VSP who said it was a single-vehicle crash and that traffic should be moving.
At this time, it is unknown if there were any injuries.
Stay with 10 News for the latest traffic updates | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/23/crash-on-i-81s-in-montgomery-county-causing-1-mile-backup/ | 2023-06-23T12:47:15 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/23/crash-on-i-81s-in-montgomery-county-causing-1-mile-backup/ |
ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – The man charged in connection with the murder of a Salem woman whose remains were found on the campus of Hollins University two years ago has learned his fate.
Christopher Lee Elliott was sentenced to 40 years with 20 years suspended, meaning he will spend the next two decades behind bars.
[RELATED: Friends remember former Hidden Valley student whose remains were found at Hollins University]
Jessica Dickson was reported missing in 2019, and two years later, in Feb. 2021, her remains were found on the Hollins University campus, although the 31-year-old was not affiliated with the school.
Elliott was arrested and charged in connection with her death about a year later.
Elliott was scheduled to go on trial on July 10; however, he took a plea deal on Thursday, June 22, court records show.
As part of the plea deal, Elliot will serve 20 years in prison and then be eligible for five years of probation. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/23/man-pleads-guilty-in-murder-of-woman-whose-remains-were-found-on-hollins-university-campus/ | 2023-06-23T12:47:21 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/23/man-pleads-guilty-in-murder-of-woman-whose-remains-were-found-on-hollins-university-campus/ |
ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke City is still getting a lot of pushback from neighbors wanting the Evans Spring area to be left alone.
Earlier this week, Roanoke City Council got an update from consultants on what could possibly go in the 150-acre space. It’s the largest plot of land still left undeveloped in the city.
On Thursday, it was all about the community. Dozens of people came out for an engagement meeting with the consultants at William Fleming High School.
The presentation was the same as the one given to City Council but this meeting had more of a town-hall style to it to allow the community to share their questions and concerns.
LaDonna Jordan is just one of the strong opposers to any sort of development at the site.
[Roanoke City Council hears update on Evans Spring future development]
“We’ve already said what we do and do not want. Most of us said no development, I include myself,” Jordan said.
A majority of people living nearby the Evans Spring site don’t want to see any development unless it helps the environment. One of the other driving factors is people fearing they would be kicked out of their homes, similar to what happened to black neighborhoods in the 60s and 70s during Urban Renewal.
“We have been traumatized. We have been made promises that have never been kept. This is our history of this country. So yes ... we are leary,” Dreamer Nelson said.
Consultants did clear up that no one will be forced from their homes. One of the other things discussed was just a lack of terminology with development and who’s running what.
Veronica Fleming with Community Engagement and Charrette Associates has been one of the leaders in getting the community engaged throughout the process.
She implored people to make their voices heard by City Council and the City Manager. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/23/nw-roanoke-residents-still-pushing-for-no-development-at-evans-spring-area/ | 2023-06-23T12:47:23 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/23/nw-roanoke-residents-still-pushing-for-no-development-at-evans-spring-area/ |
AMHERST COUNTY, Va. – A search is underway for an Amherst County woman who could be traveling with an infant who is believed to be in danger, according to the Amherst County Sherrif’s Office.
Deputies said 36-year-old Crystal Monique Beeson is wanted on a charge of child abuse and neglect and was last seen in the Lynchburg area.
Authorities described Beeson as a 5-foot-9-inch tall woman who weighs about 123 pounds.
Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is asked to contact Investigator Taylor at 434-946-9373 Opt. 5 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-798-5900. You can also visit the Central Virginia Crime Stoppers website at https://cvcrimestoppers.org/, or enter a tip number online at http://p3tips.com, or use the P3 app on your mobile device.
Stay with 10 News as this breaking news story develops
You may have noticed a difference in how we’ve been reporting on crime. To learn more, click here or email trust@wsls.com | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/23/wanted-amherst-county-woman-could-be-traveling-with-endangered-infant/ | 2023-06-23T12:47:29 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/23/wanted-amherst-county-woman-could-be-traveling-with-endangered-infant/ |
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Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/video-shows-teen-being-beaten-robbed-of-shoes-behind-delco-school/3591260/ | 2023-06-23T12:49:02 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/video-shows-teen-being-beaten-robbed-of-shoes-behind-delco-school/3591260/ |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The summer months are upon us, and with that comes bugs finding their way into homes.
An added level of moisture in the past month has contributed to an increase in insects. One local pest control company says they have seen a huge demand for treatments, sometimes receiving over 100 calls in one day.
“A lot of people are concerned about brown recluses,” Gerry Marsh, president of Patton Termite and Pest Control, said. “And those are certainly becoming active as it heats up, but you’re also getting a lot of just house spiders, wolf spiders, that are moving around right now, that we’re getting a lot of calls about.”
The active season for these spiders is typically from March to October.
A common place for brown recluses to hide in your home is piles of clothes on the floor. Exterior hiding places can be piles of firewood or cracks on the side of your home.
If you want to take matters into your own hands, use sticky traps or use a bulb duster and fill it with clove or cinnamon to spray in the crevices around your home.
If you think you’ve been bitten by a brown recluse, watch out for a red bump and decomposing skin. Treatments exist for brown recluse bites, so get the bite checked out by a doctor. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/brown-recluse-calls-on-the-rise-in-wichita-as-summer-begins-pest-control-company-says/ | 2023-06-23T12:51:28 | 1 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/brown-recluse-calls-on-the-rise-in-wichita-as-summer-begins-pest-control-company-says/ |
Which Southeastern employees made the most in FY2022? Here are the top 10
EASTON — A review of the payroll for the Southeastern Regional School District shows which employees made the most.
The district paid 271 people salary or hourly compensation in fiscal 2022. That's the most recent data the multi-community district had available.
The district's then-superintendent, Luis G. Lopes, topped the list with a salary of $219,163. He has since retired after 15 years leading the district, which includes Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School and a post-secondary technical institute.
Holly T. McClanan, the current superintendent, appears in the top 10 via her old role as executive director of human resources. McClanan won the job in a drawn-out, messy search that ended last summer.
For fiscal 2022, 47 Southeastern employees earned six-figure salaries. High School Principal Leslie Weckesser took the second spot, followed by directors for areas like student life, personnel and special education.
Unlike schools tied to a particular city or town, Southeastern draws students and tax dollars from nine partner communities: Brockton, East Bridgewater, Easton, Foxboro, Mansfield, Norton, Sharon, Stoughton and West Bridgewater. Like in other districts in Massachusetts, taxpayers statewide also contribute to Southeastern via "Chapter 70" aid.
McClanan wears multiple hats, including responding to public information requests. The Enterprise has been publishing payroll information for all cities, towns and school districts in our readership area. We asked each entity to provide calendar year data to make apples-to-apples comparisons. However, McClanan explained the data for Southeastern was only available for the fiscal year, which runs July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. Fiscal 2023 data will be available soon, she said. Another nearby multi-town school district, Bridgewater-Raynham, also provided fiscal year data.
The figures and data in this story reflect only salary or anticipated hourly wages for the year. Southeastern employees may also earn bonuses for longevity, overtime and other types of pay. Further detail may be found in the current Teachers' Federation contract. Here are the top 10 salary-makers for fiscal 2022:
Top 10 earners at Southeastern
Former Superintendent Luis G. Lopes $219,163High School Principal Leslie Weckesser $168,356Business Manager Mark P. Morris $158,893Executive Director of Human Resources & Current Superintendent Holly T. McClanan $158,468Director of Student Life Christina Guarini $153,520Director of Pupil / Personnel Joanne McCormick $153,520Technology Director Patrick H. Cleary $153,520Director of Technical Institute Patricia M. Illsley $149,016Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Catherine M. Tuccinardi $138,000Director of Special Education Joanne Boucher $128,739Source: Southeastern Regional School District fiscal 2022 payroll data
2 Brockton cops made more than $400KHere are the city's top 10 highest paid workers.
Best- and worst-paying jobs at Southeastern
The Enterprise also calculated the typical pay for various roles. The district's 128 teachers earned a median salary of $84,974, for instance. The typical cafeteria worker made only $20,428, but the range was wide. Some part-time cafeteria workers made just four figures while cooks made mid-$30K salaries.
Here are 10 representative groupings. To see every group, please visit the link below.
Hungover? Rundown?Brockton's 'Drip Queen' nurse makes IV injection house calls
Typical pay by job at Southeastern
Director $143,508 (8 jobs)Supervisor $108,312 (8 jobs)Guidance Counselor $100,307 (5 jobs)Teacher $84,974 (128 jobs)Administrative Assistant $61,589 (11 jobs)Behavior Management $55,663 (3 jobs)Custodian $51,605 (15 jobs)Bus Driver $46,988 (5 jobs)Paraprofessional $32,564 (34 jobs)Cafeteria $20,428 (17 jobs)*Source: Enterprise analysis of fiscal 2022 Southeastern payroll data. *Please note that part-time cafeteria workers bring down the median for this job.
Explore the data
If you'd like to check who made what in more detail, the following link lets your sort the data by name, job and salary.
What did you find most interesting in the Southeastern payroll data? What'd we miss? Send your news tips to reporter Chris Helms by email at CHelms@enterprisenews.com or connect on Twitter at @HelmsNews. | https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/southeastern-vocational-school-easton-ma-highest-paid-2022/70302958007/ | 2023-06-23T12:51:28 | 0 | https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/news/local/2023/06/23/southeastern-vocational-school-easton-ma-highest-paid-2022/70302958007/ |
HODGEMAN COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW) – A 16-year-old Jetmore girl died from injuries in a rollover crash Thursday night in Hodgeman County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol says a 1999 Ford F-150 driven by Kasey J. Danaher was eastbound on an unnamed roadway five miles south of Jetmore. The highway patrol says the pickup left the road and entered the ditch. It rolled and came to rest in a field on its top.
Danaher was taken to Hodgeman County Health Center, where she died. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/kansas-teen-dies-from-injuries-in-rollover-crash/ | 2023-06-23T12:51:34 | 1 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/kansas-teen-dies-from-injuries-in-rollover-crash/ |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — It is still unknown whether a strike will happen for Machinists Union employees at Spirit AeroSystems. If it does happen, it could hurt the aviation industry and the regional economy, depending on how long it lasts.
“If it’s a fairly short strike, less than three weeks, probably not such a bad deal,” Associate professor at Newman University Dr. Larry Straub said. “Starts going on for much longer than that. Yeah, you’re gonna start feeling a lot of different sectors.”
The Local Lodge 839 of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers represents 7,500 employees out of Spirit’s total Wichita employees of 11,500.
“Eventually, as many folks as spirit employees in Wichita, it’s going to start rippling out into the general economies,” Dr. Straub said.
Although they would be getting pay from through the union, their paychecks will likely not be the same, thus less spending in Wichita.
“If our paychecks are disrupted, even if we still have money in the bank, and even if we still have funds available, it impacts our psyche because suddenly we don’t know what the future holds,” Dr. Straub says. “So what do we normally do? We’re going to we’re gonna pull out our wings, and we’re going to start tightening our belts some.”
Dr. Straub says the businesses around Spirit could also take a hit.
“The restaurants, and think about the folks that are up there close to the plant that live and die off. Those folks every day coming in there to eat lunch and after work for drinks or whatever,” Dr. Straub said. “It just starts hitting a lot of different folks.”
It also includes subcontractors of Spirit and a lack of demand for the products they make.
“There will be subcontractors that do a lot of the smaller components of that, and they feed into what Spirit Aerosystems does every day. So when Spirit gets shut down, then it can start impacting the subcontractors pretty quickly,” Dr. Straub said.
His biggest concern is the high amounts of people who voted against the contract and to strike.
“That’s a pretty lopsided vote,” Dr. Straub said. “So that’s what gives me a little bit of concern that maybe we could be in this for a little bit longer stretch. I don’t know, I hope not. I certainly hope not.”
Dr. Straub says it wouldn’t hurt only Wichita.
“There are folks that are probably driving from an hour away to work in this plant there,” Dr. Straub said. “Matter of fact, I know there are, so there’s even a ripple effect just within the small communities that even surrounded Wichita in every direction.”
The aviation industry could also see a disruption if the strike lasts a while.
“Even if you take one week out of a production schedule, that’s 1/4 of a month of deliveries that you don’t have out there,” managing editor for Business Aviation Week Network Molly McMillin said.
She says the biggest impact will be on their largest supplier, Boeing.
“It’s a huge program, and they’re a huge supplier for the 737, which is a very popular airplane,” McMillin said. “If it’s a short strike, they’ll get on beyond it. If it’s a prolonged strike, though, it can be a nightmare. The longer it takes, the more impact there will be. Because each week there’s a strike means there’s a week of deliveries that didn’t get made.”
McMillin says right now, all of the aerospace aviation companies are having supply chain issues after COVID, so keeping a supply chain going is very important for the aviation industry.
“Supply chain is key right now,” McMillin said. “And if you miss just one widget, your line is shut down, or it’s it’s held up even if there’s a one little part in a big airplane.” | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/spirit-union-employee-strike-could-hurt-local-economy-aviation-industry/ | 2023-06-23T12:51:40 | 1 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/spirit-union-employee-strike-could-hurt-local-economy-aviation-industry/ |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has canceled a statewide Silver Alert for a missing 74-year-old Wichita man with Alzheimer’s.
The alert was issued at 3:38 p.m. and canceled 12 minutes later.
The KBI says the man was located by the Butler County Sheriff’s Office Thursday. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/statewide-silver-alert-issued-for-missing-wichita-man-with-alzheimers/ | 2023-06-23T12:51:46 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/statewide-silver-alert-issued-for-missing-wichita-man-with-alzheimers/ |
SAN ANTONIO — People on the northwest side were forced out of their apartments after a fire late Thursday night, officials said.
The fire started at a complex on Pin Oak just before midnight.
Fire crews say the flames started in a utility room before spreading to four other units. The people living in those apartments got out safely but will have to stay in other units due to the smoke and water damage.
The battalion chief is calling the fire suspicious because they have received several other arson calls near where the fires started.
This is a developing story and further details will be added as they are received.
Learn more about KENS 5:
Since going on the air in 1950, KENS 5 has strived to be the best, most trusted news and entertainment source for generations of San Antonians.
KENS 5 has brought numerous firsts to South Texas television, including being the first local station with a helicopter, the first with its own Doppler radar and the first to air a local morning news program.
Over the years, KENS 5 has worked to transform local news. Our cameras have been the lens bringing history into local viewers' homes. We're proud of our legacy as we serve San Antonians today.
Today, KENS 5 continues to set the standard in local broadcasting and is recognized by its peers for excellence and innovation. The KENS 5 News team focuses on stories that really matter to our community.
You can find KENS 5 in more places than ever before, including KENS5.com, the KENS 5 app, the KENS 5 YouTube channel, KENS 5's Roku and Fire TV apps, and across social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more!
Want to get in touch with someone at KENS 5? You can send a message using our Contacts page or email one of our team members. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/apartment-fire-on-the-northwest-side-forces-residents-out-of-their-homes-san-antonio-texas/273-d71b5af1-6065-46b8-af47-aa0c0911f98f | 2023-06-23T12:52:59 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/apartment-fire-on-the-northwest-side-forces-residents-out-of-their-homes-san-antonio-texas/273-d71b5af1-6065-46b8-af47-aa0c0911f98f |
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Police say three officers shot and killed a woman at an apartment on the southwest side of San Antonio.
Police Chief William McManus said the investigation is still in its early stages, but the incident began around 2 a.m. when the San Antonio Fire Department was called out to the Rosemont at Miller's Pond on Old Pearsall Road.
When fire crews arrived, they found a woman destroying a fire alarm in her apartment. Chief McManus said she continued to destroy the apartment so fire crews backed off.
When police officers arrived, the chief said the woman did something threatening to them and three officers shot and killed the woman.
Chief McManus did not say what she did to threaten them. He also said he was not sure if the woman had a weapon.
The woman who was killed has not been identified.
The officers involved in this shooting have three, five and 15 years' experience with the department.
This shooting is still being investigated.
Learn more about KENS 5:
Since going on the air in 1950, KENS 5 has strived to be the best, most trusted news and entertainment source for generations of San Antonians.
KENS 5 has brought numerous firsts to South Texas television, including being the first local station with a helicopter, the first with its own Doppler radar and the first to air a local morning news program.
Over the years, KENS 5 has worked to transform local news. Our cameras have been the lens bringing history into local viewers' homes. We're proud of our legacy as we serve San Antonians today.
Today, KENS 5 continues to set the standard in local broadcasting and is recognized by its peers for excellence and innovation. The KENS 5 News team focuses on stories that really matter to our community.
You can find KENS 5 in more places than ever before, including KENS5.com, the KENS 5 app, the KENS 5 YouTube channel, KENS 5's Roku and Fire TV apps, and across social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more!
Want to get in touch with someone at KENS 5? You can send a message using our Contacts page or email one of our team members. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/police-shot-and-kill-woman-threatening-officers-chief-mcmanus-says-san-antonio-texas/273-24a5f4ae-4c48-4095-afeb-085d6482c4d2 | 2023-06-23T12:53:07 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/police-shot-and-kill-woman-threatening-officers-chief-mcmanus-says-san-antonio-texas/273-24a5f4ae-4c48-4095-afeb-085d6482c4d2 |
MORRISON, Colo. — At Red Rock on Wednesday night, 6,000 people ran for the exits as they were pounded by hail. The show wasn't canceled - but should it have been?
The venue has cancelled shows due to weather before, and one question is whether people got fair warning that baseball sized hail was coming.
Part of last night sounded like a classic case of communication problems.
Red Rocks told concertgoers they were on weather delay and suggested they head to the car. Then, the venue gave the 'all-clear.'
By the time people got the warning again, it was too late.
As calls flooded into Jefferson County's 911 dispatch center, water and chunks of hail flooded the exits.
Ashlie Scott was there and was one of the lucky ones who took shelter under an umbrella.
"You're hearing people crying and screaming and you're getting pelted," she said. "Everything was really loud…thunder was echoing everywhere."
Kaiya Olsen was also there.
"There was probably 40 to 50 of us huddled outside of the first aid room waiting to get in and they wouldn't let us in at first," she said. "They finally did."
Olsen's pretty sure she broke a finger.
"There's a lot of people in there with like, bleeding heads. My finger was black and blue already," she said of the first aid room that night.
Both women told 9NEWS about an hour before the storm hit, they were told the show was in a weather delay. Then there was an 'all-clear.'
Moments later, the venue announced another delay, followed by an urgent warning to seek shelter immediately.
Red Rocks' director of communications, Brian Kitts, said it's not out of the ordinary.
"It's not unusual for us to go into a weather delay and then have the weather clear up and the show goes on," he said.
Kitts said the venue has contracted forecasters, and that Red Rocks communicated what the meteorologists told them when they told them.
"Nobody realized the hail was going to be as intense and as big as it was," Kitts said.
Kevin Kloesel, an event meteorologist for the University of Oklahoma, disagreed. He's the chair of the weather advisory committee for a group that advocates for better safety practices at concerts.
"The storms last night and the severity of those storms were no surprise, right. These were storms that had been forecasted all day long," he said. "In this case, I think you really need a professional meteorologist on site to assess risk, much like you would have law enforcement."
Kloesel said an event like this should be a wakeup call.
"These are events that people go to to have a good time. We don't want to cancel them. We certainly don't. But we want to be the office of we're going to have it but have it safely," he said. "And in this particular case, I think everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong."
Red Rocks issued a statement Thursday on Twitter, offering "sincere best wishes" to people who were injured. They said they would talk to mother nature about the weather issues here.
As you can imagine... people with bruises didn't take that kindly.
Kitts told 9NEWS there were a lot of people who enjoyed that response and said that "in a service business, there are a lot of people who aren't going to like anything you say." | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/red-rocks-backlash-after-concertgoers-pounded-by-hail/73-bc454c86-793c-498e-9a2c-6a0cdced049d | 2023-06-23T12:53:09 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/red-rocks-backlash-after-concertgoers-pounded-by-hail/73-bc454c86-793c-498e-9a2c-6a0cdced049d |
SAN ANTONIO — A teen with special needs is now in critical condition after being hit by a car on the south side late Thursday night.
The accident happened at South Flores around 10 p.m.
Police say the 16-year-old and his mother got into an argument and the teen ran into the street. That is when he was hit by a car.
He was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, according to police.
Police say the driver of the car that hit him did stop to help the family and will not face charges.
This is a developing story and further details will be added as they are received.
Learn more about KENS 5:
Since going on the air in 1950, KENS 5 has strived to be the best, most trusted news and entertainment source for generations of San Antonians.
KENS 5 has brought numerous firsts to South Texas television, including being the first local station with a helicopter, the first with its own Doppler radar and the first to air a local morning news program.
Over the years, KENS 5 has worked to transform local news. Our cameras have been the lens bringing history into local viewers' homes. We're proud of our legacy as we serve San Antonians today.
Today, KENS 5 continues to set the standard in local broadcasting and is recognized by its peers for excellence and innovation. The KENS 5 News team focuses on stories that really matter to our community.
You can find KENS 5 in more places than ever before, including KENS5.com, the KENS 5 app, the KENS 5 YouTube channel, KENS 5's Roku and Fire TV apps, and across social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more!
Want to get in touch with someone at KENS 5? You can send a message using our Contacts page or email one of our team members. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/teen-in-critical-condition-after-being-hit-by-a-car-on-the-south-side-san-antonio-texas/273-fd17b057-d586-4752-9620-603ca28e3824 | 2023-06-23T12:53:10 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/teen-in-critical-condition-after-being-hit-by-a-car-on-the-south-side-san-antonio-texas/273-fd17b057-d586-4752-9620-603ca28e3824 |
SAN ANTONIO — A VIA officer fired shots at a suspect after his police unit was hit from behind on the south side late Thursday night, police said.
According to a VIA statement, the driver tried to run the officer down around 8 p.m. Thursday night near the intersection with Military Drive and South Flores.
The officer's car was hit from behind and the officer called for backup. He then got out of the patrol unit to check on the other driver. That is when the driver tried to take off, aiming his vehicle at the officer, VIA said.
VIA says the officer opened fire, but the suspect was not hit. San Antonio Police tracked the driver down and took him into custody.
There is no word on what charges he may face. San Antonio Police Department is handling the investigation.
Learn more about KENS 5:
Since going on the air in 1950, KENS 5 has strived to be the best, most trusted news and entertainment source for generations of San Antonians.
KENS 5 has brought numerous firsts to South Texas television, including being the first local station with a helicopter, the first with its own Doppler radar and the first to air a local morning news program.
Over the years, KENS 5 has worked to transform local news. Our cameras have been the lens bringing history into local viewers' homes. We're proud of our legacy as we serve San Antonians today.
Today, KENS 5 continues to set the standard in local broadcasting and is recognized by its peers for excellence and innovation. The KENS 5 News team focuses on stories that really matter to our community.
You can find KENS 5 in more places than ever before, including KENS5.com, the KENS 5 app, the KENS 5 YouTube channel, KENS 5's Roku and Fire TV apps, and across social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more!
Want to get in touch with someone at KENS 5? You can send a message using our Contacts page or email one of our team members. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/via-officer-fires-gun-at-suspect-after-officers-unit-was-hit-from-behind-san-antonio-texas-police/273-c592456d-c9d8-41d4-a103-5e3771f169fb | 2023-06-23T12:53:16 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/via-officer-fires-gun-at-suspect-after-officers-unit-was-hit-from-behind-san-antonio-texas-police/273-c592456d-c9d8-41d4-a103-5e3771f169fb |
REINBECK — Erik Skovgard is ready to move on to his next chapter.
The chief executive officer and president of Lincoln Savings Bank is no longer with the company, he confirmed Wednesday. Skovgard officially resigned after holding the position since 2014. He had been with the bank since 1994.
The board of directors accepted his resignation June 15, according to a company news release. Emily Girsch, the bank’s executive vice president since 2009 and an employee of Lincoln since 2002, has been named interim president and CEO.
When reached by telephone, the Reinbeck resident and University of Northern Iowa finance graduate denied it had anything to do with the direction of the company or its financial standing. Instead, Skovgard said it had to do with how big the bank has gotten and a desire to rediscover his passion for starting and building something from the ground up.
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“I’m an entrepreneur and innovator,” Skovgard said. “I want to get back to that.”
He's not sure what exactly that is yet and couldn't say if it will have anything to do with banking.
Skovgard’s still financially invested in Lincoln Savings Bank, and in a LinkedIn post expressed his love for its employees, story, vision and work.
He told The Courier he's most proud of finding a “balance” between bank size and small town feel.
“We were able to grow the bank but still keep it’s standing as a community bank,” said Skovgard. “We call that Lincoln Love, showing care for our customers and community.”
He also expressed pride in the bank’s decision to purchase the top floors of the historic Deere and Co. R Building in downtown Waterloo and play a role in redeveloping it into its Central Campus in what’s known as the TechWorks building today.
“I am so proud of what we have accomplished as a team,” he wrote in the LinkedIn post. “This decision may seem abrupt to the outside world, but a need for change has been building in me for quite some time. My son Mason helped me finally take the leap of faith. He reminded me that 28 years of countless hours, hard work and 100% effort is good enough. Time for a fresh start.”
The bank controls $1.8 billion in assets and has 400 employees. It has 17 branches, one in Waterloo and two in Cedar Falls as well as in Nashua, Reinbeck and Hudson.
“I would like to express my gratitude to Erik for his valuable contributions as CEO and wish him well in his future endeavors,” said Sally Hollis, executive chairman, in a statement. “Looking forward, the Board and I have full confidence in Emily’s ability to lead our company during this transition.
"We have an excellent team of customer-focused employee owners who provide outstanding customer service and support. I am excited about our future.”
Waterloo and Cedar Falls neighbors: Obituaries for June 22
Read through the obituaries published today in The Courier.
Eva Dell Clark, 76, of Reinbeck, died Saturday, June 17, 2023, at Grundy Care Center. Arrangements: Abels Funeral & Cremation Service – Fr…
Robert L. Baer was born March 24, 1945, in Waterloo, Iowa, the son of Harold and Ethel (Miller) Baer. He was a 1963 graduate of East Waterloo …
Sarah Ann Armstrong, age 41, of Louisburg, Kansas, passed away on Sunday, June 18, 2023, at Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park, Kansas.Vi… | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/business/lincoln-savings-bank-loses-ceo/article_732be556-1124-11ee-80eb-e35f619e0015.html | 2023-06-23T12:57:37 | 1 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/business/lincoln-savings-bank-loses-ceo/article_732be556-1124-11ee-80eb-e35f619e0015.html |
WATERLOO — The Iowa Court of Appeal has upheld the removal of two children after their sibling died under suspicious circumstances in 2021.
No criminal charges have ever been filed in the case, and the appellate court ruling only identifies the mother and children by their initials.
According to court records, paramedics with Waterloo Fire Rescue were on another call when they were flagged down by the mother, who handed them the unresponsive 2-month-old baby identified as "B.J."
Medics began CPR and took him to UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital, where doctors revived him.
He was then flown to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City for what was initially believed to be a medical issue. But then doctors discovered head injuries and retinal hemorrhaging, and suspected possible abuse, records state.
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Both parents initially denied causing the injuries.
The two older children were removed from the home at that time and placed in foster care. The mother later provided a detailed confession to police, claiming she had shaken the baby and demonstrating the act on a doll, records state.
The following day, the child’s father took his own life and was found dead on a Cedar Falls bike trail. The mother then recanted her statements to police and claimed the child’s father had shaken the baby, court records state.
The infant died on Dec. 21, 2021.
Court records allege the mother was struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues and wasn’t successful with treatment. Her parental rights were terminated during a February 2023 hearing.
The Iowa Court of Appeals upheld the termination in a ruling handed down Wednesday, saying she had not addressed concerns over her drug use and never offered a plausible explanation to how her child was injured.
The cause and manner of the infant’s death remain undetermined, according to the child’s death certificate.
What you missed this week in notable Waterloo and Cedar Falls crimes and court cases
This week's local crime and court updates from The Courier.
The defense noted there were no signs of a prior struggle, no evidence of an argument and nothing indicating he acted with malice or premeditation
Fayette County sheriff’s deputies arrested a 38-year-old man on two counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.
He came to the attention of Waterloo police when he allegedly became involved in an argument with a woman, brandished a pistol and fired two rounds into the air.
An investigation by Lee Enterprises and Type Investigations looked at how agencies have responded to calls for more accountability — including the use of cameras — after George Floyd's murder.
NIBIN alerted detectives to the fact that small markings on the test-fired casings matched two spent casings found next the bodies in the West Second Street home
A Mitchell County man Nathan Gilmore of St. Ansgar, who is a accused of first-degree murder, is asking the court to suppress evidence he attorney says was acquired illegally.
Dr. Jonathan Thompson with the Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office took the stand as testimony resumed in the trial of Matthew Dee Buford III.
The owners of 4th Street Nutrition and four other tenants of The Davenport apartment building that partially collapsed have filed the fourth lawsuit in the matter.
Police investigating the shooting spotted the suspect vehicle. Following a brief chase, police detained three people. Officers also seized a firearm.
The Iowa Attorney General’s Office argued he has a mental defect that makes him likely to commit future sex crimes unless he receives treatment
His comments came during an unannounced visit – before the bodies were found – and he asked to hug his children, who were sleeping
During the dispute, he pulled out a kitchen knife and asked his friend where he wanted to get stabbed. When the friend didn’t response, he stabbed him in the thigh and foot
Prosecutors said they know why Tamica Allison and her friend, Andrea Anderson, were shot to death in 2020.
A dispute over the purchase followed, and she allegedly entered the tent at the Deerwood Park campground, removed the dog and fled | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/court-upholds-childrens-removal-following-suspicious-death/article_4c999e50-1116-11ee-862e-978eccba3706.html | 2023-06-23T12:57:43 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/court-upholds-childrens-removal-following-suspicious-death/article_4c999e50-1116-11ee-862e-978eccba3706.html |
CEDAR FALLS — Local nonprofit Leader Valley welcomed a very special guest speaker to Bien VenU Event Center on Wednesday -- the man behind its core teaching strategy, Sean Covey.
Covey is a New York Times best-selling author and president of FranklinCovey Education, the proprietor of the Leader in Me program. Leader Valley works to implement the Leader in Me program in area schools by training staff members and providing materials on Covey's "seven habits" geared toward creating happy and effective children, teenagers and adults.
Current Leader in Me administrators, students, educators, volunteers and donors as well as prospective Leader in Me school administrators were invited to attend.
Covey gave a keynote address where he shared stories about his own children, other school programs and experiences with his father Stephen Covey, a teacher and author. His father's book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," has sold over 40 million copies worldwide since its publishing in 1989.
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During his presentation, Covey noted how Leader Valley was one of the first organizations of its kind to implement the leadership program in multiple schools and districts throughout the community.
"This community's amazing in the way they've established Leader in Me throughout the entire community," Covey said. "It's all about helping kids become college, career and life ready. It's powerful because it's business, community and schools coming together on one initiative. When that happens, you can do anything.
"This has been a model for so many other initiatives around the country," he added. "Other people have seen what you've done and are mimicking it, so it's not just the influence you're having here but throughout the whole nation."
Covey also participated in a panel discussion alongside four students from area Leader in Me schools. The students talked about the ways Leader Valley has impacted their school and home lives.
"One of the big reasons I would encourage anyone to become part of a Leader in Me schools is the confidence that you can see coming from each of the kids," said Sofia, a student panelist from Blessed Maria Assunta Pallotta Middle School in Waterloo.
"The way that we all carry ourselves and the belief that we can do anything we put our minds to is something really valuable that I would encourage everyone to have," she said.
This coming year, Leader Valley will be serving 27 Leader in Me schools in eight different districts. Last year they served over 11,800 students in preschool through 12th grade.
"Our primary mission is bringing to life leadership across the Cedar Valley in our PreK-12 schools. We always say our mission is changing lives through leadership," Leader Valley Executive Director Melissa Reade said.
"Today is really a celebration of education, a celebration of leadership and a celebration of the work that our Leader in Me schools are doing in the Cedar Valley."
One of those schools is Kittrell Elementary in Waterloo, where Audrey Wallican-Green is going into her 19th year as principal. At Kittrell, students are given specific roles to fulfill both building-wide and in the classroom alongside learning the skills laid out in Covey's seven steps.
About Covey's presentation, Wallican-Green said, "It was amazing to hear."
"As we instill something positive in our children, the world is open to anything they want to do. I'm instilling those things in my grandbabies," she said.
Kittrell has been a Leader in Me school for about eight years.
"If you're not a Leader in Me school, you should be," Wallican-Green said.
"Once you figure things out, it's a good way to build citizens in your community," she said. "Life has changed a lot. ...The earlier we start building leaders the better off our society will be." | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/education/sean-covey-speaks-at-leader-valley-event/article_a89baaa6-0c6e-11ee-a4c4-5bd15327846e.html | 2023-06-23T12:57:49 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/education/sean-covey-speaks-at-leader-valley-event/article_a89baaa6-0c6e-11ee-a4c4-5bd15327846e.html |
WATERLOO — The city’s waste management department is continuing to look at how it processes wastewater to meet requirements from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The City Council approved the submission of a nutrient reduction study to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on Monday.
In 2018, a similar study of the analysis of the wastewater treatment plan was submitted to the DNR. This year’s submission had a similar analysis but included updated costs due to inflation.
The study found the treatment plant needs to be expanded or else growth in the city's population, industry or jobs will be impacted.
Most of the plant’s facilities were constructed in the 1990s with two plants built side by side. In 2012, the city stopped operating one of the plants because the capacity wasn’t needed and it was costly to operate.
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The study also concluded that the lowest cost plan is to combine the two treatment plants to achieve nutrient reductions per DNR requirements from the 2018 study to allow for the required nutrient removal.
In 2008, the EPA launched its Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan, which called for the 12 states along the Mississippi River to try and reduce nutrients – mostly nitrogen and phosphorus – reaching the Gulf of Mexico. Iowa’s strategy was developed in 2013.
That strategy attempts to reduce nutrient loads discharged from the state’s largest wastewater treatment plants as well as practices to reduce loads from nonpoint sources, such as farms.
The DNR works with wastewater facilities with a goal of reducing the amounts discharged from them by at least 11,000 tons of nitrogen and 2,170 tons of phosphorus per year, according to the organization. This represents a reduction in the estimated statewide amounts of nutrients discharged to Iowa waters by 4% for nitrogen and 16% for phosphorus.
Those elements are natural parts of aquatic ecosystems because they support the growth of algae and other aquatic plants, which provides food and habitats for aquatic species.
However, too much of those nutrients in water causes algae to grow faster than the ecosystem can handle. That ultimately harms the water quality, food resources, and habitats and decreases oxygen aquatic species need to survive, according to the EPA.
These growths are called algal blooms and can lead to large numbers of illness and death in fish. Some are even harmful to humans because they produce elevated toxins and bacteria which can make people sick if they come into contact or drink polluted water, or eat tainted fish or seafood.
Contaminated runoff from Iowa’s waterways travels to the Mississippi River and ultimately to the Gulf of Mexico, which creates a “dead zone,” or an area with reduced levels of oxygen in the water.
The EPA states that, in 2021, the dead zone covered more than 6,000 square miles of water. The agency says that is the size of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie combined.
Wastewater from homes and businesses contain nitrogen and phosphorus which can come from human waste, food, soaps and detergents.
Public works is in the process of finishing the first phase of its nutrient removal implementations, which focus on biosolids. That phase began in 2017 and is expected to be finished this year.
The next phase is to remove nutrients from liquid waste which requires an update to the plant because current treatment doesn’t reduce phosphorus, Public Works Director Randy Bennett said.
Brian Bowman, the wastewater treatment operator for the city, said under current guidelines the city is in “complete compliance” but that the state is looking into the future of nutrients moving downstream from the Cedar River watershed.
“As Waterloo is looking to the future, we would want to make sure that you’re not just looking at your nitrogen and your phosphorus removal, you’re looking at your needs of the future facility,” Bowman said.
This liquid reduction phase is expected to cost $46 million. In 2018, the cost of nutrient removal and equipment replacement was set to cost $83 million. Due to inflation, Bowman said, that number is $94 million.
During a council work session at the beginning of June, Bennett and Bowman stated sewer rate increases would be required to implement the projects for nutrient reduction as well as to keep up with current procedures.
The rate increases proposed would be the cost if public works received no grants, no loan forgiveness or no revenue from future renewable gas projects. The department is expecting it will receive money from at least one of these.
In February, the council approved a resolution to seek proposals for the development of renewable natural gas products by breaking down waste from its wastewater treatment plant and the Tyson Fresh Meats wastewater lagoon.
Both the lagoon and wastewater treatment plant create a significant amount of methane, Bowman said in a previous Courier article.
Once a developer is chosen, they would scrub the gas and put it in a natural gas pipeline that feeds into the grid maintained by MidAmerica.
Bowman couldn’t put a number on how much the gas would be worth but said it has “a lot of value.”
Iowa’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund also offers loan funding to assist in financing design and construction of public wastewater facilities. Currently, the city received $800,000 in loan forgiveness from the SRF. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/government-and-politics/waterloo-wastewater-nutrient-reduction-study/article_ace8f302-0ed0-11ee-8976-c3baf128de2b.html | 2023-06-23T12:57:55 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/government-and-politics/waterloo-wastewater-nutrient-reduction-study/article_ace8f302-0ed0-11ee-8976-c3baf128de2b.html |
WATERLOO — When Jamie Oberheu was a young girl, she was told by those around her she would make an amazing teacher one day.
Fourteen years into her career as a Waterloo elementary school teacher, she makes an effort every day to live up to those predictions.
While not leading her classroom of 20 second-grade students at Orange Elementary School with a “zest for learning,” she is a dedicated wife and mother of three in her family’s quaint neighborhood on the edge of Waterloo.
Despite her roots and lifelong residence in the Cedar Valley, one key factor could determine whether Oberheu remains in Iowa during the coming decades.
“Our own children see and feel that Iowa is not a place that they will want to live in as they grow older,” said the Waterloo native.
Oberheu’s children, ages 13, 11 and 8, already talk about moving out of state when they grow up. One reason she and her husband, Donavan, an art teacher at East High School, originally settled in the community after they married was to stay close to their families. Now, the couple has had conversations about retiring out of state depending on where their children end up.
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She explained her children’s desire to leave Iowa stems from something greater than just wanting to spread their wings.
“Many of the recent LGBTQ bills affect our kids’ friends in different ways,” she said. “They see all of the laws and restrictions and the way that our government is targeting individual groups or marginalized people.”
Oberheu considers her home a safe space for open conversation on political issues.
“We have a home where we talk about these things frequently and bring them up and have discussions,” she said. “Our older two are always asking questions, wanting to know more, asking us why there became different laws, or asking how they can get involved in making change in some way.”
Though she considers herself a lifelong Democrat, Oberheu’s family never discussed politics when she was growing up. It wasn’t until her time in college at the University of Northern Iowa that she began to fully step into her political beliefs.
She remembers listening with her husband to Barack Obama speak leading up to the 2008 presidential election, the first election where she was old enough to vote. The couple also caucused in 2020, bringing their kids along.
“I caucused for Elizabeth Warren while he caucused for Bernie Sanders and we made our children pick the side they wanted to go to,” she recalled with a laugh.
However, just over a year ago a tragedy not only shook the nation but also served as a personal wakeup call for Oberheu.
The day of the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Oberheu had texted a colleague who was a first-year teacher to check in on how she was processing the news. The first-year teacher responded as Oberheu predicted: she was having a rough time. Oberheu’s next move would start a new chapter of her life.
“My response back to her was, ‘Your first one is always the hardest,’ and in that moment I realized, ‘What are you doing?’” she said.
"Why is that a thing that we’re texting each other? … I have now been teaching during two, now three with Nashville, elementary school shootings,” she added.
“I decided in that moment that I wanted to stop just letting things happen to me, and I wanted to stand up and do something myself.”
Oberheu contacted the Iowa City chapter of Moms Demand Action, a nationwide organization fighting for public safety measures to end gun violence. Now, she is the chapter leader of Moms Demand Action in the Cedar Valley as well as their gun safety education strategy, the BeSMART program.
Between holding monthly meetings and working with area school boards to distribute gun safety education materials to parents, Moms Demand Action works to stop legislation that would loosen gun laws.
While the threat of gun violence consistently lurks in her mind as a mother and teacher, Oberheu feels that another entity has taken a more controlling role in these areas of her life as of late – the government.
Recent legislation, such as the book banning bill signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in late May, has put a veil of uncertainty on the future of the veteran teacher's classroom.
“There is worry that now my classroom library will look different or books that are accessible for kids will look different,” she said.
Alongside book bans, Oberheu has witnessed a lack of support for social-emotional learning, a crucial area in helping children learn to regulate their own emotions, something she has seen her own students struggle with more and more during the past few years.
A bill was introduced in the Iowa Senate in February to ban social-emotional learning, claiming it conflicts with the religious and political beliefs of many families.
This issue is just one example of a disconnect Oberheu sees between what teachers see kids needing in the classroom and what lawmakers believe to be happening behind classroom doors.
“For some reason people think we have time to make children change their gender or make children believe a certain thing. If that was the case I’d make them all believe the multiplication facts, because that’s what I’m trying to get them to learn,” she said.
“That’s where I feel the government stepping in a bit. They’re trying to take away our ability to do our job in certain ways of what we see kids needing, or imagining that things are happening that aren’t truly happening,” she added.
She also feels the government is overstepping when it comes to restrictions on LGBTQ rights and access to abortion.
“It’s not our right to tell people who to be or how to be, just to protect them, and it doesn’t feel like we’re doing much protecting," she said. "Instead we’re inflicting more danger.”
The events of the past few years have made Oberheu doubt her choice of vocation. Asked if she ever considers leaving the profession, she gives a resounding “Yes.” During the 2020-21 school year, she reached the point of interviewing for other jobs.
However, her passion for teaching was stronger than the doubts in her mind.
“I do believe that I’m a good teacher, and I do love what it is that I do, so leaving them and leaving that would be really hard,” she said.
“I have to believe that all of (the challenges) are for something big and wonderful that is going to come out of it," she added. "That’s part of my reason for sticking with it, because I do believe that we’re going to come out of this with an understanding of how important our schools are. And not just any schools, but our public schools, because we really are the thing that helps a society continue to function."
Instead of leaving the profession, she changed grades from fifth to second, which she says has now put her “here for the lifelong gig.” However, she can’t deny how much the challenges of her profession, and the public’s view of her profession, have changed over the years.
“I don’t think we’ll ever go back to where we were but I have to believe that all change requires a valley that then equals a mountain peak,” she said.
Family always remains front and center for Oberheu. She would be willing to leave the state where she has spent her entire life to be close to her children. Their safety and happiness are most important to her.
“If my kids could all just come to school feeling safe, that would start us off on a much better playing field than the things that we are worrying about, micromanaging in different ways instead of hitting the bigger issues that are at stake,” she said. “They’re the harder issues, they’re harder things to talk about and overcome, but they’re the big things.” | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/iowa-legislation-harms-students-teacher-says/article_b5618e78-06eb-11ee-85ff-6b835252c799.html | 2023-06-23T12:58:01 | 1 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/iowa-legislation-harms-students-teacher-says/article_b5618e78-06eb-11ee-85ff-6b835252c799.html |
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst introduces herself to teens of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Cedar Valley at the Teen and Educational Center, Jan. 10, 2023. Credit: Andy Milone.
Organizations across Waterloo and Cedar Falls are joining together to combat the idea there’s nothing for children to do this summer – and they’re knocking down barriers that keep kids from participating.
The activities offered by private organizations and public agencies allow kids to be kids and get them into the community. Organizers of the efforts believe children are eager to join in and haven’t noticed any profound negative impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
George Phillips, program director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Cedar Valley, said his organization has been more “intentional” in making sure their kids get “outside their buildings to give them more experiences.”
“We want them to know what’s going on in their community,” he said.
It includes trips to places like the Grout Museum but the destinations range from Lost Island Themepark to the University of Northern Iowa.
“We’re not just saying you should go to college, we’re showing them,” Phillips said.
The list also includes events like Waterloo Bucks baseball games and summer parades as well as other chances to meet local celebrities, such as UNI basketball players after games.
“These may be experiences that they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise because of time, money or both,” he said.
Accessibility is key
Access is key to some degree. For example, at the Waterloo Public Library, all summer programming for children is free.
Organizations like the Phelps Youth Pavilion have teamed up with the Grout Museum District, Cedar Valley Arboretum & Botanical Garden and Dan Gable Wrestling Museum as part of the Museums for All initiative to offer entry for $2 per person with the presentation of a WIC and SNAP EBT card.
But it’s not always a matter of cost. Sometimes, the barriers are outside an organization’s control – a family lacking a car, for instance. But the library is among those organizations trying to be “more flexible,” especially after COVID-19 made life more difficult on everyone.
The library’s summer reading program has gotten off to a record-setting pace, looking to exceed its past high of about 1,300 sign-ups. A new approach that does not penalize families who aren't around during particular weeks when free books are given away has helped boost that number.
“It’s easier to get books in the hands of kids,” said Missie Sturch, an assistant in the youth department. “We learned a lot from COVID, including that we need to loosen up a bit.”
The program theme is “Find your Voice.” And that is emblematic of a push by the library to find what kids enjoy and allow them to discover their talents.
“They can express themselves in any way they can,” said Deb Aalfs, another assistant in the youth department. “That might be poetry, singing, drawing or something else.”
“We try our best not to be like school," said Denise Osgood, another assistant in the department. "Of course, we want them to read, but we’re offering fun for free.”
Exposure to arts
The Waterloo Center for the Arts, which includes the Phelps Youth Pavilion, is also striving to create that environment where one can express themselves this summer. One way is the introduction to drumming class for teens (and adults). The class can be a way to combat cognitive disorders.
“Drumming is a great way to express themselves independently but also as a group,” said Director Kent Shankle. “People don’t need to have years of experience to be successful. They can pursue it as a hobby, or it could be a stress reliever and even therapeutic.”
But it’s not one of those programs through the Museums for All that costs nearly nothing. Still, the institution has offerings almost anyone can enjoy.
The outdoor musical instruments in the new Phelps Melody Park can be played for free at any time. In addition, a pair of kaleidoscope sculptures were installed next to the instrument park. These are interactive exhibits that echo the art and perception experiences found in the center.
“It keeps within our mission and brings more of the arts outside the walls of the museum to allow for (an) infinite amount of things to see and more,” he said.
Shankle said it “underscores the value” of finding ways to “bring art and culture to the people, wherever they’re at.” The experiences are fun for kids and could make a lifelong impact on them.
Other opportunities are scattered throughout the metro area, including at the Family YMCA of Black Hawk County.
Not a ‘giant recess’
Brandon Bennett, youth development director for the organization, said he personally tries to address the stigma that his summer camp “is nothing more than a giant recess or just a day care.” The camp provides an alternative to the possibility that kids will be at home by themselves too much. But it's also a place that children can “take ownership of their activities,” he said, and provide input that helps to shape the camp.
One activity is called “Kids in the Kitchen,” where kindergartners through sixth-graders learn what it takes to put together a simple healthy snack and take part in a healthy activity all in the comforts of home.
The kids are also helping grow vegetables – pumpkins, peppers, parsley, herbs, tomatoes and onions – in a garden outside the YMCA.
And then other aspects of the program strive to be the complete opposite of school. Counselors try to bring anything usually done inside outdoors. Arts and crafts is one example. Another is sports, like basketball – which is typically played in the YMCA's gymnasium.
“Kids need to be outside when, with the exception of recess, they’re inside all day,” he said.
A newer activity about to get underway will connect the kids to their community by giving them the opportunity to clean up Waterloo parks that have been hit by graffiti and other vandalism. While that may be beneficial in the long run, it may not seem fun to them.
“We want to teach philanthropy,” said Norm Johnson, YMCA chief executive officer. “That’s accomplished at a young age when you’re showing the value of doing something for others.”
And, while its programs are not free, the nonprofit is trying to break down barriers, too. The YMCA offers assistance through scholarships that pay for a kid’s camp experience and then other assistance through the Department of Human Services. The Waterloo Community Schools provides breakfast, lunch, and snacks, as well.
Get up and move
At Camp Cedar Falls, Brock Goos, recreation and programs supervisor, said one of its goals is to meet community needs by offering affordable options and “as many swimming lessons as possible.”
“We still can’t get everyone in,” he said.
Despite the affordable options, Goos says the recreation center has a few dozen Steven Seelhammer Scholarships available to cover the cost of pool passes, swimming lessons or class registration.
Tots in Motion is a new program offering sports for preschoolers while the parents or other guardians take some time to themselves.
“It’s about getting them out in a social setting without the demand of a sports program like AAU,” said Mike Soppe, recreation and community programs manager, referring to traveling athletic teams. “They get active and have some fun and try things they wouldn’t normally do.”
And then, similar to the Boys & Girls Club, campers get out into the community by visiting places like the arboretum, Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls Public Safety Center and Bucks games.
The camp fills almost as soon as registration opens. Goos agreed that it’s not all structured and kids can go “be silly, run around and be loud.” And they’re “spending a lot of times playing games, making stuff and getting dirty.”
“We’re keeping them busy, entertaining then and allowing them to have a good time,” said Goos. “It’s the exact opposite of them watching TV all summer.”
Enjoying nature
Hartman Reserve Nature Center is another stop in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area offering summer programs for kids and 24/7 available opportunities.
Amy Davison, nature center unit manager, said it offers 23 different camp variations, including its Nesting Naturalists for newborns through 4 year olds. They’re “super popular,” especially because the COVID-19 pandemic cast a spotlight on the role of nature in people's lives.
“After the pandemic, people realized how important being outside is,” she said.
A lot of their camps allow kids to get dirty and get out into nature – including the ponds – while dreaming and imagining with contemporary themes.
“We got Harry Potter and Hunger Games. We’re trying to keep up with the latest movies and literature and are always on the lookout for things that might be interesting,” she said.
While transportation and meals are not often offered, Davison emphasized “we’ll make accommodations and do everything that’s needed to allow kids to be successful.” And the camps are intentionally kept small “to provide a real great hands-on experience.”
And then there’s plenty of free opportunities available anytime among its facilities, like the Sugar Shack, demonstrating how maple syrup is made.
The 2024 presidential field, in the order they've announced | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/summer-programs-keep-local-youths-busy/article_fa0a9d12-0ba5-11ee-9b6b-4fd9c908c1ef.html | 2023-06-23T12:58:08 | 1 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/summer-programs-keep-local-youths-busy/article_fa0a9d12-0ba5-11ee-9b6b-4fd9c908c1ef.html |
June 23 is Typewriter Day, celebrating this humble device. Actor Tom Hanks loves typewriters so much, he collects them. Kenosha has a connection to the typewriter: Christopher Latham Sholes, who invented the QWERTY keyboard (still used today), lived here and published the Kenosha Telegraph newspaper. On June 23, 1868, Sholes received a patent for his “Type-Writer” machine, the first commercially successful typewriter. The next time you wonder why “t” is next to “y,” thank Mr. Sholes.
Play ball! The Kenosha Kingfish are back in action today at Simmons Field. The Kingfish are hosting the Battle Creek Battle Jacks for a 6:35 p.m. game. Keep the sun out of your eyes with the Visor Giveaway. For tickets, call 262-653-0900 or go to kingfishbaseball.com.
Head to the Northside Library, 1500 27th Ave., to help Nancy Drew solve a mystery! “Hunt a Killer: Mystery at Magnolia Gardens” is 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the library. This is a free event, suitable for ages 12 and up. For more details, go to mykpl.info.
People are also reading…
This summer’s “Movie Nights in the Park” series continues today. The outdoor movies are shown Fridays at dusk in Petrifying Springs Park, Area No. 1 (next to the Biergarten), 5555 Seventh St. in Somers. Tonight’s film is the 2022 animated adventure “Lightyear.” Admission is free. Bring a lawn chair and/or blankets and whatever movie snacks you’re craving. To find out which movie is playing, “like” Kenosha County Parks on Facebook for weekly movie listings.
The Kenosha Public Museum, 5500 First Ave., is hosting the Transparent Watercolor Society’s annual exhibit, showcasing paintings from the top transparent watercolor artists in the country. Admission is free. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. www.KenoshaPublicMuseum.org.
In Milwaukee, the Big Gig is back! Summerfest continues today, with headliners the Zac Brown Band and the Marcus King Band. It’s Children’s Fest at the Big Gig, with special activities and discounts. And everyone gets in FREE from noon to 3 p.m. For more details about the festival, go to summerfest.com. | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/kenosha-area-events-for-friday-june-23/article_c32ac17c-1079-11ee-a766-77c947d60c8e.html | 2023-06-23T12:58:32 | 0 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/kenosha-area-events-for-friday-june-23/article_c32ac17c-1079-11ee-a766-77c947d60c8e.html |
Soon, we may be able to answer the question that has haunted people for generations: Where’s Waldo?
Samantha Jacquest, owner of Blue House Books, has organized a community-wide scavenger hunt to find the elusive children’s book character.
Waldo pops up in all sorts of locations in Martin Handford’s book series, which started in 1980 and has sent Waldo to the beach, the zoo and even on vacation to Hollywood. And wherever he goes, Waldo can be spotted wearing his signature look: A striped red-and-white shirt and matching hat, blue jeans and black-rimmed glasses.
In Kenosha, Waldo will be placed in 25 local spots, including Blue House Books, Jerry Smith Farm’s Country Store, the Dinosaur Discovery Museum, Studio Moonfall, Millie Bo Peep, Alpaca Art and Scrubby Duds laundromat.
On the hunt
People are also reading…
Here’s how the scavenger hunt works: Starting July 1, the cardboard Waldo characters will be placed in participating locations. Before setting out to find Waldo, stop by Blue House Books, 5915 Sixth Ave. A, and pick up a “Find Waldo” stamp card, which contains the names of all the participating sites. At each venue, after you find Waldo, you can get your card stamped. (“We’re encouraging the businesses to keep moving Waldo around,” Jacquest said — making Waldo a children’s lit version of Elf on the Shelf.)
Once you have collected 10 stamps, you can get a temporary Waldo tattoo and a coupon for a $1 off a Waldo book at Blue House Books. If you get 20 stamps, your card will be entered into the prize drawing.
“People have until just before 5 p.m. on Monday, July 31, to turn in their completed stamp cards,” Jacquest said. “We’ll start drawing the winning cards at 5 p.m. You don’t have to be present to win, but if you are here, you’ll get to pick out your prize.”
Side note: Blue House Books is now open on Mondays, at least through the summer. And yes, the store carries Waldo books.
Side note II: Waldo has misplaced his glasses somewhere inside Blue House Books, so eagle-eyed hunters can find those as well.
National event
Candlewick Press, which publishes the Waldo books, offers the scavenger hunt around the U.S., hosted by local bookstores each year.
“I’ve been trying to do more local events and reach out to the community,” Jacquest said. “We signed up and were accepted, and then we got busy planning.”
The staff at Visit Kenosha “helped us tremendously in getting local businesses to sign up,” she said. “We’re a partner of Visit Kenosha, and they worked with us to get more of their partners involved.”
Though the books are geared toward children, this scavenger hunt is open to all ages.
“I’m so happy people are getting excited about it,” Jacquest said. “We want all ages to have fun with this.”
When asked if she herself is a Waldo fan, Jacquest’s eyes immediately light up.
“Oh, yes,” she said. “Me and my siblings would take the books on road trips.”
In addition to the traditional “look and find” books, Waldo’s world has expanded to include activity books and other merchandise.
“He’s such a beloved character and is still so popular,” Jacquest said. “I think nostalgia is a big part of that, but the publishing company keeps it fresh, too, by offering new books in the series.” | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/wheres-waldo-scavenger-hunt-in-kenosha-starts-july-1/article_46b66230-110b-11ee-ae80-dfb6628e5e7d.html | 2023-06-23T12:58:33 | 0 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/wheres-waldo-scavenger-hunt-in-kenosha-starts-july-1/article_46b66230-110b-11ee-ae80-dfb6628e5e7d.html |
Belden Village Mall to host Restaurant Week and sampling event, starting Saturday
- Belden Village Mall will be hosting Restaurant Week from June 24 through July 1.
- There will be a Sampling Circle Kickoff event from 1 to 3 p.m. June 24 in the mall’s center court.
- Attendees can enter to win prizes and will receive discounts at restaurants throughout the week.
JACKSON TWP. – Belden Village Mall will host Restaurant Week from Saturday through July 1, with a “Sampling Circle Kickoff” from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday in the mall’s center court.
“Belden Village Mall’s Restaurant Week and Sampling Circle event is an opportunity to highlight our unique dining experiences and restaurateurs and allow them to showcase their diverse menus and specialty items with our community,” said Lisa Kreiger, marketing and business development director at Belden Village Mall.
The free kickoff event will feature samples from local restaurants and eateries, plus live music by Saxy Rob. Attendees can enter to win prizes, gift baskets, gift cards and dining experiences, including a $500 catering package from the restaurant or eatery of their choice. Attendees must be 18 or older to register for the $500 catering package prize, and winners will be announced July 7.
Guests interested in participating in Restaurant Week are encouraged to pick up a restaurant passport during the kickoff event for a complimentary item at each participating location. This is valid for dine-in only.
Throughout the week, participating establishments will be offering promotions and discounts. Eateries include Bravo Italian Kitchen, Chili's, Condado Tacos, Dave & Buster’s, Scramblers, Blue Smoke, Chick-fil-A, Charley’s Philly Steaks, Frullati Cafe & Bakery, Great American Cookies, and Sugar Daddy. For more information and hours, visit beldenvillagemall.com/event/restaurant-week-sampling-circle-kickoff.
“This kickoff event and subsequent restaurant week is also a chance for our dedicated visitors and food enthusiasts to reconnect with or try new eateries that Belden Village Mall has to offer," Kreiger said. "After last year’s wildly successful Taste for the Space Event held in June 2022, we thought this was a special way to focus on our food partners and ensure that these destinations remain top of mind."
Condado Tacos Marketing and PR Executive Roger J. Drake said the taco franchise, attached to the mall, loves partnering with the mall on events such as these.
“Condado Tacos always participates in special events at Belden Village Mall,” Drake said. “We choose to be a solid partner for the shopping center as well as taking part in an event that attracts people to the area to try us out either for the first time or to return and try some of our new and most popular items.”
Condado will be offering samples of its housemade guacamole, corn salsa and chips at the sampling event and will feature its chicken bacon ranch taco, rainbow chard queso and avocado jalapeño margarita for Restaurant Week.
In addition to the sampling event, Belden Village Mall will partner with BoxLunch, a retailer inside the mall, to join the fight to solve hunger through its partnership with Feeding America. For every $10 sold at its Belden Village Mall store, BoxLunch donates $1 toward a meal. The mall will be handing out coupons to encourage in-store sales and support the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank for Feeding America.
“We look forward to sharing with the community what we feel are some of the best food options Stark County has to offer and encourage everyone to join us for this culinary event,” Kreiger said.
What to know about Blue Smoke:Taste for the Space winner Blue Smoke finally open | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/jackson/2023/06/23/belden-village-mall-to-host-restaurant-week-and-sampling-event/70335381007/ | 2023-06-23T12:59:43 | 1 | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/jackson/2023/06/23/belden-village-mall-to-host-restaurant-week-and-sampling-event/70335381007/ |
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