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SACO, Maine — Police are seeking help from the public in locating a missing woman and her son.
Tania Mulanga, 32, and her son Martin Kakanda, 2, were last seen leaving a home in Saco near New County Road around 12 a.m. Tuesday, a release from the Saco Police Department said.
Police said Mulanga and her son are not from the area and do not speak fluent English. The boy does not speak English at all, police added.
Det. Sgt. Chris Hardiman with Saco police told NEWS CENTER Maine the two are in the area visiting family and friends.
Hardiman said police do not believe they are in danger, and that they left the Saco home on their own.
Mulanga is described as being 5 feet and 8 inches tall and 170 pounds. She was last seen wearing a sleeveless sundress, and her son was wearing sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt. Kakanda is 3 feet and 5 inches tall and 50 pounds, the release said.
Police ask anyone who may have information about their whereabouts to contact Det. Sgt. Chris Hardiman at 207-284-4535. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/search-underway-for-missing-mother-son-last-seen-in-saco-maine/97-9fdb5971-5881-4c11-a796-81d21c18857b | 2023-06-27T22:31:31 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/search-underway-for-missing-mother-son-last-seen-in-saco-maine/97-9fdb5971-5881-4c11-a796-81d21c18857b |
ARDEN, Calif. — A Sacramento man was convicted of murder Monday after he shot and killed a woman he was staying with two years ago.
The deadly shooting happened July 2021 at an apartment complex near Arden Way and east of Howe Avenue.
Prosecutors say Fard Smithson was with his three friends at the apartment when someone made a joke about the food the victim, Keela Cole, cooked for them.
Smithson got off the couch, threw his plate into the sink and shot Cole twice in the back of the head. She died at the scene.
Smithson and his three friends left the scene and only one came back to call 911. Smithson changed his clothes and said he didn’t know what happened.
He was convicted of murder and felon in possession of a firearm, Monday. He now faces 53 years to life in prison and his sentencing is set for Aug. 11. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/arden-lariviera/man-convicted-of-killing-partner-after-friends-joked-about-food-she-prepared/103-8c56b4c0-164c-4224-9f45-eaf27d4d5080 | 2023-06-27T22:32:07 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/arden-lariviera/man-convicted-of-killing-partner-after-friends-joked-about-food-she-prepared/103-8c56b4c0-164c-4224-9f45-eaf27d4d5080 |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Police Department is investigating a death in south Sacramento Tuesday.
The death happened in the 2500 block of 51st Avenue in Sacramento's Woodbine neighborhood.
Very few details about the death are available at this time.
Watch more on ABC10: Sac Metro Fire expecting 'hot and dry' Fourth of July weekend | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/death-investigation-i-sacramento-woodbine/103-a352ca89-fad0-4b16-b8f6-6ae9cac38f55 | 2023-06-27T22:32:13 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/death-investigation-i-sacramento-woodbine/103-a352ca89-fad0-4b16-b8f6-6ae9cac38f55 |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A longtime cafe and artist hub in Sacramento announced it's closing after being open for nearly 40 years.
Luna's Cafe and Juice Bar opened in Aug. 1983 at 1414 16th Street. Art Luna, the owner of the cafe, said in a Facebook post the new owner appreciates their programming.
"He loves our programming and is committed to the community in terms of presenting and supporting local artists of all genres. He would like to continue providing a space for artists, and I will be helping him with the transition," wrote Art Luna.
Many people commented on the post sharing memories of Luna's Cafe.
"This was a tough read Art, thank you for hosting a safe place for all artists of all types. Personally, thank you for making me feel welcome while performing with Rolando and his bands. I will never forget such good times at Luna's," wrote Trino Cabezas.
"You will be missed, you are such a huge part of Downtown and watching shows there are such great memories, will definitely stop by soon, much respect," wrote Joaquin Brand.
The last day is scheduled for Aug. 5.
The Silver Lining, a cocktail bar, posted on Instagram it would be opening soon in the same location as Luna's Cafe. The bar is described as fulfilling Sacramento's need for "dueling pianos, great drinks, nostalgic vibes."
Watch more on ABC10: Sac Metro Fire expecting 'hot and dry' Fourth of July weekend | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/lunas-cafe-closing-sacramento/103-5b499b9c-15ec-4193-82fc-cbbc5b0bdf54 | 2023-06-27T22:32:19 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/lunas-cafe-closing-sacramento/103-5b499b9c-15ec-4193-82fc-cbbc5b0bdf54 |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/do-you-know-what-to-do-if-a-child-is-drowning/3285431/ | 2023-06-27T22:38:50 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/do-you-know-what-to-do-if-a-child-is-drowning/3285431/ |
Sinkhole closes portion of Raeford Road after heavy rainfall in Fayetteville
A sinkhole developed at a Fayetteville construction site Tuesday morning after a night of heavy rainfall, the Fayetteville Police Department said.
The sinkhole formed at Raeford Road at the intersections of 71st School and Graham roads, where contractors were working to build new storm drainage systems, concrete curb and gutters and make improvements to medians, according to releases from the Fayetteville Police Department and the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
According to the NCDOT, the contractor, Highland Paving Company, is working with the department to repair the eastbound section of Raeford Road near Seventy-First High School. The westbound portion of Raeford Road was closed so heavy equipment can be used to repair the road, the release said.
The Department of Transportation estimated all lanes of Raeford Road would be reopened by Tuesday evening. Drivers are encouraged to use Graham and Strickland Bridge roads as a detour, according to the release.
Public safety reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at ABSolomon@gannett.com. | https://www.fayobserver.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/raeford-road-partially-closed-after-sinkhole-forms-at-construction-site/70360737007/ | 2023-06-27T22:39:02 | 0 | https://www.fayobserver.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/raeford-road-partially-closed-after-sinkhole-forms-at-construction-site/70360737007/ |
SAN ANTONIO — The Bexar County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in their search for a missing teen last seen on the southeast side Saturday evening.
BCSO says Abbigail Richter, 17, was last seen June 24 around 6:45 p.m. on the 500 block of Grand Lake.
Richter was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, red shorts, black Nike sandals, and carrying a black string bag.
She is described as 5'7'', weighing 145 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She also has a heart tattoo under her left eye, left wrist that says "2005" and a half moon sunrise on her left hand.
BCSO has urged anyone with information to call at (210) 335-6000 or email missingpersons@bexar.org. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/bcso-missing-teen-june-24-bexar-county/273-93a89e77-3c16-4c77-bd68-b6c3d3f4e182 | 2023-06-27T22:44:47 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/bcso-missing-teen-june-24-bexar-county/273-93a89e77-3c16-4c77-bd68-b6c3d3f4e182 |
SAN ANTONIO — Check out these stories about steps you can take to manage your health. Our special is hosted by KENS 5's Roma Villavicencio and sponsored by University Health.
Wear the Gown: A KENS 5 Special (June 24, 2023)
Check out these stories about steps you can take to manage your health. Our special is hosted by KENS 5's Roma Villavicencio and sponsored by University Health. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/outreach/wear-the-gown/wear-gown-kens5-special-san-antonio-health-june-24-2023/273-62d5e250-a7ec-4fc8-ad5d-2611cfdc45e4 | 2023-06-27T22:44:53 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/outreach/wear-the-gown/wear-gown-kens5-special-san-antonio-health-june-24-2023/273-62d5e250-a7ec-4fc8-ad5d-2611cfdc45e4 |
DULUTH — With its first three vacation homes now standing in the background and much more ambitious plans placed squarely on the drawing board, investors in the Spirit Valley Land Co. paid tribute to Eric Shaffer, former chief engineer of Duluth’s water and gas operations, as they unveiled a new city street named in his honor Tuesday.
“The RiverWest development has been many years in the making, and Eric Shaffer was a big part in making that vision a reality,” said Jim Benning, Duluth’s director of public works and utilities. “Until recently, this was woods, as you see behind you, and now it’s transforming into this wonderful addition to this west Duluth neighborhood, with residential housing, retail stores coming in the future, and a kickoff point for adventures on the river, trails and at Spirit Mountain.”
“What you can’t see is the utilities, and utilities are the lifeblood for this development," Benning said. "It’s easy to forget that each structure needs water for drinking, sanitation and fire suppression; sanitary sewer to carry the waste away; natural gas to heat the building; and storm sewers to convey and treat the stormwater runoff into the river.”
“Eric and his team were instrumental in getting these utilities designed and constructed on this very challenging site,” Benning said. “But most of you who knew Eric were well aware that he was the right person to do this. He was a doer. He could be relied on to get the job done. I don’t recall ever hearing him say, ‘It can’t be done’ or ‘It’s too difficult.’”
In unveiling Eric Shaffer Way, developer Brad Johnson described the street as a testament to its namesake’s can-do attitude. Shaffer died in February following a snowmobile accident.
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Johnson said the development will bring $100 million of investment to the area by the time it is completed, with a 100- to 120-unit apartment building, a hotel, retail businesses and a restaurant as part of the mix.
Scott Neustel, a partner in the land company and owner of Ski Hut, noted that Outside magazine previously recognized Duluth as the No. 1 outdoor city in the nation.
“And this place, RiverWest, delivers the No. 1 outdoor experience not only in the city, but in the country and in the world. I truly believe that. And why do I believe that? It’s because RiverWest provides direct access to no less than 12 world-class trails, right from this place right here,” Neustel said.
He pointed to the biking, hiking, skiing and paddle-sport opportunities that abound in the area.
Besides investing in housing for the 26.8-acre development, Neustel said he also aims to break ground this summer on a new Ski Hut store at the corner of Riverwest Drive and Grand Avenue. The new “adventure center” is expected to cost more than $3 million and will offer an array of outdoor gear for sale and rent.
“It’s going to be something that will provide the supplies and the rentals for outdoor enthusiasts who are coming to Duluth to enjoy our trails,” he said.
“My store and the other businesses that follow will be a perfect complement to both Spirit Mountain and these beautiful homes that you see here: the RiverWest Vacation Homes,” Neustel said.
Three of those four-bedroom vacation homes are already up and operating, with the owners routinely renting the properties to visitors for around $600 per night when they’re not staying there themselves, Johnson said.
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He said the homes were sold for around $750,000 apiece before they were even built. Three more are slated to go up this summer. Phases 2 and 3 of the development are poised to bring another 35 or so vacation homes to RiverWest over the next two years.
“I’ve been investing in real estate here in Duluth now for a little over 30 years, and this is by far the most exciting project I’ve been involved in," rental investor Daniel Legg said.
While the adage about real estate values being driven by “location, location, location” still holds, Legg said he would add “license” to that list, as an investor.
“I’ve been trying to expand my portfolio of real estate here in the Duluth area for the last few years, and it’s been a painful process with the limited supply that’s out there. And as we all know, vacation rental licenses in Duluth are very hard to come by,” he said.
“So, that’s the big thing here. Yes, we have the location, and I’m excited about it that we’re in this fun playland. That gives me pleasure. But we also have the license to do business,” Legg said.
The RiverWest Vacation Homes will be licensed as a hotel operation, and as such will not be subject to the city’s cap on vacation-rental properties, explained Adam Fulton, deputy director of Duluth’s planning and economic development division.
“The demand is here in Duluth for vacation rentals. We know that. We know that the supply is not changing much. So, it’s not rocket science, folks. It’s supply and demand. And right here, I think we’ve got something that’s really really special,” Legg said. | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/duluths-riverwest-development-billed-as-world-class-destination | 2023-06-27T22:46:15 | 1 | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/duluths-riverwest-development-billed-as-world-class-destination |
BIWABIK — Police are investigating the circumstances of a man's death inside an Iron Range home.
The Gilbert Police Department said the man was found dead in a residence on the 300 block of Fourth Avenue North in Biwabik at approximately 3:30 p.m. Monday after a 911 call was placed. The city of Biwabik contracts with Gilbert for police services.
Police Chief Ty Techar said the body was transported to the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office for formal identification and to identify a cause of death.
"Investigators continue to interview neighbors and persons last known to have been with the deceased," Techar said in a statement. "At this point investigators believe that the man’s death was an isolated incident and there is no danger to the public."
Police did not specify if the death is considered suspicious, and Techar did not return a call seeking additional details Tuesday. The release stated that additional information would be released after the autopsy, family notifications and initial investigation.
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The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, St. Louis County Sheriff's Office and East Range Police Department were also assisting. | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/police-investigate-mans-death-in-biwabik | 2023-06-27T22:46:25 | 0 | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/police-investigate-mans-death-in-biwabik |
DULUTH — The city's public school district is considering a purchase of the Duluth News Tribune building downtown.
Duluth School Board members are scheduled to meet in a closed session Thursday to discuss the potential purchase of the building at 424 W. First St., where the newspaper has been located for decades.
Minnesota law allows public bodies like the school board to close meetings to develop or consider real estate offers or counteroffers . A definitive vote on such a purchase, though, must be held in a public meeting.
When school board members agreed to sell Central High School to developers in August 2022 , they met in a closed session for about 90 minutes before opening that meeting, when they voted on the $8 million sale. They have not included a similar action item on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting.
District leaders, including Superintendent John Magas, Assistant Superintendent Anthony Bonds and school board members Alanna Oswald and Paul Sandholm, toured the News Tribune office Monday. Duluth Public Schools administrators scheduled Thursday’s meeting shortly afterward.
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The newspaper’s 64,000-square-foot office building has stood across from Duluth City Hall for decades. It was listed for sale in June 2017 .
The building is currently listed for $900,000 by Greg Follmer , a real estate broker who handled the district's sale of Central High School.
“I remain hopeful that this process will be brought to a conclusion that will result in our business having the opportunity to relocate to a more suitable space for our needs today,” Publisher Neal Ronquist said Tuesday.
Magas said Tuesday it would be too early to speculate on a plan for the News Tribune office.
“But I would say that, in looking at being responsible with our resources overall, as we look to consolidate resources, we also look to reduce the number of leases we have as a district, overall,” he said. “That’s something that we’re examining: capacity of different places and how can we be more responsible, fiscally, to our taxpayers, related to expenditures.”
The school district is also considering the sale of a pair of properties it owns.
The first is a storage facility at 330 Garfield Ave. and the second is a transportation facility at 3200 W. Superior St. that would presumably be rendered obsolete after construction of the district's new headquarters .
Earlier this month, school board members met in a closed session to consider selling those buildings.
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The district also leases a pair of locations downtown: classrooms and offices for its Area Learning Center at 11 E. Superior St. and its adult education programs at 325 W. First St., less than a block from the News Tribune.
The district’s lease for the learning center expires in September 2024. Its lease for the adult education space expires in April 2027, according to district staff. | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/school-district-eyes-purchase-of-duluth-news-tribune-building | 2023-06-27T22:46:36 | 1 | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/school-district-eyes-purchase-of-duluth-news-tribune-building |
A former Bishop Luers High School teacher accused of child seduction might face two additional charges after a second victim told police she wants a criminal case pursued.
A woman, who is one of three former students who has alleged having a sexual relationship with 34-year-old Jordan M. Miller, first told police about the relationship in October but did not want to press charges because she lived out of the state at the time. In early May she reached out to a detective, wanting to move forward with charges.
The woman is the second former student to pursue charges against Miller.
Allen County Deputy Prosecutor Emily Snyder filed a motion June 12 to add two more counts against Miller, who was charged with two counts of child seduction in May stemming from the first former student. The motion is scheduled to go before Allen Superior Court Judge Fran Gull on July 19.
During an interview with police, the woman, referred to in court documents as "Victim 2," said her student-teacher relationship with Miller began to shift in late 2016 to something more personal, according to a probable cause affidavit written by Fort Wayne Officer Kenneth Johnson. At that time, Miller asked the then 17-year-old girl to watch his dog over the holiday break.
By the following January, the two began texting or talking on the phone daily, according to court documents. The woman told police she did not tell anyone about the texts and that she felt guilty for talking to Miller.
About two months later, Miller asked the student to come over to his apartment and she told him no, according to the affidavit. She said Miller was persistent over the next several days until she agreed to go to the apartment, where the two held hands, hugged and laid together while they watched a movie, according to court records.
Visits with Miller continued on a "regular basis, weekly basis" after that and each visit included more sexual behavior, the woman told police, court documents show. By mid-March, Miller said he wanted to have sex, but the woman declined, saying that "this was way too far."
Miller responded to her objection to sex with comments, such as calling her his girlfriend; saying that it is a normal, healthy activity for couples; and asking "how do you expect us to work out if we don't have sex," according to the affidavit. The woman said she agreed after three to four rejections.
A sexual relationship continued through the woman's 18th birthday and began to slow down in February 2018, the woman told police according to court documents. The woman said she last had sex with Miller in June 2018, which was after she graduated.
During the relationship, the woman said Miller sent her nude photos and asked her for some in return, according to the affidavit. The woman said Miller also recorded them having sex and she told him to delete it.
The woman told police that Miller said he deleted it, but she was not sure whether he actually did.
Miller was first arrested in early May after charges were filed against him stemming from another alleged sexual relationship. The woman, referred to as "Victim 1" in court documents, said the sexual relationship began in February 2018 and ended about three months later.
The first victim said the typical student-teacher relationship between her and Miller shifted to something more personal when he asked her to watch his dog, according to court documents. The relationship evolved into the two having sex after Miller made the girl alcoholic drinks.
“That’s how I lost my virginity that night,” the woman told police.
She said the relationship continued until she went to college, according to court documents.
Miller taught at Bishop Luers during the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 school years and resigned following a school investigation into whether Miller wrote a paper for a student, court documents show. When police spoke to the former student, she said Miller wrote the paper for her in exchange for sexual favors.
The three students attended Bishop Luers at the same time but did not know the others had alleged sexual relationships with Miller, court records say.
A jury trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 28. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/prosecutors-ask-to-add-charges-against-former-bishop-luers-teacher-accused-of-child-seduction/article_d2155ffa-1504-11ee-9114-bfecaacd0ef3.html | 2023-06-27T22:52:09 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/prosecutors-ask-to-add-charges-against-former-bishop-luers-teacher-accused-of-child-seduction/article_d2155ffa-1504-11ee-9114-bfecaacd0ef3.html |
About $730,000 in additional upgrades is on tap for Carroll High School's stadium and fieldhouse.
The board on Monday agreed to spend $519,293 on video boards at the two locations and $208,703 on a related audio system with leftover funds from bonds established to pay for previous site improvements.
Northwest Allen County Schools doesn't have the flexibility to divert the balance of those bonds – $1,767,675 – to other needs, such as teacher pay, Superintendent Wayne Barker said.
"These are funds that were created to build that site improvement project that the board supported years ago," Barker said, referring to the $24.8 million makeover that addressed the stadium and other areas. "We couldn't do anything in any way to legally take that money and share it and give people raises. It wouldn't be possible."
South Dakota-based Daktronics will provide the video boards while Reliance I/O of Roanoke will supply the audio system. After those purchases, NACS will have about $1 million remaining to spend.
Kent Somers, board president, acknowledged the $727,996 a big amount, but the district lacks options.
"The money's sitting there. We have to spend it," Somers said. "We have nothing else on the table right now that would fit that need."
NACS celebrated the overhaul of the stadium, track, marching band practice fields, soccer fields, football field, surrounding grounds, out buildings and parking lots with a ceremonial ribbon cutting in July 2021.
"We built a facility that was built to last the test of time," Athletic Director Dan Ginder said. "The community is extremely proud of that facility."
The site has let Carroll host "some of the biggest and best events" in the area, Ginder said. He noted the school last year hosted its first regional boys and girls track competition and its first marching band invitational, among other contests.
Adding video boards to the stadium scoreboard and inside the fieldhouse will further enhance the facilities, Ginder said.
Along with athletic and marching band events, possible uses of the technology include elementary movie nights, graduation ceremonies, daily educational uses and a meeting area for speakers, he said.
Ginder expects the upgrades will increase fan engagement, improve safety with video announcements and introduce advertising opportunities through in-game productions. He anticipates NACS can generate at least $50,000 annually.
Use of the Charger Sports Network will expand, providing more opportunities for students to learn broadcasting skills, Ginder said.
"You talk about personalizing an education," Somers said, adding students can gain experience in aspects including video, announcing and technology.
Kristi Schlatter, board secretary, said she likes how the equipment will benefit many students. She would like any advertising revenue to also support as many staff and students as possible, she said.
Ginder said district officials will develop a plan regarding advertising. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/schools/carroll-high-school-stadium-fieldhouse-to-get-video-boards/article_356b154e-1529-11ee-b455-5f9026afdd39.html | 2023-06-27T22:52:19 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/schools/carroll-high-school-stadium-fieldhouse-to-get-video-boards/article_356b154e-1529-11ee-b455-5f9026afdd39.html |
PHOENIX — The suspect arrested earlier this month for barricading himself inside a Phoenix apartment complex has been charged by a grand jury with 17 felonies.
Martin J. Oliver, 48, was recently indicted with 10 counts of aggravated assault, five counts of disorderly conduct, one count of burglary, and one count of weapons misconduct for an incident that occurred on June 4 at a complex near 7th Avenue and McDowell Road.
Oliver allegedly broke into an apartment and barricaded himself inside, resulting in an hours-long standoff with Phoenix police.
The suspect allegedly fired shots at officers before he was taken into custody.
Most of the charges listed in Oliver's indictment are Class 2 dangerous felonies, meaning he could face significant time in prison if convicted.
The defendant's currently being held without bond, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott called a second Texas Legislative special session Tuesday.
The session began Tuesday afternoon, with property-tax rates as the focus of the additional session.
The session aims to cut property taxes, Abbott said in a news release Tuesday, by eliminating school-district maintenance and operations-related property taxes, as well as school district maximum compressed tax rates, which applies to the state and local government's responsibility to public school districts.
"Unless and until the House and Senate agree on a different proposal to provide property tax cuts, I will continue to call for lasting property tax cuts through rate reductions and working toward eliminating the school property tax in Texas," he states. "Special sessions will continue to focus on only property tax cuts until property tax cut legislation reaches my desk."
The House and Senate both agreed on cutting school district property tax rates during the regular session, but could not come to an agreement on how to accomplish the cuts.
The first special session, which ended earlier Tuesday, tackled school property tax rate cuts and human smuggling.
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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.newswest9.com/article/news/local/texas/second-special-session-called-as-texas-lawmakers-cant-agree-on-property-tax-changes/503-831a2c41-9a7f-46e8-845d-bdf6b45904f6 | 2023-06-27T22:59:25 | 0 | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/texas/second-special-session-called-as-texas-lawmakers-cant-agree-on-property-tax-changes/503-831a2c41-9a7f-46e8-845d-bdf6b45904f6 |
BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. – One of the region’s biggest healthcare systems plans to move its Behavioral Health Hospital from Salem to Botetourt County.
On Tuesday evening, county leaders are considering the proposal with a public hearing.
Agenda information shows that the proposed hospital will aim to serve the mental health needs of Botetourt County, as well as the region.
The proposed site is in the Joel Smith Industrial Park on Avery Row in Blue Ridge.
The request is for a 130-bed facility, or approximately 83,000 square feet with the initial build of the facility at 80 beds, and 63,000 square feet.
The hospital aims to provide in-patient and out-patient services, including adolescent programs, adult programs, alcohol and drug treatment and crisis evaluation.
The outpatient program is expected to accommodate approximately 15 patients per day.
It says the facility will be open 24/7, and the average length of stay for in-patient will be about 7 days. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/27/botetourt-county-holds-public-hearing-on-lewisgale-behavioral-health-hospital-proposal/ | 2023-06-27T22:59:51 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/27/botetourt-county-holds-public-hearing-on-lewisgale-behavioral-health-hospital-proposal/ |
CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – Christiansburg Town Council is set to come to an agreement on SROs in Christiansburg schools.
Council voted in January to suspend funding for SROs within town limits.
Christiansburg funded SROs in three Christiansburg schools. They say they want Montgomery County to work to fund and staff the program.
The agreement council is looking at on Tuesday night details both the sheriff’s department and Christiansburg Police Department’s responsibilities if they split the role.
This agreement will need to be approved by both council and the board of supervisors. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/27/christiansburg-town-council-come-to-agreement-on-sros/ | 2023-06-27T22:59:57 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/27/christiansburg-town-council-come-to-agreement-on-sros/ |
ROANOKE, Va. – Two people have been arrested after leaving dogs in a parked vehicle, leaving one of them dead on Sunday, according to the Roanoke Police Department.
On June 25 around 1:25 p.m., police say they received reports of two dogs inside a parked vehicle in the 100 block of Luck Avenue SW.
When officers got to the scene, they said they found two dogs inside a parked vehicle – one that was alert, and one that appeared to be unresponsive.
We’re told the officers immediately began working to open the locked car doors to treat the dogs.
An officer was able to make entry into the vehicle when the reported owners of the dog and the vehicle got to the scene, RPD said.
Police said other doors of the vehicle were then opened, and they found that one of the dogs had died. The dog was taken to the Roanoke Police Department as evidence.
James Lipscomb and Ashleigh Hutton, both of Roanoke County, were taken into custody and charged with two counts of felony animal cruelty each, according to police.
Authorities say additional officers were sent to their residence and seized two more of their dogs. We’re told RPD Animal Wardens have filed a petition for custody on all the remaining animals.
According to RPD, the investigation is ongoing. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/27/dog-dies-after-being-left-in-parked-car-in-roanoke-two-people-arrested/ | 2023-06-27T23:00:03 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/27/dog-dies-after-being-left-in-parked-car-in-roanoke-two-people-arrested/ |
ROANOKE, Va. – A first-ever caregiver cook-off in Roanoke.
Meals on Wheels teamed up with Home Instead to help promote healthy lifestyles and good nutrition for seniors.
On Tuesday afternoon, eight Home Instead employees cooked in front of a live audience and judges.
Organizers say food is an important part of breaking up social isolation for senior adults in the community.
“The purpose today is bringing the community together to recognize great cooks that work for home instead, but to also to highlight the need for more people involved with out local Meals on Wheels program,” Betsy Gead, Local Franchise Owner for Home Instead said.
The recipes were judged, based on flavor, appearance, the perceived nutritional value of the item, and affordability, with winners receiving a thousand dollars in cash prizes. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/27/roanoke-caregivers-participate-in-cook-off-to-promote-healthy-lifestyles-for-seniors/ | 2023-06-27T23:00:09 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/27/roanoke-caregivers-participate-in-cook-off-to-promote-healthy-lifestyles-for-seniors/ |
CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – This year, WSLS is partnering with the Community Foundation of the New River Valley for Give Local NRV - a day dedicated to helping non-profits in the area.
“The give local campaign is really everything that gets us through the year,” said Deanna Cox, director of Inmate Family Assistance
A small operation, Inmate Family Assistance helps families stay connected with their loved ones incarcerated at the Montgomery County Jail.
Cox recognized the need when her own son became incarcerated.
“Jail is an expensive place for a family member to be,” Cox said. “They need money to make phone calls, they need money to get supplemental food and hygiene items.”
The Community Foundation of the New River Valley is helping Inmate Family Assistance as well as over 100 other non-profits in raising money to keep themselves up and running as a part of Give Local NRV.
Lindsey Gleason is the assistant director of the Community Foundation and said for their 10th annual Give Local, they’ve already raised over $300,000.
“We’ve seen donations in the thousands from a single donor, and we see five dollar gifts. So all of those come together to raise this half a million dollars or hopefully more,” Gleason said.
Gleason said giving during Wednesday’s 24 hours of giving keeps money going to local organizations, whose mission is to help the NRV.
“You’ll see nonprofits working on arts and culture, working on issues relating to poverty, to the environment, to animals, to education, there’s sort of something for everyone,” she said.
Director of the Christiansburg Institute Chris Sanchez says he uses the money raised during Give Local NRV to keep Black history and culture alive in Montgomery County.
“We’re really about preserving and stewarding and honoring the 100-year story of the Christiansburg Institute,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez said Give Local helps with that commitment.
“That requires people. People’s minds, people’s energy and people’s commitment,” Sanchez said.
Give Local NRV’s 24 hours of giving begins Wednesday at noon and runs until noon on Thursday.
To donate, click here. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/27/wsls-partners-with-community-foundation-for-give-local-nrv/ | 2023-06-27T23:00:15 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/27/wsls-partners-with-community-foundation-for-give-local-nrv/ |
WYTHE CO., Va. – A Wythe County business is expanding.
On Tuesday, Musser Biomass and Wood Products received a $75,000 check from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
This will create 10 jobs and more than double the production of eco-friendly lumber.
“We’re taking green chips and dust from local sawmills, were drying that material, were sorting it by species, sorting it by product size and there’s not anybody that we know of in the industry today that is doing that,” Ed Musser, President CEO of Musser Biomass and Wood Products said.
The family-owned company was founded in 1968. They offer a variety of products from pellets to poultry beddings
This is the second time they’ve received an investment from the state. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/27/wythe-co-family-owned-business-celebrates-expansion/ | 2023-06-27T23:00:21 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/27/wythe-co-family-owned-business-celebrates-expansion/ |
Find the freshest produce: Farmers markets and farm stands around the Taunton area
There’s nothing quite like picking up something fresh at the farmers market or a farm stand.
All summer long, and even into the fall, you can shop fresh, seasonal produce from local growers, sample the wares of local food vendors, and check out talented local crafters.
And so that healthy eating options are more accessible to everyone, many farmers markets also accept SNAP payments for fresh produce and participate in HIP, Massachusetts' Healthy Incentives Program.
Now that the summer season is fully upon us, we’ve put together a list of farmers markets and farm stands from around Greater Taunton and beyond, where you can pick up fresh, locally-grown food and artisanal goods:
Church Green Farmers Market, Taunton
The Church Green Farmers Market, held on the lawn at First Parish Church, 76 Church Green, is a Taunton staple. This year, it’s open every Sunday until Oct. 29, from 9 a.m. to noon, with fresh fruits and vegetables, homemade baked goods, local specialty products and more.
According to First Parish Church’s website, some favorite vendors are back, like Coutinho’s and Humble Hands Farms, Wagglebee Urban Farms, Angry Bees Apiary, Wholesome Sweets, Canvas Salt, and Old Earth Orchards LLC. New vendors include Hare’s Paw Farm and The Wandering Brush. Church Green Farmers Market accepts cash, SNAP/EBT, WIC, and senior coupons, and also participates in the Healthy Incentives Program. Interested farmers and vendors can contact CGFM manager Veronica at CGFMmanager@firstparishtaunton.org.
For the latest updates, follow Church Green Farmers Market on Facebook.
Farmers Market at Langwater Farm, Easton
Head up Route 138 to Langwater Farm, 215 Washingston St., North Easton, where they have a summer farmers market on Thursdays, from 2 to 6 p.m. The summer market runs through Oct. 26. Langwater Farm also has pick-your-own strawberries, and a farm store, open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., selling fresh produce, local dairy, eggs, meat, and pantry items.
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Farmer’s Outlet farm stand, East Taunton
For fresh produce and other local specialty items, stop by the Farmer’s Outlet farm stand, 255 Cape Highway, East Taunton. They’re open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. They offer both retail and wholesale items.
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Moonrose Farm Stand, Rehoboth
According to their website, Moonrose Farm, 88 Mason St., Rehoboth, is a woman-owned, chemical-free farm and apiary. Their farm stand is open on Saturdays and Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Their selection of seasonal produce varies by week as the season progresses, and other offerings include, among other things, flower bouquets, honey, pasture-raised eggs, bread and baked goods.
Customers can place weekly pre-orders for produce and baked goods Wednesday through Thursday evening, for pick-up on Saturday. Moonrose Farm Stand accepts cash, credit cards, SNAP and HIP.
Souza Family Farm farm stand, Rehoboth
Also in Rehoboth, the Souza Family Farm farm stand, 33 Agricultural Ave., is open through Halloween. According to the Souza Family Farm Facebook page, farm stand hours are Saturday and Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday, from noon to 5 p.m.; and Tuesday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They’ve got a variety of fresh produce, locally sourced honey, eggs, and homemade soap. Follow along on Facebook for the latest updates.
Taunton Daily Gazette/Herald News copy editor and digital producer Kristina Fontes can be reached atkfontes@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette today. | https://www.tauntongazette.com/story/entertainment/local/2023/06/27/taunton-area-farmers-markets-church-green-moonrose-farm-langwater-souza/70352634007/ | 2023-06-27T23:02:05 | 0 | https://www.tauntongazette.com/story/entertainment/local/2023/06/27/taunton-area-farmers-markets-church-green-moonrose-farm-langwater-souza/70352634007/ |
Taunton Public Schools getting virtual academy in the fall. What is it?
Starting this fall, Taunton will have a new school - a virtual school.
Unanimously approved by the Taunton School Committee, the Taunton Public Virtual Academy will serve a small amount of students from grades 8-12.
“One of our goals is that families have multiple options for accessing education. This gives parents greater choice,” said Superintendent of Schools Jon Cabral.
Referred to by Cabral as a “brick and mortar school, run virtually,” the Taunton Public Virtual Academy will have a separate principal, four core teachers, one special educator, one school counselor and assorted other shared district staff. The first two years of the program will have a maximum capacity of 75 students, with an increase to 100 by the third year.
Elizabeth Rodrigues, who has worked for the school district for 24 years, will be the principal for the Virtual Academy. She gave a presentation to the School Committee on June 7.
She said the virtual academy will only be for grades 8-12 because “this is where the greatest need was demonstrated” through surveys and research conducted over the past year for this proposal. The virtual academy will have live, synchronous teaching, as well as asynchronous teaching to be flexible and meet the needs of students also participating in sports and clubs.
Rodrigues clarified the differences between this new virtual academy and what is currently offered in the district.
The district currently has a virtual instruction program, which is a short-term tutoring program for students needing to be out of class for extended periods due to medical concerns.
The virtual academy is also not an outlet for retaking courses or credit recovery, like Taunton Alternative High School.
Taunton Public Virtual Academy is classified as a single district virtual school, only for students in the Taunton school district. It doesn’t require the approval of the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), but it still needs to be registered with them. Nearby, Attleboro and Brockton are two school districts with virtual academies.
Commonwealth Virtual School vs. Single District Virtual School
The Taunton virtual school is not the same as a Commonwealth Virtual School, which is for any student in the state, is funded through school districts using programs like School Choice, does require approval from DESE, and has an established Board of Trustees. The Commonwealth Virtual School is for grades K-12.
There are currently two Commonwealth Virtual Schools and seven Single District Virtual Schools in the state, according to Rodrigues’ research.
Can this work?
Rodrigues said a virtual academy for Taunton will succeed because there is currently a high demand across the state for more remote learning options, with the Commonwealth Virtual Schools having large wait lists.
Cabral said the district will market the school to students in Taunton currently being homeschooled or receiving their education through Commonwealth Virtual Schools.
For the 2022-2023 school year, Rodrigues said there were 51 high school students enrolled in Commonwealth Virtual Schools and 41 high school students homeschooled in Taunton.
Students taking their core and elective courses through the virtual academy will still have access to school sports, clubs, and organizations, as well as nursing and school meals. Rodrigues said virtual class scheduling can be flexible and tailored to meet students’ athletic and sports team requirements. She added some classes will have mixed grades, depending on the level and subject.
Who benefits from this?
Rodrigues and Cabral made it clear the virtual academy is not accessible to every interested student. “This will not answer the needs for every child. Not every student can thrive in a virtual environment,” said Rodrigues.
Citing the pandemic where “everyone was forced into a virtual environment, whether we liked it or not,” Rodrigues acknowledged the challenges of the remote learning environment during this period, as well as the potential learning loss students may have dealt with.
“It’s not COVID all over again. It’s us understanding what makes this engagement different and beneficial, and what instructional practices need to change. Again, this is not for everyone,” said Rodrigues.
Besides students currently with Commonwealth Virtual Schools or being homeschooled that have demonstrated academic success, Rodrigues said the Taunton Virtual Academy will rely solely on student referrals from the district’s counselors for admissions.
“They understand and have the history of students,” said Rodrigues, adding they can deduce, whether for social-emotional, academic, or physical reasons, that a student would work better in a virtual environment over an in-person classroom setting.
Cost
Cabral said it will cost the school district around $500,000 to begin the virtual academy. The district still has Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds that were distributed by the federal government during the pandemic, which will be accessed to start up the academy.
After the first year, Cabral said, funding the Taunton Virtual School Academy will be a regular part of annual school budget, beginning with the FY 24-25 school year. Officials have not determined how much the virtual school will add to the operating budget after the first year. But Cabral said, attracting some of the current virtual and homeschooled students would mean additional Chapter 70 money coming into the district, helping to offset costs. | https://www.tauntongazette.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/taunton-public-virtual-academy-approved-improve-learning-options/70347682007/ | 2023-06-27T23:02:11 | 0 | https://www.tauntongazette.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/taunton-public-virtual-academy-approved-improve-learning-options/70347682007/ |
Former Philadelphia police officer, Patrick Heron, 52, has been charged with an additional 233 charges in the case where he is being accused of sexually abusing young girls and women, and threatening witnesses.
Since initial charges were filed against Heron, the district attorney’s office has received 19 more transcripts of more crimes he has committed. This time the crimes date back to his time as an officer from 2005 to 2017, Lyandra Retacco, Chief of Special Investigations at the DA’s office shared in a news conference on Tuesday, June 27.
The initial case against Heron involved over a dozen counts related to “unlawful sexual contact with young girls, sexually illegal and inappropriate photography with young girls, retaliation and harassment against victims and witnesses -- both adult and juvenile," Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said previously.
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Krasner was not in attendance at the news conference on June 26, 2023.
All the initial allegations against Heron happened after his retirement from the police department in 2019. The new evidence investigators received points to multiple crimes committed while he was still a police officer.
Retacco also mentioned that Heron’s bail has been revoked. His bail was set to $2 million back in September of 2022.
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"There are few crimes more corrosive to public safety and community trust in institutions than witness intimidation, harassment, and retaliation," Krasner said in a previous news release. "The allegations against former Officer Patrick Heron are among the most alarming, sensitive, and serious that detectives and prosecutors in my administration have investigated."
Retacco said the new information they were able to gather in the investigation leading to the new charges was thanks to all the people that came forward since they initially asked the media to share Heron’s picture and for people to come forward with information.
The Special Investigations Unit number is still open and they are asking if anyone else has information or is a victim of Heron’s to call their 24-hour hotline at 215-985-3333.
Retacco shared a statement from WOAR Philadelphia Center Against Sexual Violence:
“This case is a very unfortunate reminder that sexual violence happens in all environments, in all communities and in all walks of life. That’s why organizations like WOAR and its partners work tirelessly to make outreach to and educate all of our fellow Philadelphians about sexual violence.”
WOAR services are offered to anyone who needs them, 24/7 free of charge.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/ex-philly-cop-facing-233-more-charges-in-sexual-abuse-case-spanning-over-a-decade/3593712/ | 2023-06-27T23:16:19 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/ex-philly-cop-facing-233-more-charges-in-sexual-abuse-case-spanning-over-a-decade/3593712/ |
AUSTIN, Texas — A child is in the hospital after police say they were accidentally shot by another child at an apartment complex in southeast Austin.
The Austin Police Department got a call at around 10:20 p.m. Monday to the Bridge at Asher apartments off Interstate 35, south of Slaughter Lane. Officers who arrived at the scene discovered a child had accidentally shot another child.
Police have not provided specific ages for the two children involved but said both are juveniles. Police also did not detail how severe the injuries are.
Neighbor Rebekah Vela said she is still shaken up after the incident.
"I could just hear the kids screaming and crying, and a couple of minutes later I guess a bunch of cops showed up and busted in and they brought the child out," Vela said. "The kid obviously just looked unconscious."
Austin-Travis County EMS told KVUE the injured child was transported to a local trauma facility with critical, life-threatening injuries.
It is a sight that stays with Vela.
"I was just watching through the peephole and, you know, it definitely scared me," Vela said. "Soon after that, I just stopped watching 'cause it was just scary. Even just to be standing there by the door scared me."
Nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety reports an average of 350 children a year get access to a loaded firearm and accidentally shoot themselves or someone else. From 2015 to the end of 2022, the organization reports there were more than 2,800 unintentional shootings by children under the age of 17, and 248 of those incidents happened in Texas.
Incidents like these shock fellow neighbor Lexus.
"You know, if you don't have the right knowledge for guns, you know, you shouldn't have it, especially being a minor," Lexus said.
"That just makes me really sad because I work with children every day and their time is you know, so precious. And it makes me really sad for that kid," Vela said.
APD said officers are still investigating this situation.
No additional information is available at this time. | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/child-hospitalized-shot-by-another-child-southeast-austin/269-ddaf3c3d-b8b2-4c64-a751-5b7eabf71812 | 2023-06-27T23:17:15 | 1 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/child-hospitalized-shot-by-another-child-southeast-austin/269-ddaf3c3d-b8b2-4c64-a751-5b7eabf71812 |
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Remember the freedom you felt when you finally got your driver's license, or when you took your first car out for a spin?
Now a lucky few people are getting that feeling, for under $1,000.
Heritage Mile One Auto Group and Vehicles For Change gave ten vehicles away for a low, low price on Tuesday.
Recipients say the new wheels give them opportunities for work with better pay and hours and let them spend more time with their families.
One of them, a medical assistant and single mom, says it'll cut her commute from over an hour to 30 minutes.
"Giving me more precious time in the mornings to focus on my daughter and prepare myself for the day ahead, this vehicle represents independence savings and endless possibilities," said Kaneshia McCaffity.
Vehicles For Change and MileOne have given away 200 cars since 2017. | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/vehicles-for-change-mileone-autogroup-teams-up-to-award-10-people-with-cars | 2023-06-27T23:18:16 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/vehicles-for-change-mileone-autogroup-teams-up-to-award-10-people-with-cars |
On June 25th, 2023, around 1:37 am, the Coos County Dispatch Center received a call reporting a motor vehicle crash at the Horsfall Campground. Deputy A. Churchill immediately responded to the area.
Upon his arrival, Deputy Churchill found a male, later identified as Trevis Benson (28), being treated by medical personnel. Deputies M.R. Smith and Detective Davis responded to the area to assist. | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/man-wrecks-atv-in-an-occupied-campground-and-is-arrested-for-dui/article_d428ea18-153c-11ee-8433-ebd51c5b26e6.html | 2023-06-27T23:18:16 | 0 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/man-wrecks-atv-in-an-occupied-campground-and-is-arrested-for-dui/article_d428ea18-153c-11ee-8433-ebd51c5b26e6.html |
November 16, 1946 – June 22, 2023
With heartfelt sorrow and a profound sense of loss, but also with thankfulness to God for her many years, our beloved Claudia Richardson, 76, of North Bend, went to be with the Lord on June 22, 2023. A Memorial Service will be held at Shoreline Community Church, 1251 Clark St, North Bend, Oregon at 1:00 pm on Saturday, July 15, 2023 under the direction of Nelson's Bay Area Mortuary.
She was born November 16, 1946 to David and Anita (Feil) Lorenzana in Ventura, California. Claudia attended Holy Cross Catholic School, Santa Clara High School, and Ventura College. She is a descendant of the Olivas and Lorenzana families who were given a California Spanish land grant in 1847 called Rancho San Miguel.
After marrying her husband, Dr. Steve Richardson, they moved to North Bend, Oregon where they raised their 3 children. Claudia had many hobbies and interests over the years including many years of dance lessons. She possessed a great love of music and travel, loved decorating homes, painting pottery, writing poetry, and designing jewelry. She had a passion for fashion. Her love of spoiling and caring for her friends and family was also a never-ending joy of hers.
Claudia is survived by her husband, Steve; sons, Tad & Holly Richardson, Corey & Kelly Richardson; daughter, Ashley Richardson; grandchildren, Brody, Chase, Trent, Hadley, and her fifth grandchild expected later this year; brother, Steve & Rose Lorenzana; sister, Cynthia & Doug Sassen; and many nieces and nephews.
Claudia, you will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Your love, your laughter, and your vibrant spirit will continue to guide us as we navigate this world. May you rest in eternal peace, knowing that you are deeply loved and eternally missed.
Contributions in her memory may be made in Claudia’s name to the American Heart Association, 4380 S Macadam Ave Suite 480, Portland, OR 97239, in Claudia’s name. This gesture will not only honor her memory, but will also help others battling their challenging heart issues.
Arrangements are under the direction of Nelson's Bay Area Mortuary, 405 Elrod Ave., Coos Bay, Oregon 541/267-4216 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/obituaries/claudia-a-richardson/article_d2d3ad64-153d-11ee-8cfb-43ab2d03e24e.html | 2023-06-27T23:18:23 | 1 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/obituaries/claudia-a-richardson/article_d2d3ad64-153d-11ee-8cfb-43ab2d03e24e.html |
A memorial service for Lana Jean (Cooper) Wesman, 76, of North Bend, who passed away December 24, 2022 in Coos Bay, will be held at 3 pm, Saturday, July 1, 2023 at Coos Bay Chapel, 685 Anderson Avenue in Coos Bay, with Pastor Jim Parmenter of Coos Bay Christian Fellowship, officiating. Arrangements are under the care of Coos Bay Chapel, 541-267- 3131 www.coosbayareafunerals.com
To plant a tree in memory of Lana Service as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store. | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/obituaries/lana-jean-cooper-wesman-service-notice/article_f0985944-0642-11ee-b566-2fef943e34d3.html | 2023-06-27T23:18:29 | 0 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/obituaries/lana-jean-cooper-wesman-service-notice/article_f0985944-0642-11ee-b566-2fef943e34d3.html |
PITTSBURGH — Twenty western Pennsylvanians are spending their first evening as new Americans.
The men and women come from 13 countries, from Afghanistan to Yemen.
All 20 of them took the oath of allegiance in a naturalization ceremony at the Heinz History Center on Tuesday.
For the men and women, it was a handheld symbol of freedom and hope.
“You always hear about the greatest country in the world, right?” said Omar. “As soon as I came here I just started realizing the freedom and the options.”
A one-hour ceremony marked the end of months, and in some cases, years, of preparation and the beginning of a new identity as an American citizen.
Each of the men and women had to demonstrate they understood English and had to pass a rigorous American history exam.
Patricia Rubani came from the Dominican Republic five years ago with her sons, Michael and Charlie.
“She studied every day and night. She was proud ‘cause now she’s a citizen,” Charlie said.
“Diversity is what makes America the country it is. Celebrate their history and their journey to becoming U.S. citizens. Share their stories. Congratulations on the journey,” said Steven Rice.
Today’s community ceremony was one of about a dozen that take place each year in the western Pennsylvania region.
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©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/20-western-pennsylvanians-now-officially-american-citizens-after-naturalization-ceremony/XMR7QK4QDRHZTM3KRHS2BL5RMM/ | 2023-06-27T23:18:39 | 1 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/20-western-pennsylvanians-now-officially-american-citizens-after-naturalization-ceremony/XMR7QK4QDRHZTM3KRHS2BL5RMM/ |
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Commonwealth Court judge ruled in March that the state’s public schools funding “falls woefully short and violates students’ constitutional rights.” That’s something most of the state legislature doesn’t argue. Where the divide comes is how to fix the problem. Some argue school vouchers are a solution. It’s a huge part of budget discussions as the budget deadline looms Friday.
Republican Senator Kim Ward from Westmoreland County has said school vouchers known as “Lifeline Scholarships,” are her top priority. Even Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro says he supports these types of vouchers.
So how do they work? The vouchers would use public school funding to allow students in underperforming districts to attend private or religious schools. They would come on a first-come, first-served basis and top out at $15,000 a scholarship.
Democratic Senator Lindsey Williams says this will siphon money from public schools with no oversight or accountability.
“There are vast inequalities that kids get in one district versus another,” Sen. Lindsey Williams said. “But this will destroy public education in Pennsylvania.”
Williams fears taxpayers will be on the hook.
“We’re already seeing our local property taxes going up,” Williams says. “One of my local districts, Shaler, voted to raise taxes last night. This will only make it worse.”
Marc Stier, the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center says he’s not opposed to these vouchers, neither is his organization. He says we need to properly fund public schools first.
“What we’re going to encourage people to do today is look at the details of the bill,” Marc Stier said. “We need a program with accountability.”
Several education advocates and teacher’s unions, including the American Federation of Teachers and the Pennsylvania State Education Association, blasted the vouchers during a press conference in Harrisburg Tuesday. They say no matter how you look at it, you’re taking money from public schools that are already underfunded.
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PITTSBURGH — Damar Hamlin will throw out the first pitch at the Pirates game on Tuesday night.
“It means everything to me (to throw out the first pitch),” Hamlin told our partners at TribLIVE.com. “I grew up a Pirates fan. I grew up a Pittsburgh fan, not even just Pirates. I feel like the biggest staple to our city is that Pirates logo. I got it inked on me forever. That’s everything to me. Just to be home and throw out the first pitch is like a kid’s dream. I feel like a kid on Christmas.”
Damar Hamlin on throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the Pirates-Padres game: “It means everything.” pic.twitter.com/kHc2VYxusv
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) June 27, 2023
Pirates players and coaches stopped to shake and and take photos with Hamlin.
David Bednar exchanged jerseys with Hamlin.
Yinzers. @david_bednar 🤝 @HamlinIsland pic.twitter.com/bvVPlEe0Pg
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 27, 2023
The Pirates are set to take on the San Diego Padres at 7:05 p.m. at PNC Park.
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CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Cranberry Township Police are warning medical professionals about a scam.
A group of professional criminals are impersonating one of the investigators at Cranberry Township Police and are targeting several doctors and dentists across the region.
Lt. Chuck Mascellino said a group of criminals are calling local doctors and dentists, pretending to be a Cranberry Township Police investigator saying there’s a warrant out for them and requesting they send money.
“It appears they are targeting physicians,” said Lt. Mascellino.
The scammers have called more than a dozen physicians across the area and out of state in Ohio.
”The people who perpetrate these scams are practiced and almost professional in the way they sound,” said Lt. Mascellino.
Police said they are asking physicians to send the money through Greendot or prepaid gift cards by sharing the numbers on the card, which is untraceable.
Some victims fell for it.
One doctor handed over more than $1000.
”I think they are professional criminals this is what they do for a living,” said Lt. Mascellino. “In most incidents, they are not from the area not even from the United States.”
Police said the scammers may be finding the victims by searching a database or on the dark web.
Police don’t exactly know why doctors and dentists are being targeted but Lt. Mascellino says police would never ask anyone for money over the phone.
”Police officers are never going to call you and tell you to provide debit card information or ask for payment on some type of prepaid credit card,” said Lt. Mascellino.
Police said even former physicians in the area have been targeted.
If you think you’re a victim in this case, call Cranberry Township police or your local police department.
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OLYMPIA, Wash. — The projected revenue collections for the 2023-25 state budget increased by nearly $327 million due to the capital gains tax that went into effect last year.
“Capital gains revenue collections have been stronger than expected and the forecast has been revised up to reflect that,” said Steve Lerch, executive director of the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council. “However, the large number of estimated capital gains tax returns means that final collections from this source remain uncertain. Otherwise, relatively small changes in the economic forecast have given rise to small adjustments in the revenue forecast.”
Total Near General Fund revenues are now projected at $66 billion for the next two-year budget cycle for the state, which begins July 1.
“The early capital gains revenue projections are encouraging, but we’ll have to wait until fall when final returns are due to have more certainty about actual collections,” said Office of Financial Management Director David Schumacher.
The Near General Fund forecast for 2025-27 was also increased by approximately $147 million, with total expected revenues of around $70 billion.
The Revenue Forecast Council expects General Fund revenues will hit nearly $64.5 billion for the current biennium of 2021-23, which began July 1, 2021 and ends on Friday.
What is the capital gains tax?
The capital gains tax is a tax on the state's top investment earners.
It imposes a 7% tax on the sale of stocks, bonds and other high-end assets in excess of $250,000 for both individuals and couples.
The tax took effect July 25, 2021. However, taxes were not imposed until Jan. 1, 2022.
The tax includes exemptions for all real estate, retirement accounts, livestock, agricultural land, fishing privileges, family-owned small businesses, and more. It is estimated to affect about 7,000 of the state's wealthiest taxpayers.
Revenues collected from the tax are deposited in the Education Legacy Trust and Common School Construction Account. The money will be used to fund investments in K-12 education, childcare and early learning.
The Washington state Legislature imposed the tax, without voter approval, in 2021. Gov. Jay Inslee signed the tax into law in May 2021.
Critics argued the capital gains tax is a form of income tax – prohibited by Washington state's constitution. In March of 2023, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled it was constitutional, however. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/olympia/washington-revenue-capital-gains-tax-2023-25-forecast/281-61ea80fe-6a96-417b-8686-76c8e945e079 | 2023-06-27T23:19:01 | 1 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/olympia/washington-revenue-capital-gains-tax-2023-25-forecast/281-61ea80fe-6a96-417b-8686-76c8e945e079 |
VANCOUVER, Wash. — One of the largest and rarest flowers in the world is expected to bloom soon at Washington State University Vancouver.
The corpse flower, which students have named Titan VanCoug, is getting ready to bloom for the third time. The first bloom came in 2019 after laying dormant for 17 years. The second one was in 2022 and it drew 20,000 visitors to campus.
"It's really neat to have a bloom right after we just had a bloom," said Dawn Freeman, an instruction and class support technician at WSU Vancouver.
She has spent the past few years caring for the plant.
The corpse flower could bloom at the end of June or the first of July, according to WSU Vancouver's website. However, Freeman said it's still too early to tell. She thinks she will have a better idea of the timeline in the next week or two.
"Last year's bloom was in August when it was hotter and warmer, and I think it sped things up in general," Freeman said. "This has been cooler, the weather just got kind of cold again, so there's been sometimes where there's been no growth on this, which is kind of odd."
Freeman said she noticed what she called an "emergence" coming out of the soil in mid-May. That emergence has grown about two to three inches a day and now stands around four feet. It's unclear whether it will produce a flower or leaves, but Freeman suspects it will be a flower.
Titan VanCoug's corm cloned years ago, so four plants currently reside in one pot. A corm, or a tuber, is an underground stem that stores nutrients and acts similarly as bulbs do in other plants. Currently, visitors can see three stages of life in one pot: There is a leaf from a corm that bloomed in 2019, fruit from the 2022 bloom as well as the emergence of the 2023 bloom.
What makes corpse flowers unique?
Corpse flowers are indigenous to only one side of a mountain ridge in Sumatra, an island in Indonesia. What also makes them unique is the powerful stench which it emits when it blooms. Some people have compared the aroma to a rotting corpse, hence it's name, or dirty socks.
"It stinks. That’s because its pollinators are flies, corpse flies, dung beetles and things like that," Freeman said.
Corpse flowers usually bloom once every year or two, and the bloom only lasts two to three days. Bloom can grow up to 8 feet tall.
How to see Titan VanCoug when it blooms
Titan VanCoug is usually taken outside as soon as it blooms because of its smell. However, this year staff have decided not to move it from its current home — the stairwell of WSU Vancouver's Science and Engineering Building — because they didn't want to disturb it as it prepares to bloom.
Community members will still be able to view it in person and can check WSU Vancouver's website for updates.
The university has also set up a livestream of the plant on YouTube.
The history of Titan VanCoug
Back in 2002, former WSU Vancouver Professor Emeritus Steve Sylvester planted a seed from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's corpse flower. Titan VanCoug was a late bloomer, and after 17 years, finally had its first bloom in July 2019.
Sylvester retired in 2021 and Freeman began taking care of the corpse flower. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/wsu-vancouver-corpse-flower-to-bloom-2023/283-30010ca8-5b3f-4fc5-9a76-050846a6bd00 | 2023-06-27T23:21:04 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/wsu-vancouver-corpse-flower-to-bloom-2023/283-30010ca8-5b3f-4fc5-9a76-050846a6bd00 |
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Assistant State Attorney Bryon Aven works in the 18th Judicial Circuit and covers Brevard County.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
For a second time, Aven has been investigated by the Florida Bar, and the bar is moving forward with disciplinary charges against him.
“When the Florida Bar has found probable cause as it has through the grievance committee here, it’s very serious,” said trial attorney Doug Beam.
Court documents show that in 2021, the Florida Bar reprimanded Aven for actions against another judge during a campaign for a seat on the bench in 2018.
Read: What the expansion of Parental Rights in Education law means for Central Florida schools
Now, for this second time, documents show Aven allowed false testimony to be given in court -- in a felony battery case in April of 2022.
It resulted in a mistrial.
Daniel Martinez was the defense attorney in that case.
He said if his client had been found guilty, he would face more than 30 years in prison.
“In this case, they tried to stack the deck in their favor, and they cheated -- It’s that simple,” Martinez said.
Read: Lawyer says state attorney had enough to charge AJ Owens’ shooter with 2nd-degree murder
Trial attorney Doug Beam has been practicing law in the area for almost 40 years.
He said this case is unusual because State Attorney Phil Archer is keeping Aven on staff.
“The State Attorney is a constitutional officer; he can do what he wants to do,” Beam said. “It’s very unusual-- I’ve not seen anything quite like this.”
Officials said Aven was removed from a courtroom role after this mistrial and now works in the intake division.
He decides what cases go forward with prosecution.
Video: Orlando pastor among 2 killed in shooting outside Orange County banquet hall
With Aven’s history, Martinez said it is problematic.
“There’s no defense attorney watching over his shoulder to see who files charges or what charges he files,” he said.” There’s no one there to check him.”
Channel 9 reached out to State Attorney Archer and Aven but didn’t get a response.
The Florida Bar’s case against Aven will now go before a judge who serves as a referee, and the judge will recommend what disciplinary action to take.
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©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/assistant-state-attorney-investigated-twice-by-florida-bar-still-works-brevards-circuit-court/KDTOTTZY4BFSHGYODBKGLPBEXI/ | 2023-06-27T23:21:50 | 1 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/assistant-state-attorney-investigated-twice-by-florida-bar-still-works-brevards-circuit-court/KDTOTTZY4BFSHGYODBKGLPBEXI/ |
COCOA BEACH, Fla. — Cocoa Beach will be without a police chief – for now – after the city struck an agreement with Chief Scott Rosenfeld that will result in his early retirement.
Under the terms of the agreement, the city will pay the embattled chief to stay away from his workplace until his official retirement date on Aug. 31, 2024.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
The agreement immediately ends all investigations into Rosenfeld, who had been accused of leading a toxic workplace where employees were routinely made to feel uncomfortable.
According to investigative reports, Rosenfeld was accused of making sexist comments, being hyper-focused on body image and trying to influence interviews. The chief denied those claims to investigators, who declared many of them unfounded.
Read: Cocoa Beach police chief under internal investigation, placed on leave
Still, they said a reasonable person would find his management style abusive.
Rosenfeld will be allowed to retire without marks on his record and will be allowed to work elsewhere while collecting his Cocoa Beach salary.
One city employee, speaking under the condition of anonymity, said they were dismayed by the agreement. They said it gave the appearance that the chief was being rewarded for his behavior.
Read: Man accused of attacking woman inside park bathroom in Cocoa Beach
It was unclear why the city decided to end all investigations and strike the deal. Rosenfeld had been on administrative leave since employees began complaining earlier this year.
The staff member said they were under the impression Rosenfeld would be allowed to step down immediately.
A city release said the deputy chief would lead the department while the city management searched for an interim chief.
Read: Was that actually a tsunami that hit Florida? Yes, but not the kind you think
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©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/cocoa-beach-taxpayers-foot-police-chiefs-early-retirement/OVOHQRBTURCJJBG6BX3DBQIIEU/ | 2023-06-27T23:21:56 | 0 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/cocoa-beach-taxpayers-foot-police-chiefs-early-retirement/OVOHQRBTURCJJBG6BX3DBQIIEU/ |
ORLANDO, Fla. — Central Florida school districts have one day left to make policy changes to comply with a new state law.
In May, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the expansion of the Parental Rights in Education Act, called “Don’t Say Gay” by critics.
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The expansion of that bill is one of several new laws that go into effect July 1.
The Parental Rights in Education bill banned instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for grades kindergarten through third grade, and as of July 1 it’s being expanded to cover pre-K through eighth grade.
Read: Local after-school drag event canceled as DeSantis aims to expand Parental Rights in Education
The new law also makes changes to how books can be challenged in school districts and it prevents the forced use of pronouns in schools.
“We’re gonna get Florida out of the out of the pronoun Olympics,” bill sponsor Rep. Randy Fine, of Palm Bay, said. “There’s he’s in there, she’s and that’s it. And if we don’t teach that in school, then we’re doomed as a country.”
Fine said this is about protecting children and the rights of parents.
But Central Florida parent Jennifer Cousins said this law doesn’t respect her rights as the mother of 2two LGBTQ children in Orange County schools.
“My parental rights are going to be violated by laws like this because it’s going to allow people who are not accepting of families like mine where I have two queer children to dictate what my children can learn in school,” she said.
Cousins said she feels the law unfairly targets an already vulnerable population
“They’ve turned it into an issue that didn’t need to be there and a way to further marginalize already marginalized communities,” she said.
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/what-expansion-parental-rights-education-law-means-central-florida-schools/FZ4VE6RLFRBRJMWVD7XMBJ5FFM/ | 2023-06-27T23:22:02 | 1 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/what-expansion-parental-rights-education-law-means-central-florida-schools/FZ4VE6RLFRBRJMWVD7XMBJ5FFM/ |
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said he is optimistic about a bill passed in the Oregon legislature that will invest more than $90 million in public defense.
Senate Bill 337, which now sits on Gov. Tina Kotek’s desk, was among the hundreds of bills passed in a flurry of last-minute weekend activity in Salem. The bill and the money attached are meant to address a public defender shortage that is causing Schmidt and other DA’s around the state to drop cases.
“Well, it has to help. I mean, we really don’t have a choice,” Schmidt said Tuesday morning, “I’m very hopeful, I’m optimistic. None of these things ever happen like this,” he said, snapping his fingers.
“You’ve got to staff up. So it’s going to be hiring people, have to find people to hire.”
Schmidt said he expects the legislation along with an influx of new lawyers from the Oregon State Bar Association should help the shortage by January 2024. | https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/da-schmidt-optimistic-public-defender-shortage-changing/ | 2023-06-27T23:24:06 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/da-schmidt-optimistic-public-defender-shortage-changing/ |
Brad Marshall running to replace Miller on city council in Thursday GOP caucus.
MUNCIE, Ind. − City Parks Board President Brad Marshall appears likely to gain the District 4 seat on city council ahead of the election in November.
Marshall won the GOP primary in May to run for the seat in the fall. But the sitting occupant of the seat, Isaac Miller, resigned from the council earlier this month. A Republican Party caucus has been called for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at party headquarters in Muncie to pick someone to finish out Miller's term, according to the Delaware County Clerk's office.
Marshall said Monday he had filed with the caucus to represent District 4 for the rest of the year. He is also running in the upcoming election to capture that same seat for a full four-year term.
As of Monday there were no other Republicans who had filed to compete with Marshall at the caucus.
He won the Republican primary in May to be the nominee for the District 4 seat. His general election opposition is Democrat Sara Gullion.
Marshall said he is continuing to run hard to win that race. | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/brad-marshall-seeks-to-join-city-council-by-caucus-ahead-of-fall-election/70357611007/ | 2023-06-27T23:41:31 | 0 | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/brad-marshall-seeks-to-join-city-council-by-caucus-ahead-of-fall-election/70357611007/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/energy-experts-gather-in-fort-worth-to-talk-about-texas-power-grid/3285472/ | 2023-06-27T23:41:36 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/energy-experts-gather-in-fort-worth-to-talk-about-texas-power-grid/3285472/ |
Special meeting of commissioners, other officials set to discuss mental health facility
Delaware County Commissioners will have a special meeting with other county executives, including via Zoom, at 3 p.m. Thursday to discuss plans for a county mental health facility.
The commissioners have been working to develop a mental health rehabilitation facility to be located on the grounds of the Delaware County Justice Center. The meeting will be in Commissioners Courtroom in the County Building downtown.The meeting will be broadcast to the public on the county’s YouTube channel. Public comment is not being sought at the meeting.
An official with Wellpath, the company to provide services at the center, recently told commissioners it was "imperative that we have a safe, judgement-free welcoming space for people to recover in and get well."
"This is a voluntary place where we could send our family or friends if needed, or go there ourselves," he said. | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/county-executives-meet-thursday-to-talk-about-mental-health-facility/70358542007/ | 2023-06-27T23:41:37 | 1 | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/county-executives-meet-thursday-to-talk-about-mental-health-facility/70358542007/ |
Residents in the Ellis County city of Ennis are being asked to reduce water use as an electrical problem is keeping the city from pumping fresh water into its system.
The City of Ennis posted the water conservation notice on social media Tuesday afternoon, as temperatures hover in the upper 90s to low 100s across the region.
"The City of Ennis needs to reduce water use effective immediately," the city's statement read. "An electrical transformer has blown at the water plant and we are currently unable to pump fresh water to the towers causing a need for conservation until we are able to resolve the issue."
The city said more information would be released when the problem is resolved.
Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As developments unfold, elements of this story may change. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/ennis-residents-asked-to-conserve-water-after-electrical-issue-at-water-plant/3285495/ | 2023-06-27T23:41:42 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/ennis-residents-asked-to-conserve-water-after-electrical-issue-at-water-plant/3285495/ |
Feds and county agree to hold federal inmates in Delaware County
MUNCIE, Ind. − As of July 1, a contract allowing Delaware County Jail to house federal inmates will be in effect.
Sheriff Tony Skinner said the agreement was reached last week after about nine months of negotiating and working with the U.S. Marshals Service to be able provide the service. The federal government will pay the county $60 per day for each inmate with up to 50 inmates being placed in Delaware County at one time.
At its maximum, the agreement could provide $3,000 per day for the jail.
Skinner also said the federal government would provide an hourly expense to transport the federal inmates, including taking inmates to federal courts, as well as pay for the mileage.
More:Skinner still in talks to keep federal inmates in Delaware County Jail
The effort to land a contract with the federal government began after it became clear the number of inmates from other counties was likely to be decreasing. For a period of time, Delaware County was housing most Henry County inmates until that county opened a new jail last year.
Revenue earned by providing the service has been important as the county worked to improve pay for sheriff's department employees in recent years.
Delaware County was considered a good candidate to keep federal prisoners prior to conviction because of its proximity to the Federal Courthouse in Indianapolis and because the local jail maintains a medical staff.
Chief Deputy Sheriff Jeff Stanley told the Delaware County Council at the council meeting Tuesday that a contract had been reached. The meeting broke into applause.
More:Sheriff offers to match department wages to Madison County pay with federal inmate money
Skinner said that federal prisoners were not to be kept in the local jail after conviction. While in the jail, the federal inmates will be in with other inmates and treated the same.
The federal inmates are expected to begin arriving after July 1 and increase gradually.
Skinner said he had enough correctional staff to handle in increase in jail population and the federal officials promised that they wouldn't show up with a bus load on inmates the first day. | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/deal-has-federal-government-sending-inmates-to-delaware-county-jail/70361160007/ | 2023-06-27T23:41:43 | 0 | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/deal-has-federal-government-sending-inmates-to-delaware-county-jail/70361160007/ |
As we move into even hotter temperatures later this week, medical experts say now is the time to check in on the effects of heat.
For one North Texas woman, she hopes her heat experience can help all of us to listen to our bodies.
Betty Picek speaks from experience.
“My big telltale when I find out I’m getting overheated is I get cold sweats,” Picek said.
The avid Texas hiker shares many of her outdoor adventures on her Instagram page, including a real-world reminder of the real effects of heat.
“I think some people they start getting symptoms and they’re like ‘I’ll just down some more water and that will fix it but you’re not dehydrated you’re too hot,” Picek said.
This means Picek no longer hikes in Texas summers, instead right now finding cooler locations along the east coast. But she shared with her followers a poster covering the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, in both English and Spanish.
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The latest news from around North Texas.
Healthcare providers are paying close attention too. Mike Sharma is a physician assistant at Driven Healthcare. He says if someone you love has been out in the heat and cannot respond to basic questions, it is likely a heat emergency and requires immediate action, like full body immersion into cold water.
“The big dividing line for me is some sort of altered mental status,” Sharma said.
Sharma says the Frisco-based urgent care clinic hasn’t seen many patients presenting with heat-related symptoms, yet.
“It’s still kind of early,” I’m worried about what it’s going to look like in July and August if it’s this hot and now at the end of June,” Sharma said.
The hottest conditions of the year so far could come as early as Wednesday, so now is a good reminder no matter how much heat experience we have in North Texas, pay attention to what your body is telling you.
“We forget about it,” Picek said. “As Texans, we just say it’s hot and just deal with it and I think we don’t really take a good perspective of how bad it actually can be on our body.” | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/know-the-signs-of-heat-stress-before-you-go-outside/3285488/ | 2023-06-27T23:41:48 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/know-the-signs-of-heat-stress-before-you-go-outside/3285488/ |
As the power grid approaches record levels of demand during a triple-digit heat wave, industry leaders gathered in Fort Worth to talk about the energy market.
The Texas Oil & Gas Association hosted a summit on Texas energy, including remarks from former U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette and state lawmakers.
State Sen. Kelly Hancock gave an update on actions taken during the legislative session involving the power grid. He said funding passed by the legislature to incentivize new power generation will take time to build.
“I do think as we move forward we’ve done a lot,” Hancock said. “Now, I think it’s time for markets to kind of settle out and let investors feel comfortable coming in and investing in the type of technology that we need.”
As more people move to the state, challenges remain to meet demand while keeping costs low. Texans faced record electric bills last summer.
“We’ve got to have a balanced market so we want to make sure that homeowners have the lowest cost electricity that they can have, but we also want to make sure that the lights are on and balancing that is really where the conversation is at this time,” Hancock said.
“Texas has done a great job of diversifying its grid,” Brouillette said. “You have wind, you have solar, you have natural gas, nuclear power. You have all the right elements to provide a firm base load electricity. You just need more of it.” | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/oil-gas-leaders-join-lawmakers-in-fort-worth-to-discuss-texas-power-grid-energy-market/3285496/ | 2023-06-27T23:41:54 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/oil-gas-leaders-join-lawmakers-in-fort-worth-to-discuss-texas-power-grid-energy-market/3285496/ |
DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — Emergency crews responded to a Dauphin County commercial fire late Tuesday afternoon.
According to 911 Dispatch, the fire is along the 300 block of Weaver Road in Mifflin Township. The first call came in around 4:26 p.m.
The fire has since been upgraded to three alarms.
At this time, there are no reported injuries, according to dispatch. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/fire-reported-dauphin-county/521-ebe32eb4-016c-4140-b71e-322fe559fcb0 | 2023-06-27T23:47:18 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/fire-reported-dauphin-county/521-ebe32eb4-016c-4140-b71e-322fe559fcb0 |
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Families of first-grade students in Pennsylvania would be supplied with identification kits that could help assist police investigations if the children ever go missing, under a bill passed by the state Senate on Tuesday.
The bill passed 34-15 and now goes on to the state House for consideration.
Under the measure, schools would be required to distribute free kits — which include materials for fingerprinting, DNA collection and more — to first-grade students by Nov. 15 each school year.
The information would not be included in any state or national database, sponsors said.
The program would start next school year. Funding for the program is dependent on what the Legislature earmarks for it. With about 118,000 first-graders in the state, sponsors estimate it could cost a total of $350,000 annually for the kits.
Parents would be able to complete the kits and store them privately. They could turn them over to help law enforcement if their child were to go missing. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/kits-help-id-children-who-go-missing-given-out-schools-under-pennsylvania-bill/521-6d81f587-3121-439a-a1cc-469059f917e7 | 2023-06-27T23:47:24 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/kits-help-id-children-who-go-missing-given-out-schools-under-pennsylvania-bill/521-6d81f587-3121-439a-a1cc-469059f917e7 |
Don & Millie's, founded in Omaha in 1989, is on its way to becoming an employee-owned restaurant chain.
Founders Mark Sweet and Dean Rasmussen were contemplating retirement a year ago, but instead of selling the business, they chose to partner with Teamshares and its employee ownership model.
The concept allows employees to share in the company's success with no financial burden, receiving dividend checks in the short term while looking forward to a secure retirement buyout.
Don & Millie's, which has two Lincoln locations, is expected to become 80% employee-owned within 20 years — at no cost to the employees.
Lincoln diners and greasy spoons we love
Woodees
Owner Lynette Farabee said that her customers all know each other at Woodees on Capitol Beach Boulevard.
Journal Star file photo
Hi-Way Diner
Lincoln's Hi-Way Diner, 2105 Nebraska 2, is known for for great hash browns. It also has plenty of homestyle favorites such as meatloaf on the menu.
Todd Henrichs
Virginia's Travelers Cafe
Virginia's Travelers Cafe is at 3280 Cornhusker Highway is a longtime favorite for visitors and for locals. In this picture, Rich "Rob" Robinson eats breakfast at Virginia's Travelers Cafe in 2008.
Journal Star file photo
Tina's Cafe
Tina's Cafe is at 616 South St. Dining critic Jeff Korbelik enjoys Tina's giant homemade cinnamon rolls, the smoky bacon and blueberry pancakes. Plus, the restaurant has a cool NASCAR theme.
In this photo, Sue Mueller poses with her husband, Jerry, at Tina's Cafe in February 2011.
LJS file photo
Stauffer's Cafe and Pie Shoppe
Chicken friend steak with mashed potatoes and peas, a dinner roll, coffee and French silk pie are featured on the menu at Stauffer's Cafe & Pie Shoppe, 5600 S. 48th St.
LJS file photo
Engine House Cafe
The Engine House Cafe, 6028 Havelock Ave., is decorated with authentic firefighting equipment. Our favorite has to be the build-your-own breakfast burrito.
LJS file photo
Cook's Cafe
Cook's Cafe, 333 N. Cotner. "The mom-and-pop cafe reminds me of the diners I ate at growing up. I order the omelets here, which are the size of small cars," Korbelik said.
Journal Star file photo
Penelope's Lil' Café
Penelope's Lil' Café is at 4724 Pioneers Blvd. and serves breakfast and homestyle comfort food.
PHOTO BY LARRY L. KUBERT
The Eatery
The Eatery, 2548 S. 48th St., serves breakfast all day among many other menu options. On The Eatery's menu: the Black and Blue Burger (foreground), the Supremery personal flatbread pizza (left) and Classic-Your Way Alfredo with blackened salmon.
LJS file photo
Shoemaker's Travel Center
Shoemaker's Travel Center is at 151 S.W. 48th St. In this 2010 photo, Teresa Stinson shows off the bacon cheesburger, the chicken fried steak breakfast and the chocolate peanut butter cream pie at Shoemaker's Travel Center.
ERIC GREGORY/Lincoln Journal Star file photo
Greenfield's Cafe
Greenfield's Cafe is at 7900 S. 87th St. The Red, White & Bleu Burger, all-day breakfast and a variety of other homestyle entrees are available at Greenfield's.
ERIC GREGORY/Lincoln Journal Star file photo
Good Evans
The dining room of Good Evans, 6981 A St.
GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
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Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. | https://journalstar.com/news/local/business/don-millies-restaurant-chain-on-its-way-to-becoming-employee-owned/article_8fb63ecc-1464-11ee-baf0-83bc369d1f02.html | 2023-06-27T23:53:18 | 0 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/business/don-millies-restaurant-chain-on-its-way-to-becoming-employee-owned/article_8fb63ecc-1464-11ee-baf0-83bc369d1f02.html |
The Greensboro Police Department arrested a martial arts instructor on Tuesday and charged him with three counts of indecent liberties with children.
Derek Lee Norman, 59, is the owner and sensei of Sanyama Dojo on 1208 Grove St. He was known to have frequent contract with children and community members while operating his business, according to a GPD press release.
The case involves three different children, all under the age of 16, police said.
Norman uses the alias "Hakiym Akbar" and children may know him by this name, according to Josie Cambareri, public information manager for the Greensboro Police Department.
Norman's bond is currently set at $75,000.
Detectives with the Greensboro Police Department are actively working this case and believe there could be additional victims yet to be identified, police said.
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Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000. Citizens can also download the mobile P3tips app for Apple or Android phones to submit a mobile tip, or go to P3tips.com to submit a web tip. All tips to Crime Stoppers are completely anonymous. | https://greensboro.com/news/local/greensboro-martial-arts-instructor-sanyama-dojo-indecent-liberties-children/article_c76581ce-1528-11ee-b974-074c11c19479.html | 2023-06-27T23:53:22 | 0 | https://greensboro.com/news/local/greensboro-martial-arts-instructor-sanyama-dojo-indecent-liberties-children/article_c76581ce-1528-11ee-b974-074c11c19479.html |
Following dramatic increases in property valuations and changes to how the state funds public education, Lincoln Public Schools is proposing its biggest property tax levy decrease in more than two decades.
But Lincoln residents will still likely see their property taxes go up. That's because property values across the district are projected to rise by a whopping 22%, meaning that even though LPS is significantly cutting its levy, it will still take in a projected $27 million more in property tax revenue this year with state aid set to drop by $25 million next budget cycle.
LPS outlined the revenue numbers and levy drop in a proposed $513.7 million budget for the 2023-24 school year, which was unveiled at a Lincoln Board of Education work session Tuesday.
Under the draft spending blueprint, LPS' levy to fund general operations and bond debt repayments would drop from $1.21 per $100 of valuation to $1.08, a 13-cent drop that is the largest year-to-year decrease since the late 1990s.
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"You have to look back to 1998 to see something similar," said Board President Lanny Boswell, who called the drop in the levy "substantial."
The drastic decrease is made possible by soaring property values and changes to the school state aid formula championed by Gov. Jim Pillen and ultimately approved by the Legislature this past session.
Under the legislative changes, districts will now receive $1,500 in state aid for every student and enough funding to cover 80% of a district's special-education costs. The per-pupil aid, however, is subtracted from the state aid that equalized districts — like LPS — already receive as part of the state's so-called equalization formula.
All in all, LPS is projected to receive about $15 million more in state funding than last year and $27 million more in property tax revenue, paving the way for a lower levy that equates to $39 million less than if it had kept its levy rate the same, while still affording LPS surplus revenue for future budgetary needs.
Though total state funding is up thanks to a projected $24.6 million infusion of special-education dollars, aid to LPS from the state's equalization formula is still down about $10 million from last year and about $38 million from the 2018-19 school year.
"I would say that there have been changes (to state school funding) that have been more incremental, and this is much more significant," said Liz Standish, associate superintendent of business affairs. "I believe that was compounded by the large valuations, so dealing with both factors in the same year has been very challenging."
While the 13-cent levy decrease is a significant drop — over the past 20 years, it's dropped by only about 10 cents total — many property taxpayers are still likely to see higher bills because of soaring property valuations. About 60% of a Lincoln resident's property tax bill goes to LPS.
Under the current levy of $1.21 per $100 of valuation, the owner of an average $228,660 home would pay $2,768 to LPS. If their property remained unchanged in value, they would see a $297 decrease per year under the proposed $1.08 levy. But if the home's value climbed by 25% — closer to the 22% average projection LPS used to craft its budget — that homeowner would pay $320 more in taxes despite the levy decrease.
That means LPS will still bring in about $18.5 million more than it needs for its projected 2023-24 spending needs.
The district plans to put that money in its cash reserve — which it uses to manage year-to-year revenue swings — because the higher property valuations will likely mean $25 million less in state aid next year, Standish said.
"We definitely continue to experience volatility," she said.
School districts are also now restricted by a property tax request cap under the recently passed LB243, which limits the base growth of school revenues by 3% plus a certain percentage based on student enrollment factors, including the number of English language learners and students enrolled in the federal free- and reduced-lunch program.
LPS' proposed base growth cap for the 2023-24 school year is calculated by the state at 3.61%. Larger school districts — like LPS — are granted an additional 4% if at least 70% of school board members approve it. LPS's proposed growth is within that 3.61% base cap, however, meaning the board would not have to take action, Standish said.
The growth cap is based on a complicated formula that accounts for more than just the annual increase in property tax revenue.
Given that formula, LPS' expenditure budget is still able to grow 4.8% -- growth that is largely due to a $15 million increase in payroll that follows an already-negotiated 3.65% salary and benefits increase for staff next school year.
Board member Annie Mumgaard raised concerns about dropping the levy "precipitously" and keeping it there, saying potential swings in the property tax request in the future would affect middle- to low-income households at a greater percentage.
"If we're going to drop it 13 cents, can we keep it dropped 13 cents? Can we keep it at that for two years, four years, five years?" she said.
Barb Baier, another board member, said the new state laws regarding school funding are variables that LPS can't control, adding that it's uncertain how the changes will truly affect the district.
"For me, I think we have to experience it to be able to understand it, and to pretend we have a crystal ball and know what all those impacts are is an impossibility," Baier said.
Other new expenses include $1.9 million to open Standing Bear High School — the district's new high school in southeast Lincoln — this fall.
There are also budget line items that allocate funding for priority areas guided by the district's All Means All equity action plan and first-year Superintendent Paul Gausman's transition report that highlighted district needs, including student behavior supports and early childhood education.
That includes $361,000 earmarked for an early childhood program at Standing Bear with two classrooms, identical to Lincoln Northwest. There is also nearly $200,000 to cover the costs of reorganization to the district's top leadership team, which will see the creation of a new associate superintendent's office overseeing educational services, including early childhood and special education and federal programs.
The upcoming budget cycle will be the final one that accounts for federal coronavirus funding that has paid for a variety of things, including interventionists, mental health supports and expanded summer school. With those funds expected to sunset, LPS is stowing away $2.5 million in funding for "investments and strategic initiatives" the district may want to continue when the federal dollars run out.
Another interesting budget highlight: LPS is setting aside $100,000 to make menstrual products free in all middle and high schools, a request that students have repeatedly made to the board.
LPS will hold five community input opportunities for the public to weigh in on the budget:
* Wednesday, 5 p.m., Lincoln Northeast cafeteria.
* Thursday, noon, virtual forum at LPS.org.
* Thursday, 5 p.m., Lincoln East cafeteria.
* July 11, 5 p.m., Lincoln Southwest commons.
* July 12, 5 p.m., Lincoln North Star commons.
After those forums and meetings with other stakeholders, the Lincoln Board of Education will hold a second work session in July. According to the district's timeline, the budget is set for approval in September.
Officials are also anticipating that the district will for the first time have to take part in a relatively new public hearing process required by state law for school districts that exceed 2% or more in their year-to-year property tax request increase.
LPS was not required to participate in that hearing last year -- the first year it was held -- due to an exception in that law that allows political subdivisions to account for the percentage growth in a district's real property when making the property tax request calculation. | https://journalstar.com/news/local/education/lps-proposes-biggest-levy-decrease-in-more-than-20-years/article_2dcc710a-1468-11ee-b0d3-f3d8501dadc2.html | 2023-06-27T23:53:24 | 0 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/education/lps-proposes-biggest-levy-decrease-in-more-than-20-years/article_2dcc710a-1468-11ee-b0d3-f3d8501dadc2.html |
Seattle’s Space Needle. Mount Rushmore. The Grand Canyon. Disney World.
Air Force and Air National Guard refueling tankers flew over all of these landmarks and dozens of others across the country Tuesday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the very first air refueling mission.
The event, called “Operation Centennial Contact,” involved 82 KC-135, KC-46 and KC-10 refueling tankers and 70 “receiver” aircraft that were refueled during the nationwide demonstration.
In Nebraska, a KC-135R tanker from the Lincoln-based 155th Air Refueling Wing gassed up a South Dakota Air National Guard F-16 fighter during a 2 hour and 45-minute flight that also took it low over Chimney Rock in western Nebraska and the State Capitol in Lincoln.
But a third flyover, of Charles Schwab Field in Omaha — one day after the College World Series wrapped up there — was canceled at the last minute because of a thunderstorm.
“We looked out at the radar between us and Omaha, and we got disappointed,” said Lt. Col. Randy Douglas of Ravenna, a 35-year veteran with 7,000 flight hours, who piloted the flight.
But he said the crew (including Capt. Ryan Dalton of Waverly, the co-pilot, and Tech. Sgt. Chad Johnson of Omaha, the boom operator) enjoyed the part of the flight they completed.
“It was hazy out there, but we had enough visibility to refuel the F-16,” Douglas said. “It was actually pretty cool.”
The 185th Air Refueling Wing, based in Sioux City, also flew over landmarks in Iowa and the Dakotas.
The very first aerial refueling operation took place near San Diego June 27, 1923, when 1st Lts. Virgil Hine and Frank Seifert, piloting an Army Air Service DeHavilland DH-4B biplane, passed gasoline through a hose to a second DH-4B flown by Capt. Lowell Smith and 1st Lt. John Richter.
Two months later, Smith and Richter set an endurance record by flying 37 hours through nine consecutive in-flight refuelings.
In the late 1940s, Gen. Curtis LeMay, commander of the Offutt-based Strategic Air Command, asked Boeing to develop a much faster transfer system because aerial refueling was central to its ability to drop nuclear weapons on targets in the Soviet Union.
Boeing developed the propeller-driven KC-97 tanker in the early 1950s, and later built more than 700 KC-135 tankers, a military variant of the Boeing 707 civilian airliner during the late 1950s and early 1960s. They remain the backbone of the Air Force’s aerial refueling fleet.
Modern tankers can refuel multiple aircraft at once through a rigid, telescoping tube that locks into a fuel receptacle in the receiving aircraft flying at the same speed and slightly below the tanker. It’s an exacting skill, but one that is performed by military pilots every day, around the world.
The Nebraska Air National Guard received its first tanker in 1993, and within two years the 155th Air Refueling Wing was stood up in Lincoln. The unit flew its first combat missions during the bombing campaign against Serbia and Kosovo in 1999.
Two 155th ARW tankers were among the few aircraft flying Sept. 11, 2001, following the al Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington D.C. The unit’s tankers and crews have since operated in the combat theaters of Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Air refueling propels our Nation’s air power across the skies, unleashing its full potential,” said Gen. Mike Minihan, commander of the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command, in a statement, adding that it “embodies our resolve to defend freedom and project power, leaving an indelible mark on aviation history.”
Photos: National Guard Sendoff held at Memorial Stadium
A Nebraska Air National Guard KC-135 Stratotanker does a flyover of the Nebraska State Capitol after an aerial refueling demonstration as part of the U.S. Air Force’s Operation Centennial Contact on Tuesday. | https://journalstar.com/news/local/government-politics/nebraska-air-guard-tanker-joins-national-tribute-to-100-years-of-aerial-refueling/article_64617ffa-1542-11ee-a537-2fb3bd78c53d.html | 2023-06-27T23:53:30 | 1 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/government-politics/nebraska-air-guard-tanker-joins-national-tribute-to-100-years-of-aerial-refueling/article_64617ffa-1542-11ee-a537-2fb3bd78c53d.html |
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — Greeneville will host the 11th annual American Downtown Celebration on Saturday, July 1.
The celebration kicks off at 4 p.m. at the Big Spring in Bicentennial Park. Festivities include live music, food, a patriotic parade, and more.
Christina Potts, marketing specialist for the Town of Greeneville, said the event has something for everyone.
“One of the things that I think is a crowd favorite is the hot dog eating contest,” said Potts. “We’re going to have some contestants stuffing their faces with hot dogs. That’s always fun to watch and the previous champion usually eats about 10 or 11.”
This will be the first year that the celebration will be the Saturday before Independence Day. Organizers hope that having the event on a weekend will bring in larger crowds.
“We have typically had it on July 4th, whether it was on a Monday or a Tuesday,” said Potts. “But having it on the weekend allows people from other area’s to come and celebrate with us.”
Capt. Tim Davis with the Greeneville Police Department said the parade will go through downtown.
“The parade will start on Summer Street at Town Square Shopping Center, it will travel Summer to Main,” said Davis. “It’ll make a left on the Main Street and it’ll run to Spencer, straight up to Spencer and turn right onto Tusculum Boulevard and will end there.”
The parade will start at 9:15 p.m. followed by fireworks at 10 p.m. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/greeneville-to-celebrate-4th-of-july-with-american-downtown-celebration-on-saturday/ | 2023-06-27T23:55:02 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/greeneville-to-celebrate-4th-of-july-with-american-downtown-celebration-on-saturday/ |
CARTER COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – A vehicle ended up on its side leaning against a Carter County home Tuesday afternoon.
News Channel 11 sent a crew to the home on Highway 91, where the vehicle’s undercarriage was exposed and damage to both the vehicle and the home was visible.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) was on the scene, along with members of the Stoney Creek Volunteer Fire Department.
News Channel 11 has reached out to the THP for details on the crash and injuries. The THP stated a crash report would be provided when available. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/vehicle-on-lands-on-side-against-carter-co-house/ | 2023-06-27T23:55:08 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/vehicle-on-lands-on-side-against-carter-co-house/ |
DALLAS — It's the time of year to enjoy the water. It's also the time of year where drowning rates are alarming for first responders.
This year, at Children's Health, they've already seen 20% more drownings than last year.
"We have seen 42 drowning incidents. And this is not even the Fourth of July weekend," said Jesus Alderete, program coordinator for Know Before You Go at Children's Health.
Alderete's goal is to prevent drownings from happening by educating and reminding parents about water safety.
On Tuesday, Children's Health did a mock drowning demonstration at a pool to show how easy it is to overlook an incident.
Within seconds, a drowning can happen. If an adult is distracted with conversation, a phone, or even distracted while watching other children, they can easily miss signs of an emergency.
"[Drownings] are fast and they're silent. It's never like the movies. Kids are not going to be splashing and yelling for help. In most cases, by the time you realize that the child has drowned, it's because you see them at the bottom of the pool. It's that fast," said Alderete.
At Children's Health, 69% of drownings happen when an adult is present, and 57% of drownings happen in a backyard pool.
Jeff Seale, a paramedic and respiratory therapist for Children's Health, said drownings are very common. He and his team have seen incidents lead to brain injuries and death.
"During the summer, we usually see a lot. I mean, sometimes several times a week, we go out to calls for drowning," said Seale.
Seale emphasizes that seconds matter.
Before going to the pool, lake or any source of water:
- Establish a plan and pick an adult to will actively supervise.
- Create pool rules like "high-five before you dive" in order to teach children to get permission before they get in the water.
- Get a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket that is designed for your child's weight.
- Bring your children to swim lessons.
- Learn CPR.
- Do not take your eyes off the children in the water.
- If an emergency happens, administer CPR and call 911 right away.
- If you have a pool at home, make sure there is a fence around it.
The bottom line is drowning is preventable. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/childrens-health-dallas-mock-drowning-demonstration-water-safety/287-a8d57253-76a7-4a5d-9ee6-a1a5652b01ef | 2023-06-27T23:55:54 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/childrens-health-dallas-mock-drowning-demonstration-water-safety/287-a8d57253-76a7-4a5d-9ee6-a1a5652b01ef |
Contests Moody Gardens Getaway - Summer 2023 Enter for a chance to win a Moody Gardens Getaway! Credit: WFAA | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/contests/moody-gardens-getaway-summer-2023/287-5db50bd5-aa2b-41c3-8014-898594e211ba | 2023-06-27T23:56:00 | 0 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/contests/moody-gardens-getaway-summer-2023/287-5db50bd5-aa2b-41c3-8014-898594e211ba |
DALLAS — Associate Judge Lorna Bedard’s courtroom was empty even though she was supposed to begin hearing cases this Tuesday.
”We advised them that they need to cease and desist until we hear from the civil DA’s office,” said Commissioner John Wiley Price.
In question is where Bedard lives. According to Price, she lives in Forney in Kaufman County.
”The lines have to be drawn somewhere, but clearly the individual that was sworn in yesterday lives in Kaufman County, that is clear,” said Price. "State law is clear a judge must be a resident of this state and one of the counties the person will serve.”
Dallas associate judges only hear cases in Dallas County.
Price says the commissioners court hasn’t even voted on Bedard’s employment that would make her hiring official.
“They don’t have a court order from the commissioners' court for an employee to begin work so I don’t know what they’re doing,” said Price.
Price says the commissioners and the head of the county human resources department told Judge Kim Brown last week not to hire Bedard as her associate judge until Bedard could show proof she lives in Dallas County, not Kaufman County.
“And so we have not been furnished any other information that says anything to the contrary,” said Price.
WFAA went to Bedard’s courtroom for her side of the story. She walked off and refused to answer any questions.
As reported yesterday, two other associate judges are prohibited from hearing any more cases.
Price said Tahira Merritt and Ronald Hurdle live in Collin County.
“The statute is really clear about residency, and they seem to be ignoring it,” said Price.
There are questions about what happens now to all the cases the judges have already ruled on.
The county is conducting investigations to determine what happens next. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/dallas-county-ordered-another-associate-judge-stop-hearing-cases/287-9e155b3a-6700-418d-8f67-92ce908ff1a0 | 2023-06-27T23:56:06 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/dallas-county-ordered-another-associate-judge-stop-hearing-cases/287-9e155b3a-6700-418d-8f67-92ce908ff1a0 |
ENNIS, Texas — Residents in the Ellis County city of Ennis are being asked to reduce water use after an electrical transformer blew out at the area's water plant, city officials said.
The city posted a message on Facebook about the issue.
"We are currently unable to pump fresh water to the towers causing a need for conservation until we are able to resolve the issue," the city said.
The city told WFAA that it believes the transformer went out due to extreme heat.
When asked on Facebook about certain locations that use a lot of water, the city page replied saying "please curtail any non-essential water use."
It's the second time in two months that the city of Ennis has dealt with water issues. Back in early May, the city issued a boil water notice after a power outage at the water plant.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is released. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/ennis-texas-residents-reduce-water-use-due-blown-transformer-water-plant/287-8c5f61ed-f227-4d8e-812b-90036b777002 | 2023-06-27T23:56:12 | 0 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/ennis-texas-residents-reduce-water-use-due-blown-transformer-water-plant/287-8c5f61ed-f227-4d8e-812b-90036b777002 |
FORT WORTH, Texas — Firefighters helped save a cat Tuesday caught in a house fire, according to the Fort Worth Fire Department.
On Tuesday, Fort Worth firefighters rescued "Meadows" the cat from a house fire in the 800 block of E. Boyce Avenue. This is in the Southland Terrace neighborhood near La Gran Plaza De Fort Worth.
As the fire was being brought under control, other firefighters reportedly used their EMS skills to save him. They were able to safely reunite Meadows with his owner.
See the following pictures of Meadows' rescue: | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/fort-worth-firefighters-help-save-cat-house-fire/287-a8de64b6-b2e9-4a29-a5e8-a0b6869d1c5f | 2023-06-27T23:56:18 | 0 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/fort-worth-firefighters-help-save-cat-house-fire/287-a8de64b6-b2e9-4a29-a5e8-a0b6869d1c5f |
GRANBURY, Texas — When temperatures hit the high 90s, grass can start to shut down and turn brown regardless of care. And during 100-degree summer days, lawns could quickly die, but there are several tips that can help any homeowner thrive during the summer.
Brent Batchelor has been growing and researching grass for more than 30 years and is a regional program leader for Texas A&M’s Agrilife Extension.
He said a critical first step is just knowing the type of grass you have.
“It’s kind of a personal preference just like cars and everything else,” he said. “You can find a texture and a color that fits your palate.”
Most Texas lawns have Bermuda, St. Augustine or Zoysia. All can survive with typical twice-a-week water restrictions in most cities. Bermuda performs best in full sun but dies in shade, but by contrast, St. Augustine can thrive in shade.
“It’ll be enough to keep it alive. It may not thrive under those conditions. It depends on how much you can get out there,” Batchelor said. “Clay-based soil has a great ability to store water so if we can store that water for the rest of the week watering it will be sufficient.”
Timing is key to watering. By midday, most water just evaporates, and watering in the evening could allow water to grow disease if it’s not absorbed quickly enough.
Batchelor recommends watering between 3 a.m. and daylight for the best results.
"Then we get some sunshine that dries it off, but yet we get full use of the water that we’re putting on it,” he said.
The free website and app "Water My Yard" is a partnership between the A&M Ag Extension and North Texas Municipal Water District. Putting in an address provides localized advice on when to water a lawn and if it’s needed at all based on recent rainfall.
Batchelor has several cheap tips for monitoring lawns and watering.
One is to just walk through the yard. If footprints are still visible after three seconds instead of the lawn springing back up, then it’s likely in need of water.
The other tip he calls the "tuna can method." Put tuna cans around the different zones in the irrigation system and run the system for 30 minutes. Then, check the cans to see the output.
“If you don’t know how much you’re putting out, it’s hard to figure out how long you need to run your system,” he said.
Another method of water is called "cycle and soak," which Batchelor compares to spoon-feeding a lawn. It puts on a little water at a time and allows it to soak in but, it can require a higher-tech irrigation system.
Allowing grass to grow longer, and up to four inches for St. Augustine, can help roots grow deeper and allow the grass to absorb more water.
Summer lawn care can start in the winter, too. It's not free, but A&M and other local companies can do soil tests to make sure soil is prepared to grow grass in the spring and summer.
Researchers are currently creating drought-resistant grasses for a future in which water could be even more scarce and populations continue to grow. With 100-degree heat, though, everyone needs to conserve for now.
“We have a water deficit,” Batchelor said. “Across the state we have more people moving here every day and we need to have water for the essential uses that we have.” | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/lawn-care-expert-shares-simple-cheap-tips-keep-grass-green-texas-heat/287-d018aec0-33f1-4b5c-9e57-6cb7e53ce85d | 2023-06-27T23:56:24 | 0 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/lawn-care-expert-shares-simple-cheap-tips-keep-grass-green-texas-heat/287-d018aec0-33f1-4b5c-9e57-6cb7e53ce85d |
WATERLOO — A third person has been arrested after a Waterloo teen was beaten with a baseball bat and cut with an ice scraper in March.
Authorities arrested Joylyn Virginia Kopp, 19, Monday on a warrant for assault with intent to commit serious injury. She was released pending trial.
Police allege Kopp was wielding an ice scraper against the victim on March 20 while her friend, Iliyah Ranae Kuykendall, attempted to strike her in the head with a bat at 1206 Bauch St. The victim blocked the blow and was injured on her arm and neck, according to court records.
Kuykendall’s mother, Marsia Anderson, was choking the victim during the attack. A witness grabbed the bat from Kuykendall, records state.
The victim suffered cuts and other injuries and was treated at a hospital emergency room.
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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.
No injuries were reported and officers found spent shell casings at the scene.
Ballistics tests linked the gun to the November shooting.
The vehicle took off, traveling the wrong way on a one-way street before eventually coming to a stop.
The victim suffered an injury to his upper left chest and was taken to a hospital where doctors determined he had a punctured lung.
The insurance carrier alleged she didn’t provide financial records, business documents and other paperwork during the company’s investigation into the claim.
The fleeing vehicle eventually turned south down Oster Parkway, went down a dead-end street and into a bean field.
A charge of dependent neglect was dismissed as part of the plea agreement. The sentence will be added to 10 years in prison for an unrelated robbery case.
WATERLOO — A Waterloo man who fired a gun near children while celebrating the Independence Day holiday has been sentenced to prison.
According to authorities, he shot a woman because the woman was fighting with the mother of his child
A dispute over the purchase followed, and she allegedly entered the tent at the Deerwood Park campground, removed the dog and fled
Doctors discovered head injuries and retinal hemorrhaging, and suspected possible abuse.
Police and crews with Waterloo Fire Rescue responded to the call and found the vehicle was empty.
Annually, about one-third of all traffic fatalities are alcohol/impaired related. In Iowa last year, 57% of the July 4th holiday weekend traffic fatalities were alcohol related. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/third-person-arrested-in-bat-ice-scraper-attack/article_6d6771b8-1529-11ee-bd12-436be6ebfa7f.html | 2023-06-27T23:57:39 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/third-person-arrested-in-bat-ice-scraper-attack/article_6d6771b8-1529-11ee-bd12-436be6ebfa7f.html |
BANGOR -- Last month in celebration of Maine iced coffee day, Dunkin' Donuts donated one dollar for every iced coffee sold to the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation. Now they are giving that money to Maine hospitals.
They raised 49 thousand dollars and on Tuesday they donated 12 thousand of that money to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
Northern Light plans to use the funding to upgrade technology in pediatric patient rooms.
"There's so many things we use generous donations for but we are specifically hoping to buy smart Tvs for all of our pediatric rooms, give kids the chance to do some of the things at the hospital that they do at home," said Associate Vice President for Patient Care Services for Northern Light, Mikele Neal.
"Dunkin is always trying to look for ways to give back to the community and there's no better way than the hospital and for our children," said Colleen Bailey, franchisee for nine Dunkin' stores in Maine.
Iced coffee day originated in Maine before being recognized nationally.
In the upcoming weeks Dunkin' Donuts will be donating more of the funds to both St Mary's hospital in Lewiston and the Barbara Bush Hospital in Portland. | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/local/dunkin-donuts-donating-money-to-maine-hospitals/article_f1aafea6-1536-11ee-beb2-8b6936bac10d.html | 2023-06-28T00:01:56 | 1 | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/local/dunkin-donuts-donating-money-to-maine-hospitals/article_f1aafea6-1536-11ee-beb2-8b6936bac10d.html |
ORONO -- Gov. Mills has officially signed 36 bills into law as legislation approaches the end of its latest session.
"Sheer number or output doesn't necessarily tell you everything or even the most important thing to know about the impact you need to know about the legislative session its really the substance of that legislation that is enacted," said Mark Brewer, chair of the department of political science at the University of Maine in Orono.
Brewer reflected on the takeaways on the work from the governor and legislature over the past six months as they have taken on many highly debated topics.
"Looking at this from a non-partisan perspective I would say Mainers should be relatively happy with how the government has functioned," said Brewer. "You want government that addresses the important issues even if you only want them to do nothing on them you want them to be debated and discussed and I think for the most part the legislature and governor have done that this session."
The goal was for the session to be concluded by the third week in June, but as Brewer highlights, policy making is rarely smooth.
"When you sit back and look at the session as a whole I think what sticks out to me the most is that maybe its been a little more 'conflictual' than normal and its been 'conflictual' on more than one front."
Partisan and institutional conflict is natural but Brewer says some of the conflict from this latest session has not been quite as normal given the inter-party conflict between the chambers.
"The primary source of that conflict is that speaker Talbot Ross tends to represent part of the party that is on the more progressive or liberal side and Governor Mills represents a more moderate wing and they agree certainly on a lot of things but there are some areas where the speaker wants to go more to the left than the governor is willing to go."
Despite Gov. Mills being unable to run for a third term, Brewer says the work Mills and the legislature have done will play out in the next round of elections.
"Her record and her policies as well as the legislative performances will be in that agenda so I'm sure nobody wants to look to elections but they're going to be on us before we know it and what's happening now will be up for debate during election season," said Brewer.
The legislative session should be concluding by the end of the week. | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/local/reflections-on-recent-legislation-with-political-science-expert/article_d3035810-1534-11ee-8f10-53003cf110e0.html | 2023-06-28T00:02:02 | 0 | https://www.foxbangor.com/news/local/reflections-on-recent-legislation-with-political-science-expert/article_d3035810-1534-11ee-8f10-53003cf110e0.html |
FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) - A recall effort against three Flint City Council members is moving forward after the Genesee County Clerk approved recall petition language Tuesday.
The recall is against Second Ward Councilperson Ladel Lewis, Seventh Ward Councilperson and former Council President Allie Herkenroder, and Ninth Ward Councilperson Eva Worthing.
The petitions say the three did not attend a special city council meeting on May 20.
That meeting was meant to allow the public to ask about Flint's allocations of the American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The Clerk says organizers have 180 days to collect enough signatures to put the recall on the ballot unless an appeal is filed.
Herkenroder already announced that she is leaving the council next week. She made that announcement in early June, citing personal health reasons.
Flint's Seventh Ward is invited to a community meeting on Thursday to answer questions about the search for someone to take Herkenroder's place.
Mayor Sheldon Neeley and city leaders will be at Mott Community College this Thursday at 6 p.m. | https://www.abc12.com/news/local/clerk-approves-recall-language-against-3-flint-city-council-members/article_44db9b12-153c-11ee-8a42-1bd67ec8b4b7.html | 2023-06-28T00:02:08 | 1 | https://www.abc12.com/news/local/clerk-approves-recall-language-against-3-flint-city-council-members/article_44db9b12-153c-11ee-8a42-1bd67ec8b4b7.html |
SAGINAW, Mich. (WJRT) - The Saginaw Transit Authority Regional Services (STARS) has chosen a new headquarters.
The board of directors says it plans to redevelop the Potter Street Station for the company's new expansion.
The decision comes after a feasibility study for the old train station off M-13.
Historians say it was once a symbol of Saginaw's wealth and growing industry.
STARS says the Potter Street site will spark economic development in Saginaw's northeast.
The next step will be looking into funding and community outreach. | https://www.abc12.com/news/local/saginaw-transit-authority-regional-services-chooses-a-new-headquarters/article_04aa402c-153f-11ee-a36a-bb552ba7ef3f.html | 2023-06-28T00:02:14 | 1 | https://www.abc12.com/news/local/saginaw-transit-authority-regional-services-chooses-a-new-headquarters/article_04aa402c-153f-11ee-a36a-bb552ba7ef3f.html |
FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) - State and national leaders got the chance in Mid-Michigan Tuesday to highlight efforts to ensure kids have access to healthy and nutritious meals through the USDA Summer Food Service Program.
Kids at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Flint talked with Senator Debbie Stabenow and Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack.
The food that feeds kids comes from hundreds of partners across the state.
"We would be in a world of hurt if it were not for the Food Bank," said Vilsack. "You've got 22 counties, and you have 700 partners. 700 partners, like the Boys & Girls Club, across a 22-county area. Providing extraordinary assistance and help and utilizing a lot of our programs."
Vilsack says the goal is to end hunger and reduce health disparities by 2030. | https://www.abc12.com/news/local/usda-secretary-thomas-j-vilsack-appears-in-flint-tuesday/article_c5ed9704-153d-11ee-ac8b-fb2cc2ba716b.html | 2023-06-28T00:02:20 | 0 | https://www.abc12.com/news/local/usda-secretary-thomas-j-vilsack-appears-in-flint-tuesday/article_c5ed9704-153d-11ee-ac8b-fb2cc2ba716b.html |
The Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson is going on summer break, shutting its doors from July 6 through Aug. 30, but there’s still time to check out what’s on exhibit.
MOCA Tucson, 265 S. Church Ave., is open this Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission is $7 for adults, $4 for students and seniors. Youth get in free.
Don’t fret if you can’t make it this week. MOCA has partnered with local artist Lex Gjurasic for a series of weekly creative painting prompts during the closure. You can leave a tiny creation in the Mini MOCA box outside of the museum and take a piece of artwork by a fellow community member. Read on for more details about that.
Sonoran Quipu
Artist and poet Cecilia Vicuña’s “Sonoran Quipu” is a sprawling sculpture composed of natural and human debris that was collected by community members and organizations across Tucson, the museum said. Items shed by plants, broken by a child, left in an alley and more were transformed into a living installation.
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According to materials from MOCA, Sonoran Quipu senses the fragility of the world in the face of climate change. By weaving together plant and industrial materials, Vicuña invites viewers to consider the beauty and precarity of the world, and our interconnected relationship to the environment and each other.
It’ll be on view through Oct. 1.
Raven Chacon: ‘While Hissing’
“While Hissing” is an exhibition by artist, performer and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Raven Chacon that celebrates sound as a medium for resistance and connection.
Through video installation, graphic scores and performance, Chacon amplifies Indigenous women’s voices, centering their leadership and vision both as carriers of memory and authors of culture, the museum said.
During the closure, Chacon’s American Ledger flag will remain on view on the plaza.
“While Hissing” is on view through Dec. 17.
Na Mira: ‘Subrosa’
“Subrosa” is the first solo museum exhibition by Na Mira, an artist who uses intuitive and experimental processes to create immersive moving image installations, the museum said.
MOCA commissioned a new chapter of Mira’s project, imagining “White Dust From Mongolia,” an unfinished film by the late artist and author Theresa Hak Kyung Cha.
It’s on view through Dec. 17.
During the closure
MOCA plans to take the summer to prepare for a busy fall season. Expect announcements about upcoming programs, exhibitions and artist features at instagram.com/mocatucson and facebook.com/MOCATucson.
During the closure, you can still get a taste of MOCA through its summer art series. Each week, the museum will share a prompt designed by Gjurasic on social media. Prompt-inspired artwork can be left at Mini MOCA, a tiny free art gallery no more than two feet tall or wide that sits outside the museum.
Visitors to Mini MOCA are also welcome to pick up a piece made by another community member.
For more information about the museum, visit moca-tucson.org. | https://tucson.com/life-entertainment/local/art-theater/moca-tucson-summer-art-series/article_7cceffc2-1119-11ee-b538-8752452d02c9.html | 2023-06-28T00:02:43 | 1 | https://tucson.com/life-entertainment/local/art-theater/moca-tucson-summer-art-series/article_7cceffc2-1119-11ee-b538-8752452d02c9.html |
A wildfire burning Tuesday near Fort Huachuca has grown to about 1,000 acres, the Arizona Wildfire Dashboard shows.
The Western Hemp Fire started as a result of mowing, according to the Fort Huachuca official Twitter page.
Residents of Huachuca City as well as the Apache Flats RV Park on Fort Huachuca were initially told to be prepare for evacuation, but an update from the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department early Monday afternoon said the threat level was downgraded. The wildfire posed no threats to populated areas, officials said.
Crews are on sight include the Fort Huachuca Fire Department, the U.S. Forest Service as well as the Bonneville Hotshots.
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Current weather conditions may make progress difficult however, according to the National Weather Service in Tucson. Air crews are currently helping fight the blaze. | https://tucson.com/news/local/accident-and-incident/wildfire-near-fort-huachuca-grows-to-1-000-acres/article_f7b1b832-152f-11ee-8052-e721265e522a.html | 2023-06-28T00:02:50 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/accident-and-incident/wildfire-near-fort-huachuca-grows-to-1-000-acres/article_f7b1b832-152f-11ee-8052-e721265e522a.html |
CROWN POINT — Trial proceedings began on Monday for a 66-year-old man who allegedly sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl in October 2017, according to court records.
Charging documents stated that on Oct. 16, 2017, Harold France, of East Chicago, followed a 15-year-old girl while she was walking home, trapped her in an alley and raped her.
France was charged in February 2018 with two counts of rape, attempted rape, criminal confinement, armed robbery, intimidation and battery by means of a deadly weapon, court records stated.
If convicted, France faces up to 80 years in prison on the two counts of rape alone.
The woman who France purportedly assaulted described to jurors on Tuesday how she was walking to meet her mom around 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 16, 2017 after hanging out at a friend’s house in East Chicago, when she heard someone behind her.
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She said France then put her in a chokehold, covered her eyes and dragged her into an alley behind two businesses on Main St.
France then pulled a knife on her and asked the then 15-year-old if she wanted to live or die, she told jurors. The woman, now 21, said she believes they were behind Genovo’s Pizza, located at 3820 Main St., because she smelled pizza emanating from the building.
She said France threw her on the ground and she began to recite “No weapon brought against you shall prosper,” a Christian prayer to ward off evil. She told jurors that he eventually forced her to perform oral sex on him, and he told her if she didn’t comply he would get his friend and they would pimp her out.
The woman described how at one point during the attack, France purportedly held a pocket knife to her neck and told her “don’t scream,” as two people walked past them in the alley. He then took her phone and told her not to tell anyone or he’d kill her, according to court records.
After the assault, the woman said she ran down the street to R&R Jerk Chicken and had them call the police.
An R&R employee testified on Monday that when the victim arrived at the restaurant, they told her to spit in a cup for evidence collection, because she had told employees that she was forced to perform oral sex.
Another East Chicago man, Jerome Watson, was initially charged with then 15-year-old’s sexual assault . Watson was initially charged because she identified him in a photo-lineup, according to charging documents.
The charges against Watson were dropped in January 2018, when investigators got a DNA hit for France, the probable cause affidavit stated.
France’s attorney John Cantrell asked the victim if she could see the man who assaulted her clearly that night, as it was dark. She said she could not, as he forcibly pressed his thumbs into her eyes every time she looked at him.
France was charged in February 2018 with another rape in East Chicago, which purportedly occurred just four days before the 15-year-old girl’s assault.
When he was arrested for the other sexual assault, he was wearing the same clothing that the 15-year-old had described her attacker as wearing, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Court records indicate that France has a long history of sexual assault charges . Not including the aforementioned alleged assaults, France has been charged with five sexual assaults since 1972, records stated.
Cantrell filed a motion ahead of trial that prevents prosecutors from mentioning France’s criminal history.
France’s trial is set to continue on Wednesday in Judge Samuel Cappas’s courtroom.
Gallery: Recent arrests booked into Lake County Jail
Aaron Bernal
Aaron Bernal
Age: 23
Residence: Hobart
Booking Number(s): 2305933
Arrest Date: June 23, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hobart Police Department
Offense Description: Controlled substance possession
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Adam Langham
Adam Langham
Age: 42
Residence: Crown Point
Booking Number(s): 2305925
Arrest Date: June 22, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: Domestic Battery, Battery against law enforcement
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Amanda Stoddard
Amanda Stoddard
Age: 39
Residence: Cedar Lake
Booking Number(s): 2305903
Arrest Date: June 22, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: Controlled substance possession, Shoplifting, Fraud
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Amir Jones
Amir Jones
Age: 60
Residence: South Bend
Booking Number(s): 2305916
Arrest Date: June 22, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: Property Theft
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Andre Gilbert
Andre Gilbert
Age: 39
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2305934
Arrest Date: June 23, 2023
Arresting Agency: Highland Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Andrell Murphy
Andrell Murphy
Age: 37
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2305908
Arrest Date: June 22, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: Domestic Battery
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Anthony Radusin
Anthony Radusin
Age : 22
Residence: Hobart
Booking Number(s): 2305696
Arrest Date: June 15, 2023
Arresting Agency: Gary Police Department
Offense Description: Intimidation
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Beverley Ware
Beverly Ware
Age: 39
Residence: Matteson, IL
Booking Number(s): 2305921
Arrest Date: June 22, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Bianca Erwin
Bianca Erwin
Age: 23
Residence: Peotone, IL
Booking Number(s): 2305823
Arrest Date: June 20, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lowell Police Department
Offense Description: Controlled Substance Possession
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Chauncey Jordan
Chauncey Jordan
Age: 21
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2305917
Arrest Date: June 22, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Office
Offense Description: Robbery
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Daniel Haywood
Daniel Haywood
Age: 38
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2305800
Arrest Date: June 19, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: Pocket-picking - $750 to $50,000
Highest Offense Class: Felony
David Brown Jr.
David Brown Jr.
Age : 56
Residence: Gary
Booking Number(s): 2305718
Arrest Date: June 16, 2023
Arresting Agency: Merrillville Police
Offense Description: Domestic Battery, OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
David Parchem
David Parchem
Age: 44
Residence: Sauk Village, IL
Booking Number(s): 2305812
Arrest Date: June 19, 2023
Arresting Agency: Schererville Police Department
Offense Description: Fraud
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Daymar Webb
Daymar Webb
Age: 22
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2305811
Arrest Date: June 19, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: Motor Vehicle Theft, Resisting
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Derrick Ivy
Derrick Ivy
Age: 32
Residence: Robbins, IL
Booking Number(s): 2305803
Arrest Date: June 19, 2023
Arresting Agency: East Chicago Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Elijah Dillon-Bombin
Elijah Dillon-Bombin
Age : 22
Residence: Crown Point
Booking Number(s): 2305707
Arrest Date: June 15, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: Resisting — Interfering with Public Safety
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Eudora North
Eudora North
Age: 20
Residence: Gary
Booking Number(s): 2305927
Arrest Date: June 23, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: Fraud
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Florence Flewellen
Florence Flewellen
Age: 41
Residence: Griffith
Booking Number(s): 2305922
Arrest Date: June 22, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: Possessing drugs, Property theft
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Freddie Holman
Freddie Holman
Age : 50
Residence: Gary
Booking Number(s): 2305692
Arrest Date: June 15, 2023
Arresting Agency: LSCT
Offense Description: Battery
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jahir Villaruel Lizarde
Jahir Villaruel Lizarde
Age : 27
Residence: Dyer
Booking Number(s): 2305691
Arrest Date: June 15, 2023
Arresting Agency: Highland Police Department
Offense Description: Domestic Battery, Strangulation
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jamar Davis
Jamar Davis
Age: 38
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2305901
Arrest Date: June 22, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: Fraud
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jamie Anderson
Jamie Anderson
Age: 49
Residence: Gary
Booking Number(s): 2305919
Arrest Date: June 22, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hobart Police Department
Offense Description: Controlled Substance Possession, Dealing
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jason Lucas
Jason Lucas
Age: 44
Residence: Hammond
Booking Number(s): 2305799
Arrest Date: June 19, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: Domestic Battery
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Johnny Neal
Johnny Neal
Age : 25
Residence: Matteson, IL
Booking Number(s): 2305698
Arrest Date: June 15, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: Resisting
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Juliana Likes
Juliana Likes
Age: 43
Residence: Crown Point
Booking Number(s): 2305820
Arrest Date: June 20, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hobart Police Department
Offense Description: Pocket-picking — $750 to $50,000
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Kory Johnson
Kory Johnson
Age: 35
Residence: N/A
Booking Number(s): 2305807
Arrest Date: June 19, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: Burglary
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Latoya Burns
Latoya Burns
Age: 35
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2305907
Arrest Date: June 22, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: Aggravated Battery with a deadly weapon
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Marcus Veal
Marcus Veal
Age: 63
Residence: East Chicago
Booking Number(s): 2305911
Arrest Date: June 22, 2023
Arresting Agency: East Chicago Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Nathaniel Carnegie
Nathaniel Carnegie
Age: 24
Residence: Monteray, IN
Booking Number(s): 2305816
Arrest Date: June 19, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Office
Offense Description: Battery against a Pregnant Woman
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Nicholas Gott
Nicholas Gott
Age : 21
Residence: Knox
Booking Number(s): 2305708
Arrest Date: June 15, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: Resisting
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Nichole Hardesty
Nichole Hardesty
Age: 37
Residence: East Chicago
Booking Number(s): 2305805
Arrest Date: June 19, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: Resisting
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Oshannay Gibson
Oshannay Gibson
Age : 23
Residence: East Chicago
Booking Number(s): 2305689
Arrest Date: June 15, 2023
Arresting Agency: East Chicago Police Department
Offense Description: Shoplifting
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Patrice Williams
Patrice Williams
Age: 28
Residence: Hobart
Booking Number(s): 2305906
Arrest Date: June 22, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: Shoplifting
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Prince Raggs
Prince Raggs
Age : 45
Residence: Gary
Booking Number(s): 2305702
Arrest Date: June 15, 2023
Arresting Agency: Gary Police Department
Offense Description: Domestic Battery, Failure to return to detention
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Roy Wade
Roy Wade
Age: 32
Residence: Merrillville
Booking Number(s): 2305818
Arrest Date: June 19, 2023
Arresting Agency: Merrillville Police Department
Offense Description: Domestic Battery
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Shauen Pearce
Shauen Pearce
Age: 38
Residence: Thorton, IL
Booking Number(s): 2305915
Arrest Date: June 22, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Department
Offense Description: Property Theft
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Thomas Arnold
Thomas Arnold
Age : 56
Residence: Schererville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2305693
Arrest Date: June 15, 2023
Arresting Agency: Schererville Police Department
Offense Description: Battery
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Thomas Stewart
Thomas Stewart
Age : 32
Residence: Gary
Booking Number(s): 2305709
Arrest Date: June 15, 2023
Arresting Agency: Gary Police Department
Offense Description: Fraud
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Tory Hatcher
Tory Hatcher
Age: 31
Residence: Decatur, GA
Booking Number(s): 2305804
Arrest Date: June 19, 2023
Arresting Agency: Hammond Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Tristen Walden
Tristen Walden
Age : 24
Residence: Crown Point
Booking Number(s): 2305716
Arrest Date: June 15, 2023
Arresting Agency: Crown Point Police Department
Offense Description: Controlled Substance Possession
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Tyler Wright
Tyler Wright
Age : 27
Residence: Wheatfield
Booking Number(s): 2305711
Arrest Date: June 15, 2023
Arresting Agency: Indiana State Police
Offense Description: Resisting
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Yader Castillo Gonzalez
Yader Castillo Gonzalez
Age: 41
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2305801
Arrest Date: June 19, 2023
Arresting Agency: East Chicago Police Department
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Yasmin Santos-Morales
Yasmin Santos-Morales
Age: 45
Residence: Sauk Village, IL
Booking Number(s): 2305797
Arrest Date: June 19, 2023
Arresting Agency: Lake County Sheriff's Office
Offense Description: Domestic Battery
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
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Peoples Bank has a new general counsel and chief risk officer.
Munster-based Peoples Bank and its parent company Finward Bancorp named David Kwait senior vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary and chief risk officer. He will serve in those roles for both the bank and the bancorp starting June 30.
He succeeds Lynette Klemm, who served as interim chief risk officer since May 5 and will remain director of audit for the bank. Leane Cerven previously filled the job before retiring after 13 years with the bank earlier this year.
Kwait has worked at Peoples Bank since 2011. He was initially hired as assistant vice president, staff attorney, legal counsel and wealth management officer. He has gone on to gain increasing responsibility while climbing the corporate ladder, earning titles like assistant corporate secretary, wealth management group leader and senior vice president.
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Last year, he was promoted to chief wealth management officer.
“Over the course of my career, I have had the pleasure of working with some very talented individuals who have made an immeasurable impact on the lives of our customers and in our communities. Their dedication to excellence has truly been an inspiration,” said Kwait. “In my new role, I am looking forward to delivering this same high level of excellence by using evidence-based strategies as I work with my teams to manage risk and maintain compliance. I am honored for this opportunity and excited to serve both the Bank and Bancorp moving forward.”
In his new role, he will lead the bank's risk management and compliance teams. He's tasked with coordinating operational and administrative functions to manage risk. He will report to the nominating and corporate governance committee and the risk management and audit committee of the bancorp’s board of directors.
“Since day one, Dave has built a track record of leadership and success, and his promotion is well-deserved,” said Todd Scheub, president of the bank and executive vice president and chief revenue officer of the bancorp. “His industry expertise and relationships with the community have been, and will continue to be, integral to carrying out the bank’s and bancorp’s mission, vision and values.”
Kwait is active in a number of community causes such as the Porter County Government Non-Profit Charitable Foundation, the Center for Civic Education, the Boys and Girls Club, the American Legion, Tomorrow’s Leaders Today, the Anti-Cruelty Society and Habitat for Humanity. He's a graduate of DePaul University and the University of Notre Dame.
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Mi Tierra closing after 22 years; La Carreta, Flako's Tacos, Wendy's, Bulldog Ale House, WhoaZone, The Love of Arts and Illinois Dermatology Institute opening
219 News Now 6/23/23
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Maple + Bacon, deli and Divalicious Desserts Bakery & Cafe opening | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/peoples-bank-names-new-general-counsel-and-chief-risk-officer/article_6a6adfb2-13db-11ee-bcc3-8bbb3746d1c1.html | 2023-06-28T00:03:08 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/peoples-bank-names-new-general-counsel-and-chief-risk-officer/article_6a6adfb2-13db-11ee-bcc3-8bbb3746d1c1.html |
ODGEN DUNES — The possible construction of an armor stone revetment in Ogden Dunes has been challenged by the non-profit group Save the Dunes.
The organization filed an administrative appeal June 19 after the Indiana Department of Natural Resources approved Ogden-Dunes' request for a 2,970-foot-long, 10-foot-wide revetment along Lake Michigan’s lakeshore, according to a statement from Save the Dunes.
Save the Dunes is concerned about more erosion in the future if the revetment is constructed, executive director Betsy Maher said. “When you harden a part of the shoreline, more hardening occurs down the shoreline.” The revetment would restrict the natural flow of sand and water, which need space to flow unobstructed, she said. The construction of the structure could lead to a process called scouring, Maher said, in which water erodes the sediments that surround the base of manmade structures.
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Save the Dunes is also concerned about native plants and animals along the lakeshore, Maher said, as their habitat would be decreased. Furthermore, Save the Dunes alleges that the revetment works against the public trust doctrine, since the structure would protect private homes or private interests over public access to the lakeshore, Maher said.
“Federal regulations and Indiana law set what is called the 'ordinary high water mark,' which is the elevation line along the shore where the state is charged to protect the lake 'for the use and enjoyment of all citizens of Indiana,'” DNR spokesperson Marty Benson said in an email to The times. Although land and water lakeward of the ordinary high water mark are held in public trust by the state, the areas landward are out of the state’s jurisdiction, Benson said. Nearly all of the project is located landward of the high water mark.
“The Department of Natural Resources issued a permit for the 0.0706 acres of this project that are within the public trust in order to help the Town of Ogden Dunes protect against erosion and protect against damage to homes and the town’s roads and infrastructure,” Benson said.
With its proximity to Indiana Dunes National Park, Save the Dunes is also concerned that the construction of the revetment would contradict the National Park Service’s Shoreline Restoration and Management Plan, Maher said. The plan “recommends methods to remedy erosion and damage to the dunes and beaches of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore,” according to the plan’s language. Essentially, the plan recommends annual beach renourishment, Maher said, the act of bringing more sand in the beaches. The revetment’s potential to cause more lakeshore erosion would be imposed upon this management plan, Maher said.
The beach is public land, that’s the part that we’re hopefully bringing to light with this appeal,” Maher said. “We need to be thinking about what we want this beach to look like not just now but 50 years from now.” | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/ogden-dunes/possible-ogden-dunes-revetment-sparks-debate/article_3379f284-150e-11ee-b5a6-9380ada399a6.html | 2023-06-28T00:03:14 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/ogden-dunes/possible-ogden-dunes-revetment-sparks-debate/article_3379f284-150e-11ee-b5a6-9380ada399a6.html |
DALLAS (KDAF) — Who would’ve thought that a popular UK favorite would make its way to Dallas?
Experience ‘social cricket’ in Dallas with Sixes. Open to players of all abilities, the venue is the only one of its kind, with its first location being in the UK.
Sixes offers an inclusive environment where everyone can participate in their virtual reality like cricket games.
Whether you’re a seasoned cricketer or new to the sport, you can try Sixes for $21/per person and $14 for children.
Discover the joy of cricket and create lasting memories with Sixes! | https://cw33.com/news/local/uks-sixes-brings-social-cricket-to-dallas/ | 2023-06-28T00:04:40 | 1 | https://cw33.com/news/local/uks-sixes-brings-social-cricket-to-dallas/ |
KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) — A Kingsport restaurant has reopened after closing temporarily due to fire damage.
A fire in April forced Pop’s Restaurant in the Bloomingdale community to close.
However, the restaurant reopened its doors to customers on Monday.
Pop’s specializes in home-cooked-style meals like meatloaf, casseroles, and other Southern-style food items.
The restaurant is located at 3016 N. John B Dennis Hwy. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/pops-restaurant-reopens-after-fire/ | 2023-06-28T00:06:12 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/pops-restaurant-reopens-after-fire/ |
Twice rejected by county, Peace Creek Ranch developer applies for annexation into Bartow
Bradley Wilson hopes plans for a 373-acre residential and commercial development near his property in the rural Peace Creek area of unincorporated Bartow can be stopped once again – this time by the city.
The Peace Creek Ranch project was rejected during prior hearings before county boards, but now landowner Gerber Smith LLC and developer CBD Real Estate Investment LLC hope the Bartow planning and zoning commission will approve its annexation request during a meeting at City Hall set for July 24.
“There’s really no secret about what they are trying to do,” Wilson said by phone. ”They’re trying to get another set of eyes to approve a massive housing development.”
Wilson owns 137 acres adjacent to the southern border of the Gerber Smith property. Several residents of the Gerber Dairy Road area north of the proposed development had testified last year against the project at a meeting of the Polk County Planning Commission. The planning commission voted against its approval 6-0 in January 2022, and the Polk County Commission rejected a revised proposal for the development in April.
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Project hurdles
Nearby residents are not the only ones in opposition. Bartow planning director Bob Wiegers wrote a staff report that was issued Tuesday with a recommendation to deny the annexation. That report will be provided to members of the Bartow commission prior to Monday’s meeting.
The land is north of State Road 60 and nearly two-thirds of a mile (3,600 feet) west of Rifle Range Road, the staff report said. If the annexation is successful, Gerber Smith intends to submit a large-scale comprehensive plan amendment, planned development zoning application and subdivision construction plans.
The plans would include the construction of a single-family residential community with two commercial outparcels, the report said.
The property is within the city's electric service area but only eight acres currently reside in the water and stormwater utility area. But those hurdles are minor compared to other findings in the staff report.
City law enforcement and fire protection services would be expected to provide services, the report continued. “Given the distances that would have to be traveled to reach the property, each Department has stated it does not have adequate resources to provide services to the property in the near or long term.”
In the staff analysis, Wiegers wrote: “The annexation of this property is not consistent with the annexation strategy of the City of Bartow.
“It does not represent a reasonable extension of the City’s municipal boundary since it is not reasonably contiguous and compact to existing city boundaries … (including water and wastewater services).
“Additionally, the City does not currently have a plan in place to provide effective police, fire, or solid waste services in the near or long term," Wiegers added.
The annexation application was prepared by attorney Dale E. Albritton, a general partner in Issac F. Albritton Groves LLLP and the managing member of Smith Gerber. The CBD Real Estate Investment of Celebration is listed as the applicant.
Project History
During a hearing to overturn the Jan. 5, 2022, county planning commission decision, the Board of County Commissioners denied the project with prejudice in April.
At that time, Gerber Smith had proposed a planned development for a 894-lot, single-family subdivision. Among the reasons for denial were the lack of water and wastewater lines. Wastewater service was about three miles away and the nearest water line was even farther.
Further, most surrounding lots range from 2.5 acres to 20 acres to the north and south of the Gerber Smith property and five acres to the east of it.
Ultimately, the commissioners found the proposal was not compatible with its surroundings.
Wilson, the nearby resident, has looked over the Gerber Smith annexation application at Bartow City Hall and submitted a letter dated May 16 in opposition to it. His letter details his thoughts on the impacts of suburban sprawl in other areas of Central Florida and the possibility of it coming to Polk County.
He includes traffic, such as that now on nearby Rifle Range Road, flooding of the Peace Creek area and wildlife habitat destruction.
“I would implore the board not to make the same mistake others have made in beautiful Bartow,” Wilson wrote. “This subject area is home to bald eagles, fox squirrels, sandhill cranes, whitetail deer, turkey, to name just a few.”
"The Peace River area is a treasure given to us by God to steward,” he said. “May we all live up to our part of this responsibility.”
In the taking of agricultural land for housing developments, he said, “Farms are the backbone of our towns and our nation. What future exists for a nation that must import all its food?” | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/developer-of-rejected-peace-creek-subdivision-tries-bartow-annexation/70338939007/ | 2023-06-28T00:11:53 | 1 | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/developer-of-rejected-peace-creek-subdivision-tries-bartow-annexation/70338939007/ |
When does speech cross the line? Lakeland protester faces charge of disturbing an event
Panty-throwing incident leads to lesser charge
The arrest of a Lakeland woman last month for allegedly hurling a pair of underwear toward a Polk County sheriff’s deputy gained statewide attention.
But Bonnie Patterson-James will not be prosecuted for battery on a law-enforcement officer, the charge that led to her arrest two days after her protest at the dedication of a pregnancy center in Lakeland. Instead, Patterson-James faces a lesser charge, one that raises questions about how far citizens may go in expressing disapproval of politicians or causes.
The State Attorney’s Office for the 10th Judicial Circuit filed an information, or charging document, on June 8 accusing Patterson-James of violating a state law that forbids willfully interrupting or disturbing any school “or any assembly of people met for the worship of God or for any lawful purpose.” The charge of attempted disturbance of a lawful assembly is a second-degree misdemeanor, in contrast to original charge, a third-degree felony.
Patterson-James joined other volunteers at the Lakeland Women’s Health Center in protesting a dedication and groundbreaking event May 16 at the adjacent property of Options for Women, a Christian-affiliated center that offers pregnancy testing, other services and counseling aimed at deterring women from pursuing abortions. Florida Rep. Jennifer Canady, R-Lakeland, spoke during the dedication, attended by a few dozen supporters of Options for Women.
The SAO document supports the charge by saying that Patterson-James “utilized a ladder to position herself above a solid fence in order to shout down to the people assembled below, while using a handheld electronic megaphone to greatly amplify her voice, thus endeavoring to willfully and maliciously interrupt or disturb an assembly of people met for any lawful purpose.”
A reporter from The Ledger covered the event and witnessed Patterson-James gripping a pink bullhorn and heckling Canady and other speakers from her perch above the white, plastic fence. Referring to Canady as “Jenny,” she called out a variety of criticisms: “Shame on you! Forced births! Women will die!”
Canady co-sponsored a bill passed in this year’s legislative session barring most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a point at which many women don’t yet know they are pregnant. The bill, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, also allocates $25 million for a network of private pregnancy centers, including Options for Women, that oppose abortion.
Patterson-James was not the only volunteer with the Lakeland Women’s Health Center who expressed criticism of the adjacent facility. A large, homemade banner positioned above the wall listed claims about crisis pregnancy centers. It said that they are not legally obligated to have medically trained staff members, do not inform clients of the options of contraception and abortion and are not bound by medical privacy rules.
Other protesters held signs that read “Mind your own uterus” and “My body, my choice.” None of the other protesters on the clinic property, though, could be heard calling out during the ceremony.
Two Lakeland Police Department officers stood to the side of the white tent under which the Options for Women supporters sat. Those officers were on an “extra-duty detail,” meaning they had been hired to provide security, LPD spokesperson Robin Tillett later said.
As Patterson-James heckled the ceremony’s orators, forcing them to speak more loudly while using a microphone, a reporter asked the LPD officers if she was committing a crime. One officer said that she was not because she was on private property and had permission to be there.
No warnings during event
Polk County Sheriff’s Captain Billy Strickland attended the dedication as a guest in place of Sheriff Grady Judd, who had been invited but could not attend, a PCSO spokesperson said. Strickland made no apparent attempt to approach or arrest Patterson-James during the dedication. The alleged throwing of underwear, bearing a sticker with the printed message “RiseUp4AbortionRights.org,” occurred after the event’s conclusion and after a Ledger reporter had left.
In the initial arrest report, another PCSO deputy briefly mentioned Patterson-James’ heckling activities while focusing on the alleged throwing of panties and the aftermath.
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“They took positions along the vinyl fence, standing on ladders and props while using bullhorns and signage to vocalize their disenchantment with Representative Canady and the business practices of Options for Women,” Deputy Jacob Moore wrote.
Patterson-James said that a PCSO deputy pulled her over two days later as she drove on the Polk Parkway, allegedly because she merged without signaling. Upon learning of a warrant, the deputy arrested her and took her to jail in Bartow, where she was strip-searched and spent a few hours in custody, Patterson-James said.
The activist said she had noticed law-enforcement vehicles following her in the days after her arrest, and she decided to sell her easily recognized vehicle, nicknamed “Matilda,” which was painted hot pink and had simulated eyelashes above the headlights.
Patterson-James filed paperwork on June 16 to challenge Canady as a Democrat next year in Florida House District 50.
Scott Wilder, a spokesperson for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, said a search of the agency’s records found no examples since the start of 2021 of an arrest on the charge of interrupting or disturbing a lawful assembly.
The document from the State Attorney’s Office emphasized that Patterson-James had failed to disrupt the event at Options for Women, hence the “attempted” charge.
Another protester present
The Lakeland Women’s Health Center regularly attracts anti-abortion protesters, and a few were present on the day of the dedication event next door. At least one man shifted south to stand in front of the Options for Women property at 4504 S. Florida Ave. as the dedication began.
The unidentified man was part of a group of abortion “abolitionists,” who oppose all abortions without exceptions, such as for cases of rape or incest. The man spoke continuously throughout the event, even during a prayer, not using amplification but shouting loudly enough to be heard clearly. At one point, a supporter moved a vehicle between the man and the tent and began playing classical music to block out the man’s exhortations.
The man has apparently not been arrested. After the event, he was seen debating with Options for Women supporters, arguing that the center does not do enough to oppose abortion.
Anti-abortion activists have long used ladders and bullhorns at the boundary of the Lakeland Women’s Health Center property. They employed the ladders after the clinic installed a low fence and then added opaque screening above it, making it impossible to see patients entering the clinic from sidewalk level.
Last summer, an LPD officer arrested an anti-abortion protester who was standing on a ladder and using a bullhorn to address patients and those accompanying them into and out of the clinic. In an arrest report, the officer wrote that Quentin Deckard of Seffner spoke through the bullhorn with enough amplification to disturb the peace inside the clinic.
LPD did not charge Deckard with disrupting a lawful assembly. Instead, he was charged with breach of the peace and violating the city's noise ordinance. Polk County Judge Robert G. Fegers dismissed the charges against Decker in December, ahead of a scheduled trial.
LPD has apparently not made any further arrests at the clinic based on the use of bullhorns.
Tillett said in May that the Lakeland Police Department was no longer allowing protesters outside the Lakeland Women’s Health Center to use ladders.
“We advised person(s) at the location that the ladder was an obstruction on a public right-of-way,” Tillett wrote. “Ladders cannot be placed on public right-of-way where they may cause safety hazards including distractions to motorists.”
A Lakeland police officer arrested a 13-year-old in Munn Park in July 2022 for using a bullhorn during an abortion-rights protest. In a report, the officer wrote that Rain Johnson had used a bullhorn despite previous warnings not to do so, violating a city ordinance that forbids using a device to amplify one’s voice.
That incident gained statewide attention and criticism after Nikki Fried, then Florida’s commissioner of agriculture and a candidate for governor, tweeted about it. Fried came to Lakeland a month later to meet Rain and participate in an abortion-rights rally near Southgate Shopping Center.
Rain’s mother, Lauren Johnson, said the teen has completed community service through a diversion program that the SAO offered in lieu of prosecution.
Revising charges is common
Robert Jarvis, a law professor with Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad College of Law in Fort Lauderdale, said it is not unusual for prosecutors to pursue charges not included in an original arrest report.
“The government obviously overcharged BPJ and now has corrected itself by charging her with what she should have been charged with in the first place (i.e., disrupting a lawful assembly),” Jarvis said by email. “Thus, I think the only question that needs to be answered is why the government overcharged her in the first place. That said, such overcharging is common, especially in high-profile, hot-button cases. Even in ordinary cases, overcharging is common because it gives the prosecutor wiggle room to ‘come down’ during the plea bargaining that occurs in every criminal case.”
Wilder addressed the revised charge against Patterson-James.
“Once we file charges and make an arrest regarding an incident, the process then moves to the State Attorney’s Office where they review the probable cause, circumstances, and available evidence to determine how to proceed with the case,” Wilder said by email. “They make independent decisions regarding what charges or actions to proceed with. They sometimes change, enhance, reduce, add, or drop charges. This is very common.”
Patterson-James insists that her arrest and prosecution are politically motivated, as Canady is well connected and the wife of a Florida Supreme Court justice. Florida NOW issued a statement after news of the arrest, also suggesting a political motive, a claim that Canady firmly rejected.
Interviewed at the May 16 event, Canady said that she supported the protesters’ First Amendment rights.
Some in Polk County have questioned why LPD did not arrest a group of protesters who appeared at Munn Park during Pride in the Park, a permitted gathering for LGBTQ people and allies on June 18. About six men stood in the grass near the park’s center, some holding signs condemning homosexuality.
Some of the men verbally criticized the gathering, though none were seen using bullhorns.
Scott Guira, president of Polk Pride, which organized the annual event, said the protesters had “non-amplified bullhorns,” and when someone else began using amplification, a police officer cited a city ordinance and asked them to stop, which they did.
The Ledger sent questions to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office about possible applications of the law under which Patterson-James is now being prosecuted. Among the questions:
- Has the SAO previously prosecuted anyone for using a bullhorn to disrupt an event or gathering?
- Could the anti-abortion protesters at the Lakeland Women’s Health Center have been charged under the same law for their long-term use of ladders and bullhorns?
- Could someone be charged under this statute for yelling in a disruptive manner without vocal amplification?
- Was the State Attorney’s Office aware of the anti-abortion protester whose verbal messages could be heard during the Options for Women dedication?
Wilder said that Strickland, whose observations led to Patterson-James’ arrest for battery on a law-enforcement officer, was “not involved in the currently filed charges.”
Jacob Orr, a spokesperson for the State Attorney’s Office, said by email: “I cannot comment on a pending case. And I will not speculate on hypotheticals. If law enforcement conducts an investigation and sends us an affidavit, we will review it.”
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13. | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/lakeland-protesters-charge-shows-a-line-between-speech-disturbance/70355907007/ | 2023-06-28T00:11:59 | 0 | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/lakeland-protesters-charge-shows-a-line-between-speech-disturbance/70355907007/ |
Lakeland woman who entered US Capitol during Jan. 6 riot accepts plea deal
Corinne Montoni of Lakeland, the first Polk County resident arrested in connection with the U.S. Capitol attack, has accepted a plea agreement.
Montoni appeared Monday for a plea hearing before Judge Royce Lamberth of the District of Columbia District Court. She accepted an offer from the Justice Department to plead guilty to civil disorder, a felony, in exchange for having other felony charges against her dismissed.
Montoni, 33, was arrested in March 2021 and charged with obstruction of an official proceeding; entering and remaining; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct for parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, and aiding; and abetting the commission of those offenses. She faced a possible sentence of decades if convicted on all counts.
The maximum penalties for civil disorder are five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Under the agreement, prosecutors set sentencing guidelines of zero to six months and a fine range of $2,000 to $20,000, though a judge is not bound by the recommendations.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 28.
Details of the agreement are outlined in an 11-page document posted online Monday, signed by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Montoni and her lawyer, Bernard Crane of Fairfax, Maryland. The Justice Department made the plea offer in May, and Montoni signed it on June 5, two days before it was due to expire.
Under the agreement, prosecutors drop the other charges against Montoni, though the agreement letter says that she acknowledges the charges “were based in fact.”
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In a sentencing guideline analysis, prosecutors wrote that Montoni received a “two-level reduction” based on her acceptance of responsibility. Her potential sentence was also reduced by her lack of any criminal history, the letter says.
In the letter, Montoni agreed to pay restitution of $2,000 toward the estimated damage of $2.9 million to the Capitol.
Crane did not respond to a voicemail left Monday afternoon. Montoni could not be reached.
Montoni has been free on $25,000 bond since her arraignment in March 2021. She was required her to surrender her passport and firearms.
Of the six current and former Polk County residents charged in relation to the U.S. Capitol breach, Montoni is the only one alleged to have entered the building on Jan. 6, 2021. She and other supporters of former President Donald Trump forced their way into the Capitol in an attempt to prevent the confirmation of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
The riot disrupted a joint meeting of Congress to certify the Electoral College votes from each state. Members of Congress fled their chambers but returned hours later and voted to authorize the results, though more than 100 Republicans — including Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Lakeland — challenged some states' votes.
The U.S. Capitol Police reported that over 100 officers were injured. One officer, Brian Sicknick, died the next day of natural causes after engaging with rioters, and other officers died of suicide in the weeks after the attack.
Montoni’s arrest affidavit, submitted by an FBI agent, included photos of her inside the Capitol building, wearing a gray, hooded sweatshirt with ‘TRUMP” written on the front. One is an overhead image of a hallway apparently taken by a security camera, and another is a selfie Montoni allegedly took inside the building.
Montoni’s indictment drew heavily from her social media posts on Facebook, Instagram and Parler before and after the Jan. 6 unrest. According to the affidavit, she flew from Tampa to Washington, D.C., and stayed in a hotel before the Trump rally at the Ellipse that preceded the riot.
The affidavit said that Montoni used the word “revolution” in posts and chats to describe what she expected to happen on Jan. 6. Trump had encouraged supporters to come to Washington and then march to the Capitol after his rally, promoting the event with the promise, “Will be wild.”
On Dec. 16, 2020, Montoni posted on Parler: “Insurrection Act coming in hot … void the fraudulent 2020 election, arrest these traitors and restore order and faith in our justice department. GitMo is readyyyyyy,” according to the affidavit.
That was a reference to Guantanamo Bay, the military facility in Cuba where suspected terrorists are held.
In posts and chat sessions before Jan. 6, Montoni repeated Trump’s false claims that the presidential election had been “stolen” and his belief that Vice President Mike Pence could thwart the counting of Electoral College votes, though Pence had no such authority.
In a Parler post from Dec. 28, Montoni wrote: “If Pence betrays us, we riot.”
Also:One year later, Jan. 6 suspect Jonathan Pollock from Polk County hasn’t been caught
The next day, she posted, “January 6th in DC is going to be YUGEEEE! It’s either going to be a Trump victory party or the first real day of the revolution. Who’s going?”
The investigation of Montoni began after the FBI received a tip that day after the insurrection from someone who had seen her Facebook posts. The agency talked to three people, none of them named in the affidavit, who identified Montoni as taking part based on her social media statements and photos.
The affidavit said that Montoni shared a video showing her inside the Capitol during the riot. She said, “We’re in the Capitol ‘cause this is our house. We paid for this, and they’re trying to steal it from us. Let’s go!”
In another photo from inside the building, Montoni described the police present that day as “traitors.” In a private Facebook chat on Jan. 7, Montoni wrote she had intended to abduct or arrest members of Congress or Pence. She described her participation in the riot as “awesome” and “intense.”
Soon after the riot, some Trump supporters spread conspiracy theories that those who entered the Capitol had actually been leftists disguised as Trump backers. Montoni rejected that notion in a Parler chat.
“I was there,” she wrote, according to the affidavit. “We were 99% MAGA. I didn’t see one ANTIFA. And I was inside the Capitol.”
Antifa, short for “anti-fascist,” is a label for a loose collection of far-left groups.
The day after the insurrection, Taylor reported, Montoni wrote on Parler, “If you have a problem with American citizens occupying a building WE OWN, but not a problem with the massive voter fraud and stolen election, you are the enemy.”
She added: “Now people are like. You’re going to jail. Ok so they’re gonna arrest the 1000 people that went in.”
The Justice Department reports that more than 1,000 people have now been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 breach, and new arrests are still being announced.
Montoni deleted her social media accounts soon after her arrest. Before then, she was listed on LinkedIn as a social media marketer and graphic designer. Her profile said she previously managed a rock band in Tampa.
Montoni’s Facebook page listed her hometown as Bristol, Connecticut. She apparently moved to Lakeland in 2016.
Among others with ties to Polk County, Joshua Doolin of Polk City was convicted in March on charges related to the Capitol attack. He is due to be sentenced in July.
Three others — siblings Jonathan and Olivia Pollock of Lakeland and Joseph Hutchinson III, formerly of Lakeland — are listed as fugitives under indictment on felony charges. A sixth, Brian Boele of Lakeland, is still awaiting trial.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13. | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/lakeland-woman-who-entered-u-s-capitol-accepts-misdemeanor-plea-deal/70358228007/ | 2023-06-28T00:12:05 | 1 | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/lakeland-woman-who-entered-u-s-capitol-accepts-misdemeanor-plea-deal/70358228007/ |
Winter Haven holds 'unleashing' event to open K9 Courtyard, downtown dog park
Winter Haven opened a downtown park, the K9 Courtyard, with an “unleashing” ceremony on Monday.
Julie Adams, director of the parks, recreation and culture department, initiated the ceremony, highlighting the city's growth and the need for a pet-friendly space, according to a news release. The K9 Courtyard complements the recent rise in pet-friendly residential properties and businesses, making the downtown area increasingly accommodating for dog owners and their companions, Adams said.
"We have many new downtown residential developments and area businesses that bring dogs to work, so the need for an off-leash area for dogs has grown," Adams in the release.
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The K9 Courtyard is located adjacent to the Chain of Lakes Trail. The secure, off-leash dog run provides mature shade and adjacent parking for easy access, the release said.
Mayor Brad Dantzler called the park an integral part of the city's continued growth and commitment to quality of life. | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/winter-haven-holds-opening-event-for-k9-courtyard-downtown-dog-park/70360516007/ | 2023-06-28T00:12:11 | 0 | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2023/06/27/winter-haven-holds-opening-event-for-k9-courtyard-downtown-dog-park/70360516007/ |
What to Know
- The civil lawsuit accused Donald Trump of inflating his net worth and misleading institutions.
- Ivanka Trump had stepped back from involvement in the Trump Organization before 2016.
- The Attorney General's office is seeking a ban on Trump and his family from doing business in New York.
A New York appeals court dismissed Ivanka Trump on Tuesday from a wide-ranging fraud lawsuit brought against her father and his company last year by the state's attorney general.
The civil lawsuit, brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, accused former President Donald Trump of padding his net worth by billions of dollars and misleading banks, insurance companies and others about the value of his assets, including golf courses and the Mar-a-Lago estate. It named his three eldest children -- Ivanka, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump -- as defendants, along with multiple Trump Organization executives.
In a ruling on Tuesday, the Appellate Division of New York’s Supreme Court dismissed the claims against Ivanka Trump, ruling that they were barred by the state's statute of limitations. While claims over alleged wrongdoing after February 2016 were permissible, the court said, Ivanka Trump had stepped back from involvement in the Trump Organization and wasn't accused in the lawsuit of any misconduct during that later time period.
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The panel left it to a lower-court judge to determine whether other parts of the lawsuit would also be barred by the state's statute of limitations.
A representative for Ivanka Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment. James' office said in a statement that it planned to continue to pursue the case.
The lawsuit is the result of a three-year investigation into Trump and his business by James, a Democrat.
Crime and Courts
Chief investigative reporter Jonathan Dienst on crime, corruption and terrorism.
It details dozens of instances of alleged fraud, many involving claims made on annual financial statements that Trump would give to banks, business associates and financial magazines as proof of his riches as he sought loans and deals.
Trump has dismissed the investigation as a “politically motivated Witch Hunt.”
An attorney for Trump, Christopher Kise, said on Tuesday that the ruling “represented the first step towards ending a case that should never have been filed."
“Going forward, we remain confident that once all the real facts are known, there will be no doubt President Trump has built an extraordinarily successful business empire and has simply done nothing other than generate tremendous profits for those financial institutions involved in the transactions at issue in the litigation,” he said.
James has said her investigation uncovered evidence of potential criminal violations by Trump, including insurance fraud and bank fraud, that would be referred to outside authorities.
She also said Ivanka Trump, who worked as executive vice president at the Trump Organization, personally participated in the effort to exaggerate her father's wealth and obtain favorable loan terms from banks and real-estate licensing deals.
Attorneys for Ivanka Trump disputed that, arguing that the lawsuit does not contain any evidence that she "directly or indirectly created, prepared, reviewed, or certified any of her father’s financial statements.”
The Attorney’s General Office is seeking a financial penalty of $250 million, as well as a ban on Trump and his family from doing business in New York. The case is set to go to trial in October. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/ivanka-trump-dismissed-from-new-yorks-fraud-lawsuit-against-her-father/4458836/ | 2023-06-28T00:12:33 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/ivanka-trump-dismissed-from-new-yorks-fraud-lawsuit-against-her-father/4458836/ |
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The University of Alabama at Birmingham has officially been given its own day to commemorate the athletic department’s admission into the American Athletic Conference (AAC).
Mayor Randall L. Woodfin announced during Birmingham’s City Council Meeting Tuesday that UAB Day will be celebrated this Saturday, July 1. Woodfin presented members of the UAB Department of Athletics and spirit squad with an official Proclamation at the meeting.
In celebration of UAB Day, the city of Birmingham will be lit up in gold and green, including landmarks such as Protective Stadium, City Walk and ALDOT Highways, City Hall, Sloss Furnace, Regions Habert Plaza and Regions Field.
Since 1995, the UAB Blazers have been charter members of Conference USA. Now, they have been propelled to a new standing with their position as AAC members.
UAB attributed this to their recent track record: winning 50 games in football since 2017, winning 78 games in men’s basketball since 2020 and winning the 2017-18 regular season championship in women’s basketball.
UAB said in a press release that “fans can help support UAB’s move to The American by donating $71.23 to the Blazer Scholarship Fund this week.” Donations will support UAB athletics and their student-athletes. Donations can be made online here or through the Blazer Boosters Office at 205-996-9969. | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/mayor-woodfin-creates-uab-day-to-celebrate-move-to-the-aac/ | 2023-06-28T00:16:59 | 1 | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/mayor-woodfin-creates-uab-day-to-celebrate-move-to-the-aac/ |
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A car overturned and fell into the Cahaba River Tuesday afternoon, leading to a water rescue by first responders.
According to Lt. Clint Riner with Trussville Police, officers received a call at around 1:30 p.m., regarding a car that fell into the river after overturning off I-59 northbound between mile-marker 141 through 143.
Three people were inside the vehicle and were rescued by first responders. They are reported to have non-life-threatening injuries. The car has been recovered and the scene has been cleared out.
State troopers are taking over the investigation into the incident. | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/overturned-car-falls-into-cahaba-river-in-trussville/ | 2023-06-28T00:17:13 | 0 | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/overturned-car-falls-into-cahaba-river-in-trussville/ |
A leaking waterline repair at the 2800 block of South Boulevard at the Rogers Street intersection will cause traffic delays and detours Wednesday.
The Idaho Falls Water Division will begin working on the leaking waterline at 6 a.m. During construction, north- and southbound traffic will be detoured around the work zone.
There are expected to be minor traffic delays, and drivers should try to use alternate routes. The construction is expected to be completed before Wednesday evening.
The repair to the waterline will only disrupt water service to one property owner who will be notified before construction begins.
The city asks that motorists reduce speeds, obey the traffic control signs and to watch for construction workers in the area during the repair.
For information about the repair, contact the Idaho Falls' Water Division at 208-612-8471.
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The Bonneville County Sheriff's Office, alongside statewide law enforcement and the Idaho Office of Highway Safety, will be enacting an impaired driving mobilization through the Fourth of July.
The increased risk for eastern Idaho drivers is twofold. The massive holiday weekend falls during the middle of Idaho's 100 deadliest days, a time of increased fatal crashes in the state. Moreover, Idaho Falls draws in tens of thousands of visitors for the Liberty on Parade and the Melalueca Freedom Celebration.
The Freedom Celebration alone brings in a crowd of nearly 200,000, according to its website.
AAA expects nearly 51 million Americans will take a vacation over the Fourth of July weekend, including 291,000 Idahoans. The Independence Day travel period is defined as Friday through Tuesday, a AAA news release said.
Celebrating America's independence is no reason to take a chance behind the wheel, said Sgt. Bryan Lovell, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office.
According to a Sheriff's Officenews release, about 1,500 people are killed or seriously injured each year in Idaho from crashes that involve an impaired driver. Thirty-eight percent of all fatal crashes in the state involve alcohol or drugs.
The Idaho Office of Highway Safety has given grants to law enforcement to pay deputies overtime during the impaired driving mobilization.
Officers who wouldn't normally be on patrol will be on the roads to stop and intercept impaired drivers beginning this weekend. The mobilization will continue for approximately the next two weeks.
"We get reports of intoxicated drivers on a regular basis anyway," Lovell said.
Sheriff's Office deputies expect to see an increase in impaired drivers simply due to the influx of people to the area for the holiday.
"On different nights (for the Fourth of July), there seems to be some celebration in eastern Idaho," Lovell said.
Because of this, Lovell said it is even more essential to make paying attention to driving a number one priority.
"If you take the time to plan what you are going to do, take an extra moment to plan a safe ride home," Lovell said.
Lovell said if someone is intoxicated, or even slightly buzzed, they should not get behind the wheel.
"Some will take a chance, get behind the wheel and end up in a crash. Don't even take a chance," Lovell said. "Even if you feel like you are OK."
The Sheriff's Office encourages anyone who sees an impaired driver to contact local law enforcement or call "*ISP (*477) so a Deputy or Officer can intervene."
"Don’t take a chance on becoming a statistic, be responsible, so you can be here tomorrow," Lovell said.
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Tell us your personal accounts and the history behind articles. | https://www.postregister.com/news/local/dont-even-take-a-chance-sheriffs-office-prepares-impaired-driving-mobilization/article_5863655c-1528-11ee-b1e6-8fa3d9d4433c.html | 2023-06-28T00:17:19 | 1 | https://www.postregister.com/news/local/dont-even-take-a-chance-sheriffs-office-prepares-impaired-driving-mobilization/article_5863655c-1528-11ee-b1e6-8fa3d9d4433c.html |
A 140-acre conservation easement near the “Two Forks” section of the Teton River, downstream of the Teton Creek (Nickerson) river access in Teton County, was made possible through the work of the Teton Regional Land Trust and the Gailey family.
The working farm, which contains sandhill crane habitat, is bordered by conservation easements to the east, "adding to the mosaic of protected lands that lie in proximity to the Teton River, a refuge for wildlife and recreationists alike," a land trust news release said.
The land has seen "extremely high crane counts in its barley fields" over the years, the release said. It is considered the top land conservation priority by the Greater Yellowstone Sandhill Crane Initiative partners due to its importance for sandhill cranes. Trumpeter swans also rely upon the stretch of river that runs through the north end of the property for wintering habitat, the release said. Both of these species are considered Species of Greatest Conservation Need according to the State Wildlife Action Plan adopted by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game in 2017.
Other Species of Greatest Conservation Need that use the property include Columbian sharp-tailed grouse and long-billed curlew. Extensive willow vegetation along the river provides habitat for big game such as moose and white-tailed deer, as well as many raptor species, the release said.
The Gaileys, who purchased the property in 2000, are just the third family to own the land since it was homesteaded at the turn of the 20th century, the release said.
“We appreciate the Gailey family’s vision to conserve Teton Valley farm ground as well as Teton riverfront and Valley homesteader history,” land trust Conservation Project Manager Renee Hiebert said in the release.
Enoch “Cal” Carrington homesteaded the land in 1897 after arriving via the old Mormon Trail from Utah to the Teton Basin, driving a light iron-tired wagon with three head of horses, the release said. To this day, the cabin that Carrington built still stands on the property’s west side. Since Carrington’s death in 1959, the two subsequent owners have chosen to farm around this structure rather than remove it, the release said.
"While we don’t live in the area, our family has been visiting and enjoying the Teton Valley for over 50 years,” the family said in a statement. “… We’re thrilled to be a small part of the conservation efforts with the Teton Regional Land Trust in … preserving open spaces in the valley. We felt a conservation easement was the best way to be good stewards to our land and to guarantee that its habitat and scenic qualities are enjoyed by future generations."
To learn more about the Teton Regional Land Trust, go to tetonlandtrust.org.
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Tell us your personal accounts and the history behind articles. | https://www.postregister.com/news/local/land-trust-partnership-conserves-140-acre-property-near-the-teton-river/article_45c32c2e-1475-11ee-82af-830ffe31b6b1.html | 2023-06-28T00:17:39 | 0 | https://www.postregister.com/news/local/land-trust-partnership-conserves-140-acre-property-near-the-teton-river/article_45c32c2e-1475-11ee-82af-830ffe31b6b1.html |
SAN ANGELO, Texas — A junior senator from Iowa, Joni Ernst, will be the keynote speaker at the 19th annual West Texas Legislative Summit Aug. 1 in the C.J. Davidson Conference Center at Angelo State University.
This year's summit will focus on federal issues with the overarching theme of “Food, Fuel, and Enforcement: West Texas Securing the Nation.”
The summit will highlight agriculture, energy, economics and national security. Honorary co-hosts are Congressman August Pfluger, Sen. Charles Perry and State Rep. Drew Darby.
Ernst is the junior senator from Iowa whose career includes serving in the U.S. Army and the Iowa Army National Guard, where she retired as a lieutenant colonel. She served as a company commander during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Ernst assumed office in 2015 as the first woman from Iowa elected to either house of Congress. Additionally, she is the Senate’s first female combat veteran. She currently chairs the Senate Republican Policy Committee, serves on the Armed Services Committee, the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee and the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.
This year's summit will kick off with the Summit Soiree, previously referred to as the dinner and reception at 6 p.m. Monday, July 31.
There will be an opportunity to meet with various legislators, agency leaders, panelists, sponsors and other attendees. The San Angelo Chamber of Commerce said it anticipates more than 400 people from across the state and country to attend the summit.
A full day of panel discussions will begin at 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1.
“We are honored to have Senator Ernst as this year’s West Texas Legislative Summit keynote speaker,” Chamber President and CEO, Walt Koenig, said in a release from the Chamber. “Her long and dedicated service has earned her great respect both on Capitol Hill and across the nation. Her committee assignments related to the armed services, agriculture and small businesses align well with our interests in West Texas. Having such a prominent senator as our keynote speaker is a great testament to the importance of San Angelo and of the significance of our summit.”
For more information about the summit, click here. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/iowa-sen-joni-ernst-to-give-keynote-speech-at-west-texas-legislative-summit/504-74289dec-30cc-4626-ba44-7785e2ac7d05 | 2023-06-28T00:17:52 | 0 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/iowa-sen-joni-ernst-to-give-keynote-speech-at-west-texas-legislative-summit/504-74289dec-30cc-4626-ba44-7785e2ac7d05 |
A 22-year-old Perryton man was killed June 21 when the SUV he was driving crashed, then rolled several times.
The crash happened at approximately 1:50 a.m. June 21 on the Interstate 20 north service road, .02 miles east of Sweetwater.
A Texas Department of Public Safety preliminary crash report states the SUV, driven by Andrew William Luna, 22, of Perryton, was traveling east on the north service road of Interstate 20 at mile post 240 in Nolan County.
Luna failed to drive in a single lane driving off the roadway into the south barrow ditch, the report states.
The SUV hit a concrete culvert, went airborne and hit a stop sign before rolling over several times.
DPS said Luna was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the SUV.
He was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/perryton-man-dies-in-rollover-crash-near-sweetwater/504-ff610ace-7c7b-4857-bb34-aebc6d934205 | 2023-06-28T00:17:58 | 0 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/perryton-man-dies-in-rollover-crash-near-sweetwater/504-ff610ace-7c7b-4857-bb34-aebc6d934205 |
ABILENE, Texas — The City of Abilene is letting drivers know that East North 10th Street, from Griffith Road to Loop 322, will be closed to through traffic June 29-Aug. 14 to allow crews full access to the roadway and expedite the EN 10th construction project.
Signs will be posted notifying drivers of the closure beginning June 22 and the project contractor will work to individually notify residents with direct access to this section of EN 10th.
Beginning June 29, eastbound EN 10th through traffic will be detoured north on Griffith Road. Westbound traffic will be detoured south to Hwy 80E.
The portion of EN 10th allowing access to Taylor Elementary School will fully reopen Aug. 14, in time for the beginning of the Abilene Independent School District school year.
The remainder of EN 10th extending from approximately 1,000 feet east of Taylor Elementary to Loop 322 will reopen to two-lane travel Aug. 14 until the project is complete.
Unforeseen weather and construction events have delayed work on the project, calling for this closure, along with heavier than anticipated traffic flow in the area.
The City of Abilene Public Works Department and the contractor on the project understand the inconvenience this closure will cause, but said it will enable crews to accelerate their work while also improving safety. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/portions-of-abilenes-east-north-10th-street-to-be-closed-for-construction/504-f0fbeef6-32ec-48bc-bcf4-e8c04d846818 | 2023-06-28T00:18:07 | 1 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/portions-of-abilenes-east-north-10th-street-to-be-closed-for-construction/504-f0fbeef6-32ec-48bc-bcf4-e8c04d846818 |
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott called a second Texas Legislative special session Tuesday.
The session began Tuesday afternoon, with property-tax rates as the focus of the additional session.
The session aims to cut property taxes, Abbott said in a news release Tuesday, by eliminating school-district maintenance and operations-related property taxes, as well as school district maximum compressed tax rates, which applies to the state and local government's responsibility to public school districts.
"Unless and until the House and Senate agree on a different proposal to provide property tax cuts, I will continue to call for lasting property tax cuts through rate reductions and working toward eliminating the school property tax in Texas," he states. "Special sessions will continue to focus on only property tax cuts until property tax cut legislation reaches my desk."
The House and Senate both agreed on cutting school district property tax rates during the regular session, but could not come to an agreement on how to accomplish the cuts.
The first special session, which ended earlier Tuesday, tackled school property tax rate cuts and human smuggling.
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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.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/texas/second-special-session-called-as-texas-lawmakers-cant-agree-on-property-tax-changes/503-831a2c41-9a7f-46e8-845d-bdf6b45904f6 | 2023-06-28T00:18:08 | 0 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/texas/second-special-session-called-as-texas-lawmakers-cant-agree-on-property-tax-changes/503-831a2c41-9a7f-46e8-845d-bdf6b45904f6 |
Albion mother accused of attacking her children charged
An Albion woman has been charged in connection in the stabbing of two of her children and attempt to drown another last weekend.
Jessica Edward-Ricks, 35, was arraigned Tuesday through 10th District Court on assault with intent to murder, first-degree child abuse and second-degree child abuse, records show.
Bond was set at $500,000.
The charges stem from an incident reported Saturday at a home on Bluestem Court. The Albion Department of Public Safety and Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office responded around 10:30 a.m. after "a 911 call with children screaming and asking for help," authorities said in a statement.
Officers, hearing commotion from behind a locked door, kicked it open and found Edward-Ricks holding her 2-year-old daughter under the water in the bathtub, according to the release.
The officer grabbed the child, took her into the living room and started performing CPR. "After giving a few quick breaths, the child coughed up water and began breathing on her own," officials said.
Authorities said the girl had two stab wounds to the chest and throat, and her 4-year-old brother had cuts, according to the release.
"It is also believed both the 2-year-old and 4-year-old had possibly ingested some cleaning fluid," the public safety department said.
The children were transported to the hospital in Jackson and later flown to Ann Arbor. They were listed in stable condition, according to the release.
The woman's two other children, an 8-year-old and a 15-year-old girl who called 911 for help, did not appear to have any injuries, investigators reported.
Edward-Ricks was arrested and checked at a hospital to see if she also ingested cleaning fluid, officials said.
Her next court hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. July 11, records show. A preliminary examination follows at 11:30 a.m. July 18.
An attorney was not listed as representing her. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/06/27/albion-mother-accused-of-attacking-her-children-charged/70362357007/ | 2023-06-28T00:22:00 | 0 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/06/27/albion-mother-accused-of-attacking-her-children-charged/70362357007/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/how-to-tell-the-dangerous-signs-of-heat-stroke-and-exhaustion/3285538/ | 2023-06-28T00:22:07 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/how-to-tell-the-dangerous-signs-of-heat-stroke-and-exhaustion/3285538/ |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Former Arkansas Razorback quarterback and White Hall head football coach Ryan Mallett has drowned in Florida, according to White Hall's assistant principal.
Mallett, who was from Texarkana, Texas, was ranked the #4 overall player in the country as he graduated high school.
He went to play a sole season at Michigan, before transferring to Arkansas where he brought seasons of success to the Razorbacks and became a fan-favorite.
Mallett played for the Hogs starting in 2009 under head coach Bobby Petrino. During his time in Arkansas, the Razorbacks saw plenty of wins, even coming out on top in the 2010 Liberty Bowl.
Following his college career, Mallett was drafted in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. The quarterback also played for the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens during his time in the NFL.
After his professional career in the NFL came to an end, Mallett became involved in coaching, working most recently as the head coach of White Hall.
Following the news of Mallett's death, Arkansas OC Dan Enos shared his condolences, calling Mallett both a "great person" and a "legendary player."
The White Hall School District released the following statement regarding Mallett's passing:
"It is with great sadness that we share the loss of Coach Ryan Mallett. Coach Mallett was a beloved coach and educator. We ask that you remember his family, team, students, fellow coaches, and the White Hall School District staff in your prayers."
Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek also reflected on Mallett's character and gave his thoughts and prayers to the loved ones of Mallett. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/former-razorback-ryan-mallett-dead-drowning-florida/91-3bc49f43-2a47-46ce-8f19-1e3f8eda35b8 | 2023-06-28T00:22:33 | 1 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/former-razorback-ryan-mallett-dead-drowning-florida/91-3bc49f43-2a47-46ce-8f19-1e3f8eda35b8 |
FORT SMITH, Ark. — According to the Fort Smith School District (FSSD), on June 27 a fire began at Ramsey Middle School in the orchestra room. Several musical instruments were damaged, but no injuries were reported.
The Fort Smith Fire Department (FSFD) arrived on the scene to extinguish the fire, and a malfunctioning floor fan was reported as the cause.
The district said school staff will be working to clean up and will provide a damage assessment.
5NEWS will update this story as more information becomes available.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/ramsey-middle-school-orchestra-room-caught-fire/527-da6b99f6-2b85-4f43-9928-c8b08c33f507 | 2023-06-28T00:22:39 | 1 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/ramsey-middle-school-orchestra-room-caught-fire/527-da6b99f6-2b85-4f43-9928-c8b08c33f507 |
PBR TEAM SERIES STARTS JULY 24
The PBR Team series begins July 24 in Cheyenne, Wyo.
The 11-week event has stops in Kansas City, Mo. (Aug. 3-5), Anaheim, Calif. (Aug. 12-13), Nashville, Tenn. (Aug. 18-20), Austin, Texas (Aug. 25-27), Oklahoma City (Sept. 8-10), Ridgedale, Mo. (Sept. 15-17), Greensboro, N.C. (Sept. 23-24), Glendale, Ariz. (Sept. 29-Oct. 1), Fort Worth, Texas (Oct. 6-8) and Las Vegas (Oct. 20-22).
Each team consists of five bull riders. This is the second season for the team series. | https://bismarcktribune.com/sports/local/area-sports-briefs-june-28/article_aa9afb8e-1535-11ee-955f-87b16aec3f8b.html | 2023-06-28T00:27:22 | 1 | https://bismarcktribune.com/sports/local/area-sports-briefs-june-28/article_aa9afb8e-1535-11ee-955f-87b16aec3f8b.html |
Volusia County wins Medicaid court case against West Volusia Hospital Authority
Volusia County officials hope a recent court decision will end a more than year-long battle with the West Volusia Hospital Authority over its share of Medicaid costs, according to a county news release.
The West Volusia Hospital Authority refused to pay about $2.5 million for its share of Medicaid costs for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, despite collecting taxes from residents. The county won in a trial court, and the hospital authority appealed the court's decision.
The Fifth District Court of Appeal decided in the county's favor on Tuesday.
“The county’s taxpayers have had to unfairly cover West Volusia Hospital Authority’s bills to fund a program for our neediest residents,” Volusia County Attorney Mike Dyer said in the release. “It is time for the West Volusia Hospital Authority to meet its obligations.”
The West Volusia Hospital Authority, Halifax Hospital Medical Center, and the Southeast Volusia Hospital District share the cost for Medicaid patients ― Medicaid serves low-income residents. The federal government charges the state for the expenses, and the cost is divided among counties. Counties with hospital districts can divide the costs among the districts.
Judge:West Volusia Hospital Authority must pay Volusia County $2.5 million for Medicaid
"In Volusia County, Medicaid costs are divided among the three hospital districts and the county, which have worked together for decades to ensure that the division remains equitable," according to the county.
The West Volusia Hospital Authority also declined to pay its share of Medicaid costs for the current fiscal year, over $2.5 million, so the county also filed a lawsuit to collect that as well.
The West Volusia Hospital Authority disagreed with how the county calculated its financial responsibility, according to a document filed in the trial court case.
The hospital authority also "argued that it does not benefit from the Medicaid program because it does not own a hospital that receives Medicaid payments, and therefore its proration should be zero," according to the document.
But the county's position is that people who use Medicaid live in the West Volusia Hospital Authority district and the district is responsible for providing access to health care to those residents.
West Volusia Hospital Authority officials either couldn't be reached for comment or declined to comment on Tuesday night. | https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2023/06/27/appeals-court-decides-in-volusia-countys-favor-over-medicaid-battle/70362404007/ | 2023-06-28T00:33:09 | 0 | https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2023/06/27/appeals-court-decides-in-volusia-countys-favor-over-medicaid-battle/70362404007/ |
BRUNSWICK, Maine — Andrew Harvey was delighted to be cast in the lead role at Maine State Music Theatre’s production of “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story.” It’s not a part in which a performer can coast, though, and Harvey acknowledges he felt the weight of expectations.
“Obviously there’s a certain amount of pressure,” he said. “But it also very much an honor.”
Buddy Holly was one of the brightest lights of 1950s rock and roll, an unusually gifted writer and performer with immense potential. He was just 22 when he died in a plane crash with two other singers, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper.
Jayson Elliott portrays the Big Bopper. He, too, understands what the audience will expect at this show—not just the music of Holly, but also of Valens and the Bopper—and why he has to deliver.
“It is just truly an honor to be stewards of their music, to keep it alive,” he said.
The production, which runs through July 15, features many songs, and at times it might feel like more of a concert than a theatrical musical. That’s a good thing. The performers want the crowd to get caught up in the music, to feel the energy of songs that have endured for more than 60 years.
“It is a concert, so that fourth wall kind of disappears a little bit. There is interaction back and forth a little bit with the audience during the concert. And we want to hear them,” Elliott said, his enthusiasm building as he spoke. “We want them to feel that they are at a concert. The more they feel that, the more we feel that. And it is rock and roll. It is rock and roll." | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/207/maine-state-music-theatre-the-buddy-holly-story-musical-performance-concert/97-4bc3dcf4-4183-40b5-bd1b-76c29bf2c098 | 2023-06-28T00:33:27 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/207/maine-state-music-theatre-the-buddy-holly-story-musical-performance-concert/97-4bc3dcf4-4183-40b5-bd1b-76c29bf2c098 |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Former Arkansas Razorback quarterback and White Hall head football coach Ryan Mallett has drowned in Florida, according to White Hall's assistant principal.
Mallett, who was from Texarkana, Texas, was ranked the #4 overall player in the country as he graduated high school.
He went to play a sole season at Michigan, before transferring to Arkansas where he brought seasons of success to the Razorbacks and became a fan-favorite.
Mallett played for the Hogs starting in 2009 under head coach Bobby Petrino. During his time in Arkansas, the Razorbacks saw plenty of wins, even coming out on top in the 2010 Liberty Bowl.
Following his college career, Mallett was drafted in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. The quarterback also played for the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens during his time in the NFL.
After his professional career in the NFL came to an end, Mallett became involved in coaching, working most recently as the head coach of White Hall.
Following the news of Mallett's death, Arkansas OC Dan Enos shared his condolences, calling Mallett both a "great person" and a "legendary player."
The White Hall School District released the following statement regarding Mallett's passing:
"It is with great sadness that we share the loss of Coach Ryan Mallett. Coach Mallett was a beloved coach and educator. We ask that you remember his family, team, students, fellow coaches, and the White Hall School District staff in your prayers."
Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek also reflected on Mallett's character and gave his thoughts and prayers to the loved ones of Mallett. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/former-razorback-ryan-mallett-dead-drowning-florida/91-3bc49f43-2a47-46ce-8f19-1e3f8eda35b8 | 2023-06-28T00:33:33 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/former-razorback-ryan-mallett-dead-drowning-florida/91-3bc49f43-2a47-46ce-8f19-1e3f8eda35b8 |
BANGOR, Maine — Soon-to-be renters and homeowners know it's tough to find housing in Maine. However, Bangor area real estate developer Louie Morrison is getting closer to finding a fairly quick solution: tiny homes.
Almost a year ago, Morrison and his business partner, Luke McCannell, purchased the Martel Mobile Home Park on Hammond Street with hopes to turn it into the city's first tiny home community.
"It was a way to build a lot of roofs in the shortest amount of time," Morrison said.
Morrison is going to build 34 tiny homes on the two-acre property. Five homes are nearly completed, and by the end of the summer, he said he hopes to have more than a dozen ready for move-in.
The tiny home community already has about 200 applicants wanting to call one of these minimalist homes their own, according to Morrison.
Rent could cost anywhere from $700-$1,200 per month, depending on the project's final price tag, which Morrison estimates will cost more than $3 million.
"I'm really looking forward to it coming together. I mean, every time I come out, every day that I'm up here, you see more progress," Morrison said. "To the naked eye, it might look like a complete bomb went off every time that I come up here, but this is what it takes for a project like this to come together."
When the pair purchased the property in July 2022, only a quarter of the lots were being utilized properly, Morrison said. A number of lots were either empty or had abandoned mobile homes. Crews are still working to remove some of the unused mobile homes to make space for new construction.
"This is what it takes to make a project like this come together. It isn't simply just getting these 34 homes in here and plopping them down. There's so much more to it than that," Morrison said.
This past October, city councilors approved a new ordinance, allowing tiny home developments to be built in the city. Earlier this year, Bangor's planning board unanimously approved the project.
The city's director of development, Anne Krieg, said this tiny home community will add more diversity to the city's housing stock.
"The reason why we like a diverse housing stock in terms of pricing is that the people that can afford that might vacate a unit that goes for less per month, which would open up that unit for somebody else," Krieg said. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/housing/first-tiny-home-community-in-bangor-taking-shape-maine/97-b73bd53a-cd39-4e63-8a30-e6bafadb7d4f | 2023-06-28T00:33:40 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/housing/first-tiny-home-community-in-bangor-taking-shape-maine/97-b73bd53a-cd39-4e63-8a30-e6bafadb7d4f |
SAN ANTONIO — Animal Care Services (ACS) has been dealing with an increase in roaming dogs every month this year and needs more people to keep up with the demand. Now the city council is making ACS one of their top funding priorities going into the fall.
Chief Operations Officer Bethany Colonnese told Kens 6 at the beginning of June officers still had around 240 calls that were waiting to be serviced.
"We are seeing a lot of puppies coming in. A lot more than we would expect. We are also seeing a lot of sickness coming in," Colonnese said.
At the same time, Councilwoman Teri Castillo said the issue is absolutely on the council's radar.
"We are scaling up ACS with the budget briefing that we received from our community engagement process," Castillo said. "Support for Animal Care Service is in the top five priorities."
Castillo said the council will also look at paying city veterinarians more in order to stay competitive.
The additional funding is even more important now after Governor Greg Abbott vetoed HB 4759, which was known as the "dangerous dog" bill. The bill would have increased penalties on pet owners after their animal attacked someone and would have made it possible to report attacks anonymously in a way that would still get an investigation started.
Animal Care Services Director Shannon Sims told KENS 5 last week their officers normally need to get a sworn affidavit to start an investigation. Those are subject to records requests and some people fear retaliation from neighbors when making reports.
"It would have provided some protection from open records requests," Sims said. "If it went to an appeal the individual would have to show up, but it would allow us to get it kicked off and do the investigation without disclosing the information of the complainant."
Sims said the requirement to disclose is part of the Texas constitution and the city can't change those rules on their own. He said the City of San Antonio had been in favor of the legislation.
"It's real disappointing. We worked very closely with Menendez and Campos to really tailor this bill so that it would give us a little bit more leverage and be able to bring higher penalties to owners of dangerous dogs, especially repeat offenders," Sims said.
Still, Sims told KENS 5 ACS would be able to better tackle investigations if they had more people.
"We are going to try to enhance our budget to get more officers in the field and boots on the ground, " Sims said. "It will allow us to get on calls and go door to door to get a sworn statement. It's going to require more leg work."
Castillo said ACS had not seen a large budget increase since 2012. The city council will start making decisions on the budget in September.
Both Sims and Castillo hope that they can work with the governor's office to introduce a new version of HB 4759 that at least allows for dangerous dog reports to be protected some homeowners would feel more secure in reporting issues.
"There is still a large piece that the community is counting on us on: the ability to anonymously report an aggressive animal," Castillo said. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/dog-crisis-animal-care-services/273-4261ff4f-c5fe-4a50-80eb-ab2b3db36343 | 2023-06-28T00:34:59 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/dog-crisis-animal-care-services/273-4261ff4f-c5fe-4a50-80eb-ab2b3db36343 |
VIRGINIA – Drivers in Virginia will have a new law to follow beginning July 1.
It’s an expansion of the already existing “Move Over Law” for emergency vehicles.
Currently, drivers must change lanes or slow down for vehicles on the side of the road with blue, red, or amber lights.
Now, drivers will have to change lanes or slow down for any vehicle stopped on the side of the road with hazards on, a warning sign, or flares around it.
AAA says nearly 350 people a year are killed while stopped on the side of the road.
This law is an effort to prevent more deaths from happening.
“The danger starts on the roadside the mom by anyone stops on the roadside. So this law goes a long way in creating a buffer on the road for anyone who might be stopped no matter who it is,” said AAA Mid-Atlantic Spokesperson, Morgan Dean.
If the law is not obeyed, a person could face a Class 1 Misdemeanor.
Punishment could be up to a year in jail or a $250 fine, possibly more depending on if there is damage to property or if someone is hurt or killed. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/27/changes-coming-to-virginias-move-over-law/ | 2023-06-28T00:35:04 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/06/27/changes-coming-to-virginias-move-over-law/ |
SAN ANTONIO — Multiple fire crews responded to a blaze on San Antonio's northwest side on Tuesday afternoon.
Chopper 5 was over the scene on the 5600 block of Evers Road near Loop 410 around 6:10 p.m., when flames were coming out of the roof of a multi-story building. It appeared to be an apartment building, and we are working to confirm that information. At least one ladder truck was used to spray water on the roof from above, and it seemed that they had made progress by about 6:30.
It was about 103 degrees outside as firefighters worked to knock down the fire.
No word yet on any injuries.
This is a developing story that will be updated as we get more information.
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/public-safety/crews-respond-structure-fire-northwest-side-tuesday-afternoon/273-e1d8f691-6988-45fa-94ee-cf10aa26718e | 2023-06-28T00:35:05 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/public-safety/crews-respond-structure-fire-northwest-side-tuesday-afternoon/273-e1d8f691-6988-45fa-94ee-cf10aa26718e |
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