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State Command Chief Warrant Officer Teresa A. Domeier and Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac hold her Certificate of Service for the Army National Guard during her retirement ceremony in Memorial Hall at Camp Ashland on Friday.
HAYDEN ROONEY Journal Star
Teresa A. Domeier impersonates friends in the National Guard during her retirement speech in Memorial Hall at Camp Ashland on Friday.
HAYDEN ROONEY, Journal Star
State Command Chief Warrant Officer Teresa A. Domeier and her colleagues sing the “Army Song” in Memorial Hall at Camp Ashland on Friday during her retirement ceremony.
ASHLAND — Forty years ago, a strong-willed and witty woman joined the Nebraska National Guard as an 18-year-old. She wasn’t afraid of anyone and she wasn’t going to be pushed around, especially when it came to cutting her long hair.
On Friday, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Teresa Domeier — known better to some as Mother Teresa, Brownie Lady, Coordinator, Rule-Maker, Mama T and Chief Chow — celebrated her retirement from the National Guard during a ceremony at Camp Ashland.
She retired May 31 from her appointment, which began in 2018, as the seventh command chief warrant officer of the Army National Guard. She was the first woman to hold the title, which is the highest rank a warrant officer can achieve.
Family and friends from across the country came to celebrate Domeier and her success in the National Guard. Her younger sister, Bonnie Frazier, said guests came from as far as Arizona and New Mexico, to North Carolina and Washington, D.C.
“I thought that she was represented well by so many people,” Frazier said. “I was glad that the turnout was so big.”
Domeier’s seventh grade English teacher, Ross Dirks, said her leadership showed even in middle school.
“She always worked hard and she would help other kids to decide to work hard too,” Dirks said.
Other students looked up to her for her confidence and ability to take charge, he said. She even came back in high school to assist his classes. Dirks taught most of her siblings and could see her older brother’s personality in her.
“She was not afraid of anything or anybody,” Dirks said. “That’s why I’m sure she got along so well with the officers because she knew when to back off, but she could also take charge.”
Domeier, who grew up in Ceresco, is the seventh child of 10 Hunt siblings with four older brothers to keep her in line.
“What do you expect me to be? I’m gonna be a tomboy because I gotta be tough around my brothers,” Domeier said. “We always had fun. We may have fought between us, but if someone came after us, we always defended each other.”
Her experience began shortly after high school when Domeier tagged along with a girlfriend to meet a Marine recruiter. She quickly dismissed the recruiter when he told her, “We treat women special in the Marines.” The Army recruiter didn't convince her to enlist either. Eventually, Domeier met with the National Guard recruiter and found her second family.
“I liked her because she told me the truth,” Domeier said. “She told me exactly what was going to happen when I went to basic training. She told me that they’re going to make you cut your hair.”
At the age of 18, Domeier boarded a plane for the first time and shipped out to Fort Jackson in South Carolina for basic training. There were four platoons and 225 girls in her company — all who were instructed to cut their hair.
“Out of the 225, there was close to 50 of us that wouldn’t cut our hair,” Domeier said. “They lined us up at the reception station and we had three drill sergeants coming up to each one screaming in our faces.”
At the time, Domeier’s hair reached her lower back. A drill sergeant demanded to know why Domeier refused to cut her hair. “Because I don’t want to look like a guy,” Domeier responded. The drill sergeant, who had short hair herself, fired back, “Do you think I look like a man?” Domeier stood her ground and answered that it looked better on some than others.
“She had to walk away because she was ready to laugh,” Domeier said. “I could see her bite her lip and I’m thinking, 'I got her.'”
So Domeier and a handful of other girls got to keep their hair. A couple months ago, Domeier cut her hair to shoulder-length for the first time in her life and donated the hair to Locks of Love.
The hair-cutting was the first of many times Domeier would stand her ground. She said a lot of the women were intimidated by the drill sergeants, but according to Domeier, they didn’t have anything on her strict dad back home.
“My dad could scare people,” Domeier said. “These drill sergeants didn’t scare me. They scared a lot of girls and a lot of them were crying.”
Out of the 225 girls, only 144 of them graduated. During basic training she was promoted to remedial trainer and then to squad leader.
Domeier’s career began in the Nebraska National Guard in 1983 as an administrative specialist with the 67th Brigade. A year later, she transferred to State Area Command Headquarters where she served as a food service technician and an assistant to the state food service adviser.
She always had a love for food — hence her nicknames Brownie Lady and Chief Chow. She was also known for sharing baked goods on the bases. Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac said during the ceremony she always found a way to take care of those around her.
In September 1986, Domeier married the love of her life, Dave. The two had met at a bar at the Gold’s Building, shortly after she had broken up with an ex-boyfriend and sworn off men. After two weeks, she knew she would marry him.
Dave Domeier worked for the Lincoln Police Department for 31 years before retiring in 2017 and stayed in Nebraska while Domeier continued to travel across the country for her job. The two never had children, but have 37 nieces and nephews.
Domeier didn’t enjoy every aspect of her job, especially the time she spent at Fort Rucker — now renamed as Fort Novosel — to complete Warrant Officer Candidate School. She described Fort Rucker as basic training times 10.
“The guy that was the commander hated women, just absolutely hated women,” Domeier said. “There was nothing I liked about Fort Rucker. I was so happy when I graduated and drove home.”
During her time, the commander had gotten into Domier’s face and told her, “I’m gonna make you quit. You’re not going to be a warrant officer.”
Once again, Domeier was determined to prove him wrong. On June 6, 1995, she was appointed as a warrant officer 1.
When Domeier applied for the command chief warrant officer job, she wasn't the only woman applicant, but she was the only woman among six finalists.
“I can’t even count how many meetings I was in and I was the only female,” Domeier said.
During her time in the military, one nickname she heard tossed around was Barbie, yet she knew that because of her brothers she could probably punch better than a lot of the men.
After becoming the first woman to be appointed command chief warrant officer of the Army National Guard, fellow women soldiers told her she was an inspiration. To Domeier, she was just doing her job.
Domeier said it was hard to serve away from home, especially during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There were times I just wanted to just quit and come home and that’s just not me,” Domeier said.
Each time Domeier was home in Nebraska, she'd prepare and freeze meals to last her husband for the next month.
Now as a fellow retiree, Domeier plans to spend her time baking with nieces, golfing, biking and fishing — at least for a year. If she gets bored in retirement, she said she’ll likely be found volunteering somewhere with animals.
“I don’t regret doing anything, I’m glad I had the opportunity to serve,” Domeier said. “I think I’ve made an impression on all the people that I could take care of, but it’s time for me to have fun and enjoy retirement with my husband.”
Command Chief Warrant Officer Teresa A. Domeier and her husband, Dave, laugh during her retirement ceremony in Memorial Hall at Camp Ashland on Friday.
State Command Chief Warrant Officer Teresa A. Domeier and Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac hold her Certificate of Service for the Army National Guard during her retirement ceremony in Memorial Hall at Camp Ashland on Friday.
State Command Chief Warrant Officer Teresa A. Domeier and her colleagues sing the “Army Song” in Memorial Hall at Camp Ashland on Friday during her retirement ceremony.
State Command Chief Warrant Officer Teresa A. Domeier impersonates friends in the National Guard during her retirement speech in Memorial Hall at Camp Ashland on Friday. | https://journalstar.com/news/local/nebraskan-and-first-female-command-chief-warrant-officer-of-army-national-guard-retires/article_eb9a85f6-14f8-11ee-ae04-b7658160d951.html | 2023-07-01T14:22:28 | 1 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/nebraskan-and-first-female-command-chief-warrant-officer-of-army-national-guard-retires/article_eb9a85f6-14f8-11ee-ae04-b7658160d951.html |
This Fourth of July weekend will be a scorcher in Phoenix, according to National Weather Service predictions.
High temperatures are expected to soar to 113 degrees over the holiday i the Valley. In Flagstaff, those highs will be in the 80s and 90s, and Coconino County Sheriff Jim Driscoll anticipates a number of visitors will flock to the northern Arizona area to beat the heat.
That is a recipe for a busy weekend on the part of sheriff’s deputies.
“It’s so hot in the Valley right now, I anticipate this weekend’s tourism is going to be substantial. Because all of our lakes are full now, it’s going to bring a lot of people to the water,” Driscoll said. “The focus there is safety. Life jackets. There’s a lot of violations out there and there’s a lot of safety concerns that are brought up all the time. The last thing we want is having drownings.”
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Boats aren’t the only often motorized vehicles that can be sources of conflict during popular times for tourism, as Driscoll warns that ATV users should be especially careful.
“They’re great for certain things, but the potential for abuse and resource damage is so high,” he said. “When you put a 12-year-old kid unsupervised on an ATV, they get into trouble.”
Driscoll said fatalities and injuries related to ATVs happen every summer, and often coincide with holiday weekends such as Memorial Day, Labor Day and the Fourth of July.
“The most we’ve had in any one summer was five [ATV-related fatalities],” Driscoll said. “Most people are good. The vast majority of people are responsible, but some people turn their kids loose on them.”
Coconino County has seen a marked uptick in the popularity of camping, hiking, off-road vehicle use and recreation in general since 2020.
Because of the popularity of well-used trailheads and the power of GPS technology in the palm of every smartphone user’s hand, Coconino County Search and Rescue deputies have noticed that people are venturing farther into the great outdoors than they have in years past.
That means Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteers are having to perform rescues that are increasingly more complex from a tactical standpoint, Driscoll said. He added that Coconino County SAR has become the busiest in the state.
“Statistically, most of our searches are not for our locals, most of our rescues are not for our locals. They’re for people who come from Maricopa County. That’s OK. We seem to be the winter and summer playground for the Valley. It’s great for our economy, but there’s also a cost to that,” Driscoll said. “We accept that and acknowledge it, and that’s why we prepare and train so much.”
Coconino County’s SAR team is well-respected internationally, having recently hosted the Mountain Rescue Association’s annual conference.
But in order for team to reach a hiker, mountain biker, camper or climber in trouble, it will need to receive a call for help. Cellphone reception is reliable in certain parts of the county, and spotty in others, according to Driscoll.
For outdoor adventurers, having a plan to get to cell service if they need to call for help can be critical.
As people flock to the forest for the Fourth, they’ll do so under stage 1 fire restrictions. That means all campfires, wood stoves and charcoal grills are prohibited except within developed recreation sites. Fireworks, outdoor smoking, and tracer rounds of ammunition or explosive targets are not allowed either.
Driscoll said deputies will likely be dealing with everything from noise complaints to DUI calls over the holiday, but he hopes most of the county will have a safe and fire-free Independence Day. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/coconino-county-sheriffs-office-prepares-for-a-busy-fourth-of-july-weekend/article_70ea97f0-178d-11ee-bfa1-c72874a362e8.html | 2023-07-01T14:24:32 | 1 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/coconino-county-sheriffs-office-prepares-for-a-busy-fourth-of-july-weekend/article_70ea97f0-178d-11ee-bfa1-c72874a362e8.html |
PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH Jul 2 — 3430 N. Fourth St., 3430 N. Fourth St., Flagstaff. 928-526-9578. 10-11 a.m., We invite you to join the family of Peace Lutheran Church (LCMS) on Sunday at 10:00am for in person blended service (Combined Liturgical, hymnal based and Praise Worship) with Holy Communion. Pastor William Weiss Jr. (Pastor Bill) will be presiding. The service will be live streamed on our website (peacelutheranflagstaff.org) and on YouTube. Fellowship and refreshments are available before the worship service beginning 9:15am. https://go.evvnt.com/1818425-0.
LIVING CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH Jul 2 — 500 W. Riordan Road, 500 W. Riordan Road, Flagstaff. 928-526-8595. 10-11 a.m., Join Rev. Kurt Fangmeier for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost! The welcome of baptism is for all God’s children. This baptismal gift sets us free from the power of sin and death. In today’s gospel, Christ promises that the disciple who gives a cup of cold water to the little ones serves Christ himself. From worship we are sent on our baptismal mission: to serve the little ones of this world and to be a sign of God’s merciful welcome. We will learn more with our First Reading of Jeremiah 28:5-9(The test of a true prophet), Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18 (Your love, O Lord, forever will I sing) and the Second Reading of Romans 6:12-23(No longer under law but under grace) together with the Gospel Matthew10:40-42 (Welcome Christ in those he sends). https://go.evvnt.com/1814531-0.
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BEACON UU SUNDAY SERVICE: "Love Is A Verb" Jul 2 — Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 510 N. Leroux St., Flagstaff. (928) 779-4492. 10-11 a.m., ALL ARE WELCOME! You BELONG at Beacon. Spiritually open and intentionally inclusive since 1958. Talking about social justice is not the same as taking action for social justice. Saying we "Side With Love" isn't enough - we must live it. So how do we discern what truly moves us forward towards change, and what obstructs change? Let us celebrate together shared change-making by Unitarian Universalists across Arizona who demonstrate through their actions, every day, that Love is a Verb. Janine Gelsinger, Executive Director of UU Justice Arizona, will be our guest preacher, with Worship Associate Mark James and music from Austin Shaw. https://go.evvnt.com/1792687-0.
Unity of Flagstaff Celebration at the Park! Jul 2 — Bushmaster Park, Thomas Drive Entrance, Flagstaff. 10:30-11:30 a.m., Join us at Bushmaster Park Thomas Drive entrance (across the street from Thomas Elementary) this Sunday. Look for Balloons and Signs. PICNIC-POT LUCK. BRING YOUR FAVORITE DISH TO SHARE. Center will provide Baked and Fried Chicken. Music! FUN! Easy! COMMUNITY! BRING A PIE OR CAKE FOR THE PIE/CAKE AUCTION (benefitting our hospitality service) See our website www.unityofflagstaff.org for details. Unity of Flagstaff-Find YOUR Expression Prayer available 24-7 @ 1-800-NOW-PRAY! www.unityofflagstaff.org. https://go.evvnt.com/1826303-0.
Flagstaff Federated Community Church Please join us for in person services Sundays at 10 a.m. We are located at 400 W Aspen Ave. on the corner of Aspen and Sitgreaves in Downtown Flagstaff. All are welcome to our services. For more information about Flagstaff Federated Community Church please call our office at 928-774-7383, Mon – Thurs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Church of the Resurrection Sunday Church Services 740 W. University Heights Drive S., 740 W. University Heights Drive S., Flagstaff. 928-853-8522. 10-11:30 a.m., Church of the Resurrection Presbyterian Church in America (PCA): We invite you to join us for worship at 10 a.m. on Sundays at 740 W. University Heights Drive South. Please feel free to contact us for information on our mid-week gatherings and for more information on our church. You can find us at www.cor-pca.org and www.facebook.com/CORFlagstaff or we can be reached at corflagstaff@gmail.com and (928) 699-2715.
Leupp Nazarene Church The church, near mile post 13 or Navajo Route 15, has been holding services by teleconferences and doing drive-up meetings. For information, call pastor Farrell Begay at 928-853-5321. Teleconference number: 1-7170275-8940 with access code 3204224#. Services are 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sundays and 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays.
Christian Science Society of Flagstaff 619 W. Birch Ave. Bible Lesson services every Sunday 10-11am (Zoom option: https://zoom.us/j/369812794). Testimony Meetings every Wednesday: 5:30-6:30pm (Zoom option: https://zoom.us/j/971672834). Zoom password: CSS. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/flagstaff-religion-news-for-july-1-2023/article_eedc447e-176a-11ee-b8af-8feb2e2b3735.html | 2023-07-01T14:24:39 | 1 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/flagstaff-religion-news-for-july-1-2023/article_eedc447e-176a-11ee-b8af-8feb2e2b3735.html |
ORLANDO, Fla. — AM radio stations play a crucial role in emergencies.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
As electric vehicle manufacturers plan to eliminate AM stations in new models, others like Attorney General Ashley Moody emphasized the importance of keeping these stations for emergencies and diversity of thought.
“Every state in America faces public safety emergencies, including hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, earthquakes, and more,” Moody said. “AM radio stations are vital to disseminating information in times of crisis.”
These signals reach farther and, most importantly, remain functional even when phone lines, electricity, and cell phones are not working.
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“Electric vehicle manufacturers must keep these radio signals open and active-Floridians’ lives may depend on it,” Moody said.
Former leaders of the Federal Emergency Management Agency also said that eliminating AM stations is a ‘grave threat’ to local and federal response and relief efforts in the case of a disaster.
According to the National Association of Broadcasters, approximately 47 million Americans listen to AM radio weekly as a source of entertainment, weather reports, and political commentary.
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This information is vital in rural America, where other sources are often sparse and unreliable.
Electric vehicle manufacturers have said the reason for the decision is an apparent signal interference with new electric vehicles.
However, multiple electric vehicle manufacturers decided not to remove AM radio functions.
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/heres-why-future-car-models-should-not-eliminate-am-radio-stations/WH7A3COFYJEZPCYV4NY6KFCDQQ/ | 2023-07-01T14:24:44 | 1 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/heres-why-future-car-models-should-not-eliminate-am-radio-stations/WH7A3COFYJEZPCYV4NY6KFCDQQ/ |
Arizona Public Service (APS) is the largest utility company in Arizona. It has more than 28,000 power poles in operation across the state holding up more than 18,000 miles of utility line.
On a three-year cycle, the company clears all vegetation and trees or branches in a 10-foot radius around each pole in an effort to mitigate fire risk.
If a utility sparks, but that spark has no fuel to land on, the hope is that wildfires caused by power equipment can largely be prevented.
That’s why APS has at least three fire mitigation specialists on staff. It also contracts with crews that bring weed trimmers, rakes, and saws to keep rights of way and the bases of poles groomed.
This week, a three-man team cleared that 10-foot radius at the base of poles in the Timberline area. Moving at a pace of about 40 to 60 poles a day, the maintenance crew helped APS inspect and clear the area around more than 380 poles this week.
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“If you have looked around, we have a lot of fine fuels. The grasses and the weeds have come in quite vigorously, because we’ve had so much moisture over the winter,” explained Brian Kelly, an APS fire mitigation specialist based out of Flagstaff.
Amid the low rumble of a weed trimmer was the sound of a hand saw, as one crew member crouched to cut down a Russian olive bush that sat right on the bubble of one power pole’s 10-foot boundary.
“If there’s something out to 10, 12, 14 feet, we might remove that as well, just because of it growing back into our 10-foot cylinder,” Kelly said.
APS' Defensible Space Around Poles strategy (DSAP) was implemented voluntarily, but follows some recognized, industry-standard best practices.
"It comes from the international code council, and the Wildland Urban Interface Code (WUE)," Kelly said, "Anywhere within what’s known as the WUE or Wildland Urban Interface, we’ve chosen to adopt this code. It mandates that when owning and operating electrical equipment on poles that have a history or are known to potentially cause a spark, you clear the base of those poles 10 feet in all directions of any fuel."
Clearing the area around power poles does more than help to prevent fires caused by sparking equipment. According to Kelly, maintaining defensible space around equipment also helps to reduce damage to poles during wildfire events.
“You can see a little bit of scorch on the pole from when the Pipeline Fire moved through, but it did not impact the pole to the point where it had to be replaced,” Kelly said, pointing to utility equipment in Timberline. “Of course there is some regrowth and fine fuels that we’ll get at today. We’ll rake up all the debris and then apply herbicide to prevent the regrowth. You can see quite a bit of regrowth on this one, again because of the heavy monsoon."
Protecting poles
Protecting poles is a priority for APS. If a pole is taken out by a wildfire, the likelihood that the lights will go out somewhere in the community increases. Restoring power takes longer when heavy equipment needs replacing.
Having a cleared, defensible perimeter around the power poles reduced the need for utility replacement after the Pipeline and Tunnel fires, Kelly said.
A substation in the Pipeline Fire burn scar is a good example of how well the strategy of clearing trees and vegetation works.
While trees around the substation are scorched, and the aftermath of a blaze mars the landscape, the substation stands virtually untouched.
“This was not a priority when it came to fire suppression agencies," Kelly said. "They were focused on protecting homes and stopping the fire’s spread. This was not a part of their main firefighting effort. The fact that we can create defensible space around our substations and protect those in an extreme fire event is pretty impressive. It really speaks to what homeowners can do when it comes to their own property."
Kelly added: "Taking ownership, when it comes to defensible space and fire mitigation. We encourage folks to create defensible space, remove fuels from around their homes, consult with their local fire departments, and explore other opportunities for creating a defensible space and fire mitigation around their homes.”
Of course, some trees and poles suffered significant damage after last summer’s wildfires. The scorched trees had to be cleared where they posed a fall risk to utility lines, Kelly said.
“We measure the trees, and those ones along the right of way probably have green marks on them -- which means we’ve measured them and they’re not likely to strike our transmissions. The ones that we did remove, we were able to cut to firewood length and collect for a program called Wood for Life,” Kelly said.
Wood for Life is a tribal fuel wood initiative that uses material from forest restoration services as fuel for Indigenous communities that rely on firewood to heat their homes.
“They’re using this biomass that we’ve created for warming or ceremonial purposes, events. It’s really a good story that we’re able to remove a hazard and then do something with the biomass,” Kelly said.
Cleared wood that isn’t used by Wood for Life is sent through a wood chipper and distributed for mulch in community gardens, and bedding for livestock and zoo animals. According to Kelly, customers can fill out an application on the APS website to pick up wood chips for personal use.
New positions, new tools
Kelly is a trained arborist and holds a master’s degree in forestry from Northern Arizona University. He’s worked for the forest service in Coconino County, and has extensive knowledge of both the area’s flora and fauna and the character of wildfires.
Part of his job involves assessing trees to see if they’re a fall risk. A hazard tree, for example, might have been killed by bark beetles or drought. This winter, Kelly said, APS saw trees falling as a result of over-saturated soil during heavy snowstorms.
“I’m looking at the hazard-tree side of things and knowing how to size up a tree for its potential for striking facilities and causing an outage,” Kelly said.
In general, APS works on a cycle so that each stretch of line and right of way is assessed for hazard trees and fire fuels every three years.
However, Kelly said, the company will sometimes check in on heavily forested areas more often. Arborists, such as Kelly, can then prescribe pruning or clearing operations.
Kelly’s been with APS for more than six years and explains that his job is relatively new.
“Ten years ago this job didn’t exist at any utility, really, but due to growing risk from climate, fuels, increased fires, I think a lot of utilities are recognizing the importance of having fire mitigation programs,” Kelly said. “Our [fire] risk has changed and we’ve really had to adapt our approach statewide. Because of the changes in the moisture regime, drought, extreme winter to extreme heat, it’s just created a lot of variability amongst the fuel loading.”
Over the last six years, Kelly has seen a kind of climatic shift.
“We were looking at numbers this morning, and last year at this time, we were coming out of fire season due to an early monsoon, whereas this season we’re starting to ramp up. We had a delayed start to the fire season because of so much winter moisture," Kelly said. "When we talk about fire conditions at APS, we talk about elevated fire conditions and maybe not a fire season. We recognize that there’s periods throughout the year when you could see elevated fires. It’s not just one season anymore -- May, June, July, it’s now year-round those conditions can exist.”
In addition to crafting new positions to manage fire risk, APS is using new tools to keep homes energized more safely.
“We’ve made a significant investment in devices on our system that allow us to minimize the area of outage," Kelly said. "We can get pretty surgical with our outage to only the affected area, because we have so many switches and what are called sectionalizing devices that allow us to really only focus on the areas that are affected while leaving the rest of the customers energized. So, it’s really cool,” Kelly said.
Often, APS will intentionally implement an outage to protect fire crews. Live power lines can be dangerous in smoke-filled environments.
“When we have firefighters working under the line, we will de-energize a line or a circuit for their safety because of the potential for smoke and fire to impact our system. We don’t want to cause an additional hazard to the firefighters,” Kelly said.
Falling power poles pose a danger for incoming firefighters and evacuees during a wildfire event, too. That’s why APS has introduced a new tool to protect utility poles even more if flames do ignite in Arizona.
“It’s called fire mesh," Kelly explained. "It’s a product that’s meant to protect the wood pole from fire damage. So we’re trialing it on some circuits and poles in some areas.”
The mesh is breathable, so a wet pole won’t rot after a rainstorm.
"The intent is that we put it here and if a fire comes through, we don’t have to worry about it burning. In some situations we can’t install steel poles because of access. Places like this in the forest, we have to be able to climb the poles. Certain periods of the year, we can’t get in here with our boom trucks,” Kelly said.
When a wildfire is detected in an APS service area, Kelly said, he works closely with incident command on the fire from jump.
“Through that early integration we’re able to stand up that internal incident command, and we have crews on standby, we have materials staged. Oftentimes we can get in and perform restoration work while the fire is still active and evacuations are still in progress, so that when customers are allowed back into their homes, they have electricity and their food is cold in their refrigerator and they’re better off in that aspect,” Kelly said. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/how-aps-plans-to-preserve-utilities-support-first-responders-during-arizona-wildfires/article_abcd6942-1783-11ee-ab08-0319e76fe4a7.html | 2023-07-01T14:24:45 | 0 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/how-aps-plans-to-preserve-utilities-support-first-responders-during-arizona-wildfires/article_abcd6942-1783-11ee-ab08-0319e76fe4a7.html |
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) - The Starkville Police Department is investigating a one-vehicle crash that killed one person.
Chief of Police, Mark Ballard, says the crash happened Friday around 7:30 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 12 and Bluefield Road.
Four passengers were said to have been inside of an SUV that left the roadway, killing a 71-year-old person inside the vehicle. The driver was flown to Tupelo for further treatment. A male and female passenger were transported to OCH Regional Medical Center.
The crash remains under investigation.
If you have any information, please contact Starkville Police Department at 662-323-4131, or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 800-530-7151. Information can also be submitted through an anonymous tip system on their website.
Crime Stoppers may offer a cash reward. | https://www.wtva.com/news/local/starkville-police-investigating-fatal-crash/article_72ec7f6a-1809-11ee-bcba-8311271e99a8.html | 2023-07-01T14:25:45 | 1 | https://www.wtva.com/news/local/starkville-police-investigating-fatal-crash/article_72ec7f6a-1809-11ee-bcba-8311271e99a8.html |
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — People gathered Friday to celebrate the history of a Johnson City community.
The Carver Housing Development will mark its 71st anniversary in August. It was built by the Johnson City Housing Authority in the early 1950s.
The city passed a proclamation recognizing this development along with Georgia Gillespie, the first baby born there.
She celebrated the milestone along with other community members.
“Just come together, talk about old times, like I said, go in front of your apartment that you lived in and we’ll have someone to take a picture. Just re-explore the grounds, there were happy times to live here at Carver Housing,” Gillespie said.
The development was named after George Washington Carver, an agricultural scientist. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/carver-community-holds-celebration-ahead-of-71st-anniversary/ | 2023-07-01T14:28:21 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/carver-community-holds-celebration-ahead-of-71st-anniversary/ |
TENNESSEE (WJHL) – The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) is urging people to use safety precautions while out on the waterways ahead of the Fourth of July holiday.
Matthew Cameron, TWRA spokesperson, said there are already increased patrols out on the water checking for boater safety and impaired driving.
Operation Drywater is a boating under the influence (BUI) awareness and enforcement campaign that started today, which the TWRA is pushing through the Fourth of July.
“Knowing that a lot of alcohol will be consumed on the waterways, we’re really looking out for impaired operators in particular,” said Cameron. “So, if you are found to be under the influence of alcohol and operating a boat, there’s no warnings for that. You will be arrested and charged.”
Cameron said alcohol is the leading contributor to fatal boating accidents across the country.
“There’s probably going to be 20 or 30 arrests made in Tennessee just from Operation Dry Water alone,” said Cameron. “I think we’re up to 71 BUI arrests statewide already this year. So, we’re on track to probably exceed what we’ve made in the past.”
Boaters in Tennessee born after January 1, 1989, must have taken a boater education course to operate a water vessel.
“Renters are exempt from having to have the boating education permit,” said Cameron. “They do have to go through a safety checklist from the marina or the rental company to make sure they understand basic safety laws.”
Noah Filson, dock hand at Rockingham Marina, said they haven’t had many issues in the past with boater safety around Independence Day. However, they still make sure to go over safety regulations with boat renters.
“Depending on what experience they have, I’d ask the general question, ‘Have you boated before?'” said Filson. “We do have people make their maiden voyages on a rental. If they are familiar and comfortable with boating, I just send them on their way. But if they aren’t, I give them a full rundown on what they need to know for the water and everything that may be a hazard even on the lake is marked pretty well.”
Johnny Morris, Owner of Boonies Restaurant and Pizzeria at Davis Marina, said they also haven’t had many issues with boaters around Independence Day. He said they’ve already had an uptick of customers ahead of the holiday.
“Normally, when people come by boat, it’s six to 12 people, not like a normal drive-in where it’s two or three people at a time. The boat just brings more people,” said Morris.
Morris said it’s smart for customers to get to the restaurant early on Saturday, July 1.
“We have a band come on at six and they’ll perform until we have the fireworks about 9:30, said Morris. “The restaurant does close at eight, but a lot of good food. A lot of people and it’s a lot of fun.”
Cameron said everyone including wakeboarders, kayakers and paddleboarders needs to be aware of others on the waterways. He said wakeboarders need to have at least 200 feet between them and the shore and not to get too close to others on the water.
“What we see on Boone Lake is it’s a pretty narrow lake in sections,” said Cameron. “A lot of places, it’s not completely 400 feet across. So, you cannot legally wakeboard there. You need to find a bigger open spot, preferably away from other houses and other boats where you can get out and engage in those activities without causing wave damage or causing other boaters to be in danger.”
Cameron also asks people to remember that all water vessels, like canoes and kayaks, also need to have a life jacket for every person on board; the rule isn’t just for boats. Children 12 and under must have a life jacket on at all times unless the water vessel is anchored or docked.
“If you’re going to be towing someone behind the boat, be sure that that person is wearing a personal flotation device or life jacket,” said Cameron.
The TWRA reminds boaters to have lights on their vessels as well, as many will be on the waterways at night for lakefront fireworks shows.
A new boating law has just gone into effect on July 1. BUIs will now be charged the same penalty as a DUI. No warnings will be given. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/many-already-out-on-waterways-twra-urges-safety-ahead-of-fourth-of-july/ | 2023-07-01T14:28:27 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/many-already-out-on-waterways-twra-urges-safety-ahead-of-fourth-of-july/ |
On Nov. 16, 1958, three Boy Scouts from Tucson vanished in a freak blizzard in the Santa Rita Mountains, triggering one of the largest and most famous searches in Southern Arizona history.
Charles “Butch” Farabee was a 16-year-old Eagle Scout when he joined the search for the three teens, one of them a classmate of his at Tucson High School. He hiked up steep draws in waist-deep snow and slept on the floor of a lodge in Madera Canyon, before being replaced by better equipped, more experienced searchers.
Farabee would go on to a career with the National Park Service, where he took part in more than a thousand other rescue operations for the missing and the injured.
Now the retired park ranger turned historian has documented 100 years of search and rescue work across the region.
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It’s his sixth book — seventh if you count his master’s thesis — but “Southern Arizona Search and Rescue History: 1901-2000” is unlike any of his previous works. For one thing, the exhaustive, 600-page volume only exists electronically, and it’s completely free to download online.
Farabee said it’s meant to be a tribute to all search-and-rescue workers, as well as a catalog of their history in the region.
“I would like to have people understand the sacrifice that these people make,” he said, during a recent interview at the Sabino Canyon headquarters of the nonprofit, all-volunteer Southern Arizona Rescue Association, or SARA, the area’s largest and oldest search and rescue organization.
“They don't ask for anything, not even recognition. They just go out and do it, rain or shine,” Farabee said. “I'd like the public to know that they exist.”
The book chronicles many of Tucson’s major news events from the 20th century, because search and rescue personnel were inevitably called in to help: The 1934 kidnapping of 6-year-old June Cecilia Robles, who was found alive after 19 days, shackled in a buried cage in the desert east of Tucson; an Air Force fighter jet that crashed into a Food Giant grocery store at 29th Street and Alvernon Way in 1967; deadly tornadoes a decade apart that struck near San Xavier Mission in 1964 and 1974; massive flooding from Tropical Storm Octave in the early fall of 1983 that left 13 people dead across Southern Arizona; the frantic search for 8-year-old Vicki Lynne Hoskinson after she was abducted from her Flowing Wells neighborhood and murdered in 1984.
“It's more than just search and rescue history. There is so much history of events — catastrophes, floods, tornadoes, all that jazz — that mostly is forgotten," Farabee said. "Maybe it should be forgotten, I don't know. But as a historian, that bothers me.”
By the numbers
The book took four years to research, write and assemble.
Farabee said he originally planned to focus only on the history of SARA, but the project quickly grew beyond that one organization.
The end result is a heavily indexed encyclopedia charting important advances in search and rescue practices and the history of individual rescue groups in the area.
Farabee also used local newspaper archives and first-person accounts to write short narratives about more than 800 rescues, tragedies and mysteries from the past century in Southern Arizona.
He collaborated on the book with renowned British theoretical physicist and retired University of Arizona professor David Lovelock, who first became involved in search and rescue through his participation as a volunteer with the REACT CB-radio emergency communication system.
In 1979, Lovelock became a supporting member of SARA, thanks to his work in radio communications and with fellow UA mathematician John Bownds, of a computer-aided, search-planning program that calculates the probability of lost subjects being found in certain areas.
Bownds initially ran the numbers on his Texas Instruments programmable calculator. Since then, Lovelock has written multiple versions of the program, first for the Commodore 64 computer, then for use on DOS and Windows operating systems. He’s also helped write numerous manuals for both the program and search and rescue operations in general.
“What the software does is to get you to estimate how well you searched the area. Then the software goes through and recalculates all the different probabilities of (the subject) being in different areas, so you can reassign (searchers) depending on where the hot area is,” said the mathematician known in the world of theoretical physics for Lovelock’s theorem and Lovelock’s theory of gravity.
Lovelock is the reason the new book is free. That was one of his conditions before he would agree to help with the project.
He has never charged any money for the software he has written to aid with search and rescue operations — something he said came to be known around the UA math department as the “Lovelock principle.” He simply refuses to “profit off of someone else’s misery,” he said.
Bownds ended up sacrificing his life for search and rescue work.
The long-time SARA volunteer died in 1993 at age 51, after a long illness possibly caused by Valley fever he contracted from dust he breathed during one of his more than 200 rescue operations.
Bownds, whose name appears in the new book some 43 times, has since been listed alongside other Southern Arizona search and rescue workers who died in the line of duty.
Also on that list is John. D. Anderson, an investigator for the Pima County Sheriff's Department, who fell to his death while rescuing a 15-year-old boy in upper Sabino Canyon in 1948.
Anderson's fatal fall was caught on camera by an Arizona Daily Star photographer who later became a household name in Tucson for entirely different reasons: Sam Levitz.
Search history
Mykle Raymond is also mentioned in the book dozens of times, and why not? He has participated in more than 2,500 emergency calls in the 50 years he’s been volunteering with SARA.
He also serves as archivist for Search and Rescue Council, Inc., a nonprofit corporation that coordinates the work of SARA and four other all-volunteer search and rescue groups serving Southern Arizona, none of which charge for their services.
“Search and rescue is free. A lot of people don't know that,” Raymond said. “We insist that it be free, so that people will call sooner rather than later.”
“It's a lot harder to get to them later,” he added.
On average, SARA responds to about two calls a week, but earlier this month, they were called out four times in a single day, which is “highly unusual,” Raymond said.
When a call comes in, volunteers have to drop everything to respond, so they need the support of understanding spouses, children and employers, said SARA president Jason Schlueter.
Raymond seems to enjoy being sent on unscheduled hikes in the mountains at a moment’s notice. He said he regularly tells the people he is rescuing, “Thank you for inviting us out today.”
He isn’t being snide. He’s being sincere.
“The most recent time I said it was yesterday: Pulled an exhausted hiker from Chicago who got caught in the heat up on the peak, served him refreshments, walked him out and said, ‘Thank you for inviting us out today,’” Raymond said. “‘It's a lovely day for a hike.’”
Farabee and Lovelock are already working on a second edition of the book, mostly to clean up a handful of mistakes they have found or had pointed out to them in the first edition.
Lovelock, 85, joked that he and Farabee, 80, decided not to expand the work to include the first 23 years of the current century because they were worried about living long enough to finish documenting the previous one.
You can trace the development of Southern Arizona itself through the kinds of search and rescue operations covered in the book.
In the early 1900s, most incidents involved flash floods or mine accidents. Then during World War II, searchers responded to a rash of bomber crashes throughout Southern Arizona, as servicemen trained furiously to join the fight overseas.
As Tucson grew after the war, reports of lost or injured hunters in the mountains around the city gradually gave way to missing hikers or people injured while playing in water-filled canyons in the Rincons or the Catalinas.
Farabee said Tanque Verde Falls has easily seen the most incidents — and fatalities — over the years.
SARA responds to so many calls there that the group has proactively made safety improvements to the trail leading into the canyon and installed permanent gear in the rocks above to aid in hoisting out injured people, Raymond said.
Risk and reward
Though the book mainly focuses on Pima, Cochise and Santa Cruz counties, some stories from elsewhere are included, so long as there is some connection to Southern Arizona or the rescue organizations based here.
One of the most memorable — and infuriating — incidents Farabee writes about unfolded over 12 hours in June of 1994 in a canyon known as Hell’s Hole northeast of Roosevelt Lake, where one helicopter rescue of an injured hiker turned into multiple calls to pluck rescuers from the gorge.
When it was over, a Blackhawk from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base had crashed in Hell’s Hole, badly injuring two members of its crew, and resulting in a flurry of additional, dangerous helicopter rescues.
Miraculously, no one was killed, Farabee said, but he is convinced it all could have been avoided if a few tired but otherwise healthy people had simply hiked back out of the canyon instead of calling for extraction.
“Every time that you have a helicopter involved, and every time you've got people going over cliffs, needlessly, it just endangers the rescuers, which basically pisses me off,” he said.
Then there was the case of the three Boy Scouts lost in the snowy Santa Ritas in 1958.
“That was my first search,” Farabee said. “In today's climate, my parents would be arrested for child endangerment or something, because I was going out there in Levi's and sweatshirts and stuff.”
He remembers it as a “chaotic” scene, with several hundred people showing up to join the operation, including soldiers and airmen, law enforcement officers and local ranchers on horseback.
After 19 days of searching through the snow and steep terrain, the bodies of Lou Burgess, 16, Mike Early, 15, and Michael LaNoue, 13, were found on the south side of Josephine Saddle, in the shadow of Mount Wrightson.
In his introduction to the book, Farabee writes that search and rescue was still in its “awkward infancy” back then. In the decades since, advances in technology, training and tactics have dramatically improved the way such operations are conducted.
But despite the advent of helicopters, satellites, smartphones and drones, the core of the work is exactly what it has always been: People on the ground, who lace up their boots and march into the wilderness in search of strangers in need of help.
Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@tucson.com or 573-4283. On Twitter: @RefriedBrean | https://tucson.com/news/local/history/tucson-search-and-rescue-history-book/article_b35a793c-0a33-11ee-b734-fb92627161a8.html | 2023-07-01T14:33:02 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/history/tucson-search-and-rescue-history-book/article_b35a793c-0a33-11ee-b734-fb92627161a8.html |
A punishing July will quickly make us forget June's gift of moderation, it appears.
Tucson's average temperature for June was below normal, for the first time since 2009 and the second time since 1998, the National Weather Service says.
The monthly average temperature of 84.5 degrees was 1.6 degrees below the 30-year June normal at Tucson International Airport, where the city's official weather readings are recorded.
Temperature extremes for the month ranged from a high of 111 degrees on the 25th and 26th to a low of 60 on the 1st.
This was the first June since 2007 to have the warmest monthly low temperature not be 80 degrees or warmer, says the weather service's monthly wrap-up report.
Rain? Zero for the month at the airport. This was the 16th June, since 1895, in which the official recording location saw no rainfall.
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Most of the metro area, using several sources including rainlog.org and the Pima County Regional Flood Control District gauges, also recorded no rain, the NWS says.
"There were isolated spots on the morning of the 20th that recorded less than an inch."
But July could be a beast.
To start with, the Tucson metro area will endure "excessive heat" — along with much of southern and central Arizona — over the long July 4th weekend, the weather service warns.
Highs are forecast of 107 Saturday, 110 Sunday and Monday, and 108 Tuesday at the Tucson airport.
"While it's tempting to spend much of the holiday weekend outdoors, this is dangerous heat! Find a cool place and limit exposure to the heat, especially after 10 a.m. each day," the NWS in Tucson tweeted Friday.
Moreover, "much-above normal temperatures" are expected to prevail through the week.
"It's hot and folks are getting antsy! We're getting questions 'Where is the monsoon?' and "When is it going to rain my house/city?'" the weather service tweeted.
"The next week is going to be defined by heat as deep moisture stays south. ... We've got very dry air now across southeast Arizona."
It noted that the monsoon is officially defined as a season from June 15 through Sept. 30, but adds, "It's not uncommon that storms don't really ramp up until July, so be patient!"
But then, brace yourself, it warns: "The latest forecast from the Climate Prediction Center shows increased odds for below normal precipitation and above normal temps for the 2nd week of July as well."
For the entire month, it says the latest outlook "is consistent with what we will experience to start the month — hotter and drier than normal conditions. That doesn't mean the monsoon won't start to kick in later this month, but it may be hard to catch up on rainfall."
This backs up what University of Arizona climate scientist Michael Crimmins said Thursday — that our monsoon rains are likely still a few weeks away, and that the season could end up with slightly less than its 5.5-inch average rainfall for Tucson.
Don't you miss June already? | https://tucson.com/news/local/weather/tucson-weather-records-heat-rain/article_f724a25a-17ad-11ee-9e1f-b7ca08073574.html | 2023-07-01T14:33:08 | 1 | https://tucson.com/news/local/weather/tucson-weather-records-heat-rain/article_f724a25a-17ad-11ee-9e1f-b7ca08073574.html |
LADYSMITH, Va. — Anna Porter sat on a stump in the middle of a historic African American cemetery in Caroline County, wishing she knew more about those whose remains surrounded her.
As many as 300 souls, including enslaved people and their descendants, are buried there, according to community lore. Porter, along with other members of a St. Mary’s committee, would like to find out as much as they can about those who lie in unmarked graves.
“This is a very sacred space and it should be memorialized for the people who lived here and toiled here and their descendants who are buried here,” she said. “We as a church family feel it is important.”
So do members of the Brown, Wright and Rock families whose ancestors fill the cemetery, as well as people who see the effort as a step toward healing some of the racial wrongs in this country.
Like Porter, the Rev. Tony Craddock, pastor of the nearby St. John’s Baptist Church, likes the way the project has brought people of different backgrounds together.
“I’m excited about the partnership of that Catholic church with this Baptist church,” he said. “It’s so important that we preserve the history, not just for us but for generations to come.”
He’s glad the St. Mary’s committee has reached out to descendants — many of his church members — for information and to give them a voice in what type of memorials or improvements to put at the graveyard. He envisions a place where people of all colors and faiths could contemplate where society has been, and where it’s going.
“These things are necessarily for healing,” Craddock said.
‘Moral obligation’
The graveyard is known as the Oliver cemetery, named after the family who initially owned the plantation property. It lies in a clearing on a hillside with oak trees that provide ample shade but also allow rays of sun to to filter through.
Periwinkle vines, a ground cover whose evergreen leaves symbolize eternal life, are creeping up the hill from the old wagon road, and Porter would be thrilled to see them throughout.
Periwinkle produces a beautiful bluish-purple bloom in early spring, Porter said, her eyes twinkling as she visualized the image in her mind’s eye.
For now, though, the cemetery is mostly unmarked graves with roughly chiseled pieces of fieldstone at the unnamed person’s head and feet. Only a handful of stones have inscriptions; two were done by the government for veterans, including Woodson Rock, who lost part of his arm during service in World War I.
The names of the enslaved believed to be buried in the center of the cemetery, wrapped in burlap and piled, one on top of another, may be “known only to God,” Porter said.
That’s why the church committee has made it a goal to research as much as they can about those interred. The group, which is relying on donations and grants, not St. Mary’s funds, also hopes to restore, maintain and make the cemetery accessible to anyone in the community who wants to visit.
In Virginia, cemeteries are legal inholdings, which means they belong to the descendants, not to the property owner, Porter said.
“Our only obligation is to not deny descendants access to the cemetery. However, we have a moral obligation to do so much more,” she said, noting the effort has produced results beyond the graveyard borders. “It is bringing communities together.”
Decoration Days
Laura Harris, 79, would like to be able to make the trek through the woods, should the committee raise enough money to put in a path accessible by older people.
She lives in a neat-as-a-pin home about a mile from St. Mary’s and remembers going with her father, Virgil Brown, to the cemetery each year on Decoration Day. That was May 30, before Memorial Day became the official holiday for people to decorate graves, both of their war dead and loved ones.
Virgil Brown and others cleared the cemetery of fallen branches, leaves or intruding weeds until the last person, Pearly Gayle, was buried there in 1984. Other descendants, including Cleveland Rock, the nephew of the WWI veteran, and Rose Morton, Harris’ daughter, carried on the tradition as long as they could.
“It wasn’t like a lost, forgotten cemetery or anything like that,” Porter said.
Much of the information about who’s buried where was passed along by word of mouth from one generation to the next. But as many of those who carried the knowledge have passed away themselves, Porter believes it’s vital to record information before it’s too late.
She wants to talk to as many members of the Black community as possible. She’s already identified 32 people buried in the cemetery, which she believes includes all those from the 20th century.
Porter has spent many hours in the home of Harris, talking with the matriarch, her children and other relatives. Harris drew her a map of the graves she remembered, and Porter has researched court records to fill in some other branches in family trees.
In her own family, she can trace her roots back to Charlemagne, but says many people of European descent can do the same.
“It’s different to research Black enslaved people,” Porter said.
Few public records include precise names of the enslaved, and the children of those in bondage didn’t necessarily know who their parents were.
“Basically, Black people didn’t know their ancestry,” Harris said.
For instance, her great-grandmother Nancy Brown was born into slavery. Harris has always known that. But she didn’t know until recently, when Porter started researching, that “Grandma Nancy” was 14 when she came to the Oliver plantation from King William County.
It’s presumed that she and her six siblings were able to stay with their mother, at least for part of their lives, as enslaved children usually did, Porter said.
“I hope so,” Harris said quietly. “She was a very nice person. Everybody liked her, the white people and the Black people.”
‘Wonderful step’
Nancy Brown was freed after the Civil War, then in 1890, the property owner deeded her 10 acres of land, presumably so she would stay close by and continue to work on the farm. Many Blacks headed to cities for jobs, Porter said.
That same tract of land was passed down to the oldest child in each family, and is where Harris lives. Her father and other old-timers talked about a funeral held in their front yard, under a tree, for a woman named Mary Brown. She was 19 when she died. Her twin, Martha Brown, only survived a couple days.
Both are buried in the Oliver cemetery.
The Rev. James Wright, founder of St. John’s Baptist Church, is believed to be interred there as well. Harris and many of her relatives are members of St. John’s and would love to know the final resting place of the man who was enslaved for about 30 years before he started the church.
The University of Richmond’s archaeology department already has visited the cemetery to establish GPS coordinates for what’s believed to be the outer perimeter of the graveyard. When the church committee raises enough funds, it’ll hire someone to use ground-penetrating radar to identify soil disturbances — and where actual graves are. The technique is used extensively in cemeteries, said Porter, who’s documented more than 100 graves as a volunteer cemetery specialist with Shenandoah National Park.
Until then, Porter will continue to gather information. She’s having knee replacement surgery and plans to use her recovery time to pore over public records.
Linda Thomas, a Black historian in Bowling Green, praises the preservation aspect of the project, both for current and future descendants interested in tracing family genealogy. She also likes the way the St. Mary’s committee has involved members of the Black community, especially in the discussion about whatever improvements may be made.
“That is a wonderful step in the right direction for all of us to follow,” she said, noting that Americans tend to avoid conversations that involve slavery. “For the church to deal with it in a sensitive and Christian way is the lesson we all need at this moment in time.” | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/2023/07/01/va-exchange-oliver-cemetery-unmarked-graves/6ad6c8ac-180f-11ee-9de3-ba1fa29e9bec_story.html | 2023-07-01T14:35:23 | 0 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/2023/07/01/va-exchange-oliver-cemetery-unmarked-graves/6ad6c8ac-180f-11ee-9de3-ba1fa29e9bec_story.html |
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE – The Cape May County Chamber of Commerce has sent a letter supporting county government’s opposition to a planned offshore wind power project, county officials announced on Friday.
Previously, in public statements and at hearings on the proposal, the local business group raised concerns about the potential impact on tourism and the fishing industry, but was careful not to come down either for or against offshore wind power development, which Gov. Phil Murphy has touted as the start of a huge and lucrative new industry.
Barbara Stafford Jones, the president and CEO of the county chamber, said Friday the organization had originally not taken a position on wind power but was swayed by information provided by county officials.
Stafford cited projections that a wind farm could reduce the tourism business by 15%, which she said could mean significant job losses in a county with an economy dependent on summer visitors.
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“We just came out of COVID, where we lost 20%. We rebounded. We can’t take another loss,” she said.
For years, Vicki Clark was the face of the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce. She retired last year, after 31 years with the organization, 17 of which were as president.
Clark had spoken publicly about wind power on several occasions, always carefully threading a needle between raising concerns over potential harm to existing industries and supporting the potential economic benefit.
Emily Paul replaced her as the new chamber president in the spring of 2022. Stafford Jones said she has been the president since March.
But she said the core message of the organization has not changed.
“The message has remained the same since 2017, that the offshore wind industry has to work cooperatively with the existing industries,” she said Friday. “Just because there’s been a change in leadership doesn’t mean there’s been a change in position.”
County officials touted the chamber’s decision in a Friday statement, citing a letter sent in support of a county resolution.
The Cape May County Board of Commissioners in May approved a resolution outlining its opposition to the proposals for two large-scale wind power projects, Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2, proposed by the Danish energy company Ørsted.
The first phase, Ocean Wind 1, is proposed to include 98 huge turbines, which will be visible from the beaches of Cape May County. The Murphy administration has supported the project, and the state legislature on Friday approved a bill that will allow the project to keep federal tax benefits that were established after New Jersey approved the project. The governor is expected to sign the bill into law.
Cape May County’s governing body, which is entirely Republican, has cited both the potential economic impact of the project and what local officials argue is the environmental cost of offshore wind turbines.
“It is important that the leaders of our community stand united in our opposition to the Ørsted projects as long as so many important questions remain unanswered,” said County Commission Director Len Desiderio. “We have been left with no choice but to take a firm position in defense of our working families, our economy and our environment. Having the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce as a partner in this effort could not be more important. The Chamber has been working since 1916 to promote tourism in Cape May County."
Desiderio also cited the economic impact of the pandemic, which devastated local businesses, although officials say the economy has rebounded since then.
The county statement also cited marine mammal deaths over the winter. Federal officials insist there is no evidence of a connection between the deaths and offshore work done in preparation of the wind projects, but officials in coastal communities remain skeptical.
“Any offshore wind project must be done responsibly and in collaboration with local communities, including commercial and recreational fishing stakeholders,” said Stafford on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce.
Taken together, Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2 could mean close to 200 wind turbines off the coast, visible from the beaches. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/cape-may-county-business-chamber-opposes-wind-power/article_5abb8388-1772-11ee-bcc6-e31fd6de38c5.html | 2023-07-01T14:41:14 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/cape-may-county-business-chamber-opposes-wind-power/article_5abb8388-1772-11ee-bcc6-e31fd6de38c5.html |
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — Two female greater rhea arrived at the Cape May Park & Zoo this week, according to officials. Greater rhea are flightless birds native to South America and cousins to the ostrich.
The birds are about 1 years old, and came to the zoo from Six Flags Great Adventure, according to Cape May Zoo associate veterinarian Dr. Alexander Ernst. They are living with the capybara in the South American section of the zoo, Ernst said.
"The continued growth of our zoo family is exciting to the staff and adds to the educational experience of visitors of all ages. I encourage everyone to make a trip to the zoo as often as possible to see how it changes and becomes better each time you go," said Commissioner Andrew Bulakowski.
The Cape May Zoo is free and open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. The zoo is located at 707 Route 9 North. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/greater-rhea-birds-arrive-at-cape-may-zoo/article_29cbf0a8-176a-11ee-84c5-6fb51aad8b20.html | 2023-07-01T14:41:21 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/greater-rhea-birds-arrive-at-cape-may-zoo/article_29cbf0a8-176a-11ee-84c5-6fb51aad8b20.html |
BLOOMINGTON — Two men are accused of possessing stolen catalytic converters and a stolen Hyundai vehicle.
Donte L. Gray, 33, of Dolton, and Aaron J. Marshall, 28, of Riverdale, were each charged with aggravated possession of stolen motor vehicle parts and criminal trespass to vehicle.
June 30, 2023
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Gray was also charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle, which court documents indicate was a Hyundai motor vehicle.
Assistant State's Attorney Mark Messman said Illinois State Police attempted to pull over the vehicle Thursday at 9:45 a.m. for reckless driving before Gray, who was the driver in the vehicle, drove away.
June 30, 2023
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
The ISP trooper called other units ahead instead of chasing the vehicle, and it was followed by Bloomington police officers who saw it exit Interstate 55 onto West Market Street, Messman said.
After another attempt at pulling over the vehicle near Market Street, Gray and Marshall left the vehicle and left the stolen catalytic converters in the vehicle, before they were taken into custody, Messman said.
Their bonds were each set at $100,000 with 10% to apply for release. Their arraignments are set for July 21.
Updated mug shots from The Pantagraph
Bryant Lewis
Bryant Lewis, 28, of Bloomington, is charged with home invasion causing injury, a Class X felony. His next appearance is Dec. 30.
Connor Wood
Derek Roesch
Derek Roesch of Saybrook was charged Thursday, Nov. 10 in McLean County Law and Justice Center with several counts, including:
-Two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, Class 2 felonies
-One count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon while on parole, Class 2 felony
-Two counts of unlawful possession of firearm ammunition by a felon, class 2 felonies
-One count of unlawful possession of firearm ammunition by a felon while on parole, class 2 felony
-Unlawful possession of cannabis with intent to deliver (greater than 2000 grams but less than 5000 grams), a class 1 felony
-Unlawful possession of cannabis (greater than 2000 grams but less than 5000 grams), a class 2 felony
-Unlawful possession of a controlled substance, psylocibin less than 15 grams, a class 4 felony
-Unlawful possession of methamphetamine, less than five grams, a class 3 felony.
-Unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, a class A misdemeanor
Justin M. Mata
Justin M. Mata, 28, no address given, is charged with possession of less than five grams of meth with intent to deliver, a Class 2 felony, and possession of less than five grams of meth, a Class 3 felony. He was released on a $50,000 personal recognizance bond and his next appearance is Dec. 30.
Connor Wood
Marcus D. Wesley
Marcus D. Wesley, 36, is charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in a vehicle (Class 4 felony), unlawful possession of cannabis (Class 3 felony) and unlawful possession of cannabis with the intent to deliver (Class 2 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Phillip Tinch
Phillip Tinch of Normal was charged Thursday, Nov. 10 at the McLean County Law and Justice Center with several felonies including:
- Five counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, more than one but less than 15 grams of a substance containing cocaine, a Class 1 felony.
-One count of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, less than one gram of a substance containing cocaine, a Class 2 felony.
Trisha L. Hanke
Trisha L. Hanke, 36, is charged with theft of over $10,000 (Class 2 felony). Court documents indicate she knowingly took $14,000 belonging to a Love's Travel Stop, in LeRoy, where she was employed.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
William B. Givens
William B. Givens, 49, no address given, is charged with unlawful possession of five to 15 grams of meth with intent to deliver, a Class 1 felony, possession of less than five grams of meth with intent to deliver, a Class 2 felony, possession of five to 15 grams of meth, a Class 2 felony, and possession of less than five grams of meth, a Class 3 felony. His next appearance is Dec. 30.
Connor Wood
David L. Oliver
David L. Oliver, 51, of Bloomington, is charged with predatory criminal sexual assault.
Kenneth E. Funk
Kenneth E. Funk, 27, is charged with residential burglary (Class 1 felony) involving an apartment in Lexington on Dec. 31, 2022.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Jordan R. King
Charges have been filed against Jordan R. King, 34, for violation of the Illinois Violent Offender Against Youth Act.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Holly M. Isaacson
Isaacson
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Kenneth L. Minton
Kenneth L. Minton, 51, is charged with aggravated home repair fraud (Class 2 felony) and theft (Class 3 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Tony L. Jackson
Tony L. Jackson, 50, is charged for violation of the Illinois Violent Offender Against Youth Act (Class 2 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Britley L. Hilger
Britley L. Hilger, 32, is charged with aggravated battery (Class 2 felony) after she supposedly punched a McLean County Detention Facility officer in the chest.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Jasmine L. Smith
Jasmine L. Smith, 31, is charged with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol (Class 2 felony) and five counts of endangering the life or health of a child (Class A misdemeanors).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Jackie S. Claypool
Jackie S. Claypool, 46, appeared for a Friday bond court hearing for two new cases which charged her for one count of burglary (Class 2 felony), four counts of forgery (Class 3) and one count of deceptive practices (Class 4 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Noah R. Demuth
Noah R. Demuth, 22, of Evanston, is charged with aggravated battery of a peace officer, a Class 2 felony, aggravated battery in a public way, a Class 3 felony, mob action, a Class 4 felony, and obstructing a peace officer, a Class A misdemeanor. His next court date is Feb. 17.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Brandon L. Parsano
Brandon L. Parsano, 39, is charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, a Class 2 felony. His next appearance is Feb. 17 for an arraignment.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Alexander N. Williams
Alexander N. Williams, 24, was charged Feb. 2 with the following:
3 counts of unlawful delivery of cannabis between 30 and 500 grams - Class 3 felonies. 2 counts of armed violence - Class X felonies. 1 count of unlawful possession of cannabis between 2,000 and 5,000 grams with the intent to sell - a Class 1 felony. 1 count of unlawful possession of cannabis between 500 and 2,000 grams with the intent to sell - a Class 2 felony. 3 counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon - Class 3 felonies. 1 count of unlawful possession of firearm ammunition by a felon - a Class 3 felony 3 counts of violating the Illinois FOID act - Class 3 felonies.
PROVIDED BY MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Carlos Sanchez-Solozarzano
Carlos H. Sanchez-Solozarzano, 22, was charged with 1 count of criminal sexual assault, a Class 1 felony.
PROVIDED BY MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Jaylin S. Bones
Jaylin S. Bones was charged with four counts of first-degree murder stemming from a homicide in Bloomington last year. A McLean County grand jury also returned a bill of indictment charging him with attempted first degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm (Class X felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Jordan R. King
Jordan R. King, 34, was charged with violating the Illinois Violent Offender Against Youth Act (Class 2 felony) a second time in under a month.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Dominique M. Banks
Dominique M. Banks, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated battery involving strangulation (Class 2 felony). The incident happened in October 2022 and involved one victim.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Austin T. Daugherty
Austin T. Daugherty, 29, was charged with burglary (Class 2 felony) after he entered an Avis Car Rental, 3201 Cira Drive, in Bloomington, without permission and with the intent to commit theft.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Sandra M. Lewis
Sandra M. Lewis, 77, is charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance containing MDMB-4E-PINACA, a synthetic cannabinoid, with the intent to deliver (Class X felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Samantha E. Morris
Samantha E. Morris, 40, is charged with aggravated battery of a peace officer (Class 2 felony) after supposedly spitting on a Colfax police officer.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Nolan C. Love
Nolan C. Love, 46, appeared in court Friday for a bond review hearing after being charged with aggravated domestic battery involving strangulation (Class 2 felony) on Feb. 26.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Nikkita L. Sandefur
Nikkita L. Sandefur, 36, is charged with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance (Class 2 felony) containing cocaine.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Katlin M.B. Wilson
Katlin M.B. Wilson, 32, is charged with aggravated identity theft (Class 2 felony) after being accused of fraudulently obtaining money exceeding $300 but not exceeding $10,000 from a 60 year old man.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Eli C. Garozzo
Eli C. Garozzo, 20, is charged with two counts of home invasion, a Class X felony, two counts of attempted armed robbery, a Class 1 felony, and two counts of residential burglary, a Class 1 felony. His bond was set at $200,000 as a 10% bond, meaning he must pay $20,000 plus fees to be released. His next appearance is an arraignment on April 13.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Tysean T. Townsend
Tysean T. Townsend, 35, is charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle (Class 2 felony), three counts of child abduction, aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer and obstructing justice (Class 4 felonies).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Curtis J. Byrd
Curtis J. Byrd, 31, is charged with two counts of burglary (Class 2 felony), two counts of fraud and two counts of financial institution fraud (Class 3 felonies).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Noral K. Nelson
Noral K. Nelson, 31, was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm (Class 4 felony) after he was arrested in connection to a shooting along the 1500 block of S. Main Street.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Charles J. Tankson
Charles J. Tankson, 23, was charged with burglary (Class 2 felony), theft and two counts of unlawful use of a debit card (Class 3 felonies).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Davis, Micah S
Davis was charged with 3 counts of arson, Class 2 felonies, and 3 counts of criminal damage to property, Class 4 felonies.
His next court date is May 5 at 9 a.m.
PROVIDED BY THE MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Livingston, Joshua D.
Livingston was charged with 2 counts of possessing stolen vehicles, Class 2 felonies, possession of less than 5 grams of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony, and criminal damage to government property, a Class 4 felony.
His next court date is May 5 at 9 a.m.
PROVIDED BY THE MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Kevin L. Ewen
Kevin L. Ewen, 42, appeared in a Thursday bond court hearing and was charged with aggravated battery (Class 2 felony), obstructing a peace officer (Class 4 felony) and two counts of resisting a peace officer (Class A misdemeanor).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Emmanuel K. Mpay
Emmanuel K. Mpay, 23, appeared in a Thursday bond court hearing following a grand jury indictment for two counts of criminal sexual assault (Class 1 felonies).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Ahmad S. Manns
Ahmad S. Manns, 19, appeared in a Friday bond court hearing and was charged with cannabis trafficking (Class X felony), unlawful possession of cannabis with the intent to deliver (Class 1 felony) and unlawful possession of cannabis (Class 2 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Dylan R Mann
Dylan R Mann, 31, appeared Friday in bond court following four grand jury indictments for two separate cases relating to aggravated assault and battery.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Tony L. Jackson
Tony L. Jackson, 50, was charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle (Class 2 felony), domestic battery, violation of an order of protection and driving while license revoked or suspended (Class 4 felonies).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
William R. Linden
William R. Linden, 79, was released Tuesday on felony burglary charges for trying to pass a forged check at Busey Bank.
Zadek U. Moen
Zadek U. Moen, 20, is facing six felony drug charges after being arrested by the Illinois State Police on Thursday.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Zachary T. Willis
Zachary T. Willis, 27, is charged with aggravated domestic battery by strangulation (Class 2 felony) and domestic battery subsequent offense (Class 4 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Cecily M. Sexton
Cecily M. Sexton, 39, was charged with two counts of burglary, a Class 2 felony; one count of forgery, a Class 3 felony; financial institution fraud, a Class 3 felony, and possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Tonisha A. Jackson
Tonisha A. Jackson, 27, was charged with aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, a Class 3 felony.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
James A. McConnaughay
James A. McConnaughay, 53, appeared in a Friday bond court hearing before Judge Amy McFarland. McConnaughay is charged with unlawful possession of 5-15 grams of methamphetamine (Class 2 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Jessica M. Longberry
Jessica M. Longberry, 38, appeared in a Friday bond court hearing before Judge Amy McFarland. Longberry is charged with burglary (Class 2 felony) and forgery (Class 3 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Barry D. Guyton
Barry D. Guyton, 26, was charged with two counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon (Class 2 felonies) two counts of unlawful possession of 15-100 of cocaine with the intent to deliver with one being a Class X felony and the other being a Class 1 felony.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Keon E. Spiller
Keon E. Spiller, 22, appeared in a Friday bond court hearing before Judge Amy McFarland and was charged with attempted escape after his jury trial reached a verdict.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Melina Aguilar
Melina Aguilar, 32, was charged with harassment of witnesses (Class 2 felonies) after asking a witness to lie on the record.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Carlos D. Cregan
Carlos D. Cregan, 35, was charged with harassment of witnesses (Class 2 felonies) after asking a witness to lie on the record.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Andrea M. Sheets
Andrea M. Sheets appeared was charged Friday with possession of a stolen motor vehicle (Class 2 felony), aggravated fleeing a police officer (Class 4 felony) and obstructing a peace officer (Class A misdemeanor).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Wayne M. Damron
Wayne M. Damron, 52, is charged with one count of violation of the Illinois Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registration Act (Class 2 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Terrance L. Ford
Terrance L. Ford, 25, is charged with two counts of burglary (Class 2 felony) and two counts of retail theft (Class 3 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Stanley M. Miller
Stanley M. Miller, 61, was charged Friday with aggravated driving while under the influence of alcohol (Class X felony) and driving while driver's license revoked (Class 4 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Darryl R. Vinson
Darryl R. Vinson, 60, is charged with violation of the sex offender registration act (Class 2 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Contact Mateusz Janik at (309) 820-3234. Follow Mateusz on Twitter:@mjanik99
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Get local news delivered to your inbox! | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-courts/two-cook-county-men-accused-of-possessing-stolen-vehicle-catalytic-converters-after-bloomington-traffic-stop/article_63ddbaa6-1797-11ee-96f8-abff5cb2f257.html | 2023-07-01T14:47:01 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-courts/two-cook-county-men-accused-of-possessing-stolen-vehicle-catalytic-converters-after-bloomington-traffic-stop/article_63ddbaa6-1797-11ee-96f8-abff5cb2f257.html |
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday asked for the public’s help in locating a man considered vulnerable and reported missing out of the Oviedo area.
Trung Quy Tran, 41, was last seen around 10 a.m. Friday at his home on James Drive, according to the sheriff’s office.
He’s 5 feet, 6 inches tall, weighs around 170 pounds and may be wearing blue jeans, gray sneakers and a white t-shirt, a social media bulletin states.
Tran is believed to be on foot and is known to frequent a Publix Super Market located at 2871 Clayton Crossing Way, as well as a Walmart at 5511 Deep Lake Road, according to the post.
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Anyone with knowledge of Tran’s whereabouts is urged to contact the sheriff’s office at 911 or 407-665-6650.
Note: This map uses walking directions to connect the locations described by the sheriff’s office and is not intended to illustrate a literal walking path.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/07/01/vulnerable-man-missing-out-of-seminole-county-deputies-say/ | 2023-07-01T14:52:04 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/07/01/vulnerable-man-missing-out-of-seminole-county-deputies-say/ |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A rollercoaster ride at Carowinds is closed until further notice after a large crack on a support beam was reported to park employees.
WCNC Charlotte viewer Jeremy Wagner shared photos and a video of the crack on the Fury 325 coaster late Friday night. The video shows the ride running at one point, with the affected part of the beam visibly moving as the coaster cars run on the track it supports.
Wagner said he shared the video with park officials at the guest services center and was later told the ride was shut down. A spokesperson for Carowinds confirmed that when WCNC Charlotte reached out. The following statement was provided:
Carowinds today closed Fury 325 after park personnel became aware of a crack at the top of a steel support pillar. The park’s maintenance team is conducting a thorough inspection and the ride will remain closed until repairs have been completed. Safety is our top priority and we appreciate the patience and understanding of our valued guests during this process. As part of our comprehensive safety protocols, all rides, including Fury 325, undergo daily inspections to ensure their proper functioning and structural integrity.
The park did not provide a timeline for when the Fury 325 may re-open.
Carowinds previously closed the Copperhead Strike rollercoaster in 2019 after a guest suffered a thumb injury onboard. The Fury 325 also was placed under further scrutiny in 2015 when the ride unexpectedly stopped near the top of one of its steepest drops.
Another ride in 2017, the Ricochet, also got stuck for about an hour. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/carowinds-fury-325-ride-close-local/275-9caaab31-5e8a-421e-a5a6-ecd877304ec5 | 2023-07-01T15:01:49 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/carowinds-fury-325-ride-close-local/275-9caaab31-5e8a-421e-a5a6-ecd877304ec5 |
CHAMBLEE, Ga. — The City of Chamblee will allow people to drink alcohol outside in the downtown entertainment district beginning Saturday but with some rules.
Restaurants and bars taking part in the program will have an authorized cup with a City of Chamblee sticker on one side and the name of the business on the other side.
Staff at Vintage Pizzeria are busy on most Friday nights. General manager Richard Gazaway is ready to kick alcohol sales into high gear on July 1 and see more green for the business.
“I'm excited about it," Gazaway said. “I think it will help to increase revenue as far as alcohol sales and also increase revenue with foot traffic just kind of become, hopefully, becoming more of a destination in Downtown Chamblee.”
Chamblee Police Assistant Chief Lou Solis said the open container district runs from Ingersoll Rand Drive to McGaw Drive.
“You're going to have two cups, or two sizes as far as what goes inside the cup," Solis said.
Liquor and mixed drinks will go in a 12-ounce cup. Beer and wine will be served in a 16-ounce cup.
“We can't have a person walking around with two cups because then we're breaking the rules. Just look for the sign," Solis said.
The designated sign at a business means it's part of the open container program. Chamblee Police will have two officers working the area to make sure everybody is safe.
“That's why we're going to have the officers walking around. It's almost going to be like walking a beat downtown," Solis said. "We're not looking to give out DUIs but just make sure people know the rules."
The open container district will be in effect Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“We'll be able to help you. Just all we're asking is drink responsibly," Solis said.
“I think that it will really kind of offer our community, you know, a unique experience," Gazaway added.
Chamblee Police are going to give people a one-week grace period to learn the rules. After that, you could get a citation if you are drinking alcohol from one of the cups after hours or outside the designated area. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/chamblee/alcohol-open-container-chamblee/85-07ce8986-c684-41a7-aab5-0afca00972d3 | 2023-07-01T15:01:56 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/chamblee/alcohol-open-container-chamblee/85-07ce8986-c684-41a7-aab5-0afca00972d3 |
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Officials issued a partial closure of the Chattahoochee River Friday after water quality tests showed E. coli levels almost 300 times the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended limit.
The closure extends from the Chattahoochee Nature Center to Johnson Ferry. It's a precautionary move recommended by public health professionals, according to river officials. They have not mentioned if it would stretch through the Fourth of July weekend.
Park leaders explained that BacteriAlert program, which is a partnership between the park, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and the U.S. Geological Survey, found conditions consistent with an ongoing sewage spill above Willeo Creek Park. Water quality tests received Friday were deemed unsafe for recreation by EPA standards, a news release reads.
"They need to put signs up to make sure people are aware," said Bonnie Troutman, who frequents the recreation area.
Elevated levels of E. coli levels can lead to health concerns with common symptoms manifesting as diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and fever. Children, the elderly or people with a weak immune system could see more severe symptoms.
Bill Patilla, who also enjoys spending time by the park said he's concerned for the younger crowd.
"There's lots of young kids out here that like to play in the water," Patilla said. "The smell is not that good either. It's a dangerous situation."
Park officials said they're working to address the issue, asking people to be patient and vigilant as they continue to test the water.
"As the park and Chattahoochee Riverkeeper continue monitoring and testing for water quality, additional closures may be implemented if E. coli levels reach dangerous levels in other parts of the river," officials said in a prepared statement.
People can check the closure status here. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/chattahoochee-river-closed-due-to-e-coli-levels/85-9a74bb72-b739-4ad3-bc78-2a3b6e604954 | 2023-07-01T15:02:02 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/chattahoochee-river-closed-due-to-e-coli-levels/85-9a74bb72-b739-4ad3-bc78-2a3b6e604954 |
ATLANTA — On the final day of its current term, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Christian web designer who refused to create a website for a same-sex couple. Though it was an argument surrounding free speech, members of Georgia's LGBTQ+ community said it impacts gay rights.
In a 6-3 vote, the majority of justices based their decision on the interpretation of the First Amendment, saying freedom of expression extends to all content created which allows the creator to decline services to anyone.
“It’s hard, this is difficult as a gay man,” said Tucker resident Robin Biro.
Biro is among the many in the LGBTQ+ community reacting to the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of a Denver web designer, who declined service to a gay couple wanting a wedding website, citing her Christian beliefs and her right to deny business.
“One of the difficult things about being openly gay is that every ruling that comes out has the potential to affect your life, day-to-day life, your ability to do business,” added Biro, who worries the decision opens up the possibility of being discriminated against based on his sexual orientation.
Emory University law professor Alexander Volokh said the ruling is all about free speech.
“In America, you have the right not to say things you don’t want to say," Volokh said. "That is a fundamental free-speech First Amendment issue."
Volokh said he’s not surprised by the court’s vote because it is consistent with the current free speech laws.
“One constant in our free speech jurist prudence is you cannot be forced to say things that you don’t agree with," he said. "It’s legal to be racist; It’s legal to be anti-gay; It’s legal to say all those things."
The law professor explained that people typically understand free speech as the liberty to say what one believes. This case highlights the opposite - that one can't be forced to say anything either.
"If the government said 'we want you to make a movie in favor of gay marriage,' to a person who’s against gay marriage, they have a First Amendment right to say 'No, you can’t force me to say that,” Volokh explained.
With the Supreme Court being the final stop for the law’s interpretation, many like Biro worry about the potential fallout and how this new precedent can be applied.
“Of course, the courts will tell us that this decision only applies to this one business, so now, that lends the slippery slope of who all calls themselves an artist," Biro said. "Now is the man who cuts your yard a law mowing artist? Is the person who cuts your hair now a hair-cutting artist? Is the person who changes your oil an artist?"
Biro is ultimately concerned about the answers to those questions.
The ruling can hint at some answers -- unless the Supreme Court itself changes it. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/georgia-lgbtq-community-scotus-wedding-website-decision/85-53c57069-af88-4bcc-bcf9-4fcdea78e02d | 2023-07-01T15:02:08 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/georgia-lgbtq-community-scotus-wedding-website-decision/85-53c57069-af88-4bcc-bcf9-4fcdea78e02d |
ATLANTA — Authorities have issued a Mattie's Call Alert for a missing 65-year-old man diagnosed with dementia Friday night.
Atlanta Police are asking the public for help finding Darrell Tanner. He is 6 feet tall, weighs 240 pounds, has brown eyes and gray hair.
Tanner was last seen wearing all blue clothing around 5:30 p.m. near The Square at Peoplestown Apartments along Hank Aaron Drive SW. Authorities believe he may be walking around the area.
Anyone who sees Tanner is asked to call 911 or APD's Missing Persons Unit at (404) 546-4235. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/missing-in-georgia/missing-atlanta-man-diagnosed-dementia/85-a8327b2a-6526-4cb8-94fd-145d81d134d9 | 2023-07-01T15:02:15 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/missing-in-georgia/missing-atlanta-man-diagnosed-dementia/85-a8327b2a-6526-4cb8-94fd-145d81d134d9 |
ATHENS, Ga. — An old legend in Athens centers around the famous Tree that Owns Itself, and the tale behind it has exploded online, but can a piece of property actually have property rights?
Local residents are convinced that this tree's independence has become a magnet for visitors from all corners of the country. Peggy Galis, a cherished longtime resident, proudly exclaims that Athens is the best town in the world, a place that beckons people to lay down their roots.
The town's pride shines through in the careful tending of properties, but one tree, in particular, has become the hottest topic of conversation.
"We're talking about six to 10 groups of curious folks coming to catch a glimpse," Galis reveals.
While living just around the corner, she said the tree's lore had drawn people from all over, including Canada and across the US.
Flashback to 1890, and The Tree That Owns Itself graced the front page of the Athens Banner-Herald. A century-old report claimed the property owner took a bold step, heading to the courthouse to file a deed.
"He loved the tree so much that he gave it to itself, with an 8-foot radius to protect it from ever being chopped down," Galis recounts the heartwarming story.
Former UGA Professor, and member of the Athens Historic Society, Bill Mann, captivated by the tale upon his arrival in town, was quite interested in the work that the city went through to safeguard the tree's roots and utilities.
"The city has cut the street around it so the roots won't be hurt; the city has run the utilities around it," Mann said.
He decided to conduct a fact-check on the story; lo and behold, it was all a fantastical fabrication! The tree turned out to be a tall tale, surprising even Galis, who had faithfully shared the myth with everyone.
Yet, despite the truth being revealed, the myth has nestled itself deep within the hearts of Athens' old and new residents alike. UGA student Dylan Gavron proudly calls Athens home, adorning his walls with a framed picture of the iconic tree.
Gavron insists that the lore has shaped how people perceive the tree, and even some city officials assert that the tree owns itself, cementing its legendary status.
"And they think that Athens is that kind of town that a tree would be saved for generations," Galis said. "Because someone loved it."
So, the big question remained: Does the tree indeed own itself?
"In my mind, and I believe in the minds of our entire community, the tree owns itself," Mayor Girtz confidently asserts, keeping the legend alive in the hearts of those who love Athens.
A 1940 storm may have knocked down the tree planted in the 1800s, but thanks to the Junior Ladies Garden Club of Athens, an acorn from the original tree grew into the magnificent beauty standing on the property today.
Affectionately known as the "Son of the Tree that Owns Itself," it continues to honor the legacy of Athens' most celebrated landmark. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/mynews/athens/tree-owns-itself-athens-story-mayor-viral-history-son/85-6635ef3d-3052-4809-87e9-932dc9523161 | 2023-07-01T15:02:21 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/mynews/athens/tree-owns-itself-athens-story-mayor-viral-history-son/85-6635ef3d-3052-4809-87e9-932dc9523161 |
ROSWELL, Ga. — To help individuals resolve their outstanding fines without facing arrest, the Roswell Municipal Court has announced a warrant amnesty period starting on Saturday, according to a post on its Facebook page.
The program runs from July 1 to July 31. Eligible individuals who have received citations for traffic violations, city ordinance violations, or select state charges and have failed to appear in court or pay their fines now have the opportunity to clear their warrant by presenting themselves in person.
During this amnesty period, eligible individuals can visit suite 210 at Roswell City Hall, at 38 Hill Street, Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., to pay their outstanding fines and remove the warrant. The program said it aims to reduce and resolve pending municipal court cases, offering individuals a chance to start with a clean slate.
To confirm their eligibility and determine the fine amount prior to arrival, individuals are asked to contact Roswell Court Services at 770-641-3790. It is important to note that some charges still require a mandatory court appearance. However, according to the court, those individuals can pay their fine, remove the warrant and receive a new court date.
The eligible charges for the warrant amnesty period include all traffic offenses, all City of Roswell ordinances, and select state charges heard in Roswell Municipal Court. These state charges include misdemeanor possession of marijuana, possession of drug-related objects, theft by shoplifting, furnishing and possession of alcohol by minors, and littering offenses.
Accepted forms of payment during the amnesty period include credit cards, personal checks, money orders and cashier's/bank checks.
Individuals should be aware that they may still be arrested if they arrive with an active warrant for a state criminal charge not included in the eligible charges or with an active warrant from another jurisdiction. It is important to clarify that this program is not intended or designed for those cases but solely for resolving outstanding municipal court cases.
To ensure transparency and avoid scams, it is essential to note that there will be no outgoing phone calls from any Roswell official regarding this program. Payment will not be accepted over the phone.
For further information about the Amnesty Month procedure, people are advised to contact Roswell Court Services at 770-641-3790 or visit the Municipal Court in person at 38 Hill Street, Suite 210, Roswell, GA 30075. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/roswell-court-services-warrant-amnesty-month-eligible-individuals-violation-ticket/85-68634cbe-6e03-451b-badc-939a1f6b272e | 2023-07-01T15:02:28 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/roswell-court-services-warrant-amnesty-month-eligible-individuals-violation-ticket/85-68634cbe-6e03-451b-badc-939a1f6b272e |
ATLANTA — A new law that now creates consequences for adults that recruit metro Atlanta kids into gangs will go into effect Saturday.
The law, Senate Bill 44, in part, doles out a mandatory 10-year prison sentence if someone is found guilty of recruiting minors into a gang.
This comes as gang recruitment is becoming harder to track because of the creative ways leaders are connecting with their newest and youngest members.
"It's bad when they see the youngest kid that they dealt with that was actually involved in a gang was 10 years old -- and that's here in Cobb County," said Sgt. Wayne Delk with the Cobb County Police Department.
Cobb County Police hopes the new law would deter gang members from recruiting children across the state because of its heavy sentence.
"With gang members knowing that there's a potential that they would face an additional 10 years mandatory on top of whatever sentence they got for whatever they were charged with if they actually recruited a juvenile, that might bear a little bit heavier on whether or not they would even try to recruit these young people," said Delk. "At least, that's the hope on our end."
Gangs recruit children to commit crimes like breaking into cars and stealing guns, police said. It's because young people won't face the same consequences as adults who would do the same actions.
"A lot of stolen weapons are coming from entering autos, which is why you're seeing more juveniles charged with being in possession of handguns," said Delk. "And most of these handguns are stolen and a lot of them are stolen from vehicles."
Marietta Police previously told 11Alive that some of the leaders' tactics also cause the kids to let their guards down and see gang members as friends and family. Cobb County Police agreed, adding, oftentimes, kids in low-income neighborhoods or from single-parent households.
"Even with kids who come from what we might consider a stable two-parent family if they're not getting certain things from their family, then that interaction with that gang may be filling that void," said Delk.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said the gang's creative recruitment tactics not only hide the recruitment effort behind the events, like BBQs or basketball tournaments, but it also prevents law enforcement from immediately catching on.
Gang recruitment is reaching kids in schools on all levels, including elementary and middle schools, authorities said.
"A Bloods member testified, under oath, 'we have gang members in every high school, every middle school, every elementary school in this county.' My experience showed this is true," John Melvin, the former executive director of the GBI, previously said.
Delk said he also hopes the new law will keep kids away from a life of crime.
"I mean, we're parents, too," said Delk. "It's rough for us to see kids committing these crimes and to start at an early age, being involved in the judicial system on the wrong side."
Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice reported, in the fiscal year 2022, the average daily population in the Regional Youth Detention Centers was around 736 and 233 in the Youth Development Campuses.
It believes 30% in the Regional Youth Detention Centers and 51% in the Youth Development Campus could be or are gang-affiliated.
Police are encouraging parents to try and find options to keep their kids busy during the day over the summer. Delk added the Cobb County Police Athletic League has free programs this summer. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/senate-bill-44-gang-recuitment-penalty-law/85-155c95a5-9be0-4e22-bde3-9cec29f9173e | 2023-07-01T15:02:34 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/senate-bill-44-gang-recuitment-penalty-law/85-155c95a5-9be0-4e22-bde3-9cec29f9173e |
ATLANTA — As temperatures keep climbing, you may want to enjoy some of that sun. So what are some affordable - or free - activities you can do this weekend while keeping your family safe from the heat?
Lesli Peterson, the Owner of 365 Atlanta Traveler, advises doing something in the water or in the shade. She recommends going to a waterpark with lifeguards, like Margaritaville at Lanier Islands.
"You've got an in-water obstacle course, water slides, and all sorts of fun," Peterson said. "They've got a sale going on until July 9. So you can get a season pass or you can do a one-time visit."
You can also go to a pool in the city. Peterson's favorite is Piedmont Park Aquatic Center.
"You can get in there for only $5 if you don't want to buy an annual pass," she added.
If you’re looking for a mix of water with hiking, Watson Mill Bridge State Park and Big Trees Forest Preserve may be a good options for you.
“It's a beautiful place to go hiking again in the shade. But on some of the trails, there's a beautiful little creek that runs through it and the kids can splish and splash," she said. "I love to take my kids there when they were younger because the water is only maybe one or two inches."
Medical research said anything over 110 degrees could burn your feet. Even with it being overcast, temperatures got close to that number Friday.
Regardless of location, water, light clothing, and sunscreen is key, so that you don’t dehydrate.
Dr. Jayne Morgan with Piedmont Healthcare said there are some warning signs you should look out for.
"Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, you should seek medical care immediately for that," she said. "These are all signs. Panting, or starting to mouth breathe, that you are getting too hot."
Dr. Morgan said that to cool down, you can use a wet towel or take a cold shower. She added it’s important you test playgrounds and hot surfaces before your child touches some.
“Use the back of your hand and lie it on the equipment and see if you can determine how hot it is. That will give you an indicator of whether your child can go on it or not," Dr. Morgan said "Wear shoes, certainly those with thicker soles, right here in the south where that pavement really heats up. Please be aware that if you’re starting to develop blisters, you need to step off the pavement." | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/tips-keep-kids-safe-heat/85-bfe4d1e5-55c5-4c16-b134-f9a3b0bbb1ab | 2023-07-01T15:02:40 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/tips-keep-kids-safe-heat/85-bfe4d1e5-55c5-4c16-b134-f9a3b0bbb1ab |
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — With fireworks come those loud bangs and whistles, which can often terrorize pets with sensitive hearing.
Gulf Coast Humane Society officials said to make sure you know how your pets react to fireworks and address it appropriately.
If your pet likes to run when they are scared, be sure to take them out before the fireworks begin so they can stay inside when they start.
They also said every pet copes differently with loud noises.
"If you know that they chew up your house if fireworks are going on, try to make sure that they have something to distract them, like a calm toy,” said marketing and communications manager Jackie McCullough. “I really like lick mats, as well. If you know if they just like to, you know, hide -- my dog likes to hide in the closet -- so I just let her hide in the closet.”
If your pet has severe issues with loud noises, you do have the option of seeing a vet about possible anxiety medications.
More from 3News on KIIITV.com:
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- Man attacked, killed by pack of dogs in Rockport
- Young girl drowns at Aransas Pass Aquatic Center
- Wheel of Fortune Live! is coming to Corpus Christi
- Potentially dangerous bacteria found in Gulf of Mexico poses health risk to Coastal Bend community
- First stay cable to be installed on Harbor Bridge Project
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Subscribe to our YouTube channel for your daily news and exclusive extended interviews. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/gulf-coast-humane-society-shares-tips-to-help-your-furry-friend-cope-with-fireworks/503-13a7745e-2bcb-4b47-b303-0ff00a98c455 | 2023-07-01T15:03:47 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/gulf-coast-humane-society-shares-tips-to-help-your-furry-friend-cope-with-fireworks/503-13a7745e-2bcb-4b47-b303-0ff00a98c455 |
MASON CITY, Iowa - Authorities have identified a suspect following a pursuit that reached speeds of 120 miles per hour and spanned multiple north Iowa counties into Minnesota.
It began when a male, later identified as Alec Harpestad, 27, of Wells, was under investigation for theft from Mills Fleet Farm.
His vehicle was located a short time later near Grouse Ave. and B20 and a pursuit began.
The vehicle traveled through multiple roadways in Worth and Winnebago counties and reached 120 miles per hour.
Several attempts were made to disable the vehicle but all were unsuccessful.
Harpestad was aggressive toward law enforcement before the pursuit was discontinued near the Minnesota border.
A warrant was issued for Harpestad’s arrest. | https://www.kimt.com/news/local/warrant-issued-after-man-leads-authorities-on-pursuit-around-north-iowa-into-minnesota/article_a27b3654-180e-11ee-bfcf-1f9c8e736d55.html | 2023-07-01T15:14:27 | 0 | https://www.kimt.com/news/local/warrant-issued-after-man-leads-authorities-on-pursuit-around-north-iowa-into-minnesota/article_a27b3654-180e-11ee-bfcf-1f9c8e736d55.html |
LOWER TOWNSHIP – Board members, parents and staff lauded Joseph Castellucci’s efforts at his final school board meeting as the Superintendent of the Lower Cape May Regional school district on Wednesday.
As of Saturday, Greg Lasher is set to step into the job, as approved by the board in April. Lasher had been the principal of the district’s middle school.
Castellucci began with the district in 1996, hired as an assistant principal, and was named the district superintendent in 2019.
Board president Thomas Connelly Jr. said Castellucci cares about people and had an impact.
“You will be missed more than you know,” he told Castellucci at the board meeting, at which the departing superintendent received a certificate of recognition.
Other members said Castellucci helped improve the district. Castellucci thanked the board members for their support. He told a story he said most in the district would not know, including some of the board members.
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“I applied for a job here twice, and was shot down the first time. Probably one of the most disappointing days of my life, but I’ve always believed things happened for a reason,” he said. “It was probably the best things that happened to me that I didn’t get the job at that time. I came back two years later with a little bit of experience and seasoning.”
He described the day when he did get the call that he received a job in the district as one of the best in his life, saying he was happy for the chance to work in the district where he grew up, and where his friends and neighbors sent their children to school.
He expressed confidence in Lasher’s abilities.
Former superintendent Jack Pfizenmayer attended the meeting.
“I wanted to publicly say how much I appreciated Joe (Castellucci) when I was working here, not only as a superintendent but also as business administrator,” Pfizenmayer said.
He described being a principal and a superintendent as among the hardest jobs in a community. He also congratulated Lasher for his appointment. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/superintendent-of-regional-school-district-praised-at-final-meeting/article_3c54898c-1766-11ee-9e28-7f544be5a485.html | 2023-07-01T15:42:09 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/superintendent-of-regional-school-district-praised-at-final-meeting/article_3c54898c-1766-11ee-9e28-7f544be5a485.html |
The former mayor of a small Texas town who was ousted by the City Council is now being sued by a former council member who accuses him of abusing his position to silence her.
Jennifer Thompson, the former council member, previously told The Dallas Morning News she believed then-Mayor Acy McGehee worked with police to arrest her shortly before a Feb. 7 City Council meeting, following her monthslong attempts to get answers to questions about the city’s finances and hiring practices.
Thompson filed a lawsuit Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas alleging McGehee, the city and multiple members of the city’s law enforcement, including its interim police chief, conspired to violate her constitutional rights.
McGehee told The News he was aware of the lawsuit but had not read through it late Thursday afternoon. He denied abusing his office to silence Thompson and said he “had no knowledge” of the crime she was accused of until after she was taken into custody.
The city of Godley did not immediately respond to a request for an interview.
Read more from our media partners at The Dallas Morning News | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/former-godley-council-member-sues-ex-mayor-city-and-police-after-arrest-outside-city-hall-in-february/3287906/ | 2023-07-01T15:44:47 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/former-godley-council-member-sues-ex-mayor-city-and-police-after-arrest-outside-city-hall-in-february/3287906/ |
With more and more residents calling Texas home, Tom Thumb breaks ground on two new stores in North Texas. In its 75-year history, this is the first time for the grocery store chain to break ground in two communities on the same day.
The first groundbreaking Friday morning was in Kaufman County. Forney will receive its first-ever Tom Thumb store on South Farm to Market Road 548. The grocery store will anchor the shopping center near Forney High School.
The second groundbreaking was held in Waxahachie. The Ellis County town is also getting its first Tom Thumb store, which will anchor a new shopping center on East North Grove Boulevard.
The new stores will have a bakery, deli, meat and seafood counters, and produce and floral areas as well as an in-store Starbucks, pharmacy drive-through and a grocery pick-up area.
Both stores are expected to open in September 2024. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/tom-thumb-breaks-ground-on-two-new-stores-in-north-texas/3287931/ | 2023-07-01T15:44:53 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/tom-thumb-breaks-ground-on-two-new-stores-in-north-texas/3287931/ |
The Wyoming Rescue Mission is turning the now-shuttered Mimi's House property, which formerly served unaccompanied youth in the Casper area, into transitional housing for men.
Mimi's House officially closed in March amid financial struggles and the departure of its former director, David Rollins.
The nonprofit's board then approached the Rescue Mission to see if the homeless shelter would be interested in repurposing the property, said Adam Flack, a spokesperson for the Mission.
“I know that they wanted to continue to have that property serve that community in a similar way,” he said.
The shelter purchased Mimi's House for $160,000 in late May.
It hopes to use the home as sober living housing for men who complete its Recovery Discipleship program, which is geared toward homeless people facing addiction.
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The program has participants stay at the Mission's facilities as they complete the year-long, “Bible-based” curriculum, which includes educational courses and volunteer work, addiction treatment and case management services, according to the Wyoming Rescue Mission.
Flack said about 83% of people who finish the Discipleship Recovery program go on to live successful, independent lives, but the Mission wants graduates to have access to an additional period of support to help them find their footing.
Guests at the sober living house will pay a modest rental fee and "still be affiliated with the helpful resources that they have from the Mission," Flack added.
The Rescue Mission isn't sure when the new facility will start taking residents, as the property is currently undergoing renovations.
The shelter also has a house in Evansville that it plans to convert into similar sober living housing for women, Flack said. (Right now, the Rescue Mission is using the property as office space.)
Mimi’s House served youth ages 16-19, and according to its former website, had space for up to eight kids. When it first opened its doors in 2019, it was the only home for unaccompanied youth in the area.
The house went on hiatus last fall for organizational restructuring. The hope was to eventually reopen, but it ultimately ran out of funding, a Mimi's House board member told the Star-Tribune in March. | https://trib.com/news/local/casper/rescue-mission-mimis-house-sober-living-transitional-housing/article_0a4debe2-175f-11ee-87ed-4b52c63daed2.html | 2023-07-01T15:47:01 | 0 | https://trib.com/news/local/casper/rescue-mission-mimis-house-sober-living-transitional-housing/article_0a4debe2-175f-11ee-87ed-4b52c63daed2.html |
Hakes Column: Unique neighborhood derby still thrills nearly 3 decades later
Joan Ochs remembers her late husband Don was no fisherman when they first moved to North Twin View Heights subdivision near Lake Macbride in 1968.
“In fact,” she told me, “when the neighbors gave him some fishing poles, he gave them away.”
But eventually, her charismatic spouse pulled down the sails on his sailboat, picked up a fishing rod and got – to coin a phrase – hooked on the sport.
And then, at the urging of his little neighborhood friend Kelley Wilkinson, age 12 at the time, the two agreed to launch something special together. They would teach kids to fish through an annual fishing event at the local pond.
Some three decades later, I got the chance to witness firsthand the legacy this partnership produced. On Saturday morning two weeks ago, some 50 or so subdivision residents and their guests flocked to North Twin View Pond, where the annual Don Ochs Fishing Derby has grown into a fun and efficiently organized neighborhood event to be envied.
Around a pond ringed with kids and families, volunteer adult anglers rushed to bait hooks and remove anything caught – bass, bluegills, crappies, and catfish, not to mention the occasional heavy-duty snapping turtle. It was a hectic scene.
“The snappers sneak into the pond from the Coralville Reservoir which is close by,” said Joe Wilkinson, former DNR information specialist. “They are quite inhospitable, so we don’t want them around the kids, and we return any we catch to the reservoir.”
Wilkinson and his wife, Sue, the retired parents of Kelley, are the unofficial longtime ramrods of this annual rural Solon event, with lots of help from others, including their daughter Kaitlin Hall of Kalona.
“We’ve never been rained out in 29 years,” Sue proudly reported. “But it was ‘virtual’ during the Covid summer. We told the kids to fish on their own at the pond and send us a picture. When they did, we delivered a prize to them.”
Popularity has increased over the years
These days, the organizers get individual donations coming out of the blue to purchase quality prizes for almost everybody – rods, reels, minnow buckets, tackle, you name it -- with some businesses chipping in as well. There’s a little wading pool with plastic fish for the very small kids and hot dogs for everybody at noon.
When the smoke cleared at this summer’s event, 24 out of the 25 kids registered caught fish and all ended up with at least one nice prize for their efforts.
Other participants reveal the homespun popularity of the tradition.
Two-year-old Liam Dall could barely sit still long enough to hold a pole, but when Grandpa Dan Dall helped him land his bass, he raced around in circles with excitement. Dan’s wife Ann said they’ve lived next to the pond for 30 years and have enjoyed a ringside seat for this fun every summer, a tradition now passed on to the third generation.
“I remember one of our sons was two weeks old and in a stroller out here during the derby one year,” Ann said with a grin. “They gave him the sportsmanship award.”
Farther around the pond, eight-year-old Thea Kuennen concentrated furiously on her fishing while Dan Ochs, son of the founder who came from Milwaukee for the event, advised and encouraged her. Soon she had reeled in a bass which measured 11.5 inches at the registration desk.
Her mother Nicole told me she brought all four of her kids to the pond. “Thea is the quiet one, so it’s fun to get her in on the excitement,” she said. “We’re not a fishing family, but we like to do the derby.”
Ochs was a Iowa professor with a love of the outdoors
Sue Wilkinson said Don Ochs, well-known head of the rhetoric department at the University of Iowa, was wildly popular with the neighborhood kids. He mentored them in outdoor activities and recruited them to staff the elaborate haunted house he staged every October.
“He had a way of making every child feel special,” she recalled. “His loud, commanding voice might keep them at arm’s length at first, but not for long.”
The Ochs Derby co-founder Kelley is now Kelley Grothus, who lives in Madrid with a family of her own. She remembers Ochs as a grandfatherly figure with a deep, joyful laugh full of wildlife stories but who also taught life lessons to the neighborhood kids.
“He was more than just a cool neighbor,” she told me. “He taught us to be curious and wonder about the world around us. And everybody respected him.”
Following his death in January of 2012, the neighbors agreed the annual derby should continue with his name on it.
“Next year we’re hoping to make the 30th anniversary extra special,” said Sue Wilkinson.
There may be plenty of lunkers left for the fun next summer. The derby follows a “catch and release” policy.
Richard Hakes is a freelance writer for the Iowa City Press-Citizen and regularly contributes columns. | https://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/local/2023/07/01/don-ochs-fishing-derby-thriving-behind-29-year-history/70362750007/ | 2023-07-01T15:49:38 | 0 | https://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/local/2023/07/01/don-ochs-fishing-derby-thriving-behind-29-year-history/70362750007/ |
OCALA, Fla. — Time to apply! The First First Friday Art Walk Steering Committee is now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 season.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
Artists, art organizations, downtown businesses, and business sponsors can apply.
First Friday Art Walk begins Sept. 1 and goes through May 3 of next year.
Ocala has over 30 participating artists and 15 arts/cultural organizations annually showcased in the art walk.
Saturday: Sunny and dry to start the Fourth of July weekend
Artists will be paired with downtown businesses surrounding Ocala’s Historic Downtown Square.
The event is a cultural staple in the Ocala, showcasing local artwork, live art demonstrations, family-friendly free arts activities, and performing artists.
Read: SpaceX set to launch telescope into orbit, will explore evolution of the dark universe
The deadline to apply and participate in the entire season is Aug. 1.
For the remaining season, the deadline is the first day of the month prior to the next art walk ( Nov. 1 is the deadline for the December Art Walk.
Click here for details.
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/call-artists-first-friday-art-walk-applications-are-open/AUYNDZ53Z5AK5BQFKJPGKN2U44/ | 2023-07-01T15:55:55 | 1 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/call-artists-first-friday-art-walk-applications-are-open/AUYNDZ53Z5AK5BQFKJPGKN2U44/ |
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office asks for the public’s help in finding a missing vulnerable man.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
Deputies said Trung Quy Tran, 41, was last seen around 10 a.m. Friday on James Drive in unincorporated Oviedo.
According to a news release, Trung may be on foot and usually goes to the Publix Super Market at Clayton Crossing and Walmart at Deeplake.
Read: Police search for missing/endangered Illinois woman in Seminole County
Trung may also be wearing blue jeans, gray sneakers and a white t-shirt.
Anyone with information that can help should call the sheriff’s office at 407-665-6650 or 911.
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/seminole-county-deputies-search-missing-vulnerable-man/ENUA7VZPDRFR5LZB27Y3RVHXB4/ | 2023-07-01T15:56:02 | 0 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/seminole-county-deputies-search-missing-vulnerable-man/ENUA7VZPDRFR5LZB27Y3RVHXB4/ |
BLOOMINGTON — Two men are accused of possessing stolen catalytic converters and a stolen Hyundai vehicle.
Donte L. Gray, 33, of Dolton, and Aaron J. Marshall, 28, of Riverdale, were each charged with aggravated possession of stolen motor vehicle parts and criminal trespass to vehicle.
Gray was also charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle, which court documents indicate was a Hyundai motor vehicle.
Assistant State's Attorney Mark Messman said Illinois State Police attempted to pull over the vehicle Thursday at 9:45 a.m. for reckless driving before Gray, who was the driver in the vehicle, drove away.
Marshall
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
The ISP trooper called other units ahead instead of chasing the vehicle, and it was followed by Bloomington police officers who saw it exit Interstate 55 onto West Market Street, Messman said.
After another attempt at pulling over the vehicle near Market Street, Gray and Marshall left the vehicle and left the stolen catalytic converters in the vehicle, before they were taken into custody, Messman said.
Their bonds were each set at $100,000 with 10% to apply for release. Their arraignments are set for July 21.
Updated mug shots from The Pantagraph
Bryant Lewis
Bryant Lewis, 28, of Bloomington, is charged with home invasion causing injury, a Class X felony. His next appearance is Dec. 30.
Connor Wood
Derek Roesch
Derek Roesch of Saybrook was charged Thursday, Nov. 10 in McLean County Law and Justice Center with several counts, including:
-Two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, Class 2 felonies
-One count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon while on parole, Class 2 felony
-Two counts of unlawful possession of firearm ammunition by a felon, class 2 felonies
-One count of unlawful possession of firearm ammunition by a felon while on parole, class 2 felony
-Unlawful possession of cannabis with intent to deliver (greater than 2000 grams but less than 5000 grams), a class 1 felony
-Unlawful possession of cannabis (greater than 2000 grams but less than 5000 grams), a class 2 felony
-Unlawful possession of a controlled substance, psylocibin less than 15 grams, a class 4 felony
-Unlawful possession of methamphetamine, less than five grams, a class 3 felony.
-Unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, a class A misdemeanor
Justin M. Mata
Justin M. Mata, 28, no address given, is charged with possession of less than five grams of meth with intent to deliver, a Class 2 felony, and possession of less than five grams of meth, a Class 3 felony. He was released on a $50,000 personal recognizance bond and his next appearance is Dec. 30.
Connor Wood
Marcus D. Wesley
Marcus D. Wesley, 36, is charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in a vehicle (Class 4 felony), unlawful possession of cannabis (Class 3 felony) and unlawful possession of cannabis with the intent to deliver (Class 2 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Phillip Tinch
Phillip Tinch of Normal was charged Thursday, Nov. 10 at the McLean County Law and Justice Center with several felonies including:
- Five counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, more than one but less than 15 grams of a substance containing cocaine, a Class 1 felony.
-One count of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, less than one gram of a substance containing cocaine, a Class 2 felony.
Trisha L. Hanke
Trisha L. Hanke, 36, is charged with theft of over $10,000 (Class 2 felony). Court documents indicate she knowingly took $14,000 belonging to a Love's Travel Stop, in LeRoy, where she was employed.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
William B. Givens
William B. Givens, 49, no address given, is charged with unlawful possession of five to 15 grams of meth with intent to deliver, a Class 1 felony, possession of less than five grams of meth with intent to deliver, a Class 2 felony, possession of five to 15 grams of meth, a Class 2 felony, and possession of less than five grams of meth, a Class 3 felony. His next appearance is Dec. 30.
Connor Wood
David L. Oliver
David L. Oliver, 51, of Bloomington, is charged with predatory criminal sexual assault.
Kenneth E. Funk
Kenneth E. Funk, 27, is charged with residential burglary (Class 1 felony) involving an apartment in Lexington on Dec. 31, 2022.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Jordan R. King
Charges have been filed against Jordan R. King, 34, for violation of the Illinois Violent Offender Against Youth Act.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Holly M. Isaacson
Isaacson
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Kenneth L. Minton
Kenneth L. Minton, 51, is charged with aggravated home repair fraud (Class 2 felony) and theft (Class 3 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Tony L. Jackson
Tony L. Jackson, 50, is charged for violation of the Illinois Violent Offender Against Youth Act (Class 2 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Britley L. Hilger
Britley L. Hilger, 32, is charged with aggravated battery (Class 2 felony) after she supposedly punched a McLean County Detention Facility officer in the chest.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Jasmine L. Smith
Jasmine L. Smith, 31, is charged with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol (Class 2 felony) and five counts of endangering the life or health of a child (Class A misdemeanors).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Jackie S. Claypool
Jackie S. Claypool, 46, appeared for a Friday bond court hearing for two new cases which charged her for one count of burglary (Class 2 felony), four counts of forgery (Class 3) and one count of deceptive practices (Class 4 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Noah R. Demuth
Noah R. Demuth, 22, of Evanston, is charged with aggravated battery of a peace officer, a Class 2 felony, aggravated battery in a public way, a Class 3 felony, mob action, a Class 4 felony, and obstructing a peace officer, a Class A misdemeanor. His next court date is Feb. 17.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Brandon L. Parsano
Brandon L. Parsano, 39, is charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, a Class 2 felony. His next appearance is Feb. 17 for an arraignment.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Alexander N. Williams
Alexander N. Williams, 24, was charged Feb. 2 with the following:
3 counts of unlawful delivery of cannabis between 30 and 500 grams - Class 3 felonies. 2 counts of armed violence - Class X felonies. 1 count of unlawful possession of cannabis between 2,000 and 5,000 grams with the intent to sell - a Class 1 felony. 1 count of unlawful possession of cannabis between 500 and 2,000 grams with the intent to sell - a Class 2 felony. 3 counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon - Class 3 felonies. 1 count of unlawful possession of firearm ammunition by a felon - a Class 3 felony 3 counts of violating the Illinois FOID act - Class 3 felonies.
PROVIDED BY MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Carlos Sanchez-Solozarzano
Carlos H. Sanchez-Solozarzano, 22, was charged with 1 count of criminal sexual assault, a Class 1 felony.
PROVIDED BY MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Jaylin S. Bones
Jaylin S. Bones was charged with four counts of first-degree murder stemming from a homicide in Bloomington last year. A McLean County grand jury also returned a bill of indictment charging him with attempted first degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm (Class X felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Jordan R. King
Jordan R. King, 34, was charged with violating the Illinois Violent Offender Against Youth Act (Class 2 felony) a second time in under a month.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Dominique M. Banks
Dominique M. Banks, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated battery involving strangulation (Class 2 felony). The incident happened in October 2022 and involved one victim.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Austin T. Daugherty
Austin T. Daugherty, 29, was charged with burglary (Class 2 felony) after he entered an Avis Car Rental, 3201 Cira Drive, in Bloomington, without permission and with the intent to commit theft.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Sandra M. Lewis
Sandra M. Lewis, 77, is charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance containing MDMB-4E-PINACA, a synthetic cannabinoid, with the intent to deliver (Class X felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Samantha E. Morris
Samantha E. Morris, 40, is charged with aggravated battery of a peace officer (Class 2 felony) after supposedly spitting on a Colfax police officer.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Nolan C. Love
Nolan C. Love, 46, appeared in court Friday for a bond review hearing after being charged with aggravated domestic battery involving strangulation (Class 2 felony) on Feb. 26.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Nikkita L. Sandefur
Nikkita L. Sandefur, 36, is charged with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance (Class 2 felony) containing cocaine.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Katlin M.B. Wilson
Katlin M.B. Wilson, 32, is charged with aggravated identity theft (Class 2 felony) after being accused of fraudulently obtaining money exceeding $300 but not exceeding $10,000 from a 60 year old man.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Eli C. Garozzo
Eli C. Garozzo, 20, is charged with two counts of home invasion, a Class X felony, two counts of attempted armed robbery, a Class 1 felony, and two counts of residential burglary, a Class 1 felony. His bond was set at $200,000 as a 10% bond, meaning he must pay $20,000 plus fees to be released. His next appearance is an arraignment on April 13.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Tysean T. Townsend
Tysean T. Townsend, 35, is charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle (Class 2 felony), three counts of child abduction, aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer and obstructing justice (Class 4 felonies).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Curtis J. Byrd
Curtis J. Byrd, 31, is charged with two counts of burglary (Class 2 felony), two counts of fraud and two counts of financial institution fraud (Class 3 felonies).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Noral K. Nelson
Noral K. Nelson, 31, was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm (Class 4 felony) after he was arrested in connection to a shooting along the 1500 block of S. Main Street.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Charles J. Tankson
Charles J. Tankson, 23, was charged with burglary (Class 2 felony), theft and two counts of unlawful use of a debit card (Class 3 felonies).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Davis, Micah S
Davis was charged with 3 counts of arson, Class 2 felonies, and 3 counts of criminal damage to property, Class 4 felonies.
His next court date is May 5 at 9 a.m.
PROVIDED BY THE MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Livingston, Joshua D.
Livingston was charged with 2 counts of possessing stolen vehicles, Class 2 felonies, possession of less than 5 grams of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony, and criminal damage to government property, a Class 4 felony.
His next court date is May 5 at 9 a.m.
PROVIDED BY THE MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Kevin L. Ewen
Kevin L. Ewen, 42, appeared in a Thursday bond court hearing and was charged with aggravated battery (Class 2 felony), obstructing a peace officer (Class 4 felony) and two counts of resisting a peace officer (Class A misdemeanor).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Emmanuel K. Mpay
Emmanuel K. Mpay, 23, appeared in a Thursday bond court hearing following a grand jury indictment for two counts of criminal sexual assault (Class 1 felonies).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Ahmad S. Manns
Ahmad S. Manns, 19, appeared in a Friday bond court hearing and was charged with cannabis trafficking (Class X felony), unlawful possession of cannabis with the intent to deliver (Class 1 felony) and unlawful possession of cannabis (Class 2 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Dylan R Mann
Dylan R Mann, 31, appeared Friday in bond court following four grand jury indictments for two separate cases relating to aggravated assault and battery.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Tony L. Jackson
Tony L. Jackson, 50, was charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle (Class 2 felony), domestic battery, violation of an order of protection and driving while license revoked or suspended (Class 4 felonies).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
William R. Linden
William R. Linden, 79, was released Tuesday on felony burglary charges for trying to pass a forged check at Busey Bank.
Zadek U. Moen
Zadek U. Moen, 20, is facing six felony drug charges after being arrested by the Illinois State Police on Thursday.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Zachary T. Willis
Zachary T. Willis, 27, is charged with aggravated domestic battery by strangulation (Class 2 felony) and domestic battery subsequent offense (Class 4 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Cecily M. Sexton
Cecily M. Sexton, 39, was charged with two counts of burglary, a Class 2 felony; one count of forgery, a Class 3 felony; financial institution fraud, a Class 3 felony, and possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Tonisha A. Jackson
Tonisha A. Jackson, 27, was charged with aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, a Class 3 felony.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
James A. McConnaughay
James A. McConnaughay, 53, appeared in a Friday bond court hearing before Judge Amy McFarland. McConnaughay is charged with unlawful possession of 5-15 grams of methamphetamine (Class 2 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Jessica M. Longberry
Jessica M. Longberry, 38, appeared in a Friday bond court hearing before Judge Amy McFarland. Longberry is charged with burglary (Class 2 felony) and forgery (Class 3 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Barry D. Guyton
Barry D. Guyton, 26, was charged with two counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon (Class 2 felonies) two counts of unlawful possession of 15-100 of cocaine with the intent to deliver with one being a Class X felony and the other being a Class 1 felony.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Keon E. Spiller
Keon E. Spiller, 22, appeared in a Friday bond court hearing before Judge Amy McFarland and was charged with attempted escape after his jury trial reached a verdict.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Melina Aguilar
Melina Aguilar, 32, was charged with harassment of witnesses (Class 2 felonies) after asking a witness to lie on the record.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Carlos D. Cregan
Carlos D. Cregan, 35, was charged with harassment of witnesses (Class 2 felonies) after asking a witness to lie on the record.
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Andrea M. Sheets
Andrea M. Sheets appeared was charged Friday with possession of a stolen motor vehicle (Class 2 felony), aggravated fleeing a police officer (Class 4 felony) and obstructing a peace officer (Class A misdemeanor).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Wayne M. Damron
Wayne M. Damron, 52, is charged with one count of violation of the Illinois Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registration Act (Class 2 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Terrance L. Ford
Terrance L. Ford, 25, is charged with two counts of burglary (Class 2 felony) and two counts of retail theft (Class 3 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Stanley M. Miller
Stanley M. Miller, 61, was charged Friday with aggravated driving while under the influence of alcohol (Class X felony) and driving while driver's license revoked (Class 4 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Darryl R. Vinson
Darryl R. Vinson, 60, is charged with violation of the sex offender registration act (Class 2 felony).
MCLEAN COUNTY JAIL
Contact Mateusz Janik at (309) 820-3234. Follow Mateusz on Twitter:@mjanik99
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Get local news delivered to your inbox! | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-courts/2-cook-county-men-accused-of-possessing-stolen-vehicle-catalytic-converters-in-bloomington/article_63ddbaa6-1797-11ee-96f8-abff5cb2f257.html | 2023-07-01T15:58:23 | 1 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-courts/2-cook-county-men-accused-of-possessing-stolen-vehicle-catalytic-converters-in-bloomington/article_63ddbaa6-1797-11ee-96f8-abff5cb2f257.html |
The Miller Garden Club will present the 23rd annual Secret Gardens Walk with the theme “Back to the Gardens of Weedin'."
It will kick off at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 15 and Saturday, July 16 at Marquette Park at 6918 Oak Ave. in Gary's Miller Beach neighborhood. It will run until 3 p.m. on both days.
Participants can visit five gardens in the lakefront neighborhood. Vendors also will sell garden items and a box lunch will be available for an extra fee.
“'Back to the Gardens of Weedin’ offers visitors an inside look into the Miller beach-side community, rich in history and culture, offering unparalleled views of the Chicago skyline, lovely oak savannahs and duneland digs," the Miller Garden Club said in a press release. "Meet many of the resident gardeners and see the results of their hard work, patience, and persistence as they alter and amend the sandy soil and turn it into gardening gold."
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It's one of the signature events of the Miller Garden Club, a group that aims to beautify Miller Beach, protect local flora and provide gardening education. It also hosts other events like a Plant Sale and Beer, Brats and Bulbs.
Advance tickets for the Secret Gardens Walk are available at Ayers Realty at 646 S. Lake St. in Gary, the Lake St. Gallery at 613 S. Lake St. in Gary and The Miller School Shops at 665 S Lake St. in Gary.
"Sites include a churchyard dedicated to saintly flowers plus the adjoining organic Hugelkultur garden; newly expanded lily gardens near the lagoon; a fun and fantastic collection of natives and perennials held up by a mammoth rock wall; a beachy over-the-top expanse reminding us of why we became gardeners to begin with; a backyard oasis providing a haven for the family that’s been tending it for years," the Miller Garden Club said in a press release. "All this, plus a community vegetable garden whose bounty feeds the hungry."
Tickets are $15 and will be available until 2 p.m. each tour day.
The tickets include addresses, maps and directions.
For more information, call 219.670.5252 or 219.741. 2190 or visit millergardenclub.org.
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/miller-garden-club-planning-23rd-annual-secret-gardens-walk-with-gardens-of-weedin-theme/article_0b13192a-1701-11ee-9710-c3729f3a9543.html | 2023-07-01T16:12:50 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/miller-garden-club-planning-23rd-annual-secret-gardens-walk-with-gardens-of-weedin-theme/article_0b13192a-1701-11ee-9710-c3729f3a9543.html |
VALPARAISO — Memorial Opera House Executive Director Scot MacDonald has turned in his notice.
He announced his resignation on Facebook, noting that he is leaving Aug. 11 to become director of Theatre Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I’m sad to leave Valparaiso and the colleagues that have become dear friends, but I am so excited for new opportunities, and I look very forward to working with a new team of storytellers and colleagues,” he said.
“I’m honored to say the least and look forward a bright future not only in North Carolina, but for the team here in Valparaiso.”
Porter County Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South, is a longtime supporter of the opera house.
“When Scot and I started working together, the opera house was bleeding out,” she said. “He and his staff have turned it into a venue that is bursting at the seams with events, programs and education. He's poured his heart and soul into expanding the arts in Porter County. I am going to miss him dearly. Charlotte is very lucky to have him.”
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Among MacDonald’s accomplishments has been to bring the Penguin Project to Indiana. That program provides a theater experience to children and adults with disabilities.
MacDonald told the story of how he came to the opera house.
“In 2006, I was fortunate enough to be a part of the cast of ‘Mame,’ and I found a place and a group of people that made me feel safe and welcome. I volunteered off and on for six years and then I was asked to join the staff as a part-timer. A little bit later I moved to full time, and when it was time, I moved into the position of executive director.
“It hasn’t always been easy, but it has always been incredibly rewarding. Our team has strived to tell stories that ring true and to be welcoming to everyone who comes through our doors. There’s a certain magic about the building, and that doesn’t follow one person.”
The 1893 Memorial Opera House has been the subject of controversy in recent years, with the County Council and Board of Commissioners stalemated on necessary renovations and a potential addition to connect to the 1860 sheriff’s residence next door. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/director-of-memorial-opera-house-in-valparaiso-resigns/article_035f360e-1784-11ee-8b00-7760c3a79b50.html | 2023-07-01T16:12:56 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/director-of-memorial-opera-house-in-valparaiso-resigns/article_035f360e-1784-11ee-8b00-7760c3a79b50.html |
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police are investigating after a homicide in North Austin on Friday night.
A little after 11:15 p.m., police responded to a call at Raintree Apartments on Redfield Lane.
When officers arrived, they found a victim with traumatic injuries. Life-saving measures were performed but were unsuccessful. The victim has not been identified.
There is no suspect in custody.
The investigation is still on going. | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/homicide-redfield-lane/269-a9140122-b03d-49cf-88a5-136d4df65030 | 2023-07-01T16:25:49 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/homicide-redfield-lane/269-a9140122-b03d-49cf-88a5-136d4df65030 |
AUSTIN, Texas — A pedestrian was killed after being hit by a car on Friday night.
The crash happened on a flyover ramp from northbound Interstate 35 to Ben White Boulevard around 11:40 p.m., according to Austin-Travis County EMS.
The person, an adult, was pronounced dead on scene.
There is no other information at this time. | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/pedestrian-crash-i35-ben-white/269-72d34795-4c7f-44d5-9c4d-c52dfac27740 | 2023-07-01T16:25:55 | 1 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/pedestrian-crash-i35-ben-white/269-72d34795-4c7f-44d5-9c4d-c52dfac27740 |
Fourty-Five children have died by drowning in Florida this year, according to statistics from the Florida Department of Children and Families. Evelyn Kaylani Geer is one of them. Her parents Cassie and Richard Geer are finally speaking out to prevent a tragedy from happening to another family.
Evelyn Kaylani Geer was a miracle baby. Her parents tried to conceive for years.
“She was a bright ray of sunshine she was always happy and smiling and dancing and she loved making silly faces at herself in the mirror.” “She loved tormenting her brothers always jumping on them,” said Cassie.
Evelyn also loved Carebears. She had a huge collection. Her father said she was ‘Daddy’s girl.’
“We’d be at the store for hours and I’d just carry her around because that’s what she wanted.” “She was my biggest reason for every day she was my world,” said Richard.
Evelyn was taken from them too soon at just four years old. Just before her death her family found out she had autism.
The Geers were staying in an airbnb after an old pipe broke in the home that they rent. Cassie and Richard went to bed with Evelyn sleeping in between them.
Cassie said, “I woke up and saw that she wasn’t lying between us and so I got up to see where she was.” “The absolute terror when I saw that front door opened.”
Cassie screamed and woke up her husband. They searched for Evelyn and couldn’t find her so they called 911.
Crews searched for Evelyn and hours later found her in a canal near the home.
Richard said, “She was found somewhere between the back of the house where we were at and here we don’t even know where she went in the water.”
Richard and Cassie are trying to grieve the best that they can. They also want to prevent another tragedy from happening.
Richard has done research and said parents can buy a sticky alarm at Walmart that beeps when a door is opened.
Cassie said she hopes more parents will teach their children how to swim early.
“I do think there needs to be more of an importance put on swim lessons for your children,” said Cassie.
Cassie and Richard are currently living in a hotel. They said they couldn’t stay in the Airbnb after what happened to Evelyn.
They said rental home that they’ve lived in for 12 years is still unliveable, they hope that things will get better soon.
“We haven’t really had a chance to grieve because of the issue.” “There was mold growing in the home so we couldn’t stay there.” | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/charlotte-county/2023/07/01/parents-remembering-their-four-year-old-daughter-who-drowned-in-port-charlotte-canal/ | 2023-07-01T16:28:34 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/charlotte-county/2023/07/01/parents-remembering-their-four-year-old-daughter-who-drowned-in-port-charlotte-canal/ |
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Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/pancreatic-cancer-awareness-night/3596510/ | 2023-07-01T16:28:37 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/pancreatic-cancer-awareness-night/3596510/ |
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The wait is over! Theater has returned to Disneyland California Adventure with an all new, single act musical production inspired by the patriotic story of Steve Rogers, Captain America.
CBS 8 received a special preview of the superhero spectacular that offers an imaginative look into Steve Rogers’ journey to becoming Captain America. The 30-minute musical was inspired by a completely fictional Broadway performance featured in “Hawkeye”, a Disney+ series.
The show will emanate from the Hyperion Theater at Disneyland California Adventure for a limited time, with multiple performances each day scheduled Tuesday through Saturday.
How to watch
- Disneyland California Adventure guests are recommended to access theater viewing areas through a virtual queue only on the Disneyland app.
- The complimentary virtual queue begins at 10:30 a.m for the first showtimes of the day and at 2:30 p.m. for the remaining showtimes.
- The virtual queue is not required, but highly recommended because of the demand to watch the limited-run performance.
- More information is available here.
Marvel fans can expect to see Captain America joined by other Marvel heroes including, Peggy Carter, Nick Fury and some of the Avengers. “The Avengers and other characters are portrayed in representational costumes that offer a fun, more casual take on their iconic looks,” Disneyland said in press release. "Exploring universal themes of heroism, romance and self-discovery, “Rogers: The Musical” is an exhilarating and heartfelt experience for Super Hero fans, theater enthusiasts and families alike."
The production features five new original songs ranging from big band jazz to modern funk, a layered two-dimensional set and a 2,200-square-foot video screen.
The Disneyland Resort is pairing exclusive, collectible merchandise and patriotically themed food and drinks to go along with the show.
WATCH RELATED: Mickey Mouse joins the CBS 8 to talk about the Disney100 Celebration
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET CBS 8:
ADD THE CBS8+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE Roku | Amazon Fire | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/rogers-the-musical-at-disney-california-adventure/509-f4196114-d114-4a87-b8ca-ddf331e8cee6 | 2023-07-01T16:35:03 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/rogers-the-musical-at-disney-california-adventure/509-f4196114-d114-4a87-b8ca-ddf331e8cee6 |
SONORA, Calif. — A fight at the Motherlode Fair led to shots being fired Friday night, officials with the Sonora Police Department said. The fight began around 11 p.m. at the fairgrounds on Stockton Street in Sonora.
According to police, Michael Dickman, 35 of Merced, punched a man causing minor injuries. The victim's friends then allegedly followed Dickman to a car on Stockton Street, where police say he pulled out a gun and fired a shot into the ground.
The car and gun belonged to 34-year-old Ayssa Barrientos, also of Merced, police said. Both Barrientos and Dickman allegedly tried to get away from the scene, but police detained them before they could.
Officers say they also seized two handguns and that one of the two suspects admitted to opening fire.
No injuries were reported as a result of the gunfire.
Dickman was arrested on suspicion of brandishing a firearm, battery, unlawful discharge of a firearm and carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle.
Barrientos was arrested on suspicion of unlawful storage and transportation of a firearm.
The Motherlode Fair continues Saturday and Sunday from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets to get into the event start at $7 for kids.
Watch more from ABC10: Placer County deputy arrested, accused of rape | Top 10 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/shots-fired-fight-mother-lode-fest/103-2b8e926d-bc53-4104-95b5-268e6ef7e9ec | 2023-07-01T16:35:10 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/shots-fired-fight-mother-lode-fest/103-2b8e926d-bc53-4104-95b5-268e6ef7e9ec |
Originally published June 30 on IdahoCapitalSun.com.
Editors note: An earlier version of this story included the Clean Slate Act, which does not go into effect until Jan. 1.
A new state budget and dozens of new state laws take effect Saturday in Idaho in connection with the beginning of the 2024 fiscal year.
Idaho’s state government runs on a fiscal year calendar that runs from July 1 to June 30 each year.
That means the 2023 fiscal year ended Friday, and the 2024 fiscal year begins Saturday.
Some major bills, like House Bill 292, the property tax law, and House Bill 242, which makes it a crime to take a minor out of state for abortion care without parental permission, have already taken effect.
Other high profile bills, like House Bill 124, which removes student ID cards as accepted form of identification for voting in Idaho, take effect Jan. 1 or on a specific upcoming date.
But most new laws take effect on Saturday, the first day of the state’s new fiscal year.
A CLOSER LOOK AT 4 NEW LAWS TAKING EFFECT
House Bill 186 reinstates the firing squad as an alternative form of execution when lethal injection is not available. Prior to this law, lethal injection was the only form of execution allowed in Idaho. But Idaho Department of Correction officials have been unable to obtain the chemicals to carry out the planned execution of Gerald Pizzuto Jr., who was convicted of murdering two people outside of McCall in 1985. The state had scheduled Pizzuto’s execution for Dec. 15 and March 23, but had to cancel the execution when correction officials could not obtain the chemical Pentobarbital, the Idaho Capital Sun and Idaho Reports have previously reported.
Since 1976, there have been three executions in the United States carried out by firing squad, all of which were in Utah, the Sun previously reported.
Although the bill takes effect Saturday, the state still has to build and pay for a facility to carry out execution by firing squad and come up with the procedures for using a firing squad.
House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, said she hopes the state succeeds at obtaining lethal injection chemicals and never has to use a firing squad.
“I thought it was an absolutely terrible idea,” Rubel said in a telephone interview. “My hope is that it never actually gets used and is just a kick in the pants to really resolve the lethal injection situation.”
House Bill 138 was intended to consolidate the March primary election into the May election but actually ended up eliminating the state’s presidential primary election altogether. In response, the Idaho Republican Party approved a proposal to hold a presidential caucus on the first Saturday in March if the Idaho Legislature does not reinstate the March primary election. As things stand today, Idaho voters are not sure if they will help select their party’s nominee for president in a caucus or in a primary, or on what date they will do so.
Rubel said she has not heard of any interest among Republicans in calling a special session to address the presidential primary election issue.
House Bill 213 creates the rural nursing loan repayment program. Under the new law, the state will provide up to $2.5 million over the course of five years to help up to 100 nurses working in rural or underserved areas of the state or in critical access hospitals repay their student debt.
Nurses who are accepted into the program would receive repayments from the state over a three-year period. Under the program, those nurses would receive $5,000 to repay nursing education debts after completing one continuous year of employment, $10,000 after the second continuous year and $10,000 more after the third continuous year of employment.
Rep. Dori Healey, a Republican from Boise and an advanced practice nurse, sponsored the bill in the Idaho House of Representatives in her first year as a legislator this year.
ENDING BUDGET BALANCE TO GO TOWARD PROPERTY TAX REDUCTION
Although the property tax law has already taken effect, the ending balance of the 2023 budget that closed out Friday will help determine how much of a property tax reduction Idaho homeowners see this year.
The property tax law is written so it will provide a minimum of $205 million in reductions in its first year and up to $355 million, if there is a budget surplus.
When legislators set the state budget, they planned for a $416 million ending balance to the 2023 fiscal year budget. Through May, the 11th month of the 2023 fiscal year, revenues were running $17.3 million ahead of forecasts.
When the 2023 budget year ended Friday, the first $50 million in surplus above the planned $416 million ending balance would go to the homeowner property tax account. So if revenues came in exactly on target for June, the entire $17.3 million surplus would go to property taxes.
If revenues increase even more and there is a surplus above $50 million, anything between $50 million and $150 million would be split between school district facilities and property tax reductions.
“We are hoping we could get a really big chunk, so we are all watching these last three days of June to see how that ends and how it comes in,” Sen. C. Scott Grow, R-Meridian, said in a telephone interview. Grow is the co-chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee and one of the sponsors of the property tax bill.
Increases in property taxes and housing affordability were a top issue for Idahoans heading into the 2023 legislative session, according to a public policy survey from Boise State University.
Grow said it was the top issue he heard from his constituents about, with homeowners saying they can’t afford to pay taxes on the home they live in and young Idahoans saying property taxes are contributing to the high cost of housing.
“Homeowners should get a big break on their property tax bill, on their notices they get this fall,” Grow said.
Grow said there should be a line on the fall property tax notice that says “tax relief appropriated by the Legislature” that lists the homeowner’s tax savings.
Grow said local governments will still be able to set their budgets as they normally would, and the Idaho Legislature will make up the savings with state funds for the homeowner.
The property tax reductions are for owner-occupied homes that receive the homestead property tax exemption. Second homes, vacation homes, rental properties and renters do not qualify.
After this first year, the state will use sales tax money to provide ongoing money for property tax reductions. The law also provides funding for school district facilities and eliminates the March election date that school districts used for bond issues and levies. | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/firing-squad-rural-nursing-loan-repayment-these-new-laws-and-state-budget-take-effect-saturday/article_b51d52b0-176e-11ee-91e5-1b9d68198251.html | 2023-07-01T16:36:17 | 1 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/firing-squad-rural-nursing-loan-repayment-these-new-laws-and-state-budget-take-effect-saturday/article_b51d52b0-176e-11ee-91e5-1b9d68198251.html |
Originally published June 28 on IdahoCapitalSun.com.
Idaho’s longtime member of the Republican National Committee, Damond Watkins, has resigned from his position, according to a press release issued by the Idaho Republican Party.
Originally published June 28 on IdahoCapitalSun.com.
Idaho’s longtime member of the Republican National Committee, Damond Watkins, has resigned from his position, according to a press release issued by the Idaho Republican Party.
Watkins has served as national committeeman for the Idaho Republican Party since 2011. As a member of the Republican National Committee, Watkins was involved with helping plan past Republican National Conventions, raising money for GOP candidates and developing election strategies.
“With 12 years of service, Mr. Watkins has played a pivotal role in shaping our party’s vision and driving positive change,” the Idaho Republican Party said in a written statement. “During his tenure, Mr. Watkins’ commitment to our shared Republican values and principles has made an impact on our organization and the wider Republican community. As we bid farewell to Mr. Watkins, we express our gratitude for his service and contributions over the years to the Idaho Republican Party.”
Although he did not serve as an elected official, Watkins has played a major role in national and state politics in Idaho. Watkins served as a financial adviser for Republican Sen. Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign from 2007 to 2008. In 2017, former President Donald J. Trump appointed Watkins to the President’s Commission on White House Fellows.
Watkins has also served on the board of directors for the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, a nearly 50-year-old business lobbying organization, and worked for more than 10 years as a vice president of Melaleuca Inc., in Idaho Falls.
In 2013, Watkins survived a plane crash in Idaho Falls where he suffered a broken back, the Idaho State Journal reported.
The Idaho Republican Party will name a successor to fill Watkins’ vacancy until a more permanent successor is picked at next year’s Republican State Convention.
Under the party’s bylaws, Idaho Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon has 30 days to call a special meeting of the state central committee to fill the vacancy for the RNC position, according to the Idaho Republican Party’s press release.
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A receipt was sent to your email. | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/longtime-idaho-member-of-republican-national-committee-resigns/article_014579b6-177d-11ee-92ae-d3fef7d73f92.html | 2023-07-01T16:36:23 | 1 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/longtime-idaho-member-of-republican-national-committee-resigns/article_014579b6-177d-11ee-92ae-d3fef7d73f92.html |
IN THE NEWS
Lawsuit targets voting restrictions put on felons
A lawsuit has been filed against Gov. Glenn Youngkin and state elections officials by those who have been disqualified from voting in Virginia because of their criminal records. The state automatically takes away voting rights for convicted felons unless the governor restores the ability.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court by the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and the group Protect Democracy on behalf of three Virginia residents with felony convictions and the nonprofit organization Bridging the Gap, which helps formerly incarcerated people. The lawsuit says the state is breaking an 1870 federal law that established the terms of Virginia's readmission to representation in Congress after the Civil War.
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DEAD ZONE: Unusually dry weather this spring has reduced the size of the so-called "dead zone" in the Chesapeake Bay. Dead zones, also called “hypoxic areas,” are spots in bodies of water that don’t have enough oxygen to sustain life. They’re often caused by pollution washed into waterways by storm drainage. This summer’s dead zone is predicted to be 33% smaller than the average taken between 1985 and 2022.
“While the dead zone has been trending down over time, the primary driver behind the prediction of a smaller dead zone this summer is the amount of rainfall from January through May,” said Joseph Wood, Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Virginia senior scientist.
With river flows from rainfall in the watershed at 20% less than the historic average during the spring season, the estuary’s summer dead zone is expected to be one of the smallest on record, according to a notice from the Chesapeake Bay program.
BY THE NUMBERS
$1.3 million
Additional revenue made by hotels during April's Something in the Water festival in Virginia Beach compared to the 2019 event, according to data company STR Global.
$80,000
Amount that a gun buyback event approved by the Richmond City Council will cost. The city plans to use American Rescue Plan Act dollars to fund the program, part of an effort to curb gun violence.
ODDS AND ENDS
WATER: A hazardous chemical also detected in the Roanoke River has been found in Smith Mountain Lake. Tests by the Virginia Department of Health found GenX, a chemical used in the manufacturing of various consumer products, in lake water. Last year, the Western Virginia Water Authority identified ProChem, an industrial water management company, as the source of contamination from its Elliston location on the banks of the Roanoke River’s south fork.
GRAVES: Keith Edward Norvell, 58, of Amherst, has been indicted on 17 felony counts of obtaining money by false pretenses in connection with his previous employment with the Amherst Cemetery Association. Police said he was arrested in June after the department was notified about "possible fraudulent sales of headstones and burial plots."
THEY SAID IT
"I don’t know where we go from here. I have told my conferees to go home. They told their conferees to go home.”
— Del. Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, after state budget talks broke down last week.
"The equations describe how the particles move and collide with each other. So we implemented those formulas and assumed that the drones move like those particles."
— Marcela Izquierdo Poza, a math and physics major at Randolph College in Lynchburg, about a study into the usage of drones to deliver goods to customers. The kinetic theory of gases formula was used to calculate potential delivery collisions.
IN THE NEWS
Officer killed is honored at service
About 500 people, including many in uniform, on Monday attended the funeral of Wintergreen police Officer Mark Christopher “Chris” Wagner II, who was killed while responding to a call June 16.
"So what we’ve heard this morning is that Chris was a light. He was a bright light. Son to a loving father, whose life was taken far too soon. Every corner of the commonwealth, fellow brothers and sisters in law enforcement have come here knowing that it could have been them who we were memorializing today,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said during the service.
Wagner, 31, was responding to an emergency call about a man assaulting two others in a home when he encountered Daniel Barmak, 23, of Towson, Maryland. Barmak grabbed his department firearm and opened fire, police said.
Barmak is charged with capital murder, two felony counts of malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
PLANES: Flights into Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport were diverted Tuesday because of a technical issue, the latest in a series of issues impacting airlines last week.
The Federal Aviation Administration briefly paused operations at Washington, D.C.-area airports Sunday evening due to a problem with the communications system at a major air traffic control facility.
The Charlottesville-bound flights from Charlotte, North Carolina, and Atlanta on Tuesday were sent to Richmond. | https://richmond.com/news/local/glenn-youngkin-american-civil-liberties-union-chesapeake-bay/article_58571708-1509-11ee-9d70-ff6cf1d17dbc.html | 2023-07-01T16:39:34 | 0 | https://richmond.com/news/local/glenn-youngkin-american-civil-liberties-union-chesapeake-bay/article_58571708-1509-11ee-9d70-ff6cf1d17dbc.html |
PORTER, Maine — A Maine woman was bitten by a bear in her backyard while defending her pet dog, necessitating a trip to the hospital for stitches, officials said Friday.
Lynn Kelly, 64, was tending her garden in Porter when her dog took off into the woods barking at something on Friday. In short order, the dog was racing back to the yard with a black bear in hot pursuit, said Mark Latti, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Kelly stood and made herself appear large, which is recommended in a black bear encounter. But instead of slowly retreating, she proceeded to confront the bear, which is not recommended, Latti said.
The bear briefly latched onto Kelly's wrist after she punched the animal on the nose, and she received stitches for the wound at Memorial Hospital in North Conway, New Hampshire, he said.
The bear took off back into the woods, and her dog was reportedly left uninjured.
Since the incident Friday morning, the bear has not been seen. The MDIFW has set two live-capture culvert-style traps, Latti said.
It's rare for someone to be bitten by a bear in Maine even though the state has one of the largest black bear populations on the eastern seaboard, Latti said. Encounters with bears can be reduced by removing or securing bird feeders, garbage, pet food and other things that attract bears’ attention. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/maine-woman-punches-bear-that-chased-her-dog-and-ends-up-with-stitches-porter-maine/97-9eaeb081-3cb1-4a98-810a-7b3440be70fe | 2023-07-01T16:39:37 | 0 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/maine-woman-punches-bear-that-chased-her-dog-and-ends-up-with-stitches-porter-maine/97-9eaeb081-3cb1-4a98-810a-7b3440be70fe |
Central State University and three other universities will receive $10 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture to recruit, educate and retain young food and agriculture professionals, the university announced this week.
The money was awarded to four institutions: Central State and Lincoln University, two Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Texas A&M University, and the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
One of the goals is to attract diverse and younger people into the field of agriculture using technology and other innovations in farming disciplines, the university said.
“The goal is to train our undergraduate students to become the essential workforce for the future of agriculture in the United States,” said Dr. Hongmei Li-Byarlay, CSU’s principal investigator for the project and research associate professor of entomology. “The grant will provide a lot of training opportunities and research internships for students to explore a variety of topics in agriculture, especially in soil science, entomology, and life science.”
The package is part of an increase in USDA funding to the Greene County HBCU. The university received nearly $26 million in total from the USDA in 2022 for its sustainable agriculture research, which includes honeybee genetics and incorporating hemp into crop rotations of soybeans, corn, and wheat.
Professors are developing curriculum, as well as research protocols and incentives, a spokesperson for the university said.
The funding supports courses on precision agriculture and drone application, yearly geospatial information science activities, a summer workshop on regenerative agriculture, scholarships, youth programming, and others.
Undergraduates and graduate students will start with the program in 2024, and with plans to develop a doctoral degree program alongside Missouri-based Lincoln University in the next five years.
Central State’s $2.5 million portion will also go towards recruiting students for the agricultural workforce, Li-Byarlay said.
“For the people of Ohio, this award is important. Our university is building a workforce for agriculture...and Ohio is predominantly an agricultural state. We need to train citizens of Ohio to do research, to study and extend scientific knowledge on agriculture to the farmers. That is the main intent of this project,” said Dr. Sharath Krishna, professor of biology and agricultural and life sciences.
“This initiative complements Central State’s existing programs in sustainable agriculture, water resources management, environmental engineering, and experiential learning where undergraduate students currently conduct research in soil conservation, integrated pest management, pollinator health, horticulture, and other relevant topics,” said Dr. Morakinyo Kuti, interim Dean of the College of Engineering, Science, Technology, and Agriculture.
About the Author | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/central-state-part-of-10m-grant-to-create-curriculum-for-agriculture-workforce-jobs/MLTAJJWQ6BAIDG5WINDHNANA7A/ | 2023-07-01T16:40:46 | 1 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/central-state-part-of-10m-grant-to-create-curriculum-for-agriculture-workforce-jobs/MLTAJJWQ6BAIDG5WINDHNANA7A/ |
Federal funding still available to Deltona residents recovering from tropical storms
The City of Deltona is still accepting requests for help from residents looking for funds to aid recovery efforts eight months after back-to-back tropical storms Ian and Nicole.
Though damage along the coast was extensive, hundreds of Deltona homes sustained some level of flooding, Catherine Barker, city spokeswoman, said.
"Some of those people are still out of their homes," Barker said via email.
About $22 million was allocated to Volusia County through the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Hazard Mitigation Grant Funding, which will be distributed through the Florida Department of Emergency Management.
Here's what Deltona residents need to know if they are interested in seeking such assistance.
Express interest in assistance before July 17
Residents must submit their letters of interest to the city before July 17 as staff needs time to put together profiles on the requests and projects being proposed to the Volusia County Local Mitigation Strategy Committee handling the ranking, Kimberly Castro, a Deltona project manager, said via email.
Send letters to kcastro@deltonafl.gov.
Your guide:Florida hurricane preparedness in 2023
What happens after the letter is submitted?
Deltona staffers will send a prioritized list of projects to the Volusia County committee.
If approved, the city must apply for the funding directly through FEMA by Oct. 20.
Programs available
Option 1: Applicant wants to modify a home to better protect it against wind and flooding.
Option 2: Applicant wants to either elevate a home, sell the property and let the building be demolished, rebuild the same home, or improve drainage on site.
Residents may be on the hook for 25% of the cost of the work, which can take one to three years to finish, Castro said. | https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2023/07/01/deltona-residents-recovering-from-tropical-storms-can-still-get-help/70373229007/ | 2023-07-01T16:45:37 | 1 | https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2023/07/01/deltona-residents-recovering-from-tropical-storms-can-still-get-help/70373229007/ |
WATERLOO — Waterloo Schools and offices will be closed Tuesday, July 4 in celebration of the Fourth of July holiday.
Waterloo and Cedar Falls’s most affordable starter homes
3 Bedroom Home in Waterloo - $82,900
Hard to find a home under $90,000. Here is a property that can be purchased for less than rent! Living room with a fireplace, Dining room, 2 Bedrooms on the main floor and a dormer 3rd bedroom with finished space that could be updated by the Buyer. Newer furnace and new central AC installed in 2020. Attached enclosed porch and deck. Property currently rented and needs notice on showings. Asking for 24 hour notice or more.
2 Bedroom Home in Laporte - $90,000
Great home or investment property. This property is currently Tenant occupied for $749/month. Lease expires 8/2023. PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB THE TENANT! PLEASE VIEW THE EXTERIOR OF THE PROPERTY PRIOR TO MAKING AN OFFER! This home is being sold ''as is''. The seller will not offer financing or a land contract.
3 Bedroom Home in Waterloo - $39,000
Great investment opportunity!! Quaint 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom home with 1 stall garage and brick driveway. Existing tenant leased until October 1, 2023. Tenant responsible for utilities and lawn-care..
3 Bedroom Home in Waterloo - $89,900
So great to come home to! You will love this updated home featuring new floor coverings, updated paint, new doors and trim and more! As you enter the home you are welcomed by a spacious living room that offers great space for hanging out. The living room flows seamlessly into the dining room just off the kitchen. The kitchen is updated with modern details and features updated countertops and new flooring! Just off the back door entry is the mudroom/laundry room - making living easy! With three bedrooms on the main floor and a full bathroom - this one is move in ready! Situated on over a half acre lot with a two stall garage, this one will go fast! Schedule your showing today!
4 Bedroom Home in Waterloo - $84,950
This huge 2,365 square foot home with 4 bedrooms and 2 baths sits on a corner lot with fenced yard. Good curb appeal with the low maintenance permanent siding and replacement windows. Mudroom/drop zone area to catch all the things as you come in from the carport and cute sunroom off the living area to relax. It's central location makes getting to everything quick and easy. Perfect for a large family at a great price or an investor looking to add to their portfolio. Schedule your showing today! | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/education/waterloo-schools-closed-for-july-4/article_72bbb39a-1696-11ee-ab7a-f72ea7d6980a.html | 2023-07-01T16:54:40 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/education/waterloo-schools-closed-for-july-4/article_72bbb39a-1696-11ee-ab7a-f72ea7d6980a.html |
SAN ANTONIO — Did you forget to shop for an item you need for your 4th of July picnic or party? You're in luck, because some stores will be open regular hours or at least part of the day.
So if you need some last-minute hot dogs, flag decorations or maybe a floatie or raft for your Independence Day celebration, check out this list of stores that you can head over to and get what you need.
Some retailers plan to open with reduced hours, but there are plenty of options for those who plan to shop on the holiday.
Here's a list of what is open and closed on July Fourth:
Which stores will be open on the Fourth of July?
Here are several of the major national retailers that will be open on July 4, either with regular or limited hours. As always, be sure to double check your local store hours.
Academy Sports + Outdoors: Open regular hours
Albertsons: Open regular hours
Bass Pro Shops: Open regular hours
Best Buy: Open regular hours
Big Lots: Open regular hours
Cabela's: Most stores will be open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., but check local store's hours
Chick-fil-A: Many locations will close early
Chipotle: Most locations will close at 3 p.m.
CVS: Most stores will be open regular hours. Pharmacy hours may vary by location.
Dillard's: Stores will be open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Gap: Openings will depend on mall hours
H-E-B: Stores will be open regular hours; Pharmacy: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Home Depot: Most stores open regular hours, but some may close early. Check local store's hours.
Kohl's: Open regular hours at most locations
Kroger: Store hours vary by location
Dollar General: Open regular hours, which vary by location
JCPenney: Open regular hours
Lowe's: Most stores will open at their regular time but close early. Check your local store.
Office Depot and OfficeMax: Open regular hours
Old Navy: Openings will depend on mall hours)
Macys: Open regular hours
Petco: Open, but some locations may close early.
Sam's Club: Open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for Plus members, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for Club members
Starbucks: Store hours vary by location, some locations may be closed
Target: Open regular hours
Trader Joe's: All stores will close at 5 p.m.
Walmart: Most locations open regular hours, but check local store
Whole Foods: Most locations will be open, but store hours will vary by location
Most retailers recommend checking store hours on their website for hours as there may be some exceptions.
What is closed on Independence Day?
Because the Fourth of July is a federal holiday, banks, post offices, other government offices and the stock market will all be closed.
Costco will close all stores on July 4.
Essential government offices, like the National Weather Service, will remain open. Examples of nonessential offices closed on Monday include the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service.
RELATED: Here's why Flag Day is celebrated
What is closed on July 3, 2023? Is the post office open on July 3?
With the Fourth of July landing on a Tuesday this year, many are wondering whether stores will be open or closed on Monday as well. All stores should be open and the post office will be delivering mail on Monday, but will be closed on the Fourth of July. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/heres-what-stores-are-open-on-4th-of-july-in-san-antonio-independence-day-fourth-san-antonio-texas-picnic-party-celebrate/273-0ea1a756-22f7-4892-bbe6-83cfb2fcbf60 | 2023-07-01T17:01:20 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/heres-what-stores-are-open-on-4th-of-july-in-san-antonio-independence-day-fourth-san-antonio-texas-picnic-party-celebrate/273-0ea1a756-22f7-4892-bbe6-83cfb2fcbf60 |
PORTER, Maine — A Maine woman was bitten by a bear in her backyard while defending her pet dog, necessitating a trip to the hospital for stitches, officials said Friday.
Lynn Kelly, 64, was tending her garden in Porter when her dog took off into the woods barking at something on Friday. In short order, the dog was racing back to the yard with a black bear in hot pursuit, said Mark Latti, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Kelly stood and made herself appear large, which is recommended in a black bear encounter. But instead of slowly retreating, she proceeded to confront the bear, which is not recommended, Latti said.
The bear briefly latched onto Kelly's wrist after she punched the animal on the nose, and she received stitches for the wound at Memorial Hospital in North Conway, New Hampshire, he said.
The bear took off back into the woods, and her dog was reportedly left uninjured.
Since the incident Friday morning, the bear has not been seen. The MDIFW has set two live-capture culvert-style traps, Latti said.
It's rare for someone to be bitten by a bear in Maine even though the state has one of the largest black bear populations on the eastern seaboard, Latti said. Encounters with bears can be reduced by removing or securing bird feeders, garbage, pet food and other things that attract bears’ attention. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/maine-woman-punches-bear-that-chased-her-dog-and-ends-up-with-stitches-porter-maine/97-9eaeb081-3cb1-4a98-810a-7b3440be70fe | 2023-07-01T17:01:26 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/maine-woman-punches-bear-that-chased-her-dog-and-ends-up-with-stitches-porter-maine/97-9eaeb081-3cb1-4a98-810a-7b3440be70fe |
BAILEYTON, Tenn. (WJHL) – An overturned vehicle has traffic backed up for several miles on Interstate 81 southbound in Greene County.
According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s (TDOT) SmartWay map, the crash is on I-81 south near mile marker 32. TDOT says the left lane is closed southbound as of 11:11 a.m.
Updates will be provided as they become available. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/overturned-vehicle-causes-delays-on-i-81-in-greene-co/ | 2023-07-01T17:12:08 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/overturned-vehicle-causes-delays-on-i-81-in-greene-co/ |
Question: What should I know about flying the American flag at home?
Answer: Flying an American flag is not as simple as just sending it up a flagpole.
Per the U.S. Flag Code:
It’s best to display the U.S. flag only from sunrise to sunset outside. It can be on view 24 hours a day. Per the Flag Code, the flag must be illuminated. Add a solar light with a kit for flag poles.
In rain or snow, a flag can still be flown if it is made of all-weather material. Take it down before a storm to prevent the flag from blowing out of its bracket.
A soiled flag can be washed or dry-cleaned. When it gets too tattered to display, it should be destroyed properly, preferably by burning. American Legion posts and other groups sometimes dispose of damaged flags in special ceremonies. Stars for Our Troops (starsforourtroops.org) will take worn American flags with embroidered stars.
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Q: What are the respectful ways I can fly the American flag at home, and how do I do it?
A: First, check with your HOA or complex. They may have specific requirements.
To fly a flag from the eave, install a bracket to hang the flag on a short pole. Position the bracket where you want it. Make the screw holes with a pencil. Then drill the holes using the right bit for a power drill depending on whether your home is masonry or stucco.
If you live in an apartment or condominium, hang it from a wall or window so the stripes are displayed vertically or horizontally. The blue field with the stars should be at the top on your left as you stand outside the house or building and view the flag.
First, you need to understand the components:
Finial: A decorative ornament mounted on top of the flagpole, above the truck.
Truck: This is the pulley assembly that mounts at the top of the flagpole. Stationary trucks are mounted over the top of the flagpole and are secured with setscrews while revolving trucks screw into the flagpole’s top with a standard 1¼ inch national pipe thread spindle. Revolving trucks are mounted with bearings that allow them to turn along with prevailing winds.
Snaphook: Also referred to as a flag snap, this metal or vinyl hook with a spring closure attaches the flag to the halyard. Snaphooks are similar to closures found on a dog’s leash.
Halyard channel: Usually several feet long, it extends upward from the cleat, covering the external halyard and helping protect against theft or vandalism.
Halyard: The rope that is used to raise or lower the flag. Can be located internally or on the outside of the pole. It runs through the pulley system in the flagpole’s truck and is secured with the cleat at the base of the pole.
Cleat: A T-shaped metal device that holds the hoisted flag in place by wrapping the halyard around the cleat multiple times. The cleat is typically mounted to the pole about five feet above ground level.
Butt: The larger, lower end of the flagpole shaft.
Flash collar: A cover that goes around the base of the pole at ground level, usually the same color and material as the flagpole. A flash collar gives the pole a clean, finished look and helps protect the flagpole and foundation from the elements.
Foundation tube: A steel or PVC tube placed in the ground to support and hold the shaft securely in place.
Now that you know the terminology, decide where the pole will be placed. Assemble a mock-up with PVC pipe and couplers. Have someone hold up the pole in various spots so you can judge the effect from afar. Consider the height of the house or building when selecting the pole’s height: 18 to 25 feet for a single-story building, 25 to 30 feet for two stories, and 30 to 40 feet for three stories.
Types of poles
Wood: Historically authentic and the most expensive option. Like the wood on the exterior of your house, it must withstand the elements for a long time and therefore requires regular maintenance.
Standard aluminum: Light, easy to install and available with internal rigging. Some painted aluminum poles chip, leaving uncoated spots that may stain. Select a durable finish with a clear-coated brushed metal.
Fiberglass: Look for a UV-resistant finish constructed with the fibers running vertically.
Telescoping aluminum: Has retracting buttons and joints and is easily portable. Putting them up and taking them down takes just a few minutes.
Tools and materials
Post hole digger
Wheelbarrow
Shovel
Level
Sawhorses
Drill/driver
Drill bit
Ratchet wrench and sockets
Work gloves
Installation
1. Dig a foundation for the anchor
The day before installation, dig a foundation hole 30 inches deep and 24 inches in diameter, using a post-hole digger and shovel. This will hold the painted steel anchor, which supports the pole and prevents ground moisture from wicking up and rotting the wood.
For soil that doesn’t drain well, add 6 inches of gravel or crushed rock to the bottom of the hole you dug.
Following the instructions on the bag, mix a batch of Redi-Mix cement. It will take several bags. Fill in around the base of the pole (roughly 6 inches of concrete). Let it set per the mix’s instructions, then drop in the anchor.
Allow the concrete to set for at least two days (one week is better) before using the pole.
Check the anchor’s alignment using an 18-inch bubble level or laser level, then fill the hole with concrete and trowel it until it is smooth.
2. Drill holes for the pivot bolt
After the concrete has set for 24 hours, rest the pole on two padded sawhorses.
Center the cleat on the pole’s halyard side by measuring 42 inches from the bottom.
Using an 11/16-inch bit, drill holes for two ⅝-inch bolts.
3. Attach the finial
To affix the truck, set the double sheave into a notch on the top of the pole.
Before screwing the truck on, coat the inside and edges with silicone caulking for a watertight seal.
Fit the finial into a ½-inch threaded hole in the center of the truck.
4. Install the pole
Set the pole into the anchor and insert the pivot bolt. Adjust the pole until it is plumb, checking how it looks from afar.
Holding the preferred position, mark the pole at the predrilled holes on the anchor. Remove the pole, rest it on the padded sawhorses, and drill holes for the locking bolt.
Insert the pole into the anchor and install the pivot bolt.
Install the locking bolt and finger-tighten it. Check to make sure the pole is plumb.
5. Attach the flag
Thank you to This Old House and Carrot-Top Industries for this information.
You may find it helpful to read the laws about flying the American flag, including “Conduct during hoisting, lowering or passing of flag” in Section 9 of the Flag Code at tucne.ws/1nqf.
An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for more than 40 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio broadcast, heard locally from 10 to 11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson. | https://tucson.com/life-entertainment/local/home-gardening/rosie-on-the-house-how-to-install-display-the-american-flag-at-home/article_de91b3ea-03c1-11ee-a219-2fa8b3fe96d4.html | 2023-07-01T17:14:40 | 1 | https://tucson.com/life-entertainment/local/home-gardening/rosie-on-the-house-how-to-install-display-the-american-flag-at-home/article_de91b3ea-03c1-11ee-a219-2fa8b3fe96d4.html |
She won't use the word decriminalization.
But Attorney General Kris Mayes made it clear in an extensive interview with Capitol Media Services that under her watch, no doctor or medical professional will be prosecuted in Arizona for performing an abortion.
A new executive order by Gov. Katie Hobbs gives Mayes total say over enforcement of all criminal laws that govern the procedure. County attorneys are stripped of their authority to decide whether to bring charges.
Mayes and Hobbs, both Democrats, were elected in November to four-year terms.
In signing the executive order June 23, Hobbs said she wanted to be sure there is consistent enforcement among the 15 counties amid legal wrangling over which of two competing state laws restricting abortion would be enforced: One banning all abortions except to save the life of the mother and the other allowing them through the 15th week of pregnancy.
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That dispute is playing out at the Arizona Supreme Court.
But Mayes confirmed she is taking all prosecutorial power over abortion laws away from the 15 county attorneys over those two laws, as well as all other abortion laws, including one that makes it a crime to terminate a pregnancy because of the race or gender of the fetus. Another criminalizes abortions in cases where the sole reason a woman seeks to terminate a pregnancy is because of a genetic defect.
Late-term abortions, those after viability of the fetus, have always been illegal under Arizona law, even after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade in 1973 that women had a constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. The high court overturned that ruling last year.
Asked specifically whether she would pursue prosecutions in late-term abortions, Mayes responded, "I think the premise of your question is a red herring."
"You're talking about a hypothetical that almost never happens,'' she said. "And when it happens it is almost always a medical emergency,'' for which she said terminating the pregnancy is allowed under the disputed law permitting abortions through the 15th week of pregnancy.
'Not a place for gov't intervention'
A 2011 state law makes it a felony, punishable by up to seven years in prison, for a doctor to terminate a pregnancy "knowing that the abortion is sought based solely on the sex or race of the child or the race of the parent of that child.''
A federal judge dismissed a challenge to it, saying he would not consider it until there was an actual woman who was denied an abortion under the law. To date there is no record of such a case.
More recently, a different federal judge declined to block enforcement of a 2021 Arizona law that carries a one-year prison term for a doctor to terminate a pregnancy if the woman is seeking the procedure because of a fetal genetic defect. That law also allows the father of an unborn child who is married to the mother to file suit on behalf of that child for violations of the law, or for the parent of an unmarried minor to take such legal action.
While that challenge is pending, Mayes has declined to defend the law. The federal judge has since allowed Republican legislative leaders to step in in her place to mount a defense.
"You understand what my position on abortion is, which is this is not a place for government intervention,'' Mayes told Capitol Media Services. "You also understand that I believe that prosecutorial resources should not be spent on trying to put doctors in jail.''
Hobbs, in issuing the executive order, shares those positions, Mayes said.
Still, Mayes declined to call it decriminalization of abortion laws.
"I don't know that I accept your terminology,'' she said. "But I have been clear that we are not going to prosecute doctors and women in the state of Arizona for abortion, period.''
The part about prosecuting women, however, is a red herring of its own: State lawmakers voted two years ago to repeal statutes that made women who sought or obtained an abortion criminally liable.
Says order is legal, has precedent
Mayes says the governor's order is legal, citing a statute that gives the attorney general "supervisory powers'' over county attorneys.
More specifically, Mayes is relying on a state law that says the attorney general, at the direction of the governor, can prosecute in any proceeding in state count in which the state is a party or has an interest.
There is nothing in that provision that at the same time removes the prosecutorial authority of elected county attorneys, but Mayes said that's inherent.
"County attorneys would be prosecuting under state law,'' she said. "And so this is essentially the governor and I centralizing the prosecution of state law where it belongs, in this matter, under the Attorney General's Office.''
She sidestepped the question of whether that allows her, at the direction of the governor, to wrest control from county attorneys the prosecution of any law based on a claim of ensuring equal enforcement among all counties.
"What I would say to that is, this is not something that the governor and I took lightly,'' she said. "And it is also something that I think should be rarely utilized. And I think this was one of those instances where it was very appropriate and necessary to invoke this statute and for these potential prosecutions to be centralized under one roof."
Mayes also said there is a precedent for Hobbs' action.
It goes back nearly half a century, to charges brought against John Harvey Adamson, who lured Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles to a hotel in 1976 with the promise of a news tip. A bomb exploded under the reporter's car and he died 11 days later.
Raul Castro, who was governor at the time, directed Attorney General Bruce Babbitt to take over the prosecution from Maricopa County Attorney Don Harris.
Critic: Unilateral control is concerning
But Rachel Mitchell, the Republican current Maricopa County attorney, said what's missing from Mayes' precedent is context.
A judge had declared a mistrial in the first bid to prosecute Adamson, an action Mitchell said was caused by public statements made by Harris.
"Only then did the attorney general ask the governor to allow the Attorney General's Office to prosecute the case,'' Mitchell said.
Babbitt, in an interview with Capitol Media Services, confirmed the events, including the concerns about undermining the possibility of a conviction if Harris was left in charge of the prosecution.
Under Babbitt's office, Adamson was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, though his sentence was reduced after he agreed to testify against others. He eventually served 20 years and was released in 1996.
What's different here, Mitchell said, is that Hobbs, by executive order, removed not just one case but an entire category of potential offenses — there is currently no one accused of violating any abortion laws — from the purview of locally elected county attorneys. Mitchell said that's why she and other county attorneys are looking at possible litigation.
She also said that while this order is about abortion, the precedent Hobbs and Mayes are setting would allow a future governor to take unilateral control over entire categories of cases to decide which will be pursued, regardless of whether state law has been changed.
Mitchell said that could lead, on one extreme, to deciding to target police officers for prosecution; to, on the other extreme, making a policy decision not to bring charges against people accused of retail theft.
Mayes brushed aside the question, saying this should be seen only in the context of abortion laws. She also the action by Hobbs and herself should not be a surprise to anyone who was paying attention during the 2022 campaign in which both were elected.
"It's, I think, the culmination of our collective promise to the people of Arizona to defend their fundamental right to make their own private medical decisions without governmental interference,'' she said.
Howard Fischer is a veteran journalist who has been reporting since 1970 and covering state politics and the Legislature since 1982. Follow him on Twitter at @azcapmedia or email azcapmedia@gmail.com. | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/arizona-abortion-laws-prosecutor-governor/article_af797aa0-176e-11ee-b69e-238bb123e67b.html | 2023-07-01T17:14:46 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/arizona-abortion-laws-prosecutor-governor/article_af797aa0-176e-11ee-b69e-238bb123e67b.html |
The Town of Marana is poised to grow its population to over 100,000 in the next five years as new companies, both in the town and in neighboring Pinal County, fuel the need for new housing.
Thousands of apartments, rental-home communities and single-family homes for sale are under construction or in the pipeline in the town’s core and on former cotton farms north of Tucson.
Marana incorporated in 1977, with about 1,500 residents in 10 square miles.
Today, the population is over 60,000 and several annexations over the years have spread Marana over 124 square miles.
Mayor Ed Honea is part of the third generation of a six-generation Marana family. He has been mayor for 20 years and served on the council for 34 years.
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He marvels at the town’s growth, where he grew up farming cotton on his grandparents’ land.
“It’s really just absolutely astonishing,” Honea said. “We’re the fastest-growing community south of Maricopa County.”
Growth, he said, was inevitable and intentional.
“My philosophy is, if your community isn’t growing it’s dying.”
Marana is primarily attracting residents because of jobs both with companies in the town limits and major employers in Casa Grande and Coolidge which have set up operations in recent years.
In Coolidge, Procter & Gamble is building a $500 million manufacturing plant that will create more than 500 jobs.
Company officials visited Marana.
“They were concerned that there’s not a lot of housing in Coolidge,” Honea said. “We’re using that because Pinal is going crazy, and they can’t build housing fast enough.”
Procter & Gamble’s announcement came after a surge of economic activity in Pinal County with companies such as electric vehicle manufacturers Lucid and Nokia, semiconductor Chang Chun Arizona, aircraft service ecube and battery manufacturer Cirba Solutions choosing sites in Marana’s neighboring county.
The commute from Marana to those jobs is 30 to 40 minutes, Honea said.
“I always tease the mayor of Coolidge that we’re going to put him on the economic development payroll,” he said.
An average of 100 new homes are going up each month in Marana and, since the pandemic drew more residents to Southern Arizona, developers are eagerly building more.
Honea takes pride in people that Marana is the second-largest community in Southern Arizona, “second to that suburb to the south of us,” as he jokingly refers to Tucson.
By comparison, the latest Census data shows Oro Valley is close to 50,000 residents; Sahuarita’s population is about 35,000 and Vail’s is about 14,000.
Farther south, Green Valley, Rio Rico and Nogales each have a population of about 20,000; Bisbee’s is about 5,000 and Douglas about 16,500.
HOUSING IS KEY
Recruiting new companies begins with available housing.
There are three projects under way of build-to-rent communities with over 1,000 homes that are just for renters, in addition to seven apartment complexes under construction in Marana.
Near Tangerine Road and Interstate 10 there are communities under development with thousands of homes for sale and plans for industrial projects that will produce the jobs, said Curt Woody, Marana’s director of economic development and tourism.
“In northern Marana alone, there are 28,000 entitled lots for single-family residential and 5,000 have been built,” he said. “We’re just about full speed at this point.”
The town markets the community as ready to do business, Woody said.
“The town has always had the philosophy of not wanting to be a bedroom town where everyone goes somewhere else to work,” he said. “It’s been that way from the beginning and residents wanted the mix.”
With each annexation the town has mapped out zoning for where it makes sense to put industrial projects, retail projects and housing.
“We know we’re going to grow and we plan for it,” Woody said. “The reputation we have is that we’re family friendly, we welcome businesses and we welcome growth.”
Marana isn’t done growing yet and is looking to annex more land.
“If we don’t continue to grow and bring in industry and bring in jobs, our young people are going to leave,” Mayor Honea said. “Two of my kids, both UA graduates, left the area because the work wasn’t there.”
RECRUITING RESTAURANTS
A growing population attracts restaurants and retail stores.
Amanda Wiggins, president and CEO of the Marana Chamber of Commerce, said she chose to live in Marana because of housing availability, schools and the convenience of travel on Interstate 10.
“When we were looking for a place to call home, Marana was a shining star for us,” she said of her family’s relocation due to her husband’s job.
Shortly after arriving, Wiggins became involved with the chamber.
One of the goals is to keep an eye out for local businesses in the rapidly growing town.
“A lot of companies are interested in us because of the potential to grow,” Wiggins said.
One of the chamber’s initiatives is a restaurant recruitment taskforce to support local restaurants and offer a farm-to-table supply chain.
“We want to remain unique,” Wiggins said, “and stay true to the history and heritage of Marana.”
Contact reporter Gabriela Rico at grico@tucson.com | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/what-grows-faster-than-cotton-marana/article_ecafec4c-107a-11ee-9af1-b7aa438e3458.html | 2023-07-01T17:14:53 | 1 | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/what-grows-faster-than-cotton-marana/article_ecafec4c-107a-11ee-9af1-b7aa438e3458.html |
Drugs and violence have long plagued this Claymont community. How a peace walk may help
The group stood quietly in a circle outside Knollwood Community Center, the sun casting its rays through the hazy air.
It was hot this Thursday afternoon, and by the time the nearly three dozen group members concluded introductions, people were already sweating. The air was also thick with smoke from Canadian wildfires, making it uncomfortable to be outside.
But as the group − made up of New Castle County police officers, elected officials, Talley Middle School staff and neighborhood residents − began strolling down Colby Avenue, the unpleasant weather was soon forgotten.
Quickly, the Claymont street, which is often occupied by cars with out-of-state license plates looking to buy drugs, was filled with laughter and chatter. And slowly, more and more neighborhood children began emerging from their homes − first to get ahold of free popsicles, then to walk Nikko, New Castle County police's service dog.
DRUG-RELATED QUADROUPLE SHOOTING:Violence reduction, neighborhood aid initiative to target Claymont's Knollwood community
Though this was the first time the group had come together, just 15 minutes into the peace walk, it was clear the event was a success.
Organized by Talley Middle School reading specialist Jenna DiEleuterio, the hourlong stroll was modeled after weekly peace walks that occur in northeast Wilmington. The goal, DiEleuterio said, is to build relationships and show residents − and especially students − that the greater New Castle County community cares.
In a community that has long struggled with blight, drug use and violence, DiEleuterio said walking the neighborhood in a group is a simple but "powerful way to build relationships." And while she acknowledged that it plays only a small role in tackling Knollwood's struggles, Thursday's event − the first of three scheduled walks − is a start.
A history of blight and hopelessness
For decades, the Claymont neighborhood of about 150 homes, tucked away off Philadelphia Pike with a single road leading in and out, has struggled with drugs and violence.
Once called Worthland, the blue-collar community was built in the 1920s as a settlement for mill workers employed at Worth Steel Co., which later became CitiSteel USA Inc. and then EVRAZ Claymont Steel. By the latter part of the 20th century, fewer and fewer steelworkers inhabited the community and the area increasingly fell into decline.
But while the neighborhood has “always had a bad reputation one way or another,” residents say, those living in Knollwood have repeatedly told Delaware Online/The News Journal it has worsened in the last several years.
KNOLLWOOD BACKGROUND:Shootings, blight and hopelessness: What happened to this once-vibrant Claymont community?
In 2021, five people were shot in two separate shootings that occurred about three months apart. Two people − 27-year-old Nathan Smith and 16-year-old Jasir Brown − were killed in the second shooting, which wounded two others.
While no one was injured by gunfire in 2022 or so far this year, residents say drugs continue to ravage the community.
"I was speaking to the Knollwood Community Center leader and she said, 'These kids can't see another overdose,'" DiEleuterio said. "It's absolutely heartbreaking, but it's a reality for so many of our kids."
Targeting Knollwood
Both New Castle County officials and police, as well as residents, have tried to tackle Knollwood's issues in recent years.
Last spring, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer announced that the neighborhood would be the first community targeted as part of the county's Building Better Communities program. The grant-based initiative, which is funded using some of the $108 million the county received from the American Rescue Plan Act, aims to increase community engagement in struggling neighborhoods.
So far, the Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence and the Boys & Girls Club of Delaware have received grants of $40,000 and $25,000, respectively, to target Knollwood.
The Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence was provided funds to implement a pilot program on gun violence outreach, while the Boys & Girls Club received the money to expand Claymont Boys & Girls Club services to Knollwood.
Energize Delaware has also implemented its Lights On program in the neighborhood, a state initiative that targets high-risk communities in need of better lighting to improve safety and increase energy efficiency.
RELATED:New Castle County police are getting 18 security cameras. Where they'll go remains unclear
Despite these efforts and numerous others, including New Castle County police's Project SEED program, its police and princess ball and the department's other initiatives to curb the community's blight and drug issues, DiEleuterio said her students still feel unsafe.
One day recently, she told the middle schoolers that when they are home in the evenings, they should "get off (their) phones and go outside and play."
The response from one girl who lives in Knollwood, she said, was eye-opening.
"She said to me, 'I'm not allowed to go to the playground; it's too dangerous," DiEleuterio said. "Of course, I was coming from a place of privilege in saying that and I appreciated her giving me a dose of reality."
From that conversation, DiEleuterio said, the idea for Thursday's peace walk was borne.
2021 SHOOTING:After weeks of fireworks, Knollwood residents thought nothing of the pops — until police arrived
While two more walks are scheduled for this summer − on July 20 and Aug. 8 − DiEleuterio hopes they will continue even once students are back in school. By making it a regular event, she said, more stakeholders will hopefully join the effort and perhaps, the community will finally make meaningful change in Knollwood.
"It's not like it's a one-and-done thing where it's, 'we're here to save you' and then go away," she said. "I really want this to be an opportunity to build genuine relationships so the community can come to us and we can go to them."
Got a tip? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com or 302-324-2785. For all things breaking news, follow her on Twitter at @izzihughes_. | https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2023/07/01/knollwood-delaware-claymont-peace-walk-new-castle-county-police-drugs/70361715007/ | 2023-07-01T17:17:54 | 1 | https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2023/07/01/knollwood-delaware-claymont-peace-walk-new-castle-county-police-drugs/70361715007/ |
ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s time to fire up the grill!
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
Whether you are planning on a Fourth of July BBQ or just a regular grilled meal with your family, safety comes first.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, an average of 10,600 fires are started by grills yearly.
Read: Climate change keeps making wildfires and smoke worse. Scientists call it the ‘new abnormal’
Here we have nine grilling tips for this summer:
- Don’t grill in the garage: Rain can mess up your plans, but don’t risk grilling in your garage; flames and carbon monoxide can build up and cause fire, toxic fumes, or a gas explosion.
- Only leave your grill with supervision: The moment it is lit, it needs someone to check it. For longer cooking times, make sure to at least keep an eye on it to allow time for reaction if something happens.
- Keep the grill away from your home: Avoid the deck and garage; and under eaves and overhanging branches.
- Protect yourself: Wear a heavy apron, closed-toe sneakers, and grilling gloves.
- Clean your grill regularly: The more grease and fat build up on your grill, the more fuel there is for a fire.
- Use long-handled utensils.: Avoid burns and splatters.
- Protect the kids: Encourage kids to stay at least three feet from the grill. Think about the area where you have your grill so it’s not in the way of your kid’s playground.
- Check for leaks: A leak in the gas lines can cause propane or gas to build inside-- Apply a light soap and water solution to the hose, then turn on the propane tank. If there’s a gas leak, the propane will release bubbles around the hose. If there are no bubbles, your grill is safe to go.
- ALWAYS keep a fire extinguisher nearby: Garden hoe or baking soda can help to control grease fires, but there’s nothing safer than a fire extinguisher.
Recall alert: Over 76K pounds of frozen mini corn dogs recalled due to possible spoilage
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/9-grilling-tips-this-summer/C3OZDFBVOFEDBL4FGZEDIM3U2Q/ | 2023-07-01T17:27:33 | 1 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/9-grilling-tips-this-summer/C3OZDFBVOFEDBL4FGZEDIM3U2Q/ |
New York City will test a brand new pilot program this summer designed to reduce package thefts and the number of delivery trucks moving throughout the city, the head of the Department of Transportation announced Friday.
The LockerNYC pilot program, which will run for a year, will allow New Yorkers to conveniently receive and send packages using secure lockers on public sidewalks. The pilot will include 15 locations and offer customers free 24/7 access. The program will be available to anyone interested, and unlike other delivery lockers, the LockerNYC program will be available on multiple delivery carriers, including UPS, DHL, and Pitney-Bowes.
“New Yorkers deserve convenient delivery without rampant theft or harmful pollution. With the LockerNYC pilot program, our administration is providing a creative solution that addresses all three,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Shared lockers are a proven model that will serve our economy, our health, and our quality of life, and this is just the beginning.”
The number of home deliveries has increased in New York City in recent years, with 80% of households receiving at least one delivery per week and 20% receiving four or more. The LockerNYC pilot program is designed to alleviate the problems associated with this increase in deliveries, including increased truck traffic and the chronic challenge of package theft.
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Every day, 90,000 packages are reported stolen or lost in transit in New York City, and many apartment buildings lack secure package delivery areas, according to stats provided by the mayor's office. The lockers will centralize drop-off points and allow carriers to make fewer truck trips. This is expected to reduce the amount of time delivery vehicles are on our roads, thereby lowering safety risks and reducing harmful vehicle emissions.
To ensure security, all locker locations will be equipped with two security cameras, LED lighting, and anti-theft mechanisms in the locker compartments. The lockers will be operated and maintained by GoLocker, the provider selected by the city for this initiative, which will oversee customer service and overall technology management.
“As the number of home deliveries has increased in recent years, so has the number of large delivery trucks on our city streets,” said DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "The LockerNYC initiative will help reduce the number of trips delivery trucks make each day while providing a safe place for New Yorkers to receive packages."
News
Locations will be selected for the program based on land use, concentration of buildings lacking mail/package rooms, and New York Police Department package theft data, among other criteria. Sites will be chosen to provide adequate circulation space, avoid conflicts with street furniture, ensure smooth pedestrian flow, and avoid obstructing windows, fire escapes, or public art, among other considerations.
The pilot will be in operation for one year, with the potential to extend the pilot after evaluation, allowing DOT to test and evaluate the technology and delivery model. NYC DOT welcomes additional program partners to foster a culture of best practices for safety and efficiency. In addition, you will collect anonymous data on locker usage to assess the overall success of the pilot program and the potential for expansion.
Shared locker programs have proven successful in other cities, producing significant reductions in delivery vehicle travel distances, dwell time, missed deliveries, emissions, and congestion. A Seattle delivery locker pilot found that carrier lockers can reduce the amount of time delivery trucks spend curbside by up to 33% and reduce delivery times by up to 78%.
The year-long pilot is part of the DOT's efforts to reinvent freight delivery in New York City, restructure freight distribution, and create a sustainable last-mile delivery system to get products where they need to go. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nyc-deploying-package-lockers-to-combat-theft-cut-down-on-delivery-truck-trips/4469575/ | 2023-07-01T17:46:04 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nyc-deploying-package-lockers-to-combat-theft-cut-down-on-delivery-truck-trips/4469575/ |
First Citizens Bank announced in a press release that Trust Officer Chelsea Frederick, has fulfilled the requirements to attain the Certified Trust & Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA) from the American Bankers Association.
The CTFA certification is awarded to individuals who demonstrate excellence in the field of Wealth Management and Trust. To qualify for the CTFA designation, individuals must have certain levels of experience and education in the trust profession, pass an exam, and agree to abide by a code of ethics. The CTFA exam covers many areas including fiduciary and trust activities, financial planning, tax planning, investment management and ethics.
“Attaining this designation is reflective of Chelsea’s commitment to her clients and delivering excellent Corporate Trustee services,” said Chief Wealth Management Officer Nicole Rognes Olson in a statement. “Chelsea dedicated many hours to complete the coursework and study for the exam and her growth over the past few years has been exciting to watch. Our team is fortunate to have her serving as a Trustee, Executor or Conservator for our clients. Frederick serves on the Trust Administration Committee, helping monitor the status of all fiduciary activity for First Citizens Wealth Management. | https://globegazette.com/business/local/first-citizen-banks-frederick-attains-certification/article_88765130-16a1-11ee-897b-4f96d0c1f940.html | 2023-07-01T17:48:20 | 1 | https://globegazette.com/business/local/first-citizen-banks-frederick-attains-certification/article_88765130-16a1-11ee-897b-4f96d0c1f940.html |
GREENSBORO — In a bizarre incident, a person wielding a large knife and machete was shot and killed by police officers Friday night following a confrontation, authorities said.
Greensboro police were dispatched at 9:41 p.m. to the 3100 block of Creek Ridge Road in the city’s southeastern section. Callers to the Guilford Metro 911 center complained of gunfire with one resident reporting that they witnessed someone throwing knives.
When officers arrived, they saw fireworks being set off, but nothing out of the ordinary.
About 15 minutes later, however, more gunfire was reported in the area. Officers then found a person armed with a large knife and a machete on Creek Ridge Road near Rehobeth Church Road.
When officers approached the person, they fled.
A foot chase ensued. Over a mile, officers attempted to stop the suspect with pepper spray and a Taser.
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Eventually, the person made their way to the parking lot of a BP gas station at 2600 Randleman Road. Patrons had gathered outside the convenience store.
That's when the suspect stopped and advanced toward police. Three officers then fired their guns, hitting the person.
Officers provided aid until emergency medical personnel arrived.
The suspect was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead.
Police didn’t identify the deceased or the three officers, who have been placed on administrative duty.
Greensboro police has asked the State Bureau of Investigation to investigate the incident. The department’s professional standards division also will determine if the proper policies were followed. | https://greensboro.com/news/local/person-shot-greensboro-police-machete/article_a083cb4c-182a-11ee-99c8-f7ad89fb3e90.html | 2023-07-01T18:04:24 | 1 | https://greensboro.com/news/local/person-shot-greensboro-police-machete/article_a083cb4c-182a-11ee-99c8-f7ad89fb3e90.html |
These 8 affordable nature parks in Gainesville share a connection with water
If you’re in Gainesville, you’re likely to be over water right now.
Hogtown Creek starts, flows and disappears underground within the city's urban environment. Most people don’t notice the flow of water surrounding them and making its way towards the Floridan aquifer, the source of Gainesville’s drinking water, until they turn on their tap. But you don’t have to stay at home to see the water that makes it into your pipes.
Many of Gainesville’s nature parks are centered around the creek, the streams that branch from it, and the wetlands that surround it. Here are eight affordable, immersive parks that could be a quick drive away from your home.
1. Alfred A. Ring Park
1801 NW 23rd Blvd., Gainesville
Right next to Elks Lodge #990 in Gainesville is a small parking lot with an almost-hidden pathway into forested growth. This park has over a mile of trails around 21 acres of slope and upland mixed forests. A wooden overlook provides scenic views of the junction of Glen Springs Run and Hogtown Creek, as the clear water from Glen Springs contrasts with the tannic, almost orange, water from Hogtown Creek.
Lizards, birds, grey squirrels and other common wildlife can be seen along the trails. By following the main trail visitors can access restrooms, a small playground and picnic tables under a pavilion.
The park’s namesake, Alfred A. Ring, came to the United States from Germany at the age of 19. After receiving a bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree from New York University, he journeyed south to the University of Florida in 1947 for a teaching position.
Ring served as chairman of the Department of Real Estate and Land Studies and worked as a land evaluation consultant. His interest in real estate resulted in him donating 12 of the 20 acres that make up Ring park in 1985 to the City of Gainesville.
https://www.gainesvillefl.gov/Parks/Alfred-A.-Ring-Park; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily (March 15-Sept. 30) | 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily (Oct.1-March 14); free
2. Boulware Springs Park
3300 SE 15th St., Gainesville
This park is a starting point for the Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail, a 17-mile trail that was once a railroad and connects to Paynes Prairie. Near the parking lot is an abandoned 19th century waterworks building, which was used long ago as Gainesville’s water source. There is another entrance for horseback riders to unload horses and ride along the state trail. Hikers, bicyclists and horseback riders use the trail often.
The surrounding 80 acres of sandhill habitat, which once had extensive grasses, flowers and longleaf pine trees, is undergoing restoration by the city in conjunction with 20 acres of Alachua County’s Sweetwater Preserve and adjacent private lands.
Before human settlement, fires ignited by lightning were fairly common in the ecosystem and served as natural maintenance for the area. Now, prescribed burns and land management activities aim to restore the historic ecosystem, which has transitioned into shady laurel oak forests, and maintain the native plant and wildlife species.
The spring, purchased by the city for $2,500 in 1892 and tapped with a pipe in 1898, was Gainesville’s only water source for many years and supplied up to 300,000 gallons of water daily. The city’s large water supply was used to convince the University of Florida to locate to Gainesville in 1905.
It was abandoned in 1948 after completion of a water treatment plant. Approximately 194,000 gallons of water is produced daily from Boulware Springs and flows into Paynes Prairie. According to Florida State Parks, the site had more than just the historic waterworks building still seen today – it boasted attractions in the 1890s such as a zoo, dance pavilion and a roller coaster.
https://www.gainesvillefl.gov/Parks/Boulware-Springs-Nature-Park; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily (March 15 -Sept. 30) | 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily (Oct. 1-March 14); free
3. Cofrin Nature Park
4810 NW Eighth Ave., Gainesville
A half-mile long hiking trail winds through upland mixed and upland pine forests along Beville Heights Creek at this park, and seepage wetlands can be seen harboring the growth of ferns and wildflowers on the slopes above the creek.
Frogs, lizards, birds, box turtles and squirrels are common in this area, and informative signs about the ecosystem are placed along the trail. The park also has a tennis court, restrooms, playground and covered picnic area.
After a short walk on the nature trail, a reflection area with commemorative bricks, benches, and a six-pillar remembrance sculpture can be seen.
The Friends of the Crisis Center created the Judy Broward Survivors of Suicide Loss Memory Garden at Cofrin Park in 2013, named after a local Gainesville mother and suicide prevention advocate who lost her son to suicide in 2003.
The garden serves as a place of comfort, meditation and healing for those who have lost a loved one to suicide, or experienced loss in general. An engraved brick or a bench with a placard can be bought and placed in the garden.
Named after Mrs. Gladys Cofrin and the Cofrin family, the 30-acre park was once a working horse farm and family homestead. The former Cofrin house, which is advertised on the park’s information sign to be repurposed as an environmental education center, was actually demolished around eightyears ago.
https://www.gainesvillefl.gov/Parks/Cofrin-Nature-Park; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily (March 15-Sept.30) | 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily (Oct. 1-March 14); free
4. Hogtown Creek Headwaters Nature Park
1500 NW 45th Ave., Gainesville
Pinelands and upland mixed forests combined with fern-laden wetlands make up this 82-acre park, which has a 0.5-mile nature trail loop.
Water seeps from the wetland’s ground, forming the beginnings of Hogtown Creek. There is a large playground, fitness loop, picnic pavilion, nature center, kid-friendly musical instruments and restrooms here.
The nature center provides interactive information on the history of the area, the colonization of Alachua, Gainesville’s creeks and the species that live in the park.
Events such as “Perspectives in the Park,” typically on the first Sunday of the month, “Story Time at the Park” and “Citizen Science Sunday for Kids,” typically on the third Sunday of the month, are held at the Nature Center.
The area was once called Paradise, Florida, and the playground pays tribute to that name with a large “Welcome to Paradise” sign hanging above its entrance.
Francis Hartman purchased the 111 acres and moved to the area in 1888, building the original Hartman house. He started Hartman’s Dairy, and the family owned and used the land for five generations.
Hartman’s Dairy was run by his son, Merton Sr., into the early 1900s and ceased operations in 1961 after Francis Hartman’s death.
The family lived in the Hartman house until 2006, when they sold the property to Home Depot Corp., which built a store on five acres of the property that was once a golf driving range in the 1950s.
The City of Gainesville soon acquired 70 acres of the land from Home Depot in 2007, receiving donations from Home Depot of $1.2 million for acquisition and $250,000 for park development.
https://www.gainesvillefl.gov/Parks/Hogtown-Creek-Headwaters-Nature-Park-Nature-Center; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. March 15-Sept. 30 | 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct 1.-March 14; Nature Center Hours: Sunday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Year-round) Tues-Thurs: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (June-Sept) | Tues-Thurs: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Oct – May); free
5. Loblolly Woods Nature Park
3315 NW Fifth Ave., Gainesville
This park gets its name from its loblolly pines, claimed to be some of the largest in the region. Side trails and a quarter-mile boardwalk among the trees provide views of the 159-acre park.
Forested bottomland, wildflowers, sinkholes and bluffs above the creeks can all be seen in the park. The confluence of Possum Creek and Hogtown Creek is also present here.
It makes up a portion of Gainesville’s Hogtown Creek Greenway, which Friends of Nature Parks says is considered one of the best birding spots in the country.
https://www.gainesvillefl.gov/Parks/Loblolly-Woods-Nature-Park; open dawn to dusk daily; free
Learn more about Sweetwater:Paynes Prairie project quite a sight to behold
6. Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park
100 Savannah Blvd., Micanopy
On the outskirts of Gainesville is a park known for its wild-roaming bison and horses. However, alligators, deer, and nearly 300 species of birds are also present at Paynes Prairie. There are over 20 distinct biological communities in the park which provide multiple habitats for a plethora of wildlife and livestock.
There are eight trails that take visitors through over 30 miles of the prairie. The Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail, which starts at Boulware Springs, makes up one of the eight trails around the prairie.
An observation tower near the visitor center climbs 50 feet high and provides a panoramic view of the prairie and preserve. Amenities at the park include campsites for tent and RV camping, horseback riding, fishing, picnic tables, water activities, campfire circles, shower stations, a playground and a visitor center.
When artist and naturalist William Bartram visited the prairie in 1774, he referred to it as the Great Alachua Savannah in his writings. Once occupied by the Seminole Indians, the prairie is named after Chief King Payne, who also relocated the town of Cuscowilla – soon to become Paynes Town – to a site east of Lake Wauburg.
The Seminoles were driven out of the area after being defeated in the Second Seminole War and the savannah is now a registered National Landmark, becoming Florida’s first state preserve in 1971.
Much of the prairie is currently underwater, but that is not uncommon for the area due to its sediments and sinkholes. Between 1871 and 1891 water on Paynes Prairie was deep enough for paddleboat ferries to travel it.
https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/paynes-prairie-preserve-state-park; 8 a.m. to sundown daily; Visitor Center Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; Cost: $6 per vehicle
7. Springtree Park
2700 NW 39th Ave., Gainesville
Behind Creekside Community Church in the Springtree neighborhood, this park has a nature trail through pine flatwoods and slopes covered in ferns. It is near Three Lakes Creek, which is a tributary of – and flows into – Possum Creek, eventually going into the Floridan aquifer.
The park offers a playground, picnic area and fitness stations. A boardwalk lookout area provides immersed nature viewing.
The park was updated in 2020 with a new playground, fitness stations, park signage, a pavilion, and a deck that overlooks Three Lakes Creek. There were also improvements made to the park’s access and trails.
https://www.gainesvillefl.gov/Parks/Springtree-Park; dawn to dusk daily; free
8. Sweetwater Wetlands Park
325 SW Williston Road, Gainesville
This man-made system was designed to improve the water quality of wetlands in Paynes Prairie, the Alachua Sink and the Floridan aquifer, providing over 125 acres of wetlands and ponds for wildlife to thrive.
More than 3.5 miles of gravel trails and boardwalks take visitors around and above the wetlands. Alligators, Florida Cracker horses, butterflies and multiple species of birds live throughout the park. There are restrooms and multiple pavilions with seating areas in the park. Educational signs and tours allow visitors to learn about the habitat.
The Paynes Prairie Sheetflow Restoration Project began in 2009 to reduce pollution to the Alachua Sink by creating a wetland habitat and restoring the prairie’s natural sheetflow. The wetlands were completed by the city in 2015, restoring the natural flow of water to over 1,300 acres of once-drained wetlands in Paynes Prairie.
The park also increases the amount of conservation lands within Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park.
https://www.sweetwaterwetlands.org/; 7 a.m. to sunset; $5 per car or $2 per person (bicyclists, pedestrians, buses) | https://www.gainesville.com/story/entertainment/local/2023/07/01/gainesvilles-affordable-nature-parks-are-connected-through-water/70357629007/ | 2023-07-01T18:08:30 | 0 | https://www.gainesville.com/story/entertainment/local/2023/07/01/gainesvilles-affordable-nature-parks-are-connected-through-water/70357629007/ |
A torch procession and ceremony were held on the Boardwalk as part of the 43rd North American Bengali Conference in Atlantic City on Friday. The conference, held in Atlantic City for the third time since 1981, was expected to draw 8,000 people.
Matthew Strabuk Photos, Staff Photographer
Biplab Pebeb, president of the Sree Sree Gita Sangha group based in Atlantic City, with his drum at the Boardwalk event.
Matthew Strabuk, Staff Photographer
Edison resident Kiansha Mondal, 2, rides along the shoulders of her dad, Pritam, and gets a better view of all the festivities.
Matthew Strabuk, Staff Photographer
The 43rd North American Bengali Conference featured celebrations of independence and culture along the Atlantic City Boardwalk.
Matthew Strabuk, Staff Photographer
Matthew Strabuk, Staff Photographer
The Nendy family, of Union, from left: Iona, 13, Somali, Ava, 5, and Aloke. "This has bought people in the community together, not just from New Jersey, but from all over the country," Somali said.
Matthew Strabuk, Staff Photographer
Celebrating at the conference were, from left, Bithi Mukhopadhyay and Bhaskar Mukhopadhyay, both of Virginia, and Bijali Sinha and Manju Sinha, both of New Jersey.
ATLANTIC CITY — Plenty of events and activities, including a torch-lighting ceremony and procession on the Boardwalk on Friday, awaited the 8,000 people in town for the 43rd annual North American Bengali Conference.
It was the third time the city has hosted the conference — named for a region bordering India and Bangladesh in South Asia. The conference was first held here in 1981.
But it was the first time in its history the event featured a Celebration of Freedom ceremony.
The ceremony celebrated not only America's independence during Fourth of July weekend but also colonial India's independence from the British Empire over 75 years ago, in 1947, said Milton Chowdhury, the regional director of operations for the conference.
"The light from the torches signifies the light of freedom," said Chowdhury. "It brings hope."
The ceremony started at Bader Field and made its way to the Albany Avenue Boardwalk. After a couple of light Bengali cultural chants, the group made its way down to Kennedy Plaza for a light procession and the finishing of the torch ceremony.
Somali Nendy, of Scotch Plains, Union County, was happy she attended the unique, diverse event.
"This has bought people in the community together, not just from New Jersey, but from all over the country," said Nendy, who was accompanied by her husband and two daughters, Iona, 13, and Ava, 5. "There are pockets of the community all over, but those different pockets are isolated."
Nendy said local Bengali organizations host community events throughout the year but the most happen during November and October for the Goddess of Power, Durga's celebration.
"A lot of the time, there are seven to eight different events happening at one time, not just in New Jersey, but all over, so it's hard to meet everyone in the community," Nendy added. "It's great that this one event is happening at a different time of year than when they usually host them, so it allows us to come together and meet others in the community."
Dozens of women dressed in brightly colored, traditional cotton and silk Bengal sarees sang in harmony while men dressed in customary dhoti pants and punjabi tops clapped in unison.
Biplab Pebeb, the president of Sree Sree Gita Sangha, a Bangladeshi Hindu group that hosted the conference, beat the traditional two-headed dhol drum as people marched in unison. Some people carried artifacts, while others held signs featuring famous Bengali leaders, such as Sheikh Mubiur Rahman, known as the "Father of the Nation."
Nendy said it was also a great way for her two daughters to learn more about their Bengali culture.
"I came here from India, and my kids were born here, so they have no other way to know about the culture other than what we teach them," said Nendy, whose older daughter participated in a ceremonial dance.
"She's not only learning the dance, but she's with people from different backgrounds, who range in different ages, and is learning from them. She even tries to learn the language more and watch the older movies. And that makes my job exposing her to the culture easier. I'm appreciative of the event for the culture."
The conference, including concert performances, was scheduled to end Sunday.
PHOTOS Bengali torch procession and ceremony in Atlantic City
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A torch procession and ceremony were held on the Boardwalk as part of the 43rd North American Bengali Conference in Atlantic City on Friday. The conference, held in Atlantic City for the third time since 1981, was expected to draw 8,000 people.
The Nendy family, of Union, from left: Iona, 13, Somali, Ava, 5, and Aloke. "This has bought people in the community together, not just from New Jersey, but from all over the country," Somali said.
Celebrating at the conference were, from left, Bithi Mukhopadhyay and Bhaskar Mukhopadhyay, both of Virginia, and Bijali Sinha and Manju Sinha, both of New Jersey. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/weekend-bengali-conference-and-torch-procession-light-up-atlantic-city/article_9fe35fbc-1781-11ee-9bb8-4ba8d4292f00.html | 2023-07-01T18:14:25 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/weekend-bengali-conference-and-torch-procession-light-up-atlantic-city/article_9fe35fbc-1781-11ee-9bb8-4ba8d4292f00.html |
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On an exceptionally clear September night in 1959, Byrd Field’s air traffic control phone blinked red as dozens of calls began to come in.
By the start of the next shift change, the call log continued to tally as pilots called to report an unfamiliar object zooming across the sky, leaving behind a trail of green flames before disappearing entirely.
Along roadways, motorists stopped to catch a glimpse of the cigar-shaped anomaly with a “brilliantly glowing head.” All across the city – and the surrounding area – the curious watched from back decks and front yards.
One East End resident told The Times-Dispatch that the object was "a kind of eerie, light-green color ... with a ball about the size of my head ... and a bushy-like stream of fire behind it" about 3 feet long.
While authorities were quick to dismiss the sightings as nothing more than a meteor, it didn’t quell Richmonders suspicions of otherworldly visitors and potential government cover-ups.
It would not be the last time sightings of unidentified flying objects and the possibility of green men from Mars graced the pages of The Times-Dispatch.
According to the National UFO Reporting Center, July marks the month with the most UFO sightings in the country. In the past 10 years, there have been 71 recorded sightings in the city alone – ranging in severity from bright lights to crafts flying over Interstate 95.
Like most, Richmonders have long searched for answers regarding potential life in the cosmos with varying degrees of interest throughout its history.
When the United States Air Force released the 1968 Condon Report, the result of the University of Colorado UFO Project’s years of work in which it studied UFO activity across the country, newspapers across the nation, including in Richmond, were filled with news of its findings.
The report, which stated it could not definitively find evidence of visitors from outer space, coupled with an ever-growing distrust in the government, launched a spate of new sightings that popped up in print as folks felt emboldened to share their own experiences.
Richmond resident Larry Bryant wrote in to criticize the military’s findings – citing them as a missed opportunity for the government to take its residents seriously.
“An attempt to divert criticism from the Air Force’s shoddy handling of UFO-sighting reports – the American taxpayer must now look to the efforts of the amateur 'UFOlogists' – those dedicated researchers who use their own funds, for the most part, to track down UFO data and to publish it for all the world to see and judge,” Bryant stated.
While much of the late '60s was consumed with the results, The Times-Dispatch had already gotten a head start with reports filing in as early as the 1950s.
In 1959, the Times-Dispatch reported on the disappearance of the Jackson family in Mineral, Virginia.
When the four family members went missing outside of their home, reporters detailed the exhaustive search conducted as well as all of the potential possibilities that could have occurred – including “the chance of unidentified flying objects” and alien abductions with the lead investigator stating he "won't discount any possibility until the Jacksons (were) found."
That same year, the Times-Dispatch reported and advertised a local UFO-watch group which consisted of residents looking to find their own answers 10 years prior to the Condon report.
The tradition continued into the 1960s when there was seldom a month in which The Times-Dispatch did not include an article regarding UFOs.
According to science reporter Beverly Orndorff, who wrote many of the paper’s UFO and alien-related articles, 1966 proved to be a year consumed by “a wave of UFO sightings that appears to be sweeping the nation and this area of Virginia.”
Earlier that summer, a Richmond police officer reported he had chased a large, dirigible-shaped object that was about 300 feet in the air. His story was backed by a Henrico County patrolman who said he saw a similar object in the same area the same night.
In July of that year, a milk deliveryman reported that he had seen a flying object near the tree tops that made a whistling sound as it bobbed above him while on his Goochland route. A few nights earlier, a Prince Edward County deputy sheriff reported watching a hovering dome-shaped object before it touched down in Farmville.
“The jokes about such sightings are many. But so are the serious questions,” Orndorff wrote in the Aug. 22, 1966, edition of The Times-Dispatch.
Reports of sightings typically fall along a bell curve. There will be a few here and there then, a bigger event will take hold and reports flood in before settling back down.
When the Watergate scandal first made headlines and began to take hold, the months that followed found numerous local entries of UFO sightings.
In 1973, UFOs were spotted in Sussex, Williamsburg, Front Royal, Hanover, Fauquier, and Manassas as well as hovering above Franklin Street in downtown Richmond – negating earlier comments made by a reader in 1971 who asked, “Whatever happened to those UFOs?”
For a string of several days, the Virginia State Police reported receiving 30 to 40 calls from residents in the Richmond area reporting unidentified flying objects, according to the Oct. 23, 1973, edition of The Times-Dispatch.
By the end of 1975, the curve had begun to descend. Reports came in fewer and fewer before falling into a lull. Then, in 1988, interest sparked again, when dozens of Wythe County residents came forward to report unusual sightings in the sky lasting for days on end.
A town hall meeting was held to determine what to do. Ultimately, it landed on a marketing campaign. Local businesses joined in, promoting UFO enthusiasts to the region.
A Texaco Travel Store and Comfort Inn sign, just off of Interstate 81 in Wytheville and visible to anyone passing through, read “Free fill-ups for any UFO craft and free rooms at the motel for aliens.”
Another read: “One of the reasons you can’t hear those UFOs is they’re running on Texaco gas.”
T-shirts by the hundreds were sold and the usually sleepy location became a hotbed for tourism with residents either all-in or all-out.
“If you get something started in this town, it’ll spread all over, and they’ll make a bunch of gossip out of it,” resident James Moore said in the Jan. 3, 1988 edition of the Times-Dispatch. “They have been up to the moon, they claim. They’d have seen something ain’t nothing out in space but rocks.”
A month prior to the reported sightings, headlines reading of President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s medium-range nuclear missiles treaty signing took center stage.
While some hold true to the belief that aliens are out there, urging folks to trust no one, others disregard the matter entirely. It is a debate that has filled the pages of print for decades. Until then, Richmonders, and others alike, will have to resign themselves to the notion that the truth is out there.
In December 1968, the first licenses since 1916 for the legal sale of mixed liquors by the drink in Richmond were issued. Here, waiter James Smith served the first cocktails in the city to Fred Runyan (left) and Paul D. Bailey at the Hotel John Marshall’s Captain’s Grill restaurant.
8/10/2015: This January 1967 image shows the new Bull & Bear Club, located on the 23rd floor of the Fidelity Bankers Life Building at Ninth and Main streets in Richmond. Among other amenities, members enjoyed an intimate lounge area where they could monitor the New York Stock Exchange via a ticker behind the bar. The club, which later moved to the James Center, closed in May 2015.
In April 1968, David Long manned the bar at an exhibit at a Virginia Restaurant Association convention, and Barbara Ann Brigel took a spot along the brass rail. That year, the General Assembly allowed whiskey-by-the-drink to become a local option in Virginia.
In April 1969, C. Ronald Spindler, the instructor at the Virginia School of Professional Bartending in Richmond, mixed a martini. Liquor by the drink had become legal in Richmond in the previous December, and Spindler (who also was director of beverage services at a Holiday Inn) had quickly taught more than 100 budding bartenders. His courses, which lasted 2½ weeks, focused on what he called “the 48 basic cocktails” – with the martini at the top of the list.
In January 1969, Kimberly Farmer mixed a drink at Michael’s, a restaurant on Fifth Street in Richmond. Liquor by the drink had become legal in Richmond the month before, and she was among about a half-dozen women who had recently taken local bartending jobs. Farmer previously worked as a bartender in Miami and New Orleans. “A lot of people who have read too many paperback novels think of a bartender as a low-class person without morals, but 90 percent of the girls I’ve ever worked with at a bar are happily married women with families,” she said.
10-16-1968 (cutline): Bartender mixes drink aboard Chesapeake & Ohio Railway 'Food Bar Car' during stop at Richmond's Main Street Station. Virginia's first legal drink of hard liquor in more than 50 years was sold aboard the train at 1:28 p.m. Thursday.
Do you remember any of these local establishments?
In December 1968, the first licenses since 1916 for the legal sale of mixed liquors by the drink in Richmond were issued. Here, waiter James Smith served the first cocktails in the city to Fred Runyan (left) and Paul D. Bailey at the Hotel John Marshall’s Captain’s Grill restaurant.
Joe Colognori
8/10/2015: This January 1967 image shows the new Bull & Bear Club, located on the 23rd floor of the Fidelity Bankers Life Building at Ninth and Main streets in Richmond. Among other amenities, members enjoyed an intimate lounge area where they could monitor the New York Stock Exchange via a ticker behind the bar. The club, which later moved to the James Center, closed in May 2015.
Don Pennell RTD Staff
In April 1968, David Long manned the bar at an exhibit at a Virginia Restaurant Association convention, and Barbara Ann Brigel took a spot along the brass rail. That year, the General Assembly allowed whiskey-by-the-drink to become a local option in Virginia.
Colognori
In April 1969, C. Ronald Spindler, the instructor at the Virginia School of Professional Bartending in Richmond, mixed a martini. Liquor by the drink had become legal in Richmond in the previous December, and Spindler (who also was director of beverage services at a Holiday Inn) had quickly taught more than 100 budding bartenders. His courses, which lasted 2½ weeks, focused on what he called “the 48 basic cocktails” – with the martini at the top of the list.
Staff photo
In January 1969, Kimberly Farmer mixed a drink at Michael’s, a restaurant on Fifth Street in Richmond. Liquor by the drink had become legal in Richmond the month before, and she was among about a half-dozen women who had recently taken local bartending jobs. Farmer previously worked as a bartender in Miami and New Orleans. “A lot of people who have read too many paperback novels think of a bartender as a low-class person without morals, but 90 percent of the girls I’ve ever worked with at a bar are happily married women with families,” she said.
P.A. Gormus, Jr.
09-03-1981: Bartenders serve drinks at local bar.
Staff photo
06-03-1985: Two women enjoy a drink at the Tobacco Company Bar.
Don Long
03-15-1985 (cutline): Happy hour drinks served at local bar.
Staff photo
10-16-1968 (cutline): Bartender mixes drink aboard Chesapeake & Ohio Railway 'Food Bar Car' during stop at Richmond's Main Street Station. Virginia's first legal drink of hard liquor in more than 50 years was sold aboard the train at 1:28 p.m. Thursday.
Amir Pishdad
06-13-1978 (cutline): Bartender Bill Guilford waits for customer's approval of fancy cocktail at Richmond bar.
Staff photo
10-16-1958 (cutline): Chinese red bar gives room two faces. Open doors and den is ready for a party. Home bar in Richmond.
Staff photo
04-25-1954: Home bar in Richmond.
Staff photo
05-08-1983: Stonewall Cafe
Staff photo
Cafe crew--Owners Kenny Bendheim (from left) and Billy Baker join bartender Jim Rea in welcoming customers to the Stonewall Cafe in the Fan District. | https://richmond.com/news/local/history/richmond-wants-to-believe-ufo-sightings-through-the-years/article_71d5db3e-15e9-11ee-8ada-1fa9c237cfd8.html | 2023-07-01T18:17:00 | 1 | https://richmond.com/news/local/history/richmond-wants-to-believe-ufo-sightings-through-the-years/article_71d5db3e-15e9-11ee-8ada-1fa9c237cfd8.html |
The Richmond Times-Dispatch is welcoming its 2023 summer interns in the metro news, sports, photography and advertising departments.
Let's meet them.
Katie Castellani - Metro
Katie is a May graduate of the University of Richmond, receiving her bachelor's in journalism. She is a native of greater Boston.
Katie wrote for the University of Richmond's student newspaper, The Collegian, and served as City & State Section Editor and copy editor. She freelanced for the Chesterfield Observer, interned at the Henrico Citizen and was a team leader for University of Richmond’s Capital News Service.
Internship goals: "I want to get experience covering a lot of different beats, connecting more with the community and then diving into some bigger issues. Just pursue big stories, keep practicing journalism and get better at it."
People are also reading…
Why journalism?: "I took this class freshman year called News Media in Society, and we watched 'Spotlight,' which is about the Boston Globe's coverage of the Catholic Church abuse scandal. I have a personal connection with it because I'm from Boston, and it kind of struck a chord. I also just like watching the process of the investigative reporters."
"I want to do something that kind of helps people, but also tell this part of storytelling. So I feel like journalism is a good way of connecting those."
Favorite story at the RTD thus far: "The bee one (about swarms of bees popping up this year) was cool; that was fun to just play with words about bees. The Memorial Day one was was cool too; I like to talk to all kinds of different people, and it was cool to talk to the veterans."
Show you’re currently watching: "Junior Bake Off"
Last concert you attended: Kenny Chesney and Kelsea Ballerini
Career goals: "I just want to keep reporting, dive into deeper issues. I want to step more into the hard news side of things like courts. I think it'd be cool to do some investigative reporting as well."
Gabriela de Camargo Gonçalves - Metro
Gabi grew up in Sao Paulo, Brazil, moving to Columbus, Ohio, in 2016. She is a senior at Virginia Commonwealth University, majoring in digital journalism.
Gabi held the roles of editor in chief, managing editor, arts and culture editor and news writer for VCU's student newspaper, The Commonwealth Times. Gabi has written for Capital News Service and freelanced for outlets such as Business Insider.
Internship goals: "I want to tell stories. I want to figure out exactly what field I want to go into. I want to explore all different facets of journalism, and see what The Times-Dispatch is all about."
Why journalism?: "I've always wanted to be a writer; the written word in journalism always seemed really dynamic and important to me."
"When the pandemic happened, and the protests happened, I saw how important it was to give voice to the voiceless, make an impact and actually tell the truth and represent communities. I realized that I really love talking to people and seeing what makes them move, live and make an impact."
Favorite story at the RTD thus far: "It's really hard to choose because they're all so different; it's like choosing your favorite child."
"My first day here, I was asked to write a story about how to stay safe during the summer, and because that was my first one, I was just so excited. I got to talk to lifeguards, and I got to go to a fire station where I even got to climb into a fire truck. So that was really cool, and although it was a simple premise, it was really fun writing it."
Show you’re currently watching: "The Other Two"
Last concert you attended: Taylor Swift
Career goals: "I strayed away from reporting for a little bit. Now that I'm back into it, I just remember how much I love it. I definitely want to keep reporting, because I could just do this forever."
Kenaiya Fountain - Advertising
Naiya is a native Richmonder and a senior at North Carolina A&T University. She is double majoring in psychology and journalism and mass communications.
Internship goals: "I am so excited to be interning with the Richmond Times-Dispatch to meet new people and connections, gain experience in my field and collaborate with fellow coworkers and community partners."
Why advertising?: "I have a passion for creating content and marketing; I like seeing insights and impressions, and how the influence of a post can impact a business or company."
Favorite part of the RTD thus far: "I like the openness of the environment and how I'm able to express and strategize my ideas."
Show you're currently watching: "All American"
Last concert you attended: New Edition
Career goals: "My career goals include bridging psychology and public relations together by creating a platform to help people."
Nicolas Galindo - Metro and Photo
Nick served in the Marine Corps for six years, including a deployment to Iraq in 2009. He is a graduate student at Southern Illinois University, and is set to receive his master's in multimedia journalism in December.
Nick, of Villa Park, Illinois, previously worked at The Columbus Dispatch in Columbus, Ohio, and was the chief photographer at The News-Star in Monroe, Louisiana. He has been featured in the 2019 USA Today photo calendar and in The Washington Post, Reuters and the Associated Press.
Internship goals: "Do great work and get to learn more about Richmond. Develop some skill sets that I don't really utilize. I don't write very often, so that'd be a nice skill set to start growing and developing as well to be able to do more than just the visual aspect. And just getting to know everyone here in the office and networking."
Why photography?: "My father came across an old Pentax camera and he said, 'Here, figure it out.' I took a film class in high school and developed my skills from there. Then, I was in the military for six years and got the opportunity to go to college because of that."
"I was good at writing papers and reading books, so I went for an English degree, and then remembered that I wanted to do something with photography. I took a class for beginning photojournalism and they said, 'Here's a camera, go figure it out, have fun.' And I just kind of fell in love with it."
Favorite story at the RTD thus far: "The (Beulah) Rec Center, that was a fun one. It was an old school that was built in the 1930s, and then it fell in disarray. Then the community of Chesterfield remodeled it, and now it's a community rec center, which is actually pretty cool."
"I (photographed state Sen.) Lashrecse Aird's win; that was actually really fun. It was my first time getting back into the swing of journalism again, and you're sitting there like 'should I edit now, or should I give it another five minutes because something else might happen?'"
Show you’re currently watching: "Black Mirror"
Last concert you attended: Megadeth
Career goals: "I want to finish my master's degree and then go wherever I can. Career-wise, it's all up in the air right now."
Je'Nae Hill - Advertising
Je'Nae is a junior at Old Dominion University, majoring in graphic design. She is back in her hometown of Richmond to intern at The Times-Dispatch.
Internship goals: "I look forward to using this internship as a space to begin practicing my skills while also networking with like-minded individuals."
Why advertising?: "I plan to use my education as not only a source of generational wealth but also as room to express my passion for art and advocacy in an impactful way."
Favorite part of the RTD thus far: "The opportunity aspect of expressing my creativity in an impactful way."
Show you're currently watching: "The Night Agent"
Last concert you attended: Maverick City Music and Kirk Franklin
Career goals: "I plan to become a Brand Strategist which will enable me to lead creativity for multi-million-dollar companies and supporting organizations."
Savannah Reger - Sports
Savannah, of Leesburg, graduated from James Madison University in May with her media arts and design bachelor's. She worked for JMU's student newspaper, The Breeze, as managing editor, sports editor, staff writer and staff photographer.
Savannah has also written for the Daily News-Record, Softball America, the Harrisonburg Citizen and LoCo Sports.
Internship goals: "I really want to work on some more long-form reporting. I really want to be able to expand my writing to a bunch of different areas like data journalism and visual journalism along with print work. And just wanting to see what it's like to actually be in the newsroom versus just my college paper."
Why sports journalism?: "When I was growing up, my parents were big into hockey. So I remember watching it and being like, 'Oh my gosh, it'd be so fun to work in sports.' I didn't really want to be a marketer, I didn't really want to work at the business side, but I've always loved writing, so I was like 'OK, let's try writing.'"
"I just really liked it because I like to think of it as stories about athletes versus just game stories. Because not only are you talking about sports, which is great, but at the same time you're talking about people."
Favorite story at the RTD thus far: "The other week, I collaborated with another writer on the story about the Virginia High School League's ruling (on lacrosse teams being forced to play on short rest). And I thought that was a really fun story to work on because we're looking at something that impacted a lot of people: impacted travel plans, parents, athletes themselves. So we were able to put together a really complete story."
Show you’re currently watching: "Modern Family"
Last concert you attended: Taylor Swift
Career goals: "I'm looking at a bunch of different options. I definitely love writing and definitely want to stay in writing. And I definitely would love to work in sports journalism if possible, but sometimes things happen."
Saige-Lynn Stewart - Advertising
Saige-Lynn graduated as Varina High School's Class of 2023 Valedictorian. She will attend Virginia Commonwealth University, majoring in cinema at the School of the Arts.
Internship goals: "What I would like to get from this internship is hands on experience."
Why advertising?: "It's the closest to my major, so I'm getting more experience in cinema through multimedia work here."
Favorite part of the RTD thus far: "Learning from Kelli Lemon, Matt (Pochily), Mike (Szvetitz) and Bill (Barksdale). They're really interesting people, and it's really cool to see what they do and execute really well."
Show you're currently watching: "Criminal Minds"
Last concert you attended: "I've never been to a concert in my life, but I want to go to a SZA concert."
Career goals: "My favorite genres are crime and mystery, so I would love to produce and direct those films."
Margo Wagner - Photo
Margo is a journalism graduate student at the University of Missouri and is scheduled to graduate in December. She is making her return to the Commonwealth this summer, originally hailing from Alexandria.
Margo has been a staff photographer, photo editor and assistant director of Photography at the Columbia Missourian in Columbia, Missouri. She also served as reporter and photographer for Monteverde News in Costa Rica, multimedia editor at Vox Magazine, reporting intern at the Alexandria Times and student coordinator for the Missouri Photo Workshop.
Internship goals: "I want to become a better photographer and get used to the daily grind of being a staff photographer. I'm also hoping to complete at least one project and stick with someone long-term."
Why photography?: "When I started taking photos, I realized that I could get a lot more access, and I could get myself into situations in a more deeper and and more intimate way that I felt I could as a words reporter. I also am a very visual person; how things look has always mattered to a lot to me, and being able to organize things visually."
Favorite story at the RTD thus far: "Probably the elementary school Aladdin performance. That was a lot of fun; I got to go behind the scenes and be with the kids when they were getting their makeup done and they were doing their pre-show warmups."
"There's also a photo I like from the Memorial Day celebration of a young boy reaching over in the Virginia War Memorial to place a flower."
Show you’re currently watching: "Taskmaster" and "Ted Lasso"
Last concert you attended: Post Sex Nachos
Career goals: "I would like a job as a staff photographer." | https://richmond.com/news/local/meet-the-2023-richmond-times-dispatch-summer-interns/article_e288f1a2-0498-11ee-92ed-976dee71e85e.html | 2023-07-01T18:17:06 | 0 | https://richmond.com/news/local/meet-the-2023-richmond-times-dispatch-summer-interns/article_e288f1a2-0498-11ee-92ed-976dee71e85e.html |
Julia Perkinson's Eastern Henrico home is enveloped by 2 acres of vibrant flowers, their beauty begging to be captured in a photograph. But she can’t share the picturesque scene on Facebook.
Perkinson’s house is one in a cluster in Varina that doesn’t have access to high-speed internet, commonly known as broadband. The satellite alternative is patchy at best.
After retiring from her career at the Virginia Department of Housing, Perkinson hoped she could create a small retirement business by selling her plants, like day lilies and roses, on Facebook. But she’s never been able to get that business up and running.
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Because there is no broadband connection in her corner of Varina, Perkinson relies on cellular data from her phone, which isn’t consistent enough to run her business.
“Broadband access seems like something that everyone should have,” Perkinson said. “The way it is now, I feel I’ve been hindered in trying to start my business.”
Her property is about a 25-minute drive from downtown Richmond, though firmly planted in a rural landscape of winding roads and fields of crops.
Perkinson’s home, and countless others across the state, are due for an upgrade.
The U.S. government announced last week that Virginia will benefit from a massive $45 billion nationwide investment for rural broadband high-speed internet service. Virginia is receiving a grant of $1.5 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to grow its broadband connectivity.
Perkinson said it can’t come soon enough. She’s learned to adapt her schedule so she can use hotspots in the early hours of the morning, around 2 a.m., when the data seems to come in the smoothest.
She is one of many rural Virginians who have been told by mainstream internet providers like Verizon and Comcast that it would cost tens of thousands of dollars out of homeowners’ pockets to stretch fiber optic cables to their homes.
Many without broadband access use hotspots, which are devices that provide wireless internet. They tend to provide unreliable connection and slower speeds.
Challenges in Hanover
In the rural Doswell area of Hanover County that lacks broadband access, Jordan Colombo’s family had a “painful” experience during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when school and work went virtual.
“For [the kids], it's hard to get them to sit down and sit still anyways in class, but having [the internet] consistently cut off, or they're talking and nobody can hear them, it was frustrating,” Colombo said. “We were pushing very hard to get them back to school just because it just wasn't feasible for them. They weren't learning, and it was hard for them to stay connected with other kids.”
The family used hotspots, which proved to be troublesome. Almost every hour, Colombo went outside to twist the hotspot device, attempting to connect it.
Thankfully for the Colombo family, Hanover County Public Schools transitioned back to in-person learning faster than surrounding localities. It was the only school division in Virginia to fully open for the entirety of the 2020-2021 school year with face-to-face learning five days a week.
“The school knew it was hard and a struggle out here,” he said, referencing the unreliable internet connection.
Colombo also ran into trouble working from home and having Zoom calls get dropped.
“Trying to lead an operation [without high-speed internet] is super hard,” he said.
Last summer, the family was able to get Starlink, a satellite internet service from Elon Musk’s spacecraft company SpaceX. The family was on a waitlist for two years before it was able to receive the service.
“We're in a good spot now [with Starlink], but I'm glad they're getting broadband out here,” Colombo said.
A Hanover couple who live about 18 miles away, near the Goochland border, also use Starlink, but they said it doesn’t always work well. The internet connection is intermittent, especially at night, and it costs $120 a month, Jeff Bohn said. Broadband connection would be cheaper and faster.
Spotty internet connection isn’t the end of the world for a couple who spend much of their time at home painting portraits, gardening, or tending to their chickens and donkeys. But Bohn’s wife, Christy Talbott, is considering livestreaming art classes, and wouldn’t be able to do that without reliable internet.
Hanover County announced last year an initiative that aims to provide broadband and high-speed internet access to all unserved homes and businesses in the county within the next three years. The county partnered with All Points Broadband as its internet service provider to deliver broadband access through fiber optics.
Henrico County also teamed up with All Points Broadband to bring fiber optic connections to 412 addresses, including 376 residences, 22 businesses and 14 other buildings like churches, nonprofits and county facilities in rural Varina.
Waiting in Varina
Marquita Sea, who lives in a small subdivision off New Market Road in rural Varina, has been waiting for 12 years for high-speed internet. She’s heard many times before about initiatives to bring broadband to her neighborhood. She’ll believe it when she sees it, she said.
She and her husband built the house in 2011, moving from an area of Eastern Henrico closer to the city of Richmond.
“I had access to anything I wanted [before]. Now, it’s like fighting tooth and nail to get anything,” Sea said.
They’ve tried to make due with cellphone hotspots and work-provided hotspots, like many others in their situation.
The family struggled during the pandemic, when schools shut down and students had to learn virtually from home. Sea has three children; one who recently graduated from high school, one rising 4th grader and a rising 8th grader, who all used school-provided hotspots during the pandemic.
Even now, much of their schoolwork still relies on the internet.
“Nothing really is on paper, all of the work is online,” Sea said. “And, they're expected to log onto things like PowerSchool or Schoology to get their work and then to submit their work. It's still expected as if we have [internet].”
Sea, a professor at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, uses the hotspot sometimes for classes over Zoom. She said it is still a headache because the hotspots overheat and have data limits that slow down access speeds.
She also has trouble using her Peloton exercise bike, which doesn’t always connect to her hotspots.
Her mother, who lives down the street, was able to connect to broadband a few years ago.
“I have thought several times about selling [the house] even though this isn't the market for … buying,” she said. “We wanted to not be here specifically because of this.”
If broadband does come to her neighborhood soon, Sea said, she’ll be “extremely happy.” | https://richmond.com/news/local/rural-residents-near-richmond-still-waiting-for-high-speed-internet/article_f19014a0-178a-11ee-8d73-57edad7daf9a.html | 2023-07-01T18:17:12 | 0 | https://richmond.com/news/local/rural-residents-near-richmond-still-waiting-for-high-speed-internet/article_f19014a0-178a-11ee-8d73-57edad7daf9a.html |
Body found in Avondale canal by worker; investigation underway
Fernando Cervantes Jr.
Arizona Republic
On Saturday morning in Avondale, a man was found in a canal, police confirmed.
The discovery initially made by a canal worker near Garden Lanes Parkway and Orange Blossom Lane was made sometime around 9 a.m. on July 1.
The identity of the man has not been released and an investigation is underway by Avondale police detectives.
This is a developing story. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/southwest-valley/2023/07/01/avondale-police-investigating-body-found-in-canal/70376047007/ | 2023-07-01T18:21:14 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/southwest-valley/2023/07/01/avondale-police-investigating-body-found-in-canal/70376047007/ |
A man drowned after rescuing two children who got into trouble while swimming at an eastern Pennsylvania state park, authorities said.
The Bucks County coroner's office said Marvin Alexan Fernandez Chicas, 37, “disappeared in the water” after rescuing the children who were swimming at Nockamixon State Park on Thursday evening.
The coroner's office said Friday that the cause of his death had been confirmed as drowning following an autopsy and the manner of death appeared to be accidental. Coroner Meredith Buck said in a statement that the office is extending “its deepest condolences” to his family.
Wesley Robinson, spokesperson for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said the two children were seen struggling in the Tohickon Creek in the cliffs area at about 5 p.m. Thursday. Chicas went in and got the children to shore, then began to struggle, Robinson said. His body was found by divers in the lake more than two hours later.
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Swimming is prohibited in the creek and in the 1,450-acre Lake Nockamixon, the largest in the county, Robinson said.
Fire Chief Harry Grim of Haycock Township, who said about 10 divers were involved in the search, told WFMZ-TV that many parts of the lake are deceptive and dangerous.
“Unfortunately, people don’t follow the rules, and the sad reality is it’s not a smooth, gradual slope under the water, and they step off into a deep area, they take a gulp of water, and they die unfortunately. It shouldn’t happen, but it does,” Grim said. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/man-drowns-after-rescuing-2-children-swimming-at-bucks-county-state-park/3596529/ | 2023-07-01T18:22:10 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/man-drowns-after-rescuing-2-children-swimming-at-bucks-county-state-park/3596529/ |
Police in Philadelphia are investigating after a shooting on Friday night left a man dead in the city's Point Breeze neighborhood.
According to police, officers responded to a shooting at about 10:18 p.m. on Friday along the1400 block of S. 19th Street, to find a man -- who police have not identified -- laying the the roadway after he had been shot "multiple times throughout his body."
Officers took the man to a nearby hospital where, police said, he was pronounced at about 10:51 p.m.
Law enforcement officials said that there have been no arrests made, but an investigation is ongoing.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/man-killed-in-philadelphias-point-breeze-neighborhood/3596530/ | 2023-07-01T18:22:16 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/man-killed-in-philadelphias-point-breeze-neighborhood/3596530/ |
Midland man arrested for allegedly striking Capitol officer with flagpole on Jan. 6
A Midland man, who previously worked as a staffer in the Michigan Senate, has been arrested for allegedly striking a Capitol Police officer with a flagpole and being within feet of the doors to the U.S. House chamber on Jan. 6, 2021.
A statement from an FBI agent filed in federal court and unsealed Friday showed images of Jeremy Rodgers, 28, a former Midland City Council candidate, carrying a Donald Trump flag as he moved through the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Rodgers allegedly used the flagpole as a weapon and struck one Capitol officer three times on the helmet, said the statement from Nicholas Vanderploeg, a special agent for the FBI.
"The strikes are loud enough to be heard in videos documenting the assault," Vanderploeg wrote.
The Department of Justice announced Friday that Rodgers was charged with several felonies: assault on a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon, civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and act of physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Rodgers was also charged with misdemeanor offenses of disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, act of physical violence in a Capitol building or on Capitol grounds, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building, the Department of Justice said.
The FBI received multiple tips from individuals who knew Rodgers personally and identified him as one of the individuals pictured among the FBI's "most wanted" from the Jan. 6, 2021, violence at the U.S. Capitol. The FBI says images from Jan. 6 showed Rodgers extending a "flagpole over his head immediately before bringing it down" on an officer's head, according to court documents.
Rodgers was arrested in Orlando, Florida, the Department of Justice said.
Court documents said Rodgers, carrying a blue flag attached to a wooden flagpole, approached a line of law enforcement officers guarding the East Rotunda Door and struck a Capitol police officer three times. Court documents said Rodgers struck down the flagpole twice more in the direction of the officers.
The FBI said images from Jan. 6 showed Rodgers "extending the flagpole over his head immediately before bringing it down" on an officer's head.
Twitter had given Rodgers the nickname "The Freshman Flagger," because of his youthful appearance and his use of the flagpole, according to court documents.
Rodgers previously and unsuccessfully sought election to Midland City Council in 2018 and 2020, according to the Midland Daily News. In November 2018, he lost a race for the Ward 1 seat on the council by 28 votes to Pam Hall, according to city election results.
A 2020 campaign finance disclosure identified Rodgers as a "constituent rep" for then-state Sen. Jim Stamas, R-Midland. Stamas, who was then-chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Stamas was termed out of the Michigan Senate at the end of 2022.
“It is very disappointing to learn Jeremy may have been involved in any of the events on Jan 6,” Stamas said Saturday. “I believe any individual who illegally entered our Capital should be prosecuted according to the law.”
Rodgers left Stamas’ office in November 2020, the former senator said.
Campaign finance disclosures also show that former Attorney General Bill Schuette's 2018 gubernatorial campaign paid Rodgers $5,625 in wages.
In a Facebook post, the Midland County Republican Party said Rodgers had not been active in the party for some time.
"These charges are very serious," the post says. "The Midland County Republican Party supports our men and women in law enforcement. Political violence has no place in our constitutional republic."
cmauger@detroitnews.com | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/07/01/midland-man-flagpole-struck-capitol-police-officer-arrested-florida/70375858007/ | 2023-07-01T18:26:32 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/07/01/midland-man-flagpole-struck-capitol-police-officer-arrested-florida/70375858007/ |
FAIRFIELD, Calif. — Fairfield Police officers found a 25-year-old woman dead in a motel room Saturday morning, officials say.
According to police, reports came in around 1:25 a.m. Saturday that a woman was possibly dying in a motel room in the 2100 block of Texas Street.
Officers went to the motel where they found the woman dead. Investigators are now looking into the case, calling the death suspicious.
Witnesses and anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 707-428-7300.
Watch more from ABC10: Fairfield parents on edge as sex offenders move down the street from schools | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/fairfield/fairfield-police-suspicious-death/103-cdae1966-bbdd-46c9-82b9-0537526ebb17 | 2023-07-01T18:27:29 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/fairfield/fairfield-police-suspicious-death/103-cdae1966-bbdd-46c9-82b9-0537526ebb17 |
Historic World War II planes will soon fly in to Porter Regional Airport in Valparaiso.
The AirPower History Tour will visit the airport, 4207 Murvihill Road, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 12 through 16.
People will be able to see the B-29 Superfortress “Fifi," the B-24 Liberator “Diamond Lil," a T-6 Texan, a PT-13 Stearman, an RC-45J Expeditor and a P-51 Mustang “Gunfighter.”
"The Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the largest and most technically advanced aircraft of its time, was first flown in 1942. It began active service in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1944 and is best known as the aircraft whose missions over Japan helped bring an end to World War II," organizers said in a news release.
"The B-29 also was used in the Korean War in the early 1950s and was a staple of the U.S. Air Force until 1960. Fifi, one of only two B-29s in the world still flying, was acquired by the CAF in 1971. She began touring in 1974 and has been entertaining air show audiences across the country ever since."
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The Commemorative Air Force brings the AirPower History Tour to airports across the country every year. Attendees will be able to see the historic planes up close, peek into the B-29 and B-24 cockpits, and purchase rides to soar above the Porter County countryside.
The B-29 will fly at 9 and 10:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, while the B-24 will fly at 9:30 and 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
"The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was the most produced American warplane of WWII, with over 18,400 aircraft rolling off assembly lines across the country," organizers said. "Most were manufactured at Ford’s giant Willow Run assembly plant in Detroit. Diamond Lil, one of the first B-24s produced and still one of only two B-24s in the world still flying, provides the opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of our fathers and grandfathers in the dangerous air wars over Europe, the Pacific, North Africa and Asia."
The other aircraft will offer rides each day, except for the P-51, which will offer rides starting Friday.
"The North American P-51D Mustang is one of the most recognizable and loved aircraft in aviation history," organizers said. "With its speed, range and sleek lines, the P-51 became a favorite of Allied fighter pilots and bomber crews. The long-range fighter aircraft had a range of 1,300 miles that enabled it to accompany the bombers to their targets and back, and it was faster and more maneuverable than its German and Japanese opponents."
The event is $20 for adults, $10 for 11- to 17-year-olds, and free for ages 10 and younger.
For more information or to book a ride, visit AirPowerTour.org.
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/historic-world-war-ii-planes-flying-into-valparaiso-airport/article_5704e2b2-16a9-11ee-b988-5ba4a15e61d5.html | 2023-07-01T18:28:03 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/historic-world-war-ii-planes-flying-into-valparaiso-airport/article_5704e2b2-16a9-11ee-b988-5ba4a15e61d5.html |
Dennis Maliq Barnes, a 16-year-old senior at International High School of New Orleans, is graduating two years early and has been offered admission at more than 170 colleges. He's also received more than $9 million in scholarships.
WATERLOO — Veridian Credit Union has awarded $14,000 in scholarships to seven students across Iowa for the 2023-24 academic year.
Two scholarships for $2,000 were awarded to Veridian members in each of three categories, including incoming freshmen, undergraduates and technical/trade students. An additional $2,000 was awarded in conjunction with the credit union’s ArtShare program for members who are high school seniors enrolling in an educational program that leads to a career in the arts.
The credit union updated its scholarship program last year to increase the number of recipients from four students to seven and add a category for technical and trade students. The change increased overall scholarship funding from $8,000 to $14,000 annually.
Applicants submitted a 500-word essay about educating themselves on personal finance and money management. Essays from ArtShare Scholarship applicants detailed plans for their future in the arts. A panel of Veridian employees reviewed the applications and selected the following recipients:
Incoming freshman Levi Manning, Waukee, attending Iowa State University.
Incoming freshman Nicholas Barber, Waverly, attending Iowa State University.
Undergraduate Emily Ball, Des Moines, attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Undergraduate Avery Forde, Denver, attending University of Iowa.
Technical/trade student Ryan Carolus, Vinton, attending Hawkeye Community College.
Technical/trade student Ryan Reifenstahl, Dysart, attending Hawkeye Community College.
ArtShare student Olivia Eckerman, Waverly, attending Iowa State University.
Veridian member and Cedar Falls resident Sophia Woods also received $3,000 from the Iowa Credit Union Foundation’s 2023 Warren A. Morrow Memorial Scholarship. Details about Veridian scholarships, including the next funding cycle, are available at veridiancu.org/scholarships. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/education/iowa-students-win-veridian-scholarships/article_ff3f47fa-1434-11ee-adc3-3b338a8c406f.html | 2023-07-01T18:52:00 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/education/iowa-students-win-veridian-scholarships/article_ff3f47fa-1434-11ee-adc3-3b338a8c406f.html |
WATERLOO – The Waterloo Water Works will continue its water main flushing program on Thursday, July 6.
The water mains will be flushed in the area from University Avenue to Black Hawk Road between the west city limits and Ansborough Avenue. Flushing will also continue from West Ninth Street to LaPorte Road between Williston Avenue and East Mitchell Avenue.
Customers living within the area and within several blocks of the flushing area could experience some discoloration. The water may be a brownish color during and immediately after the flushing. Customers are urged not to plan a washday on Thursday.
The discolored water is bacterially safe and is caused by the accumulation of minerals on the inside of the water mains. A periodic flushing cleans the mains and helps avoid discolored water problems during normal operation.
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So great to come home to! You will love this updated home featuring new floor coverings, updated paint, new doors and trim and more! As you enter the home you are welcomed by a spacious living room that offers great space for hanging out. The living room flows seamlessly into the dining room just off the kitchen. The kitchen is updated with modern details and features updated countertops and new flooring! Just off the back door entry is the mudroom/laundry room - making living easy! With three bedrooms on the main floor and a full bathroom - this one is move in ready! Situated on over a half acre lot with a two stall garage, this one will go fast! Schedule your showing today!
4 Bedroom Home in Waterloo - $84,950
This huge 2,365 square foot home with 4 bedrooms and 2 baths sits on a corner lot with fenced yard. Good curb appeal with the low maintenance permanent siding and replacement windows. Mudroom/drop zone area to catch all the things as you come in from the carport and cute sunroom off the living area to relax. It's central location makes getting to everything quick and easy. Perfect for a large family at a great price or an investor looking to add to their portfolio. Schedule your showing today! | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/hydrant-flushing-in-waterloo-continues/article_b1f3564e-16b4-11ee-b79b-a3cc3fefec50.html | 2023-07-01T18:52:06 | 1 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/hydrant-flushing-in-waterloo-continues/article_b1f3564e-16b4-11ee-b79b-a3cc3fefec50.html |
Dan Wegmueller is the owner and operator of Wegmueller Dairy Farm in Monroe, Wisconsin. Through four generations, the dairy operations at Wegmueller farm have largely gone unchanged, but the dairy industry has changed around them. Now Wegmueller hosts visitors on the farm using an agritouris…
DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has awarded $300 mini-grants to 30 participating sponsors for the purpose of purchasing local food as part of the Iowa Farm to Summer campaign, “Root for Radishes!”
The statewide effort promotes summer meal sites by celebrating local radishes as the raddest vegetable of the summer, according to a news release. With a focus on this familiar, readily available veggie, the goal is to increase participation of children at Iowa summer meal sites while also building market demand for local producers.
The Department received 51 applications from summer meal site sponsors, community partners and early childhood education providers. Participants are required to source local produce from area growers. In addition, participants are encouraged to share promotional materials and learning opportunities with children.
Examples of promotional ideas include growing radishes in a school garden and harvesting them with students, inviting a farmer to visit and sample farm-grown radishes or leading an outdoor demonstration that includes preparing a simple radish snack.
The locations include North Star Community in Waterloo and Angels Daycare in Evansdale. The list of 30 participating locations can be found online at iowaagriculture.gov/news.
This statewide program is part of a five-year campaign, with a different vegetable becoming the focus each summer. Future years are: Snap for Snap Peas, 2024; Crunch into Cucumbers, 2025; Kick it with Carrots, 2026; and Lettuce Eat Lettuce, 2027.
The program is funded by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship through the Specialty Crop Block Grant offered by the United States Department of Agriculture. Those interested in the program can learn more on the Iowa Farm to School and Early Coalition website.
Photos: Minnesota Vikings Youth Football Camp in Waterloo
North Star Community Services in Waterloo and Angels Daycare in Evansdale received Iowa Farm to Summer campaign mini-grants to purchase radishes for their food programs, like this hybrid Roxanne variety. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/iowa-summer-meal-sites-awarded-mini-grants/article_44e3fedc-0c5f-11ee-a046-f70bffe9c018.html | 2023-07-01T18:52:12 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/iowa-summer-meal-sites-awarded-mini-grants/article_44e3fedc-0c5f-11ee-a046-f70bffe9c018.html |
WATERLOO – The City of Waterloo Sanitation Department will be closed on July 4 in observance of the holiday.
Tuesday garbage routes will run with Wednesday's routes. No other days of the week will be affected.
There will be no yard waste curbside pick up during the holiday week. The compost site will be open during the holiday.
There will be no bulk item pickup on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Questions may be directed to the sanitation department at (319) 291-4455.
Photos: Smoky haze hovers over American cities
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WATERLOO — Weather forecasts are causing a change in the Mayor's Fireworks Celebration today.
According to a news release from the city, the evening of activities and entertainment prior to the fireworks is moving indoors. “Red, White, & Loo” will be held in the Waterloo Center for the Arts starting at 6:30 p.m., a half hour later than originally planned.
Music will be at center's Schiotz Room. Hart-Smith performs at 6:30 p.m. followed by Fool House at 8:30 pm. In addition, there will be face painting, a caricature artist, food and beverages.
Originally, the outdoor festivities had been slated for the RiverLoop Amphitheatre and the RiverLoop Expo Plaza. The National Weather Service says there is a 40% of showers and thunderstorms this evening in Waterloo.
The fireworks will still take place, lighting up the skies over the Cedar River beginning at 10 p.m. The Fourth Street bridge will be closed to all pedestrians and drivers.
People are also reading…
People are encouraged to park along all side streets surrounding the Fourth Street bridge to experience the show, the release said. No parking will be allowed on any bridge.
The mayor’s office, Main Street Waterloo and the Waterloo Center for the Arts are organizing the event. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/weather-forcing-change-mayors-fireworks-festival/article_b8b9de22-1839-11ee-b659-2ff5b3341805.html | 2023-07-01T18:52:25 | 1 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/weather-forcing-change-mayors-fireworks-festival/article_b8b9de22-1839-11ee-b659-2ff5b3341805.html |
PITTSBURGH — The Furries are once again out and about in Pittsburgh as Anthrocon — AKA the Furry convention — is underway this weekend.
In case you didn’t know, when Andrew McCutchen sees Furries, he turns into the greatest baseball player to ever exist. No, seriously.
Read the full story from our partners at Sports Now Group Pittsburgh here.
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PITTSBURGH — Perhaps lost in the shuffle in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ walk-off win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night was Carmen Mlodzinski earning his first MLB win.
Mlodzinski was responsible for pitching the eighth and ninth innings — which he did flawlessly. The right-hander allowed one hit, walked one and struck out two. More importantly, he kept Milwaukee off the scoreboard.
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MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A Pittsburgh man was hurt after a police chase turned into a car crash in Moon Township early Saturday morning.
According to Pennsylvania State Police, the chase happened near Ewing Road at around 3:30 a.m.
Ryan Chapman, 30, tried to flee from state police at a high rate of speed.
The pursuit was terminated and Chapman was found to have crashed his car on University Boulevard at Stoops Ferry Road, state police said.
Chapman was taken to a local hospital with unknown injuries.
A warrant was issued for Chapman’s arrest.
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates (39-42) sent the fans home happy on Friday night, after a huge comeback win against the Milwaukee Brewers (43-39) in walk-off fashion.
The Pirates were down 4-0 to start the game and then scratched their way back to within one run in the fourth inning after an Andrew McCutchen solo shot and a Nick Gonzales two-run double.
The bullpen fell apart, and then the Pirates’ offense chipped away in the seventh and eighth to pull within two going into the ninth.
A leadoff single from Ji-Hwan Bae and an RBI double from McCutchen set up a two-out at-bat with Carlos Santana coming to the plate.
Santana belts a walk-off homer into the night sky, and the Pirates beat the Brewers 8-7.
Game two between the Pirates and Brewers will be at PNC Park, with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m.
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins didn’t wait long to address their need for bottom-six help.
Moments after the free-agent signing period began, TSN reported that former San Jose forward Matt Nieto will sign a one-year, $900,000 deal with the Penguins.
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ORLANDO, Fla. — Tickets for the 2023 Orlando Air & Space Show are now on sale for the Fourth of July.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
This year’s show will feature performances by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, F-35 Lighting Demo Team, and Michael Goulian.\
Read: SpaceX successfully launches European telescope into orbit
The show will be held on Oct. 28 and 29 at Orlando Sanford International Airport.
For ticket information, CLICK HERE.
Read: 9 grilling tips for this summer
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©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/2023-orlando-air-space-show-tickets-sale-now/VMKWQWJZGRHBDD55VNT7G3BVKI/ | 2023-07-01T18:58:56 | 1 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/2023-orlando-air-space-show-tickets-sale-now/VMKWQWJZGRHBDD55VNT7G3BVKI/ |
ORLANDO, Fla. — The wait is over, and the University of Central Florida officially joined the Big 12 Conference.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
The Knights are celebrating this exciting chapter along with the Central Florida community.
Here we have some reactions from Central Florida officials and organizations:
- Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer celebrated this accomplishment by welcoming the Big 12 Conference to the City Beautiful.
Today is a BIG day for Orlando's Hometown Team. I can't wait to see the @UCFKnights compete in one of the nation's premier conferences and I'm proud to welcome the @Big12Conference to Orlando. pic.twitter.com/CGS3CvLmc9
— Mayor Buddy Dyer (@orlandomayor) July 1, 2023
Read: Saturday: Sunny and dry to start the Fourth of July weekend
- The Wheel at ICON Park lit up the night with the Knight’s colors.
#GoKnights 🤝 #ChargeOn
— UCF Knights (@UCFKnights) July 1, 2023
Orlando is Big 12 Country‼️
Special thanks to @iconparkorlando for lighting up The Wheel this week! pic.twitter.com/E1zPfnkAjx
- The Orlando Magic joined the celebration.
time to launch 🚀
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) July 1, 2023
congrats @UCFKnights pic.twitter.com/jTWpGQgt9M
Read: Big 12 signage popping up on UCF’s campus
- UCF’s President Alexander N. Cartwright also joined the celebration.
UCF joins the @Big12Conference today as the youngest university in the Power 5.
— Dr. Alexander N. Cartwright (@UCFCartwright) July 1, 2023
This historic milestone would not be possible without the support and dedication of Knight Nation. Thank you, and #ChargeOn!https://t.co/HX7K27K3is
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WINTER PARK, Fla. — As new laws take effect across Florida, people stand in solidarity and protest for the groups impacted by the changes.
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People protested across the state on Saturday, including some gatherings in Central Florida highlighting the immigration laws.
In Winter Park, people gathered to protest against the changes that disenfranchise vulnerable populations.
Attendees said they are rallying for their rights to exist, love and dream.
“We are feeling Florida is like a non-welcome place right now,” said Linda Perez, a community leader in Tampa Bay. “Not just for immigrants, for everyone. This is not Florida. We’re the Sunshine State.”
People gathered early this morning in Orlando to travel to Miami, as they will join other community organizations to fight back.
“I think we need to show solidarity with our brothers and sisters,” said Lorraine Tuliano, an Orlando activist.
Read: Families leaving Florida amid new immigration laws
The new immigration laws vary.
Employers with over 25 workers must use e-verify to check their staff’s immigration status.
Hospitals that accept Medicaid must ask for their patients’ immigration status before being admitted.
And there are felony charges for knowingly transporting people in the country illegally across state lines into Florida.
Read: Local Puerto Rican organization helps undocumented people ahead of new immigration law
Trini Quiroz is an Orlando resident who immigrated from South America 60 years ago. She said she wants to help others immigrate the right way, and that is what she is advocating for them.
“I am for everyone that wants to be in the place where it’s the beacon for better than what they have,” Quiroz said.
Quiroz said immigrants’ work are jobs others do not want to do, like on farms and in hotels.
She said those workers should not be judged.
“Hate is not constructive; it’s destructive,” Quiroz said. “Kindness and compassion and human empathy (are) what makes this country great.”
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/destructive-central-florida-communities-protest-new-immigration-laws-that-take-effect-saturday/Z22UDHBEO5EUBKWNWJHSKNUGY4/ | 2023-07-01T18:59:08 | 0 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/destructive-central-florida-communities-protest-new-immigration-laws-that-take-effect-saturday/Z22UDHBEO5EUBKWNWJHSKNUGY4/ |
MARION COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Highway Patrol said County Road 484 at SW 170th Avenue is blocked after a fatal crash.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
According to a statement provided to Channel 9, several people have been injured, and one person is dead.
Troopers said there were three vehicles involved in Saturday’s crash near Dunnellon.
Read: Pedestrian dies after being struck by vehicle in Cocoa Beach, police say
FHP said they are investigating this crash as a traffic homicide.
Channel 9 will provide updates to this developing story as it becomes available.
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/marion-county-fatal-crash-shuts-down-county-road-484-fhp-says/2YUFB3AYSRESDDBUOSB4MIL73I/ | 2023-07-01T18:59:15 | 0 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/marion-county-fatal-crash-shuts-down-county-road-484-fhp-says/2YUFB3AYSRESDDBUOSB4MIL73I/ |
The city of Fort Wayne issued this news release today:
When it rains, the 100-year-old combined sewers in older parts of Fort Wayne can overflow, resulting in the discharge of a combination of stormwater (rain or snowmelt) and untreated sewage into CSO impacted waterways within the Great Lakes Basin. Today's forecast indicates a strong possibility that overflows will occur or have started to occur within the past four (4) hours. The overflow may be continuing. The approximate times when the overflow started and stops will be summarized within seven (7) days in a supplemental notice available on the City's website at https://www.cityoffortwayne.org/cso-notification.html.
Consumption of or direct contact with sewage-contaminated water could make you sick. Signs are posted along affected waterways in Fort Wayne to identify the locations of combined sewer overflow points and areas where contact with water could be hazardous to your health. These locations, and waterbodies potentially impacted, may also be found by clicking the following link: https://www.cityoffortwayne.org/cso-notification.html.
During and after a combined sewer overflow event, individuals should avoid direct contact with water in any of the waterways that are potentially impacted by CSOs as shown on the map found at https://www.cityoffortwayne.org/cso-notification.html.
In addition, City Utilities encourages the public to take the following precautions:
* Avoid direct contact with CSO-impacted streams during and for three days (72 hours) after a rain event and for 72 hours after receiving a CSO notification;
* Alter recreational activities to avoid direct contact with CSO-impacted water;
* If contact does occur with CSO-impacted water, wash your hands immediately, especially prior to eating;
* Use a waterless hand sanitizer at outings that occur near CSO-impacted streams.
Every Wednesday City Utilities will post information at the following location giving details of any CSO discharge events that have happened in the previous seven (7) days:
https://www.cityoffortwayne.org/cso-notification.html.
Clean water is a priority for the City of Fort Wayne. City Utilities is implementing a variety of projects to improve waterways and reduce CSO discharges. The long-term costs to control CSOs in Fort Wayne will likely exceed $250 million. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/verbatim-combined-sewer-overflow-warning-today/article_3ff1844c-1828-11ee-8c30-175a376e5083.html | 2023-07-01T19:00:33 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/verbatim-combined-sewer-overflow-warning-today/article_3ff1844c-1828-11ee-8c30-175a376e5083.html |
Benefit for Fond du Lac woman who lost her vision earlier this year set at Throwback Pockets
Weekly dose shares the latest news from the Fond du Lac County community.
FOND DU LAC - Throwback Pockets will host a fundraiser from 3 to 7 p.m. July 8 at 119 S. Main St., Fond du Lac, for a local woman who lost her vision this year.
Samantha Steiner lost her vision in January after an accident in her home. She has not been able to work since. She has had procedures to repair her eye and in the future a medical device may return some of her vision. Right now, she needs help.
The family-friendly event includes raffles, karaoke, food and more. The bar will remain open to those 21 and older after the event.
For more information, visit the Facebook event at fb.me/e/3yesjyH8x.
Welcome to your weekly dose. Here is more news from throughout Fond du Lac County.
Presentation shows benefits of brain games for seniors
Dr. Manish Sharda, with SSM Health Fond du Lac Regional Clinic, will share a presentation on how brain games can help enhance a person’s memory and prevent or slow the progress of dementia.
The free presentation will be at 1 p.m. July 11 at the Waupun Senior Center, 301 E. Main St.
Dr. Sharda specializes in family medicine. A graduate of the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York, he completed his family medicine residency at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago.
To register or for more information, call the Waupun Senior Center at 920-324-7930.
Walk with Fond du Lac Audubon members Tuesdays in July
The Fond du Lac Audubon Society has announced its Tuesday walk schedule for July.
Walks begin at 6:30 p.m. and those taking part should wear appropriate clothing and shoes. Insect repellent and binoculars are optional.
Diana Beck will lead the July 11 walk touring the Whitmore property near Calumetville. A bonfire with s’mores will follow the hike. Meet at 6 p.m. at the Park and Ride at County WH and State 151. Carpooling is available.
On July 18, walk a short half-mile loop in the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes Oak Savannah where more than 80 species of birds have been found. Leaders will be from CSA and Glacial Lakes Conservancy. Head to CSA at 320 County K, then turn up the hill and park at the top of the hill.
Take a Habitat Yard Tour on July 25 of two Ninth Street “pollinator paradises.” Led by Diana Beck and property owners Sara Jayne Pickart and Mary Ellen McMeen. Meet at 597 E. Ninth St., then to 384 E. Ninth St.
For more information, contact dianahbeck@gmail.com or 920-922-7931.
County seeks public input on high-speed internet needs
Fond du Lac County is asking for public feedback as it assesses the need for high-speed internet. Residents, property and business owners are asked to complete a questionnaire to help determine the available and quality of internet in the county.
Those who do have internet are asked to take the broadband survey and speed test at tinyurl.com/WISER2023. Those who do not have internet or who have only cellular access are asked to take a phone survey by calling 608-261-6026.
For more information, contact the County’s Development and Land Services Department.
Free boat safety checks offered by local Coast Guard Auxiliary
The Fond du Lac U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 0954701 had several boats fail inspection because the battery terminal was not covered.
State Law requires the terminals to be covered, including the ground posts.
Local examiners will help boaters meet all state and federal regulations. A safety decal is awarded to each boat that passes. For boats that do not pass, the owner is given information about how to correct errors.
Safety checks are free, however, if a boat fails law enforcement inspection, fines can be as much as $232.
To schedule a safety inspection, visit wow.uscgaux.info/i_want_a_vsc/index.php.
Fond du Lac resident part of mural team at UW-Stout
Bear McQuitty of Fond du Lac was a member of the team of graphic designers who created a mural that was installed at University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Applied Arts building.
Fourteen students worked on the mural and it was completed over the course of a week in May.
McQuitty graduated from Lomira High in 2020 and received the Arnold and meta Firle Scholarship for seniors pursuing a degree in a visual arts-related field.
Award-winning content
The Fond du Lac Reporter won four total awards in the 2022 Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation Better Newspaper Contest.
Read more about the awards and follow links to the award-winning content by clicking here.
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Contact Mara Wegner at mwegner@gannett.com or 920-996-7241. | https://www.fdlreporter.com/story/news/local/2023/07/01/fond-du-lac-bar-throwback-pockets-benefit-samantha-steiner/70361879007/ | 2023-07-01T19:07:45 | 0 | https://www.fdlreporter.com/story/news/local/2023/07/01/fond-du-lac-bar-throwback-pockets-benefit-samantha-steiner/70361879007/ |
BALTIMORE — A pedestrian crash in Baltimore County left one person dead Friday.
It happened just before 10 p.m. near the intersection of Merritt Boulevard and Rabon Avenue.
A preliminary investigation revealed that 60-year-old Robert Bryden was attempting to cross Merritt Boulevard when he was struck by a 2011 Acura MDX traveling northbound.
Medics pronounced Bryden deceased at the scene. The driver of the Acura remained at the scene.
The Baltimore County Police Department Crash Team is investigating this incident and the circumstances surrounding it. | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/fatal-pedestrian-crash-in-dundalk-under-investigation | 2023-07-01T19:17:36 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/fatal-pedestrian-crash-in-dundalk-under-investigation |
As summer heat bears down, Operation Fresh Start's free air-conditioner program to expand
An Operation Fresh Start program is seeking senior citizens to provide free air conditioners to and is looking to expand as triple-digit temperatures hit the Wichita Falls area.
The Rev. Angus Thompson, pastor of New Jerusalem Baptist Church, said the program, aimed at the elderly, is seeking people to help by installing donated air conditioners.
“It doesn't matter what race. It doesn't matter what religion. We want to help save lives," Thompson said.
He encouraged those who know of an elderly neighbor who needs an air conditioner or if they need one, themselves, to call the church at 940-767-2067.
The program has already installed some air conditioners and has more on hand, but Thompson anticipates the need to buy more.
Operation Fresh Start is seeking a sponsor to help expand it and is requesting donations from the public, he said.
"If they feel so inclined to support us, we sure would appreciate it," Thompson said. "But if they can't, we ask that they would pray for us.”
Donors should note on their contributions either "air-conditioning ministry" or "Operation Fresh Start," he said.
Thompson emphasized that a person doesn't have to be a member of any church to receive an air conditioner. And while the program is aimed at seniors, single-parent families, for instance, would be considered.
"It’s mainly for the elderly, but we’re merciful. If we find a family that can’t do it, we’ll try to help them," he said.
This year brings a change for the program, which has been a New Jerusalem ministry for over 17 years.
“Normally with our conditioning program, we just do it by ourselves, but with this, what we're going to do is we're going to attach it to Operation Fresh Start," he said.
The change is expected to broaden the program's reach by tapping into the other churches that work with Operation Fresh Start, a volunteer initiative to help low-income communities, seniors and others, as well as revitalize neighborhoods.
"The way we were doing it is not sufficient," Thompson said. "We've got to put forth a bigger effort, and we want the community to support us in this.”
Program volunteers want churches to get out and to gather information in their neighborhoods about who needs an air conditioner to get through the summer.
In addition, volunteers are looking over New Jerusalem's meals-on-wheels list for possible candidates for new air conditioners, as well as requesting that other churches working with Operation Fresh Start do the same.
Thompson said names and information about possible recipients will still go through Adult Protective Services, but the program will more actively seek people to help instead of waiting for a referral.
“It's too hot to wait,” he said.
More:Operation Fresh Start to host gospel fest Friday, neighborhood cleanup Saturday
More:Heat relief: New Jerusalem Baptist Church in 17th year of air conditioning ministry
Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news, politics and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia. | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/07/01/operation-fresh-start-free-air-conditioner-program-expanding/70361386007/ | 2023-07-01T19:18:47 | 1 | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/07/01/operation-fresh-start-free-air-conditioner-program-expanding/70361386007/ |
Local artist featured in 9th Street Studios exhibition
9th Street Studios is preparing for a new solo artist exhibition beginning July 15 and running through August. The exhibition will feature the “Playing Outside the Lines” collection of Ronald Hamer, a local artist whose work captures themes of whimsy, playfulness and the outdoors. 9th Street Studios' opening reception for the event is Saturday, July 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. at 920 9th St.
The venue offers parking for alternative transportation, a WF Goat Scooter station and has cold drinks available in the gallery for the opening.
Additionally, representatives from Bike Wichita Falls will be present to spread awareness for bike safety and advocacy. 9th Street Studios initially announced artist Micah Wesley's "Headhunter" collection as the choice for the exhibition, before indefinitely postponing that exhibit. | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/07/01/playing-outside-the-lines-exhibition-at-9th-street-studios-nears/70374661007/ | 2023-07-01T19:19:07 | 1 | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/07/01/playing-outside-the-lines-exhibition-at-9th-street-studios-nears/70374661007/ |
River Bend Nature Center offers "Sip n' Science" fungi class
Fungi are a vital and varied part of the ecosystem, yet rarely emerge as a topic of discussion for much of the populace. River Bend Nature Center is aiming to change that with its upcoming Sip n’ Science: Fascinating Fungi class. The event is scheduled to take place Friday, July 21 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 2200 3rd St. Cost of participation is $20 for RBNC members, or $25 for non-members.
James Masuoka, MSU professor, will lead the class. He will present on what makes fungi unique, how they function in the environment, and their role in human health. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to view local examples of fungi and even dissect a fungus. Beer, wine and hors d’oeuvres are included in the price of admission.
A statement released by RBNC said the class caters to the curious and those interested in local nature.
“Sip n’ Science Fascinating Fungi is the perfect event for anyone interested in nature, science, and the remarkable organisms that often go unnoticed beneath our feet!” the statement read.
For more information, email jen@riverbendnaturecenter.org. | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/07/01/river-bend-nature-center-offers-sip-n-science-fungi-class/70374684007/ | 2023-07-01T19:19:13 | 0 | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/07/01/river-bend-nature-center-offers-sip-n-science-fungi-class/70374684007/ |
AUSTIN, Texas — If you thought this triple-digit heat was bad, mosquitos might have found it worse.
A new study by Climate Central found as our climate warms, many places are becoming more hospitable to mosquitoes. Mosquitos thrive in warmer and humid places. But while mosquitos have become active in other areas, here in Central Texas, the report says we've seen fewer "mosquito days."
"It's hard to live in really hot climates, right?" said Sonja Swiger, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. "And insects are no different. Their body temperature is related to the temperatures outside. But if it's really hot, then they dry out fast too, because they still need to maintain moisture inside themselves."
While Swiger didn't conduct the research in the study, she said the heat does impact this insect immensely.
"What we can't say for sure is … will there be fewer mosquitoes or will they just find another location to go live? Somewhere else to hide out when it is these extreme temperatures," she said.
She predicts mosquitos are hiding when it's so hot outside, and when the days get cooler is when we usually see a higher concentration of mosquitos.
While she doesn't expect this heat to impact reproduction numbers right now, she does say it could affect them down the line.
"The heat can also play a role … to the larva," she added. "If the water sources are getting too hot, it would kind of … boil them up. So, there are going to be those kinds of adverse reactions. I don't know if we're going to see that right now or if that's something that's in the future."
Swiger said it's hard to predict what the weather will be like in the months to come. However, if extremely hot temperatures persist, mosquitos might not survive. | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/study-fewer-mosquito-days-austin/269-2abff1a9-a312-43ac-ba1f-faedee790597 | 2023-07-01T19:23:26 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/study-fewer-mosquito-days-austin/269-2abff1a9-a312-43ac-ba1f-faedee790597 |
DALLAS — Family, friends and loved ones of Eugene Gates gathered Saturday at Willow Grove Baptist Church in Dallas to mourn his loss and celebrate his life.
Gates, 66, died on June 20 while delivering mail on his route in Lakewood during the sweltering Texas summer heat. The heat index was above 110 degrees that day. While the cause of Gates' death is still unknown, it is sparking conversations about the working conditions of USPS letter carriers.
He had been with USPS since November 1987.
The sound of Gospel music filled Willow Grove Baptist Church as family and friends wore royal purple – his favorite color. Gates was described as a loving husband, father and 10-year member of the church.
"Brother Eugene Gates Jr. has been a devoted and committed member of Willow Grove Baptist Church, faithfully serving under the leadership of Pastor Mark E. Walker Sr.," Amber Hopkins said. "Brother Eugene Gates Jr. has consistently demonstrated a spirit of love, compassion and dedication in his service to this church and its members."
According to his obituary, Gates grew up in Killeen, Texas, and graduated from Killeen High School in 1975. Gates enlisted in the U.S. Army twice from 1976-1980 and 1982-1985, receiving honorable discharge both times. Gates then pursued his career with USPS in 1987 and moved to Dallas, where he remained a postal worker for 36 years.
Members of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 132 said his death was unexpected but not in vain.
"The loss of Eugene brought attention to the working conditions at the United States Postal Service. His passing alerted the government to demand changes to protect the safety of letter carriers while they performed their duties," National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 132 President Kimetra Lewis said to the applause of funeral attendees.
"The loss of Eugene brought public concern for the letter carriers who are not only essential workers, but who are the backbone of the United States Postal Service," Lewis added.
Gates is survived by his wife, Carla, daughter Carolyn Shanaye Jones, son Jameil Gates, father Eugene Talbert Gates, Sr., bonus son Desmond Ray, brother Elder Christopher Gates, sister Jacqueline Gates-Jones, step sisters Godiva Guillory and Nina Guillory, five grandchildren and a host of nieces and nephews.
"Thank you for being our rock and showing us the true meaning of unconditional love," Carolyn Shanaye Jones said. "May your spirit find eternal peace. We miss you. We love you. We will always remember you."
More Texas headlines: | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/dallas-usps-carrier-eugene-gates-funeral/287-e2587faf-2260-4509-bbf6-279bc243b46f | 2023-07-01T19:28:19 | 1 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/dallas-usps-carrier-eugene-gates-funeral/287-e2587faf-2260-4509-bbf6-279bc243b46f |
DALLAS — Family, friends and loved ones of Eugene Gates gathered Saturday at Willow Grove Baptist Church in Dallas to mourn his loss and celebrate his life.
Gates, 66, died on June 20 while delivering mail on his route in Lakewood during the sweltering Texas summer heat. The heat index was above 110 degrees that day. While the cause of Gates' death is still unknown, it is sparking conversations about the working conditions of USPS letter carriers.
He had been with USPS since November 1987.
The sound of Gospel music filled Willow Grove Baptist Church as family and friends wore royal purple – his favorite color. Gates was described as a loving husband, father and 10-year member of the church.
"Brother Eugene Gates Jr. has been a devoted and committed member of Willow Grove Baptist Church, faithfully serving under the leadership of Pastor Mark E. Walker Sr.," Amber Hopkins said. "Brother Eugene Gates Jr. has consistently demonstrated a spirit of love, compassion and dedication in his service to this church and its members."
According to his obituary, Gates grew up in Killeen, Texas, and graduated from Killeen High School in 1975. Gates enlisted in the U.S. Army twice from 1976-1980 and 1982-1985, receiving honorable discharge both times. Gates then pursued his career with USPS in 1987 and moved to Dallas, where he remained a postal worker for 36 years.
Members of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 132 said his death was unexpected but not in vain.
"The loss of Eugene brought attention to the working conditions at the United States Postal Service. His passing alerted the government to demand changes to protect the safety of letter carriers while they performed their duties," National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 132 President Kimetra Lewis said to the applause of funeral attendees.
"The loss of Eugene brought public concern for the letter carriers who are not only essential workers, but who are the backbone of the United States Postal Service," Lewis added.
Gates is survived by his wife, Carla, daughter Carolyn Shanaye Jones, son Jameil Gates, father Eugene Talbert Gates, Sr., bonus son Desmond Ray, brother Elder Christopher Gates, sister Jacqueline Gates-Jones, step sisters Godiva Guillory and Nina Guillory, five grandchildren and a host of nieces and nephews.
"Thank you for being our rock and showing us the true meaning of unconditional love," Carolyn Shanaye Jones said. "May your spirit find eternal peace. We miss you. We love you. We will always remember you."
More Texas headlines: | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/dallas-usps-carrier-eugene-gates-funeral/287-e2587faf-2260-4509-bbf6-279bc243b46f | 2023-07-01T19:32:43 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/dallas-usps-carrier-eugene-gates-funeral/287-e2587faf-2260-4509-bbf6-279bc243b46f |
A 21-year-old man was killed Friday night when Tucson police say he lost control of the car he was driving and slammed into a semi tractor-trailer.
Just before 10:30 p.m. Manuel Abel Sanchez was driving a 1993 Honda Civic eastbound on East Golf Links Road near South Wilmot Road when he lost control of the vehicle, police said in a news release.
Sanchez was driving about 40 miles above the posted 40 mph speed limit on Golf Links when he lost control, and the car moved into the westbound lanes at the break in the median at South Sahuara Ave., the release said.
The Honda collided with a red 2022 Kenworth T680 semi-truck.
Sanchez was declared dead at the crash scene. A passenger was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life threatening, the release said.
The driver of the semi was not injured and police say he was not impaired at the time of the wreck, police said.
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Sanchez was not wearing a seatbelt and police say he did not have a valid driver's license. | https://tucson.com/news/local/accident-and-incident/driver-killed-in-tucson-crash/article_05bf0654-183d-11ee-b87c-371ca6f59ded.html | 2023-07-01T19:35:51 | 1 | https://tucson.com/news/local/accident-and-incident/driver-killed-in-tucson-crash/article_05bf0654-183d-11ee-b87c-371ca6f59ded.html |
The Town of Marana is poised to grow its population to over 100,000 in the next five years as new companies, both in the town and in neighboring Pinal County, fuel the need for new housing.
Thousands of apartments, rental-home communities and single-family homes for sale are under construction or in the pipeline in the town’s core and on former cotton farms north of Tucson.
Marana incorporated in 1977, with about 1,500 residents in 10 square miles.
Today, the population is over 60,000 and several annexations over the years have spread Marana over 124 square miles.
Mayor Ed Honea is part of the third generation of a six-generation Marana family. He has been mayor for 20 years and served on the council for 34 years.
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He marvels at the town’s growth, where he grew up farming cotton on his grandparents’ land.
“It’s really just absolutely astonishing,” Honea said. “We’re the fastest-growing community south of Maricopa County.”
Growth, he said, was inevitable and intentional.
“My philosophy is, if your community isn’t growing it’s dying.”
Marana is primarily attracting residents because of jobs both with companies in the town limits and major employers in Casa Grande and Coolidge which have set up operations in recent years.
In Coolidge, Procter & Gamble is building a $500 million manufacturing plant that will create more than 500 jobs.
Company officials visited Marana.
“They were concerned that there’s not a lot of housing in Coolidge,” Honea said. “We’re using that because Pinal is going crazy, and they can’t build housing fast enough.”
Procter & Gamble’s announcement came after a surge of economic activity in Pinal County with companies such as electric vehicle manufacturers Lucid and Nokia, semiconductor Chang Chun Arizona, aircraft service ecube and battery manufacturer Cirba Solutions choosing sites in Marana’s neighboring county.
The commute from Marana to those jobs is 30 to 40 minutes, Honea said.
“I always tease the mayor of Coolidge that we’re going to put him on the economic development payroll,” he said.
An average of 100 new homes are going up each month in Marana and, since the pandemic drew more residents to Southern Arizona, developers are eagerly building more.
Honea takes pride in people that Marana is the second-largest community in Southern Arizona, “second to that suburb to the south of us,” as he jokingly refers to Tucson.
By comparison, the latest Census data shows Oro Valley is close to 50,000 residents; Sahuarita’s population is about 35,000 and Vail’s is about 14,000.
Farther south, Green Valley, Rio Rico and Nogales each have a population of about 20,000; Bisbee’s is about 5,000 and Douglas about 16,500.
HOUSING IS KEY
Recruiting new companies begins with available housing.
There are three projects under way of build-to-rent communities with over 1,000 homes that are just for renters, in addition to seven apartment complexes under construction in Marana.
Near Tangerine Road and Interstate 10 there are communities under development with thousands of homes for sale and plans for industrial projects that will produce the jobs, said Curt Woody, Marana’s director of economic development and tourism.
“In northern Marana alone, there are 28,000 entitled lots for single-family residential and 5,000 have been built,” he said. “We’re just about full speed at this point.”
The town markets the community as ready to do business, Woody said.
“The town has always had the philosophy of not wanting to be a bedroom town where everyone goes somewhere else to work,” he said. “It’s been that way from the beginning and residents wanted the mix.”
With each annexation the town has mapped out zoning for where it makes sense to put industrial projects, retail projects and housing.
“We know we’re going to grow and we plan for it,” Woody said. “The reputation we have is that we’re family friendly, we welcome businesses and we welcome growth.”
Marana isn’t done growing yet and is looking to annex more land.
“If we don’t continue to grow and bring in industry and bring in jobs, our young people are going to leave,” Mayor Honea said. “Two of my kids, both UA graduates, left the area because the work wasn’t there.”
RECRUITING RESTAURANTS
A growing population attracts restaurants and retail stores.
Amanda Wiggins, president and CEO of the Marana Chamber of Commerce, said she chose to live in Marana because of housing availability, schools and the convenience of travel on Interstate 10.
“When we were looking for a place to call home, Marana was a shining star for us,” she said of her family’s relocation due to her husband’s job.
Shortly after arriving, Wiggins became involved with the chamber.
One of the goals is to keep an eye out for local businesses in the rapidly growing town.
“A lot of companies are interested in us because of the potential to grow,” Wiggins said.
One of the chamber’s initiatives is a restaurant recruitment taskforce to support local restaurants and offer a farm-to-table supply chain.
“We want to remain unique,” Wiggins said, “and stay true to the history and heritage of Marana.”
Contact reporter Gabriela Rico at grico@tucson.com | https://tucson.com/news/local/business/development/what-grows-faster-than-cotton-marana/article_ecafec4c-107a-11ee-9af1-b7aa438e3458.html | 2023-07-01T19:35:57 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/business/development/what-grows-faster-than-cotton-marana/article_ecafec4c-107a-11ee-9af1-b7aa438e3458.html |
A wildfire started Friday evening in Beehive Canyon near Nogales, growing to about 300 acres by Saturday morning, according to the Arizona Wildfire Dashboard.
The “Beehive” wildfire was about 10 acres when it was discovered about 6:30 p.m. Reconnaissance flights Saturday morning showed it had grown to about 300 acres, the Coronado National Forest Service said in a Facebook post.
Access to the fire and rugged terrain made an immediate response difficult. While no containment has been made on the fire, air crews began dropping buckets of water on it Saturday morning and were expected to do so throughout the day, the Forest Service said.
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An excessive heat warning was issued for the area Saturday. While there are currently no road or trail closures, visitors can expect smoke in the sky and additional fire resources and personnel in the area, officials said.
The cause of the wildfire is under investigation. | https://tucson.com/news/local/crews-fighting-wildfire-burning-near-nogales/article_1e058df8-183f-11ee-8f51-53b9fffba0d3.html | 2023-07-01T19:36:03 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/crews-fighting-wildfire-burning-near-nogales/article_1e058df8-183f-11ee-8f51-53b9fffba0d3.html |
After Tiana Reks lost her apartment seven years ago, she lived in her car. After a car crash took away her home and transportation, Reks lived wherever she could lay her head at night.
Now, Reks lives in a makeshift shelter composed of plastic tarps and plywood between a fence and a tree-lined avenue. If Tucson hadn’t declared the area she lives in along a row of about six tents a tier 2 encampment, “I have no idea what I would do,” she said.
Last October, the city launched its homeless encampment reporting tool where residents can fill out an online form reporting the locations of dwellings the unsheltered population has created throughout Tucson. The city processes the report, sends outreach workers to the locations and assigns them a tiered level based on their impacts on inhabitants, the community and the environment.
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Tier 1 locations are previously inhabited areas that require clean-up, while tier 2 sites have residents that are able to govern themselves and aren’t disruptive to the community. Tier 3 camps pose health and safety risks and perpetrate violence and crime toward the surrounding community and camp inhabitants, the city says. City workers provide these encampments outreach efforts for temporary shelter and wraparound social services before giving them a 72-hour notice to vacate.
Reks said she was “terrified” of being displaced from her camp, “until I found out about the whole tier thing and how we managed to get ourselves to be tier 2.”
The city brings Reks and the few other inhabitants in her encampment trash bags to keep the area clean, and she tries to let others know the camp is at capacity to keep it from growing.
“Cops will come by on their bikes and just kind of like ride through. But we don't get told we have to leave anymore,” she said. “I'm kind of at ease at the moment, I'm not really worried about that happening. But I mean, who knows?”
Tucson’s encampment reporting tool has received 6,014 reports since it launched on Oct. 27. Of those, only 792 have become cases for in-person evaluation as of May 22, according to the city. About 54% of reports are duplicates reporting the same place and 34% are not encampments, but rather loiterers or unsheltered people temporarily seeking respite.
The tool has been key to achieving a better understanding of the transit patterns of the city’s homeless population and has allowed city workers to create a dashboard of data points for encampments and track subsequent outreach efforts. More than 15 city departments have a role in the encampment protocol.
Enhancing outreach efforts
The system has dramatically improved engagement efforts that previously operated through arbitrary emailed reports with no cohesive system to track follow-up efforts or the current status of a camp, said Justin Hamilton, a homeless encampment outreach specialist.
The tool helps the community’s businesses and neighborhoods feel like they have an active role in addressing the issue. Groups like the Tucson Crime Free Coalition have spoken out about how homelessness comes with crime and violence that threatens other's safety and bottom lines.
But it also helps those living in encampments gain access to resources by putting outreach efforts into the hands of social workers and homelessness specialists instead of law enforcement, Hamilton said.
“It's a fine line, because we work for the people of the city, and we work for the homeless and the unsheltered community. It's a fine balance between trying to make everybody happy and doing what's right,” he said. “I feel that (outreach workers) being the first eyes on, it's better than enforcement being the first eyes on. At least now you have outreach where you're going there to make the first initial assessment with some kind of humility right off the bat.”
Tucson's outreach workers assign social workers to homeless individuals at encampments and get them on lists to receive housing vouchers. Workers administer a survey that assesses a person’s vulnerability and helps prioritize who receives housing assistance first. When someone’s name comes up on the list to receive a housing voucher, it’s easier to track them down through the new dashboard, Hamilton said.
The new protocol has also freed up police resources as officers play less of a role in the outreach process and public safety communications staff don’t receive as many calls reporting encampments. “We're getting five to 10 times as much done now,” said Sgt. Jack Julsing, of the Tucson Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team.
“The key was that we didn't want just one department handling this, we didn't want it to be just a 911 call where officers go there,” Julsing said. “Their tool belt isn't as big as the entire city's tool belt. So this whole system includes all the tool belts from all the different departments that can help.”
'A traumatic scene'
But while some areas are allowed to remain in place, about 200 “high-problem” encampments have been disbanded under the new system, according to city data.
That includes the long-standing encampment anchored in the wash between the edge of Estevan Park near downtown Tucson and the Union Pacific railroad tracks. In the early morning hours of April 27, police cleared out the dozens of inhabitants living in tents and makeshift shelters at the camp.
The camp is uniquely positioned next to the warehouse of the Splinter Collective, a community center that provides aid to the surrounding unsheltered population. Natalie Brewster Nguyen, who co-owns the Splinter Collective center, said the encampment removal was “a deeply traumatic scene” where inhabitants were rushed out of their tents and not allowed to take all of their property with them.
“I felt like I was in the middle of a refugee camp disaster,” she said. “People were screaming and crying and fighting … People were just there with what little belongings they had left in a plastic bag or whatever they could carry. It was crazy.”
While the camp was ruled a tier 3 for violent crime and posing dangers to inhabitants and the community, Multi-Agency Resource Coordinator Amaris Vasquez said the encampment’s removal was triggered by a request from Union Pacific to clear out the area so they can start construction work on the fence neighboring the encampment. She said Union Pacific owns the land the encampment covered.
Vasquez, who coordinates homeless resources between the city and Pima County, said city workers went out to the camp many days before posting the 72-hour notice to vacate, offering residents temporary shelter opportunities and social services. She said the Environmental Services Department stores personal items collected after clean-ups at its warehouse for 30 days for people to collect.
Julsing said the camp was the setting of several violent crimes and sexual assaults, “And that's something, as a police department, we have to address.” He said the police initiated the clean-up early in the morning to avoid higher temperatures later in the day and to allow time to clean the vast area the camp covered.
But Brewster Nguyen said the paper notices posted throughout the encampment before its removal were misconstrued as an opportunity to clean up before getting kicked out.
“People had been really, really busting their butts to try to make the camp clean under the impression that then they would not be forced to leave,” she said.
The misconception could also be rooted in previous signage posted in encampments warning of an incoming clean-up effort, Julsing said, when “no cleanup ever happened.”
“Individuals in these camps are thinking that notice doesn't mean anything, they're not going to do anything. But now with this efficient model that we have … when we post it, it is going to get cleaned up. And I think people are still getting used to that,” he said.
The lack of low-barrier shelter
It’s not the first time the city’s tried to clear out the Estevan Park encampment. The camp was also removed in September, according to Brewster Nguyen, who said things went a lot differently. The city clearly communicated with her they would bring vans to transport people to No-Tel, a city-run motel site used to shelter homeless people until they can find more permanent housing options.
Currently, Tucson has about 140 beds and 100 rooms across three hotels it’s purchased or temporarily leased to house the unsheltered. Unlike many of the area’s homeless shelters, there are no significant barriers to entry. People can go into the shelter with their partners and pets and aren’t required to detox from drugs.
The model is part of the city’s Housing First program, which operates by quickly moving people into housing and providing additional support services as needed. But the rooms are often at capacity and are triaged to prioritize housing for families and the elderly.
When Estevan Park’s residents had to leave in April, the city’s low-barrier housing options weren’t available. Instead, “They were offering people basically detox or Gospel Rescue Mission. And people didn't want to do that,” Brewster Nguyen said. “Pretty much every single person said that they would happily go to the hotel if we could put them up there. Zero people were willing to go to a shelter.”
The Gospel Rescue Mission homeless shelter often has beds available, but the shelter requires residents to be sober and separates male and female partners.
The city’s housing first efforts through its low-barrier hotels have been relatively successful, according to Housing First Director Brandi Champion. Since the program began in October 2021, 678 people received shelter services and 275 were housed through the city’s non-congregate shelters as of May.
But capacity is scarce, and even if more people were to accept shelter with conditions, it wouldn’t be enough.
“We do not have enough low-barrier shelter in the community, or regular shelter for that matter,” Champion said. “If we filled every shelter bed today, we would still have homeless people on the street.”
The Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness’ point-in-time count that provides a snapshot of those experiencing homelessness on a single night grew 60% in 2023 from 2018, representing an increase of 829 people over five years.
On the night of Jan. 23, volunteers counted 2,209 people residing in a shelter, transitional housing, or living without shelter in Pima County, and 77% of homeless people were unsheltered on the night of the 2023 count.
When those displaced from tier 3 encampments aren’t allowed to return to their known residence and refuse short-term shelter, they tend to disperse and set up camp at other nearby locations.
Brewster Nguyen said the Estevan Park residents have moved to other washes and at other locations along the railroad tracks, including in a nearby underground tunnel.
“You don't just sweep people, and then they disappear,” she said. “They're gonna go somewhere, and they're gonna go somewhere with way less resources than they had yesterday.”
Julsing acknowledged that this cycle is “a big issue,” but said, “We are not at functional zero, we don't have enough affordable housing for our entire unhoused population. So that's why when we go out, we make sure we bombard them with outreach. We may not get to you into housing this week, or this month, or even this year. But we have to get you on that list.”
More tier 3 clear-outs are set to come as encampment response workers set focus on "seasonal areas of interest."
Of the tier 3 locations the encampment team has responded to, about 30% are located in washes and cement culverts, a number that’s expected to grow as the sweltering Tucson summer heat drives people to the cooler, often shaded locations. City staff is stepping up efforts to map encampments at risk of flooding during monsoon season. If individuals refuse to move from the washes after two outreach attempts, TPD will post a notice for the inhabitants to leave in line with the tier 3 process.
“We are going to be kind of probably a little bit more stringent because it's a safety issue,” Julsing said. “We've had a lot of deaths from the unsheltered. That's a scary thing.”
Possible solutions
Champion and other experts like Dan Ranieri — the president and CEO of social services provider La Frontera with 30 years of experience working on housing issues — say other solutions are needed, such as tiny home villages and other congregate living alternatives to standard shelters.
The model of several congregated mini-homes with wraparound services like substance abuse treatment, medical care and behavioral health support has been tested in other cities like Austin, Texas.
Ranieri said Tucson could use a similar community to shelter the homeless population that’s a “significant size” and “strategically located,” which can be difficult to accommodate with current zoning codes.
Champion said the city is consistently discussing other solutions, including tiny home communities, “in the background.”
“We're having meetings with the people that build the buildings — the metal, congregate shelter buildings — and we're talking about what that would look like,” she said.
But being able to leave tier 2 encampments in places like the one where Reks lives is a big step, Champion noted, as the city is “trying to keep those tier twos clean, and see how that goes.”
Reks said she would accept a hotel room from the city if offered, but she lives with a partner and dog and worries about “what would come after that.”
“People want us to get out. You know, there are so many homeless people, they need to leave or whatever. Right now, from what I understand, the homeless situation is bad,” she said, echoing the dire sentiment underlying the homelessness crisis: “Sure, there are resources, but there are only so many. And even if every shelter got filled, there wouldn't be enough.”
Contact reporter Nicole Ludden at nludden@tucson.com | https://tucson.com/news/local/government-politics/tucson-homeless-encampment-reporting-tool/article_e07204be-150d-11ee-853e-e7773f4eb9a8.html | 2023-07-01T19:36:09 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/government-politics/tucson-homeless-encampment-reporting-tool/article_e07204be-150d-11ee-853e-e7773f4eb9a8.html |
COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is working a crash on Interstate 81 southbound near mile marker 60 in Sullivan County.
According to TDOT’s SmartWay Traffic Map, the crash involves one vehicle and the right lane is closed as of 2:40 p.m. Traffic is backed up for several miles, according to the TDOT map.
Updates will be provided as they become available. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/single-vehicle-crash-on-i-81-south-in-sullivan-co/ | 2023-07-01T19:46:19 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/single-vehicle-crash-on-i-81-south-in-sullivan-co/ |
Phoenix police announce arrests of 3 teens connected to April drive-by shooting
Fernando Cervantes Jr.
Arizona Republic
Phoenix police announced the arrest of three teenage boys connected to the drive-by shooting of a middle-aged man in April.
Mark Resendez, 46, was involved in a drive-by shooting on April 10. According to police, officers responded to a call of shots fired near 29th Avenue and Madison Street. When officers arrived at the area, they found Resendez in his own driveway with gunshot wounds.
He was taken to a hospital where he died. Now, more than two and a half months after the incident, arrests were made on June 23.
According to Phoenix police, all three teens were booked into the Juvenile Courts Center. The identity of the suspects has not been released. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2023/07/01/3-teens-arrested-by-phoenix-police-in-connection-to-drive-by-shooting/70376067007/ | 2023-07-01T19:57:23 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2023/07/01/3-teens-arrested-by-phoenix-police-in-connection-to-drive-by-shooting/70376067007/ |
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