text string | url string | crawl_date timestamp[ms] | label int64 | id string |
|---|---|---|---|---|
A stunning arrest in the long-unsolved string of killings, known as the Gilgo Beach murders, came not just as a shock to anyone familiar with the Long Island mystery, but particularly to the people that lived next door to the suspected serial killer.
Neighbors in Massapequa Park, where Rex Heuermann has lived his entire life, say the 59-year-old grew up in the home where he currently lives with his wife and two adult children.
Those who live in the quiet neighborhood were stunned at the developments, saying they often saw Heuermann in a suit heading to work in the morning.
"He keeps to himself, we'd say hello to each other once in a while, and that was it. Morning pleasantries," said Etienne Devilliers. "It's an incredible story, been hearing about it for 15 years or something. Like I said, we're shocked. This is a very, very quiet neighborhood, everybody knows each other. We're all friendly and there's never been a problem at all."
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
Neighbors noted that the dilapidated property seemed out of place among rows of single family homes and well kept lawns in the small community.
“This house sticks out like a sore thumb. There were overgrown shrubs, there was always wood in front of the house,” said Gabriella Libardi, a 24-year-old teacher. “It was very creepy. I wouldn’t send my child there.”
Barry Auslander, another neighbor, said the man who lived in the house commuted by train to New York City each morning, wearing a suit and tie and carrying a briefcase.
Local
“It was weird. He looked like a businessman,” said Auslander. “But his house is a dump.”
In an interview with "Bonjour Realty," a YouTube channel that highlights life in New York City, Heuermann said he has been working in the city since 1987 and he has worked extensively with the Department of Buildings.
Actor Billy Baldwin said he went to high school at the same time as Heuermann who graduated in the class of 1981. "Mind-boggling… Massapequa is in shock. 23andMe strikes again???," the Massapequa native wrote in a tweet.
Other former classmates also posted Heuermann's yearbook photo in an alumni Facebook group and said that they were shocked to learn the news of the arrest.
Police and other agencies were seen searching the Massapequa Park home of the suspect for much of the day Friday. They were looking to see if any evidence inside might link Heuermann to the killings. Law enforcement officials were also seen in midtown Manhattan, searching the suspect's office on Fifth Avenue and 36th Street.
For years, investigators suspected whether the suspect lived on Long Island and commuted to Manhattan through Penn Station. A cell phone ping at the transportation hub is part of the evidence, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
Since human remains were found along Gilgo Beach more than a decade ago, the case has drawn immense public attention for many years. The unsolved killings gained even more national interest when they became the subject of the 2020 Netflix film “Lost Girls.”
The deaths of 11 people whose remains were found in 2010 and 2011 have long stumped investigators. Most of the victims were young women who had been sex workers. Several of the bodies were found near the town of Gilgo Beach.
Determining who killed them, and why, has vexed a slew of seasoned homicide detectives through several changes in police leadership. Last year, an interagency task force was formed with investigators from the FBI, as well as state and local police departments, aimed at solving the case.
The formation of the Gilgo Beach task force represents a renewed commitment to investigating the unsolved killings of mostly young women whose skeletal remains were found along a highway on Long Island, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said.
“We’re happy to see that they’re finally active, the police, in accomplishing something. Let’s wait and see what it all leads to,” said John Ray, the attorney for the families of two victims, Shannan Gilbert and Jessica Taylor.
In talking about the bodies near Gilgo Beach, investigators have said several times over the years that it is unlikely one person killed all the victims. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/neighbors-in-quiet-long-island-community-stunned-alleged-gilgo-beach-killer-lived-next-door/4506265/ | 2023-07-15T14:40:10 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/neighbors-in-quiet-long-island-community-stunned-alleged-gilgo-beach-killer-lived-next-door/4506265/ |
A Long Island architect was charged Friday with murder in the deaths of three of the 11 victims in a long-unsolved string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders after detectives pursuing a new lead say they matched DNA from a pizza he ate to genetic material found on the women’s remains.
Rex Heuermann, who has lived for decades across a bay from where the remains were found, is charged with killing Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. He is also considered the prime suspect in the death of a fourth woman whose body was bound and hidden in thick underbrush along a remote beach highway, authorities said.
Heuermann, 59, was arrested late Thursday amid a renewed investigation that tied him to a pickup truck a witness reported seeing when one of the victims disappeared in 2010. In March, detectives tailing Heuermann recovered his DNA from pizza crust in a box that he’d discarded in a Manhattan trash can and matched it to DNA from a hair found on a restraint used in the killings, authorities said.
Heuermann’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his behalf Friday in state court in Riverhead. Judge Richard Ambro ordered him jailed without bail, citing “the extreme depravity” of his alleged conduct. The depravity the judge referred to includes Heuermann's alleged online search for child and torture pornography.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
Read the 32-page bail application below: | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/read-rex-heuermanns-redacted-and-denied-bail-application-due-to-extreme-depravity/4506377/ | 2023-07-15T14:40:16 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/read-rex-heuermanns-redacted-and-denied-bail-application-due-to-extreme-depravity/4506377/ |
A murder mystery that became known nationwide as the Gilgo Beach serial killer case began as a missing person case.
The 2010 disappearance for Shannan Gilbert, a 24-year-old escort from Jersey City, triggered a hunt that exposed a much larger mystery -- and the discovery of more bodies (Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello) on a remote stretch of Long Island that would later become known at the "Gilgo Four."
Now, a suspect has been arrested in connection to those murder but the details of those killings remain unknown. Other bodies were also discovered years before Gilbert disappeared. According to Suffolk County police, 10 people fell victim to suspected homicide between 1996 and 2010, but not all of them have been identified.
Not all killings are linked to the same killer, investigators have noted.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
Here is a brief timeline of the events:
- Sept. 2000: Partial skeletal remains of Valerie Mack were located in a wooded area in Manorville.
- July 26, 2003: Partial skeletal remains of Jessica Taylor, an escort working in New York City, were located in a wooded area in Manorville, according to Suffolk police.
- July, 6, 2007: Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, took an Amtrak train from New London to New York City where she worked as a prostitute.
- July 14, 2007: A friend reported Maureen Brainard-Barnes, believed to be the first victim, missing to police in Connecticut.
- July 12, 2009: Melissa Barthelemy, 24, went missing after she was last seen at her basement apartment on Underhill Avenue in the Unionport section of the Bronx, investigators said.
- July 18, 2009: Barthelemy's mother reported her missing to the NYPD.
- May 1, 2010: Gilbert disappeared in Oak Beach, a quiet gated community off Suffolk County's Ocean Parkway after meeting with a client.
- June 6, 2010: Investigators believe 22-year-old Megan Waterman of Maine, a sex worker who also utilized the same websites as the other victims, left a Holiday Inn Express in Hauppauge to meet her killer.
- June 8, 2010: Family reported Waterman missing to police after they said it was unlike her to not call and check in on her then-3-year-old daughter.
- Sept 2. 2010: Amber Lynn Costello, 27, was last seen leaving her home on America Avenue , going to meet a client who was picking her up.
- Dec. 11, 2010: In the search for Gilbert, a police officer and his cadaver dog discover remains of Barthelemy near Gilgo Beach in Suffolk County. While she was the first victim found, police believe she was actually the second one killed.
- Dec. 13, 2010: Brainard-Barnes' body was found on the north side of Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach. She is believed to be the first person killed. Waterman's body and Costello was also discovered nearby.
- March 29, 2011: Additional remains of Taylor were discovered along Ocean Parkway during the search for Gilbert.
- April 4, 2011: Additional remains of Mack were discovered along Ocean Parkway during the search for Gilbert. Two more sets of remains belonging to a female toddler and an Asian man were also found there, police said.
- May 9, 2011: Gilbert's remains were found in a reedy marsh near Oak Beach.
- July 14, 2023: Rex Heuermann was been arrested in connection of the Gilgo Beach murders. He's facing six murder charges in connection to the deaths of Barthelemy, Waterman and Costello. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/timeline-of-gilgo-beach-murders-how-a-search-for-missing-woman-turned-into-a-serial-killer-case/4505370/ | 2023-07-15T14:40:28 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/timeline-of-gilgo-beach-murders-how-a-search-for-missing-woman-turned-into-a-serial-killer-case/4505370/ |
The suspect who was arrested on Long Island in connection with a long-unsolved string of killings, known as the Gilgo Beach murders, has been confirmed as Rex Heuermann, according to four senior law enforcement officials briefed on the case.
Suffolk County police, sheriffs and New York State Police gathered outside Heuermann's home all Friday morning. He is expected to be in court later in the day and Suffolk County prosecutors are expected to provide more details on the arrest and the suspect in a Friday afternoon news conference.
Police and other agencies were seen searching the Massapequa Park home of the suspect. They were looking to see if any evidence inside might link Heuermann to the killings. Law enforcement officials were also seen in Midtown Manhattan Friday, searching the suspect's office on Fifth Avenue and 36th Street.
For years, investigators suspected whether the suspect lived on Long Island and commuted to Manhattan through Penn Station. A cell phone ping at the transportation hub is part of the evidence, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York newsletters.
Not much else is yet known about Heuermann but one neighbor who spoke to NBC New York said he was born and raised on Long Island and has lived in the Massapequa area his entire life. In an interview with "Bonjour Realty," a YouTube channel that highlights life in New York City, Heuermann said he has been working in the city since 1987 and he has worked extensively with the Department of Buildings.
Actor Billy Baldwin said he went to high school at the same time as Heuermann who graduated in the class of 1981. "Mind-boggling… Massapequa is in shock. 23andMe strikes again???," the Massapequa native wrote in a tweet.
Local
Other former classmates also posted Heuermann's yearbook photo in an alumni Facebook group and said that they were shocked to learn the news of the arrest.
Since human remains were found along Gilgo Beach more than a decade ago, the case has drawn immense public attention for many years. The unsolved killings gained even more national interest when they became the subject of the 2020 Netflix film “Lost Girls.”
The deaths of 11 people whose remains were found in 2010 and 2011 have long stumped investigators. Most of the victims were young women who had been sex workers. Several of the bodies were found near the town of Gilgo Beach.
Determining who killed them, and why, has vexed a slew of seasoned homicide detectives through several changes in police leadership. Last year, an interagency task force was formed with investigators from the FBI, as well as state and local police departments, aimed at solving the case.
The formation of the Gilgo Beach task force represents a renewed commitment to investigating the unsolved killings of mostly young women whose skeletal remains were found along a highway on Long Island, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said.
“We’re happy to see that they’re finally active, the police, in accomplishing something. Let’s wait and see what it all leads to,” said John Ray, the attorney for the families of two victims, Shannan Gilbert and Jessica Taylor.
In talking about the bodies near Gilgo Beach, investigators have said several times over the years that it is unlikely one person killed all the victims.
News of a suspect being taken into custody comes a day after state police responded to a report of skeletal remains found in a wooded area off the Southern State Parkway in Islip. Police planned a briefing near the site on Friday afternoon. It wasn’t immediately clear if those remains were linked to the Gilgo Beach case. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/who-is-rex-heuermann-the-massapequa-man-arrested-in-connection-to-gilgo-beach-murders/4505196/ | 2023-07-15T14:40:34 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/who-is-rex-heuermann-the-massapequa-man-arrested-in-connection-to-gilgo-beach-murders/4505196/ |
LIGONIER, Pa. — At least one person was killed in an early morning car crash in Ligonier.
According to Westmoreland County 911, he crash happened at around 7 a.m. near Route 711 and Freeman Road.
At least one person died in the crash, dispatch said. There’s currently no word on if anyone else was injured.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/least-1-dead-after-car-crash-ligonier/7E3S2IF2MBERJALMQXDNY7S3OU/ | 2023-07-15T14:45:38 | 0 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/least-1-dead-after-car-crash-ligonier/7E3S2IF2MBERJALMQXDNY7S3OU/ |
ROBINSON, Pa. — A local wave pool will be closed for the first half of the weekend.
Settlers Cabin Wave Pool in Robinson will be closed on Saturday, July 15 due to a power loss.
The pool is set to reopen on Sunday, weather and conditions permitting.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/settlers-cabin-wave-pool-closed-saturday/UCQ4BQQNRBAB5O2LDCOMNKNEUU/ | 2023-07-15T14:45:45 | 0 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/settlers-cabin-wave-pool-closed-saturday/UCQ4BQQNRBAB5O2LDCOMNKNEUU/ |
PITTSBURGH — Levi Wallace will be in a competition this season to maintain his starting job on the outside with Joey Porter Jr. now coming to the Steelers, but his 2022 season should be looked back on fondly. The tape is quite underrated and most of the stats do show that Wallace turned into a dependable CB2 by the end of the season.
Pro Football Focus revealed their highest graded cornerbacks on each route type. Well, Wallace made that list on a route that is key to the Steelers success in the AFC North. Wallace was rated the best cornerback against go routes in the NFL with a grade of 96.8 against those routes.
Read the full story from our partners at Sports Now Group Pittsburgh here.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/steelers-cb-leads-nfl-key-stat-2022/S6E5CMWJYFDLFPQDOBTQRMVVRE/ | 2023-07-15T14:45:51 | 1 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/steelers-cb-leads-nfl-key-stat-2022/S6E5CMWJYFDLFPQDOBTQRMVVRE/ |
PITTSBURGH — Defenseman Ty Smith, a restricted free agent, has signed a one-year contract to stay with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The deal carries a salary-cap hit of $775,000.
Smith, 23, had one goal and three assists in nine games with the Penguins in 2022-23. He also put up seven goals and 17 assists in 39 games with their American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre.
Read the full story from our partners at Sports Now Group Pittsburgh here.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/ty-smith-accepts-one-year-contract-with-penguins/3IAFLCZ5GVERDHJALV7QSIYWL4/ | 2023-07-15T14:45:57 | 1 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/ty-smith-accepts-one-year-contract-with-penguins/3IAFLCZ5GVERDHJALV7QSIYWL4/ |
Skip to content
Main Navigation
Search
Search for:
Weather
Local
Sports
Entertainment
Investigators
Videos
Newsletters
Live TV
Share
Close
Trending
Watch NBC10 24/7 on Streaming Platforms
First Alert Weather
Phillies Baseball
Expand
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/officer-dies-on-duty-in-south-philly/3604882/ | 2023-07-15T14:58:00 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/officer-dies-on-duty-in-south-philly/3604882/ |
SARASOTA, Fla. — A Sarasota man died in a crash on I-75 on Thursday night.
Florida Highway Patrol says the 43-year-old driver was traveling northbound on I-75 toward Fruitville Road.
Reports say the man lost control of the SUV, steering left and right across multiple lanes.
The SUV then overturned in the right and middle lanes of the interstate.
Florida Highway Patrol says the man died at the crash scene, and his 46-year-old passenger was seriously injured and taken to the hospital. | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2023/07/15/sarasota-man-dies-after-losing-control-of-suv-on-i-75/ | 2023-07-15T15:19:41 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2023/07/15/sarasota-man-dies-after-losing-control-of-suv-on-i-75/ |
After months of work, Natrona County School District trustees will meet Monday to discuss and vote on the district’s 2023-2024 budget. NCSD’s latest financial plan incorporates new changes from the Wyoming Legislature, including a $5.1 million inflation adjustment, as well as staff raises.
It also highlights significant trends and funding changes that NCSD leaders have been watching closely and preparing for to ensure the district stays on solid footing. Top among those trends is a decline in enrollment that the district projects will continue in the coming years.
During the pandemic, NCSD enrollment fell sharply as the district and families adjusted to both health concerns and changes to student learning. After a slight bump during the 2021 – 2022 school year, the district’s student population has continued its slide.
NCSD forecasts approximately 12,400 students across the district when school starts this fall, a drop of roughly 400 students, according to the budget and Wyoming Department of Education data. District projections show the downward trend will likely continue for at least the next three school years.
People are also reading…
“Declining and increasing enrollment is something that’s not new to Natrona County School District or all districts in the state,” said NCSD Superintendent Mike Jennings. “Every district has increases and decreases in student enrollment. It’s a very natural cycle.”
School districts across Wyoming – their budgets and their student populations – typically ebb and flow with the state’s energy industry. As the energy industry booms, so do schools. But NCSD connects the current decline to the falling birth rate in Natrona County.
“What you’re able to do is you’re able to look at the birth rate over time and then look at the cohorts of kindergarten coming in,” Jennings said. “What the pattern has been for the last four or five years has been a decrease in the birth rate within Natrona County.”
Before the recent slide, NCSD averaged around 1,000 new kindergarten students each year. In the last few years that figure has fallen to 850 children, Jennings said.
Other possible explanations for the decline, like an increase in homeschooling, don’t pan out. The number of homeschool students in Natrona County has remained flat, Jennings said, leading the district to conclude that a slowing birth rate is the driving force.
Funding and staffing adjustments
In Wyoming, a school district’s funding tracks its student population. The state uses average daily membership, a metric that effectively tracks student enrollment, to determine the money that school districts receive.
Amid declining enrollment, NCSD’s 2023-2024 budget cautions that the school district expects to lose funding over the next few years. The district is also set to lose another significant source of funding as federal pandemic funds reach their deadline next year.
NCSD received roughly $62 million through the three massive federal COVID-19 relief bills that Congress passed in 2020 and 2021, swelling the district’s budget and allowing it to hire additional teachers, tutors and counselors. But that money is set to expire in September 2024. With fewer students and less money, the district has begun shrinking its staff.
Each year after families register for schools in January, NCSD looks at its staffing to adjust for any changes in enrollment and funding, adding teachers and class sections or reducing them as needed. In the mid-2010s, NCSD scrapped roughly 180 – 200 positions as a result of declining enrollment and budget cuts, Jennings said. More recently, NCSD shed 45 positions during the 2021-2022 school year because of declining enrollment, a cut that was carried over into last school year.
Though district expects to continue shrinking its teaching staff to meet the demands of declining enrollment and funding, it does not plan to do so through layoffs. When NCSD hired additional teachers, tutors and counselors with pandemic relief money, it did so with next year’s deadline in mind.
“We wanted to make sure that we didn’t put the district in a position where they would have staff on board that we could not fund,” Jennings said.
The district hired additional staff on a series of one-year contracts to ensure that it did not commit money it would not have in the future. NCSD currently has approximately 45 employees on one-year contracts that will end after the upcoming school year with the loss of pandemic funds, Jennings said.
In general, NCSD tries to reduce staff through attrition by not rehiring positions that come open as teachers leave, move or retire. Ahead of the roughly 400-student drop next year, the school district cut class sections and shed teachers, but it did so without anyone losing their jobs, Jennings said.
“We want to be good stewards, and we want to be able to plan ahead,” he said.
Though trustees are set to vote on next year’s financial plan on Monday, Jennings and NCSD Chief Financial Officer Matt Flett are already starting to look at enrollment projections for 2025 and 2026 as they aim to ensure the long-term sustainability of the district.
“We know we’ve got to stay ahead,” Jennings said. | https://trib.com/news/local/education/natrona-county-school-district-enrollment-declines-pandemic-funding-end/article_fc396be0-21b7-11ee-8187-cf86581dd1d8.html | 2023-07-15T15:21:53 | 0 | https://trib.com/news/local/education/natrona-county-school-district-enrollment-declines-pandemic-funding-end/article_fc396be0-21b7-11ee-8187-cf86581dd1d8.html |
Courtney Piccoli is embarking on Year 26 of a Lincoln tradition that — even more than the dance studio that bears her name — is becoming her legacy.
On Thursday, when the curtain rises on "Catch Me If You Can," the 73rd annual Pinewood Performing Arts summer production, it will mark Piccoli's 26th show — and 15th as its director
She's also acted, danced, sang and served as choreographer in 11 other shows at Pinewood Bowl, the Pioneers Park amphitheater.
"This is what I do in the summer," said the 55-year-old wife, mother and owner of Piccoli Dance Theatre.
"Catch Me If You Can," is based on the 2002 movie of the same name that starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks and tells the story of a con artist named Frank Abagnale Jr.
"It's a fast-paced show that's really been a lot of fun to work on," Piccoli said.
People are also reading…
And it's entirely different from last year's production of "Newsies," which featured a huge cast and a number of labor-intensive dance routines.
"Last year was very dance heavy," she said. "This year we have a lot of dancing transitions, but not a lot of big-production numbers."
The cast is also exponentially smaller. There are just 29 members in the entire cast — one-third the number that took the stage for "Newsies" in 2022.
"This show has been a whole lot of fun," said Emily Maldavs, who is producing her third straight Pinewood summer production. "I like that it is a little bit of a departure from the Disney shows we have been putting on recently."
She has nothing against shows like "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Newsies," — all of which were immortalized on the silver screen by Disney — but it's good for Pinewood to be expanding its reach.
"It's something different," she said. "It keeps us from getting pigeonholed into just doing kids shows. We want to have something for everyone."
Bede Fulton plays Abagnale and brings a con artist-like charisma to the role that makes him believable, Maldavs said.
It's similar to the on-stage presence he had last year when he played Crutchie in "Newsies," but different, she said.
"Last year he had a cute, puppy dog charm to him," Maldavs said. "In this role, he still has that charm, but it’s more grown up.
"He’s got James Bond charm, more suave.”
IF YOU GO
Pinewood Performing Arts 73rd annual summer production
Catch Me If You Can
Where: Pinewood Bowl, Pioneers Park
When: Thursday through Sunday, 8 p.m. July 20-23, 8 p.m.
Director: Courtney Piccoli
Producer: Emily Maldavs
Cast: Bede Fulton, Sam Ninegar, Grant Schirmer, Claire Wilkinson, Karen Freimund-Wills, Ashley Bolton, Shawn Carlson, Alex Rownd, Adian Upton, Joe Hanson, Olivia Sis, Bryson Cole, Annaliese Saathoff.
Tickets: $15 at Russ's, $16 online, $18 at the gate.
Seating: You may bring in your own lawn chairs and bag chairs. The areas closest to the stage is a blanket-only section. Bench seating is also available.
More Information: pinewoodbowl.org | https://journalstar.com/news/local/catch-me-if-you-can-to-raise-curtain-at-pinewood/article_9a09bc1c-1763-11ee-86ce-cf67f6356284.html | 2023-07-15T15:24:02 | 1 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/catch-me-if-you-can-to-raise-curtain-at-pinewood/article_9a09bc1c-1763-11ee-86ce-cf67f6356284.html |
CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — A 41-year-old man is dead after a high-speed chase early Saturday morning in Citrus County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Around 1:35 a.m., a man driving a Jeep Cherokee west on State 44, east of Colonade Street fled an attempted traffic stop, FHP said. Deputies were able to successfully put out stop sticks east of CR 491, but the driver kept going, authorities said.
The driver continued until crossing the median and colliding with a light post, FHP said.
The Jeep Cherokee eventually stopped after colliding with a concrete subdivision title wall and catching fire at Crystal Oaks Drive.
The driver died at the scene of the crash. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/citruscounty/man-dead-high-speed-chase-citrus/67-739a9f67-ddf6-4746-ad82-bfbab8893480 | 2023-07-15T15:28:42 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/citruscounty/man-dead-high-speed-chase-citrus/67-739a9f67-ddf6-4746-ad82-bfbab8893480 |
A historic downtown Tucson building that’s been vacant for nearly 20 years is getting renewed life.
Built in 1897, the building at 72 E. Congress St. has housed everything from banks to dry goods stores, drugstores and lastly was home to the Indian Village Trading Post, the name by which most remember it.
Tucson investors recently bought the three-story, 10,000-square-foot building for $1.5 million and plan to turn it into a restaurant, bar and entertainment venue.
Partners Zach Fenton, Brenndon Scott and Danny Scordato are going in on the $5.5 million project.
The trio’s projects include well-known restaurants and bars, such as Reilly Craft Pizza, Bata, The Boxyard, John Henry’s, Vivace and Uptown Burger.
People are also reading…
Fenton has had his eye on the building for years.
“I looked at it a while back, but we had just opened Reilly Pizza and were not ready to take on a second project,” he said. “I feel honored to be able to participate in reactivating a building like this in a location like this.
“A dilapidated building in the center of downtown is not good.”
The first floor of the building has 18-foot ceilings and a mezzanine. The basement walls are of stone laid in lime mortar and vary in thickness from 24 inches to 36 inches.
A name and specific concept for the future venue are still in the works.
“We hope to make an announcement within six months,” Fenton said.
The building will require much interior renovation with minimal change to the façade since it is a registered historic place.
“It’s definitely no spring chicken,” Fenton said. “With it sitting vacant so long, it’s showing its age.”
Preserving history
The Indian Village Trading Post began as the Rebeil Block in 1897 or 1898. It was built for Andres Rebeil, a French immigrant who married into the prominent Redondo family, becoming a Tucson businessman and county supervisor, according to records filed with the city. The architect and builder are unknown.
At the corner of Congress Street and Scott Avenue, the building is the last on the block, once known as the Thrifty Block, to be redeveloped.
Most of its neighboring buildings were torn down, and new ones built for spaces such as the Hexagon Mining offices and The Monica restaurant.
The Indian Village Trading Post was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
Through the years, the 126-year-old building housed several retailers and was even home to Tucson Rapid Transit, which bought the city’s horse-drawn streetcar transit system in 1905.
Tucson Rapid Transit added an electric streetcar system the following year, ending a 25-year era of animal-powered transit in Tucson.
The Indian Village Trading Post site was its first downtown terminal.
“I’m tremendously happy,” said Ken Scoville, a Tucson historian and preservationist. “I’ve been worried about that building.”
He said it is one of the oldest remaining structures on Congress Street.
“I like the fact that, finally, the people living in Tucson have gone full circle from wanting to tear everything down to wanting to preserve the historic resources we have,” Scoville said.
The emergence of the restaurant/bar concept was greeted with much enthusiasm by the Rio Nuevo District, which generates income from sales tax.
“This is an economic juggernaut,” Board chairman Fletcher McCusker said in approving the deal to contribute $2 million toward the renovation.
“We’ve worked really hard on activating Congress, and this property is an older historic property (and) without our getting involved, this doesn't get developed,” he said. “And the fact that Zach Fenton can bring in a Danny Scordato — probably one of the most renowned chefs in Tucson — to bring him downtown is a massive victory for our community.”
Renovation of the building is expected to take about two years.
Hunt for iconic occupant
The new owners are hoping to bring one of the building's iconic occupants back home.
An Indian hoop dancer adorned the building for many years before it was taken down for building renovations in the late 1980s.
“For three decades, it was a fixture on East Congress Street Downtown: a 10-foot neon Indian dancing above Indian Village Trading Post.
“At dusk, glowing hoops welcomed nighttime shoppers as the Taos Indian hoop dancer went through his preordained rhythms.
“But in the early ’70s, Indian Village, as it is now known, started closing before dark. The neon went cold.
“Just before renovation of the building in 1986, the dancer was bought, removed, rehabbed and stored for safekeeping,” former Star columnist Bonnie Henry wrote in 2002.
Attempts to reach the business partners were unsuccessful and local historians were unsure if they still have it or the neon sign’s whereabouts.
Fenton would like to hang it up once again.
“Oh yeah,” he said, “I’m planning to look for it.”
Contact reporter Gabriela Rico at grico@tucson.com | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/restaurant-planned-for-iconic-downtown-tucson-building/article_950b3770-2016-11ee-88b5-cbac5dfc30c6.html | 2023-07-15T15:30:44 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/restaurant-planned-for-iconic-downtown-tucson-building/article_950b3770-2016-11ee-88b5-cbac5dfc30c6.html |
Proposed Brevard County budget for 2023-24 exceeds $2 billion, while tax rates decrease
Brevard County's proposed budget for 2023-24 exceeds $2 billion for the first time ever.
Still, County Manager Frank Abbate's budget plan released Friday reduces property tax rates and keeps property tax revenue to a level that does not exceed the so-called "charter cap" provisions contained in the Brevard County Charter.
Under those provisions, the increase in the amount raised through property taxes cannot exceed 3% unless the County Commission declares a "critical need" through a supermajority vote of at least four of the five commissioners.
Helping to keep the tax rates in check are the extensive commercial and residential construction projects that occurred in the county in 2022 and went on the tax rolls this year, since property tax revenue generated by new construction is not counted against the charter cap. Estimates from the Brevard County Property Appraiser's Office show that there was $1.55 billion worth of construction projects added to the tax rolls in 2023, up 21.8% from the $1.27 billion added in 2022.
Abbate's budget proposal includes money for 5% pay raises for county staff, upgrades to the Brevard County's jail complex, seven new or renovated fire stations, more road repairs, improvements at 20 parks facilities, expanded lifeguard coverage along Brevard's beaches and much more.
"Because of fiscally responsible decision-making and careful planning, Brevard County remains well-positioned to make further advances in the areas of public safety, infrastructure, employee compensation, recruitment, retention and environmental resilience," Abbate wrote in his 15-page budget message to county commissioners.
The County Commission will hold budget hearings on Sept. 5 and Sept. 19, before commissioners vote at the second hearing on the 2023-24 budget.
Commission Chair Rita Pritchett said staying under the charter cap tops the board's concerns when approving the budget.
"I think it’s always a milestone to try to hit that point, because the voters have asked us to do that. I’m very confident we can do it," Pritchett said. "Sometimes, we do have to take from somewhere else, but it's good if we don't have to. That’s what our county manager does so elegantly is negotiate those funds," she added.
Here are the details of Abbate's proposed budget:
Size of budget: The proposed budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 is $2.03 billion, a 2.22% increase over the current 2022-23 budget of $1.98 billion.
Tax rates: Brevard County is the taxing authority of 25 individual taxing districts, which include 20 operatingdistricts and five voter-approved debt districts.
The proposed 2023-24 general fund tax rate of 3.0486 per $1,000 of taxable value is a 6.54% decrease from the 2022-23 tax rate of 3.2619 per $1,000 of taxable value. The new rate would amount to $609.72 for a single-family home with a taxable value of $200,000. This is the 10th consecutive year that the proposed general countywide property tax rate has been reduced from the prior year.
Homeowners pay the general fund tax and any other applicable taxes for things such as library or special road districts.
Dispute over budget issues:Brevard Commissioners spar with constitutional officers over budget questions
Road projects: The county will continue working to reduce the backlog of county-maintained roads that need to be reconstructed, resurfaced or treated.
This year, 642 miles of county roads were rated good, 328 miles were satisfactory, 122 miles were fair, 31 miles were poor, 15 miles were very poor, and 2 miles were in serious condition.
That is a significant improvement from 2019, when 498 miles of county roads were rated good, 320 miles were satisfactory, 203 miles were fair, 73 miles were poor, 25 miles were very poor, and 5 miles were in serious condition.
Parks and recreation: The proposed budget includes significant capital projects at 20 Parks and Recreation Department facilities, including parks, campgrounds, sports complexes, trails and beach crossovers.
"These initiatives focus on enhancing playgrounds, campsite amenities, renovations of athletic fields, improvements to pavilions and concession stands, dock renovations, parking lot improvements, beach crossovers, continued heating/ventilation/air-conditioning upgrades, restroom improvements and building repairs," Abbate said.
Brevard County Detention Center: The county has set aside initial funding for a multiyear, phased approach to replace cell doors and locks, refurbish plumbing systems, improve the smoke evacuation system, restore kitchen equipment, and upgrade roofing and heating/ventilation/air-conditioning systems at the jail complex in Sharpes.
"Investing in these critical repairs and refurbishments will ensure that our detention facility operates efficiently and effectively, contributing to its overall safety and security," Abbate said in his budget message.
Separately, a $5.5 million state grant will help pay for upgrades to and expansion of the Harry T and Harriette V. Moore Justice Center courthouse complex in Viera.
Proposed tax break incentive:L3Harris clears first hurdle to win Brevard property tax break to expand in Palm Bay
Fire stations: The county budget proposal provides funding for replacing or renovating aging fire stations, with seven fire station projects scheduled for commencement or completion during the next 18 months. They include two stations on Merritt Island, and one each in Barefoot Bay, Cocoa, Palm Bay, Titusville and Viera.
Emergency operations center: Abbate noted that construction is progressing as planned on the county's new 44,000-square-foot emergency operations center in Rockledge, with an expected opening in June 2024.
Lifeguard protection: To reduce the risk of ocean drownings, the County Commission agreed to expand Brevard's Ocean Rescue program coverage, with the addition of two full-time towers at the lndialantic Boardwalkand Spessard Holland Beach Park North. This also enabled the county to extend its coverage by opening additional seasonal towers at Spessard Holland Beach Park South and Juan Ponce De Leon Landing.
Lagoon restoration: Abbate said the county budget continues to expand efforts to clean the Indian River Lagoon, largely funded by a half-percent, voter-approved special sales tax. The Save Our Indian River Lagoon Program has completed 76 projects to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the Indian River Lagoon.An additional 25 projects are currently under construction, with 45 more in design or permitting.
Utility services: The proposed budget reflects the County Commission's commitment to address long-term utility infrastructure, improving water quality, system reliability and capacity needs, in conjunction with Utility ServicesDepartment's 10-year improvement program.
Solid waste: Under this budget proposal, county staff will continue to move forward with securing bonds to financethe Solid Waste Management Department's capital improvement program designed to ensure long-term disposal capacity at various sites in the county.
Staff pay raises: In an effort to retain and recruit employees, Abbate proposes giving employees a cost-of-living pay adjustment of 5% or $1 an hour, whichever is greater. That would be on top of raises of $5.38% or $1 an hour that took effect last October.
The county currently has 377 vacancies, which is down from 474 in March 2022, but still higher than its long-term typical vacancy rate of 240.
Tyler Vazquez is the North Brevard and Brevard County government watchdog reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-917-7491 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez
Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on Twitter at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54 | https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2023/07/15/county-managers-budget-plan-2-billion-brevard-county-budget-stays-below-county-cap-on-tax-increases/70414631007/ | 2023-07-15T15:39:31 | 0 | https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2023/07/15/county-managers-budget-plan-2-billion-brevard-county-budget-stays-below-county-cap-on-tax-increases/70414631007/ |
An adult male bicyclist died early today when his bike rode into the path of a car on the Indiana Toll Road near South Bend, Indiana State Police said.
The crash occurred about 4:05 a.m. in the westbound lanes near the 71.8-mile-marker, just west of the exit for the U.S. 20 bypass, state police at the Toll Road post said in a statement.
Police said a black 2021 Kia was traveling west in the left lane when the bicyclist rode from the right shoulder and crossed into its path.
The driver of the Kia was not injured and remained at the scene, cooperating with troopers during the investigation, police said. The driver was taken to Memorial Hospital in South Bend for a chemical test as required by Indiana law in fatal crashes. The results of the test are pending.
The St. Joseph County coroner responded to the scene and is working to make a positive identification of the bicyclist, police said. Bicycles are prohibited on the Toll Road. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/indiana/bicyclist-killed-in-predawn-crash-on-indiana-toll-road/article_e2df68ca-231f-11ee-ba7d-c3efb5f1f520.html | 2023-07-15T15:43:45 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/indiana/bicyclist-killed-in-predawn-crash-on-indiana-toll-road/article_e2df68ca-231f-11ee-ba7d-c3efb5f1f520.html |
OXFORD COUNTY, Maine — One person has died after the rally car they were in crashed during the annual Forest Rally Race.
Oxford County sheriff's deputies, Maine State Police, Med-Care Ambulance and Andover Fire Department reportedly responded to a call Friday about a single-vehicle crash on the South Arm Road in Township C in the area of Lower Richardson Lake, the sheriff's office said Saturday in a news release.
Initial investigation indicates that the car failed to negotiate a left-hand turn and lost control, causing it to crash into a tree on the passenger's side of the car, according to the release.
Erin Kelly, 48, of Marshall, Virginia, was a passenger in the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kelly and the driver were wearing helmets and restraining devices at the time of the crash, the sheriff's office said.
The crash remains under investigation.
New England Forest Rally announced plans to cancel the rest of the rally, according to a statement they posted on Facebook.
"The American Rally Association and New England Forest Rally continue to express its deepest condolences to Erin's family, team, and many friends throughout the rally community," the statement said.
The organization also stated plans to continue with a get-together and cookout Saturday afternoon at Sunday River.
This story is developing and will be updated as information becomes available.
For the latest breaking news, weather, and traffic alerts, download the NEWS CENTER Maine mobile app. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/fatal-crash-forest-rally-race-new-england-car/97-81577268-de68-4f6c-ae33-5d959d6dc16d | 2023-07-15T15:46:08 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/fatal-crash-forest-rally-race-new-england-car/97-81577268-de68-4f6c-ae33-5d959d6dc16d |
FORT SMITH, Arkansas — A missing woman in Fort Smith has been found dead according to the Fort Smith Police Department (FSPD).
The woman, 45-year-old Melissa Chambers, was reported missing on Friday, July 14. Chambers had last been seen leaving Baptist Health in the "early morning hours," according to police.
On Saturday morning, police reported they found Chambers dead in the 600 block of North 11th Street.
FSPD says "no signs of trauma were apparent" and the cause of her death is unknown "pending determination from the Arkansas State Crime Lab."
No further information was released and officials say more information will be "released when available and appropriate."
Stay with 5NEWS for updates on this developing story.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/missing/missing-fort-smith-woman-found-dead-north-11/527-983b7b3f-6465-4d3a-bf7f-8a4b8f2363d7 | 2023-07-15T15:47:59 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/missing/missing-fort-smith-woman-found-dead-north-11/527-983b7b3f-6465-4d3a-bf7f-8a4b8f2363d7 |
NORMAL — Half of the television shows nominated in the 75th annual Emmy Awards’ Outstanding Comedy Series category, as well as an Outstanding Drama Series nominee, feature Illinois State University alums.
ISU School of Theatre & Dance alum Brendan Hunt, who graduated with a degree in theater and design technology in 1996, plays Coach Beard in the Apple TV+ sports comedy-drama “Ted Lasso,” nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series at this year’s awards. The show was also nominated for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series.
Five-time Emmy Award winner Jane Lynch, a former ISUacting and directingmajor and member of the class of1982, is featured as Sophie Lennon in Amazon Prime Video’s original comedy-drama series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” which is also nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. In 2019, Lynch won the award for Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series for her role in the show.
Reggie Hayes, a recipient of ISU's Outstanding Young Alumni Award, portrays superintendent Denzel Collins in ABC’s mockumentary sitcom “Abbott Elementary,” another show contending for the title of Outstanding Comedy Series. Hayes graduated from ISU in 1991 with a degree in acting.
ISU alum Paulina Pahl, who received a degree in theater in 2014, was seen in Season 2 of FX’s comedy-drama series “The Bear,” which also is in the running for Outstanding Comedy Series.
Finally, alum Pat Healy plays Jeff in the sixth and final season of the AMC crime drama series “Better Call Saul,” nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. Healy graduated from ISU with a degree in acting in 1993.
To see which TV shows take home the titles at this year’s ceremony, tune into Fox's live broadcast of the Emmy Awards at 7 p.m. Sept. 18. | https://pantagraph.com/life-entertainment/local/movies-tv/5-isu-alums-featured-in-emmy-nominated-tv-series/article_f6cc8d74-226e-11ee-84b5-4bed2333cf77.html | 2023-07-15T15:55:10 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/life-entertainment/local/movies-tv/5-isu-alums-featured-in-emmy-nominated-tv-series/article_f6cc8d74-226e-11ee-84b5-4bed2333cf77.html |
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A small group of teachers wrapped their arms around a Pinedale Elementary student after his mother died in a car crash in early July.
Authorities said the 11-year-old survived but suffered serious injuries.
Hosiah Corona still wanted to see his mother one last time before despite his injuries.
He's the only child in his family.
Corona showed up to the Coleman Walker Funeral Home in a stretcher. He was with his father, James House. The 11-year-old boy was inside the funeral home for less than 10 minutes. He expressed to First Coast News he's heartbroken from the incident, but he's trying to stay strong because he's mother lives in his heart.
On July 1, the Florida Highway Patrol said Corona and his mother were driving on interstate 95. According to the crash report, the bronze SUV was traveling southbound at Golfair Boulevard at 3:21 P.M. when for an unknown reason, the vehicle ran off the roadway and slammed into a tree. Corona's father said the mother passed out while on the road.
The report revealed both Corona and his mother were not wearing seatbelts before the crash. They were taken to a nearby hospital, however, Corona's mother was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The family identified her as Jessica Corona, 45.
Corona's father, James House, said he's trying to keep it together for his son. He said they talked on the phone the days before the crash. He was living in Ohio at the time, and he hadn't seen them for years.
"I just been trying to hold it together for my son," House said. "But on the inside I'm like - I don't know what to do anymore. I'm not nervous. I'm not scared to be a Dad. It's just - how are we gonna pick up the pieces from this?"
House said he's relocating to the First Coast to support his son. Corona said he wants to continue attending school in Jacksonville. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/jacksonville-boy-visits-funeral-home-to-see-mother-one-last-time-after-fatal-crash/77-f2d30bc0-a920-4bfc-af4e-362a04cdea50 | 2023-07-15T15:55:27 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/jacksonville-boy-visits-funeral-home-to-see-mother-one-last-time-after-fatal-crash/77-f2d30bc0-a920-4bfc-af4e-362a04cdea50 |
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police are asking the public to help identify a suspect involved in an assault in North Austin.
The attack happened on Friday, May 5, around 8 a.m. in the 9300 block of Northgate Boulevard.
Police said the male victim was standing in a parking lot waiting for a ride to work when the suspect approached him. There was a verbal exchange and the suspect pulled out a gun and pointed it at the victim.
Police said the suspect was possibly scared away by a passing vehicle and he walked away southbound, crossing West Rundberg Lane.
It’s believed the suspect may live in 9300 block of Northgate Boulevard.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic man between 30 and 40 years old. He was last seen wearing a white shirt, dark pants, dark socks, light-colored slides and a blue skull cap.
Anyone with information or video of the incident can submit a tip anonymously by contacting the Capital Area Crime Stoppers program at 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest. | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/northgate-boulevard-assault/269-6b252738-37ca-4a50-b659-747ca47609ab | 2023-07-15T15:55:33 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/northgate-boulevard-assault/269-6b252738-37ca-4a50-b659-747ca47609ab |
ROUND ROCK, Texas — Round Rock police are investigating after a pedestrian was hit and killed on Friday night.
Officers were called to the 2200 block of N. I-35 around 9:52 p.m. for a reported welfare concern.
A woman, identified as 31-year-old Jennifer Wingard of Round Rock, was found dead on the shoulder of the highway.
A driver who hit Wingard is cooperating with the investigation, police said. The investigation is ongoing “into all the circumstances.”
Anyone who may have information on the incident is asked to contact pturck@roundrocktexas.gov. | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/round-rock-pedestrian-killed-jennifer-wingard/269-8964c285-0da4-4d7f-a4dd-a899690a67bf | 2023-07-15T15:55:39 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/round-rock-pedestrian-killed-jennifer-wingard/269-8964c285-0da4-4d7f-a4dd-a899690a67bf |
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — There is a new center for Volusia County residents to meet a furry friend.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
The Halifax Humane Society will hold the grand opening of its Dog Adoption Center Saturday.
The center in the Volusia Mall will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the celebration.
Read: Seminole County Animal Services offering $5 dog adoptions this month
In a social media post, the organization said guests adopted eight dogs at the soft opening on Friday.
This weekend marks the end of National Adoption Week, and those looking to adopt can visit PetSmart stores in Lake Mary and Ocoee from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Altamonte PetSmart stores will be available on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Seminole County Animal Services is also offering $5 dog adoptions in July.
Photos: Dog adoption center celebrates grand opening in Volusia County
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/dog-adoption-center-celebrates-grand-opening-volusia-county/C3JXFZEMIFCJLOULW3LDCWVPOA/ | 2023-07-15T16:00:17 | 0 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/dog-adoption-center-celebrates-grand-opening-volusia-county/C3JXFZEMIFCJLOULW3LDCWVPOA/ |
ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s about to be the sweetest day of the year!
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
National Ice Cream Day is celebrated every third Sunday in July.
With Central Florida temperatures rising, a frozen treat sounds like a good idea.
Photos: Altamonte Springs unveils autonomous vehicle shuttle program
Monkey Joe’s Pointe Orlando and Winter Park will celebrate the sweet day by giving free ice cream.
The children’s entertainment center will also offer discounted admission of $13 in Orlando and $10 in the Winter Park location.
Families can beat the heat with a free frozen treat while their children enjoy the indoor jumps, slides, and obstacle courses.
The ice cream celebration is only valid on July 16 until supplies last.
For more information, please click here.
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/national-ice-cream-day-2023-this-central-florida-place-is-giving-away-free-ice-cream/L6SZ4M5T2JHJRDA3UNNYKZZNZA/ | 2023-07-15T16:00:23 | 1 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/national-ice-cream-day-2023-this-central-florida-place-is-giving-away-free-ice-cream/L6SZ4M5T2JHJRDA3UNNYKZZNZA/ |
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new rules that would reduce steel mill emissions by 15%.
The EPA is looking to amend air emission limits on vertically integrated steel mills like those long the Lake Michigan shore in Northwest Indiana. It is proposing new work practices to prevent uncontrolled fugitive emissions that escape from mills' roof vents.
It's estimated the new requirements will cut toxic pollution by 15% and cost steelmakers about $5 million a year to implement.
Earthjustice, an environmental group that's pressed for greater protections for the public, contends the new regulations don't go far enough and would only cost steelmakers 0.02% of their $44 billion in annual revenues while barely putting a dent in the problem.
The group hopes for tighter restrictions on arsenic, chromium, lead and other hazardous air pollutants. The new EPA rules would still allow steel mills to emit hundreds of tons of metals a year.
People are also reading…
“Under this proposed rule, steel mills will remain some of the worst toxic polluters in the country,” said Earthjustice Director of Clean Air Practice James Pew. “A reduction in their toxic emissions of just 15%, which is all the rule will achieve, does not come close to providing adequate protection for people living near these steel mills as they will still be exposed to hundreds of tons of toxic air pollution."
The American Iron and Steel Institute, the trade association representing the steel industry, said it was still reviewing the proposals and had no immediate comment, but planned to weigh in in the future.
The EPA estimates about 27% of people who live near steel mills are Black, more than twice their percentage in the U.S. population. Four of the country's 11 remaining integrated steel mills, which forge their own iron instead of recycling scrap metal, are located in Northwest Indiana.
The federal agency estimates people who live near the mills are exposed to more than 80 tons of toxic metal emissions a year, putting them at greater risk of cardiovascular and lung disease. A major pollutant is lead, which is a known carcinogen that hampers children's brain development.
Pew said another major concern was the emission of toxic organic chemicals like hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride and chlorine gas that's still being allowed under the proposed amendments. Exposure has been linked to a number of health issues, including those affecting the nervous system, hormones, the liver and reproduction.
"EPA must hold these steel mills accountable for the irreversible damage they have caused to people’s health and fulfill its promise to protect environmental justice communities," he said.
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Maple + Bacon, deli and Divalicious Desserts Bakery & Cafe opening
Open
Open
Open
Coming soon
Open
Open
Open
219 News Now 6/16/23
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Pierogi stand, Brown Skin Coffee and Alpha Family Resale opening; Ixxa and Dan's Pierogies updating | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/epa-proposes-rules-that-will-reduce-steel-mill-emissions-by-15/article_1e2a391c-21ab-11ee-a208-536972e46d58.html | 2023-07-15T16:21:02 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/epa-proposes-rules-that-will-reduce-steel-mill-emissions-by-15/article_1e2a391c-21ab-11ee-a208-536972e46d58.html |
Northwest Health-Porter Hospital in Valparaiso recently reached a milestone when it performed its 500th left atrial appendage closure heart procedure.
The health care system with hospitals in Valparaiso, LaPorte and Knox implants a heart device as an alternative to long-term use of blood thinners for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. It's hailed as a "leading edge stroke risk reduction procedure."
“The left atrial appendage closure procedure performed by the cardiologists at Northwest Health–Porter is an effective stroke risk reduction alternative for many patients, especially those who can’t be on blood thinners,” said Ashley Dickinson, Northwest Health CEO.
It's estimated that 6 million Americans are affected by atrial fibrillation, the heart condition in which upper chambers beat too fast and with an irregular rhythm. It puts them at a five times greater risk of stroke.
People are also reading…
Such patients are commonly treated with blood-thinning medication, but it is not tolerated well by some patients and puts them at risk for severe bleeding. About half of the atrial fibrillation patients can't take blood-thinning medicine because of tolerance problems.
The left atrial appendage closure heart procedure involves closing off part of the heart to keep harmful blood clots from forming and entering the blood stream, possibly causing a strike.
The procedure reduces the risk of stroke and can allow patients to stop having to take blood thinner medicine over time.
Cardiologists at Northwest Health-Porter install the permanent implant under general anesthesia in a procedure that takes about an hour.
“In 2016, Northwest Health–Porter was the first hospital in northern Indiana approved to implant the device, and is currently the third hospital in the state of Indiana to perform 500 procedures — a true medical milestone and with important benefits to our patients," Dickinson said.
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/northwest-health-reaches-milestone-500th-heart-procedure/article_dd34bb22-1fb0-11ee-af8d-6b6ed9688ede.html | 2023-07-15T16:21:08 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/northwest-health-reaches-milestone-500th-heart-procedure/article_dd34bb22-1fb0-11ee-af8d-6b6ed9688ede.html |
Why do scorpions glow? Your burning scorpion questions answered by entomologist
When you think of something that glows under a UV light, the last thing that probably comes to mind is a scorpion, but, according to scientists they do glow, looking like something out of a laser tag arena.
In Arizona, there are 40 to 60 species of scorpions according to the Arizona Department of Agriculture. The most commonly encountered scorpion in the state though is the bark scorpion.
This type is commonly found under rocks, logs, tree bark and other objects. They are also the scorpion most seen in homes but are most prevalent in rocky areas.
But this scorpion is not the only one that glows in the dark, this feature is shared by all scorpions big or small.
We sat down with an entomologist, to talk more about why these six-legged animals glow in the dark and other lesser-known facts about scorpions.
Why do scorpions glow in the dark?
Dr. Shaku Nair, an entomologist, and associate in extension at the University of Arizona, said that the reason scorpions glow is due to their exoskeleton.
“They have material in their cuticle, in their exoskeleton that is bioluminescent,” Nair said.
Baby scorpions do not glow, according to Nair, this attribute only comes after the scorpions first mold or shed. The shed happens to accommodate a scorpion's growing body, also the time between sheds depends on the species of the scorpion but these stop once the scorpion grows to a full size.
Scorpion moms carry their children on their backs
Scorpion mothers carry their newborn children on their backs, Nair said. This is because scorpions do not lie eggs, but instead birth their newborns.
Carrying their babies on their backs allows the scorpion to protect their babies from other predators.
“The mother carries the young ones on her back until they're ready to go out into the world by themselves,” Nair said. “Sometimes they'll [blacklight scorpion hunters] see a scorpion with a big hole on its back, so it's because the babies are on her back and they don't glow.”
Are scorpions deadly?Here's how to avoid getting stung in your home or yard
Are scorpions poisonous?
Nair says that stings from these animals can hurt but are not life-threatening.
“Different people react differently to the venom. For some people it might be like a little prick, and pain that lasts for a few minutes maybe an hour, for others it can last for weeks.,” Nair said.
In the United States, there have not been any scorpion deaths in the last 20 years according to the University of Arizona. But that does not mean they are not deadly, in the 1980s, Mexico saw about 800 deaths per year from scorpion stings.
The Arizona Department of Agriculture considers bark scorpion stings as the only “medically significant” stings in the whole state. They believe stings from this scorpion are the most likely to cause dangerous symptoms.
What does a scorpion sting look like?
A scorpion sting first appears as a red bump.
Later, depending on the species and how much venom goes into your body, the diameter of the bump might expand. It can last for a few hours to a week or more.
What happens if a scorpion stings you?
Extreme symptoms of a scorpion sting are “severe pain, loss of muscle control, roving or abnormal eye movements, slurred speech, respiratory distress, excessive salivation, frothing at the mouth, airway obstruction and vomiting,” according to the article “Scorpions of the Desert Southwest United States” by Dawn H. Gouge, Shujuan (Lucy) Li, Christopher Bibbs, and Nair.
Get medical attention immediately if such symptoms are present.
The article also says that if a child who is 9 or younger or weighs less than 70 pounds is stung, seek medical treatment immediately.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the older or younger you are, the more likely you are to die of an untreated venomous scorpion sting. This is primarily because of heart or respiratory failure hours after the sting. A severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to scorpion stings is also possible.
If you are stung by a scorpion, call your doctor, go to an urgent care facility, or call the Arizona Poison Control and Drug Information Center at 800-222-1222.
Should you be scared of scorpions in Arizona?
“I don't think people should be scared of them,” Nair said. “I think people should understand them. Because it's not possible to eliminate scorpions from our environment. We are in their territory.”
Landscaping and construction drive scorpions out of their natural habitat, Nair said. Otherwise, they tend to mind their own business.
Republic reporter Dina Kaur contributed to this article. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/07/15/why-do-scorpions-glow-your-burning-scorpion-questions-answered/70415784007/ | 2023-07-15T16:31:50 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/07/15/why-do-scorpions-glow-your-burning-scorpion-questions-answered/70415784007/ |
Peoria Unified School District board member says she will stop quoting Bible verses
After months of pushback and legal warnings, Peoria Unified School District governing board member Heather Rooks said on Thursday she will refrain from quoting Scripture during board meetings.
Rooks, who joined the board in January, had been reciting Bible verses during the portion of governing board meetings reserved for members to “publicly recognize schools, groups or individuals who have made a contribution to the district, as well as share information related to their service as Board members.”
In March, after she quoted from Corinthians, the board's president, David Sandoval, reminded the board they were told by the district's attorney that "reciting Scripture at a board meeting on this side of the dais goes against the Establishment Clause" of the U.S. Constitution.
'Disorderly behavior':Arizona lawmaker who hid Bibles at the Capitol is censured by the House after expulsion vote fails
In June, the district received a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation urging the Peoria Unified School District administration to stop its board members from quoting Bible verses during meetings and warning that if board members continue to “impose religion on those in attendance, it could subject the school district to unnecessary liability and potential financial strain.”
At the meeting following the receipt of the letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Rooks quoted a passage from Ephesians: “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so that you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil.”
At Thursday's governing board meeting, Rooks said she received a letter from the school district directing her to stop reciting Bible verses during school board meetings. "The district asserts that doing so violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment," she said.
Warning goes unheeded:Peoria school board members quote Bible at board meeting despite warning and legal advice
"Based upon the district's letter, I will refrain from reciting Bible verses at this time and will have my attorneys at First Liberty Institute handle this matter," she said.
The First Liberty Institute, a conservative legal organization based in Texas, calls itself the "largest non-profit legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious liberty for all Americans." Its most prominent cases include defending Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of a bakery in Oregon who refused to create a custom wedding cake for a lesbian couple in 2013.
Board member Rebecca Hill has also quoted Bible verses during governing board meetings on multiple occasions. She did not recite a Bible verse during her board comment on Thursday. She also did not indicate whether she would do so in the future.
"When I came into this position as a board member, I took a sworn oath to God," Hill said at Thursday's meeting. "I swore to God that I would uphold the Constitution, which includes my First Amendment rights."
Rooks and Hill could not be reached for comment.
Voted down:Peoria school board rejects free computer science program that has commitment to diversity
Madeleine Parrish covers K-12 education. Reach her at mparrish@arizonarepublic.com and follow her on Twitter at @maddieparrish61. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/peoria-education/2023/07/15/peoria-school-board-member-says-she-will-stop-quoting-bible/70415989007/ | 2023-07-15T16:31:53 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/peoria-education/2023/07/15/peoria-school-board-member-says-she-will-stop-quoting-bible/70415989007/ |
Phoenix Commander: 'The Zone' lawsuits pulling police in two directions
The Phoenix Police Department's downtown commander in charge of protecting "The Zone" testified Monday that a new operation had reduced crime in the sprawling homeless encampment, even as the department gets pulled into two directions when it comes to policing the area.
Monday's testimony kicked off the trial in a lawsuit against the City of Phoenix, brought on by business owners in the downtown area near the Human Services Campus. They accuse the city of ignoring public nuisance laws and not enforcing city codes that ban camping.
Commander Brian Freudenthal testified that the police department created a crime suppression plan in February to increase police presence and cut down on crime in the area.
The operation launched the next month, when Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney released a scathing order against the city instructing it to start clearing the area of The Zone.
Before the crime suppression plan, eight officers worked in shifts patrolling the area between 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., with another officer who was dedicated to working with service providers and businesses in the area.
The order given to police officers was to redirect people to services when appropriate.
The perception on the street had been that police patrols had decreased according to people living in tents and people who owned businesses.
The number of violent crimes in the area rose to become some of the highest in the city, according to data pulled by The Arizona Republic.
In court on Monday, Freudenthal told the court that crime had decreased since the start of the operation. Violent crime dropped by 11%, and property crime dropped by about 23%.
Though they did see a reduction in crime, the commander said that the crime rate in the area remained high when compared to the rest of the city.
The March crime suppression plan added more work hours, including overtime, for officers patrolling The Zone. It also allowed other units and precincts to assist. Phoenix police also added four pole cameras, six gunshot detectors and five license plate readers in the area. Officers were directed to focus on five priority crimes:
- Misconduct Involving Weapons
- Possession of Narcotic Drugs
- Possession of Dangerous Drugs
- Obstructing Streets and Sidewalks
- Criminal Trespassing
Mario Zepeda, who lives in The Zone, said he saw increased patrols in the last few months as more people moved their tents out of the area. The city has conducted four sweeps since Blaney's order.
'The heat will kill you':Amid record heat and facing a court ruling, Phoenix clears another block of 'The Zone'
Zepeda said it was mostly due to the city clearing out each block. He’s stayed around the Human Services Campus as he tries to stay near cooling stations because of the heat, but he isn’t sure how much longer he’ll stay there.
He’d like the city to spend money on building housing for people instead of spending time and money moving them from one side of the city to another. “It feels like a game,” he said, adding that he’s tired of “jumping through hoops.”
In court, Freudenthal expressed frustration as he was cross-examined by Stephen Tully, attorney for the business owners.
Tully asked Freudenthal about whether or not the city’s camping laws are being enforced.
”It depends who you ask,” Freudenthal said.
He said the court had instructed the officers in a lawsuit brought on by the ACLU that they have to assess every person before citing or arresting them, in line with a Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that prevents cities from arresting or citing people that live on the street if they don’t have a place to go.
The court, in this case, has said that the city is hiding behind the Ninth Circuit ruling in the order it released earlier this year.
”It would help if we had a straight answer between the two courts,” he said.
Later he added, “It puts us in a difficult position. It’s not easy at all to reconcile the difference between the two suits.”
The police will continue to cite and arrest people from camping on sites already cleared by the city during their block-by-block sweeps and enforce city code when people block entranceways.
But Zepeda said that just because you can’t see the crime happening to them, it doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
“Just because there are fewer people here doesn’t mean we aren’t being hurt somewhere else," he said. “Crime happens to us, police happen to us, no housing happens to us. What should we do until we find a place?"
Staff writer Juliette Rihl contributed to this report. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2023/07/15/phoenix-police-testify-during-law-suit-over-the-zone-homeless-encampments/70414792007/ | 2023-07-15T16:31:56 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2023/07/15/phoenix-police-testify-during-law-suit-over-the-zone-homeless-encampments/70414792007/ |
Should Vail incorporate? Effort to collect signatures is under way in Pima County community
A rural unincorporated Pima County community 24 miles southeast of Tucson will again consider becoming its own municipality.
Incorporate Vail Arizona, a group of Vail business owners and residents, want to bring incorporation to a vote. Their community of 20,000 people, known as being a family-friendly suburb with wide open space and its proximity to Colossal Cave, is growing, and they want a say in how the community is run.
The Board of Supervisors passed a measure Tuesday allowing Incorporate Vail to circulate a petition for signatures, despite pushback on the idea from many Vail residents.
“With municipal government, water usage can be better managed … incorporation levels the playing field and looks strategically at the future,” wrote Incorporate Vail in an article in the Vail Voice.
The group said incorporation as a town would allow Vail residents also to better shape growth and development and have more say in their governance. The municipality could be funded primarily through state shared revenue and county revenue, and not raise property taxes, the group said.
This is the third time people in the community have tried to incorporate, with the most recent effort in 2013, according to a county memo. Voters rejected the idea, with 55% opposed and 44% in favor.
Tucson Zoo:Squirrel monkey Dazzle dies following pregnancy complications
The Tucson City Council passed a resolution May 9 allowing the incorporation, as required by state law. The incorporation excludes three parcels of state land located between Houghton and Colossal Cave roads, which are part of a planned area development project known as H2K. These areas are to be annexed by Tucson after approval by the Pima County Board of Supervisors.
If incorporated, Pima County would no longer be required to provide services and could contract out services including law enforcement, transportation, development services and elections, to the community.
To incorporate, petitioners must either collect signatures from two-thirds of registered voters residing in the boundary for incorporation without an election, or collect the signatures of 1,537, or 10% of registered voters within the incorporation boundary within 180 days to trigger an election.
Many residents have spoken at Pima County Board of Supervisors meetings and in front of the Tucson City Council opposing incorporation, with many concerned it will change their way of life.
“We moved there 29 years ago … to raise our six kids in a rural community where we could raise animals, my kids could ride their bikes, I could ride my horse outside the gate, and just to be away from the traffic and nonsense that goes on in the large cities," said Dianne Smith during the Tuesday county board meeting, wearing a white shirt with the words Incorporate Vail AZ inside the red prohibition circle with a line through it.
She was concerned incorporation would increase property taxes, sales taxes and increase bureaucracy, Smith said.
Extreme heat:All the records Arizona could break amid soaring July temperatures
Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com. The Republic’s coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/07/15/vail-a-pima-county-community-southeast-of-tucson-considering-incorporation/70415611007/ | 2023-07-15T16:31:58 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/07/15/vail-a-pima-county-community-southeast-of-tucson-considering-incorporation/70415611007/ |
'Should we be drinking the water?' Sierra Vista residents want answers about 'forever chemicals'
SIERRA VISTA — Deborah Gearty had barely heard of the term "forever chemicals" before she learned that it was in her drinking water.
In late April, the East Slope Water Company mailed a notice to Gearty and her neighbors informing them that PFAS, short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, had been detected in the water the company serves to about 450 people in the southwest corner of the city, near Ramsey Canyon.
PFAS are a broad class of manufactured chemicals, used in everything from dental floss to firefighting foam, that are highly toxic and difficult to get rid of. Research shows long-term exposure, even to low traces of these chemicals, can cause severe health issues.
Two of the contaminants were above advisory limits outlined by the Environmental Protection Agency in the distribution area west of Highway 92, known as East Slope West, the letter said. It made no mention of the potential health effects of long-term exposure or whether the company had a plan of action.
"The biggest thing it didn't say was: Should we be drinking the water?" said Gearty, who spent the following months trying to contact company representatives, gathering information from the EPA's website and organizing community meetings with neighbors to share what she learned.
In May, the company sent a second letter. PFAS levels were below the EPA proposed limit according to new tests done by both the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and the company. So far, ADEQ can't determine the source of the contamination.
Beginning this year, ADEQ started a statewide program to test all public water systems across the state for several kinds of PFAS, using $3 million in federal funds.
At least 39 water systems in Arizona carry some PFAS above the advised limit; 60 were found below the limit. The agency sends the results to the water systems, and requests they inform customers of any PFAS detection and whether it's above or below the limit. The agency also provides information on financial opportunities to treat the water.
But the agency cannot enforce any of it, because as of today, there is no federal regulation in place for the contaminants.
The EPA proposed a national drinking water standard for six kinds of PFAS in March, after years of pressure from health practitioners and environmental professionals. The federal regulator said it expects a final rule by the end of the year at the earliest. After a rule is approved, water systems have three years to be in compliance.
Before then, there is no legal requirement to inform customers about PFAS test results or to treat the water or to find new sources.
Proposed:EPA introduces new national standards for 'forever chemicals' in drinking water
Letters offered little specific information
The letter from East Slope Water Company "was extremely non-specific," said Kevin Goodwin, a resident of the East Slope West service area. It did not contain details of the test results. Goodwin, a retired engineer, sought and studied the data on ADEQ's website to gather more information for him and his neighbors.
"It's like they were complying with some regulation that required disclosure but doing the minimum possible," he said. "I think they are just waiting for regulators to set the bar for them."
The letters from the water company were followed by silence. Gearty and Goodwin received no response from the company to calls and emails. Instead, they began a correspondence with Matthew Narter, ADEQ's PFAS lead, to try to resolve pressing questions.
Gearty said the company was unresponsive to their questions, so she began to canvass her neighborhood. With the help of her husband, she knocked on 400 doors and organized a community meeting at a local church on June 15, where she shared slides of the information she gathered from the EPA and ADEQ websites. About 100 people showed up.
Gearty said it felt like she was doing the company's job.
"I personally want the conversation to start," Gearty said. The group also put together a list of questions for the company.
"I want them (East Slope Water Company) to talk to us. Don't just say, 'Go to ADEQ.' To me, it's the company's responsibility, not (ADEQ staff) to call the meeting and tell us what PFAS is all about and what the plan of attack is."
ADEQ officials said they couldn't attend the first gathering but agreed to hold a community meeting with specialists.
Josh Uhland, operations manager with Hearthstone Water, the owner and manager of East Slope Water Company, attended too.
Uhland told attendees the company is exploring options to drill a new well in the area. The two largest-producing wells have shown no PFAS contamination. In case the distribution sites show PFAS levels above proposed EPA limits again, the company may consider taking troublesome wells out of service so they don't contaminate the rest of the water supply. There is no date yet for a third test or a follow-up meeting with customers.
PFAS levels: The lower, the better
About 60 residents gathered Tuesday night at the Rothery Educational Service Center of Sierra Vista. Staff from ADEQ and the Arizona Department of Health Services briefed those who attended on the nature of PFAS, the potential health effects, proposed regulations and test results from East Slope West.
Advisory limits for PFAS have gone from 70 parts per trillion to 4 ppt in a matter of years. It's a minuscule amount, the equivalent of four drops of water in 20 Olympic swimming pools. The desired goal is zero.
"The lower the better," repeated ADHS' epidemiologist Hsin-I Lin throughout the meeting. There is evidence that by reducing exposure, the levels of PFAS in blood decrease as well.
A person cannot get sick from drinking water with levels above the advisory limit once, she said. It's repeated exposure that can produce long-term health effects such as cancer, developmental effects and reproductive disorders.
There are also proposed limits for PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, and GenX compounds, but they are relative. The combined limit of one or more of the chemicals would be calculated through an EPA-established hazard index.
ADEQ has tested several public water systems in Cochise County. So far, only two of them had PFAS levels above the EPA's proposed limits.
Tests with two different methods detected an average of 6.5 ppt of PFOA and 5.6 ppt of PFOS in East Slope Water West on February, and of less than 2.6 ppt of both in May.
Residents from East Slope West were skeptical of the drop in detected PFAS levels from February to May. Paula Panzino, chief science officer with ADEQ, said the results are not rare considering the company pumps a high volume of water and the blending of water between wells can bring PFAS levels down.
For East Slope West, the agency doesn't know where the contaminants are coming from, so it's hard to assign liability, ADEQ staff said.
"One of the possibilities is that in the past we have consumed and used products that contain PFAS in our households, and they have passed through our bodies and into our septic systems," Panzino said, speculating about how the contaminants could get to groundwater. Staff did not explain why this could happen in some sites like East Slope West and not in others.
Water tests also detected an average of 197 parts per trillion from PFOS and 22ppt of PFOA in water used by the Apache Generating Station, near Willcox. Most of it is used for electric power generation, but it also supplies drinking water for about 75 employees.
Arizona Electric Power Cooperative Inc. has not notified employees about the test results "as it's not a regulated constituent under the safe drinking water act," said Michelle Freeark, executive director of regulatory affairs.
AEPCO installed granulated activated carbon filters at all of the system's points of use and maintains them regularly, she said. The filters help remove 77% to 99% of PFAS chemicals, according to the EPA.
Other water systems in the county had detections for PFAS but they were below the EPA proposed limits.
Continuing worry:PFAS contamination in south Tucson challenges historic cleanup, revives health concerns
ADEQ staff said that for water with PFAS, "action is not necessary immediately," but people can reduce exposure by not using untreated water for:
- drinking
- cooking
- washing produce
- washing teeth
- preparing baby formula
"It's generally safe to continue using untreated water for activities like washing dishes, showering, washing clothes, swimming or watering your yard," added an informative video produced by staff members.
The National Science Foundation offers a list of certified water filters for PFAS. The Environmental Working Group also tested 10 different types of filters for PFAS removal.
Lingering questions about health effects
Several residents at the Sierra Vista meeting expressed concerns about the lack of clarity.
"I get the feeling from everyone that we need something to do in the interim to make sure we are not taking these chemicals into our bodies," one attendee said. "Give us something to do and take while we're waiting for everybody to figure this out. We want to be proactive, but we don't have a lot to go on."
Gearty decided to get her blood tested for PFAS this year. Her concern is doctors didn't know how to read the results.
"I had to tell them what PFAS was in the first place," she said. "When the result came back for PFOA they couldn't really tell me what it meant."
Her blood results showed 5.9 nanograms per milliliter for different kinds of PFAS. According to the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, or NASEM, there is a potential for adverse health effects when a person has over 2 ng/ml of PFAS in their blood and an increased risk if it's over 20 ng/ml.
She still doesn't know if she can attribute it to any adverse health effects.
Statewide effort:Arizona prepares to test hundreds of drinking water systems for toxic 'forever chemicals'
For about four decades, she worked for the U.S. Army. In her assignments, across the U.S., Germany and South Korea, she was mostly stationed on post, as was her husband. They have lived 23 years in Sierra Vista, four of them in Fort Huachuca. Fort Huachuca has also detected PFAS above the current EPA proposed limit.
Her blood results may be influenced by some of this history.
"But how do you pin that down, I don't know," Gearty said.
Gearty said after learning more about the "forever chemicals," she decided to replace her Teflon pans. She also installed a water filter, although she believes consumers should be reimbursed for these expenses.
"We are paying our water company to bring us water," Gearty said. "Our expectations are that the water is clean and pure. It's a basic human necessity and a right."
Clara Migoya covers environmental issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send tips or questions to clara.migoya@arizonarepublic.com.
Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at environment.azcentral.com and @azcenvironment on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
You can support environmental journalism in Arizona by subscribing to azcentral today. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2023/07/15/should-water-systems-warn-customers-if-they-detect-forever-chemicals/70407518007/ | 2023-07-15T16:32:00 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2023/07/15/should-water-systems-warn-customers-if-they-detect-forever-chemicals/70407518007/ |
'Going to be a game-changer': Upgrades to Kingman's historic downtown are finally underway
KINGMAN — Juice samples from The Healthy Bar, a new restaurant on a nearby corner, were passed as dozens of Mohave County residents, business owners and elected officials braved the heat to gather in the center of Beale Street to celebrate the start of a long-discussed revitalization project for the city's historic downtown.
One of the many northern Arizona communities with a deep and lasting connection to Historic Route 66, Kingman's downtown has largely been overlooked for investment in recent decades, especially compared with other places that emphasize Route 66 tourism.
"This is great for Kingman," Kingman Mayor Ken Watkins said. "We already have a great town, and this is just going to make it even better."
The $7 million project will stretch between First Street and Sixth Street along Beale Street, with connections to Historic Route 66 one block away. The proposed improvements will include updating the area for pedestrian use and making all sidewalks, ramps and driveways compatible with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The project also includes the addition of extensive landscaping, wayfinding elements, street furniture and other amenities within the existing right-of-way.
The goal is that all of these features come together to develop a unique theme and identity for Kingman's downtown.
The construction is scheduled to take until May 2024 but is broken up into three phases.
Phase one, which incorporates the first block of Beale Street heading east, started this month and will stretch through October. Construction then will begin on the next block and is expected to be completed January. The third and final phase of the project is scheduled to be finished by May.
Throughout the construction, pedestrian fencing will be in place to allow continued access to businesses.
Construction was ultimately approved after multiple community organizations advocated for the project, educating residents and local leaders about what the downtown improvements could mean for the entire community, not just those tied directly to Beale Street.
"The community worked really hard. In my seven years on council, I've never seen an issue have that much community support and I think that's what gave the rest of the councilmembers the confidence to make that investment," said Councilwoman Jamie Scott Stehly, herself a second-generation Kingman resident.
"Investing in creating a place for visitors and locals to me seemed like a worthy cause — something that would both boost our economy but also boost our sense of pride in our community," she said.
How has construction affected business?
Beale Street is experiencing a resurgence of business as new restaurants and shops have opened their doors in the past few years, Stehly said.
Sarah Ferry is a Kingman local who opened West of 3rd in 2017, a co-op on Beale Street that is located in the first phase of the construction. Ferry is also a member of the downtown nonprofit Kingman Main Street, which advocated heavily on behalf of the project. She emphasized that the revenue generated on Beale Street benefits the whole city.
"The funding mechanism in our city is sales tax — we don't have a property tax — so it just makes sense to invest in something that's going to generate more sales tax revenue," she said.
These upgrades will improve the livability and overall quality of life for current residents, she said, with the longer term hope they ultimately will attract new professionals to the area.
"There's a doctor shortage everywhere, and this doesn't directly seem to relate to it, but communities that are more appealing bring in professionals to live there, where their families can have things to do and have places to go and gather," said Julya Walters-Koalska, another member of Kingman Main Street who works for the local hospital.
The businesses along Beale Street have been strategizing ways to best navigate the construction schedule and limit the impact on their business, Ferry said.
"This is the messy middle," she said. "It's going to be really tough through the construction and we've all got to just come together. We've got to be really resourceful and creative."
Because construction will be completed a block at a time, Ferry said businesses on the blocks that are still clear will provide pop-up opportunities for the storefronts in the section currently being worked on.
The project is "going to be a game-changer," Ferry said, especially considering the street is one of the only truly walkable areas in Kingman.
"I think people in our community aren't used to having such a beautiful space that they can enjoy."
Reach the reporter at LLatch@gannett.com.
The Republic’s coverage of northern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report from America. To support regional Arizona news coverage like this, make a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/07/15/kingman-to-upgrade-downtown-business-district-connected-to-route-66/70384295007/ | 2023-07-15T16:32:10 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2023/07/15/kingman-to-upgrade-downtown-business-district-connected-to-route-66/70384295007/ |
Phoenix man sentenced in 2021 murder of teen, 1 suspect's whereabouts still unknown
A Phoenix man was sentenced in the 2021 death of a teenager, but one more suspect ― the one accused of the killing — remains on the loose.
On July 6, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Timothy Jay Thomason sentenced 22-year-old Jesus Javier Valle Padilla III to 13 years in prison for the manslaughter of 17-year-old Itzel Espinoza, for handing the gun to the other defendant, who fired it.
In July 2021, police say Padilla handed a gun to Lindsey Brianna Aguilar,18, who then shot and killed Espinoza, according to court documents. A third suspect, who was 16 years old, was also involved and later arrested for moving and abandoning Espinoza's body.
After signing off on a plea deal in January, Padilla is the second person to be sentenced for this case. Last year the teenage suspect, then 17, was sentenced to two years for car theft and abandoning and concealing a dead body. Aguilar, who is suspected of shooting and killing Espinoza, has yet to be found, police say.
"Detectives are actively investigating and following up on all leads to locate Lindsey Aguilar. Federal and state resources are involved with assisting in locating her wherever she may be," said Phoenix Police spokesperson Sgt. Brian Bower.
Padilla was also sentenced to 7.5 years last week for an armed robbery that occurred just over one month before Espinoza's death. His sentences are to run concurrently.
Physical fight turned fatal
Around 5:15 a.m. on July 3, 2021, 17-year-old Espinoza and Aguilar were engaged in a physical fight near 38th and Wier avenues, court documents show. Padilla was one of a group of people watching, with some recording the fight on their cell phones, according to court documents.
At one point, Espinoza ran to a parked vehicle and locked herself inside. Aguilar followed and started banging on the window, demanding Espinoza to get out of the car, court documents show.
Padilla was standing nearby when Aguilar asked him for a gun. He then pulled a gun from his pants and handed it to Aguilar, court documents show. Documents state that Aguilar then took the gun and fired multiple times into the front passenger window where Espinoza was sitting, shooting her several times.
After the shooting, Aguilar gave the gun back to Padilla and they left the scene, court documents show.
Around 5:30 a.m., Phoenix Police were called to investigate someone sitting in a car with apparent gunshot wounds in an alley near 35th and Southern avenues. When they arrived, they found a grey Lexus parked in the alley with Espinoza in the passenger seat with three gunshot wounds to the right side of her body.
The Lexus was later identified to had been stolen earlier that night, for which the 16-year-old was charged. There were also multiple apparent bullet holes through the front passenger window.
Body-camera footage:Phoenix police release video of fatal shooting of man who resisted arrest
Espinoza was pronounced dead and a autopsy later determined the cause of death to be gunshot wounds. At the time, only Aguilar knew about the argument that led up to the shooting, according to Bower.
A married couple, who lived near the area of the incident, called police about the shooting. One of them told police that he was outside their house and witnessed the event unfold, court documents show. The two later were shown lineups and identified Aguilar as the shooter, documents show.
The day after the shooting, police spoke to Denise King, who knew Padilla. She contacted the police herself, court documents show. King told police she was staying at the house where the incident took place. Two others, including Padilla's sister were also staying there.
Court documents show that King said that around 4 a.m. July 3, Padilla woke her up and told her that his sister and two others got into a car accident, one being the other person staying in the house with King. Padilla and King were talking about the accident when they heard a commotion outside, King said. Both King and Padilla went outside and witnessed Aguilar tell the 16-year-old friend that he needed to get Espinoza "out of here," according to court documents.
King told police that she saw the fight unfold, first inside the car and as it spilled out onto the street. Court documents show King told police Aguilar was "beating the life out" of Espinoza. She said she saw Espinoza break away from the fight, get back into the car, and lock the doors.
King told police she then watched Aguilar pound on the glass window of the car, telling Espinoza to open the door. Court documents show that Aguilar had said "on my momma's life, I wanna kill you," according to King.
King told police that Aguilar then asked Padilla to hand her a gun — which he did — and she subsequently fired at the passenger window of the car, court documents show. Everyone then fled the area in King's car, with Padilla driving, according to court documents and King.
King told police that she heard Aguilar tell the 16-year-old to get rid of Espinoza's body, and said "set the body on fire for all I care," according to court documents. She then told King that if anyone snitched on her, she will "come for their heads."
Four days later, police interviewed the 16-year-old, who said he and another individual stole the Lexus, court documents show. He told police that Padilla told him to get rid of the stolen Lexus, with Espinoza still inside. The teenager said he drove her to the alley, left her and the car there, and later called police under a fake name, court documents show.
North Phoenix fire:Hospitalized mother dies day after apartment fire killed her 3-year-old son
On July 16, nearly two weeks after the shooting, police said they found Padilla near 24th Street and University Drive and arrested him on suspicion of facilitation of murder. Court documents said the handgun used in the shooting was found in a vehicle that Padilla was stopped in but did not say who the gun was registered to.
After being read his rights, court documents show that Padilla told police about the night of the incident, offering essentially the same account as King's, saying it was his sister who got into a car crash.
Court documents show that when he was talking to police about handing Aguilar the gun, he said he didn't believe she was going to fire it because he didn't think she had it in her. Padilla told police that he had given the gun to Aguilar in the past and that she had never fired it.
After the shooting, Padilla told police that they all got into King's car and visited his sister in the hospital. He said he told the 16-year-old to take Espinoza to the hospital. Court documents do not state whether he told the 16-year-old to get rid of the stolen car.
Padilla was indicted with first degree murder and the facilitation of first degree murder. Under Arizona state law, an accomplice is as liable as the major participant in a crime.
In January, a plea deal changed the charge to manslaughter and resulted in the dismissal of the facilitation charge.
Shot to death and abandoned 'Shot to death and left in an alley' like a 'piece of trash'
Judge Thomason's courtroom in the central court building had a gallery full of people attending on behalf of Espinoza and Padilla. Four spoke to the court on behalf of Espinoza, including her stepmother and brother.
"It was a real surprise to find out that my daughter was shot to death and left in an alley like she was a piece of trash," Espinoza's step-mother Maricella Saldana said.
"And to find out that this guy right here pointed a gun" to the 16-year-old's head and "told him to go dump her and get rid of her body, like as if she wasn't his friend," she added.
The week before, she said, Espinoza had called Padilla her "brother" on Snapchat, despite knowing him for a few months. Just a week later, Saldana said, he did nothing but watch Aguilar beat Espinoza.
Before Saldana went up to speak, she said she heard the chains around Padilla's feet and said she wished they were on him before the incident happened given that he had charges in other cases, like the armed robbery he had committed just over a month before Espinoza's death. Instead, she said, he was out and about "waving guns around with his friends," as if life was a big party with no consequences. She said that hanging around with the wrong people for less than a year altered Espinoza's life.
Saldana said that the day Espinoza died was the day she also lost her husband and son, saying they are not the same people anymore. She went on to say that it has been a dark time and even though family and friends come around, Espinoza's room is still empty.
"I know they say, 'oh he didn't pull the trigger,'" she said, "In my mind, he did. He gave that gun knowing what she [Aguilar] was going to do, what could happen."
Phoenix-area homicides in July 2023:Man shot, killed at Phoenix apartment complex
Espinoza's older brother, Emiliano Espinoza, told the court that he was in complete disagreement with the sentence that Padilla's defense was asking for, which was the minimum of 10 years. He said Padilla was at fault because he gave the gun to Aguilar. He instead pushed for the maximum of 15 years, which the prosecution was asking for.
The other two people who spoke were Espinoza's aunts. They told the court how much pain the family as a whole has been in. One of the aunts looked directly into Padilla's eyes and told him that what he did was wrong.
No one spoke on behalf of Padilla in court, but some sent the court letters in advance. His grandmother, Martha Montero, wrote about how proud she was of him when he worked as a lifeguard and volunteer for various organizations in Phoenix. She wrote that he "truly cares for others."
DNA links man to sex assault from 2000:Police make arrest in two-decade-old sexual assault of Phoenix teen
Montero said that Padilla is remorseful for his mistakes and has gone through a tough time but has now "started a journey to becoming the man" the family can be proud of again.
"He has hope again. I now see a wiser man compared to the confused child of last year," Montero wrote. She said in the letter that Padilla being incarcerated would not be useful for him, stating that he should get counseling to navigate through why he has strayed away from the family.
Padilla's defense counsel, Robert Ditsworth, emphasized to the court that Padilla did not know Aguilar would pull the trigger. He said Padilla thought it was more of the lifestyle they were living at the time, like a game.
"Did he truly think that someone was going to die that moment? No."
Ditsworth also said he was not going to argue over whether Padilla ordered the 16-year-old to hide Espinoza's body, as Espinoza's mom and the state's attorney Gregory Bizzozero briefly mentioned that day. The defense says Padilla did not.
When Judge Thomason asked Padilla if he'd like to address the court, he pulled out a letter from an envelope. He talked about the morning of July 3, 2021, and how his sister got into a car accident. He said he was confused, scared, and unaware of what was going on when Espinoza and Aguilar began fighting. Padilla looked back toward the gallery and apologized to Espinoza and her family.
"Itzel never deserved this. She was one-of-a kind," Padilla said, "I don't think words could describe how wonderful and amazing she was." He said he regrets, with everything in him, what happened.
After all statements were made, Thomason sentenced Padilla first for the armed robbery charge. Then, after taking some time to review all the content about the case and what was said that day, he imposed a 13-year sentence for manslaughter on Padilla.
Thomason said he considered that Padilla was remorseful, cooperative, and young. However, Espinoza was also young, he said. Thomason said he also considered that Padilla was sentenced for another crime, letters he received about Padilla's recklessness the night of the incident, and how he did not seek help for Espinoza and left the scene, and that to some extent he appeared to have covered up the crime.
Anyone with information about Aguilar is encouraged to call Phoenix police at 602-262-6151 or, to remain anonymous, Silent Witness at 480-948-6377 or 480-837-8446 for Spanish. According to Silent Witness, investigators believe it’s possible she could be moving between the United States and Mexico.
This reporting follows crimes The Republic began to cover in 2021 and is part of our commitment to telling the story from start to finish. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/2023/07/15/jesus-padilla-sentenced-to-13-years-in-the-death-of-itzel-espinoza-lindsey-aguilar-still-at-large/70406119007/ | 2023-07-15T16:32:16 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/2023/07/15/jesus-padilla-sentenced-to-13-years-in-the-death-of-itzel-espinoza-lindsey-aguilar-still-at-large/70406119007/ |
Country
United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary
People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe | https://www.albanyherald.com/local/rep-gerald-greene-touts-home-ownership-program/article_a7baa804-2324-11ee-b4b9-9b78e4dae0fc.html | 2023-07-15T16:34:19 | 1 | https://www.albanyherald.com/local/rep-gerald-greene-touts-home-ownership-program/article_a7baa804-2324-11ee-b4b9-9b78e4dae0fc.html |
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A Silver Alert has been issued for an 86-year-old man reported missing out of Orange County and considered endangered, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Franklin Colon was last seen around 4:30 p.m. Friday at his home in the 2800 block of Lyndscape Street, deputies said. He’s 5 feet, 6 inches tall, balding with gray hair, weighs around 170 pounds and is known also to have faded tattoos on both shoulders, according to law enforcement.
The concern for Franklin’s well-being relates to how he suffers from dementia, deputies said.
Franklin was wearing a black shirt and black shorts when he was last seen, and it’s believed he’s driving a white 2008 Kia Rio with lightly-tinted windows, black factory trim and Florida tag No. 88CEMM.
[TRENDING: Become a News 6 Insider]
Anyone with knowledge of Colon’s whereabouts was urged to contact the sheriff’s office at 407-836-4357, 407-254-7233 or 911.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/07/15/86-year-old-with-dementia-missing-out-of-orange-county-considered-endangered/ | 2023-07-15T16:35:10 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/07/15/86-year-old-with-dementia-missing-out-of-orange-county-considered-endangered/ |
LOCAL
Florida man killed Friday night along I-75 in Sarasota County one-vehicle wreck, FHP says
Dave Osborn
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
A 43-year-old man died Friday night in a one-vehicle SUV wreck along Interstate 75 in Sarasota County, state troopers say.
The man was driving north on I-75 and north of Fruitville Road about 7:20 p.m. when he lost control, Florida Highway Patrol reported Saturday in a news release.
The driver veered right then steered back to the left, which caused the SUV to overturn in northbound I-75 middle lanes, FHP troopers said.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. A 46-year-old male passenger suffered serious injuries and was transported to an area hospital. Both were of Plant City, FHP said.
The identities of the men were not listed in the news release. The crash remained under investigation. | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/2023/07/15/plant-city-man-killed-friday-on-i-75-in-sarasota-county-fhp-says/70416746007/ | 2023-07-15T16:35:28 | 0 | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/2023/07/15/plant-city-man-killed-friday-on-i-75-in-sarasota-county-fhp-says/70416746007/ |
The Philadelphia Police Department has released images that, officials believe, depict the gunman -- and accomplices -- who killed a 50-year-old man during a car-jacking attempt on Wednesday, July 12.
The police are working to identify the three people seen in this video -- all believed to be males -- who were responsible for the death of Michael Salerno.
Salerno was killed as he intervened during a carjacking attempt at about 10:47 p.m. on Wednesday night near the intersection of S. 12th and Potter streets in South Philadelphia.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
Investigators said the three sought in the slaying were traveling in a red, Kia Soul with a New Jersey license plate at the time of the shooting.
The City of Philadelphia is offering a $20,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of those responsible for this killing.
To submit a tip you can call or text 215-686-TIPS (8477). Officials said that all tips will be kept confidential. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/surveillance-footage-shows-gunman-who-killed-man-during-carjacking-police-say/3604890/ | 2023-07-15T16:38:29 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/surveillance-footage-shows-gunman-who-killed-man-during-carjacking-police-say/3604890/ |
Nylla Miller didn’t dwell on the shortcomings of her education when she spoke at her high school graduation. Instead she talked about all she and her classmates had accomplished.
They had achieved at high levels even in cramped classrooms with no air conditioning that got stuffier as the summer months approached — a reversal from earlier in the year, when the heat wasn't working and it was almost too cold to focus. Athletes had set new records, even on a dirt track that doesn’t meet state standards.
Miller praised the Penn Wood High School Class of ’23 on a hot June morning in Hagan Arena at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia without saying much about all the ways the Pennsylvania public schools had failed them. She told her fellow graduates and their families that they were “the flyest class ever to do it.”
“We have left our mark, not only here, but in every room that we have entered,” she said.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
But overcoming adversity was more than just a graduation theme.
A few months earlier, a Pennsylvania court acknowledged the reality that Penn Wood students faced every day: Students in the William Penn district and five others in Pennsylvania didn’t get the education the state constitution entitles them to. The court ordered the state to alter its system — though it didn’t spell out how or how fast.
By pursuing funding equity in court, the financially challenged Pennsylvania districts were following a well-traveled school reform path. For decades, school districts around the country that have found themselves on the short end of a resource imbalance have gone to court to force states to give them a fair shake.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Those lawsuits have not been the solution they were once thought to be. In many cases, legislative action has fallen short of meeting the true cost of bringing balance to public education. In others, major reform efforts brought about short-term changes, but couldn't sustain success when political or economic climates turned unfavorable.
Some states have seen progress in academic achievement and student success when the state provides more funding, said Maura McInerney, the legal director of Education Law Center, which represented the petitioner districts in the lawsuit.
“We've certainly seen a history of infusions of investments in school funding that have made dramatic differences,” she said.
In Pennsylvania, prospects for a legislative fix hinge on a budgeting process in a divided legislature. Emboldened by the court's decision, House Democrats tried to funnel more money into public education this year, going above Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro's initial proposal. But it hit a wall in the Republican-controlled Senate, which proposed a more modest spending plan and sought to advance a school voucher system, though it saw heavy opposition under Democratic control in the other chamber.
Yet students like Miller keep going to school in districts forced to address gaps with limited means to do so.
The William Penn district used federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funds to hire a reading specialist to help address achievement gaps, but that money runs out this year. The district would like to keep the position, Superintendent Eric Becoats said, but that could mean raising taxes on a community that is already one of the highest taxed in the state.
A contract for mental health services, paid for with federal funds, is another support program the district may not be able to sustain. That mattered to Miller, who struggled to find someone to confide in. Those needs have only grown more acute, at William Penn and elsewhere, as more teenagers struggle with mental health issues in the aftermath of COVID, especially teen girls.
“We switched therapists about three times this year,” Miller said. “So each time you had to get to know somebody new. That’s draining. No student feels like getting to know three different therapists and pouring their heart out three different times and telling your story three different times to three different people. It’s a lot to handle.”
The inferior facilities are a lot to handle, too. Penn Wood has no real science labs. Rooms are cramped, and classes can get overcrowded. Heating and ventilation systems need to be updated. Schools in the district have to share resources, including teachers and staff.
The district has a 10-year plan for improving school buildings, with ideas about what a 21st-century learning environment should look like, but there are no funds to support it.
“We need the resources now,” Becoats said in early June. “Our current budget proposal that we have out to our board does show a gap in funding.”
Miller's classmate, Paul Vandy, says he never had a full sense of what other students have until he and Miller went to a nearby high school with the speech and debate team. It felt like they had stepped into one of the high schools he'd seen on TV.
There were gorgeous white tile floors, robots in the halls. Students had brand new books and their own laptops. And the campus hosted multiple gyms and a beautiful, expansive dance space.
Miller recalled another difference that was hard to miss.
“I think I even wrote down in a journal when I got home the similarities and differences between our schools. And the main difference was the color of the students’ skin,” she said. “My school is predominantly Black, and their school is a predominantly white school. And I think it was just a moment of, like, reality really falling on me — very, very heavy — of what is happening in our district.”
Vandy’s mother, Musu Momoh, said her son came home tense, talking about the impressive school library and the fact they had a pool on campus.
“I wish I had money to move to a better community, to put them in a better school,” she said. “But for now, this is where we are. So I just try to encourage them.”
Vandy said despite trying to live a normal experience at their school, “things are kind of falling apart around you.”
One of his favorite clubs, Mock Trial, crumbled when the coach who had been active with the team left for another district. The students spent the summer working with the principal to see if another staff member would pick it up, but there were no systems in place to make sure someone would, Vandy said.
“You just have to kind of deal with it,” Vandy said. “That’s all you can really do.”
Often, Miller and other students have stepped up. They did so to make sure their class had a yearbook.
Miller plans to attend Spelman College for performing arts and theater. In high school, though, stage productions had “little to no money" to support them, she said.
Nicole Miller, Nylla’s mother, grew up in the district. She pursued a teaching degree, and when she and her husband decided to have a family, they came home because she loved the community so much. She teaches at the same elementary school she attended. Many things have stayed the same for decades, she said, down to the smell of the building.
Her love for home has come into conflict with the district's difficulties. She worries about Nylla's younger brother, who is about to enter the sixth grade and already has a sense that things are different elsewhere.
“I don’t want my kids feeling like they’re lacking," Nicole said. "I don’t want you to feel less than. I don’t want you to feel like you’re undeserving of all these other things.”
With all of the gaps in facilities and resources, the school community has stepped up in many ways, too. One of Nicole's best childhood friends, a former guidance counselor, now works as an administrator at Penn Wood. But, when needed, the administrator still wears the guidance counselor hat to help Nylla. That's led to a running joke about how many people Nylla has brought to the administrator’s office to connect them with support.
“Pulling on people to do multiple jobs, it’s just like the way of the district. It’s just what the people are willing to do here,” Nicole said. “They’re not saying, ‘No, I’m not going to do that. No, I don’t have time for that.’ It’s, ‘Let me stop what I’m doing and let me help you with this, because this is what you need me to be right now.’”
You can't get that just anywhere, she said, but it can also be a fine line to walk. More and more teachers are leaving the field, and Pennsylvania saw particularly high attrition this year. Asking fewer people to work harder can lead to burnout — which in turn leaves even fewer people to scramble.
The path forward after high school is complicated, too. When Vandy began applying to colleges, the senior class’s guidance counselor was booked for days at a time, juggling hundreds of students. There was a lot he had to learn to do on his own.
“Even if everyone is trying their best, trying to make things go smoothly, just because of the conditions around us, we can’t get access to these resources to get help or advice at all the time that we need it,” said Vandy, who has since decided to attend Thomas Jefferson University to study psychology.
Still, Miller didn’t say much about the school's shortcomings when she addressed her fellow classmates as their senior class president. When she thinks about Penn Wood, she thinks about her mother, whose friends graduated from the high school and came back to teach. She thinks about leaning on her own friends as they navigated, and graduated, high school while having less than other districts.
In a ceremony marked by inside jokes, Mariah Carey quotes and shoutouts to friends as they walked across the stage to receive their diplomas, she told them the class gift was a sign-off wall: a place for every graduating class to leave their mark permanently at Penn Wood High School.
A reminder, she said, that the school is more than its deficits.
“We are more than a small part of a lawsuit," she said, “and we are more than everything that we lack.”
___
Brooke Schultz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/students-in-shortchanged-pa-school-districts-plug-away-while-lawmakers-dither-over-funding/3604868/ | 2023-07-15T16:38:35 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/students-in-shortchanged-pa-school-districts-plug-away-while-lawmakers-dither-over-funding/3604868/ |
Lainey Wilson concert brings large crowd to SC Peach Festival in Gaffney. Check out photos.
Country music sensation Lainey Wilson played in front of a large crowd, Friday night, July 14, as the headlining act of the South Carolina Peach Festival in Gaffney.
The Peach Festival anticipated 7,000 attendees for Wilson's concert at Lake Welchel.
The "Heart Like A Truck" and "Watermelon Moonshine" country singer recently opened the CMA Fest in Nashville.
Wilson is also well known for her songs and performance as "Abby" on the hit series, "Yellowstone."
Running from Wednesday, July 12 through Saturday, June 22, the Peach Festival will feature a variety of events for all ages.
According to festival chairman Ronnie Benton, last year's events, combined, saw a turnout of 25,000. He anticipates the crowds to surpass last year's attendance with thousands of fans turning out for Wilson's show.
Friday night wasn't the SC Peach Festival's first rodeo in hosting a big headliner. George Jones, George Strait, Garth Brooks, the Oak Ridge Boys, Lee Greenwood, Kathy Mattea, Travis Tritt and Reba McEntire, among others, have all taken the stage for the long-running Gaffney fest, which originated in 1978. | https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/greenville/2023/07/15/lainey-wilson-concert-brings-large-crowd-to-sc-peach-festival-gaffney/70414861007/ | 2023-07-15T17:04:26 | 1 | https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/greenville/2023/07/15/lainey-wilson-concert-brings-large-crowd-to-sc-peach-festival-gaffney/70414861007/ |
Lubbock entertainment news in brief
Percy Jackson musical staged at Firehouse
The Lightning Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, July 20, Friday, July 21, and Saturday, July 22, and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 22 and Sunday, July 23, at LHUCA Firehouse Theatre 511 Ave. K.
Adapted from the best-selling book "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan and featuring a thrilling original rock score, "The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical" is an action-packed mythical adventure "worthy of the gods" (Time Out New York).
As the half-blood son of a Greek god, Percy Jackson has newly-discovered powers he can't control, a destiny he doesn't want, and a mythology textbook's worth of monsters on his trail. When Zeus's master lightning bolt is stolen and Percy becomes the prime suspect, he has to find and return the bolt to prove his innocence and prevent a war between the gods. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the thief. He must travel to the Underworld and back; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and come to terms with the father who abandoned him.
This production is directed by Travis Burge and Randal Ramirez; choreographed by Matt Miller and Maddy Welch; musical direction by Annie Nichols-Burge and Faith Winger; and student music direction by Aiden Obando.
General admission tickets are $15; children 9 and younger and seniors,$10. There will also be student rush tickets available at the door for $7.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit selectaseatlubbock.com
Elton tribute coming to Cactus
Kenny Metcalf as Elton: The Early Years is a nationally and internationally touring rock musical tribute show dedicated to the amazing music and iconic persona of the incomparable Elton John.
The show is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 21, at Lubbock's Cactus Theater.
Elton as portrayed by Metcalf has the voice and appearance of Elton John when he was young. From rhinestones to sequins, every detail has been meticulously re-created. Iconic costumes, including the infamous Los Angeles Dodgers uniform designed by Bob Mackie and glasses created for Elton himself by Ray Winston, finish the illusion. Audiences and critics alike leave the performance with a sense that they have seen Elton and his band take another trip down that yellow brick road.
Reserved seat tickets are $27.50 for the first 6 floor rows (rows A-F); $25 for remaining floor rows (G-M); $22.50 for standard balcony; and $50 for balcony box (which include concessions).
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cactustheater.com
Sweeney to perform at Cactus
Sunny Sweeney, a genre-bending, songwriting spitfire who has spent equal time in the rich musical traditions of Texas and Tennessee, is set to take the Cactus Theater stage at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 22.
Sweeney returns with "Married Alone", the celebrated singer-songwriter’s fifth studio album and the follow-up to 2017’s critically acclaimed Trophy.
All floor and standard balcony seats for this show are $20 in advance or $25 the day of the show; balcony box seats are $40 in advance and $50 the day of the show.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cactustheater.com
Moore to perform at Cactus
Ian Moore, songwriter-singer-guitar slinger, will be live at 7 p.m. Sunday, July 23, at the Cactus Theater.
Moore would rather talk about the colors and sounds of the records, the connection with fans and of spirit. He plays shows like they are the last thing he will ever do, and though he is known for his skills as a singer, guitarist and songwriter - the ferocity and spirit are his stock-in-trade.
All reserved floor and standard balcony seats for this show are $25 and balcony box seats are $50, which includes concessions.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cactustheater.com
'National Lampoon's Vacation' marks 40 years
Cinemark Movies 16 and XD, 5721 58th St., is hosting Fathom's Big Screen Classic presentation of "National Lampoon's Vacation" 40th anniversary at 7 p.m. on July 19.
The all-American Griswold family just wants to go on an all-American vacation. Everyone is packed. The route is planned … And absolutely everything goes wrong as a simple trip quickly becomes a madcap cross-country odyssey and heroic quest in search of National Lampoon's Vacation.
For the Clark W. Griswolds of Chicago, 50 weeks of work and routine will soon be rewarded with a fortnight of frenzied freedom. Mom and the kids would rather fly, but Dad (Chevy Chase) insists on driving west to Walley World. He's programmed everything on the family's PC--from tire wear to best routes, from choice sights to the finest AAA-recommended lodgings. With such planning everything should go right … wrong!! From director Harold Ramis and screenwriter John Hughes.
Tickets for this special screening are $12.45 and available online at fathomevents.com
Alamo hosting special Barbie events
Do you have what it takes to party like Barbie?
Alamo Drafthouse Lubbock, is hosting a variety of Movie Party screenings of the summer's much-touted new release.
A special party screening is set for 7:15 p.m. Monday, July 24, and a special Slumber Party Pajama Screening is set for 10:45 p.m. Saturday, July 22.
Don’t you wish the real world was a little more like Barbieland? Where every day is a party and every movie is filled with Barbies and Kens as passionate about Barbie as you are?
There will be themed props, interactive fun, and a special pink cocktail available to order. It’s the neon pink, super fun Barbie show you’ve been dreaming of since you were 5 years old.
Tickets for the party screening are $15.15 and tickets for the slumber party are $11.75. Limited tickets remain for both events.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit drafthouse.com/lubbock.
Bryan brings Country on Tour 2023 to USA
Country music superstar Luke Bryan will be taking the stage on July 27 at the United Supermarkets Arena as he brings Country on Tour 2023 to the Hub City.
Special guests will be Tyler Braden, Ashley Cooke and Jackson Dean.
Bryan has been named Entertainer of the Year five times, awarded by the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. In 2019, his 2013 album "Crash My Party" received the first Album of the Decade award from the ACM. Worldwide, he has sold more than 75 million records.
Some of Bryan's biggest hits include "Do I" "Rain is a Good Thing" "Someone Else Calling You Baby" "Country Girl (Shake it for Me)" and "Drunk On You", among many others. He has had nearly 30 No. 1 hits.
Tickets for this concert range start at $35 and up depending on seating and VIP package features.For more information or to purchase tickets, visit selectaseatlubbock.com
LCT presents 'Shrek Jr.'
Lubbock Community Theatre will stage "Shrek Jr." at 7:30 p.m. on July 28, 29 and 30, at the theater, 3101 35th St.
Once upon a time, in a far away swamp, there lived an ogre named Shrek. One day, Shrek finds his swamp invaded by banished fairytale misfits who have been cast off by Lord Farquaad, a tiny terror with big ambitions.
When Shrek sets off with a wisecracking donkey to confront Farquaad, he's handed a task — if he rescues feisty princess Fiona, his swamp will be righted. Shrek tries to win Fiona’s love and vanquish Lord Farquaad, but a fairytale wouldn't be complete without a few twists and turns along the way.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children 12 and younger, seniors and students with an ID (plus taxes and fees).
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.lubbockcommunitytheatre.org/
Pure Prairie League to perform at Cactus
Pure Prairie League brings its legendary soft rock sound to the Cactus Theater at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 28.
From their beginnings in the mid-’60s in southern Ohio - as a group of friends playing cover tunes - to the present-day unit featuring founding member/innovative pedal steel guitarist John David Call, propulsive drummer/vocalist Scott Thompson, keyboard master/vocalist Randy Harper and featuring new members Jared Camic on bass and vocals, plus ace guitarist/vocalist Jeff Zona, the band continues to embellish the rich history of one of Country-Rock’s pioneering forces for more than 50 years.
Tickets are $42.50 for the first four floor rows (A-D); $37.50 for remaining floor rows (E-M); $32.50 for standard balcony; and $75 for balcony box seats, which include concessions.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cactustheater.com
LCT presents 'Winnie the Pooh Kids'
Lubbock Community Theatre will stage "Winnie the Pooh Kids" at 2:30 p.m. July 28, 29 and 30, at the theater, 3101 35th St.
Welcome to the Hundred Acre Wood, where Winnie the Pooh is once again in search of honey. Along the way, he meets his pals, Tigger, Piglet, Rabbit and Owl, but soon discovers that Christopher Robin has been captured by the mysterious Backson! As they prepare for a rescue operation, the animals learn about teamwork, friendship and, of course… sharing snacks.
Tickets for this production are $15 for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger, seniors and students with valid ID (plus taxes and fees).
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.lubbockcommunitytheatre.org/
Parks brings country sound to Cactus
Kyle Park brings his full band to the Cactus Theater at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 29.
Park's latest project, his sixth studio album “Don’t Forget Where You Come From” is inspired by the style of music he grew up listening to. This new album is a return to his signature neo-traditional country sound brimming with honkytonk-fueled fiddle, pedal steel and searing guitar riffs punctuated by his most honest and contemplative lyrics to date.
Reserved tickets include: all floor and standard balcony seats, $20 in advance and $25 day of the show; and balcony box seats $40 in advance and $50 day of show. Balcony box seats include concessions.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cactustheater.com
Queen tribute coming to Cactus
One Night of Queen will be in the Hub City for one performance at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1, at the Cactus Theater.
Gary Mullen & The Works (featuring Mullen on vocals, David Brockett on guitar, Billy Moffat on bass, Malcolm Gentles on keyboards and Jon Halliwell on drums) will have you dancing in the aisles during their two-hour show, while the band pays tribute to the stage theatrics, showmanship and music of Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductees, Queen.
For more than two decades, Gary Mullen & The Works have performed to sold-out audiences around the world, playing more than 2,500 live shows to audiences in over 20 countries around the globe.
Reserved seat tickets for this show include $49 for floor rows A-F; $45 for remaining floor rows G-M and ADA; $39 for standard balcony; and $90 for balcony box seats, which include concessions.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cactustheater.com
Moonlight Musicals presents 'Oklahoma!'
Moonlight Musicals presents "Oklahoma!" Aug. 3-5, 10-12, and 17-19, at the Moonlight Musicals Amphitheater, 413 E. Broadway. Performances begin at 8 p.m.
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s first collaboration remains, in many ways, their most innovative, setting the standards and rules of modern musical theatre.
In a Western territory just after the turn of the 20th century, a high-spirited rivalry between local farmers and cowboys provides a colorful background for Curly, a charming cowboy, and Laurey, a feisty farm girl, to play out their love story.
Their romantic journey, as bumpy as a surrey ride down a country road, contrasts with the comic exploits of brazen Ado Annie and hapless Will Parker in a musical adventure embracing hope, determination and the promise of a new land.
General admission tickets are $21 and available online at selectaseatlubbock.com or https://moonlightmusicals.com/
Van Halen tribute to perform at Cactus
Fan Halen, one of the world's most authentic tributes to Van Halen, is set to rock the Cactus Theater at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4.
Fan Halen sets the stage for a night with Dave, Eddie, Alex and Michael with a true-to-life tribute to not only the band but the spirit of an era.
Based in Southern California, Fan Halen has been together more than 10 years playing to enthusiastic crowds all over the US as well as the globe including Europe, Japan, South and Central America, Canada and Mexico.
Reserved seat tickets include $27.50 for floor rows A-F; $25 for remaining floor rows G-M; $22.50 for standard balcony; and $50 for balcony box seats, which include concessions.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cactustheater.com
Ranching Heritage Center to host inaugural Ranch Verse
Join cowboy songster Andy Hedges and special guests, Boots O’Neal, Randy Rieman, Dave Stamey, Red Steagall, and Andy Wilkinson, for a day of Western storytelling, song and poetry at the inaugural Ranch Verse on Saturday, Aug. 5.
"Ranch Verse will feature a variety of programming that will include working cowboy stories, cowboy poetry, western music, and discussions of ranch culture,” host Andy Hedges shared.
Daytime events will be free to the public and take place from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the National Ranching Heritage Center (NRHC) in Lubbock. A special welcome performance of cowboy poetry, range ballads, and storytelling by Red Steagall, Andy Wilkinson, Randy Rieman, and Dave Stamey will kick off the day from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
From 1 to 2 p.m., visitors will have the opportunity to hear a live, onstage interview with Four Sixes Ranch cowboy and Ranching Heritage Association Working Cowboy Award recipient Boots O’Neal for broadcast on the Cowboy Crossroads podcast with Andy Hedges.
Randy Reiman will take the stage from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. to present the illustrated letters of cowboy artist Charles M. Russell through slides, commentary, and the spoken word.
Daytime events will conclude with a discussion from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. featuring Red Steagall, Andy Hedges and Dave Stamey on the poetry, music, and art emerging out of Western culture.
To learn more about Ranch Verse, visit bit.ly/ranchverse. For questions, contact (806) 742-0498.
Annual Hub City Beach Party set for Aug. 5
The 18th annual Hub City Beach Party is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, at the Depot Padio.
The event is a fundraiser for FosterALife, which provides services and opportunities to foster children as well as any abused or neglected child who has been involved with Texas DFPS in Lubbock County and the 17 surrounding counties.
Beach Party includes festive, beach related activities such as live music, a hula hoop competition, a treasure hunt (The Lost Shaker of Salt), a live auction and more. Food and souvenirs will be available for purchase.
By popular demand, the Florida band named "The Landsharks" is returning. This band is identified as a Jimmy Buffett tribute band, but they have a varied play list. They play with Jimmy Buffett as well as open for some of his shows. The Landsharks have also opened for acts such as Patti LaBelle, Three Dog Night, War and The Beach Boys. Jimmy Buffett was quoted as saying,
General admission tickets are $20 and may be purchased by calling the Select-a-Seat Box Office at (806) 770-2000 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets may also be purchased online at selectaseatlubbock.com
Cactus hosts Ranch Verse concert
The National Ranching Heritage Center, in association with Cactus Theater, present an evening concert to cap an exciting day of activities celebrating western culture.
The concert features Red Steagall, Dave Stamey and Andy Hedges. The trio is set to perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, at the Cactus Theater.
Steagall has held celebrity status since the 1970s as a Western entertainer who emphasizes ranch life, Western heritage and cowboy values. He has spent a lifetime telling the story of ranching through his music, poetry and syndicated radio and television shows.
Hedges is a songster, reciter, storyteller, guitarist, and collector of cowboy songs and poems.
In the past two decades, Stamey has recorded eleven albums of original music, travelled literally hundreds of thousands of miles and performed thousands of shows doing just that.
Reserved seat tickets for this show include $35 for the first six floor rows, A-F; $30 for remaining floor rows G-M; $25 for standard balcony; and $50 for balcony box seats, which include concessions.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cactustheater.com
Latin Breed to perform at Buddy Holly Hall
Latin Breed brings a Tejano Night to Remember to the Helen Devitt Jones Theater of Buddy Holly at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11.
Considered by fans and critics alike to be one of the most important and influential bands in the history of Tejano music, the Latin Breed is one of the most distinctive Tejano bands to survive the Chicano/Tejano renaissance.
Born on the south side of San Antonio, the group was formed in 1969.
“A Tejano Night to Remember” features Bobby G. and the Galaxy Band with special guest Arturo Sedeno.
Presented by Tony Jaramillo and the Garcia Familia Reunion, this is a bi-lingual performance.
Tickets for this performance range from $35 to $100 (plus taxes and fees), depending on seating. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.buddyhollyhall.com/
Bannister to perform at Cactus
Will Bannister brings his full band to the Cactus Theater at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11.
From New Mexico, but raised about 20 miles from the Texas line, Bannister grew up with the sounds of Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, George Strait and Brooks and Dunn.
Bannister has performed all over the country, in addition to multiple tours in the UK and Europe. His latest album, “Everything Burns”, consists of 11 songs, 10 of which were either written or co-written by Bannister.
Tickets for this concert are $20 for all floor and standard balcony; and $40 for balcony box seats, which include concessions.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cactustheater.com
Caldwell pays tribute to Journey, Fleetwood Mac, Chicago
Caldwell Entertainment presents a tribute to Journey, Fleetwood Mac and Chicago at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, at the Cactus Theater.
Caldwell Collective singers Jason Fellers, Brandon Gwinn, Jeff McCrieght, Sheena Fadeyi and Kassidy King will be joined by musicians Ross Raedeke, Devin Collins, Jay Saldana and West Texas legend John Sprott.
It’s not Chicago unless there are horns. Featured will be Grady Alberts and Brian Felty in the brass section to bring the house down.
Reserved seat tickets are $25 for all floor and standard balcony; and $50 for balcony box seats, which include concessions.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cactustheater.com
'Liberty Valance' on stage at Buddy Holly Hall
"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 15 and 16, in the Crickets Theater of Buddy Holly Hall.
Produced and performed by an independent cast of Lubbockites, the production was written by Jethro Compton and based on the short story by Dorothy M. Johnson.
Journey into the Wild West, 1890 in this classic story of good versus evil, law versus the gun, one man versus Liberty Valance. A stage play telling of love, hope and revenge set against the vicious backdrop of a lawless society.
This production is for mature audiences as it contains strong language, simulated gunshots, alcohol and tobacco consumption and racially motivated violence.
Reserved seat tickets for this production are $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors (plus taxes and fees).For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.buddyhollyhall.com/
Robison to perform at Buddy Holly Hall
Buddy Holly Hall hosts Charlie Robison in concert at 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, in the Helen Devitt Jones Theater.
It was a natural fit for the Bandera native to take the stage as the 44th artist to record for the Live at Billy Bob’s Texas music series. Recorded in August of 2012, Robison delighted his fans at the world’s largest honky tonk with their favorites, including “El Cerrito Place,” “My Hometown,” “Barlight,” southern rock anthem, “They Call Me the Breeze” and even a special rendition of Elton John’s “Rocket Man.”
Throughout his career and eight albums later, Charlie Robison has forged his own path within the country music world as well as the Lone Star music scene.
Reserved seat tickets for this show range form $35 to $69 (plus taxes and fees), depending on seating.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.buddyhollyhall.com/
Del Castillo returns to Cactus
Del Castillo returns to the Cactus Theater at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19.
The cross-cultural power unites music lovers of all ages, creeds and colors.
Their original music blends rock, Latin, blues and world music into a cinematic celebration of sound that lifts your soul.
The group has been honored with multiple Austin Music Awards and the Austin Latin Music Association.
Reserved seat tickets include $27.50 for first four floor rows A-D; $25 for remaining floor seats; $22.50 for standard balcony; and $50 for balcony box seats, which includes concessions.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cactustheater.com
Rocker Cooper coming to Buddy Holly Hall
Classic rocker Alice Cooper brings his Too Close for Comfort tour to the Helen Devitt Jones Theater of Buddy Holly Hall at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20.
Cooper brings his own brand of rock psychodrama to fans both old and new, enjoying it as much as his audiences. Cooper pioneered a grandly theatrical brand of hard rock that was designed to shock.
Drawing equally from horror movies, vaudeville and garage rock, the group created a stage show that featured electric chairs, guillotines, fake blood and boa constrictors. Cooper was discovered in 1969 by Frank Zappa in Los Angeles, where he signed them to his record label.
Some of Cooper's hits include "Schools Out", "No More Mr. Nice Guy" and "Poison".
Reserved seat tickets range from $46.50 to $99.50 (plus taxes and fees) depending on seating.
There are also several VIP package options available that include front-row seating, autographed memorabilia and more.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.buddyhollyhall.com/
Bruno Mars tribute to perform at Cactus
24 Magic, a touring tribute to Bruno Mars, will rock the Cactus Theater at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug 25.
Their high-energy show will have you singing and dancing to all the hits you know and love, like “Uptown Funk”, “Locked Out of Heaven” - and, of course - “24K Magic.”
Tickets for this show are $27.50 for the first four floor rows, A-D; $25 for remaining floor rows; $22.50 for standard balcony; and $50 for balcony box seats, which includes concessions.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cactustheater.com
Jelly Roll coming to USA
Jelly Roll has announced a 44-date headlining tour and will be taking the stage at the United Supermarkets Arena at 7 p.m. on Aug. 29, with his Backroad Baptism Tour 2023.
Jason Bradley DeFord, known professionally as Jelly Roll, is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter known for his collaborations with Lil Wyte, Struggle Jennings, and Tech N9ne In 2023, he won three CMT Music Awards for the song "Son of a Sinner".
Before his transition into country music with 2023's Whitsitt Chapel album, Jelly Roll launched his career in hip hop.
Tickets for this show range from $21 to $650 (plus taxes and fees), depending on seating and VIP package features.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit selectaseatlubbock.com
LSO pays tribute to Queen of Soul
The Lubbock Symphony Orchestra opens its 2023-24 season with a tribute to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.The performance is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, in the Helen Devitt Jones Theater of Buddy Holly Hall.
From “Respect” to “Chain of Fools” and “Amazing Grace,” the powerhouse vocals of Capathia Jenkins and Ryan Shaw will lead us to reminisce over Aretha Franklin’s greatest hits. This high-energy performance will have you dancing in your seat and singing along.
Vocalists will be Capathia Jenkins and Ryan Shaw.
Tickets for this show range from $22.50 to $67.50 (plus taxes and fees), depending on seating. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.buddyhollyhall.com
Tesh brings Big Band Live to Cactus
John Tesh brings his Big Band Live tour to the Cactus Theater at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9.
Over the course of 50 recordings and numerous popular PBS specials spread over a quarter-century, Tesh has never failed to inspire masses of fans with his always-evolving musical muses.
Launching with his Emmy-winning, synth-driven sports music, he conquered the emerging smooth jazz genre in the ’90s with his saxophone series and later became a force in the CCM/Worship world with best-selling recordings that found inventive musical ways to share his deep faith.
Reserved seat tickets are $59 for floor rows A-F; $49 for remaining floor rows G-M; $39 for standard balcony; and $98 for balcony box seats, which include concessions.
There are also 50 meet-and-greet option tickets available for an additional $50 charge to the ticket price. The VIP patrons will meet in the lobby at 6:15 p.m. for the pre-show meet and greet with Tesh.
Note: This is the same date as the Texas Tech vs. Oregon football game.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit cactustheater.com | https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/entertainment/local/2023/07/15/lubbock-entertainment-news-in-brief/70409784007/ | 2023-07-15T17:08:47 | 0 | https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/entertainment/local/2023/07/15/lubbock-entertainment-news-in-brief/70409784007/ |
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is looking for an 87-year-old man with dementia.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a Silver Alert Saturday to help in the search for Franklin Colon.
According to a news release, he was last seen Friday around 4:30 p.m. at his home on Lyndscape Street in Orlando, near the Wedgefield area.
Deputies said Colon was wearing a black t-shirt and black shorts.
Read: Dog adoption center celebrates grand opening in Volusia County
Investigators said he was driving a white 2008 Kia Rio with a tag that reads 88C EMM.
Law enforcement considers Colon to be endangered.
If you have information about this man, contact the sheriff’s office at 407-254-7233 or call 911.
See a map of the location below:
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/orange-county-deputies-fdle-search-missing-man-with-dementia/ATPBFB2PDRGS3L5XTPGQYLRNKE/ | 2023-07-15T17:31:52 | 0 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/orange-county-deputies-fdle-search-missing-man-with-dementia/ATPBFB2PDRGS3L5XTPGQYLRNKE/ |
WARREN COUNTY, Pa. — A homicide suspect who used bed sheets to escape from jail last week continues to evade capture, but authorities said Friday they believe he may be growing “desperate” as he tries to live with little support while apparently camping in the rough terrain of northwestern Pennsylvania woodlands.
Lt. Col. George Bivens, the deputy commissioner of Operations for the Pennsylvania State Police, reiterated during a news conference that authorities believe Michael Burham, 34, remains in the area.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >> Pennsylvania police searching for escaped homicide suspect find possible campsites near jail
Bivens showed a brief video, apparently taken by a home security camera, that showed a man walking on a residential street. Bivens said authorities believe the man was Burham but declined to provide specific details about the video, or say when or where it was taken,
Authorities have said they believe someone is or may have been helping Burham evade capture, citing the discovery of “small stockpiles or campsites” in wooded areas in the general vicinity and that it was believed at least some of those might be associated with Burham. Bivens said the stockpiles consisted of “supplies that would assist him with a prolonged stay in a wooded area.”
Bivens has said Burham taught himself survival skills and had military reserve training, but he said Friday the inmate is likely facing many difficulties as he tries to remain free.
“He’s trying to live out there with very little support, and that’s hard to do for a long time,” Bivens said. “He needs to surrender. He needs to bring this to an end.”
Burham fled the Warren County jail in northwestern Pennsylvania in the late evening hours of July 6 by climbing on exercise equipment, going through a window and scaling down a rope fashioned from jail bedding, authorities have said. He was being held on $1 million bail and was charged with kidnapping, burglary and other counts.
District Attorney Jason Schmidt, of Chautauqua County, New York, said in June that Burham was the prime suspect in the May 11 killing of Kala Hodgkin, 34, and a related arson in Jamestown, New York. Authorities also accused him of abducting an older couple in Pennsylvania while trying to evade capture before his arrest in South Carolina. Warren city police said Burham was considered “very dangerous.”
Officials in those states agreed to let Pennsylvania handle the initial prosecution, giving New York authorities more time to investigate the murder and arson cases.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/authorities-say-escaped-homicide-suspect-may-be-getting-desperate-living-wilderness/E7SVH7VTEBFXZO6IFBGANZV7JI/ | 2023-07-15T17:48:55 | 1 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/authorities-say-escaped-homicide-suspect-may-be-getting-desperate-living-wilderness/E7SVH7VTEBFXZO6IFBGANZV7JI/ |
PITTSBURGH — Being a part of the MLB All-Star Game is something every big leaguer dreams of being able to experience.
This year, the Pirates had two player representatives in Mitch Keller and David Bednar, but they weren’t the only two representing Pittsburgh in Seattle.
Derek Shelton was named to National League manager Rob Thompson’s coaching staff and got to soak in his Midsummer Classic alongside two of his players.
Read more from our partners at Sports Now Group Pittsburgh.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/derek-sheltons-first-all-star-game-one-remember/FF5I43YKNJF7NOEIMJYSYZYOVE/ | 2023-07-15T17:49:01 | 0 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/derek-sheltons-first-all-star-game-one-remember/FF5I43YKNJF7NOEIMJYSYZYOVE/ |
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates (41-50) had taken the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning on Friday, but fell in the the top of the seventh for a tough loss against the San Francisco Giants (50-41).
Colin Holderman hasn’t looked right since coming back off the injured list, and he faltered yet again on Friday in the seventh inning.
To Holderman’s defense, Henry Davis performed terribly in right field in the seventh inning, and Austin Hedges allowed stolen bases left and right, and allowed a ball to get passed him in the seventh.
As a result, the Pirates lost 6-4 on Friday, and now aim to force a rubber match on Sunday with a victory Saturday night.
Game one between between the Pirates and Giants will be at PNC Park, with first pitch at 7:05 Eastern.
Read more from our partners at Sports Now Group Pittsburgh.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/pirates-preview-can-oviedo-bounce-back-after-all-star-break/VIPG3JWSOVDIJAD6AJYKM5ZVZM/ | 2023-07-15T17:49:07 | 1 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/pirates-preview-can-oviedo-bounce-back-after-all-star-break/VIPG3JWSOVDIJAD6AJYKM5ZVZM/ |
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Autopsy records should be open to the public, a Pennsylvania court ruled in response to the county’s denial of a journalist’s requests for records pertaining to an inmate’s death.
The case marks a further easing of the public’s access to death records, though it conflicts with the state coroners association long-held efforts to keep such information private.
In a 6-1 ruling this week, Commonwealth Court ruled that the public should have access to autopsy records regardless of whether coroners are required to provide that paperwork to the county each year.
The ruling stemmed from a request for an autopsy and toxicology report for Daniel A. Pastorek, who died in custody of the Allegheny County Jail. Brittany Hailer, of the Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, was looking into whether jail conditions contributed to Pastorek’s death. The county’s medical examiner office provided the cause and manner of death but would not release the inmate’s autopsy findings.
By law, coroners in most Pennsylvania counties must turn over official records and papers each year to their local prothonotary’s office by the end of January for public inspection at no cost. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court also previously ruled that, for a fee of up to $500, records can be provided at any time prior to the year’s end.
But some counties, such as Allegheny and Philadelphia, are not required to turn over their records to the prothonotary’s office because of a state classification determined by population size.
Lawyers for Allegheny County argued that because the county is exempt from having to make public records public by year’s end, it also shouldn’t have to comply with Hailer’s request. They also argued that the law suggested that coroners could deny requests from anyone except for nongovernmental agencies investigating an insurance claim or determining liability for the death of a decedent.
In her ruling, Judge Ellen Ceisler called it “absurd” that “a requester could receive autopsy records located anywhere in the Commonwealth, unless those records are located in the County or Philadelphia County.” She also dismissed the reasoning that the law would limit who could receive the records.
Lawyers for Hailer argued that access to the records is a public service to hold institutions accountable.
The facts of the case were particularly disturbing because there was no one else to ask about the circumstances surrounding Pastorek’s death, said Hailer’s attorney, Paula Knudsen Burke.
“It highlights the importance of investigative journalism in particular,” she said.
The Pennsylvania State Coroners Association has long fought public access to autopsy records. In a brief to the court asking to uphold a lower court’s ruling that the county did not have to comply, it described the reports as an “invasion of the right to privacy without any compelling public interest in knowing these details of the deceased’s life and its impact upon the living family.”
In the lone dissent, Judge Michael Wojcik said there was no provision that required the coroner’s office “to disclose autopsy and toxicology records to the general public at any time.”
Autopsy records and the right to privacy after death were thrust into the national spotlight after the death of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt during the 2001 Daytona 500. There were questions about whether his safety equipment had been inadequate, and news organizations sought his autopsy photos.
Earnhardt’s widow fought the release, and the Florida Legislature subsequently passed a law that precluded public inspection of autopsy photos.
In Pennsylvania, expanded access has seen attempted pushback through the Legislature. A 2011 decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to compel a Lehigh County coroner to release an autopsy report for an officer who was accidentally shot inside Easton police headquarters in 2005 prompted renewed attempts to change the law in Pennsylvania, even after the governor vetoed a measure the previous year.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/state-court-rules-favor-public-disclosure-autopsy-records-pittsburgh-case/OA2YDCJPRBB23NLQYBONY67WLE/ | 2023-07-15T17:49:13 | 1 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/state-court-rules-favor-public-disclosure-autopsy-records-pittsburgh-case/OA2YDCJPRBB23NLQYBONY67WLE/ |
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Nylla Miller didn’t dwell on the shortcomings of her education when she spoke at her high school graduation. Instead she talked about all she and her classmates had accomplished.
They had achieved at high levels even in cramped classrooms with no air conditioning that got stuffier as the summer months approached — a reversal from earlier in the year, when the heat wasn’t working and it was almost too cold to focus. Athletes had set new records, even on a dirt track that doesn’t meet state standards.
Miller praised the Penn Wood High School Class of ‘23 on a hot June morning in Hagan Arena at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia without saying much about all the ways the Pennsylvania public schools had failed them. She told her fellow graduates and their families that they were “the flyest class ever to do it.”
“We have left our mark, not only here, but in every room that we have entered,” she said.
But overcoming adversity was more than just a graduation theme.
A few months earlier, a Pennsylvania court acknowledged the reality that Penn Wood students faced every day: Students in the William Penn district and five others in Pennsylvania didn’t get the education the state constitution entitles them to. The court ordered the state to alter its system — though it didn’t spell out how or how fast.
By pursuing funding equity in court, the financially challenged Pennsylvania districts were following a well-traveled school reform path. For decades, school districts around the country that have found themselves on the short end of a resource imbalance have gone to court to force states to give them a fair shake.
Those lawsuits have not been the solution they were once thought to be. In many cases, legislative action has fallen short of meeting the true cost of bringing balance to public education. In others, major reform efforts brought about short-term changes, but couldn’t sustain success when political or economic climates turned unfavorable. But some states have seen progress in academic achievement and student success when the state provides more funding.
In Pennsylvania, prospects for a legislative fix hinge on a budgeting process in a divided legislature. Emboldened by the court’s decision, House Democrats tried to funnel more money into public education this year, but it hit a wall in the Republican-controlled Senate, which proposed a more modest spending plan.
Yet students like Miller keep going to school in districts forced to address gaps with limited means to do so.
The William Penn district used federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funds to hire a reading specialist to help address achievement gaps, but that money runs out this year. The district would like to keep the position, Superintendent Eric Becoats said, but that could mean raising taxes on a community that is already one of the highest taxed in the state.
A contract for mental health services, paid for with federal funds, is another support program the district may not be able to sustain. That mattered to Miller, who struggled to find someone to confide in. Those needs have only grown more acute, at William Penn and elsewhere, as more teenagers struggle with mental health issues in the aftermath of COVID, especially teen girls.
“We switched therapists about three times this year,” Miller said. “So each time you had to get to know somebody new. That’s draining. No student feels like getting to know three different therapists and pouring their heart out three different times and telling your story three different times to three different people. It’s a lot to handle.”
The inferior facilities are a lot to handle, too. Penn Wood has no real science labs. Rooms are cramped, and classes can get overcrowded. Heating and ventilation systems need to be updated. Schools in the district have to share resources, including teachers and staff.
Miller’s classmate, Paul Vandy, says he never had a full sense of what other students have until he and Miller went to a nearby high school with the speech and debate team. It felt like they had stepped into one of the high schools he’d seen on TV.
There were gorgeous white tile floors, robots in the halls. Students had brand new books and their own laptops. And the campus hosted multiple gyms and a beautiful, expansive dance space.
Miller recalled another difference that was hard to miss.
“I think I even wrote down in a journal when I got home the similarities and differences between our schools. And the main difference was the color of the students’ skin,” she said. “My school is predominantly Black, and their school is a predominantly white school. And I think it was just a moment of, like, reality really falling on me — very, very heavy — of what is happening in our district.”
The path forward after high school is complicated, too. When Vandy, who has since decided to attend Thomas Jefferson University to study psychology, began applying to colleges, the senior class’s guidance counselor was booked for days at a time, juggling hundreds of students. There was a lot he had to learn to do on his own.
Still, Miller didn’t say much about the school’s shortcomings when she addressed her fellow classmates as their senior class president. When she thinks about Penn Wood, she thinks about her mother, whose friends graduated from the high school and came back to teach. She thinks about leaning on her own friends as they navigated, and graduated, high school while having less than other districts.
In a ceremony marked by inside jokes, Mariah Carey quotes and shoutouts to friends as they walked across the stage to receive their diplomas, she told them the class gift was a sign-off wall: a place for every graduating class to leave their mark permanently at Penn Wood High School.
A reminder, she said, that the school is more than its deficits.
“We are more than a small part of a lawsuit,” she said, “and we are more than everything that we lack.”
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/students-pennsylvania-school-districts-plug-away-while-lawmakers-dither-over-funding/HCF7YTET3JGZ3HZ3SITEAO3XFM/ | 2023-07-15T17:49:19 | 0 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/students-pennsylvania-school-districts-plug-away-while-lawmakers-dither-over-funding/HCF7YTET3JGZ3HZ3SITEAO3XFM/ |
PITTSBURGH — A water main break in Pittsburgh’s West End has caused traffic to be redirected.
The water main break is along Wabash Street at the intersection with McCartney Street.
#breaking water main break at the intersection of Wabash St and McCartney St. Traffic is being redirected at the intersection of GreenTree Road and Woodville Ave. Stay with @WPXI for the latest. #wpxi pic.twitter.com/XNbuZQKJiY
— Jamie Cashdollar (@Cashmoney2292) July 15, 2023
Channel 11 saw that one end is closed and traffic is being redirected at Greentree Road and Woodville Avenue.
Only local traffic is being allowed down McCartney Street.
There’s no word on when the break will be fixed.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/water-main-break-prompts-traffic-redirection-pittsburghs-west-end/AHH5X2VSOZFOHHMYDV7DWYUYTQ/ | 2023-07-15T17:49:25 | 0 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/water-main-break-prompts-traffic-redirection-pittsburghs-west-end/AHH5X2VSOZFOHHMYDV7DWYUYTQ/ |
Health professionals, local businesses and community members gathered to discuss the local fentanyl epidemic Tuesday evening at the Downtown Event Center.
Eastern Idaho Public Health and the Region 7 Behavioral Health Board hosted the fentanyl town hall to inform and educate the community about the local impacts the synthetic opioid causes.
“They are dancing with death every time,” said Bonneville County Sheriff Samuel Hulse about those taking illicit drugs.
The town hall’s panel consisted of four members — Mallory Johnson, of Eastern Idaho Public Health; Jon Perry, of the Idaho Falls Fire Department; Michelle Smoley, of the Center for Hope; and Hulse.
The panelists sought to educate community members on the persistence and prevalence of the fentanyl epidemic in Idaho and Bonneville County.
Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
“If I gave all of you a saltshaker and (you) tried to get 10 grains of salt into your hand, that’s about the lethal dose (of fentanyl),” said Johnson, the health district’s senior health education specialist.
Two milligrams of fentanyl, an amount large enough to kill, can fit on the tip of a pencil with room to spare. The illicit substance is often laced within other drugs, such as heroin and methamphetamine, or disguised as a pharmaceutical pill, such as Xanax.
Six out of every 10 fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills contains the lethal dosage, Johnson said.
The epidemic has surged through the country in recent years. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, overdoses from synthetic opioids like fentanyl have increased from approximately 20,000 in 2016 to more than 70,000 in 2021.
The panelists acknowledged that many think fentanyl is a “big city” problem. However, each panelist was quick to rebut that notion.
“This is out there and prevalent in our community. We just took a bunch more pills off the street,” Hulse said.
Hulse referred to Idaho’s largest fentanyl pill bust that occurred during the last week of June in Idaho Falls. Officers seized approximately 16 pounds worth of fentanyl pills, the Post Register previously reported.
“There’s potentially fentanyl in this room,” Hulse said. “There’s probably fentanyl across the street.”
Hulse said the influx of fentanyl in the area has made it so officers can no longer count the pills. There are just too many.
In 2021, the Sheriff’s Office and Idaho Falls Police Department seized 3,580 synthetic opioid pills. In 2023 so far, they have seized 102,257. That is only within Bonneville County.
“You have an epidemic. We are losing. We have lost the ability to keep this stuff out,” Hulse said. “I can’t even keep this out of my jail.”
Hulse said that there have been four nonfatal fentanyl overdoses at the Bonneville County Jail — three during work release and one within the jail.
In 2022, there were 361 overdose deaths in Idaho, 180 of which directly involved fentanyl, Johnson said. According to data as of May 1, the state has seen 51 drug overdose deaths, of which 28 directly involve fentanyl.
“Someone might look at those numbers and think ‘that’s high or that’s small,’ but when that’s someone you know, that’s a large number. Even just one is a large number,” Johnson said. “These are people in our community that we’ve lost, and people in our state that we’ve lost.”
Perry, the Idaho Falls Fire Department’s chief deputy, echoed a similar sentiment.
“This is a weapon of mass destruction,” Perry said.
Perry explained and promoted the fire department’s Naxolone Leave Behind program. Perry said the department was the first in the state to create such a program.
Within this program, first responders are given a kit containing two doses of Narcan (the brand name for Naloxone), information about drug addiction resources and a CPR barrier shield.
First responders are encouraged to leave the kit with any victim they think is susceptible to an opioid overdose.
Narcan is an over-the-counter drug that can reverse opioid overdoses for up to 60 minutes, enough time for Emergency Medical Services to arrive. Businesses, such as Center for Hope, provide free Narcan at their location.
Smoley, a recovery coach at Center for Hope, shared her addiction history with the crowded room.
“I don’t have statistics or slides. Just a story,” Smoley said.
Smoley recalled her upbringing from an “alcoholic mom and a drug-addicted dad.” She told the audience that her substance abuse began in the eighth grade.
After years of abusing alcohol, marijuana and heroin, Smoley moved on to opioids after a severe back injury in her 20s.
“I was a sitting duck for Big Pharma. Pharmacists were my best drug dealers,” Smoley said.
Tears filled Smoley’s eyes as she remembered her many run-ins with police officers and trips to jail.
“If you handed me something and said ‘this might kill you,’ it wouldn’t have stopped me,” Smoley said. “The risk of death would not have deterred me.”
In 2019, Smoley graduated from Idaho Falls drug court. She has used the lessons from her battle with addiction to teach those currently struggling.
“Michelle, you are a hero,” Hulse said. “We have to drag the scourge of addiction into the light of day. We can’t hide people because they have addiction. We have to allow them to heal.”
Hulse emphasized that Mexican cartels are trafficking fentanyl directly through Idaho Falls and Bonneville County.
“Rather than calling it overdoses, we are calling it poisonings.” Hulse said. “The cartels are poisoning the American people.”
Hulse encouraged everyone to carry Narcan with them.
“We have to become more resilient against this reality that we can’t stop,” Hulse said.
Smoley reminded the audience that Narcan shouldn’t encourage anyone to abuse illicit drugs like fentanyl.
“It (Narcan) is permission to save your life. At the end of the day, dead people can’t recover,” Smoley said. “But I did.”
For information and resources about the fentanyl epidemic, go online to One Pill Can Kill. | https://www.postregister.com/news/local/fentanyl-town-hall/article_aee084e2-2198-11ee-8156-4fbb4787b279.html | 2023-07-15T17:52:26 | 1 | https://www.postregister.com/news/local/fentanyl-town-hall/article_aee084e2-2198-11ee-8156-4fbb4787b279.html |
STOCKTON, Calif. — An incarcerated teenage homicide suspect has now been linked to a second killing, the Stockton Police Department said Friday.
Stacie Mischal, 19, has been charged with murder in the killing of 22-year-old Moses Richardson. Police say that Mischal shot and killed Richardson while he was watching a sideshow near California and Oak Streets on April 2.
After receiving a new piece of evidence, investigators identified Mischal as a suspect in the shooting Friday and added the new charge to his booking status at the San Joaquin County Jail.
Mischal has been jailed since April 18 when he was originally arrested on suspicion of killing 19-year-old Jaylen Malone. On Aug. 4, 2022, Malone and another juvenile were driving on Morada Lane near Maranatha Drive when Mischal allegedly shot the two, killing Malone.
Mischal is expected to appear in court for arraignment on his new charges on Tuesday. His next court date for further arraignment on the 2022 homicide case is scheduled for Aug. 2.
The public defenders assigned to represent Mischal did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.
Watch more from ABC10: 'Gentle giant' | Stockton family mourning 22-year-old son killed in sideshow shooting | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/stockton/jailed-homicide-suspect-second-deadly-shooting/103-a55150de-8406-4023-9425-aa484c6ee227 | 2023-07-15T17:53:38 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/stockton/jailed-homicide-suspect-second-deadly-shooting/103-a55150de-8406-4023-9425-aa484c6ee227 |
TACOMA, Wash. — Madonna Hanna, of Tacoma, returned from the 2023 National Senior Games in Pittsburgh, with three new accolades.
Hanna and her fellow 4x100m relay members placed first overall at the competition last weekend. Hanna ran the second leg of the relay.
Her coach, Marcus Chambers, a star track athlete out of Foss High School in Tacoma and a seven-time All-American for Oregon, was on hand for the big win.
Hanna, 70, also placed fifth in the 50m and 100m finals - bringing in a new personal best. Her new PR in the 50m is 8.81 seconds.
Hanna, of Tacoma, a former fashion executive and teacher, did not lace up her racing shoes until she was nearly 60 years old.
She always enjoyed watching track events on TV, but her high school did not have a track team for girls. The love for running stayed with her.
Hanna encourages everyone, no matter their age, to consider getting active. Consult with your health care professional, Hanna said, but don't count yourself out when it comes to setting athletic goals.
She started competing in 2011 and hasn't looked back.
Like any competitive athlete, Hanna has battled challenges along the way.
To learn more about Hanna and her journey, watch her interview with KING 5 by clicking here.
Download our free KING 5 app to stay up-to-date on news stories from across western Washington. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/tacoma-sprinter-coach-return-national-senior-games-gold/281-33d1fb07-3762-4de4-8e36-7998c0689cbe | 2023-07-15T18:05:11 | 0 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/tacoma-sprinter-coach-return-national-senior-games-gold/281-33d1fb07-3762-4de4-8e36-7998c0689cbe |
Country
United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary
People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe | https://www.albanyherald.com/local/chamber-accepting-nominations-for-business-awards/article_216eb772-232e-11ee-8b56-eb567c165b5b.html | 2023-07-15T18:06:06 | 1 | https://www.albanyherald.com/local/chamber-accepting-nominations-for-business-awards/article_216eb772-232e-11ee-8b56-eb567c165b5b.html |
Country
United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary
People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe | https://www.albanyherald.com/local/georgia-chamber-to-host-rural-prosperity-forum/article_3b0163a8-2327-11ee-928d-0bff80f8f599.html | 2023-07-15T18:06:12 | 0 | https://www.albanyherald.com/local/georgia-chamber-to-host-rural-prosperity-forum/article_3b0163a8-2327-11ee-928d-0bff80f8f599.html |
A sneak peek of Steelhouse Omaha at 1100 Dodge Street in Omaha on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. The Killers will perform the first concert at the venue on May 12.
OMAHA — Pausing his set, Nick Lowe looked around at Steelhouse Omaha, taking in the shiny new venue, then letting the 1,800 or so seated in front and above him know his thoughts about the place.
“You’re so lucky to have a place like this in your town,” Lowe said last month. “In London, where I’m from, it goes from the enormo-dome to a room above the Dog and Duck Pub. There’s nothing like this there. You really are lucky to have this.”
In fact, Steelhouse Omaha, which has a standing capacity of 3,000, was created to fill the kind of space Lowe noted doesn’t exist in London — a midsized venue that, in the case of Omaha, falls between clubs like The Waiting Room and Slowdown, and the 17,000-seat CHI Health Center Omaha.
“It was apparent that these bands that are touring across the country were skipping our city because there wasn't a sufficient-sized place for them to play,” said Omaha Performing Arts President Joan Squires. “CHI was too big, the Orpheum (2,600 seats) either too small or not the type of experience for the bands. So they're bypassing Omaha. We felt there was an opportunity to develop a venue that first of all would attract the touring bands to bring them here.”
That attraction isn’t based solely on capacity. Steelhouse Omaha was designed and built to be an ideal building for midsized concerts. There are, for example, a pair of loading docks, allowing two trucks to be loaded and unloaded simultaneously.
The dressing rooms are well appointed, with showers, televisions and other amenities, and decorated with, to pick the most unusual example, a cutout of a tape deck in the shape of Nebraska.
The stage is a massive 80 feet wide by 40 feet deep, which will accommodate even the most extravagant production for concerts of Steelhouse size.
And hanging above the hall are arrays of D&B KS8 speakers, the most visible elements of the top-of-the-line audio system that’s permanently installed in the building.
“The idea was that when bands came in they could just plug in and play,” said Steelhouse general manager Craig Cope.
That kind of well-considered design also was incorporated into its public areas, from the LED lighting to the multiple bars that ring the inside of the hall and the large bar at the entrance, providing “price points” that eliminate long lines — or at the Nick Lowe/Elvis Costello show on June 21, any lines at all.
Even the entrance at Steelhouse is well thought out and state of the art with fast-moving lines, an unobtrusive security scanning system and plenty of well-positioned, helpful staff.
“I tell our people we’re not in the concert business,” Cope said. “We’re in the customer service business. We have to make this a great experience for people, not just open the doors for a show.”
Steelhouse Omaha was about six years in development, Squires said, and was designed to incorporate into the Omaha Performing Arts campus with the nearby Holland Center and to contribute to the economic development of downtown Omaha.
The $104.1 million project was privately funded and received $1.1 million from the city of Omaha. But because it had no single lead donor, but rather four “pillars,” Squires said, the building didn’t get a family name.
“It was a name we made up,” Squires said as Costello’s soundcheck geared up on the stage. "It’s a testament to the industrial nature of the site. Certainly there's steel underneath. It's actually clad in aluminum. But we wanted something that really was sort of cool and industrial and something people will be drawn to. And we also thought it was a name that would look good on T-shirts and hats.”
People have certainly been drawn to the new building at 1100 Dodge St. All of its early shows, starting with The Killers, have been sold out.
Dozens of Lincolnites were spotted going into Steelhouse to see Costello and Lowe. And dozens more have posted pictures from concerts by The Killers, The Flaming Lips and Fleet Foxes on social media after the shows.
That’s evidence that in its first two months of operation, Steelhouse Omaha has already become a venue for the region — not just Nebraska, but surrounding states.
“That’s what we expected,” Squires said. “When we did the analysis of these types of venues, we realized there wasn’t anything in the entire region similar to this. … So people are driving and this is becoming a destination very quickly.”
Steelhouse Omaha now has nine concerts, which are booked by industry giant Live Nation, set through the end of the year. But, Squires said, there will be many more, along with comedy shows and other events, booked into what is already one of Nebraska’s top venues in upcoming months. | https://journalstar.com/life-entertainment/local/music/steelhouse-omaha-music-venue-nebraska/article_00bec952-201a-11ee-8918-ff15e413dc68.html | 2023-07-15T18:09:26 | 0 | https://journalstar.com/life-entertainment/local/music/steelhouse-omaha-music-venue-nebraska/article_00bec952-201a-11ee-8918-ff15e413dc68.html |
Nebraska Furniture Mart has the square footage — more than 450,000 in all at its Omaha location — but it doesn't have Amish craftsmanship.
That's what Lisa Sabels is counting on distinguishing her SouthPointe Pavilions furniture store from the competition.
It's a family recipe that her parents, the late Ken and Cheryl Triplett, used successfully with furniture stores in Wisconsin and Grand Island, and she's hoping it will be the difference at Lincoln's Amish Furniture of Nebraska, which opened its doors in April. A location opened in Elkhorn last winter, joining the biggest store in Grand Island.
"Nobody makes furniture in the U.S. anymore," Sabels said. "My dad was a stickler for quality. And we were not going to have made-in-China furniture in our store."
Instead, Triplett found an untapped pocket of furniture craftsmen in northern Indiana, the Amish community of Shipshewana.
He cultivated those relationships in the 1990s and his daughter has worked to keep those contacts alive.
Over the weekend, she invited four members of the Amish community — makers of some of furniture being sold there — to meet with customers.
"We feel very comfortable here in Lincoln," Myron Miller said. "The people here have the same core beliefs as we do: faith and family."
Amish communities are prevalent in 32 U.S. states. The lifestyle is family-centric with rules on everything from clothes to hairstyle to technology.
They don't drive automobiles, but they can ride in them, so the group hired a driver to get them to Lincoln. Meanwhile, they don't have computers in their houses, but they are allowed to access the internet from the public library.
"I sometimes look up parts for the furniture I am working on," Mark Stoltzfus said. "That's about the only time I use the internet."
Most would agree that it's a slower way of life, one that's been simplified in the absence of those items — smartphones come to mind — that have become necessities.
"Amish is not a religion," said Jason Schwartz, a former house painter who now makes furniture and was in Lincoln with his wife, Velma. "It is a way of life, our way of life."
Sabels remembers rekindling the relationship with the Amish a few years back. Most didn't have telephones. There were a few fax machines, but the best way to make contact was by knocking on doors.
"You had to drive to their houses and say, 'I heard you build furniture,'" Sabels said. "They might say, 'I build chairs,' but then you'll have to go down down the road, turn right and go a couple of miles and that guy might build tables."
It was a complex road trip, but well worth the time. Today, Sabels works with 70 different Amish families, all making products — from dining room sets to bedroom furniture to hutches — that are available at the store at 2950 Pine Lake Road.
"I think we have talked to them every day for the last five years," she said. "They are wonderful people."
12 iconic 20th-century designs still used in modern furniture today
Lisa Sabels, owner of Amish Furniture of Nebraska, talks with Mark Stoltzfus on Thursday at her store at SouthPointe Pavilions. Stoltzfus and three other members of an Amish community in Indiana that builds furniture for Sabels' stores visited the Lincoln store on Thursday. | https://journalstar.com/news/local/lincolns-amish-furniture-of-nebraska-southpointe/article_b9956b34-226d-11ee-a1ac-17c54c648917.html | 2023-07-15T18:09:32 | 1 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/lincolns-amish-furniture-of-nebraska-southpointe/article_b9956b34-226d-11ee-a1ac-17c54c648917.html |
CLEARWATER, Fla. — A 22-year-old man was arrested and charged in a deadly hit-and-run crash early Saturday morning in Clearwater, according to a news release.
Christian Hooks, of Clearwater, now faces the charges of DUI manslaughter and leaving the scene of a crash involving death, authorities said.
The crash happened around 12:42 a.m. at Missouri Avenue near Druid Road.
Authorities said multiple calls were made about a man laying in the middle of the road. When officers arrived, they found 34-year-old Joshua Maxson dead.
Hooks' had left the scene, but police were able to track him down 20 minutes later. Authorities said Hooks performed poorly on field sobriety tests and two breath samples of .217 and .223 were obtained.
The 22-year-old is currently booked in the Pinellas County Jail. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/christian-hooks-deadly-crash-clearwater/67-ca619524-ceb1-4e00-badc-b60106352366 | 2023-07-15T18:15:10 | 1 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/christian-hooks-deadly-crash-clearwater/67-ca619524-ceb1-4e00-badc-b60106352366 |
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Barbie party is underway for a popular record store in North Portland.
Since the film was announced in 2019, people have anxiously awaited “Barbie” — which features “The Suicide Squad” star Margot Robbie, “The Notebook” actor Ryan Gosling and “Ugly Betty” lead America Ferrera.
Fast forward about four years later, and the movie is just days away from its global debut on Friday, July 21. However, some fans are equally as excited about the movie’s soundtrack.
“Barbie: The Album” drops that same day — unless you’re available for one of the early listening parties being hosted by record stores across the country.
According to the official website, just one listening party is being held throughout the entire state of Oregon. This isn’t terrible news for Portlanders, who might not live too far away from the hosts at Vinyl Resting Place in the St. Johns neighborhood.
Owner Steve Cook says the album marketing team reached out directly to the neighborhood record shop to hold the event.
After being open for 26 years, Vinyl Resting Place has plenty of experience with listening parties — although this one is sure to beat the others on the pink scale.
The event kicks off on Tuesday, July 18 at 5 p.m. Other than a first listen of the soundtrack that highlights artists such as Dua Lipa, Nicki Minaj and Billie Eilish, the party also includes limited-edition merchandise.
All attendees are expected to receive a poster while supplies last. Guests will have a chance to win additional prizes including t-shirts, visors and heart-shaped sunglasses.
The event is limited to those who RSVP through Vinyl Resting Place’s social media or by calling the store at 503-247-9573.
Cook says he’s already received several RSVPs since the party’s announcement, and some Oregonians outside of Portland are planning to travel for the event.
“Some of them are driving quite a distance,” Cook said. “I had someone reach out from Ashland, Oregon, and ask to put three people down on the list.”
The record shop will also be accepting pre-orders for the CD that features an exclusive cover and “Barbie Dreams” by FIFTY FIFTY and Kaliii. The vinyl album will be available later on June 21.
Vinyl Resting Place is located on 8332 N Lombard St. | https://www.koin.com/local/embrace-your-kenergy-portland-record-shop-hosts-barbie-soundtrack-listening-party/ | 2023-07-15T18:19:17 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/local/embrace-your-kenergy-portland-record-shop-hosts-barbie-soundtrack-listening-party/ |
DALLAS — Dallas police need the public's help finding a 71-year-old woman who went missing Saturday morning.
The Dallas Police Department (DPD) said Pendra Faye Plackard was last seen at about 9 a.m. on July 15 in the 3500 block of South Buckner Boulevard in Dallas wearing black pants, red shirt, carrying a red bag. She is described as a brown-eyed, brown-haired, 71-year-old woman, who stands about 5 feet, 2inches tall and weighs about 203 lbs.
Anyone with information are asked to call the police department at 911 or (214)671-4268 and reference case number 127946-2023.
More Texas headlines: | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/pendra-faye-plackard-dallas-missing/287-bda915f0-f736-4382-82d0-bd27710fd7cc | 2023-07-15T18:21:31 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/pendra-faye-plackard-dallas-missing/287-bda915f0-f736-4382-82d0-bd27710fd7cc |
ATLANTA — Metro Atlanta veterans were left without air conditioning amid brutally hot summer temperatures at the medical center's emergency department.
The issue happened on Thursday at Atlanta's VA Medical Center, which is located on Clairmont Road in the northeast part of the city. Officials cited that temperatures and the expansion of the department caused the existing HVAC system to break down.
The center added that they have since provided portable cooling units around the facility to bring relief to patients and staff.
It will also add an additional cooling system in the building to help the strain on the existing unit.
Officials with the hospital released a full statement on the issue below:
We apologize to the Veterans we serve at the Atlanta VA Medical Center for any discomfort due to high temperatures while recently visiting our Emergency Department. Record-breaking temperatures, combined with the recent expansion of the Emergency Department, exceeded the capacity of the existing HVAC unit.
We have temporarily deployed portable cooling units to provide relief to our patients and staff members. As a long-term solution, we are actively pursuing installing an additional cooling system to counteract the strain on the existing air handling unit. We are focusing on solving this issue, and thank Veterans for their patience while we do so.
News happens fast. Download our 11Alive News app for all the latest breaking updates, and sign up for our Speed Feed newsletter to get a rundown of the latest headlines across north Georgia.
MORE WAYS TO GET 11ALIVE
- Download our streaming app on Roku and Fire TV
- Download the 11Alive News mobile app
- Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
- Watch live streams on YouTube | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/atlanta-va-hospital-without-air-conditioning/85-a8ecbe58-417a-41ae-9f8d-3bf6d0f60b5b | 2023-07-15T18:27:09 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/atlanta-va-hospital-without-air-conditioning/85-a8ecbe58-417a-41ae-9f8d-3bf6d0f60b5b |
ATLANTA — Balfour Beatty has been awarded to deliver a new state prison in Georgia valued at approximately $320 million on behalf of Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission (GSFIC), in association with Georgia Building Authority (GBA) and the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC).
The modern facility will support GDC's operations in providing a highly efficient, state-owned and operated prison system that meets the evolving needs of correctional services for decades to come. The facility will support services for 3,000 inmates, including housing, administration, programming, general and vocational education, medical, intake and more.
Balfour Beatty will be the construction manager at risk and will engage early in the programming and design of the new prison providing collaborative preconstruction and constructability services throughout the design phase.
Design and preconstruction services will start immediately, with the construction contract anticipated in Q4 2023.
About Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty is an industry-leading provider of general contracting, at-risk construction management and design-build services for public and private sector clients across the United States. Performing heavy civil and vertical construction, the company is part of Balfour Beatty plc (LSE: BBY), a leading international infrastructure group that provides innovative and efficient infrastructure that underpins our daily lives, supports communities and enables economic growth. Balfour Beatty is ranked among the top domestic building contractors in the United States by Engineering News-Record. To learn more, visit www.balfourbeattyus.co. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/balfour-beatty-wins-320-million-contract-build-art-prison-georgia/85-eadb4b9e-c154-430c-882f-666bf6af6c8f | 2023-07-15T18:27:15 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/balfour-beatty-wins-320-million-contract-build-art-prison-georgia/85-eadb4b9e-c154-430c-882f-666bf6af6c8f |
ATLANTA — Atlanta Fire Department is responding to a chemical spill on Georgia Tech's campus Friday afternoon.
Fire officials said there was a small paraformaldehyde spill at 313 Ferst Drive NW, the location of the U.A. Whitaker Biomedical Engineering building at Georgia Tech. People in the nearby area were evacuated outside of the building, officials said.
Paraformaldehyde is used in fungicides, bactericides, and in the manufacturing of adhesives, according to the National Library of Medicine. It says the substance is a hazard to the surrounding environment and should be immediately contained.
It's the second chemical spill at Georgia Tech this week. On Monday, officials responded to a nitric acid spill on Georgia Tech's campus at the Krone Engineered Biosystems Building.
News happens fast. Download our 11Alive News app for all the latest breaking updates, and sign up for our Speed Feed newsletter to get a rundown of the latest headlines across north Georgia. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/chemical-spill-georgia-tech-biomedical-engineering-building-paraformaldehyde/85-56d3b638-d34e-42bf-b778-8a99a88a18e6 | 2023-07-15T18:27:18 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/chemical-spill-georgia-tech-biomedical-engineering-building-paraformaldehyde/85-56d3b638-d34e-42bf-b778-8a99a88a18e6 |
ATLANTA — Dr. Christine King Farris, a renowned educator, author, and Civil Rights activist, was lying in state at the Georgia Capitol Friday. She is one of only four Black Americans to receive this honor, including her sister-in-law Coretta Scott King.
King Farris' life and contributions are being celebrated by both dignitaries and the public. The Capitol Rotunda slowly filled as people eagerly gathered to pay tribute to a woman who was determined to pave the way for change.
King Farris' remarkable journey includes her time as a professor at Spelman College and her unwavering efforts for equal rights. Friday's service provided the public with an opportunity to celebrate the full range of her life and work.
"Although she walked with kings, she always kept the common touch," Former representative Vernon Jones expressed.
This sentiment echoed the one shared by many who recognized King Farris' ability to connect with people from all walks of life.
One side featured a portrait of King Farris herself, while on the other side, her late brother's image symbolized the legacy she helped carry.
"Her eyes bore witness to so much, yet she never let go of the prize— the price of freedom, the prize of justice, the prize of peace," one of the attendees James Beverly said.
While family, friends, and dignitaries gathered under the dome to honor King Farris, outside the Capitol, admirers like Venus Dawson came together to reflect on the impact she had made.
"I met Dr. Farris back in 2005 at Spelman College. Some relatives attended Spelman College at the time during those years. So I was able to meet her in person," Dawson said.
Crowds gathered outside, united in their appreciation for a life dedicated to serving others. They watched with reverence as some of Georgia's most prominent figures paid their heartfelt tributes. Rev. Raphael Warnock was among those present.
"And when she shall die. Take her and cut her into little stars. She shall make the face of heaven so fine that all the earth. Shall grow in love with night. And pay no worship to the garish sun," Warnock recited.
King Farris will be honored with two more ceremonies— a private musical tribute and one final service at Ebenezer Baptist, which will take place this weekend. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/final-farewell-dr-christine-king-farris/85-4b722566-aaa3-4a46-9285-3d9c283768f7 | 2023-07-15T18:27:24 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/final-farewell-dr-christine-king-farris/85-4b722566-aaa3-4a46-9285-3d9c283768f7 |
HIAWASSEE, Ga. — A Barrow County firefighter and several of his family members were involved in a tragic crash while heading home from a Georgia water park last Friday.
The crash happened on July 7 around 1 p.m. in Hiwassee, Georgia, along Hwy 75 S at Walls Mountain Road, according to a social media post from the Towns County Sheriff's Office.
A dump truck loaded with gravel was heading north on the highway when one of its tires blew out. The sheriff's office said that's when the truck drove into the southbound lanes and hit two cars head-on. All of the vehicles went off the road and down an embankment, deputies said.
One person died at the scene, one adult and two children were airlifted by helicopter critically hurt, the sheriff's office said. The Towns County Sheriff said Georgia State Patrol is investigating the crash.
Barrow County Emergency Services wrote on social media that one of its firefighters was involved in the crash. An online fundraiser verified by 11Alive said it was Jeremy Dalton who was heading home with his 11-year-old son, 10-year-old cousin and his father-in-law, Mark.
The online fundraiser states Mark tragically passed away at the scene. Jeremy was life-flighted to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. His 11-year-old son and 10-year-old cousin were both flown to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Scottish Rite for medical treatment.
Jeremy has since been released from the hospital, but his 11-year-old son is currently in the ICU with a head injury and his 10-year-old cousin is also still in the hospital recovering, according to the online fundraiser.
"Please keep their family in your thoughts and prayers as they are with his son, who is fighting for his life," Barrow County EMS wrote.
In the coming weeks, the online fundraiser said the Dalton family will have medical bills from being life-flighted and staying in the hospital. If you'd like to donate, click here. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/georgia-firefighter-deadly-crash-coming-home-water-park/85-d563891f-0ce3-42ce-b39f-bc0b95547c14 | 2023-07-15T18:27:30 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/georgia-firefighter-deadly-crash-coming-home-water-park/85-d563891f-0ce3-42ce-b39f-bc0b95547c14 |
ATLANTA — A courageous kitten named "Trucker" has found a new lease on life after being saved from the depths of an engine compartment by deputies in Cherokee County. The office announced that the kitty is up for adoption, along with his fellow companions, at the Cherokee County Animal Shelter.
The heroic rescue unfolded in May when Deputy Lockstedt, already at Northside Cherokee Hospital, received a distress call about a trapped cat. The feline had inadvertently found itself in a perilous situation within a parked vehicle's engine compartment. Swiftly, animal control was notified, and the vehicle owner was located in the hospital.
Lockstedt, joined by Animal Control Officer Nations, sprang into action, bravely opening the vehicle's hood to embark on a challenging mission to locate and extricate the frightened feline. After an intense 30-minute endeavor, their persistence paid off, and the trapped kitten was safely rescued.
Currently in the care of the team at the Cherokee Animal Shelter, the resilient kitten, now affectionately named Trucker, underwent a thorough examination. The shelter said it diligently searched for the owner but didn't find anyone. Now Trucker is needing a home.
The sheriff's office said that Cherokee County Animal Shelter would have Trucker and other feline friends available for adoption on July 14 at 5:30 p.m.
Cherokee County heroes rescue "Trucker" the kitten, now he's searching for a forever home | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/kitten-saved-car-engine-cherokee-deputies-adoption-trucker/85-6be93265-a86c-41cc-9706-fe75ec61a63c | 2023-07-15T18:27:36 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/kitten-saved-car-engine-cherokee-deputies-adoption-trucker/85-6be93265-a86c-41cc-9706-fe75ec61a63c |
ATLANTA — Carol Stuckey has lived in Atlanta since the early 1960's. While she's gotten used to the heat, she believes the mosquito problem has gotten worse.
“The mosquitoes years ago were not bad at all," Stuckey said "I don’t know what the increase is. One year is different from the next year, so you can’t depend on it. This year seems to have been double.”
Stuckey likes gardening in her front yard and sitting outside, but lately, she said it has become unbearable to spend time outside because of all the bugs and mosquitoes she encounters.
"They usually end up getting me. I've gotten a couple I had last night that are still itchy," Stuckey said. "And they go in with you, because you don't know notice that they're on your clothes or in your hair. You can see they're on your skin, but you can't see every way they could travel inside of your house."
Pest control company Orkin pegged Atlanta as having the fourth most mosquito service calls in the entire country in 2023. Dr. Brandon Leftwich, the environmental health director at the Fulton County Board of Health, said mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus had been reported at least half a dozen times countywide, from Alpharetta to Johns Creek, down to Virginia Highland and South Fulton.
"You never know what you’re going to get during these mosquito seasons,” Leftwich said. "Most of the time, symptoms for West Nile are moderate to mild. Most people who are affected by this illness are people over the age of 50 and people who have compromised immune systems. They are the ones at greatest risk.”
Leftwich said the county passed out flyers to warn neighbors of West Nile cases. The county also plans to spray affected areas with what it called an EPA-approved substance. He said mosquitoes are mainly active in the early mornings and late afternoons.
"Think of places that are heavily wooded, things that may hold water, that could be perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes," Leftwich said. “Protect yourself using repellant, deet repellant, covering yourselves and just being mindful of the environment.”
Stuckey uses mosquito repellant incense sticks to ward off the pesky pests. Even after 60 summers living in her Virginia Highland home, she won't mind going inside her house to cool off and avoid the mosquitoes altogether.
“The mosquitoes will eat you alive," Stuckey said. “They give you nightmares. Being in the yard in the afternoon, we used to be able to do it without having bug spray. I can’t do it today. I just don’t even try it.” | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/several-west-nile-virus-cases-stemming-mosquito-bites/85-dd1b7496-5b2e-44a8-a8c2-6df14cac452e | 2023-07-15T18:27:38 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/several-west-nile-virus-cases-stemming-mosquito-bites/85-dd1b7496-5b2e-44a8-a8c2-6df14cac452e |
ATLANTA — Kim Jones is leaving her post as CEO of Spanx after less than a year leading the Atlanta-based shapewear brand.
Jones, promoted from president and chief financial officer to CEO on Sept. 30, stepped down to pursue an opportunity supporting founder Sara Blakely’s family office, according to Spanx.
“We are grateful for Kim’s many contributions over the past 15 transformative years, and we are confident that the future is bright for Spanx," the company told Atlanta Business Chronicle in a statement. "Our business is stronger than ever and expanding, and we are fortunate to have so much visionary talent across our team and our board to not only support the business during this transition but also to continue to drive Spanx’s growth for years to come. We look forward to identifying the right CEO to take the company to the next level as a mature, diversified, global company.”
Jones took over for Spanx founder Sara Blakely, who remained as executive chairwoman. The pair worked to sell a majority stake in the company to investment firm Blackstone in October 2021. The deal was valued Spanx at $1.2 billion.
This story is part of a media partnership with the Atlanta Business Chronicle. To read the rest of this story, head here. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/spanx-ceo-kim-jones-steps-down-sara-blakely/85-956e0972-69de-4a0c-b29f-d8a1d94e2aaa | 2023-07-15T18:27:44 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/spanx-ceo-kim-jones-steps-down-sara-blakely/85-956e0972-69de-4a0c-b29f-d8a1d94e2aaa |
ATLANTA — In a world where love stories often seem fleeting, one story, though not destined for the stars, unfolded through a simple connection.
Two pairs of young hearts connected, making their love story last over 100 years.
Reflecting on their first encounter, Jack fondly reminisces, "I guess I thought she was good looking," sharing a lighthearted joke. However, the depth of their affection has always been apparent.
Jack and May Milner's journey stands as a remarkable testament to the enduring love forged in their teenage years.
May, with a smile, recalls the early days of their courtship, saying, "I wrote him every day. My mom said, 'How do you come up with something to talk about?' I said, 'I'll think of something,'"
This remarkable dedication and devotion laid the foundation for their enduring love. Now the couple cherishes the letters they exchanged, safeguarding them in the very bag Jack carried during his deployment to Germany.
These precious notes hold the essence of their love, allowing them to journey back through 70 years of shared history, back to the night they made their commitment official.
As they embarked on their lifelong journey together, leaving the Preachers' house in 1953, Jack and May knew exactly where their hearts would lead them. May points to her dear friend Betty Crow, with whom their lives became intertwined at the age of 14. Betty, sharing the story, recalls, "me and her were such good friends, and they just became a part of it with us."
It was Jack's 1939 Ford sedan, the coveted car of their youth, that brought the group together. Betty, fueled by her desire to see her boyfriend, Charles Crow, introduced May to Jack, setting in motion a series of events that would shape their lives forever.
Summer brought the blossoming romance to fruition as Jack and May exchanged vows and became husband and wife.
"I don't want to even think about how it would have been," Betty said, reflecting on their intertwined lives, "because that's all I've ever known. Me and her, Charles and Jack. We've just always been couples. We have each other; we can rely on each other, no matter what. I know I can depend on them."
Together, these four individuals have woven a beautiful tapestry of family, friendship and lasting commitment. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/two-couples-100-years-best-friend-marriage-heart/85-88f6ceb6-215c-47a1-9912-c483c1d8d6b9 | 2023-07-15T18:27:50 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/two-couples-100-years-best-friend-marriage-heart/85-88f6ceb6-215c-47a1-9912-c483c1d8d6b9 |
BRUNSWICK, Maine — A man who was swimming in the Androscoggin River required rescue Thursday after becoming stranded due to fast currents and high water levels.
Brunswick police and fire departments responded to a call in the area of the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge off Mill Street after a man reportedly became stranded on an island in the river.
According to a Facebook post shared by the Brunswick Police Department, the man swam to the island while holding onto a rope tied to shore, but the rope dislodged, and he was unable to get back to shore safely.
Fire crews launched their boat and were able to return the man to shore.
No injuries were reported.
The departments urged caution, saying the high volume of rainfall has increased dangers associated with moving water. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/public-safety/androscoggin-river-rescue-island-swimmer/97-56603c98-e7e7-4e59-8b4e-b86c04019c03 | 2023-07-15T18:32:21 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/public-safety/androscoggin-river-rescue-island-swimmer/97-56603c98-e7e7-4e59-8b4e-b86c04019c03 |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Some Arkansans should prepare for 10-digit dialing as a new area code will soon be active.
The region currently covered by the 870 area code will soon have a 327 overlay too.
Area code 870 covers much of the state, from cities such as Pine Bluff to Mountain Home or Jonesboro to Monticello.
The new overlay isn't changing the use of 870, but instead allows more numbers to be distributed throughout the region.
The Arkansas Public Service Commission approved the addition of the 370 overlay.
"Projection showed that there will be an exhaust in 870 numbers that apply in the first quarter of 2025," said Elana Foley, director of Telecommunications and Consumer Services with the Arkansas Public Service Commission. "The new 327 area code overlay plan was recommended as a solution."
Foley said the most significant change coming to Arkansans living in the region is the amount of numbers that must be dialed.
“People in the 870 and new 327 area code region need to understand that their current telephone numbers will still work as they do today,” Foley said. “However, they must dial the area code and phone number when making calls."
Soon, local calls made by only dialing seven digits inside the 870 and 327 area code region will no longer be completed.
The Arkansas Public Service Commission has released important dates to help Arkansans prepare for the new process.
The six-month permissive dialing period is set to begin on July 21.
“The permissive dialing period gives consumers adequate time to adjust to local calls being made with either seven or 10 digits,” Foley said.
During these six months, calls made with an area code or not will still go through.
Starting January 19, 2024, calls must be made using the 10-digit format with the area code included.
“This means using 10 digits instead of seven," Foley said. "Your calls will not go through."
New phone numbers will contain the 327 area code beginning February 20, 2024.
Foley said adding a new area code overlay can be confusing, but encourages people to contact the Arkansas Public Service Commission at (501) 682-2051 with any questions or concerns.
Important dates:
July 21, 2023: Six-month permissive dialing period begins
January 19, 2024: Any calls made in the 870/327 area code must include a full 10-digit number
February 20, 2024: Anyone receiving a new number or cell service can now be assigned a number with the 327 area code. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/new-area-code-coming-to-arkansas/91-6d4b3054-9f7a-452e-9288-db18a3df5494 | 2023-07-15T18:34:35 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/new-area-code-coming-to-arkansas/91-6d4b3054-9f7a-452e-9288-db18a3df5494 |
ARKANSAS, USA — Arkansas is home to many large businesses, including some of the largest wine producers in the country. A couple of months ago, we introduced you to one of those producers and explored the industry's rich history here in the Natural State.
A key ingredient to that history has been grape breeding, which is something the University of Arkansas has worked on for decades through its fruit breeding program.
Dr. Rene Threlfall is one of the scientists at the university's fruit research station. She explained that one of their goals is sustainability, so we can enjoy our favorite fruits grown right here in Arkansas— and a big focus is grapes.
“Table grapes originally and they also began crosses on wine grapes, back in the 70s, and 80s,” Dr. Threlfall described.
Wine is a thriving industry here in the Natural State, which has made for a perfect pair in their research.
“We have over 20 wineries in our state, and we have about 30 grape growers,” said Threlfall. “While that seems like not very many, it's actually really impactful in the economy of the state.”
She said the process of breeding grapes is kind of like making wine— they both take time and patience.
“One of the main reasons it takes decades is because, in grape vines, we don't really see fruit for three years,” said Threlfall. “So, you plant the plant, it grows the into the vine, the vine grows, and then the vine produces grapes, but not until about the third year.”
It’s a long journey to even get to that point.
“You're basically taking parts of female parts of one plant and male parts of another plant and mixing up the pollen and creating new seeds and then those become get planted and become selections,” Threlfall described.
It's a big undertaking that isn't done everywhere.
“There's not much great breeding happening all over the world, so it's very unique that we have that capability,” said Threlfall.
While it’s not an easy task the university has done it with the goal of growing more grapes here, rather than bringing them in from outside the state.
“To breed grapes that grow well in Arkansas, because this is a warmer, humid, rainy climate that is so it's not often the ideal situation that you have in other parts,” Dr. Threlfall explained.
Despite those tough conditions, their research has led to success.
“We've released four different cultivars of wine grapes,” said Dr. Threlfall. “The first two were opportunity and enchantment and then the last two that were released last year were dazzle and indulgence.”
Some of these grapes eventually made their way to Post Winery in Altus.
“They've been evaluating enchantment and opportunity and some of the other cultivars for probably over 10 years,” said Threlfall.
Enchantment has been the biggest success story of the four grapes. It was first developed in 1990 and patented in 2016. The white wine grape now makes up 75% of several bottles that sit on the shelves inside the Post family winery.
“A good five years before we even saw anything like that,” said Dr. Threlfall. “And that was because they had the planting established before we released the grape, so they were able to get a little bit of a head start.”
James Post is part of the team that has looked at and cared for these grapes provided by the university. He said it took a lot of trial and error to get the vines growing.
“The trials and different breeding’s trying to match rootstocks to different plants and just whatever sin tends to work and grow here. That's what's important,” Post described.
His family has been a staple in the Arkansas wine industry since the 1800s and he said it's exciting to continue being part of the history.
“It was really a nice feeling all this hard work and time starts to show,” Post added.
While the other three grapes haven't been able to be turned into wine and bottled for shelves just yet the vines are already at nurseries.
“These vines can be purchased at a commercial nursery and then those grape growers start growing the grapes,” said Dr. Threlfall.
Threlfall said this is another way for Arkansas to continue having an impact on the wine industry beyond just our state.
“The outreach is slow in terms of our impact because we really won't know probably for about 10 years until we see start seeing bottles of wine of the particular cultivars, commercially,” said Threlfall.
The university's fruit research station said it plans to release another new breed of grape they’ve been working on for over 10 years. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/university-of-arkansas-grape-fruit-breeding/91-0f3f88f8-d68f-4833-ab45-a8e01c4fe67b | 2023-07-15T18:34:41 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/university-of-arkansas-grape-fruit-breeding/91-0f3f88f8-d68f-4833-ab45-a8e01c4fe67b |
Laughter is the best medicine.
Just ask Nurse Blake, aka Blake Lynch of Orlando, Florida.
He’s a certified nurse with eight years experience under his belt and a whole lot of stories to tell.
Thanks to some tremendous social media success (he has more than 3.2 million followers between Instagram, Facebook and TikTok), he’s taking his stories and standup to 100 cities around the country as part of his “Shock Advised Tour.” It pulls into Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St., on Aug. 6, one of several comedy shows that are part of Fox’s Outburst Comedy series.
People are also reading…
The series includes some big names in standup, from a pair of moms telling mom tales to a “Glee” star bringing us some holiday cheer and chuckles just in time for Christmas.
Tickets are available through foxtucson.com. Check the theater’s website for updates as schedules are subject to change.
Here’s the lineup:
You don’t have to be a first-responder or medical pro to get Nurse Blake’s humor; his comedy also speaks to patients. But expect to see tons of nurses pack Fox when he takes the stage at 7 p.m. Aug. 6. His new show is his most ambitious outing since he started doing comedy in 2018, hitting more than 100 cities through year’s end; $46.50-$91.50.
Between them, moms Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley have four kids, two husbands (that’s one apiece), six dogs and, according to their #imomsohard website, a minimum of two glasses of wine. OK, let’s be honest: They never stick to the minimum. In fact it was over a glass of wine with a video recorder that the two moms vented hilariously over their momhood triumphs and failures including Smedley forgetting the name of her newborn daughter. It was social media gold and launched the pair on a career that in five short years has made them social media darlings. Their videos have been viewed 300 million times worldwide and their tours pack houses. They bring their latest “Ladies Night” here for a 7 p.m. show Aug. 11; $20-$57.50.
Randy Rainbow, who helped us survive the pandemic with his politically-charged and always hilarious satire, from spoof interviews with political leaders and celebrities to his parodies, is back with his “Randy Rainbow for President” tour on Oct. 13; $49.50-$69.50.
Paula Poundstone has become an every-other-year regular at the Fox for at least a decade, which means she’s like family. Even if you’re one of those fans who sees here every time she’s here, her shows always seem fresh and funnier than the last. She returns Oct. 28; $20-$62.50.
Amy Sedaris, the comedian-actress (“The Mandalorian”), writer and baby sister of satirist David Sedaris, is spending an evening with Tucson on Nov. 12. Arizona Public Media personality Mark McLemore will moderate the conversation, which will include a chance for the audience to ask questions; $20-$62.50.
Emmy-nominated “SNL” writer Nimesh Patel‘s “Fast & Loose” tour will hit 27 of its 37 cities by the time he takes the Fox stage on Dec. 1. By then, any wrinkles in the material, which in an early June YouTube video Patel said was all new, should be ironed out; $39.50.
Jane Lynch, the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning comic actress best known for playing Sue Sylvester on “Glee,” is releasing an unapologetically sentimental Christmas album, but her Christmas show on Dec. 13 will not be so sentimental. She’s bringing along her “Two Lost Souls” cabaret show partner Kate Flannery (best known for her nine seasons as Meredith, the drunk, on NBC’s “The Office”); between the pair, expect some quick-witted barbs and improv. Tim Davis, vocal producer for “Glee,” and The Tony Guerrero Quintet also are part of the show; $20-$150.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Twitter @Starburch | https://tucson.com/life-entertainment/local/art-theater/tucson-comedy-randy-rainbow-nurse-blake/article_2aa719fe-1f52-11ee-9cda-e71d7da36ee5.html | 2023-07-15T18:36:14 | 0 | https://tucson.com/life-entertainment/local/art-theater/tucson-comedy-randy-rainbow-nurse-blake/article_2aa719fe-1f52-11ee-9cda-e71d7da36ee5.html |
Question: I am thinking about adding solar and have these questions:
What would be the best solar setup at my home?
How much will it save me on my electric bill?
Will I still be able or need to super cool?
Do I need to consider a solar storage system as well?
Answer: Those questions need to be answered by a reputable solar company, one that is licensed by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors.
It is also essential to consult a company that is customer service-minded rather than just sales-driven. Sam Dunbar, solar and battery integrator, and Anthony Weidenfeller, sales engineer at Sun Valley Solar, a Rosie on the House certified partner, explain the process of ordering a solar system uniquely designed for your home. Both say the best process starts from the first phone call.
People are also reading…
In addition to your questions, be ready to answer theirs. The information collected will be used to begin a design process that can help establish potential solutions quickly.
In the first sit-down or face-to-face meeting, you should be presented with a possible system size, layout and preliminary cost. There should not be a fee for this step.
These questions will likely be asked during a discussion. Knowing the answers will help you be prepared to respond accurately and therefore result in better information regarding solutions.
What is your current electrical usage?
Usage is measured in kilowatt hours (kW h) and can be found on your electric utility bill. It will be helpful if you can provide a year’s worth of bills. If not, use whatever you can gather for that first call.
Where is your house located, and what is the layout?
With your address or Assessor Parcel Number (APN), which can be retrieved from your property tax bill, Sun Valley Solar can get a satellite representation of your home. Access to this information provides necessary information about your roof type, orientation and obstacles that might impede solar access.
What is your daily routine? How you occupy your home is essential information when planning power usage.
How many air conditioning units do you have?
Do you have a pool with a variable-speed pump?
Do you have an electric vehicle that requires a charging port?
Are you home all day?
Do you work from home?
These lifestyle questions are critical to understanding how your energy is consumed.
Armed with these answers, your consultant will develop a basic design, including a roof layout. This process leads to developing a budget number for you to consider.
They will also investigate several other facts about your home’s infrastructure. Verifying the location of your home’s Service Entry Section (SES), where power currently enters your home, is another key component for development of the final plan.
Further discussion should revolve around how you will manage the power harnessed by the sun. Will energy be consumed during on-peak or off-peak demand times? Peak times are set by your utility company. In a 24-hour period, on-peak time designates when demand for electricity is highest and most expensive. Off-peak is the time of day energy demand is the lowest, and power is cheaper.
It’s no secret that I am a fan of “super cooling” as a method of managing energy usage. This is but one way to decide when to minimize or maximize your power consumption. Managing usage will affect your bottom line.
Regulating your appliances, other than the heating and cooling systems, is another method available to help you manage your consumption.
Managing your consumption is a viable way to control your energy usage. Maximize your use of the sun’s power to balance the amount of power you might need from your electric provider or on the grid.
Q: How can I save the energy from my solar panels?
A: Solar batteries are a helpful tool in energy storage. If no one is home most of the day when solar energy being collected is at its maximum, then your energy consumption should be at its lowest. Battery storage is a tool that can help you balance out the consumption vs. collection curves.
Battery storage systems are quickly becoming the preferred alternative to demand management. There are two significant benefits in using stored power.
Mitigate “on peak” usage: Use stored power, not grid power, during peak demand hours.
Manage power outages: When the grid fails, all the power is out. A solar battery can continue to supply power to your home for several hours. The length of backup time depends entirely on the battery system you choose.
The technology behind solar batteries has improved exponentially over the years. The storage batteries don’t take up much space. And will likely be the next generation of home solar systems.
Q: What is the best payment option, and what kind of return on investment will I get from installing solar?
A: One of the major support features of a comprehensive approach to providing solar power is financing your system. There are multiple options from paying cash, loans and leasing, each with their own distinct permutations for you to consider. You decide what works best for you.
As for return on investment, there are as many answers to this question as there are different systems and different user types. The company you choose should be able to give you a pretty good idea of the overall savings you are likely to receive.
I urge you to do your homework if you are considering a solar system.
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/questions-solar-home-system/article_df884fac-03c1-11ee-87c8-0bffc2ca5531.html | 2023-07-15T18:36:20 | 1 | https://tucson.com/life-entertainment/local/home-gardening/questions-solar-home-system/article_df884fac-03c1-11ee-87c8-0bffc2ca5531.html |
Rep. Raúl Grijalva said fellow Tucson-area Rep. Eli Crane’s use of the term “colored people” during a House floor debate was a “dog whistle to white nationalists."
Crane, a freshman Republican from Oro Valley, said he misspoke during a debate Thursday over his proposal to prohibit the Defense Department from teaching or requiring adherence to “race-based or ideological concepts.”
He unsuccessfully asked Thursday to amend his words to “people of color.” Crane was not available for an interview Friday, but his office issued a written statement.
“In a heated floor debate on my amendment that would prohibit discrimination on the color of one’s skin in the Armed Forces, I misspoke,” the statement said. “Every one of us is made in the image of God and created equal.”
Grijalva, a Tucson Democrat, said Friday that he was glad Crane took back his words, but that doesn’t negate the impact of those words or of the amendment Crane was advocating.
People are also reading…
“This integrated military needs to be reflected in diversity at all levels. And so everybody is aware, and everybody fully understands, that’s what he was after. That’s what he was trying to stop,” Grijalva said. “And I think that you know, all you do, is it’s a dog whistle to white nationalists.”
Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, who was on the other side of the floor debate Thursday, called Crane’s speech “racist and repugnant.”
“I am still in utter shock and disbelief that a Republican uttered the words ‘colored people’ in reference to African-American service members who sacrifice their lives for our freedom,” Beatty said in a tweet.
The remark came during debate on Crane’s proposed Protection of Ideological Freedom amendment to the Pentagon budget. The amendment, which subsequently passed, “prohibits DOD from considering race, gender, religion or political affiliations or any other ideological concepts as the sole basis for recruitment, training, education, promotion or retention decisions.”
While defending his amendment, Crane, a veteran, said the military “was never intended to be, you know, inclusive. Its strength is not its diversity, its strength is its standards. Diversity can be a great thing but that should not be our focus.”
Beatty, noting scores of Republican amendments on everything from abortion to diversity, said it was “very difficult as a Black woman for me to stand on this House floor and have my colleagues say that there is no value, there is no need for diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Crane said his amendment has “nothing to do with whether colored people, or Black people, or anybody, can serve,” but was aimed at ensuring that “our military does not become a social experiment.”
Beatty immediately asked that Crane’s “offensive and inappropriate language” be stricken from the record. Even though Crane tried to backtrack after Beatty called to have his words stricken, critics were not forgiving Friday.
Charles Fanniel, the president of the Arizona state conference of the NAACP, said “shame on him,” particularly in “this day and time when race relations are so fragile right now and there’s so much division and hatred.”
“You know, when you get young people like him, especially an elected official … this same type of ideology and mindset is certainly frightening,” Fanniel said. “It’s not welcoming, you know, it’s just like you’re still stuck in yesteryear.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he believed that Crane misspoke but added Friday that the stricken language was “not acceptable.”
The Congressional Black Caucus called the moment “shameful” and “unconscionable” in a tweet Thursday and said Crane should apologize to Beatty.
The Arizona Democratic Party said in an emailed statement Friday that voters “will hold Representative Crane accountable on the ballot in 2024.”
But Rodd McLeod, an Arizona political campaign strategist, said the moment is unlikely to affect Crane’s chances in 2024 in his Republican-leaning, rural 2nd District, which covers much of northeastern Arizona.
“It’s a very tough district for a Democrat to win, the way the district was drawn,” he said.
“It went from being a, you know, a swing district to a lean-Republican district,” McLeod said. “So unfortunately, he might be in a situation where he’s got to behave however he wants, you know, he’s going to be OK.” | https://tucson.com/news/local/government-politics/grijalva-calls-cranes-speech-dog-whistle-to-white-nationalists/article_ccc4dcfc-22d2-11ee-b8bf-0bf8851f9202.html | 2023-07-15T18:36:27 | 1 | https://tucson.com/news/local/government-politics/grijalva-calls-cranes-speech-dog-whistle-to-white-nationalists/article_ccc4dcfc-22d2-11ee-b8bf-0bf8851f9202.html |
SEATTLE — A bead store in Seattle’s Maple Leaf neighborhood said business is booming thanks to TikTok and Taylor Swift’s upcoming two nights in Seattle.
According to Bead World’s manager Camille, different TikTok’s showcasing the store selection over the past few months has led to an increase in business. One of the videos even gained more than 500,000 views.
Taylor Swift fans are also contributing to the boom in business, according to Camille. Bead bracelets have become a fun way for Taylor Swift fans to show off their favorite songs, album eras or inside jokes. Fans share the bracelets they’ve made on social media and trade them at Taylor’s concerts.
"Last Saturday we had our highest sales in history, in the 34 years we've been open," Camille said. "We've had more people in the store than we have during Christmas time, which is usually the craziest point in the year."
Camille said the two factors have increased business so much that they are scrambling to reorder merchandise.
Taylor Swift will be in Seattle for the Eras Tour on July 22 and 23. The Eras Tour is Swift's sixth headlining tour. The concert will feature songs from all of her 10 studio albums. She has not toured for her studio albums Lover, Folklore and Evermore due to COVID-19. This tour will also feature tracks from her latest album, Midnights, which was released in October of 2022.
Download our free KING 5 app to stay up-to-date on news stories from across western Washington. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/seattle-bead-store-business-tiktok-taylor-swift/281-27f37c2b-3c02-4dc1-81b0-e5d60136b9a6 | 2023-07-15T18:39:15 | 0 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/seattle-bead-store-business-tiktok-taylor-swift/281-27f37c2b-3c02-4dc1-81b0-e5d60136b9a6 |
The City of Flagstaff is seeking feedback from the public on the "Objectives" used in its Priority Based Budgeting (PBB) system.
The City of Flagstaff uses PBB to guide the creation of its budget each year.
Currently there are 48 “Objectives” that are tied to seven broader “Priorities” -- which are used to evaluate the services and programs that the city spends money on.
Programs and services offered by the city that best match those objectives are then prioritized within the City's budget.
The objectives were first approved by city council in November of 2020 and are being re-evaluated for the first time.
The city would like to ensure that the objectives are as closely aligned with the needs, values, and desires of the Flagstaff community as possible so that future city budgets are able to best allocate funding to the programs and services that provide the most value to the community.
People are also reading…
Public comments will be accepted through Aug. 4 via an online survey. The city also invites the public to attend two open houses where staff will be available to discuss the PBB Objectives and to answer questions.
The dates, times, and locations are below:
- Thursday, July 20, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Flagstaff Aquaplex (1702 N. Fourth St.)
- Thursday, July 27, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Murdoch Center (203 E. Brannen Ave.)
For more information or to take the survey, please visit the City’s Priority Based Budgeting webpage at flagstaff.az.gov/3258/Priority-Based-Budgeting. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/city-of-flagstaff-looks-for-feedback-on-budgeting-priorities/article_206fcdb6-2270-11ee-aa05-97d2d4d0b191.html | 2023-07-15T18:41:00 | 1 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/city-of-flagstaff-looks-for-feedback-on-budgeting-priorities/article_206fcdb6-2270-11ee-aa05-97d2d4d0b191.html |
Less than 20% of the dogs that go missing in the United States are returned to their respective owners; cat reunion rates are much lower — under 10%.
That’s according to data provided by High Country Humane (HCH).
The Flagstaff-based shelter sees roughly 3,000 animals every year, many of which might have an owner who misses them.
HCH executive director Liz Olson told the Arizona Daily Sun that a simple engraved ID tag on a collar can be one of the most effective ways to reunite pets and owners.
“I would say 95% of the animals that come in have no collar or tag. Especially no tags,” she said. “Tags are one of the best practices to return animals to their owners. Often, they prevent animals from even coming into the shelter.”
ID tags are relatively low-cost and low-tech, unlike other animal identification methods. Microchips, for example, can be a great way for a pet who has lost its collar or tag to be found — with the assistance of a veterinarian to scan an implanted device.
People are also reading…
“Microchips are awesome, but you have to go to a vet to get those because it’s an implant under the skin,” Olson said. “That’s not always a good way for your neighbor when they find your dog to know whose it is.”
Microchips through HCH cost owners about $15 for implant and registration. Even at that rate, Olson said most new adoptive pet parents opt out of the process.
A tag can provide easy identification at a glance, as long as an animal is still wearing its collar.
For three years, Olson has wanted to purchase an ID tag printing machine for HCH in order to expand access to tags. Right now, the shelter is raising money to purchase a $1,700 engraving device that will be able to print animal names, owner addresses and phone numbers onto a tag in moments.
“We want to offer free tags to owners that are picking up lost pets, and then have tags available for the public to purchase at a really low-cost rate. I’m talking under five bucks. Just a couple dollars,” Olson said.
She said the shelter will use funds from purchased tags to pay for refill hardware — new tags and loops for future use.
First, the machine has to be acquired.
“I’ll probably be about $800 over budget if we buy it -- which we will. We’ve only raised half the funds. Then we have to buy tags,” Olson said.
She said the shelter has decided to acquire the machine no matter what.
“Every animal should have a tag and collar. Especially if they’re an outdoor pet or they tend to get out,” Olson said.
HCH has remained at or near capacity for more than a year. It relies heavily on foster homes to keep dogs and cats out of the kennels at HCH’s facility, but it’s still busy. Olson hopes if more animals have tags and collars, fewer will need to be dropped off as strays at the shelter.
The new tag machine, once it is purchased, will be the latest addition to HCH’s suite of free and low-cost services.
Tags alone don’t do much good without a collar, and Olson said HCH has a retail area where current or new pet owners can pick up low-cost harnesses, leashes and collars.
The shelter also expanded its service offerings after hiring a new veterinarian earlier this year.
“We started seeing some low-cost appointments two days a week and now we’re doing a third day of only spay/neuter. That started in June. That’s a big deal. There were no low-cost clinics in Flagstaff, so High Country Humane has opened one,” Olson said.
According to Olson, half of the 3,000 animals the shelter sees every year are puppies and kittens.
She said that indicates to her the community’s need for spay/neuter services.
However, so far, clinic days have not been filling up.
“We know we have a population problem in Coconino County,” Olson said.
Residents of Coconino County and the Navajo and Hopi nations can call HCH to schedule an appointment, Olson said.
Full pricing and qualification information is available on HCH’s website. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/flagstaff-shelter-hopes-to-offer-free-id-tag-printing-to-raise-pet-owner-reunion-rates/article_c2dd03b4-1f52-11ee-9340-037069b9c58e.html | 2023-07-15T18:41:06 | 1 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/flagstaff-shelter-hopes-to-offer-free-id-tag-printing-to-raise-pet-owner-reunion-rates/article_c2dd03b4-1f52-11ee-9340-037069b9c58e.html |
MIDDLETOWN, Indiana — A statewide Silver Alert has been issued for a missing 24-year-old man from eastern Indiana.
The Middletown Police Department said Toby Matthew Sanders was last seen Thursday, July 13.
Sanders is described as 6 feet tall, weighs 175 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a red T-shirt and black shorts, and was driving a red 2013 Chevrolet Cruise with an Indiana license plate YJJ564.
Police said Sanders is believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance.
Anyone with information on Sanders' whereabouts is asked to call the Middletown Police Department 24/7 at 765-354-2281 or 911.
Middletown is roughly 50 miles northeast of downtown Indianapolis.
Amber Alert vs. Silver Alert: What's the difference?
There are specific standards a person's disappearance must meet in order for police to declare an Amber Alert or a Silver Alert.
Amber Alerts are for children under the age of 18 who are believed to have been abducted and in danger. Police also need to have information about a suspect and their car to issue an Amber Alert.
Silver Alerts are for missing and endangered adults or children. They are much more common for missing people. It was not until last year when the standards for Silver Alerts were expanded to include children.
In both situations, these alerts must be issued by police. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/toby-matthew-sanders-middletown-silver-alert-missing-indiana/531-c1c3bfc7-cf94-4e22-81ca-35328adce87b | 2023-07-15T18:50:09 | 0 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/toby-matthew-sanders-middletown-silver-alert-missing-indiana/531-c1c3bfc7-cf94-4e22-81ca-35328adce87b |
GLEN BURNIE, Md. — A barricade situation has been resolved following a bank robbery in Glen Burnie on Saturday, according to Councilman Eric Costello.
Costello says that two individuals robbed a bank in Anne Arundel County and fled on mopeds heading north on Route 2 near South Hanover Street.
Anne Arundel County Police say that the armed robbery happened at a Well Fargo in the 6700 block of Ritchie Highway.
The female suspect was arrested shortly after fleeing. The second suspect fled to Baltimore City and barricaded himself inside a home on the 1500 block of South Hanover Street.
That person was arrested a short time later. No injuries were reported.
Costello says that there is still a heavy police presence in the area, and the block is expected to be cleared by 1:30 p.m.
Police say the investigation is still on-going.
Robbery at the Wells Fargo, 6708 Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie. Both suspects are in custody. Expect increased police presence. pic.twitter.com/MOQCfv5TyN
— Anne Arundel County Police Department (@AACOPD) July 15, 2023
UPDATE - Barricade on 1500 block of S Hanover St in South Baltimore - Situation Resolved With No Injuries
— Eric Costello (@CouncilmanETC) July 15, 2023
1500 block of S Hanover St to open up to traffic shortly.
Huge thank you to Anne Arundel County Police and @BaltimorePolice for a quick and safe resolution. pic.twitter.com/PCwkqDFX6a | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/an-armed-bank-robbery-in-glen-burnie-ends-in-barricade-situation-in-baltimore | 2023-07-15T18:56:55 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/local/an-armed-bank-robbery-in-glen-burnie-ends-in-barricade-situation-in-baltimore |
Lisa Marie Presley’s death: What is a bowel obstruction; what are the warning signs?Florida couple arrested after child left in car-seat overnight suffers ‘torturous death’Heat wave carries on this weekend, with some afternoon stormsAt least 4 dead, suspect at large following shooting in Georgia, police sayPolice: Orlando officers shoot, kill woman who charged at them with knives after threatening suicide | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/governor-gives-florida-teachers-33-million-seal-excellence-civics-training/2S43ZDAZMZERJGTJCPNKHVT264/ | 2023-07-15T19:03:32 | 0 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/governor-gives-florida-teachers-33-million-seal-excellence-civics-training/2S43ZDAZMZERJGTJCPNKHVT264/ |
Lisa Marie Presley’s death: What is a bowel obstruction; what are the warning signs?Florida couple arrested after child left in car-seat overnight suffers ‘torturous death’Heat wave carries on this weekend, with some afternoon stormsAt least 4 dead, suspect at large following shooting in Georgia, police sayPolice: Orlando officers shoot, kill woman who charged at them with knives after threatening suicide | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/retired-orange-county-deputy-shares-insight-after-2-officer-involved-shootings-this-month/SNX6FDYUTFCVZIEGQICKMBXIIQ/ | 2023-07-15T19:03:38 | 1 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/retired-orange-county-deputy-shares-insight-after-2-officer-involved-shootings-this-month/SNX6FDYUTFCVZIEGQICKMBXIIQ/ |
Lisa Marie Presley’s death: What is a bowel obstruction; what are the warning signs?Florida couple arrested after child left in car-seat overnight suffers ‘torturous death’Heat wave carries on this weekend, with some afternoon stormsAt least 4 dead, suspect at large following shooting in Georgia, police sayPolice: Orlando officers shoot, kill woman who charged at them with knives after threatening suicide | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/steinmetz-hall-recognized-one-11-most-beautiful-theaters-world/NQSYIISXXJGPDPHSY3PYPH4DWU/ | 2023-07-15T19:03:44 | 1 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/steinmetz-hall-recognized-one-11-most-beautiful-theaters-world/NQSYIISXXJGPDPHSY3PYPH4DWU/ |
Originally published July 14 on IdahoCapitalSun.com.A new Idaho voter registration law that took effect July 1 requires voters to prove their identity and residency when registering to vote, no matter how they register.
The law, House Bill 340, is designed to standardize voter registration procedures across the state, so that the requirements are the same for registering to vote in-person on Election Day as they are for filling out a voter registration card at a summer event or registering online, said Secretary of State Phil McGrane, who sponsored the law.
But a Boise-based youth voter advocacy group called Babe Vote announced less than a week after the new law took effect that it was suspending voter registration efforts and filed a motion in Ada County District Court seeking an injunction to halt enforcement of the new law.
Volunteer leaders with Babe Vote said the new law’s requirements makes it especially difficult to register students and people without a driver’s license to vote. The requirement to prove residency also makes it more difficult to register seniors, people with disabilities, people without a vehicle and homeless people, they said.
WHAT DOES NEW VOTER REGISTRATION LAW REQUIRE?Under the law, people who have a current Idaho driver’s license with their current address can use that to prove both their identity and their residency to register to vote, said Chelsea Carattini, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s Office. People in that situation likely won’t notice many changes under the new law. The Idaho Secretary of State’s Office is able to use the Idaho Transportation Department’s database to verify a voter’s addresses electronically.
But people who don’t have a driver’s license or people who have moved without updating their address with the state will experience changes under the new law, particularly if they register online or by filling out a voter registration card.
Under the new law, voters who fill out a voter registration card or register online but cannot prove their residency will not be issued a ballot and cannot vote until they follow up to do so. The voter registration system is designed so that voters will automatically receive a letter reminding them they are not registered to vote until they provide documents to prove their residency, McGrane said.
To prove their residency, voters may update their driver’s license records with the state or visit their local county clerk’s office to provide one of the accepted documents for proof of residency, McGrane said. Voters also may wait until Election Day and then provide their proof of residency documents when they check in to vote at their polling place, McGrane said.
Babe Vote volunteer leaders said they registered hundreds of new voters at public events across Idaho in June, but struggled registering most voters during July 4 celebrations in Idaho Falls after the new law took effect.
“The only thing worse than being unregistered to vote is thinking you are registered to vote, when you aren’t,” Saumya Sarin, a student leader with Babe Vote, said in a written statement. “For that reason, we are suspending all voter registration efforts across the state until further notice.”
The Secretary of State’s Office’s website was also down in early July, which prevented online registrations during July 4 celebrations, McGrane said, but the site has gone back online since.
The new law is meant to make all voter registration procedures the same as they had been for same-day voter registration on Election Day at the polls, where voters had to provide documents proving both their identity and residency, McGrane said.
Before the new law, voter registration policies and practices varied by county and how voters registered.
“It was a little inconsistent,” Carattini said.
“Previous to this if you filled out a registration card, we didn’t always get the proof of residence,” she added. “This bill makes it consistent so no matter which way you register to vote it’s going to be the same. It makes it easy for poll workers; it makes it easy for election staff. It’s the same across the board.”
In the two weeks since the law went into effect, Bonneville County Clerk Penny Manning and Elections Supervisor Helena Welling said they haven’t experienced any problems registering voters. Bonneville County voters have been able to register in person at their office and online since the new law took effect, Manning and Welling said in a telephone interview.
They also said the system to verify voters addresses through the Idaho Transportation Department database worked without any issues.
Even before it was in law, it was the longtime policy in Bonneville County for voters who register at polling places to prove both their identity and residency, Manning said.
“A lot of people when they come in are expecting to be showing a photo ID, and a lot of times they come prepared with something to prove their residency as well,” Welling said. “People are always expecting us to ask for some kind of proof.”
FREE ID CARDS AVAILABLE TO IDAHO ADULTS WITHOUT DRIVER’S LICENSESThe new law also creates a new no-fee ID card offered by the Idaho Transportation Department for people age 18 and older who have not had a driver’s license in the previous six months. That no-fee ID card will be accepted for voter registration and voting requirements.
During the 2023 session, the Idaho Legislature also passed a different law, House Bill 124, that removes student IDs from the list of accepted forms of ID for voting. Babe Vote and a group called March for our Lives Idaho have filed suit challenging the student ID law, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported.
Sam Sandmire, a board member with Babe Vote, said the new voter registration law and the removal of student IDs make it significantly harder for many people to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
“This is extremely frustrating,” Sandmire said in a telephone interview. “Idaho citizens should be encouraged to register to vote, but this has created so many barriers to registering that volunteers who are registering voters are putting it on hold.”
Idahoans may visit the Idaho Secretary of State’s elections website to check to see if they are registered to vote, register, request an absentee ballot or check the location of their polling place.
WHAT DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED TO REGISTER TO VOTE UNDER NEW LAW?Under the law, voter must provide one of the following to prove their identity:
- An Idaho driver’s license or state identification card.
- A U.S. passport or federal identification card.
- A tribal identification card.
- An Idaho concealed weapons license.
Voters must also provide one of the following to prove their residency:
- A current Idaho driver’s license, tribal identification card or concealed weapons license with correct corresponding address.
- Current proof of insurance.
- Deed of trust, mortgage or lease agreement.
- A property tax assessment bill or receipt.
- A utility bill, excluding cell phone bills.
- A bank or credit card statement.
- A paystub, paycheck or government check
- An intake document from a residential care or assisted living facility.
- Enrollment papers from the current school year by a high school or accredited institution of higher education located within the state of Idaho.
- A communication on letterhead from a public or private social service agency registered with the Secretary of State verifying the applicant is homeless and attesting to the applicant’s residence for registration purposes. | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/group-seeks-injunction-to-halt-idaho-voter-registration-law-requiring-proof-of-identity-residency/article_52c479d0-2291-11ee-8491-0785a9f83b13.html | 2023-07-15T19:20:15 | 0 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/group-seeks-injunction-to-halt-idaho-voter-registration-law-requiring-proof-of-identity-residency/article_52c479d0-2291-11ee-8491-0785a9f83b13.html |
Originally published July 10 on IdahoEdNews.org.
Only 42% of 2022 Idaho high school graduates went to college last fall.
The new fall-immediate “go-on” rate is consistent with other post-pandemic percentages, even after the State Board boosted the numbers based on new data. All in all, the rates show the number of college-bound students dropped by about five percentage points during the pandemic — a dip that has remained stagnant since 2020.
But rates vary from district to district, and school to school. Here’s a look at some localized go-on scores.
TOP-PERFORMING HIGH SCHOOLS
Once again, Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy tops the go-on list — 86% of the North Idaho school’s graduates headed to college last fall. The school is a perpetual top performer for college enrollment.
This data includes public schools with 35 graduates or more.
Meridian Medical Arts Charter High School (West Ada), North Star Public Charter School (Meridian) and Renaissance High School (West Ada) have the next three best rates.
Here are the state’s top 10 performing high schools, and their go-on rates:
Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy — 86%
Meridian Medical Arts Charter High School (West Ada) — 85%
North Star Public Charter School (Meridian) — 81%
Renaissance High School (West Ada) — 75%
Timberline High School (Boise) — 75%
Boise High School — 72%
McCall-Donnelly High School — 64%
Moscow High School — 64%
Xavier Charter School (Twin Falls) — 63%
Eagle High School — 62%
Coeur d’Alene High School — 62%
LOW COLLEGE-GOING RATES
Alternative high schools and online schools account for most of Idaho’s lowest go-on rates. The scores reflect these schools’ student populations — alternative high schools serve students at risk of not graduating high school.
Bonneville’s Technical Careers High School, which came in with the lowest go-on rate, is not an alternative school.
Go-on data does not include students who go straight into the workforce, take gap years, go into the military or serve religious missions.
Here are the state’s lowest performing schools, and their go-on rates:
Middleton Academy — 8%
Jefferson High School — 8%
iSucceed Academy (online) — 8%
Lincoln High School (Bonneville) — 7%
Independence Alternative (Blackfoot) — 6%
New Horizon High School (Pocatello) — 5%
Mt. Harrison Jr./Sr. High School (Minidoka) — 5%
Insight of Idaho (online) — 4%
Mountainview Alternative (Lakeland) — 4%
Technical Careers High School (Bonneville) — 3%
And here’s Idaho’s lowest performers, excluding alternative and vocational high schools.
Rigby High School — 29%
Declo High School — 28%
South Fremont High School — 26%
Priest River Lamanna High School — 24%
Snake River High School — 24%
Madison High School — 24%
Ririe Jr./Sr. High School — 23%
Inspire Virtual Charter School — 23%
Marsing School District — 22%
IDAHO'S LARGEST DISTRICTS
Idaho’s large school districts encompass most of the state’s student population.
Of the top 10 biggest districts, most fall in line with or surpass the state’s 42% rate.
But some East Idaho districts, like Bonneville and Jefferson County, dip well below the average — likely due to the high LDS population in the region. Many East Idaho graduates serve religious missions before attending college.
Here’s how Idaho’s largest districts fared: | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/most-idaho-high-school-graduates-don-t-go-to-college-and-the-rates-vary-from/article_69798ff0-228f-11ee-af93-f7cab64a8e66.html | 2023-07-15T19:20:21 | 1 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/most-idaho-high-school-graduates-don-t-go-to-college-and-the-rates-vary-from/article_69798ff0-228f-11ee-af93-f7cab64a8e66.html |
EAST WHEATFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Pennsylvania State Police are investigating a homicide in Indiana County after a body was found along a major roadway.
According to state police, Daryl Vincent Lee, 44, from Johnstown, was found along state Route 403 in East Wheatfield Township in the early morning hours of July 14.
Officials said Lee had a fatal gunshot wound and is believed to be the victim of a homicide.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call PSP Indiana at (724) 357-1960.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/body-found-along-state-route-403-indiana-county-state-police-investigating-homicide/DV3OPYAHRVEJJEZFWYA2MBNVBQ/ | 2023-07-15T19:20:31 | 0 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/body-found-along-state-route-403-indiana-county-state-police-investigating-homicide/DV3OPYAHRVEJJEZFWYA2MBNVBQ/ |
PITTSBURGH — If you flash back to 2020, it looked like Mike Hilton was the quintessential Steelers slot cornerback. A star as a blitzer, it was a perfect marriage between scheme fit and the type of player that Hilton was at the time. After all, Pittsburgh was the type of team that needed a guy like that,
Then, when Hilton hit free agency in the 2021 offseason, he got a lucrative offer from the Bengals. Hilton never really forgot what he perceived as a slight from the Steelers. Still in the midst of a four-year deal in Cincinnati, Hilton has fit in perfectly with the newfound Bengals culture.
Read the full story from our partners at Sports Now Group Pittsburgh here.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/how-former-steelers-cb-changed-bengals-culture/BPPBPLHP2NABFIZXAYEEKB734I/ | 2023-07-15T19:20:37 | 1 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/how-former-steelers-cb-changed-bengals-culture/BPPBPLHP2NABFIZXAYEEKB734I/ |
NEVADA — Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis leads current Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson after the first round of the American Century Championship golf tournament.
Bettis finished the first day of the celebrity golf tournament with five points in the event’s modified Stableford scoring system and tied for 44th place. Bettis shot a 10-over-par 82 in the first day of the tournament, making one birdie and 10 pars.
Read the full story from our partners at Sports Now Group Pittsburgh here.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/jerome-bettis-leads-patrick-peterson-after-first-day-american-century-championship/EUCW2RNF45HYTAISTFGES2PLBU/ | 2023-07-15T19:20:43 | 0 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/jerome-bettis-leads-patrick-peterson-after-first-day-american-century-championship/EUCW2RNF45HYTAISTFGES2PLBU/ |
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are continuing their recent trend of promoting their prospects to the big leagues. Right-hander Quinn Priester will join the club on the current homestand and make his major league debut against the Cleveland Guardians, a source told Pittsburgh Baseball Now.
Priester is expected to pitch on either Monday or Tuesday night at PNC Park.
The Pirates selected Priester in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Cary-Grove High School just outside of Chicago.
Read more from our partners at Sports Now Group Pittsburgh.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/quinn-priester-make-mlb-debut-vs-guardians/LMPADZGAN5HDFDBYVKQXT6S62M/ | 2023-07-15T19:20:49 | 0 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/quinn-priester-make-mlb-debut-vs-guardians/LMPADZGAN5HDFDBYVKQXT6S62M/ |
TAYLOR TOWNSHIP, Pa. — New Castle police have identified the driver they said hit a 9-year-old with their car in Taylor Township Friday night.
According to New Castle police, the hit-and-run happened on 13th Street in Taylor Township at around 7:14 p.m.
A 17-year-old was identified as the driver.
Police said the teen was believed to be speeding and didn’t stop after hitting the child.
Charges are being filed against the teenager.
The child’s injuries are minor, police said.
Police are still looking for a black Chevrolet sedan. It may frequent the area where the hit-and-run happened.
The New Castle Police Department thanks the public for their assistance in identifying the driver.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/teenager-identified-driver-who-hit-9-year-old-boy-taylor-township/PTLLUVOWHZDVHC6QBZAQNUSF3E/ | 2023-07-15T19:20:55 | 1 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/teenager-identified-driver-who-hit-9-year-old-boy-taylor-township/PTLLUVOWHZDVHC6QBZAQNUSF3E/ |
Pleasant Prairie police arrested a 40-year-old Chicago man for alleged child enticement after he was pulled over with a teenage girl in his vehicle, according to a department post.
According to the department, Pleasant Prairie officers stopped a vehicle for ignoring construction signs on Sheridan Road and having expired plates. The man and the teenage girl were in the car, and officers "felt something wasn't right and dug a bit deeper."
The man had allegedly picked up the girl to perform "sexual acts," something officers reportedly confirmed after the young girl showed officers text messages between the two.
Police say the man was out on a felony bond for substantial battery out of Milwaukee. He was arrested for possession of marijuana, operating without a license-second offense, felony bail jumping and felony child enticement.
People are also reading…
The teenage girl was brought home unharmed.
The post advised the public to contact authorities if they believe a juvenile is being exploited or is in danger by calling 1-262-694-7353. Resources and more information can be found at through National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
The dpartment post congratulated officers Alejandro Padilla and Zach Dutter for their efforts. | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/pleasant-prairie-police-arrest-chicago-man-for-suspected-child-enticement-other-charges/article_a71ba3b0-2330-11ee-b74f-3bdc036c7cb5.html | 2023-07-15T19:25:13 | 1 | https://kenoshanews.com/news/local/pleasant-prairie-police-arrest-chicago-man-for-suspected-child-enticement-other-charges/article_a71ba3b0-2330-11ee-b74f-3bdc036c7cb5.html |
12-year-old girl charged in acid attack in Detroit park
A 12-year-old girl has been charged in connection with assaulting an 11-year old girl with acid in a Detroit park.
The Office of Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced Saturday that the juvenile was charged with one count each of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and felonious assault.
“This is an extremely troubling set of allegations. Instant horrible decision making can have lifelong effects on others. There is no excuse for this,“ Worthy said in a statement.
The assault occurred Sunday at a local park in Detroit, the prosecutor's office said.
A preliminary hearing was held Saturday and bond was set at $10,000, 10% cash surety. The juvenile was ordered to wear a tether and have no contact with the victim or witnesses.
Her next court hearing is 1:30 p.m. Tuesday before Referee Wanda Cal. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2023/07/15/girl-charged-acid-attack-in-detroit-park/70417019007/ | 2023-07-15T19:33:16 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2023/07/15/girl-charged-acid-attack-in-detroit-park/70417019007/ |
'Ghost Adventures' show investigates spooky sightings at Phoenix's Hotel San Carlos
Host Zak Bagans wonders whether location's reported and rumored deaths share "evil" source
The Travel Channel’s long-running paranormal investigation series "Ghost Adventures" made a stop at downtown Phoenix’s illustrious Hotel San Carlos to explore reported hauntings there.
Titled after the near-century-old hotel’s namesake and focusing on a couple of the site’s best-known ghost stories, the episode premiered Wednesday night.
The Hotel San Carlos is "touted as one of the most haunted hotels in America," host Zak Bagans says at the start of the episode.
Mae West and Marilyn Monroe would frequent the Hotel San Carlos as guests. But the presence at the hotel of another blonde, Leone Jensen, is said to have transcended death. Jensen’s spirit is believed to have taken up a permanent stay at the hotel after she ended her life by plunging from the roof shortly after the business opened.
Look back:Hotel San Carlos owner Greg Melikian revisits his message that ended WWII
A gloried, deadly history
A May 8, 1928 article in The Arizona Republican – The Republic’s moniker then – detailed Jensen’s fatal fall from the seventh floor as taking place just before 3 a.m. the day before. The paper described Jensen as being a "pretty" woman about 25 from Los Angeles and draped in a rose-colored dress when she met her demise.
Jensen penned three suicide letters and cited ailing health as reason for ending her life.
"My burden was more than I could carry," one letter read in part, according to The Arizona Republican.
A scene in the "Ghost Adventures" episode reenacts the fateful early morning with a worried-faced, blond-haired actress in a blue-plaid dress sitting at a hotel room vanity as she writes a letter. A woman’s voiceover reads its sorrowful text.
A hotel employee takes the investigative team to room 720 where Jensen is said to have stayed before her death. The Arizona Republican’s article stated she was lodging on the third floor.
Situated on North Central Avenue and West Monroe Street, the Hotel San Carlos was done up in the Italian Renaissance style and had its public opening as an orchestra played on a March night in 1928. Guests enjoyed air-conditioning and the finest accommodations found in the Southwest. The building featured a jewelry boutique, beauty and barber shops and a women’s shoe store at the time.
Bagans briefly recounts the gloried history of Hotel San Carlos as ominous music plays overs clippings from The Arizona Republican.
Another source of spooks at the hotel, according to Bagans, stems from the Central School. State historian Marshall Trimble told The Republic in an April 2016 article that the school stood from 1874-1916 over the land where the hotel would come to be.
The purported deaths of multiple children falling down a well at the school have led to supposed apparitions, Bagans says.
Seen across the screen on the episode is a Dec. 10, 2004 clipping from The Republic about an unidentified man jumping to his death from Hotel San Carlos’ roof the day before.
Bagans conjectures that the falls by Jensen and this man and the claims about children falling into a well – all at the same location – may link these deaths to a single source.
"Could there be something evil here pulling these poor souls to the depths of hell?" Bagans narrates.
Activity calls for possible return
Bagans and the three men on his investigative team proceed to scope out the hotel’s top three floors and basement using ghost-tracking gadgets like electronic voice phenomenon (EVP) devices and a 3D face-scanning camera. Eventually, the areas the team covers begin to teem with seemingly ethereal energy.
Tune into the "Ghost Adventures" to decide whether the energy is real or imagined when the episode airs again at 11 a.m. MST on July 19 on the Travel Channel. The episode is currently available to stream on Max and Discovery Plus streaming services.
Media contacts at the hotel and for the series were not available for comment or did not immediately respond.
In its 26th season, "Ghost Adventures" recently paid visit to another Arizona hotel haunt. Having premiered June 21, "Fear in Flagstaff" took the group to the Weatherford Hotel in the north Arizona city in search of otherworldly encounters. And it appears Bagans and his team may soon be returning to the Valley.
"I can guarantee that this location will call us back in the near future," Bagans says towards the conclusion of the Hotel San Carlos episode.
Reach breaking news reporter Jose R. Gonzalez at jose.gonzalez@gannett.com or on Twitter @jrgzztx.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-history/2023/07/15/ghost-adventures-show-visits-phoenixs-hotel-san-carlos/70416620007/ | 2023-07-15T19:48:40 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-history/2023/07/15/ghost-adventures-show-visits-phoenixs-hotel-san-carlos/70416620007/ |
DALLAS — Dallas police need the public's help finding a 71-year-old woman who went missing Saturday morning.
The Dallas Police Department (DPD) said Pendra Faye Plackard was last seen at about 9 a.m. on July 15 in the 3500 block of South Buckner Boulevard in Dallas wearing black pants, red shirt, carrying a red bag. She is described as a brown-eyed, brown-haired, 71-year-old woman, who stands about 5 feet, 2inches tall and weighs about 203 lbs.
Anyone with information are asked to call the police department at 911 or (214)671-4268 and reference case number 127946-2023.
More Texas headlines: | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/pendra-faye-plackard-dallas-missing/287-bda915f0-f736-4382-82d0-bd27710fd7cc | 2023-07-15T20:01:54 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/pendra-faye-plackard-dallas-missing/287-bda915f0-f736-4382-82d0-bd27710fd7cc |
PAINESVILLE, Ohio — Police officers in northeast Ohio came to the rescue of an animal in need early Thursday morning.
According to a Facebook post from the Painesville Police Department, there were sightings of a “masked bandit with a mayo jar stuck on its head” in the area of Bank Street near East Walnut Avenue. The masked bandit in question turned out to be a raccoon.
Officers Chad Balausky and Steve Ettinger came to the rescue as they were able to get the raccoon to sit still and remove the mayonnaise jar from its head. Watching all of the action was police intern Gill, who may have set a broad jump record moving out of the way of the animal once it was freed.
As the police department stated in their post, “you never know what you’ll see on night shift.”
📺 10TV+ is available for free on Roku & Amazon Fire TV: Stay up to date on what's happening in your community with a 24/7 live stream and on demand content from 10TV — available on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
📧 Subscribe to the Wake Up CBUS newsletter featuring the best stories, personally curated by members of our staff and delivered via email by 6 a.m., Monday through Friday. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/raccoon-with-mayo-jar-stuck-on-its-head-northeast-ohio/530-11aba5db-5762-467a-8cee-0a4aa04a7ff3 | 2023-07-15T20:02:00 | 0 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/raccoon-with-mayo-jar-stuck-on-its-head-northeast-ohio/530-11aba5db-5762-467a-8cee-0a4aa04a7ff3 |
ORLANDO, Fla. – A 64-year-old man was reported missing out of Orlando on Saturday, according to police.
Sylvio LeBlanc was last seen in the 2700 block of LB McLeod Road, police said.
LeBlanc suffers from a cognitive impairment, prompting concerns for his safety, according to police.
He was last seen wearing dark pants and a white t-shirt with blue stripes, police said.
[TRENDING: Become a News 6 Insider]
Anyone with knowledge of LeBlanc’s whereabouts was urged to contact the Orlando Police Department at 321-235-5300.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/07/15/64-year-old-man-missing-out-of-orlando-police-say/ | 2023-07-15T20:17:17 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/07/15/64-year-old-man-missing-out-of-orlando-police-say/ |
EDGEWATER, Fla. – A fire was reported Saturday morning at an unoccupied residence in Edgewater, according to the city.
The city and state fire marshals are still investigating what caused the home, located along Schooner Avenue, to burn.
No further details have been shared at the time of this report.
[TRENDING: Become a News 6 Insider]
This is a developing story and will be updated with more information as it comes to us.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/07/15/unoccupied-home-burns-in-edgewater-city-says/ | 2023-07-15T20:17:23 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/07/15/unoccupied-home-burns-in-edgewater-city-says/ |
SAN DIEGO — Youtube star 'FouseyTube' was live streaming when he was turned down by several women who he asked to cut in front of them in line for coffee in exchange for money at Fashion Valley Mall.
"Ladies. I don't want to wait in line. Can you get my coffee, then I'll pay you for it," Yousef Saleh Erakat, also known as FouseyTube or Fousey, asked several girls waiting in line at Better Buzz in Fashion Valley Mall.
The YouTube star was streaming his day live on Twitch as part of a "Day in the Life" styled video.
One of the patrons Fousey asked looked back at the line and said "That's crazy."
The video continued to show Fousey's attempt to persuade several patrons by telling them the line was ruining his live stream and also explained his notable status on the live-streaming platform.
Fousey offered to pay the first patrons he approached for the coffee, as well as additional funds for their order.
"Not it. One of you guys. Ask the next person," the group of women told Fousey.
Fousey tried asking another patron before he ultimately walked away and began to rant on the live stream about society being unkind.
"Society and civilization are so [expletive] up! They're so like don't talk to me, I'm in public. Human interaction used to be a normal thing," Fousey said on his livestream.
Fousey is widely known on social media for his YouTube channel with more than 10,000,000 subscribers.
In 2018, Yousef ‘FouseyTube’ Erakat announced that he was checking into rehab for addiction, depression, and bipolar disorder.
"This summer I suffered a very public and humiliating manic episode that really flipped my life upside down," Fousey said in an Instagram post.
Fousey is based in the Los Angeles area, and it's unknown what the reason for his visit to San Diego was at this time. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/fouseytube-attempts-to-cut-line-at-fashion-valley-mall-in-exchange-for-money/509-a0dcee0b-33d4-49d9-8d4c-c2d2dac6a2ec | 2023-07-15T20:28:28 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/fouseytube-attempts-to-cut-line-at-fashion-valley-mall-in-exchange-for-money/509-a0dcee0b-33d4-49d9-8d4c-c2d2dac6a2ec |
For Harley fans visiting Milwaukee for the anniversary, fashion is about family, culture, pride
Harley-Davidson fans arrived in Milwaukee in style, drawn from all over the world to celebrate the brand's 120th anniversary and wearing everything from custom leather cuts, to hippie bandanas, creative patches to matching outfits.
For the uninitiated, the vests which bikers wear are known as "cuts" as riders traditionally would cut off the sleeves of regular denim or leather jackets. The cuts also helped to keep them cooler and offer a way to show their identity, memories and biker pride.
For it's 120th anniversary, the company went all out on a schedule stacked with events and fun things to do. The Homecoming Festival takes place in several different locations across Milwaukee, including Veterans Park.
Here are some of the best-dressed Harley fans we saw Saturday in the park.
Harley-Davidson is about freedom, Gilis says
You can't say summer style without a bucket hat. Bucket hats add protection and safety from the sun, but they also make you feel like a superstar and grant free points for style.
Peter Gilis showed up with a Harley-inspired look: A black-and-orange anniversary bucket hat and a matching shirt. He came with his two friends from Belgium, Peggy Rypens and Patrick Lambregts. For him, Harley is all about freedom. In a busy world, the motorcycle allows him to let go of his problems, enjoy life and be completely free.
Custom cuts and colorful bandanas memorialize lost father
Harley culture is all about nostalgia and for this mother-son duo the brand holds a special place in their heart. Roxanne Zerzman and Jeff Zerzman Jr. came to Veterans Park to honor the memory of Jeff Zerzman Sr: An all time big Harley fan who loved riding his motorcycle.
To keep his memory alive, they showed up wearing custom-made leather cuts decorated with Harley Davidson pins and gave a snapshot of the 60s by rocking colorful bandanas. Roxanne wore a Harley Davidson bandana with the American flag colors while her son wore a black patterned one.
Calling all Combat Vets Association members
For Mark Diddle, his cut isn't just a simple leather cut — it's filled with sentimental value and can even help to find his fellow veterans who ride motorcycles as a hobby.
His leather cut has a special Combat Vets Association patch in the middle, as well as a wide array of patches including an American flag. The association's mission is to support and protect those who have defended the country.
American accessories are key, even if you came all the way from Brazil
There is nothing more American than a Harley. However for this duo from Brazil, Harley simply is a lifestyle. Joäo Carlos and Neusa showed up with a look which blended both patriotic American flag hats with a full-size Brazil flag.
Harley brings together fans from all over the world and unites them with a love of motorcycles and freedom this duo isn't an exception.
Twins talk tight-knit family, making good memories
Harley Davidson is also all about brotherhood — tight knit families who enjoy a good time rocking out and riding motorcycles. Twin boys Gilberto and Leonardo Gonzalez from Monterrey, Mexico, were excited to attend the anniversary with their family and meet new people.
They showed up wearing matching red long-sleeved shirts, and one of the Gonzalez brothers wore a leather cut with unique patches from the Coyote Chapter in Monterrey. Both wore denim baseball caps with Harley Davidson pins. For them, Harley is all about spending time with your loved ones and making good memories in the process. | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2023/07/15/harley-davidson-fans-use-fashion-to-tell-stories-at-milwaukee-festival/70410238007/ | 2023-07-15T20:31:29 | 1 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2023/07/15/harley-davidson-fans-use-fashion-to-tell-stories-at-milwaukee-festival/70410238007/ |
Roma Amundson walked into a teachers’ lounge one day in 1978 and it changed her life.
Others in the room were talking about soldiers returning from Vietnam -- and not in a positive way. It made her mad.
“I became very angry about that because they were doing what they were sent to do. The nation had called them up and they went,” she said. “So I went down and I enlisted, really, as a means of protest and to show support of the military.”
That turned into a 33-year career in the Nebraska National Guard and a commitment to serving others that led – after her retirement as a brigadier general – to three terms as a Lancaster County Commissioner.
“When I swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, I didn’t realize service to others would become a part of my life.”
People are also reading…
It has been, but she’s decided not to run for a fourth term to represent District 4, which includes the eastern part of Lincoln and Lancaster County.
“I figured, that’s 45 years of service,” she said.
That leaves an open seat that Amundson -- a lifelong Republican -- said she hopes is filled by someone who sees the work of the county board as she does: through a non-partisan lens.
“The issues the board faces should be dealt with in a non-partisan way,” she said. “What we’re concerned with are issues that matter to all constituents – roads, bridges, energy, law enforcement, security, justice.”
In an increasingly divisive political landscape, that’s especially important, because the board deals with local issues that affect people every day, not national ones, she said.
In the last election, the divisions in the local Republican Party were clear, when Matt Schulte, a Republican who campaigned as a “strong conservative voice," beat longtime Republican commissioner Deb Schorr.
Just one person so far has announced plans to run: David Russell, a Republican and Air Force veteran who is now director of digital solutions for Nebraska Municipal Power Pool.
During her tenure on the county board, Amundson said one of the things she’s most proud of is the creation of a strategic plan earlier this year – something she said she’d advocated for for years.
She also is proud of the work she’s done in juvenile justice. She was instrumental in pushing the board to allow the county to join a national foundation, a resource to measure its work to national standards and get assistance, and she has overseen much of the work the human services department has done to find alternatives to incarceration and partner with nonprofits on prevention programs.
She said she’s also proud of work she’s done to streamline some management practices that save the county money, to build a new jail and repurpose the old jail space into offices, move the Veterans Service Office to Victory Park and beef up the county’s broadband service, which the county’s done using federal stimulus money.
The hardest issues were the controversial ones -- big poultry operations, and wind and solar farms -- because she could see both sides of the issue, she said.
She ran for the county board in 2012 after retiring from the guard, when she was looking for some other way to serve, she said. Someone suggested it, so she started going to meetings and liked what she saw.
Amundson ran for an open seat when Bernie Heier, who’d served for 14 years, decided not to run. She beat fellow Republican Dave Halvorsen in the primary and Democrat Darl Naumann in the general election and ran unopposed in the next two elections.
She and her husband, who also retired from the Nebraska National Guard, will continue their real estate careers with Home Real Estate, spend time with their grandkids and travel. They’ll visit Israel and hope to see Normandy and Norway and Iceland.
“We have traveled extensively and really enjoy it,” she said.
She traveled extensively in the military, to training institutes and visited places where Nebraska guardsmen were deployed. Her career spanned a time when they didn’t have maternity uniforms for women and didn’t allow spouses to join together (her husband joined after she did but before they married). She was the first woman to serve in many command positions, including overseeing 2,500 service members during the Iraq war.
Amundson grew up near Spencer in northeast Nebraska and came to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in language education. She got a teaching job in Columbus, where she met her husband – also a teacher at Columbus High School.
When she decided to leave teaching, she worked for an insurance company in O’Neill, until the company transferred her to Lincoln. After that she worked for Nebraska Emergency Services until getting into real estate in 1996.
She and her husband raised two children and for 39 years have lived on an acreage southwest of Lincoln, where she raises bees and tends to her garden.
She’ll do more of that now, though she’s proud of her years of service.
“The county just does so much for the people,” she said. “We are the closest level of government to the people.” | https://journalstar.com/news/local/government-politics/lancaster-county-commissioner-wont-run-for-fourth-term/article_effa5ff0-2285-11ee-b6ba-eb387f0ad4be.html | 2023-07-15T20:46:04 | 0 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/government-politics/lancaster-county-commissioner-wont-run-for-fourth-term/article_effa5ff0-2285-11ee-b6ba-eb387f0ad4be.html |
DULUTH — A parachutist hit the ground hard while performing at the Duluth Airshow on Saturday, prompting an emergency response that included an air ambulance.
Just after 2 p.m., a News Tribune reporter at the airshow saw a U.S. Navy Leap Frog parachute demonstration team member hit the ground hard after separating from another jumper during a stunt where they were attached at the feet to each other. Both had chutes out during the maneuver.
A News Tribune photographer said as the pair approached the ground, they split apart while horizontal. One jumper hit the ground hard while the other landed safely.
The crowd gasped as the jumpers approached the ground at high speed, and the jumper impacted the ground near the announcer's stand.
The airshow stopped as numerous emergency personnel surrounded the injured parachutist. A medical helicopter landed at the scene just before 2:30 p.m. and left with the injured jumper.
ADVERTISEMENT
The jumper’s condition was not immediately known.
Reached by phone, Lindsay Kern, the airshow’s outreach director, declined to comment or confirm any injuries.
The Navy Leap Frogs did not immediately respond to a phone call or email from the News Tribune.
The airshow resumed by about 2:45 p.m.
News Tribune reporter Jay Gabler and News Tribune photographer Clint Austin contributed to this report. | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/parachutist-injured-in-duluth-airshow | 2023-07-15T20:54:08 | 1 | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/parachutist-injured-in-duluth-airshow |
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — According to a post by the Fayetteville Police Department (FPD), a 21-year-old was reported missing on Friday, July 14.
The person had last been seen in the area of College and Rolling Hills, according to police.
On Saturday, July 15, FPD reported the person had been found safe by the Newton County Sheriff's Department.
Editor's Note: In a previous version of this article, 5NEWS referenced Farnet using She/Her pronouns based off of FPD's initial report.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/missing/fayetteville-person-missing-found-safe/527-cd2e9fdc-73fe-43bc-8b0a-4438c15db31d | 2023-07-15T20:58:57 | 1 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/missing/fayetteville-person-missing-found-safe/527-cd2e9fdc-73fe-43bc-8b0a-4438c15db31d |
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — One person is dead after a vehicle incident on College Avenue in Fayetteville, according to the Fayetteville Fire Department.
A video captured a wrecked vehicle on fire under Flyover bridge at around 10:30 a.m. Officials confirm there was one person inside the vehicle at the time of the incident and that person has died.
Witnesses say people tried to get close to help but the fire was too intense. Arkansas State Police is working on the incident at this time, and the cause of the crash is being investigated.
No further details are available at this time. Stay with 5NEWS for updates.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/one-person-dead-vehicle-incident-fayetteville/527-8446f475-78c0-450f-a771-dcadf47420c9 | 2023-07-15T20:59:03 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/one-person-dead-vehicle-incident-fayetteville/527-8446f475-78c0-450f-a771-dcadf47420c9 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.