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DEL RIO, Texas — Four Border Patrol agents were recommended for discipline after an aggressive confrontation near Del Rio, Texas last year that involved hundreds of thousands of Haitian migrants.
How the border patrol agents will be punished is unknown, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said those involved have been notified of their proposed discipline.
"It's important that I'm clear right up front that the disciplinary process, in this case, is still ongoing. I have an obligation to preserve employees' due process and privacy rights. So I won't be discussing any proposed disciplinary actions today," said Chris Magnus, the commissioner of CBP.
The incident involving border patrol agents and Haitian immigrants garnered national attention last year after photos showed horseback-riding agents using horses and their horse reins to push back migrants at the river between Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, and Del Rio, Texas.
The incident led to CBP conducted an investigation into the actions of the agents involved.
“We’re gonna learn from this incident and we’ll find a way to do better,” CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said during a news conference announcing the report. “Not everyone’s going to like all the findings but the investigation was comprehensive and fair.”
What did the investigation find?
In a 511-page report released Friday from CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility, officials said they found no evidence that Border Patrol agents struck migrants with their reins but said there was an “unnecessary use of force," CNN reported.
Magnus said CPB's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) initiated an administrative investigation on Sept. 20, 2021, a day after the incident involving the horse patrol agents.
OPR immediately referred this investigation to the Texas Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General who declined to investigate the case and referred the matter back to CPB, Magnus said.
On Sept. 29, 2021, OPR presented the matter to U.S. District Attorney's Office for review and consideration of any potential criminal charges. After an extensive review, the U.S. District Attorney's Office issued a decision not to prosecute the case.
OPR completed its final investigation and issued its final report to CPB leadership on April 11.
The CPB disciplinary process began on April 19.
Magnus said the investigation was detailed and comprehensive and over 30 interviews were conducted with eyewitnesses, including members of the public and reporters who were on the ground. Investigators also talked to agents involved, border patrol leadership and other officials, Magnus said.
Efforts were even made to talk to the Haitian migrants involved, but they could not be located, according to Magnus. But statements and court documents that some provided as part of lawsuits they filed against U.S. authorities were used.
Investigation findings:
(according to CPB commissioner Chris Magnus)
- Senior Border Patrol leadership, elected to deploy horse patrol units, did not have appropriate training, supervision and coordination. The horses involved in this incident were equipped with split reins, which can be twirled by the rider to guide the horses' movements.
- One agent involved in this incident reported twirling the split reins as a distancing tactic, but other members of the horse patrol program gave different, inconsistent answers about twirling or whether twirling a split rein for any purpose was included in the agency's training
- Horse patrol personnel also gave inconsistent responses on whether they were trained or qualified to engage in crowd control.
- Investigators determined that the agents involved in the Del Rio activity were not carrying whips.
- OPR found no evidence that border patrol agents involved in this incident struck any person with their reins
- A determination was made that one agent acted in an unprofessional manner by yelling denigrating and offensive comments regarding migrants' national origin and gender. The same agent acted in an unsafe manner by forcing his horse to narrowly maneuver around a small child on a slanted concrete ramp, which puts the child's safety at risk, Magner reported
- On multiple occasions, several agents used force or the threat of force to drive migrants back into the Rio Grande River, despite the fact that the migrants are already within the United States. Despite the actions taken by certain agents during this time, there was no evidence found any migrant was ultimately forced to return to Mexico for denied entry into the United States
Disciplinary actions are separate from Friday's findings and won't be announced until later. All four CBP officials have been on administrative duty since the investigation began, according to senior agency officials who briefed reporters before Friday's report was released. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/texas/border-patrol-agents-used-unnecessary-force-in-del-rio-incident-report/285-4b7859b3-c318-402f-ad11-e6d8547f133b | 2022-07-09T01:10:40 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/texas/border-patrol-agents-used-unnecessary-force-in-del-rio-incident-report/285-4b7859b3-c318-402f-ad11-e6d8547f133b |
The Portland Tribune is a KOIN 6 News media partner.
PORTLAND, Ore. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE) — The Portland Business Alliance will challenge the title of the Nov. 8 general election measure to reform city government in Multnomah County Circuit Court next week.
The board of the city’s chamber of commerce has not taken a stand on all of the changes proposed by the 20-member Charter Commission. But the organization believes that including all of them in a single measure violates a legal prohibition against multiple subjects in one measure.
The proposal would amend many section of the charter dealing with elections, administration of city bureaus and more. The City Attorney’s Office filed a ballot title on Thursday, July 8, that reads: “Should City Administrator, supervised by Mayor, manage Portland with twelve Councilors representing four districts making laws and voters ranking candidates?”
The board will take a stand on whatever measure or measures are certified for the ballot after the court ruling. Any voter has until July 15 to challenge the title in court.
Portland elections officials previously disqualified a similar proposed initiative — 2020-PDX01 — because it included too many subjects.
“2020-PDX01 does but comply with the single-subject analytical framework because it seeks to amend multiple provisions of the City Charter, and not all of the amendment are connected by a single unifying purpose. For example, the operations of City Council is not logically connected to changing the voting system for all elected City officials,” read the City Elections Office determination of Dec. 16, 2020.
The City Attorney’s Office said the single-topic requirement only applies to initiative petitions in a March 2 memo to the commission. But the opinion admits the council has historically limited measures referred to Portland voters to single subjects to avoid legal challenges.
Portland currently is the only major city in the country where the City Council is elected citywide and its members both set policies and oversee bureaus assigned to them by the mayor without a professional manager. Changes proposed by the Charter Commission would:
• Create a City Council that focuses on setting policy and a mayor elected citywide to run the city’s day-to-day operations, with the help of a professional city administrator. The mayor could only vote to break a tie and would not have veto power.
• Expand the council from four to 12 commissioners with three members elected in four newly created geographic districts.
• Allow voters to rank candidates in order of their preference, with the top three candidates in each district winning without runoff elections.
Supporters say the changes will increase representation of marginalized communities, allow the council members to focus on important policy issues, and eliminate the “silos” among bureaus that have hampered cooperation.
Critics say the multi-member districts with rank-chose voting are experimental and could have unintended consequence.
Although it has yet to decertified for the ballot, campaign committees have already been formed on both sides of the issue.
The measure is supported by Portlanders for Charter Reform, a political action committee supported by Building Power for Communities of Color, the political engagement arm of the nonprofit Coalition of Communities of Color.
“The Charter Commission has advanced a comprehensive measure for much-needed reform to the November ballot. The current system simply isn’t working for Portlanders. Now, we have a chance to adopt a real solution that will bring more voices into our local democracy by allowing voters to rank candidates, establishing district representation, and creating a more effective and functional government with a city administrator. This is a comprehensive ballot measure that will increase accountability, responsiveness, and inclusiveness in our city government,” Building Power for Communities of Color said.
The measure is opposed by the Partnership for Common Sense Government. It was founded by two former staff members for the late Mayor Bud Clark, Chuck Duffy and Steven Moskowitz, and charter commission member, administrative law judge and former council candidate Vadim Mozyyrsky.
“Should the measure, as proposed, be certified for the ballot, the Partnership for Common Sense Government would be opposed and lead a campaign to urge a NO vote on the measure. We agree our present government needs serious reform, but the present proposal is deeply flawed. After the measure is defeated, we will work with the Council and other groups to put a sensible measure on the ballot soon,” said Duffy.
It is also opposed by the Ulysses PAC, which was originally formed by Portland City Commission Mingus Mapps to support charter reform.
“We know that many voters believe that the Charter Commission proposal represents a once in a 10 year chance to make a significant change in city government. However, if the Charter Commission proposal is turned down in November, as we think-it should be, Commissioner Mapps is committed to leading a City Council effort to submit an alternative proposal in 2023 based upon common sense, equity, consensus, and transparency. The ultimate goal of Ulysses PAC is to strongly support Charter Reform for Portland,” the committee said.
In response to the opposition, Building Power for Communities of Color said, “We’re disappointed that a handful of discontented insiders have chosen to oppose this measure and are working to confuse voters about this measure. They are simply seeking to advance their political interests by maintaining the status quo. Polling consistently shows a majority of voters want the entirety of this measure. The truth is that Portlanders want real, meaningful change, and this November, we have the chance to do that.”
A previous Portland Tribune story on the issue can be found here. | https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/businesses-to-contest-portland-charter-change-ballot-title/ | 2022-07-09T01:14:55 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/businesses-to-contest-portland-charter-change-ballot-title/ |
IOWA, USA — Friday marked the first day the Iowa Supreme Court's reversal of 2018 precedent regarding abortion rights could have been finalized. But as of Friday evening, there hasn't been a new filing.
In June, the Iowa Supreme Court reversed a 2018 decision that stated an abortion was a fundamental right to Iowans.
The whole reason the high court reconsidered this case was sparked after a district court rejected a 2020 law from Gov. Kim Reynolds, which sought a 24-hour waiting period for abortions. The judge in that case cited the 2018 decision for his ruling. Following this denial, a group of Republicans asked the Iowa Supreme Court to reconsider the 2018 ruling.
However, the state supreme court's 2018 reversal wasn't immediately finalized. According to the Iowa Attorney General's Office, the Iowa Supreme Court ruling is not considered final until a praecipe, or when the case moves from the Supreme Court to the District Court. The earliest this can happen is 21 days after the ruling.
"There's always that short period of time from when the ruling is to when it's an absolutely final order of the court," said abortion law expert Sally Frank.
Frank says this window of time allows the parties involved in the case to file orders asking the justices to reconsider, something Reynolds did. The governor asked the court to rehear the case under a different legal standard called rational basis.
"She wanted the Iowa Supreme Court to say any abortion regulation has to only pass rational basis," said Frank. "So it's a very loose test, almost nothing is unconstitutional under it."
The Iowa Supreme Court turned down this request. However, Frank says if it would have been granted, it would have cleared the way for legislators to place different bans into place.
"The legislature would know that they could pass bans, and that those bans likely be upheld. That's I think what she really wanted. It wasn't about the 24 hours, it was about clearing the way for the legislature to ban abortion."
Once the 2018 Supreme Court opinion reversal is finalized, the 24-hour waiting period will immediately go into place in Iowa. It will also immediately be sent back to Johnson County District Court for reconsideration.
"The district court will make a ruling one side or the other will clearly and obviously appeal. And eventually, I expect the Iowa Supreme Court to agree to hear that the case," Frank added.
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa says it is already following a 24-hour waiting period for its patients. A request to the governor's office for comment was not immediately returned. | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/local-politics/iowa-supreme-court-pending-ruling-abortion-law-governor-kim-reynolds/524-f7f11b6c-ffdb-4639-a33c-d3d419922274 | 2022-07-09T01:17:55 | 0 | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/local-politics/iowa-supreme-court-pending-ruling-abortion-law-governor-kim-reynolds/524-f7f11b6c-ffdb-4639-a33c-d3d419922274 |
SPRINGDALE, Ark. — One Northwest Arkansas resident has a large heart for the homeless and is using his ministry to help them.
Bradley Clyne created a freestanding mobile shower unit to bring to the homeless.
It is a new addition to his Every Soul Matters Ministry which also gives clothes, food and church services to the homeless.
“I just can’t stand looking past these people. Every week, every day I drive past them, and I can’t stop and help every one of them every day, but I can do what I can do. And God put this on my heart to be honest with you, and he put it on my heart years ago,” Bradley Clyne, founder and director of Every Soul Matters Ministries said.
They re-built a construction trailer from the ground up to create the mobile shower. It has a self-contained water, power and gas unit that heats the water and even heats the unit in the wintertime.
Clyne said when asking the homeless population what they needed most, showers were the answer.
He said it’s difficult for someone without a permanent home to shower while being safe and without having their belongings stolen.
Clyne is passionate about giving unhoused people value when they interact with his ministry.
“We just try to give them a dignified day where nothing is asked of them, they’re not put down with the different phrases like, ‘Oh we’re glad we could come help you.' No, we’re glad we could come and visit with you. And those semantics, those words are everything, they’re very important to them and they’re very important to me,” Clyne said.
The ministry is already in the works of putting together a mobile medical center to bring healthcare to the unhoused.
They hope to eliminate some of the ER visits from the homeless by preemptively giving them access to healthcare and screenings.
Clyne’s humble heart doesn’t even take credit for all the care he’s providing to the unhoused population. “We just had some great volunteers, we have fantastic volunteers and that’s what put this thing into fruition, and it wasn’t me,” Clyne said.
More information about Every Soul Matters Ministries can be found on their website and Facebook page.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/arkansas-ministry-mobile-showers-homeless-population/527-24c88b40-16a9-4f87-bb50-33ae4468c705 | 2022-07-09T01:18:35 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/arkansas-ministry-mobile-showers-homeless-population/527-24c88b40-16a9-4f87-bb50-33ae4468c705 |
FORT SMITH, Ark. — According to Aric Mitchell with Fort Smith police, the body of an elderly female was found on the bank of Massard Creek Friday, July 8 evening.
The area where the body was found is near Rogers Ave., where police are investigating.
Police say the person's exact age and identity are unknown at this time.
No other information has been released.
If you have any information that you believe could assist investigators, contact Fort Smith police at 911 or by dialing (479) 709-5100.
5NEWS will update this article with more details as they become available.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/body-found-in-fort-smith-creek/527-49e90b6f-cc4e-483d-88a3-789df41ea4df | 2022-07-09T01:18:41 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/body-found-in-fort-smith-creek/527-49e90b6f-cc4e-483d-88a3-789df41ea4df |
ARKANSAS, USA — After President Biden signed an executive order Friday, July 8, protecting some abortion access, 5NEWS found out what that means for Arkansas.
Planned Parenthood Great Plains applauded the executive order and said it reaffirmed that reproductive care including abortion should be safe, legal and accessible.
Republican Senator Jason Rapert says the president is weaponizing the Department of Justice against the Supreme Court and states across the country. He thinks signing this executive order is something the President will regret.
“It seems to me that Joe Biden has decided that he doesn’t like what the Supreme Court has said and he’s going to do everything he can to undermine that, in fact I believe it’s going to spawn more litigation and you will probably see lower courts begin to strike down what the federal government is doing,” he said.
Last week Senator Rapert told us his organization, the National Association of Christian Lawmakers, was drafting legislation to prevent people from trafficking women across state lines for abortions. He says the Supreme Court says the states have the right to regulate or prohibit abortion no matter what the president says.
“We need to do everything we can to stop the end-run around the abortion ban so that we can stop chemical abortions through mail delivery and also stop the abortion trafficking industry that is trying to rear its head in our country,” he said.
In a statement from Planned Parenthood Great Plains, President and CEO Emily Wales, says these past few weeks have shed light on the worry, fear and confusion many our facing having had their rights taken away overnight. She goes on to say in part…
“Elected officials from every level of government should safeguard the ability to access care and combat misinformation about contraception and life-saving treatments for patients with ectopic and other pregnancy complications. While patients can no longer access abortion care in three of the four states we serve, planned parenthood great plains doors remain open for other services, and we continue to deliver compassionate care to all,” she said.
Governor Asa Hutchinson calls the president’s remarks today about states who protect life misleading. He says the president’s attack on the Supreme Court and disrespect for the role of states further divides our country. He also says there has been incorrect information about Arkansas’ trigger law. The law does not impact contraception or treatment for an ectopic pregnancy.
Attorney General Leslie Rutledge issued this statement on the issue:
“Two weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court correctly ruled that the Roe decision was wrong the day it was decided almost 50 years ago,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Despite President Biden’s grandstanding, the Supreme Court made it clear that there is no constitutional right to an abortion. In Arkansas, we will always protect life!”
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/executive-order-abortion-access-arkansas/527-15cd1d78-a1c5-4939-90b1-3de60f6084e3 | 2022-07-09T01:18:47 | 1 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/executive-order-abortion-access-arkansas/527-15cd1d78-a1c5-4939-90b1-3de60f6084e3 |
POTEAU, Okla. — Customers who use Poteau Valley Improvement Authority are currently being asked to conserve water.
According to James Morrison with Poteau Valley Improvement Authority, they are running the plant at max capacity.
Until further notice, the City of Poteau is asking its water customers to curtail unnecessary water usage and conserve when possible.
Morrison says they are having trouble keeping up with demand.
Customers are asked to limit their water usage to immediate needs only and to refrain from any outdoor watering such as filling pools, watering lawns, etc.
Stay with 5NEWS for updates on when the conservation could be lifted.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/poteau-residents-conserve-water/527-ca755ac7-0f6f-4d10-b87f-bfbc88ba2f12 | 2022-07-09T01:18:53 | 1 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/poteau-residents-conserve-water/527-ca755ac7-0f6f-4d10-b87f-bfbc88ba2f12 |
VAN BUREN, Ark — Police are investigating after a woman was hit by a vehicle on Highway 64 in Van Buren.
According to Captain Jonathan Wear with the Van Buren Police Department, a 40-year-old woman was hit by a vehicle at the intersection of Highway 64 and Crape Myrtle Road around 3 p.m. Friday, July 8.
She was life-flighted to a Northwest Arkansas hospital in critical condition, according to Cpt. Wear.
The woman's identity has not been released at this time.
Cpt. Wear says the driver has not been charged with anything at and toxicology is being done as is standard with severe injury accidents.
No further details have been released.
Stay with 5NEWS for updates on this developing story.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/woman-hit-by-vehicle-in-van-buren/527-010d1768-a119-45d0-a1f9-434284e10598 | 2022-07-09T01:19:00 | 1 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/woman-hit-by-vehicle-in-van-buren/527-010d1768-a119-45d0-a1f9-434284e10598 |
Local executives and politicians have long groused about a lack of nonstop flights from San Antonio International Airport, calling it a roadblock to companies’ expansion and relocation here.
The airport’s schedule is also a frequent complaint of leisure travelers, some of whom would rather drive 90 minutes to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to catch a direct flight.
Now, business leaders are opening their checkbooks to do something about it.
A fund launched by Greater:SATX to draw more nonstop flights to Europe, Canada, Mexico and the Bay Area has so far drawn $3 million from the private sector.
It will put San Antonio on an equal footing with other cities in conversations with airlines, said Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, president and CEO of the regional economic development authority.
“The challenge is, a lot of communities that have that high-growth perspective like San Antonio are having similar conversations, but they also have businesses at the table that are working and making some of these deals,” she said Friday.
The fund will primarily be used to guarantee airlines that a minimum number of seats will be paid for on flights.
Airport Director Jesus Saenz said it was about more than the airport.
“We want to try and capture an opportunity to incentivize an airline to want to do business with us,” he said. “It’s an excellent opportunity for us to work collectively together as a team to continue to grow the San Antonio opportunity, not only in air service, but in economic development as well.”
The funding comes as the airport — which is often criticized as drab and small — is in the midst of a $2.5 billion facelift over the next 20 years to expand and modernize.
‘Leverage our resources’
Generating private sector muscle to lure more flights was one of the goals Greater:SATX set last year in its strategic plan. Along with the airport, the fund will work with Visit San Antonio and the largest companies headquartered in the region.
H-E-B President Craig Boyan, an officer and former executive committee chairman at Greater:SATX, said the San Antonio-based retailer is “committed to investing in our airport.”
“It’s time for us to leverage our resources from across the region to reach the next level,” he said in a statement. “This initiative can help our greater San Antonio region attract more business investment that ultimately provides more jobs for San Antonians.”
Business leaders have long contended that the airport hinders the city’s progress.
An oft-cited example: AT&T moved its headquarters from San Antonio to Dallas in 2008, in part because of the airport’s limited service. Dallas had “more convenient, time-efficient and cost-effective airports,” then-CEO Randall Stephenson said at the time.
Airport’s struggles
But it has been difficult for San Antonio International to attract direct flights to key destinations sought by travelers. That’s led to more travelers heading elsewhere to fly.
The airport was losing about 7 percent of its potential local customers to the Austin airport and 5 percent to Houston’s airports, according to an October 2018 report by Seabury Consulting commissioned by airport officials.
Along with airports across the U.S., San Antonio International is trying to recover from effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which decimated travel. It’s made some progress. About 767,099 people flew through the San Antonio airport in April, up 40.4 percent from April 2021 but down nearly 11 percent from record volume in April 2019.
As San Antonio’s population swells, demand for flights is expected to increase. More than 10 million passengers fly in and out of the airport annually, a figure that could surge to 18 million in the next 20 years.
Despite the growth, officials have long looked for ways to improve the airport. In 2018, Mayor Ron Nirenberg set up a 21-member commission to consider options for improving service. It developed a multiphase master plan, which the City Council approved last year.
One of the projects in the first stage is Terminal C, which could open to travelers by 2028.
Circa-1984 Terminal A — which has one of the narrowest concourses among large U.S. airports — will get a redo. A ground transportation center, a new parking garage, “smart restrooms” and a larger security checkpoint in Terminal B are also in the works.
Several gates are under construction and expected to open this year. The airport could have as many as 37 gates when the makeover is done, up from 23, to provide for increases in demand through 2040.
Paying for it
The airport’s overhaul is the city’s priciest capital undertaking in decades, and federal money and airport revenue bonds are expected to cover the cost.
The city plans to seek as much as $150 million per year over the next five years through the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package President Joe Biden signed last year.
The Biden administration announced Thursday it was awarding almost $1 billion to 85 airports for terminal upgrades. Saenz said the San Antonio airport was not included in that round.
For the revenue bonds, passenger fees, concessions, airline rents and other items are to pay off the debt.
Last year, Greater:SATX set a goal of raising $38.5 million over five years for 10 different initiatives, including airport improvements. That would boost its annual budget from about $4 million to $7.7 million.
It has raised about 85 percent of that total so far.
Saucedo-Herrera said the organization had conversations with officials in other cities about how they structured airport funds and with local executives about their desired destinations. They include London, Frankfurt, Toronto and Mexico City. The airport also tracks its key unserved markets.
‘Pent-up demand’
“We know the pent-up demand. We are actively having conversations with airlines,” Saucedo-Herrera said, but lacked a means to address the issue. The new fund changes that. “Every other community around the country does it. San Antonio was just behind the curve.”
To get business leaders to invest, Greater:SATX, the airport and Visit San Antonio executives had to come up with a solution and demonstrate that a fund such as this will help make the airport more competitive, she said.
Greater:SATX’s other initiatives include regional economic development, corporate recruitment, business retention and expansion, military growth and training and education programs. Manufacturing, aerospace, finance, bioscience and technology are among the industries Greater:SATX is targeting.
Last year the organization opted to take a broader regional approach to economic development and focus on eight counties in the San Antonio area: Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina and Wilson.
To reflect that, it changed its name from the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation to Greater:SATX Regional Economic Partnership, or more simply, Greater:SATX.
Staff reporter Megan Stringer contributed to this report.
madison.iszler@express-news.net | https://www.expressnews.com/business/local/article/San-Antonio-economic-group-airport-17292963.php | 2022-07-09T01:19:10 | 0 | https://www.expressnews.com/business/local/article/San-Antonio-economic-group-airport-17292963.php |
A San Antonio man has been indicted on a murder charge in connection with the 2016 death of a Houston-area man who was found headless and handless, his body burned beyond recognition.
The case was among 73 felony indictments handed down this week by two Bexar County grand juries, the District Attorney’s Office said Friday in a statement.
Police in Kinney County arrested Jorge Alberto Rivera on April 2 when authorities found six undocumented immigrants in his vehicle. He was charged in a human smuggling case, but admitted while in custody that he was involved in the death of Javier Thomas Soto, 43, an affidavit supporting his arrest stated.
Soto was reported missing from the Houston area and was last seen on Aug. 20, 2016. The next day, his body was found in San Antonio, engulfed in flames inside a trash bin at the Marigold Apartments in the 2300 block of Goliad Road on the Southeast Side, police said. He had been decapitated and his hands severed.
At the time, San Antonio police investigators released a photograph of a tattoo of Soto’s first name on his upper right arm, and also released surveillance footage captured from the area that showed someone dumping Soto’s body in the trash bin.
Following Soto’s identification by the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office, they ruled his cause and manner of death as “homicidal violence including sharp-force injury.” But the case then went cold for six years.
According to the affidavit, once in custody, Rivera, 39, described details of Soto’s death, how he was killed and the condition of his body, to investigators, and also admitted he was the man seen in the surveillance video.
The document stated, without detailing it, that Rivera revealed a motive behind the killing.
Rivera’s case is being heard in the 226th District Court. If convicted of murder, he faces five to 99 years or life in prison.
In a separate case, the DA’s Office said Friday that grand jurors on June 30 declined to indict a San Antonio police officer who last year fatally shot a man going through what family members said was a mental health crisis.
A police report said officers responded to a 911 call about a man with a knife who had broken into a home in the 1300 block of Brighton Avenue on March 26, 2021. They encountered John Peña Montez, 57, who threatened to kill himself during an argument with his common-law wife and appeared intoxicated.
Officer Douglas Meynig twice attempted to use a stun gun on Montez but it had no effect, the report said. Montez was “lunging” at the officers when Officer Stephen Ramos shot him several times, according to the document.
Montez’s widow and sister disputed that account and said the U.S. Army veteran suffered from depression and post traumatic stress disorder. Ramos was placed on administrative duty and returned to full duty in September after an Internal Affairs investigation and a review panel found no administrative violations.
San Antonio police sent their findings to the DA’s Office, which presents all officer-involved shootings that result in death or serious injury to a grand jury, District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales noted in a statement released Friday.
“That’s what we have done here,” he said. “We have deferred to the judgment of the citizens of Bexar County. A memo detailing the facts of the case will be posted to the Civil Rights Division website soon.”
He declined further comment.
Ramos is currently under investigation and on administrative duty in connection with another fatal shooting June 3 of Andre “AJ” Hernandez, 13.
He was driving a stolen Toyota Corolla the 5100 block of War Cloud Street when officers pulled up on both sides of the car. Authorities said Andre attempted to ram the driver’s door of one of the police vehicles, putting in danger an officer who was stepping out of the SUV. Ramos fired one shot, fatally wounding Andre in the abdomen.
The Hernandez family has hired an attorney and is seeking a murder charge against Ramos.
ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/San-Antonio-man-indicted-killing-17293757.php | 2022-07-09T01:19:16 | 0 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/San-Antonio-man-indicted-killing-17293757.php |
A Uvalde police officer armed with a rifle could have shot a gunman before he entered Robb Elementary School and slaughtered 19 children and two teachers May 24. But the officer lost his chance because he was waiting for a superior’s permission to fire.
That was one of the major revelations in a report on police agencies’ flawed response to the school shooting, released Wednesday by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at Texas State University in San Marcos.
On Friday, Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin Jr. flatly contradicted that explosive finding.
“No Uvalde police department officer saw the shooter on May 24 prior to him entering the school,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “No Uvalde police officers had any opportunity to take a shot at the gunman.
“A Uvalde Police Department officer saw someone outside, but was unsure of who he saw and observed children in the area as well,” the mayor said. “Ultimately, it was a coach with children on the playground, not the shooter.”
On ExpressNews.com: Embattled Arredondo quits Uvalde council
ALERRT stood by its 24-page report, which chronicled several significant law enforcement failures that day.
“ALERRT has not received any information that contradicts what is stated in the report,” J. Pete Blair, the police training center’s executive director, said in an email to the San Antonio Express-News. “This is the only officer that we have identified as potentially being able to shoot the attacker before he entered the building.”
The unnamed officer “was sighted in to shoot the attacker” — in other words, he had the shooter in his rifle’s crosshairs — and “was justified in using deadly force to stop the attacker” under the Texas Penal Code, the report said.
The officer was 148 yards from the gunman. That’s “well within the effective range” of the rifle the officer was carrying, but the officer was “concerned that if he missed his shot, the rounds could have penetrated the school and injured students,” according to the report.
The account wasn’t entirely damning. The report noted that state standards require police officers to demonstrate accuracy with rifles up to 100 feet from a target and that it was “possible that the officer had never fired his rifle at a target that was that far away.”
On ExpressNews.com: Uvalde Sheriff Nolasco agrees to testify about school shooting after initial refusal
As part of ALERRT’s research, a Texas Ranger briefed center officials for an hour June 1. They also examined body camera recordings, security camera footage from inside the school, radio logs and statements taken from officers who were at the scene.
The Texas Department of Public Safety asked ALERRT to assess the police response shortly after the massacre. Wednesday’s report was the result. The center studies mass shootings and trains law enforcement officers in how to respond to them.
In the Robb Elementary massacre, Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old high school dropout from Uvalde, entered the school through an unlocked door at 11:33 a.m. May 24 and killed the children and teachers with an assault-style rifle.
During the incident, more than a dozen police officers gathered in a hallway outside classrooms 111 and 112, where Ramos remained holed up for more than 70 minutes. During that time, students called 911, begging to be rescued.
Officers apparently never tried to open the classroom door — which was unlocked — until a team of officers forced their way in and gunned down Ramos at 12:50 p.m.
One of the report’s central findings was that officers outside the classroom failed at the first priority in responding to a mass shooting — to preserve the lives of victims, even if it puts the officers in peril.
“This ordering means that we expect officers to assume risk to save innocent lives,” the report said. “Responding to an active shooter is a dangerous task. There is a chance that officers will be shot, injured or even killed while responding. This is something that every officer should be acutely aware of when they become a law enforcement officer.”
Spreading the blame
In his statement, McLaughlin said ALERRT’s examination doesn’t give an accurate picture of what happened.
The mayor has chafed at the sharp criticism and anger directed at Uvalde schools police chief Pedro “Pete” Arredondo — the on-scene incident commander — and city police officers. In his view, DPS agents and officers from other law enforcement agencies who were also on hand have unjustifiably skirted blame.
“Contrary to the ALERRT report and the timeline provided by the Department of Public Safety,” DPS troopers were at the door of Robb Elementary about three minutes after the shooter entered the building, McLaughlin said.
The mayor said dozens of DPS troopers were on-site during the standoff.
McLaughlin said his city is barred by DPS and local District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee from releasing records of the police response until their investigation into the massacre is complete.
“I’ve said it once and will say it again, the premature release of piecemeal information ... is a disservice to families who lost children or parents because the true facts need to come out once all investigations/reviews, which the City expects will be thorough and fair, are complete,” McLaughlin said.
Sources familiar with the DPS probe said the Uvalde police officer in question said in an initial interview with investigators that he saw someone in black — believed to be the shooter — outside the school before calling a supervisor to ask for permission to shoot.
But in a subsequent interview, the officer said someone else told him it was a school employee, not the shooter, whom he had seen, according to the sources.
Staff writer Brian Chasnoff contributed to this report.
guillermo.contreras@express-news.net | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Uvalde-mayor-disputes-report-17293737.php | 2022-07-09T01:19:22 | 1 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Uvalde-mayor-disputes-report-17293737.php |
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday, California is going to make its own insulin as part of the $308 billion budget he signed on July 1.
In a video posted to Twitter, Newsom said some people pay for insulin out of pocket anywhere from $300-$500 per month.
"The budget I just signed sets aside $100 million so we can contract and make our own insulin at a cheaper price, close to at-cost, and to make it available to all," said Newsom.
Newsom is using tax-payer dollars to start the process. Of the $100 million, $50 million will go toward the development of low-cost insulin products, and an additional $50 million will go towards a California-based insulin manufacturing facility.
This facility will also provide high-paying jobs and a stronger supply chain for the drug, according to Newsom.
Newsom said the cost of insulin would, at minimum, be cut in half by developing and manufacturing the drug in the state.
"Insulin has been the poster child for all that is wrong in the pharmaceutical markets," Dr. Geoffrey Joyce said.
The price of insulin is high because it can be because Joyce said there are only three major makers.
Joyce is the chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics at the USC School of Pharmacy. His research focuses on the costs of medical care and the role of insurance.
“Insulin is a what's called a biologic," He explained. "It is made from a living thing, and so even though it was developed about 100 years ago, we don't have quite a perfect generic copy of it because each batch is going to be a little different."
That's why he said the companies can hold a monopoly over it.
"These three major manufacturers say, ‘hey, our stuff is is trusted and biologic, there's no FDA approved generic until very recently for this, and it's even not a perfect generic.”
California wants to change that by creating a bio-similar version of insulin in the state.
“Therefore, the supply chain is not dependent on overseas production, which some of this is,” he added is a benefit.
$100 million is a cost Joyce said will start to pay itself back in several other ways.
“If you're fortunate enough to qualify for medical, your insulin costs are not too high. The problem is, the state is paying a fortune, right? Because they're paying these exorbitantly high prices, and that comes out of taxpayers bills. So we all pay for that indirectly,” said Joyce.
Newsom promised this his first day in office years ago, producing prescription drugs in California. There is no timeline yet though for when the program will begin.
California is the state with the highest diabetics rate, according to the Governor's office. Joyce believes it will start off with Californians, but doesn’t see why California wouldn’t sell insulin to other states eventually. Other states may start producing their own too if its successful in California.
In California, about 3.2 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Every year nearly 273,000 people are diagnosed with diabetes.
Also, people with diabetes pay around 2.3 times more in medical expenses than those without diabetes. Diagnosed diabetes costs about $39.5 billion in California each year.
Here are tips from The California Department of Public Health to prevent and maintain diabetes symptoms.
Read about the more than $300 billion state budget, which includes money to cover abortions, health care for undocumented immigrants, and inflation relief payments.
WATCH RELATED: Gov. Newsom announces plan to have California create its own insulin (July 2022). | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/expert-says-californias-low-cost-insulin-could-pay-itself-back/509-87a44244-8f90-4a96-b86d-dd75ab868ef0 | 2022-07-09T01:21:00 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/expert-says-californias-low-cost-insulin-could-pay-itself-back/509-87a44244-8f90-4a96-b86d-dd75ab868ef0 |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The stepmother of Roman Lopez, the child found dead in his parent's basement in 2020, was sentenced Friday.
According to the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office, Lindsay Piper was sentenced today to 15 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Jordan Piper and Roman's stepmother Lindsay Piper were charged with multiple criminal counts of child abuse, poisoning, and torture in February.
Lindsay Piper, who initially plead not guilty to second-degree murder charges, has changed her plea to no contest.
Currently, Lindsay Piper faces murder, child abuse, torture, and poisoning charges. While Jordan Piper faces murder, child abuse, torture, and failure to provide charges. Jordan is expected back in court on July 29.
Lopez was just 11 years old when he was found dead in the Pipers' basement.
He was reported missing in January 2020 just two months after he, his father, his stepmother, and their seven other children moved into the Placerville home.
Placerville police initially investigated the case as a suspicious death following a search of the family's home where police did not find anything. However, after a second search, police said they found the child's body in a storage bin hidden in their basement.
An autopsy following Lopez's death revealed he had been severely starved and dehydrated at the time of death.
READ MORE ON THE CASE OF ROMAN LOPEZ FROM ABC10:
- Father, step-mother face murder charges after the death of Roman Lopez
- Mother of 11-year-old boy found dead tells mourners 'cherish loved ones, forgive often, and love with all your heart'
- 'It just doesn't feel real' | Mother of 11-year-old found dead in Placerville pleads for answers
- Michigan woman whose daughters lived with Placerville boy found dead says he 'was such a good boy' | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/lindsay-piper-stepmother-of-roman-lopez-sentenced/103-7a9f29e5-70ee-440a-a672-beee00de3dff | 2022-07-09T01:21:06 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/lindsay-piper-stepmother-of-roman-lopez-sentenced/103-7a9f29e5-70ee-440a-a672-beee00de3dff |
RIVERSIDE, Calif — The social services system “failed" 13 children who were rescued after being starved, shackled and horribly abused by their parents at a Southern California home for years, according to a report released Friday.
Some of the Turpin children of Riverside County, east of Los Angeles, were forced to live with people who were later charged with child abuse and some of the adult siblings struggled to get money for housing and food, according to a 634-page report from a law firm hired by the county to investigate their care.
The report will be publicly presented to the county Board of Supervisors on July 12.
The shocking abuse in the Turpin home went unnoticed in the community of Perris, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles, until then-17-year-old Jordan Turpin escaped in January 2018 and called police.
When she escaped, Jordan told a sheriff’s deputy that her sisters and brothers, who ranged in age from 2 to 29, had been starved, chained to beds and forced to live in squalor. The children slept during the day, were active a few hours at night and had minimal education.
Their parents, David and Louise Turpin, are serving sentences of 25 years to life in state prison.
Last year, ABC News reported that most of the siblings received poor care after entering the child welfare system.
“They have been victimized again by the system” and were “living in squalor,” Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said in the ABC documentary.
“They’re living in crime-ridden neighborhoods. There’s money for their education. They can’t access it,” Hestrin said.
After that report aired, Riverside County Executive Officer Jeff Van Wagenen said his office had hired a law firm run by former federal Judge Stephen G. Larson to analyze the services provided and the quality of care they received.
The report, which summarized findings of a months-long investigation, concluded that the county’s social services system was short-staffed and underfunded, leaving workers struggling with high caseloads that made it hard to ensure safety and care “for our most vulnerable populations.” It made several reform recommendations.
“I appreciate the unflinching review and recognition that good people are doing good work,” Van Wagenen said in a county statement. “The recommendations will guide our continuing efforts to improve outcomes in the days, weeks and months to come.”
Many details of what happened to the Turpin children under the county’s care were blacked out in the publicly released version of the report to comply with a court ruling protecting their privacy.
However, the report did say that the county's public guardian office only recently tried to obtain more than $1 million that was donated on the children's behalf.
“With respect to the Turpin siblings, we conclude there were many times over the last four years that they received the care they needed from the county. This was not always the case, however, and all too often the social services system failed them,” said a June 24 introductory letter to supervisors that was included in the report.
“Some of the younger Turpin children were placed with caregivers who were later charged with child abuse,” the letter said. “Some of the older siblings experienced periods of housing instability and food insecurity as they transitioned to independence.”
“Many were caught in the middle of confusing and complicated legal proceedings,” the letter said. “When they complained about their circumstances, they often felt frustrated, unheard, and stifled by the system.”
Prosecutors have charged a Perris couple and their adult daughter with abuse. Two of the Turpin girls placed in their foster home were fondled and kissed by the father and other foster children were physically assaulted, county prosecutors have said.
Marcelino Olguin, his wife Rosa and their daughter Lennys have pleaded not guilty to child cruelty and other felony charges. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/southern-california-county-failed-turpin-children/103-d1aec8e4-cf8b-4518-8e09-3cec5a91f29b | 2022-07-09T01:21:12 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/southern-california-county-failed-turpin-children/103-d1aec8e4-cf8b-4518-8e09-3cec5a91f29b |
SAN FRANCISCO — The mayor of San Francisco appointed an outspoken critic of ousted District Attorney Chesa Boudin as his replacement, saying that her pick was the right person to pursue criminal justice reform while holding offenders to account.
Mayor London Breed on Thursday announced that Brooke Jenkins will be the next district attorney after voters in the famously liberal city kicked out the politically progressive Boudin in a special recall election last month. Jenkins was sworn into office Friday.
Jenkins, who quit Boudin's office in 2021 to volunteer for the recall, is both Black and Latina. She is San Francisco's first Latina district attorney. Vice President Kamala Harris was the city's first Black DA.
“We are a city of second chances. But the truth is we have to draw a line with people who choose hate, violence and a life of crime,” said Jenkins at a press conference announcing her appointment. “I want to make clear: holding offenders accountable does not preclude us from moving forward with vital and important reforms to our criminal justice system.”
Boudin, a former public defender elected in 2019, was ousted in a June 7 recall election fueled by frustration over public safety in the deeply Democratic city. Viral video footage of people shoplifting and attacking seniors, particularly Asian Americans, rattled residents.
Breed said she picked Jenkins for her experience, sense of fairness and compassion toward both victims and offenders. The mayor did not disclose how she voted in the recall, but clashed with Boudin over enforcement.
“She sacrificed her career to fight for people in this city, to fight for victims who needed a voice in the city,” Breed said.
Jenkins, who also considers herself a progressive prosecutor, said during the campaign that Boudin was too rigid. He eliminated cash bail for defendants and declared that minors would not be tried as adults, no matter how serious the crime. Jenkins said she would like those tools available for prosecutors to use at their discretion.
In an interview with The Associated Press before the election, Jenkins said that being a progressive prosecutor meant being “innovative about finding alternatives to incarceration, but trying to ensure our defendants don’t re-offend.”
Boudin, who has not ruled out running again for district attorney, said his time in office was hobbled by a pandemic that shuttered courts and the intensive treatment and counseling programs relied on to rehabilitate offenders.
Jenkins joined the San Francisco district attorney's office in 2014.
She said she plans to run in November to serve the rest of Boudin’s term through 2023.
Watch more from ABC10: Is California governor Gavin Newsom planning to run for president? | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/critic-of-chesa-boudin-takes-place-as-district-attorney/103-947f26b4-71a8-4f0e-8219-f0641383d549 | 2022-07-09T01:21:18 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/critic-of-chesa-boudin-takes-place-as-district-attorney/103-947f26b4-71a8-4f0e-8219-f0641383d549 |
MINNEAPOLIS — The July 4th parade mass shooting in Highland Park Illinois continues to stir up questions, like how the shooter was able to own guns despite several red flags.
Currently, 19 states have red flag laws on the books. Illinois is one of them, and the laws there are considered some of the strongest in the nation.
But officials say those laws did nothing to stop the Highland Park shooter from owning and obtaining guns.
"It seems like a potential situation where a red flag law could have applied,” University of St .Thomas law professor Rachel Moran said.
Moran says there are several reasons why red flag laws didn't work in this case.
First, a firearm restraining order isn't automatic, a family member or law enforcement official who is concerned, must file a request with a judge.
"And in this case, neither group did so,” Moran said.
Despite law enforcement being called to the shooter's home twice in 2019.
Moran says even if those incidents prompted someone to file a firearm restraining order, orders themselves can only last for six months. Orders can be extended, but Moran says it's unclear if that order could have been extended long enough to be in effect when this recent shooting took place.
"Nothing about the 2019 situations alone ensure that a court would still have removed his right to own guns in 2022,” Moran said.
Gun owners also have the right to challenge these restraining orders in court. Plus, the red flag laws in Illinois have only been around since 2019.
"I think most people don't understand how they work,” Moran says.
According to Speak for Safety Illinois, a group that tracks firearm restraining orders, in 2019, only 34 orders were filed in the entire state of Illinois. In 2020, 19 orders were filed.
The state of Minnesota does not have any red flag laws on the books, but the issue has been discussed several times at the state capitol.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist: | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/how-red-flag-laws-work-and-why-experts-believe-they-didnt-prevent-the-shooting-in-highland-park/89-e9acca58-593b-4a1d-b574-02f24d4cac34 | 2022-07-09T01:21:24 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/how-red-flag-laws-work-and-why-experts-believe-they-didnt-prevent-the-shooting-in-highland-park/89-e9acca58-593b-4a1d-b574-02f24d4cac34 |
VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. – SpaceX announced it will be targeting Sunday, July 10 for the next launch of its Falcon 9 rocket to low-earth orbit from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The rocket will carry 46 Starlink satellites, which provide data services such as video calling, online gaming and streaming.
[TRENDING: New Championsgate I-4 intersection opens this Sunday | Brevard County family helps teen recover from Panhandle shark attack | Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)]
According to the company, the launch is set to happen at 3:39 p.m. Sunday, though a backup opportunity will be available on Monday, July 11 at the same time.
Following stage separation, the rocket’s first-stage booster will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/07/08/spacex-announces-july-10-for-falcon-9-launch-of-starlink-satellites/ | 2022-07-09T01:22:00 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/07/08/spacex-announces-july-10-for-falcon-9-launch-of-starlink-satellites/ |
GROVELAND, Fla. – A Lake County crash killed a 23-year-old Groveland man Friday evening, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Reports show the man was driving south on County Road 33 south of Odom Lane before veering west off of the road and crashing into a utility pole.
[TRENDING: New Championsgate I-4 intersection opens this Sunday | Brevard County family helps teen recover from Panhandle shark attack | Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)]
Troopers said the man was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
At the time of this writing, a roadblock has been set up for both directions on County Road 33 from Simon Brown Road to Bridges Road.
This crash remains under investigation. Check back with News 6 for further updates. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/07/09/groveland-23-year-old-dies-after-crashing-into-pole-troopers-say/ | 2022-07-09T01:22:06 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/07/09/groveland-23-year-old-dies-after-crashing-into-pole-troopers-say/ |
Coconino County has moved to a high community level for COVID-19, according to the latest dashboard data report. In the week ending July 2, one of the community level indicators has moved to the high category, meaning additional precautions are recommended.
The rate of new COVID admissions in the county is now in the high category (10 per 100,000 or higher), at 17.5 per 100,000 in the past week. Last week’s rate was 7 per 100,000. The rate of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID patients stayed at the same rate as last week. It is in the medium category (less than 10%), at 8.8%.
Case numbers continued to rise, with 438 new cases (a rate of 307.0 per 100,000) reported for the week. Last week, 419 new cases were reported, a rate of 293.7 per 100,000. Positivity also continued its rise this week, with 28.2% of 2,058 tests returning positive results. The week before had a positivity rate of 22.9% (2,184 tests were conducted).
Residents between the ages of 25 and 44 had the highest case rate for the week (405 per 100,000), while those aged 18 to 24 had the highest positivity (36.4%).
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COVID hospitalizations in the county have been rising the past three weeks, with 22 reported the week ending July 2. A total of 17 were reported the week prior. The incidence of COVID-like illness (CLI) in county hospitals rose for the third week as well, from 9.4% to 10.3%. No COVID deaths were reported for the week.
According to TGen’s Arizona COVID-19 Sequencing Dashboard, the BA.5 omicron subvariant is now the most prevalent in Coconino County, accounting for 61.54% of sequenced genomes. It is followed by BA.2.12.1 (30.77%) and BA.2 (7.69%). BA.5 is also the most common in Arizona as a whole (50%), followed by BA.2.12.1 (30.36%), BA.2 (12.5%) and BA.4 (5.36%). Across Arizona, an additional 1.19% of genomes are labeled “other.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) precautions for locations at a high community level include mask-wearing in public indoor areas, regardless of vaccination status. Those who are immunocompromised or otherwise at high risk are encouraged to avoid nonessential public indoor activities, talk to their healthcare provider about potential precautions and treatments, and have a plan for accessing testing when needed.
For everyone in these areas, the CDC recommends staying up to date on vaccinations, including boosters, improving ventilation indoors when possible, and following testing, isolation and quarantine recommendations when exposed to COVID or experiencing symptoms.
More about COVID in Coconino County, including testing and vaccination sites, is available at coconino.az.gov/2294/COVID-19-Information. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/coconino-county-moves-to-high-community-level-for-covid/article_270506b8-feeb-11ec-b947-bfc539479e4a.html | 2022-07-09T01:23:37 | 1 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/coconino-county-moves-to-high-community-level-for-covid/article_270506b8-feeb-11ec-b947-bfc539479e4a.html |
GREENSBORO — The federal government will pay American Hebrew Academy Inc. $49.8 million to lease its 100-acre campus to house immigrant children while they await reunification with family members or sponsors in the United States.
The five-year lease is for the former school at 103 Daat Way, near Hobbs and Jefferson roads, according to usaspending.gov, a website set up under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006. The lease started June 9 and runs through July 8, 2027.
The U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced June 10 that it would lease the school grounds to house the children. The children were expected to begin arriving this month.
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The American Hebrew Academy will also be contracted to provide educational programming for the children. Children will be taught reading, writing, math, science and social sciences, the Office of Refugee Resettlement said in June, as well as participate in recreational activities such as art, music and indoor and outdoor athletics.
“While in ORR care, children have access to medical treatment, legal services, translation services, education, and mental and behavioral health counselors and are able to connect with family at least twice a week,” the agency said in its statement. “Children also meet with a case manager at least weekly.”
The academy is expected to hire up to 800 people, including administrators, teachers, counselors, medical care professionals and other workers, to oversee the facility and meet the needs of unaccompanied children.
The federal agency will also contract for services such as food and security.
DHHS did not respond to emails sent by the News & Record in the past month requesting more details about the arrangement, including how many children the school could potentially host and how much it would pay the academy for providing educational services. By law, DHHS must provide care for children who have no lawful U.S. immigration status; are younger than 18; and who have no parent or legal guardian available to provide care and physical custody here.
Most of the children placed into DHHS care were apprehended by immigration authorities while trying to cross the border or came to the attention of immigration authorities after crossing the border, according to a federal fact sheet.
ORR said in a statement last month that to meet its legal responsibility, the agency “continuously explores potential facility options for future needs to ensure that children do not have to remain in border patrol facilities, which are not appropriate locations for children.”
In a June 23 letter sent to federal officials, eight congressional Republicans from North Carolina expressed concerns about the facility, calling it “a complete surprise to us and our constituents.”
The letter, sent to DHHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and ORR Acting Secretary Andrea Chapman, complained about President Joe Biden’s policies regarding securing the U.S.-Mexico border and criticized Becerra’s response to questions posed in 2021 about plans to send unaccompanied migrant children to North Carolina.
Rep. Richard Hudson, R-Concord, asked Becerra during a May 12, 2021, subcommittee hearing regarding DHHS’ budget if the department planned to send minors to North Carolina. Becerra responded that “there is no plan that we can tell you to shelter children in North Carolina.”
Just a few days before that hearing, the city of Greensboro issued a news release that it had met on May 4, 2021, with DHHS officials to conduct a site assessment of the former American Hebrew Academy site as “a temporary influx housing for unaccompanied children.”
The letter was signed by Hudson, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-Denver; Rep. Ted Budd, R-Advance; Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-Banner Elk; Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-Hendersonville; Rep. Dan Bishop, R-Charlotte; Rep. David Rouzer, R-Wilmington; and Rep. Gregory Murphy, R-Greenville.
Among the questions posed in the letter were how much taxpayer money is being used to house unaccompanied children and what plans are in place to prevent crowding, violence and outbreaks of disease at the academy.
A spokeswoman for McHenry said Wednesday he had not gotten a response to the letter.
Rep. Kathy Manning, D-Greensboro, whose district includes the facility, could not be reached for comment.
A report Friday from WGHP-Channel 8 indicates there will be two meetings later this month among “stakeholders” involved with the plans to host immigrant children. That report could not immediately be verified.
American Hebrew Academy closed in 2019 and plans to reopen it as AHA International School did not come to fruition. The highly secure facility has student residential quarters, an infirmary and a cafeteria, as well as three academic buildings.
The facility will be renamed the Greensboro Piedmont Academy Influx Care Facility for UC (unaccompanied minors), though the school will be called Greensboro Global Academy. | https://greensboro.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/us-to-pay-nearly-50-million-to-lease-former-american-hebrew-academy-in-greensboro-to/article_5db8538a-fec4-11ec-ad02-d7eeb2ff03f8.html | 2022-07-09T01:30:35 | 0 | https://greensboro.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/us-to-pay-nearly-50-million-to-lease-former-american-hebrew-academy-in-greensboro-to/article_5db8538a-fec4-11ec-ad02-d7eeb2ff03f8.html |
A march in support of abortion rights is planned for this morning in downtown Casper.
The march is the latest in a string of local demonstrations protesting the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of abortion protections under Roe v. Wade. It is set to start at David Street Station at 10 a.m. and head to the courthouse on Center Street.
Organizer Eden Taggart said that anyone who would like to speak at the end of the march will be given the opportunity.
“We’re going to be staying out there pretty much all day, in the heat, to make a statement.”
In an event listing on Facebook, Taggart urges people to bring posters, signs and coat hangers “as a symbol to represent our abortion rights.” Hangers have become synonymous in abortion-rights groups with unsafe, back-alley abortions.
Taggart, 19, was “born and raised” in Casper and graduated from Roosevelt High School last year.
She said she feels “really passionate” about reproductive rights, “today more than ever.” Most (though not all) of the feedback she’s received around the march has been positive, though there were some who commented on her social media posts calling her a “bad person,” Taggart said. Seeing local women and men supporting abortion rights makes her feel “a lot better.”
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“I never thought in a million years (Roe being overturned) would ever happen,” she said. “All the women in my family were devastated.”
She took over planning from a male friend who’d gotten some backlash for trying to organize a march, Taggart said, and organized Saturday’s peaceful protest with help from her stepdad.
Abortion is expected to become outlawed in Wyoming in nearly all instances soon. Lawmakers passed a trigger bill earlier this year that was designed to ban the practice in the event of Roe’s fall.
After a leaked draft of the opinion was released in early May, Casper-area abortion-rights advocates organized a march and rally at Conwell Park that drew an estimated 200 protesters. That “Bans off our Bodies” event was coordinated with others across the country, as part of an effort by organizations including Planned Parenthood, UltraViolet and the Women’s March.
Casper Rep. Pat Sweeney, R, local abortion clinic founder Julie Burkhart and other supporters of abortion rights from the area spoke at the rally, which followed a march from Veteran’s Park.
In late June, on the same day the Supreme Court’s official opinion overturning the landmark case was released, a smaller group of around 60 demonstrated outside True Care Women’s Resource Center in Casper. Demonstrators said they were there in support of abortion rights, but many also said they were worried about what the decision may mean for other right-to-privacy protections, including gay and interracial marriage.
Last week, around 15 people protested during a Wednesday evening Politics in the Park event, holding signs while standing on the sidewalk.
Casper activists also held a rally for reproductive freedom at David Street Station in November, coordinated with other Women’s March events nationwide that day.
Counter-protesters have been few at local protests, though anti-abortion advocates have continued to demonstrate weekly outside the planned abortion clinic on Second Street. The clinic was the target of an arson in late May, and organizers estimate it will take four to six months to repair the building. | https://trib.com/news/local/casper/abortion-rights-march-planned-for-saturday-morning-in-casper/article_6bd2380e-fee8-11ec-9bc0-eb358b531964.html | 2022-07-09T01:30:48 | 1 | https://trib.com/news/local/casper/abortion-rights-march-planned-for-saturday-morning-in-casper/article_6bd2380e-fee8-11ec-9bc0-eb358b531964.html |
A 13-year-old boy faces juvenile murder charges in connection with the shooting death of a man last month at a West Fort Worth grocery store, police said Friday.
Officers detained three juveniles after the shooting outside the Kroger in the 9100 block of Camp Bowie West Boulevard at about 7:40 a.m. on June 22, police said.
“An arrest warrant for murder was issued for a 13-year-old male and that juvenile has been arrested,” police said in a statement. “There are no outstanding suspects.”
Police did not say what led to the shooting.
When officers arrived on the scene, they located a man who had been shot in the chest, police said.
The victim was identified by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner as 36-year-old Spenser Slavik.
In an online obituary, his family said Slavik graduated from Brewer High School in White Settlement and went on to take classes at Tarrant County Community College.
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“He loved being on a computer and was considered a whiz doing anything on them,” the obituary said. “He had a very high IQ and could figure things out very quickly before anyone else.” | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/13-year-old-boy-faces-murder-charge-in-shooting-at-fort-worth-grocery-store/3009863/ | 2022-07-09T01:31:11 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/13-year-old-boy-faces-murder-charge-in-shooting-at-fort-worth-grocery-store/3009863/ |
Two officers injured in an ambush attack in Haltom City are out of the hospital, their long road to recovery paved with love and support from fellow officers.
While it’s a long way from being all the way back, Haltom City police know just seeing two of their own wheeled out of a hospital Friday marks a milestone uncertain just six days ago.
“This is a small step in the healing process for these officers,” Sgt. Rick Alexander said. “They have a long road ahead.”
The next step on that road for Corporal Zach Tabler and Officer Jose Avila is extensive physical therapy rehabilitation but both were released together from Medical City North Hills.
Their fellow officer, Tim Barton, also injured and in a wheelchair was also present outside the hospital in North Richland Hills.
Chief Cody Phillips says his small, tight-knit department in Tarrant County is still working to process what they faced Saturday but was appreciative of the strong show of support from multiple agencies.
“Thanks, everyone for the support they’ve given us through this whole process,” Phillips said.
Multiple officers responded to a shooting call on Diamond Oaks Drive on July 2 in Haltom City. When officers arrived they found 33-year-old Colin Davis dead in the driveway after being shot.
According to investigators, the suspect ambushed the officers by firing down on them from inside a home, hitting three officers, sending bullets into multiple homes, and shooting one neighbor across the street who also survived.
Officers would later find 32-year-old Amber Tsai dead inside the home.
Police say the gunman, later identified as Edward Freyman, then fled heavily armed through the neighborhood before taking his own life.
Tabler and Avila have endured surgeries but are now well enough to begin rehab.
“We’ve been up here every day with them and just to see them take that small baby step in the right direction it’s helping a lot of us emotionally,” Alexander said.
And the hope is a show of love and support, including an escorted motorcade to a Fort Worth rehab facility, will help make the road to recovery just a bit shorter. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/2-haltom-city-officers-injured-in-ambush-released-from-hospital/3010054/ | 2022-07-09T01:31:17 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/2-haltom-city-officers-injured-in-ambush-released-from-hospital/3010054/ |
Look around sixth-grader Amelia Kothari's room and it's pretty clear she loves outer space. She has toys and models everywhere.
"When I was like 4 and 5, we used to go to the [National] Air and Space Museum every day because we used to live in Washington, D.C.," Kothari said.
She's wanted to be an astronaut from that day.
Her mom says she approaches school with the focus that she has to do well in order to chase her galaxy-sized goals.
"Everything she does she's like, 'will this make me an astronaut?' I'm like, 'it's a long way," Mansi Kothari said.
So it shouldn't have been much of a surprise when Amelia took her very first STAAR test result was like something from another world. A perfect score, in math of all things, the subject most students struggled with. But Amelia played it cool.
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"I think the key to the STAAR is to calm down and do it slowly. And if you do that, then it's pretty easy," she explained.
Her chill attitude was no accident. Amelia and her family are new to Texas. She didn't know the weight the test carries. Her parents kept it from her, saying they didn't want to put pressure on her.
"I've heard from parents, 'oh, my child is a straight-A in school but on STAAR they have failed,' it was just very hard for me and my husband," said Mansi.
All that worry and she aced it, her family knows it was her drive, and the teachers at Leadership Prep School in Frisco that helped their little star shine as bright as the sun.
Another family in Grand Prairie contacted NBC DFW to say their child also received a perfect score on STAAR. So did a student in the Houston area. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/carter-in-the-classroom/frisco-student-scores-perfect-score-on-staar/3007996/ | 2022-07-09T01:31:23 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/carter-in-the-classroom/frisco-student-scores-perfect-score-on-staar/3007996/ |
Carter In The ClassroomFocusing on unique things school districts are doing to help children succeed. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/carter-in-the-classroom/frisco-student-scores-perfect-score-on-staar/3010162/ | 2022-07-09T01:31:29 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/carter-in-the-classroom/frisco-student-scores-perfect-score-on-staar/3010162/ |
A North Texas organization is calling on the community for help while trying to meet increased demands amid a funding deficit.
Catholic Charities Fort Worth is a faith-based organization that helps connect people to resources and financial assistance, says Community Care program manager Courtney Walker. Since January, Walker says the Community Care program has assisted more than 1,600 people in Tarrant County.
“What we’re seeing right now is a very large population of individuals that are coming to us that need assistance with utilities and rent. We were awarded money for these specific needs in April, and we have just about exhausted those monies,” Walker said. “I think historically, we’ve served very low-income individuals and now we’re seeing that move into our earning families as well.”
According to Walker, Catholic Charities Fort Worth is funded through private donations, along with federal money, and community collaboration. Right now, the organization is experiencing a critical funding deficit of $1.1 million with a projected annual loss of $2 million.
The decrease in funding means many of the programs offered are at risk of being suspended, according to the organization.
“We’ll be referring them to other agencies or other nonprofits,” Walker said. “More often than not, those agencies are few and far between. They’ve already spent their money as well.”
According to Catholic Charities Fort Worth, an average of 700-800 families in Tarrant County have been evicted each week since March of 2022. Program leaders fear the number could rise if the financial gap isn’t filled.
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“This financial drought for financial assistance for communities is widespread across the county,” Walker said. “$1 will do, you know? If all of us pitched in a dollar, that would go really far.”
For more information, click here. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/catholic-charities-fort-worth-calls-on-community-help-amid-funding-crisis/3010072/ | 2022-07-09T01:31:36 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/catholic-charities-fort-worth-calls-on-community-help-amid-funding-crisis/3010072/ |
Dallas Police AmbushFive officers were killed and nine were injured in an ambush at a peaceful protest on July 7, 2016. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-police-ambush/how-dallas-police-focus-on-mental-health-following-ambush-shooting/3009789/ | 2022-07-09T01:31:42 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-police-ambush/how-dallas-police-focus-on-mental-health-following-ambush-shooting/3009789/ |
Those who knew and loved Ali Elbanna gathered for a rally outside the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center Friday morning.
The 60-year-old father, husband and business owner was gunned down in a Dallas Costco Business Center parking lot in November 2021.
Police say a 16-year-old fatally shot Elbanna during a robbery attempt and during a crime spree in Dallas.
Elbanna’s four children, wife and friends are demanding the teen suspect be tried as an adult and not as a juvenile, which could carry a lighter sentence if convicted.
He faces murder and three counts of theft with a firearm.
NBC 5 is not naming the suspect as he is a juvenile and not charged as an adult.
Dallas police testified Friday morning that the teen and three adults were on a crime spree across Dallas.
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Cameras are not allowed in juvenile court.
The teen appeared in court wearing a face mask, a blue shirt and pants issued to those in juvenile detention. He did not show any emotion during the hearing, only responding to the judge’s questions.
His attorney said he has some “delays” and asked the judge to speak to him slowly.
Police say a woman in the group robbed two teen girls at gunpoint near South Oak Cliff High School. The suspect took an iPhone and a necklace with a pendant of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
The victims reported the theft to a school security guard who then called police. They described the suspect as a woman with purple hair traveling with males in a black pickup truck. Police later found the truck was reported to have been stolen by the 16-year-old.
The victims and an officer were able to track their stolen phone to Northpark Mall using the Find My iPhone application.
Police say the teens ran up to a woman getting in her car in the parking garage. The teen suspect allegedly pointed a gun at her demanding her car, purse and cellphone.
The entire encounter was captured on surveillance video and played in court Friday morning. The woman was physically pulled from her car by the three suspects, including the teen accused in Elbanna’s murder. Police believe her screams for help scared the robbers away.
She is seen on surveillance video getting back in her car and driving away. She reported the crime two days after Elbanna’s murder after reportedly seeing the suspects in news reports.
A detective with Dallas police testified that the stolen phone and truck were then tracked to the Costco Business center across from the mall on North Central Expressway at the time of Elbanna’s murder.
Police say the 16-year-old targeted Elbanna who was loading up his car with snacks and candies for one of his stores.
The Tarrant County resident traveled to the Dallas store that caters to businesses because it was the closest one to his home, according to police.
Police say the teen and one adult male confronted Elbanna, saying "give me everything."
When Elbanna reportedly refused, police say the 16-year-old shot him in the chest and ran back into the truck.
Detectives were able to catch all four suspects shortly after the murder. At least one suspect confessed to the robberies but said they were upset at the teen for shooting the man, and that it had not been part of the plan.
One of the suspects was wearing the necklace stolen from one of the teen girls, police said. He took it off and handed it over to the detective during the interrogation.
A psychologist with the county’s juvenile justice system also took the stand on Friday. She testified that the teen had a history of criminal behavior beginning at the age of 12, including aggravated robberies and threatening to carry out a school shooting.
He is accused of having behavioral issues at school, smoking pot and getting into trouble, she testified.
The teen was even on probation and wearing an ankle monitor at the time of the murder, according to police.
Elbanna’s wife told NBC 5 why she wants him tried as an adult.
“We don’t want him to get out and hurt somebody else,” she said through tears. “My husband would not have wanted that. He would want us to stay here for other people, to make sure they don’t suffer like we suffer.”
Judge Cheryle Lee Shannon did not issue a ruling on Friday.
The defense will present its case next Friday.
If the teen is tried and convicted as an adult, he faces five to 99 years in prison.
If he is tried and convicted as a teen, he could face probation or time in juvenile detention or state prison. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/family-calls-for-16-year-old-murder-suspect-to-be-tried-as-adult/3010142/ | 2022-07-09T01:32:03 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/family-calls-for-16-year-old-murder-suspect-to-be-tried-as-adult/3010142/ |
A Flower Mound woman is recovering after surviving a shark attack while on a trip with family, Florida authorities say.
Lindsey Bruns, her husband and their two daughters were in the Keys on vacation when the shark attack occurred, family members said.
According to a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the incident happened on June 29 in an area east of Sawyer Key in Monroe County, Florida.
The report said Bruns, 35, jumped off the top of the family’s vessel multiple times before doing a flip into the water.
“This is the time that Mr. Bruns heard a huge splash and turned to see a lot of splashing and water coming over into the vessel, a splash he described as too big for his wife just jumping in the water,” the report states. “Mr. Bruns stated that he then saw nothing but blood in the water. Mrs. Bruns emerged from the water screaming 'help.' Mr. Bruns dove into the water and assisted Mrs. Bruns onto the ladder and into the vessel.”
According to the report, Bruns suffered a large wound on her leg consistent with a shark attack.
She was taken to the Summerland Key airport so she could be brought by medical helicopter to a hospital in Miami, NBC South Florida reported. She received a blood transfusion while in the helicopter.
A GoFundMe page set up by a friend of the family states Bruns has undergone multiple surgeries.
“The road to recovery is just beginning and Lindsay is in good spirits and optimistic. The Bruns Family is thankful for the help of emergency responders, hospital doctors and staff, as well as those who have reached out and offered thoughts and prayers,” the page reads.
According to the GoFundMe page, Bruns is unable to leave the Florida hospital as of this writing due to her recovery.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/flower-mound-woman-recovering-after-shark-attack-in-florida/3009836/ | 2022-07-09T01:32:09 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/flower-mound-woman-recovering-after-shark-attack-in-florida/3009836/ |
When Chelsea Bell Lantrip clocked in for her bartending shift at Chances Dance Hall in Cleburne, she didn't expect the good fortune that would come her way later that day.
Bell recalled "two random girls" she'd never seen coming into the bar on Tuesday. She said that one of the women "ordered the whole house a round," with the tab rounding up to $179.
What Bell thought was a normal transaction turned out to be something completely different. The woman tipped Bell $1,000.
"I started crying and [and then she said] 'no that's not good enough' and raised it to $2,000," Bell said.
When Bell went to retrieve the receipt later, she saw that the woman had ultimately left a tip of $4,000.
"I didn't believe it until it went through the credit card machine, I still didn't believe it until it hit the bank," said Bell, shocked at the discovery,
The tip had more impact than the giver could've known. Bell is a single mother whose son is going to Texas A&M in the fall. According to dance hall owner Carmen Senese, Bell's son received a scholarship and a grant but that isn't enough to cover everything.
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"I'm so proud of my kid, he's brilliant, he's smart. It hurts when you can't help your kid [but] now I can just a little bit," Bell explained.
Bell is also planning to pay off some bills and take her mom, aunt and grandmother out to a nice dinner.
According to Senese, the tip-giver had received an inheritance and wanted to "tithe it to a stranger."
Bell is still amazed that the woman chose her. "She is a gift from God. I believe in guardian angels, I believe in people coming into your life at the right time that you need them. And she was definitely one of them."
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/good-samaritan-leaves-4000-tip-for-single-mom-in-cleburne/3009814/ | 2022-07-09T01:32:36 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/good-samaritan-leaves-4000-tip-for-single-mom-in-cleburne/3009814/ |
Hot temperatures and low river levels have Texas park officials reminding people to use caution when swimming in warm freshwater.
A warning sits atop the webpage for Dinosaur Valley State Park, the popular hike and swimming spot known worldwide for the dinosaur tracks visible in the bed of the Paluxy River.
The river that cuts through the middle of the park, located in Glen Rose about an hour southwest of Fort Worth, is now dried up in most areas of the park, officials wrote on social media. Park officials are now recommending against swimming in the river due to the likely presence of dangerous amoebas.
"Due to extremely high temperatures, lack of rain, and low water levels in the Paluxy River, the water quality is very poor," the notice read. "Please use caution and avoid all stagnant or standing water. Avoid getting river water in your nose or mouth as it may contain dangerous amoebas."
Texas Parks & Wildlife said it will give further updates once conditions approve. But NBC 5's forecast shows the seasonable hot and dry pattern is set to continue for the foreseeable future.
The Brazos River Authority says swimming in warm, stagnant freshwater can be extremely dangerous due to the presence of a brain-eating amoeba that flourishes in such conditions. Though infections are rare, they result in death in 97% of cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/swimming-discouraged-at-dinosaur-valley-over-risk-of-dangerous-parasites/3009779/ | 2022-07-09T01:32:57 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/swimming-discouraged-at-dinosaur-valley-over-risk-of-dangerous-parasites/3009779/ |
The mayor of Uvalde on Friday disputed a new report that alleges missed chances to quickly end the massacre at a Texas elementary school, again reflecting the lack of definitive answers about the slow law enforcement response to one of the deadliest classroom shootings in U.S. history.
Mayor Don McLaughlin said no Uvalde police officer saw the gunman outside Robb Elementary School before he went inside and that none of them had an opportunity to fire on the shooter. His comments contradict a critique of the decision-making by law enforcement that was released this week by tactical response experts at Texas State University.
The differing accounts and public rebuke of the report reiterated how, more than six weeks after the May 24 shooting, questions remain about how and why police armed with rifles and bulletproof shields waited more than an hour before confronting the gunman in a fourth-grade classroom where 21 people were killed, including 19 children.
It also widened a rift between Uvalde officials and the state, particularly the Texas Department of Public Safety, which had troopers on the scene and has directed much of the blame to the local school district police chief. The new report was requested by DPS, and the findings were similar to the narrative that leaders of the state police force have previously given publicly.
“There were dozens of DPS troopers on-site by the time of the breach in the classroom,” McLaughlin said in a statement.
Representatives of the Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
It is not the first time McLaughlin has lashed out at the agency. He has previously accused DPS of publicly giving an incomplete and one-sided account at the same time he says local officials have been instructed to not divulge information while the investigation is ongoing.
Col. Steve McCraw, who heads DPS, has largely blamed the inaction by law enforcement on Uvalde School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo, describing him as the incident commander during the shooting.
Arredondo has told the Texas Tribune that he did not believe he was in charge of the scene. He has kept a low profile since the shooting and resigned last week from his elected position on the City Council.
The report this week was drafted by the university’s Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training program. Authors of the 26-page report said they were contacted by DPS shortly after the shooting to assess the law enforcement response and that they had an approximately one-hour briefing led by an “investigating officer” who is not named.
One of the report’s most striking details was how a Uvalde police officer, armed with a rifle, watched the gunman walk toward the campus but did not fire while waiting for permission from a supervisor to shoot. The supervisor “either did not hear or responded too late,” according to the report.
McLaughlin said no Uvalde officer had a chance to shoot the gunman before entering the school, and that while an officer did see someone outside, the officer could not tell who it was.
“Ultimately, it was a coach with children on the playground, not the shooter,” McLaughlin said.
Pete Blair, the executive director of the training center that published the report, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday.
A separate report on the shooting is being compiled by Texas legislators who have spent weeks interviewing more than 20 witnesses and first responders behind closed doors. On Monday, the committee is expected to hear for the first time from the Uvalde County sheriff after lawmakers sent him a letter this week trying to compel his testimony.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/uvalde-mayor-disputes-report-that-said-police-had-early-chance-to-end-massacre/3009930/ | 2022-07-09T01:33:03 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/uvalde-mayor-disputes-report-that-said-police-had-early-chance-to-end-massacre/3009930/ |
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News from around the state of Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/uvalde-police-didnt-get-early-chance-to-end-shooting-mayor/3010156/ | 2022-07-09T01:33:09 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/uvalde-police-didnt-get-early-chance-to-end-shooting-mayor/3010156/ |
Planned burn taking place until 10 p.m. Friday in southern Brevard at St. Sebastian state park
An authorized burn is scheduled all day Friday in southern Brevard County in a section of the St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park.
The fire, which was requested by Florida State Parks, began at about 9 a.m. Friday, stretching from near Wheeler Stormwater Park in Micco to an area near Buffer Preserve Drive, according to Florida Forest Service.
The burn area, which was about 1,200 acres, is about 1 ½ miles east of Interstate 95. It was scheduled to end at about 10 p.m. Friday.
The burn's purpose is to control growth to help restore habitats and recycle soil nutrients, according to the request received by Florida Forest Services.
The preserve covers almost 22,000 acres and spans from Brevard County into Indian River County.
Finch Walker is a Breaking News Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or fwalker@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @_finchwalker | https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2022/07/08/authorized-burn-taking-place-friday-st-sebastian-river-preserve-state-park/10016581002/ | 2022-07-09T01:36:39 | 1 | https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2022/07/08/authorized-burn-taking-place-friday-st-sebastian-river-preserve-state-park/10016581002/ |
Only one primary race in Arizona House legislative districts 19, 21 and 23 is contested, with three Democrats vying for their party's two spots in the District 21 general election in November.
The remaining races in those districts feature candidates who will automatically move on to the November ballot.
The districts represent mostly southern and eastern Arizona, except for LD23 which stretches mostly west of Tucson from the international border north to Yuma and on up to Phoenix.
District 19
Two Republican incumbents and one Democratic candidate are running in this uncontested Aug. 2 primary race, and will automatically make it to the Nov. 8 general election ballot. Voters in each party can vote for two nominees. The district includes portions of Pima, Santa Cruz, Graham, Greenlee and Cochise counties, including the city of Douglas.
Incumbent Lupe Diaz, of Benson, is a conservative representing District 14 after being appointed in November 2021 to replace Rep. Becky Nutt, of Clifton. Nutt reportedly resigned for personal reasons. Diaz is pastor of Grace Christian Center and is seeking re-election in District 19.
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Gail Griffin, of Hereford, is the other incumbent, and she has lived in Cochise County for 53 years and in District 19 for 26 years. She is a real estate broker and a former state senator.
Democrat Sanda Clark, of Green Valley, is a concert pianist who escaped communism in her native Romania. She has lived in Pima County for 18 years, and in District 19 four years.
District 21
Two Republican write-in candidates and three Democratic candidates are running in this district that encompasses western Pima County, about half of Santa Cruz County and the city of Bisbee in Cochise County. The two Republican candidates are uncontested and will advance to the November election.
Republican Damien Kennedy, of Amado, has lived in Pima County for 15 years and in District 21 for one year. He is listed in state documents as an employee of Amado Management. The business is a medical marijuana production complex and Kennedy works to provide genetic acquisitions and analytical analysis to create "medical cannabis strains that will better help patients across Arizona and beyond," states his LinkedIn account.
Republican Deborah McEwen, of Rio Rico, has lived in both Santa Cruz County and District 21 for five years. The native of Howell, Michigan is a retired federal and state criminal justice employee.
The Democrats are:
Consuelo Hernandez, of Tucson, who is a graduate of Sunnyside High School and now serves as president of the Sunnyside Unified School District Governing Board. She has lived in Pima County for 29 years and in District 21 for one year. Hernandez received a bachelor's in global health from Arizona State University and has provided public health services at free clinics in Panama and Ghana, hosted free citizenship clinics in Tucson, and raised money for students to pay for their DACA renewals. Her Democrats of Greater Tucson campaign website tucne.ws/1kw6 says she is "committed to restoring funding for education, rebuilding Arizona's economy, and investing in infrastructure and renewable energy."
Akanni "Oye" Oyegbola, of Tucson, has lived in Pima County for seven years and in District 21 for one year. He has served as acting mayor of the City of South Tucson, as a council member and also served on several committees for the city, having six years of government experience. Oyegbola is originally from Lagos, Nigeria, and was raised in Washington, D.C. His candidate website akanniforaz.org says Arizona has to raise pay for teachers. "We can't develop well-educated children if we don't have well-paid and qualified teachers. Those who educate our next generation shouldn't have to work multiple jobs to care for their own families." He also supports "affordable, quality health care for every Arizonan" and "alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders."
Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, of Tucson, is an ordained minister and serves as parish associate at St. Mark's Presbyterian Church. She was born in Flagstaff and during her childhood she spent years on the Navajo Nation. She received her master's of divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary. She was elected in 2020 as a state representative, and last October she was appointed to replace District 10 Sen. Kirsten Engel who resigned to run for Congress. As a result of redistricting, she is running in District 21 as a representative instead of the state senate. Her campaign website stahlhamiltonforaz.com says children "deserve a fully funded education"; to protect the environment "regulations need to be put into place regarding water use, ranching, farming and mining"; and "access to reproductive health care and contraception should be readily available and legal, regardless of economic status or race."
The top two Democrats will advance to November.
District 23
One Republican write-in candidate and two Democrats are running in this uncontested race. The sprawling district runs mostly west of Tucson from the international border to Yuma and meanders up to Phoenix. It includes the Tohono O'odham Nation, a small section of Tucson's southwest side and portions of Pima, Santa Cruz, Yuma, Pinal and Maricopa counties.
Republican Michele Pena, who was born and raised in Yuma, has lived in District 23 for two years. She works for ALCO Harvesting, an agriculture business that manages farm workers in California and Arizona.
Democrat Jesus Lugo, Jr., of Gadsden, is a native of Yuma. He is a social worker who has lived in Maricopa County for four years and in District 23 for 24 years. He received a bachelor's from Arizona State University in 2014.
Democrat Mariana Sandoval, of Goodyear, grew up in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California. She is a graduate of Los Angeles Mission College with a degree in interdisciplinary and paralegal studies. She is a former paralegal in the Arizona Attorney General's office, and a board member of the Agua Fria Union High School District and the Arizona Latino School Board Association.
Further information on all candidates, including their nomination papers and financial disclosure statements, is available online at azsos.gov/elections. | https://tucson.com/news/local/most-candidates-in-3-southern-arizona-house-races-will-advance-to-general-election/article_a4fe3b60-fbe5-11ec-862a-33a969ba4004.html | 2022-07-09T01:36:41 | 1 | https://tucson.com/news/local/most-candidates-in-3-southern-arizona-house-races-will-advance-to-general-election/article_a4fe3b60-fbe5-11ec-862a-33a969ba4004.html |
WILDWOOD CREST — Members of the Avalon Beach Patrol won three events Friday to capture the Cape May County Lifeguard Championships team title at Rambler Road beach.
Avalon’s Dave Giulian and Gary Nagle placed first in the doubles row. Dolan Grisbaum won the open-box swim, and Erich Wolf won the singles row. It was the 38th edition of the event.
Avalon finished with 26 team points. Sea Isle City was second with 22. Wildwood and Cape May each had 19. Wildwood took third place on a tiebreaker.
“It was a very tight race,” Wolf said. “There are a lot of talented teams here.”
Ten Cape May County beach patrols belong to the South Jersey Lifeguard Chiefs Association (Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Upper Township, North Wildwood, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, Stone Harbor, Avalon, Cape May and Cape May Point).
Wildwood Crest won its home event in 2019 and 2021. The races were canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“We are very excited to win it,” said Avalon Chief Matt Wolf, who has been a member of the patrol for 25 years. He and Erich Wolf are brothers. “This is the first time our patrol has won it since I’ve been a guard. So this is special. The guards put in a lot of hard work. They do a great job on the beach. They train hard and put their own time into it.
“We are also excited because we won the three South Jersey (Lifeguard Championships) events , so that bodes well for later in the season.”
Giulian and Nagle won the doubles row in 13 minutes, 9 seconds after finishing second in the event in 2021. On Friday, Avalon was in the lead to start the race. The current was pulling each boat north, and Cape May’s Andrew Treffesien and Mike Fitzpatrick took the lead after the turn. Treffesien and Fitzpatrick remained in the lead until the end, when Giulian and Nagle pulled in front and, despite their boat turning as they approached the shore, earned the victory.
Treffesien and Fitzpatrick finished in 13:24
“We just had a great start,” said Nagle, a 2018 Middle Township High School graduate. “Dave did a good job pushing us off there in the beginning. Everyone was making adjustments out there.”
After the Avalon duo fell behind, Nagle told Giulian they had to finish the race strong. They caught a wave at the end.
“Nothing feels better than that,” Nagle said.
Giulian recently graduated from Middle. He was named The Press Male Athlete of the Year and finished sixth at 190 pounds at the state wrestling tournament in Atlantic City in March. He is also a standout football player.
He added to his athletic success Friday.
“We had this circled on our calendar for the whole year now,” Giulian said.
“It’s great to see them come out here and win,” Wolf said. “They’ve been working really hard.”
Added Nagle: "That was our expectation.”
Grisbaum won the open-box swim for the second year in a row. He finished in 10:58. The 2021 Ocean City High School graduate now swims for Boston University. He placed fourth in the 1,650-meter freestyle at the Patriot League Championships for the Terriers.
Grisbaum was the 2020-21 Press Boys Swimmer of the Year. He has had great success in the pool and just as much success in the ocean when he was a rookie last summer.
Sea Isle’s Andrew Taylor was second (11:32) in Friday's race.
“I definitely wanted to defend my tithe this year,” Grisbaum said. “There are a lot of new guys in the mix, which is always fun and exciting. I tried to stay in shape the last few months. Being in college, you don’t always swim through the entire year.”
Grisbaum has been swimming at his pool and in the ocean. Coming out of the ocean Friday, the run was a little long, he said. At the beginning, the swimmers ran in knee-deep water for some time before swimming.
“I’m not much of a runner,” he joked. “But I knew to take it out fast. It was a really long surf dash out there, too. But I’m pretty good at that, so I wasn’t really worried.”
Wolf won the singles row in 5:18. He got turned by a wave when he was coming in, but the 36-year-old had a large enough lead that he was able to straighten out and win. He hadn’t really been in a boat yet this summer but still won.
“I had a good row out there, until the end,” Wolf said. “I hope nobody was watching that finish there. But it was a good first row of the summer and plenty more to come. It all worked out.”
Sea Isle’s Corbin King won the open box-paddleboard in 7:56. He competed in the event last year but “was young,” he said, adding that he worked hard in the offseason.
Sea Isle’s Mary Kate Leonard won the female box swim (12:49).
“It feels amazing,” said King, 18, of Doylestown, Pennsylvania. “It’s all about checking out the waves before you go in. I’m happy I won. It’s a dream come true.”
Ocean City’s Mia Gallagher won the female paddleboard race (9:15). Wildwood Crest’s Brett Pedersen, Terry McGovern, Jake Klecko, Roman Voinea and Sofia Jurusz won the surf dash (4:03).
“It was a really, really tough race,” said Jurusz, a rising senior at Middle Township. “It was really long, but it was really good. It was really exhilarating. I feel really good. I like my team.” | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/3-first-place-finishes-carry-avalon-to-cape-may-county-championships-title/article_5922a240-ff22-11ec-9765-4b602020e582.html | 2022-07-09T01:40:32 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/3-first-place-finishes-carry-avalon-to-cape-may-county-championships-title/article_5922a240-ff22-11ec-9765-4b602020e582.html |
ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Roanoke County Police are on-scene of a car crash on Plantation Road.
Officials say roads are closed from Santee Road to Magnolia Road.
They say they are expecting it to be an extended closure.
10 News has a crew on their way to the scene.
This is a developing story.
Stay with 10 News on-air and online as we continue to learn more. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/07/09/roanoke-county-crash-closes-parts-of-plantation-road/ | 2022-07-09T01:40:32 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/07/09/roanoke-county-crash-closes-parts-of-plantation-road/ |
LONGPORT – The Longport Beach Patrol made a familiar great start to the beach patrol competition season Friday at the 50th Captain Michael D. McGrath Longport Memorial Lifeguard Races.
With Longport’s Mike McGrath (son of man for whom the event is named) and Sean Duffey winning the doubles row and swimmers Mason Bushay, Megan Fox and Michael Wojciechowicz sweeping the top three places, the home patrol dominated the first two races. Atlantic City’s Sean Blair won the singles row.
Longport’s team scoring system in its event has changed, and Longport won the team title with 14 points. Margate was second with 10 points and Atlantic City took third with nine.
“Sean and Mike did a great job in the doubles, and our swimmers did really well going 1-2-3,” first-year Longport Chief Tom Kresz said. “I’m really proud of our competitor. They gave it their all.”
A good crowd gathered at 33rd Avenue beach to watch the races. The five competing beach patrols were Longport, Margate, Ventnor, Atlantic City and Brigantine.
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Longport, the dominant South Jersey patrol for the last five years, won the team title of its own event in 2018, 2019 and 2021, the last three times it was held. Margate won in 2017. The event was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
McGrath and Duffey won the doubles by at least 50 yards in 16 minutes, 31.89 seconds. Brigantine’s Jack Savell and Joe Savell were second in 17:20.98, and Margate’s Chris Spiers and Hayden Smallwood took third in 17:25.45.
“We tried to row controlled and calm,” said Duffey, 39, the stern. “There was some chop, so we tried to stay clean in it. We haven’t had as much time to row this year, but we’re glad to be back. There were a lot of new crews this year.”
Longport swimming star Joey Tepper isn’t lifeguarding this year, but Bushay kept Longport winning the swim as he won it in 10:47. Fox was second in 11:01 and Wojciechowicz third in 11:31. It was Bushay’s first win against other patrols.
“I really pushed it on the way out and used the waves on the way in,” said Bushay, a 16-year-old rising senior at Mainland Regional High School.
Unlike most South Jersey Lifeguard Chiefs Association events, the Longport Memorials allows for three swimmers from each patrol to compete in that race.
A.C.’’s Blair won the singles at the southern end of the beach in 5:04. McGrath caught a wave toward the end and made it fairly close, getting second in 5:06. Margate’s Bob Bechtel was third in 5:19. It was also Blair’s first win against other patrols.
“I got a little help from a wave, but I decided to stay in the bow and row instead of hopping back (in the stern) to shoot the wave,” said Blair, 21, a rising senior at Drexel University where he rows.
Note: The awards were presented in honor of the late William A Fiore, a longtime Longport mayor, commissioner and volunteer firefighter who recently died. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/longport-wins-its-home-race-for-fourth-consecutive-time/article_7e74ade0-ff18-11ec-8d02-634265683a60.html | 2022-07-09T01:40:38 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/longport-wins-its-home-race-for-fourth-consecutive-time/article_7e74ade0-ff18-11ec-8d02-634265683a60.html |
The Middle Township 12-and-under baseball team eliminated Northfield from the Little League District 16 tournament with a 6-2 victory Thursday.
Middle was set to play Linwood on Friday. The winner will advance to the championship game against Stafford Township. District 16 consists of 16 programs in Atlantic, Cape May and Ocean counties.
Bryce Ziegler pitched 5 2/3 innings and struck out five to earn the win. He added three RBIs and three hits, including a double. Middle had 12 hits. Nick Matteucci added three hits. Jerry Booth doubled.
For Northfield, AJ Goukler had two hits, including a double.
SoftballDistrict 16 10U
Cape May County 18, Hammonton 2: Jordyn DeHorsey, Tenley VanArtsdalen and Mackenzie Vandever each scored three runs for Cape May County.
Addison LeSage struck out three and allowed just two hits in the win. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/middle-township-eliminates-northfield-earns-chance-to-play-in-district-16-title-game/article_1f418562-febb-11ec-b361-a764a8a237e8.html | 2022-07-09T01:40:44 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/middle-township-eliminates-northfield-earns-chance-to-play-in-district-16-title-game/article_1f418562-febb-11ec-b361-a764a8a237e8.html |
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Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/good-samaritan-reunites-boy-with-family-after-fireworks-chaos/3294481/ | 2022-07-09T01:49:50 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/good-samaritan-reunites-boy-with-family-after-fireworks-chaos/3294481/ |
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Senate approved a bill that would amend the state Constitution to clarify it does not protect abortion rights or public funding for them, including health insurance coverage under public plans.
While the amendment is not an outright ban on abortions, it paves the way for abortion rights to be restricted, criminalized or banned entirely.
Similar versions of the bill have been previously introduced, so the content of SB 106 didn’t come as a surprise. What did surprise Democratic legislators, though, was its 11 p.m. approval out of committee on Thursday.
“There was no reason for that other than to get this hidden. Hidden, done and out of way and hoping nobody would pick up on it,” State Sen. Amanda Cappelletti, (D-Montgomery) said before the vote on Friday morning.
Democrats accused Republicans of trying to subvert the legislative process through a constitutional amendment, which bypasses the governor’s veto power.
Republicans said the amendment would pass the question of abortion rights to the people.
“In contrast to previous speakers who have said this is an effort to subvert the legislative process, it is an effort to ensure that the legislative process is not subverted again by a court system,” State Sen. Cris Dush, (R-Jefferson) said in comments before the vote.
A constitutional amendment needs to be passed in two consecutive legislative sessions. If the so-called “life amendment” also passes the state House before the legislature adjourns for the summer, it would then need to be passed again after January 2023.
Democrats’ plan to avert another passage of the bill is to retake the state House, where all seats are up for reelection in the fall.
“It is time for everyone who is upset about this, who is angry about this, to do more. Rallies are great, this is awesome. But we need to vote,” said Jill Dennin, a Democratic candidate for state Senate in western Montgomery County.
The final step to approve the amendment would be a referendum presented directly to voters on an election ballot. The earliest SB106 could reach voters is the spring primary elections of 2023.
The odds of voters passing the measure, however, is no sure bet. A convincing majority—85 percent—of Pennsylvanians think abortion should be legal under some or any circumstances, according to a May poll by F&M College.
Republican House leadership could not be reached for comment on Friday. However, party leaders said earlier in the week they wanted to bring the measure to vote in the House before the legislature adjourns for the summer, which it was supposed to have done last week.
The flurry of legislation comes even as the state budget has yet to be passed, more than a week after its deadline. The budget deal and summer adjournment could now be delayed further if the House schedules a vote for the amendment first. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/pennsylvania-one-step-closer-banning-abortion/521-b5c6fd01-4597-4c4a-93b2-2c889c904c01 | 2022-07-09T02:04:59 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/pennsylvania-one-step-closer-banning-abortion/521-b5c6fd01-4597-4c4a-93b2-2c889c904c01 |
A woman who shot at a man and pursued him the wrong way down West Broad Street on Thursday has been charged with attempted murder.
Authorities also charged Demetrea Flowers, 53, of Richmond with use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Flowers told police she was exiting a business in the 400 block of West Broad Street when she was confronted by a man, identified by police as Mark Banks, 29. A conflict ensued between the two, and Banks hit Flowers with a café chair.
Flowers responded by producing a firearm and firing toward Banks. Unscathed, Banks fled, and Flowers gave chase, entering her car and driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of Broad. Police charged Banks with malicious wounding.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000 or use the P3 Tips Crime Stoppers app.
Virginia Commonwealth University issued a safety alert Thursday morning, temporarily asking nearby residents to stay inside. The incident occurred about a block from campus. | https://richmond.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/woman-who-opened-fire-on-west-broad-street-is-charged-with-attempted-murder/article_faf8cda7-ee83-588e-ab8f-14edb556800b.html | 2022-07-09T02:06:59 | 1 | https://richmond.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/woman-who-opened-fire-on-west-broad-street-is-charged-with-attempted-murder/article_faf8cda7-ee83-588e-ab8f-14edb556800b.html |
The Richmond Fire Department investigation that found the fire that engulfed William Fox Elementary accidental estimates damage to the building at $2.5 million.
The price includes $2 million for property damage from the three-alarm Feb. 11 blaze and $500,000 for content losses. Last month, the Richmond School Board voted to fast-track the procurement process for design at Fox after previously approving a recommendation to renovate the building instead of replacing the school, which opened in 1911.
On July 1, the department announced the fire at the school on Hanover Avenue was “accidental” and a cause was “undetermined.” The fire department would not hand over a copy of the investigation report last week. The Richmond Times-Dispatch obtained the report through a Freedom of Information Act request.
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“During this investigation, no evidence or information was discovered that would support any deliberate act which would have caused this fire,” the investigation report states.
While the fire was found to be accidental, the report says examinations to find “fire or building code issues” found sufficient evidence or information “that a pre-fire building or fire code violation existed.” The report also says Fox Elementary was cited for violations following an August 2021 fire safety inspection.
The 31-page document includes witness statements, examinations of the building’s interior and exterior and exposure areas and analysis of evidence. Portions of the report are redacted.
The fire that shuttered the beloved Fan District school originated from the school’s attic area on the second floor “which contained a separate classroom and auditorium according to interviews conducted with the school principal,” as stated in the report.
According to the report, Fox Elementary Principal Daniela Jacobs told the investigator in an interview the day after the fire that the school “has been experiencing issues with the alarm panel for several months” and that she “has several emails and communications with RPS personnel regarding issues with the alarm panel.”
The report says the violations found in the August 2021 fire safety inspection referred to an emergency power system that was to provide illumination in case of an outage; storage of combustible material in equipment rooms; exit sign illumination; a copy machine obstructing an exit in a modular class; an electrical panel that was blocked in a storage area, leaving insufficient work space; an alarm system that was “in Trouble mode” with “no updated annual inspection report; and an extension cord that was being “used as a permanent electrical source.”
The 2021 citation says those violations were to have been corrected by Sept. 30. The new report does not say whether or when those problems were addressed.
Jacobs, the school’s principal, said that sometime before the fire, she had been made aware that Fox “was infested with mice and the mice had previously chewed through the wires in the attic area,” according to the report. Orkin Pest Control had made school staff aware of the rodent issue, according to Jacobs.
Surveillance cameras at Fox also did not work, according to the interview with Jacobs.
Visual inspections were completed of each classroom, which indicated that fire damage was more significant on the school’s second floor than on the first floor.
While school officials’ statements helped determine the fire’s area of origin, “this area could not be accessed due to safety concerns for the investigators,” according to the report.
A fire investigator reported an initial observation indicated that the “fire damage appeared to be the most significant” on the second floor. The roof had collapsed onto the floor in this area, according to the report.
Further information regarding the area of origin and cause will not be available until the investigation portion conducted by VAcorp insurance company and the city of Richmond is completed. Unfinished business includes removing asbestos and shoring up the school building. A building engineer needs to determine that the area of origin is safe for investigators to enter, according to the report.
In the days after the fire, Richmond Public Schools and the fire department came under scrutiny. The night of the fire, firefighters left the scene after an initial search did not show signs of a blaze. However, the school would soon burst into flames, with the roof collapsing.
The Times-Dispatch reported the morning following the fire that audio logs from the initial emergency dispatch indicated the responders could not reach a school representative in order to access the building. | https://richmond.com/news/local/education/read-the-report-fox-fire-probe-estimates-damage-at-2-5-million-school-faced-prior/article_8515e695-5e88-56f8-a7c3-6f2272e32c53.html | 2022-07-09T02:07:01 | 1 | https://richmond.com/news/local/education/read-the-report-fox-fire-probe-estimates-damage-at-2-5-million-school-faced-prior/article_8515e695-5e88-56f8-a7c3-6f2272e32c53.html |
1 injured after officer-involved shooting at Mesa Police Department headquarters
An officer-involved shooting occurred Thursday night at the Mesa Police Department headquarters, according to police.
Officials said the incident happened after a woman followed a police officer in her car for several miles and rammed the patrol vehicle into a secure area.
The suspect, 39-year-old Taneysha Carter, sustained at least one gunshot wound that is considered not life-threatening, according to a Mesa police news release. Officials said she was given medical treatment for the injury and then taken into police custody.
According to the news release, on Thursday evening, a uniformed officer driving a marked Mesa police car noticed a car with its hazard lights on had been following him near University Drive and Morris. The car continued to follow the officer as he was dispatched for a service call and after he left the scene of the call.
At around 9 p.m., the officer entered the Mesa police headquarters on its north side with the vehicle still closely behind him, according to Mesa police. He attempted to enter a locked gate accessible only to department personnel when the vehicle rammed the patrol car as the gate was opening. The officer tried to enter as the gate was still opening when the vehicle rammed the patrol car again, pushing it through the gate.
Police said the officer then rolled out of his patrol car, the suspect vehicle faced him and he fired at Carter.
Carter ran from the vehicle in the direction of the Mesa Police Department holding facility, “where unarmed detention officers process other arrestees,” the release states, and the same officer fired at the woman again.
The officer involved in the shooting was unharmed other than a few cuts and scrapes, officials said. The department is not releasing the officer’s name at this time, according to Mesa Police Department public information officer Brandi George.
Carter has been booked into jail for three felony charges: aggravated assault, aggravated assault on a police officer and first degree criminal trespassing.
Reach breaking news reporter Sam Burdette at sburdette@gannett.com or on Twitter @SuperSafetySam
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-breaking/2022/07/08/shooting-occurs-mesa-police-headquarters/10018867002/ | 2022-07-09T02:14:47 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-breaking/2022/07/08/shooting-occurs-mesa-police-headquarters/10018867002/ |
Firefighters work to put out a blaze coming from a charter bus stopped along Front Street in downtown Boise on Friday. Passengers had disembarked when a possible overheated brake caused a fire in the left rear.
Firefighters work to put out a blaze coming from a charter bus stopped along Front Street in downtown Boise on Friday. Passengers had disembarked when a possible overheated brake caused a fire in the left rear.
BOISE — A charter bus caught fire in downtown Boise on Friday afternoon, halting traffic outside of the Boise Centre on Front Street.
The Boise Fire Department reported to the scene with four engines, one ladder truck, an ambulance and a paramedic battalion chief, according to BFD Battalion Chief Tom Moore.
No one was injured during the fire, which occurred around 4 p.m.
"We hear bus, we get a little nervous," Moore said. "We've had some pretty significant bus fires in the past with natural-gas ... electric buses catching fire. It can be significant."
The fire on Friday occurred on a diesel-powered bus shortly after passengers disembarked at the Boise Centre after returning from Ontario earlier in the day, said the driver, who declined to give his name. He said fewer than 20 passengers were on the bus, and none were aboard when it caught fire.
The fire department confirmed no one was inside when the blaze started, Moore said.
The fire occurred on the driver's side of the bus near the back tire. Moore said the firefighters suspected that there was something wrong with the wheel, specifically pertaining to the breaks or bearings. | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/bus-catches-fire-in-downtown-boise/article_58a7d598-dae6-58aa-817e-7d171358db5d.html | 2022-07-09T02:15:54 | 0 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/bus-catches-fire-in-downtown-boise/article_58a7d598-dae6-58aa-817e-7d171358db5d.html |
FISHERS, Ind. — Dozens of bikers and walkers will come together this month for a fun morning to celebrate the life of a remarkable young woman.
Megan's Ride and Walk is a way to remember Megan Stancliffe, who died five years ago at the age of 23.
Bike riding is a great escape. It's peaceful, pedaling through the open countryside.
For Tom Stancliffe, it is therapy.
"It doesn't get any easier, but you have to take it day by day. She is an awesome little girl that is up in heaven now. She is definitely my angel up there," he said.
Megan was born with cerebral palsy. Her father made sure his little girl got to experience all of life's adventures.
"She just brought so much life to me, even though she wasn't able to talk or walk or feed herself, she just...you always wanted to be around her," Stancliffe said.
They did it all, but biking was their favorite pastime, so Tom started Megan's Ride. Megan's younger brother Bryan rides in honor of his sister.
"Just to be able to express how she was and celebrate her life to the people who may not have known her and the people that did know her - it's everything," he said.
Last year, 130 riders showed up for the event. All of the money raise goes to a nonprofit called Outside The Box, a daycare for people with disabilities where Megan loved to go.
"Most of those places, all they do is plop you down in front of a TV and, 'Hey, this is your excitement for the day,'" Tom said. "But Outside The Box, these guys went over and above and spent a lot of time with your child."
So again this year, they'll ride in memory of Megan, because she was an inspiration.
"She was a real fighter. That's the perfect word to describe her," Tom said. "She went through so many countless surgeries. She had a surgery that involved going into her brain. I remember her coming out of that surgery with the biggest smile I have ever seen."
Megan's Ride is scheduled for Saturday, July 30 in Fishers. There will be a family bike ride, along with a 20-mile and 50-mile route and a 5k walking course. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/indiana/inspiring-indiana/inspiring-indiana-megan-stancliffe-megans-ride-bicycle-walk-charity/531-a5a89e10-7997-405b-81b8-2c7d3c0ab970 | 2022-07-09T02:19:59 | 1 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/indiana/inspiring-indiana/inspiring-indiana-megan-stancliffe-megans-ride-bicycle-walk-charity/531-a5a89e10-7997-405b-81b8-2c7d3c0ab970 |
FORT WORTH, Texas — The air in Leslie Beltran's apartment is technically on, but her unit is still hot.
On Friday, the hottest day of the year so far, her thermostat read 83 degrees.
“It’s not one of the regular units were you control your own A/C or heat," Beltran said. "It’s controlled by the office or the system outside.”
Beltran has lived at the Sabine Place Apartments with her five children for six years. She said issues with the complex's cooling and heating system are normal, but the heat in North Texas this year is not.
She said 83 degrees on Friday "isn't comfortable," but it's better than it was.
Her A/C went out Wednesday. By the time someone came to fix it, more than 24 hours later, it was 99 degrees in Beltran's apartment.
“It took a while for me to get through to anybody corporate," Beltran said. "It’s a pain getting through to them. With email, they're supposed to respond in 24 hours. No one ever responds."
Beltran said she had to go to the leasing office at her property multiple times, send emails, make a number of calls and eventually get through to the corporate office for the company that owns the complex before someone came to address the situation.
On Friday evening, she was still waiting for someone to check on the unit hours after management told her they’d arrive.
“I feel like we’re looked down on because it’s low income housing, but it does matter,” Beltran said.
Sabine Place is a Section 8 housing property owned by Colorado-based Monroe Group. The company has not responded to WFAA’s request for comment about the cooling system at the complex or what efforts are in place to assist tenants through the summer.
“We’re not complaining. This is what we deal with. We live here. You guys get to go home to a nice cold home. We have to deal with this heat here,” Beltran said.
Beltran and her children bought fans. They also have two window units, but have received citations because the units are against the complex’s policy.
“When they don’t expedite the A/C problems, what are we to do?” Beltran asked.
WFAA spoke with multiple people who lived in the complex who said they’ve had similar issues this week. Tenants also received a notice this week that the water at the complex will be turned off Monday for a majority of the day as maintenance works on a leak.
Next week will also bring triple digit heat for North Texas.
“It’s very uncomfortable,” Beltran said. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/families-low-income-housing-property-fort-worth-ac-issues-hot-weather/287-0762b428-aa44-40b2-b50a-26011a5441dc | 2022-07-09T02:20:01 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/families-low-income-housing-property-fort-worth-ac-issues-hot-weather/287-0762b428-aa44-40b2-b50a-26011a5441dc |
FORT WORTH, Texas — In the shadows of the Fort worth Stockyards, a century-long hidden history is buried.
On the corner of Northeast 12th Street and Samuels Avenue sits the Fred Rouse memorial site. The empty plot of land is the site where the husband, father and black citizen was lynched by a white mob on December 11th, 1921.
Rouse, a union butcher at Swift & Company meat-packing is the only recorded African American to have been lynched in Tarrant County.
His grandson, Fred Rouse III never knew the story of his grandfather’s murder.
“I’ve been in Dallas-Fort Worth my entire adult life since I was 22 and never knew anything about the story," Rouse III said.
That all changed when the North Texas man’s phone rang on a quiet evening in 2021.
“Boom. It’s like lightning struck,” Rouse III said.
Rouse, 46 at the time, was at home watching the NBA finals when the call came in. It was about his genealogy.
That’s how Rouse III learned that his grandfather, Fred Rouse, was the victim of a lynching more than 100 years ago.
From that day on, nothing was the same. Rouse III was in a state of shock.
“I was in very much denial,” Rouse III said.
“I was angry, I was horrified… at the same time, I was embarrassed to have to tell people that this happened.”
Rouse III told WFAA that his own father never shared the story of what happened to his dad.
“They took his dad from him. My dad was a baby when his father was murdered, so he never got a chance to grow up with his father,” Rouse III said.
Ever since he learned the true story of his family history, Rouse III has connected with cousins he never knew he had. Through them, he has learned more about the tragedy’s toll on his family.
“He took that anger to his grave, he was just so hurt. Never told my mom, never told anybody,” Rouse III said.
What happened to Fred Rouse?
The attacks on Mr. Fred Rouse lasted from Tuesday, Dec. 6th, 1921, until Dec. 11th, 1921.
According to the Tarrant County Coalition for Peace and Justice, Rouse was first attacked by a white mob in the stockyards.
Rouse, a Black, non-union butcher for Swift & Company in Fort Worth, couldn’t join white employees when they went on strike in 1921. Employees like Rouse were often called upon to fill the jobs left vacant by those striking.
When Rouse was first attacked on Dec. 6th, 1921, a white mob bludgeoned him and left him on Exchange Avenue. Police officers transported Rouse to the mortuary, but discovered he was still alive.
From there, they took him to the City & County Hospital in downtown Fort Worth.
Five days later, on Dec. 11th, 1921, a mob of white men abducted Rouse from the hospital and drove him to what was known as the “Death Tree,” which sat at the corner of Northeast 12th Street and Samuels Avenue.
The white mob hanged Rouse from the tree and left his body covered in bullet holes. More than 100 people drove to the site to observe the aftermath of his murder.
Members of the white mob were indicted, but no one was ever found guilty for Rouse’s murder.
Rouse's spirit lives on
Decades later, Rouse III grapples with the question: Why was his grandfather brutalized?
Transform 1012, a non-profit coalition of organizations is determined to make sure Rouse’s story will be told for generations to come.
The project was created to transform the former KKK Texas headquarters in Fort Worth into a community and arts space for healing. Several organizations have partnered to make it happen, including: DNAWORKS, LGBTQ SAVES, Opal Lee Foundation, SOL Ballet Folklorico, Tarrant County Coalition for Peace and Justice, The Welman Project, Window to Your World and the 1012 Youth Council.
LGBTQ Founder Sharon Herrera told WFAA people must know and understand the truth about what happened to Rouse.
“One word: hate. That is the word. That triggered everything,” Herrera said. “The history of the city, the unknown history that has come to light… We’re gonna turn that history around and make it something positive, something from the heart.”
Adam McKinney, President of TCCPJ and Co-Founder of DNAWORKS has worked tirelessly to uncover the history surrounding Rouse’s lynching.
“We believe that members of the KKK were involved in the murder of Fred Rouse, because of the manner in which he was murdered by hanging, by shooting, and first being abducted,” McKinney said. “Those were performed and re-performed enactments and practices by the KKK. In working with the Rouse family and placing them at the center of this work, we’re healing from the inside.”
More than 100 years later, Rouse III visits the site of his grandfather’s lynching and speaks to his spirit.
The first time he went to the site, he sat in his car and struggled to confront his family’s painful past. Now, a century after his grandfather was lynched at the site, he wants to set things straight and rise above the hatred.
“They thought they killed the name Fred Rouse. They thought they killed the man, Fred Rouse," Rouse III said. "But 100 years later, Fred Rouse came back in the form of me. His blood came back. Not on the ground, but in a body... And his name still lives on." | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/his-grandfather-lynched-fort-worth-100-years-ago-never-knew-until-last-year/287-9b8c0cb8-d8ac-46df-ac40-45af00c79ea8 | 2022-07-09T02:20:07 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/his-grandfather-lynched-fort-worth-100-years-ago-never-knew-until-last-year/287-9b8c0cb8-d8ac-46df-ac40-45af00c79ea8 |
TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — On Friday, a Travis County judge granted a second injunction against the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS).
The injunction bars the department from implementing the agency's rule investigating families that provide gender-affirming care to their children as child abuse. Friday's ruling halts the agency from investigating two additional families with transgender children.
The court is still considering a request for additional relief to protect Texas PFLAG members with transgender children. It's all part of a lawsuit filed on behalf of PFLAG, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, by several legal groups including Lambda Legal, the ACLU and several others.
"We are gratified that the Court reiterated that the DFPS rule is unlawful and changed the status quo for Texas transgender youth and their families. The Court recognized yet again that being subjected to an unlawful and unwarranted investigation causes irreparable harm for these families who are doing nothing more than caring for and affirming their children and seeking the best course of care for them in consultation with their medical providers. We are confident that the Court will continue to recognize those harms as it considers the injunction we have requested for PFLAG families, including the Briggles," a statement from the legal groups read.
This ruling is just the latest in a series of lawsuits seeking to end investigations into families providing gender-affirming care to transgender children after Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the DFPS to investigate these families for child abuse back in February.
In June, a Travis County judge issued a temporary restraining order that stopped the state from investigating parents as part of another lawsuit.
The Briggle family has been at the front of the lawsuits filed and was previously under investigation by DFPS for providing gender-affirming healthcare to their 14-year-old transgender son.
The ACLU and Lambda Legal have been working to block investigations into all parents of transgender children who are part of PFLAG.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-court-blocks-state-from-investigating-2-families-with-transgender-children/269-6f7bcf86-09ce-457a-b073-cd34f200a1cc | 2022-07-09T02:20:13 | 0 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-court-blocks-state-from-investigating-2-families-with-transgender-children/269-6f7bcf86-09ce-457a-b073-cd34f200a1cc |
IRVING, Texas — A car-train collision in Mexico claimed the lives of four family members from Irving. Now, their community is rallying to help the grieving survivors and to help shoulder the financial burden of bringing the victims home for burial here in Texas.
"The pain is unbearable," said Mike Ahuyon. "The pain is unbearable. I mean, there's no words. There's no words. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy."
But they were words an emotionally devastated brother and uncle was able to struggle through because his devastated family needs help.
His younger brother Chris Ahuyon, an Irving car mechanic, is married to Mercedes Borquez Ahuyon. They have four children. On the morning of June 26, Mercedes was on vacation with the kids and her mother Sofia Borquez in Chihuahua, Mexico. It was a trip they'd made many times before.
"We don't know what happened. We have no idea," said Mike Ahuyon.
Mercedes was driving in the area of Conchos Station near Chihuahua when their vehicle either stalled on train tracks or she just didn't see the train coming. The train slammed into the passenger side of their Chevy Tahoe. Mercedes and her mother Sofia were killed along with two of the children: Cresencio, 6, and Cristobal, 6-months.
The oldest son, 13-year-old Cesar, is in serious condition at Hospital Infantil de Especialidades de Chihuahua with his dad Chris Ahuyon and his only surviving brother Cruz, 2, by his bedside.
"My brother lost his wife. He lost almost his whole family," Mike Ahuyon said through his tears. "It's unspeakable there are no words."
Mike Ahuyon, and his friend Jesus Ortiz, agreed to meet us in an Irving parking lot at 595 S. Belt Line Road because this is where they will hold a car wash fundraiser Saturday morning. It will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the parking lot of Tailor Made Cuts, right next to an O'Reilly Auto Parts store.
A food fundraiser is also planned to last through 6 p.m. Saturday at 411. W. Marshall Drive in Grand Prairie.
Also, next Tuesday July 12th, Aspen Creek Grill at 4300 W. Airport Freeway will donate 10% of their sales to the Ahuyon-Borquez family.
A GoFundMe page is seeking donations too. The money is for the continuing medical bills for the survivors and for the extensive costs of bringing four family members home for burial, likely sometime next week. They plan to hold a memorial service in Irving for all four family members together.
"Anything helps at this point. Donations, prayers, anything," said Jesus Ortiz. "Anything helps. Anything and everything helps."
As for what happened at that train crossing in Mexico, which did not have crossing arms or barricades, this devastated family hopes answers will eventually come.
"My sister-in-law had crossed those railroad tracks hundreds of times, hundreds," Mike Ahuyon said. "So it wasn't abnormal. It wasn't like she didn't know where she was going."
But for now their focus is on helping the extended Ahuyon-Borquez family bring everyone home.
"They're gone," Mike Ahuyon said. "They'll forever be gone but they will forever live in our hearts."
Broken hearts in need of help to say the most painful of goodbyes. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/train-car-collision-mexico-claims-four-members-irving-family/287-c271e4a9-7645-4a03-ba5c-18028bf47d0d | 2022-07-09T02:20:19 | 0 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/train-car-collision-mexico-claims-four-members-irving-family/287-c271e4a9-7645-4a03-ba5c-18028bf47d0d |
WATERLOO --- Federal marshals and local authorities have arrested at least 13 fugitive sex offenders during a recent roundup in Iowa.
At least one of the offenders was from Waterloo.
According to court records, Damon Nigel Howze, 46, had signed out of the Waterloo Residential Correctional Facility on June 2 for a job interview.
It wasn’t clear if he got the job, but authorities said he didn’t return to the facility.
And his GPS ankle bracelet sent out a tamper alert and was later found in the area of East Sixth and Mulberry streets, no longer attached to Howze’s ankle.
Howze --- who is required to register as a sex offender because of a conviction for gross sexual assault in Maine in 2008 and was at the facility for an earlier registration violation --- was placed on escape status, and on Thursday he was arrested for voluntary absence and failure to register.
During the statewide sweep, authorities with the Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force seized two firearms and ammo along with drugs, according to the U.S. Marshals Services. Of the arrests, seven of the suspects had prior convictions for sex crimes against children.
“Much of the success of this operation can be attributed to the vigilant efforts of our community members,” said Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Phil Hartung. “Throughout this operation, tips were received through the Iowa Sex Offender Registry’s tip line and through the United State Marshals tip line.”
The U.S. Marshals are offering cash rewards for information directly leading to the arrest of sex offenders who are non-compliant. Tips submitted are confidential, anonymous and are processed by the Marshals Service.
According to the Marshals, Iowa has 6,549 people on its sex offender registry, and about 49 listed as “most wanted.” The list can be found at www.iowasexoffender.gov/mostwanted . | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/fugitive-sex-offenders-rounded-up-in-statewide-sweep/article_988c2eb5-c4a9-54d2-8bec-32f7b10e0051.html | 2022-07-09T02:28:29 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/fugitive-sex-offenders-rounded-up-in-statewide-sweep/article_988c2eb5-c4a9-54d2-8bec-32f7b10e0051.html |
WACO, Texas — Waco residents will have to limit watering their lawns to twice a week thanks to the new watering restrictions the city plans to impose starting next week.
According to the City of Waco, Lake Waco's water levels are low due to extreme drought in the area, as shown on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
As a result, the city will be imposing Stage 2 of its Drought Contingency Plan starting Wednesday, July 13.
Beginning that day, Waco residents must follow a strict watering schedule:
- Odd-numbered addresses: Tuesdays and Saturdays
- Even-numbered addresses: Wednesdays and Sundays
- Non-residential, like businesses: Mondays and Fridays
- No one is allowed to water their lawns between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursdays.
- Runoff water cannot extend past 10 feet of your property
In a news release, the city said its goal is to reduce water use by over 30%. If you are violating the restrictions, you can face up to a $2,000 fine.
"Lake Waco is a regional water source for our area, making it vital to protect the supply in the future," said City Manager Ford.
“We all play a part in water conservation and ensuring we are responsible for our water usage. Reducing outdoor watering will allow for the City’s water system to recharge as well as reduce stress on Lake Waco, the region’s primary water supply," added Mayor Dillon Meek. | https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/local/city-of-waco-issue-watering-restrictions-next-week/500-4baeeb8b-459a-49f4-8c58-73c735356257 | 2022-07-09T02:31:46 | 0 | https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/local/city-of-waco-issue-watering-restrictions-next-week/500-4baeeb8b-459a-49f4-8c58-73c735356257 |
Junior Reporter for the Day! | Temple Police 'Kiddo Cards' provide IDs for kids 2 to 15
6 News' Junior Reporter, Kinsley Hargrave reports on how the Temple Police Department is making it easier for parents to find their kids, thanks to 'Kiddo Cards.' | https://www.kcentv.com/video/news/local/junior-reporter-for-the-day-temple-police-kiddo-cards-provide-ids-for-kids-2-to-15/500-9a4b1a6a-583f-4198-94c0-24492459e6e8 | 2022-07-09T02:31:58 | 1 | https://www.kcentv.com/video/news/local/junior-reporter-for-the-day-temple-police-kiddo-cards-provide-ids-for-kids-2-to-15/500-9a4b1a6a-583f-4198-94c0-24492459e6e8 |
In winter, we in Washington often worry about whether it will snow, But on many a summer’s day, such as Friday, we worry about the threat of rain.
Summertime in Washington means not only heat and humidity, but includes the seemingly ever present possibility that those two seasonal banes can combine in creating thunder, lightning and a rapid rise in creeks.
Meanwhile, in addition to being electric with storm anticipation, we were almost typically hot and humid Friday. Our high of 87 was three below average, but enough humidity engulfed us to nudge the “feels-like” temperature to 90 and above. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/heat-humidity-join-friday-to-suggest-thunder-lightningt-may-follow/2022/07/08/138c2528-ff1b-11ec-a07f-799ab6d06557_story.html | 2022-07-09T02:50:48 | 1 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/heat-humidity-join-friday-to-suggest-thunder-lightningt-may-follow/2022/07/08/138c2528-ff1b-11ec-a07f-799ab6d06557_story.html |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A hole no wider than a pinky cost more than $1,700 to repair a gas tank after someone brazenly drilled into the gas tank, according to the victim who lives in Sacramento’s Tahoe Park neighborhood.
Molly Tash was headed for ice cream with her niece and nephew when she noticed her 2013 Dodge pick-up truck was out of fuel. She told ABC10 that her nephew alerted her of a strong smell of gasoline when the family decided to inspect further.
“We were parked right here on the street and we’d driven up just a little bit farther and we got out,” Tash said. “And you can see down here on the ground, there was a ton of leaked gas.”
A dark stain where her truck was parked is still visible along 58th Street where her truck was parked.
Tash has comprehensive insurance coverage on the vehicle, which covered the costs of the damages after she paid a $500 deductible. The total cost of replacing her gas tank came at the tune of more than $1,700.
Area mechanics say drilling into a gas tank is costly and dangerous. Hector De Haro is the manager of the John Ellis and Son auto shop in downtown Sacramento. He says this is at least the fourth drilled gas tank his shop received for repairs this week.
The costs can vary by vehicle, but typically run more than $1,300 to replace a gas tank, De Haro said. A vehicle’s fuel tank must be replaced because they’re typically made of plastic and due to safety concerns.
“We’ve been seeing a lot of it, mostly pickup trucks because they do sit a little bit higher,” De Haro said.
The fuel tank of trucks is easier to access and often contains more fuel than smaller cars, making them a target for thieves.
Unlike specialty plates made to protect against catalytic converter thefts, there are no such protections for gas tanks. Much newer vehicles have devices that prevent fuel from being siphoned, however, nothing is available to protect from someone drilling into a gas tank.
There are more simple ways to protect yourself and your vehicle from these types of crimes and related damages, said Insurance Agent Barbara Etrick, with State Farm Insurance.
“Always Park in a well-lit area,” Etrick said.
Your fuel door should be parked facing the main street, so it is most visible to the public, she said. Consider a locking fuel cap to prevent siphoning and consult with your car insurance agent to see what coverage is available to you.
Etrick says most comprehensive car insurance plans should cover this type of damage from theft.
If you have fallen victim to fuel theft and are filing a claim, Etrick says you’ll want to have photos, detailed information about the incident, and a police report. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/how-gasoline-thieves-are-costing-sacramento-drivers/103-c39f3e4f-add8-4d58-acd7-701e6e467904 | 2022-07-09T02:53:32 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/how-gasoline-thieves-are-costing-sacramento-drivers/103-c39f3e4f-add8-4d58-acd7-701e6e467904 |
OREGON CITY, Ore. — There were some tense moments at an Oregon City hotel on Friday as officers with the U.S. Marshals Service raided the building to arrest a fugitive. Meanwhile, a Seattle group staying there for a basketball tournament got a good look at what was happening.
It wasn’t the kind of wakeup call that the visitors expected to have early Friday morning. Two women who had brought their daughters down for a showcase basketball tournament heard loud noises from their room at the Clackamas Inn and Suites in Oregon City.
“It was a super loud 'boom-boom' and we thought someone had run their car into the building, or possibly a fight going on, we weren't sure ... we knew it was something big," said Shelly.
RELATED: Driver arrested after hitting 72-year-old woman near Portland hospital, then fleeing the scene
Shelly and her friend Kim asked KGW to use their first names only. What they were hearing that morning was the U.S. Marshal's Pacific Northwest Violent Offenders Task Force using a battering ram to bust into the room right below them.
As the officers busted in, Shelly and Kim saw the fugitive jump from a second story window. Just after that, from one floor above, the women took cover and only looked to see what was happening when it felt safe to do so.
"Actually, my friend Kim looked out the window and yelled 'they have a gun they have a gun,'” said Shelly.
The women said that the task force had guns trained on the fugitive's window, and it felt too close for comfort.
After the jump from above, the fugitive, later identified as 31-year-old Jeremiah Wakefield, was caught and taken into custody. U.S. Marshals said that Wakefield had multiple felony warrants, including a charge for escaping from the Washington Department of Corrections and probation violations stemming from an assault charge.
RELATED: Portland police arrest man accused of anti-Asian attack after he failed to show up in court
The moms have traveled a lot for their kids’ games but what they saw here on Friday morning may take the cake.
“When you were coming down to Oregon City, Oregon did you expect this kind of excitement?” asked KGW's Tim Gordon.
“Never on a million years, I knew we were going to have fun, a little excitement but not this much,” said Kim with a chuckle.
They can laugh now — but, Kim added, “It's serous this time ... hopefully he'll learn his lesson, I’ll say that." | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/us-marshals-fugitive-oregon-city-hotel-seattle-moms/283-fdc53485-4a18-4e85-9b61-d9e091afe175 | 2022-07-09T02:58:38 | 1 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/us-marshals-fugitive-oregon-city-hotel-seattle-moms/283-fdc53485-4a18-4e85-9b61-d9e091afe175 |
Travelers heading across Lake Washington and south on Interstate 5 this weekend will need to plan and consider alternative routes.
State Route 520 over Lake Washington will be closed and Revive I-5 work will close Interstate 90 on and off ramps this weekend.
SR 520 will be closed until 5 a.m. on Monday. Crews will place 28 bridge girders over the bridge during the closure.
Multiple southbound I-5 lanes will be closed until 5 a.m. on Monday as well.
Lane reductions will take place between the southbound I-5 off-ramp to I-90 and S. Forest Street. The eastbound and westbound I-90 ramps to southbound I-5 will be closed, except for two hours after stadium events.
Two 17-year-old boys have been charged with murder in the shooting death of a 14-year-old girl in Tacoma.
Pierce County prosecutors charged Christopher Anthony P. Felizardo and Jeremiah Anthony Greg Averitt on Friday.
"The recklessness of the shooting out in an area that was well populated put multiple people at risk," said Lisa Wagner, Pierce County deputy prosecuting attorney. Read more
Alongside the potato fields of Skagit County sits a plant so poisonous it can kill a thousand-pound cow in just a couple of hours.
So, imagine what it could do to a child or pet.
Poison hemlock is growing and spreading across Skagit County. Read more
The Sealife Rescue Center in Des Moines is caring for injured and abandoned harbor seals and has a message heading into the hottest weeks of the summer: keep your distance from seal pups.
Sealife Response, Rehab and Rescue's marine wildlife hospital opened in April 2021 in Des Moines. They take in injured harbor seal pups, many of which have been abandoned by their mothers after an encounter with a human.
It's the only hospital dedicated to marine life in the Pacific Northwest. Learn more
When you gotta go, you gotta go. And the state wants to make that experience more enjoyable, at least at roadside rest stops.
Drivers are encouraged to fill out surveys on their recent visits to any of the 47 rest stops along state and federal highways in Washington. The surveys will be collected up until Labor Day, Sept. 5.
Results will be passed on to maintenance crews, engineers, developers and potentially legislators. Read more
Also see: Western Washington forecast
Have the "5 things you need to know" delivered to your inbox. Sign up for the daily morning email here. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/5-things-to-know-this-weekend-july-2022/281-f417281f-4cbb-483c-a751-dc2e878b4877 | 2022-07-09T02:59:34 | 1 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/5-things-to-know-this-weekend-july-2022/281-f417281f-4cbb-483c-a751-dc2e878b4877 |
SEATTLE — Legendary Martial artist Bruce Lee only lived in Seattle for five years but the impact and influence is remarkable.
Lee moved to Seattle in 1959 to finish school. He taught martial arts to earn money to help pay tuition at the University of Washington, where he studied drama and philosophy.
Much of Lee’s personal philosophy is on display in Seattle at a new exhibit at the Wing Luke Museum.
"Bruce Lee Exhibit: Be Water My Friend" is an interactive exhibit that invites viewers to step into the mind, body, and spirit of Bruce Lee to see how his unquenchable pursuit of knowledge informed his philosophy and life. Lee was known for his martial arts and spent a substantial amount of his time training his mind though reading.
The exhibit features a personal library with more than 2,000 books that Bruce Lee’s daughter said is very revealing and highly personal. Shannon Lee said packing up her dad’s book library to send to Seattle was a reminder that her fathers famous quotes and philosophies came from his thirst for knowledge and consistent consumption of books.
“I knew he was an avid reader because we had all these books around the house but packing them up reminded me of how much work he put in to bettering himself,” Shannon Lee said.
Titles ranging from “The Wisdom of Insecurity” to “Integral Yoga” surround an exhibit featuring personal items and interactive water themed displays. Shannon Lee said her dads massive book library is even more impressive when you consider he only lived to be 32 years old.
“I think that’s why this collection is so intimate and personal feeling,” she said.
The museum also features images and information on the years Lee lived in Seattle and how he fought against oppression and complicated social issues by focusing on better preparing himself. His phrases like “Be Water, my friend” are well-known and symbolize Bruce Lee’s vision for mental strength.
Joël Barraquiel Tan took over as executive director of The Wing Luke Museum in April and said the exhibit will be a part of the museum as a whole.
“What’s really exciting is that our latest exhibit coincides with the announcement of the Bruce Lee Foundation's permanent home here in one of our gallery spaces.”
The exhibit opens to the public on July 9. The opening celebration includes a short program featuring a dragon and lion dance blessing. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/bruce-lee-exhibit-seattle/281-5ba14529-29ba-413f-ab58-7294afebbf49 | 2022-07-09T02:59:40 | 1 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/bruce-lee-exhibit-seattle/281-5ba14529-29ba-413f-ab58-7294afebbf49 |
SEATTLE — The news out of Japan is sending shockwaves around the world, including in West Seattle.
Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan, was shot and killed during a campaign event in the City of Nara.
"It broke my heart when I heard that he was assassinated," said Gerry Kingen.
Abe, 67, was shot from behind minutes after he started his speech in Nara. He was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment but was not breathing and his heart had stopped. He was later pronounced dead despite emergency treatment that included massive blood transfusions, hospital officials said.
Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene of the attack that shocked many in Japan, which is one of the world’s safest nations and has some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere.
The reaction to Abe's death was an emotional one for both Gerry and Kathy Kingen. The couple had the opportunity to meet the then-prime minister and his wife, Akie Abe, in 2018.
"We are just devastated, but we are so honored to have played a part in the memories that they have together here in Seattle," said Kathy Kingen.
She's referring to April 19, 2018.
"We received a call from the Japanese consulate here in Seattle. They informed us that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was coming to Seattle," she explained.
There was a request for Shinzo and Akie Abe to have lunch at the Kingen's restaurant, Salty's on Alki.
"It was huge. We were very flattered, very honored," said Gerry.
When the motorcade arrived at the restaurant, they were among the first to greet the couple.
"There we got to speak with Prime Minister Abe and get to know him," said Kathy. "Then his wife, Akie, and I spent a lot of time off to the side."
"She and my wife bonded instantly," Gerry added.
Former KING 5 Anchor Lori Matsukawa first met Shinzo Abe back in 2016. She reacted to the news of the assassination on Friday.
"This was a huge shock for me. I do know that Shinzo Abe had his detractors, but, as far as we civilians on the ground, he very much promoted this people-to-people relationship idea," said Matsukawa.
As a memorial grows in Japan, Gerry and Kathy Kingen are holding on to the memories made in West Seattle, including the thank you letter Akie Abe sent Kathy after the Seattle visit.
"My heart breaks for her now," said Kathy.
Karen Yoshitomi, the executive director of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington, issued the following statement:
"The Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington was shocked and dismayed by the news of the assassination of former Prime Minister Abe yesterday. Japan has an exceptionally low crime rate and gun violence is almost unheard of, and yet an incident such as this is a warning that there is much work to do with regard to social justice and human relations."
Hisao Inagaki the consul general of Japan in Seattle, called the shooting a "cowardly act of barbarism," in a prepared statement.
"He loved Japan, and always looked one step ahead of the times. His great achievements opened up the future for his country. It is a pity to have lost an exemplary politician, who left an enduring legacy in various fields, in this manner," the statement reads, in part. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/reaction-assassination-former-japanese-prime-minister-shinzo-abe/281-9ddc8a2d-52d4-45a4-a196-d01b147ba971 | 2022-07-09T02:59:46 | 1 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/reaction-assassination-former-japanese-prime-minister-shinzo-abe/281-9ddc8a2d-52d4-45a4-a196-d01b147ba971 |
PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Pierce County Council candidate Josh Harris, who shot a suspected car thief, will not be charged following an investigation that showed he acted in self defense, according to a memo from the prosecuting attorney's office.
The suspected car thief, Scott Stacy, will be charged with second-degree assault with a deadly weapon (vehicle), after the same charge was previously dropped.
On May 30, Harris was in a wooded area near Cheney stadium looking for stolen property. While there, he found two vehicles he suspected to be stolen, according to the investigation by the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office.
Before leaving the area and calling police, a woman living in a tent told Harris that Stacy knew him and had "threatened to kill Harris and his family," according to the investigation.
When police arrived and confirmed at least one of the vehicles was stolen, they began walking back to the wooded area. At that time, the stolen vehicle drove up a path, past the officers and toward the parking lot at a high rate of speed.
The officers heard gunshots shortly after.
Both Harris and another man who joined Harris to search for stolen items drew handguns. As the vehicle approached, Harris fired multiple rounds at the driver's windshield, according to the investigation.
Stacy stopped the vehicle, put it in reverse, and then sped away from Harris.
Harris reported to officers that Stacy had his left hand outside the window and it appeared he was holding a gun. Harris said he feared for his life as Stacy drove toward him.
Harris' account of what happened was corroborated by five people, including the two officers who were wearing body cameras.
The investigation determined the shooting justified because either Harris or the other people standing in the parking lot would have been hit by the vehicle.
Stacy was later found back at the encampment. He had a gunshot wound to his head and left hand.
Stacy was placed under arrest and taken to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/pierce-county-candidate-harris-not-charged/281-18ca3883-0827-4e55-9463-f4ac6724e942 | 2022-07-09T02:59:52 | 1 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/pierce-county-candidate-harris-not-charged/281-18ca3883-0827-4e55-9463-f4ac6724e942 |
CROWN POINT — A grandmother was ordered Friday to serve three years on probation for helping her boyfriend evade arrest last year after he fatally stabbed a man while they were picking up her then-6-year-old grandson for school.
Koreena M. Henry, 46, of Gary, pleaded guilty in June to assisting a criminal, a level 5 felony, and agreed to testify against boyfriend Mark A. Jaramillo, 46, of Crown Point.
A Lake Criminal Court jury convicted Jaramillo in November of voluntary manslaughter, a level 2 felony, but found him not guilty of murder in the April 16, 2021, homicide of Rafeal J. Marcano, 27.
Henry admitted in her plea agreement she drove Jaramillio to a home in the 3800 block of Swift Street in Hobart, where he fatally stabbed Marcano.
Henry then drove Jaramillo away from the crime scene with her grandchild, the bloody knife and the child's mother in her car.
They dropped the child off at school, and Henry helped Jaramillo get rid of the clothes he was wearing and hid out with him for a while, according to court records.
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Henry's attorney, Nicholas Barnes, told Judge Samuel Cappas he'd reached an agreement with prosecutors for Henry to be sentenced to three years in prison, suspended in favor of probation.
She could have faced a sentence of one to three years for a level 5 felony.
Barnes and Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Kasey Dafoe said they reached the agreement because of Henry's level of cooperation.
Henry declined to make a statement, and Dafoe didn't call any of Marcano's family members to give a victim impact statement. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/woman-avoids-prison-time-for-helping-boyfriend-evade-arrest-after-fatal-stabbing/article_ffad9070-b011-531f-986a-ba2b409230d2.html | 2022-07-09T03:08:38 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/woman-avoids-prison-time-for-helping-boyfriend-evade-arrest-after-fatal-stabbing/article_ffad9070-b011-531f-986a-ba2b409230d2.html |
MERRILLVILLE — Greek Fest is back this weekend. As with last year’s festival, the three-day festival features a drive-thru format.
Still, the lack of Greek music, dancing and carnival rides did not deter the patrons waiting in their vehicles for ethnic meals and pastries.
“I got a little it of everything,” said Jamie Barnett, of Merrillville. “I miss the other stuff in the festival, but they’re continuing this and we’ve been coming for years.”
Dr. Nick Roumpakis, of Schererville, was ordering pastries, strudel and fish dinners. He planned on returning later this weekend for more food for visiting guests.
“It’s great take-out and for a good cause,” Roumpakis said. “It’s authentic, fresh and homemade. We’ve been coming to this for 50 years.”
Opening Friday on the church grounds at 8000 Madison St., the 52nd annual Greek Fest at Ss. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral runs 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Citing concerns over COVID-19 and the rising costs of food and other festival-related materials, church officials opted for drive-thru, as in 2021.
According to festival chairman Bill Logothetis, of Crown Point, organizers succeeding in raising $50,000 for food and other supplies to offset costs.
The food selection includes lamb, shish kebabs, pastitsis (Greek lasagna), rice, beans, and appetizers such as spanakopita or tiropita. The bakery features koulouria, baklava, loukoumades (doughnut holes dipped in honey), apple or cherry strudels, nut rolls and sweet bread.
Coming off a successful drive-thru in 2021, Logothetis said the festival format was similar to Portillo’s, with customers driving up, seeing the menu, and then placing their order. That order went inside to the church hall, where volunteers prepared meals and other volunteers carried orders outside to customers at the parking lot exit.
“It’s very fast, very efficient,” Logothetis said. “People don’t have to get out of their cars and there’s no crowds to deal with.”
Even without rides or entertainment, a drive-thru takes plenty of resources. Logothetis estimated this year’s fest would go through 900 pounds of lamb, 3,200 shish kebabs, 40 trays and 630 orders of pastitsis, 650 chicken dinners, 150 gallons of green beans, 120 of each type of strudel and nut roll, 250 pastry platters, and 3,500 dinner rolls.
Continuing something usually done in cooler weather, the cathedral was planning to serve 700 bowls of lemon rice soup.
“That’s a lot of soup for the summer,” Logothetis said.
The chairman also pointed to hundreds of pounds of flour, sugar, and butter used in bakery goods.
“It’s all made out of the church by our grandmas and yiayias (Greek for grandmothers),” Logothetis said. “Our food is authentic. We’re Greeks. We love to dance and cook.”
The festival includes a raffle with $15,000 in prizes, including $7,500 first prize. JoAnn Massow, parish council president, said the festival goal is $100,000, all going to church expenses.
In 2020, when the pandemic hit, the Greek cathedral moved the festival to November. The following year, the church held its fest in July and November, Logothetis said, and it plans to do the same this year.
Sandy Berlanga, of Merrillville, had ordered “a little of everything.” She said, “I love the food. It’s delicious and wonderful.”
Erica Mousley-Sekple, of Merrillville, has ordered spanokapita. “We come every year. We love everything,” she said. “This (outdoor) system is brilliant. Less stress.”
Nick Kavadias, of Schererville, worked outdoors, cooking shish kebabs, 120 at a time.
“I’ve been doing this for 32 years,” Kavadias said. “It’s fun, outdoors, and you’re away from the hectic pace indoors.”
Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at the Lake County/Gary Metro Homicide Unit at 219-755-3855. To remain anonymous, call 866-CRIME-GP.
"The restriction deals with handguns only," said Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. "I will be capable of defending myself and the public from any potential threats which may arise."
The town has lost public works employees to the private sector. Although Merrillville offers competitive wages, outside companies are providing signing bonuses and other incentives.
Dan Barajas, of Crown Point, cooks another batch of loukoumades — doughnut holes dipped in honey — Friday for the Greek Fest at Ss. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Merrillville. The three-day fest runs in drive-thru format through Sunday
Stelios Boulas, 15, of Schererville, delivers a meal to a customer’s vehicle Friday for the Greek Fest at Ss. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Merrillville. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/greek-fest-brings-back-the-good-food-drive-thru-style/article_a2c23f9b-0822-53ae-8404-7fb97f1a2589.html | 2022-07-09T03:08:44 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/greek-fest-brings-back-the-good-food-drive-thru-style/article_a2c23f9b-0822-53ae-8404-7fb97f1a2589.html |
HOBART — A portion of the eastbound lane of Third Street will be closed from Monday until Aug. 30.
The closure affects a stretch of the road between Wisconsin and Ash streets.
A detour plan directs motorists to use Second and Ellendale streets to travel around the closure.
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Don't have an account? Sign Up Today | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/portion-of-hobarts-third-street-closed-until-aug-30/article_fa35047b-8594-5c1a-839b-01765f7de044.html | 2022-07-09T03:08:50 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/portion-of-hobarts-third-street-closed-until-aug-30/article_fa35047b-8594-5c1a-839b-01765f7de044.html |
The Coconino County Flood Control District is in need of volunteers to help fill and place sandbags in neighborhoods affected by post-fire flooding.
The county anticipates a need of 800,000 sandbags in the Timberline, Wupatki Trails, Fernwood and Doney Park area following heightened flood risk brought on by the Pipeline Fire. Through partnership with the United Way of Northern Arizona, the county will be organizing daily volunteer actions between July 9 and July 17.
Those interested in volunteering can register at the United Way website at www.uwna.volunteerhub.com. Once registered, volunteers will receive a meeting location and additional information about their assignment. Volunteers will primarily be asked to fill, tie and stack sandbags for pickup. There are a few requirements for volunteers, including a minimum age of 14, the ability to lift 35 pounds and the use of closed-toe shoes. Work gloves, hats, sunscreen and long-sleeve T-shirts are also recommended.
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Coconino County has also prepared site-specific flood mitigation exhibits that provide recommended sandbag placements for residents in affected areas. These exhibits, as well as other flooding information, can be found at www.coconino.az.gov/2926/SchultzPipeline-Flood-Area.
For more information, members of the community are encouraged to email pipelinefirefloodarea@coconino.az.gov.
The National Weather Service forecast calls for a slight chance of rain over the weekend, but an increasing possibility going into next week. There's a 20% chance of rain Monday, 30% Tuesday, 40% Wednesday and 50% Thursday and Friday for the Flagstaff area, with high temperatures in the mid-80s. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/coconino-county-issues-urgent-call-for-sandbag-volunteers/article_e137f856-feff-11ec-86c1-bfe49c3bc1ef.html | 2022-07-09T03:21:01 | 1 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/coconino-county-issues-urgent-call-for-sandbag-volunteers/article_e137f856-feff-11ec-86c1-bfe49c3bc1ef.html |
A portion of the Coconino National Forest surrounding Sycamore Creek will temporarily close at 6 a.m. Saturday due to an increased risk of flash flooding.
The closed area includes Parsons Trailhead, Parsons Trail north (including Parson's Spring), and the confluence of Sycamore Creek and the Verde River.
The Coconino National Forest said via press release that the temporarily closed area has a heightened risk of flash flooding during the monsoon season due to post-fire debris that accumulated in Sycamore Creek following the Rafael Fire.
The Rafael Fire burned through the Sycamore Creek drainage in June 2021. Monsoonal rains occurring locally or within the broader watershed may cause flash flooding due to steep canyons located around the creek. Due to the span of the creek's watershed, storms that can create flash floods in the Sycamore Creek area can occur miles away and may not be easily visible.
The Coconino Nation Forest is coordinating with the National Weather Service to determine when to lift the temporary closure. The closure will likely remain in place until monsoonal precipitation decreases enough that the area can be safely reopened. Future closures may be deemed necessary the U.S. Forest Service continues to monitor debris flow activity in the area.
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There is a 20% chance of rain in the forecast for Saturday, and the National Weather Service anticipates a 30% chances of rain on Sunday.
For more details, including a map of the closed area, visit www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/coconino/alerts-notices. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/sycamore-creek-closed-saturday-for-flood-risk/article_cd8fd9aa-fee5-11ec-8045-c7e2de1dec4c.html | 2022-07-09T03:21:07 | 1 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/sycamore-creek-closed-saturday-for-flood-risk/article_cd8fd9aa-fee5-11ec-8045-c7e2de1dec4c.html |
Friday morning capped a three-day youth baseball camp hosted by the Flagstaff Star Chasers at Coconino High School.
Rotating players and coaches from the summer collegiate wood bat team worked with kids to strengthen baseball skills and hopefully gain lifelong fans.
"On a day-to-day basis we want to work with young kids, because that’s where you start to show the higher level of baseball to the young kids,” said Randy Barber, Star Chasers general manager, before the season.
For information on the Star Chasers or to see the schedule of games visit Flagstaffstarchasers.com | https://azdailysun.com/sports/local/campers-play-ball-at-star-chasers-youth-baseball-camp/article_417858d8-fef5-11ec-b1e8-9ffd8178de75.html | 2022-07-09T03:21:13 | 1 | https://azdailysun.com/sports/local/campers-play-ball-at-star-chasers-youth-baseball-camp/article_417858d8-fef5-11ec-b1e8-9ffd8178de75.html |
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — A man will spend up to 61 years in prison after raping four women in Centre County.
Jeffrey Fields was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty earlier this year to rape, sexual assault, and related charges.
Fields raped four women between 2010 and 2017 in multiple locations in State College.
His DNA was found during each of the four investigations and was matched to Fields through existing genealogy records.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/centre-county/man-sentenced-on-rape-charges-in-centre-county-jeffrey-fields-state-college-sexual-assault-dna/523-7add1713-164b-4ed4-bb73-47418061d032 | 2022-07-09T03:34:14 | 1 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/centre-county/man-sentenced-on-rape-charges-in-centre-county-jeffrey-fields-state-college-sexual-assault-dna/523-7add1713-164b-4ed4-bb73-47418061d032 |
LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — A man is locked up in Lackawanna County after allegedly sexually assaulting and tasing a woman.
According to court paperwork, Morris Wilson entered the victim's home in Taylor earlier this week.
He allegedly demanded cash and then raped her.
The victim told police Wilson also tased her in the leg.
Investigators in Lackawanna County later found a taser in the area where Wilson was picked up.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/man-facing-rape-charges-in-lackawanna-county-morris-wilson-sexual-assault-taser-police-investigators/523-187d1e05-e382-4e13-b852-963128c013e4 | 2022-07-09T03:34:20 | 0 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/man-facing-rape-charges-in-lackawanna-county-morris-wilson-sexual-assault-taser-police-investigators/523-187d1e05-e382-4e13-b852-963128c013e4 |
PITTSTON, Pa. — The Tunnel to Towers Foundation 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit made the journey to the Miller-Keystone Blood Center in Pittston Township Friday.
The exhibit will be open to the public Saturday and Sunday.
On Friday night, area police escorted the exhibit from Susquehanna Brewing Company to Miller-Keystone Blood Center in Pittston Township where it will remain for the weekend.
The high-tech, 53-foot tractor-trailer, which transforms into a 1,000-square-foot exhibit, is a tool to further educate citizens throughout the country about the events of that tragic day.
"We cannot let our young people who may have been in first grade, kindergarten, pre-school - not know about this. And because of this awesome exhibit that's able to travel the country, those young kids, people who weren't born will be able to learn about this exhibit," said Kathy Rowinski, Miller-Keystone Blood Center.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is committed to ensuring the lives lost that day are never forgotten.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/tunnels-to-towers-mobile-exhibit-stops-in-luzerne-county-pittston-township-joseph-hawk-kathy-rowinski-miller-keystone-blood-center/523-abaa61ab-85b9-444f-b957-f121acac3a9b | 2022-07-09T03:34:26 | 0 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/tunnels-to-towers-mobile-exhibit-stops-in-luzerne-county-pittston-township-joseph-hawk-kathy-rowinski-miller-keystone-blood-center/523-abaa61ab-85b9-444f-b957-f121acac3a9b |
POTTSVILLE, Pa. — Yuengling's Stars and Stripes Celebration is on to round two, returning to Pottsville for the first time since 2019.
The event stretches blocks, from the Yuengling Brewery to the main stage, at the intersection of Laurel Boulevard and North Railroad Street. With live performances on three stages, dozens of vendors, and several beer gardens Yuengling is bringing to the party.
"It's our way to give back to the community and to be able to get everybody together, celebrate some great music, have some great beer. We're also honored to be able to celebrate the military, so we're partnering with Team Red, White, and Blue. So we're going to have a military celebration on stage as well," said Debbie Yuengling, Employee Engagement & Culture Manager.
The Stars and Stripes Celebration packs some serious star power this year, with Grammy-nominated country music recording artist Lee Brice closing out the day. The performance is free.
"This is a guy that sells out arenas and stadiums and he's gonna be right here, small town Pottsville with America's oldest brewery. It's a whole new level of turnout," said Mayor Dave Clews, Pottsville.
Pottsville Mayor Dave Clews says he's excited to welcome tens of thousands of visitors to his city, but he's concerned about traffic and sheer space.
Festival organizers say the main stage area can hold approximately 17,000 people, but Clews estimates that as many as 50,000 fans could show up.
"We have a population here of somewhere around 13,000. So if you look at the numbers, we're talking, double, triple, maybe four times the population of the city is going to be in town," said Mayor Clews.
Paul T. Kennedy heads the security company that Yuengling hired for the event. He expects a lot more people than in 2019. The event will rely heavily on satellite parking.
"We're utilizing 14 parking lots, somewhere around 4,000 parking spaces that we have at our disposal tomorrow. We'll be having eight different shuttle buses on three colored lines running. So we'll be coordinating both on the ground and in the air to watch what traffic is coming into the city," said Kennedy, Signal Security Executive Director.
Kennedy says state and local law enforcement and emergency personnel are working together to make sure the festival is safe and enjoyable for everyone. Mayor Clews hopes it all runs smoothly.
"Every day I've kinda left my police chief's office and go, 'Hey chief, are we ready?' He assures me, 'our staff's already to go, Dave.' I said, 'that's all I need to know.' said Clews.
"We're prepared to have a lot of people to be here in the city. Not exactly sure what that number is, but we're prepared to welcome a lot of friends to have a great party," said Kennedy.
The head of security asks those attending the event to visit the festival website for details on parking and traffic.
The stage is assembled and festival officials are ready to put on a show beginning at 11 a.m.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/schuylkill-county/free-lee-brice-concert-could-fill-city-of-pottsville-schuylkill-county-stars-and-stripes-festival-yuengling-brewery-debbie-yuengling-mayor-dave-clews/523-ec97221a-7a85-417a-8ad4-de93878f240c | 2022-07-09T03:34:33 | 0 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/schuylkill-county/free-lee-brice-concert-could-fill-city-of-pottsville-schuylkill-county-stars-and-stripes-festival-yuengling-brewery-debbie-yuengling-mayor-dave-clews/523-ec97221a-7a85-417a-8ad4-de93878f240c |
An inmate at the Community Corrections Center-Lincoln was reported missing Friday afternoon after she failed to report for her work assignment, according to the Nebraska Department of Corrections. But she returned later in the day.
Rebecca Johnson started her sentence in March of 2021. She was sentenced to four to seven years for charges out of Douglas County that include attempted robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Most dangerous cities in Nebraska
Dangerous Cities in Nebraska
See how your hometown ranks among the most dangerous cities in Nebraska. Ratings have been determined according to the number of violent crimes per 1,000 people in cities of at least 10,000, with violent crime being classified as murder, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. The numbers are for 2019, the most recent year for which the FBI provides data.
6. South Sioux City
With 30 violent crimes in 2019 and a population of 12,771 (the smallest on our list), the city in northeast Nebraska had 2.35 violent crimes per 1,000 people.
Photo: An RV park in South Sioux City on the Missouri River.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
5. Scottsbluff
The city of 15,862 had 53 violent crimes for a rate of 3.34 per 1,000 in 2019.
Photo: Gering Police Officer Jordan McBride talks with Scottsbluff Police Officer Michael Modeac as he puts up crime scene tape at the scene of an armed standoff in Scottsbluff in June 2021.
STAR-HERALD FILE PHOTO
4. North Platte
With a population of 23,705 and 89 violent crimes, the city had a rate of 3.75 per 1,000.
Photo: Union Pacific train engines line up outside a service building in North Platte.
FILE PHOTO
3. Lincoln
The Star City had a population of 291,128 with 1,115 violent crimes, a rate of 3.83 per 1,000.
Photo: Police in Lincoln investigate a shooting near the intersection of 14th and E streets in August 2019.
JOURNAL STAR FILE PHOTO
2. Grand Island
With a population of 51,821 and 236 violent crimes, the largest of the Tri Cities had a 2019 rate of 4.55 per 1,000 people.
Photo: Grand Island police and State Patrol personnel investigate after a body was found in a Grand Island yard in August 2020.
GRAND ISLAND INDEPENDENT FILE PHOTO
1. Omaha
In 2019, the state's largest city at 470,481 people had 2,833 violent crimes for a rate of 6.13 per 1,000.
Photo: Omaha police and University Police guard the entrance to the Nebraska Medicine Emergency room after an Omaha police officer was shot at Westroads Mall in March 2021.
WORLD-HERALD FILE PHOTO
A note about the numbers
With eight violent crimes in 2019, Boys Town topped the state at 13.82 per 1,000 people, which is a misleading stat because it only had a 2019 population of 579.
Photo: The statue at the entrance to Boys Town. It doesn't take much to skew the numbers.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
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Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. | https://journalstar.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/missing-inmate-returns-to-community-corrections-center-lincoln/article_b29b461c-facd-534b-950f-854b2eef84b0.html | 2022-07-09T03:39:20 | 0 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/missing-inmate-returns-to-community-corrections-center-lincoln/article_b29b461c-facd-534b-950f-854b2eef84b0.html |
DES MOINES, Iowa — As Iowa awaits the implementation of the 24-hour waiting period for abortions, many are trying to decipher what these changes mean for people seeking reproductive health care.
For Iowans and experts alike, recent and upcoming changes to the status of abortion in Iowa can be difficult to keep track of.
Lina-Maria Murillo, an assistant professor of gender, women and sexuality studies at the University of Iowa, said that the imminent 24-hour waiting period for abortions will affect socioeconomic classes differently.
"These kinds of laws exacerbate poverty in the state. And so that's what the 24-hour ban really does, right? It really is punishing poor folks for, you know, trying to have some sort of control over the reproductive lives," Murillo said.
With that day-long waiting period in place, low income mothers who want an abortion may now have extra worries and extra costs associated with seeking the procedure.
"(It affects) folks who may have precarious work conditions and they can't always take consecutive days off. Folks who might have childcare, other kinds of care concerns may not have the extra time. And so this becomes, really, a financial burden," she said.
One doctor said she feels like her hands are tied.
Local 5's Medical Expert Dr. Payal Kohli said helping her patients make impactful decisions about their bodies is getting harder and harder to do because of the amount of changes to abortion laws.
"As a physician, there's also a lot of confusion. Confusion among physicians now about what's legal, what isn't legal, what can I advise?" she said.
Kohli said she feels like those gray areas are restricting the medical attention she can currently provide.
"It's tied my hands to be able to talk to my patient — who might be a woman that's pregnant — and talk to her about all the potential options," Kohli said. "So, as a physician, my treatment options are immensely limited."
Many Iowans still have unanswered questions, and experts say that's normal; there are still a lot of aspects that are unclear.
To stay informed with updates on abortion in Iowa: | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/experts-discuss-24-hour-waiting-period-abortion-ruling-iowa/524-94934833-7450-40c7-9d29-eb2fe16a762e | 2022-07-09T03:41:31 | 1 | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/experts-discuss-24-hour-waiting-period-abortion-ruling-iowa/524-94934833-7450-40c7-9d29-eb2fe16a762e |
Former Dayton congressman and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture Tony Hall will receive the Star of Romania, the country’s highest honor, in a ceremony at the Romanian Embassy in Washington D.C. on July 13.
The award is meant to honor Hall for his “exceptional contribution to defense of democracy and human rights in Romania” in his opposition to Romanian dictator Nicholae Ceasuescu, according to a release.
Hall traveled to Romania in the 1980s during the Ceasuescu regime, and said of the trip, “I went with Frank Wolf and Chris Smith, also members of congress, to learn more about the situation and see if we could be helpful. We met with people who had been abused, thrown in jail without cause, saw the churches that had been bulldozed. It was really heartbreaking, these people were living under conditions as harsh as the old Soviet Union but most of the world didn’t know how bad it was.”
On returning, he started a bipartisan effort to remove Romania’s Most Favored Nation trade status to show America’s condemnation of the regime, the release said. The people of Romania eventually overthrew Ceasuescu, put him on trial, and executed him.
Hall said, “The people of Romania have told me this support from America was extremely important to their efforts. However, it’s the people of Romania who really deserve the credit. They showed remarkable courage and resilience under conditions we can’t even imagine. I will always be in awe of their strength and faith.”
He added, “I also think this is a timely reminder that America needs to be a leader in the world, standing up against dictators and using our voice for human rights.”
Tony Hall represented Dayton in the Ohio Statehouse for 10 years, then in the U.S. Congress for nearly a quarter-century, from 1979 through 2002. He served as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture from 2002-06.
A Kettering native, he is the son of Dave Hall, former mayor of Dayton. In 2015, he founded the Hall Hunger Initiative, an anti-hunger organization leading multiple efforts in Dayton.
About the Author | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/tony-hall-to-receive-star-of-romania-for-efforts-against-former-romanian-dictator/HME7EV3ZPBHULMB5JEO4N5IUPU/ | 2022-07-09T03:48:01 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/tony-hall-to-receive-star-of-romania-for-efforts-against-former-romanian-dictator/HME7EV3ZPBHULMB5JEO4N5IUPU/ |
Flight restrictions in place this weekend for Selfridge base air show
The 2022 open house and air show this weekend at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township is prompting temporary flight restrictions, including for drones, in the airspace nearby, Michigan State Police said Friday.
The restrictions are in effect from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, according to MSP.
That means the Federal Aviation Administration has prohibited "any flights from the ground to 16,000 (feet) above sea level" during that time, the agency said on Twitter.
"This order was put in place to protect the pilots involved in the air show! If you would like to see the show, come down and join the crowd but leave the drone at home this trip."
The Michigan National Guard’s 127th Wing is hosting the 2022 Selfridge Open House and Air Show at the base starting Saturday.
The free event is slated to feature aerial demonstrations including the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor, C-17 Globemaster III, A-10 Thunderbolt II, KC-135 Stratotanker, C-130 Hercules, U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook, Golden Knights elite parachute team, the Misty Blues parachute team, U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin and Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18.
There also will be dozens of military aircraft on display, including the 127th Wing’s KC-135 Stratotanker, and kids' activities, games, and arts and crafts, organizers said.
Gates open at 8 a.m. both days. Entrances can be found off North River Road and 21 Mile Road east to Jefferson.
Information is available at the event website. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2022/07/08/flight-restrictions-july-selfridge-guard-base-air-show/10019619002/ | 2022-07-09T03:51:51 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2022/07/08/flight-restrictions-july-selfridge-guard-base-air-show/10019619002/ |
Detroit Metro Airport staff shuttle bus crashes, sends 4 to hospital
Mark Hicks
The Detroit News
A Detroit Metro Airport employee shuttle crashed Friday, sending riders to the hospital, officials said.
The bus "collided with the tunnel walls on southbound Dingell Drive around 5:30," said Erica Donerson, a spokeswoman for the Wayne County Airport Authority, in a statement.
Five people on the bus, including the driver, were injured, she said.
Four were hospitalized. None of the injuries were believed to be life threatening, Donerson said.
The cause of the crash was under investigation. Other details were not released Friday night.
The crash prompted officials to close some roads near the site at the airport, but all had reopened by 9:30 p.m., Donerson said. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2022/07/08/detroit-metro-airport-staff-shuttle-bus-crashes-sends-4-hospital/10019525002/ | 2022-07-09T03:51:57 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2022/07/08/detroit-metro-airport-staff-shuttle-bus-crashes-sends-4-hospital/10019525002/ |
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Dauphin County jury convicted a Harrisburg woman of third-degree murder for stabbing a man to death on Christmas.
Nafiisah McNeil, 28, was convicted recently for the December 25, 2020 stabbing of Leon White Jones.
McNeil stabbed White-Jones to death in front of her sister's home on the 2400 block of North 4th Street in Harrisburg.
Police responded to the scene and found him suffering from stab wounds, he was taken to a local hospital for treatment but died from his injuries.
The jury rejected McNeil's claim of self-defense. After the killing, the defendant fled and then entered her sister's home while police were present. While away, McNeil disposed of the knife.
Judge Scott Arthur Evans scheduled sentencing for September 9. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/dauphin-county/harrisburg-woman-convicted-of-third-degree-murder-in-christmas-killing-nafiisah-mcneil/521-dbd38eac-0b63-41da-85ab-54646d8c3ee7 | 2022-07-09T03:58:07 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/dauphin-county/harrisburg-woman-convicted-of-third-degree-murder-in-christmas-killing-nafiisah-mcneil/521-dbd38eac-0b63-41da-85ab-54646d8c3ee7 |
YORK, Pa. — Lebanon County residents want accountability after police shot a pet dog Wednesday.
Police were called to Tiffany Lane Wednesday morning after a one-year-old German Shepard wandered into a neighbor's yard.
“The father of my children was outside with my smaller dog, and the dog came from the front of the yard and went towards where the swings were at,” said Kimberlee, a witness to the shooting. “He just sat there and laid there.”
The witness said that she tried luring the dog with water before she called police for help.
In a statement, Lebanon Police said that responding officers called the Humane Society and Dog Warden to assist with the stray dog.
“They didn’t do anything much, they said they were waiting for help,” said the witness. “Also, the first thing they said was, ‘I really hope I don’t have to shoot the dog.'”
After not getting additional help, police tried using a catch pole to capture the dog. Police then tased the dog when it tried getting out of the catch pole, before shooting it in the head.
The entire incident was captured on Kimberlee’s home security camera. “I screamed, I cried, I was traumatized and heartbroken,” she said.
The dog was not a stray, he was a German Shepard named Gunner who escaped from his house on North First Street.
In a statement, police justified the shooting saying the dog was growling at Kimberlee, and acting aggressively towards officers. Kimberlee and Gunner’s owner disagree with the statement.
“I never said the dog was aggressive those words never came out of my mouth,” said Kimberlee. “I don’t know where they got that from.”
Lebanon Mayor Sherry Capello called the incident a tragedy and says an internal review of the incident will be conducted.
“We will do an entire review of the incident and look at our policies look at the actions taken see if anything was done wrong or not,” said Mayor Capello.
Kimberlee is hoping the officers who shot the dog are held accountable for the incident.
“And also I would hope that they would train their police to better handle the situation, because it’s obvious from the video that the dog wasn’t aggressive," she said. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/lebanon-county-residents-accountability-police-shoot-dog-gunner-german-shepard/521-566324dd-b7de-439c-8663-d028cebf95f3 | 2022-07-09T03:58:13 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/lebanon-county-residents-accountability-police-shoot-dog-gunner-german-shepard/521-566324dd-b7de-439c-8663-d028cebf95f3 |
PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Members of the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) will travel to New York's Battery Park on August 6 to honor several groups of veterans and those affected by war.
The officers will swim across the Hudson River to honor military veterans, their families, and all of those who died during 9/11 and in subsequent wars that followed.
Local troopers say that it's a great cause that will also be beneficial.
"This gives PSP an opportunity to get our name out to the general public as well as our military community, it's a great way for us to raise funds for our veterans and their families and it also helps us to recruit within the military community," said Lieutenant Clint Long of the PSP.
Along the route, the group will stop at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to perform 100 push-ups in honor of America's liberties. They will also do 22 pull-ups in recognition of the 22 veterans who commit suicide every day.
The event concludes in Lower Manhattan to honor the victims of 9/11. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/pennsylvania-state-police-hudson-river-military-vetrans-honor/521-7825c986-6b41-4b02-84f2-20a325575615 | 2022-07-09T03:58:19 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/pennsylvania-state-police-hudson-river-military-vetrans-honor/521-7825c986-6b41-4b02-84f2-20a325575615 |
YORK, Pa. — York City settled for the resignation of a York police offer accused of reenacting the death of George Floyd in 2020.
In July 2020, Clayton Swartz was placed on unpaid suspension with a recommendation of termination.
The city convinced the Court of Common Pleas that the matter had to be retired in court, according to the mayor's office. A trial was scheduled and would have allegedly cost the city over $250,000.
However, in a statement released by Mayor Michael R. Helfrich's office, an agreement to avoid a trial was reached.
According to reports, Swartz will not return as a York City Police Officer. The York Police Department has agreed to pay him $82,000 for his resignation.
In a statement, the mayor's office announced that the settlement saves hundreds of thousands in taxpayer money and achieves the city's goal of ensuring Swartz will no longer be employed by York.
“I stood my ground on this issue because of the importance of these allegations to our community and the findings of our internal investigation that Mr. Swartz should no longer be representing the York City Police Department," Mayor Helfrich said.
"Facing continually increasing litigation costs, which have already amounted to over $230,000 in attorneys’ fees, and the potential for another $250,000 in upcoming litigation expenses, the resignation of Mr. Swartz in exchange for his lost backpay was a great win for York City," he continued in a statement. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/york-city-police-settle-george-floyd-death-resignation-clayton-swartz/521-ebf21497-bb6d-4a8c-ae9e-3cffc4a35c20 | 2022-07-09T03:58:25 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/york-city-police-settle-george-floyd-death-resignation-clayton-swartz/521-ebf21497-bb6d-4a8c-ae9e-3cffc4a35c20 |
(WOWK) — Various law enforcement agencies in West Virginia now have new equipment for K-9 officers thanks to the Little Caesars Pizza Paws campaign through VDM Management.
Every year in April, Little Caesars runs a campaign and gives a portion of their proceeds to local law enforcement K-9s in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio.
The Dunbar Police Department posted on Facebook to thank Little Caesars for their donation of 160 K-9 handles along with essential kits.
“We would like to thank Little Caesars Pizza Paws (VDM Management) for their donation of equipment to our K-9 unit,” Dunbar PD said.
The Logan County Sheriff’s Department also made a Facebook post to thank Little Caesars for donating supplies for K-9 Aga and K-9 Tir. Items included a tracking leash, camelback drinking system, portable water bowl, tactical collar, grooming brush and a Kong “chew toy.”
“We are very appreciative to Little Caesars for the support and donations provided to our K-9s and handlers,” the sheriff’s department said.
To learn more about the Little Caesars Pizza Paws campaign in the Tri-State, click here. | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/little-caesars-donates-k-9-equipment-to-wv-law-enforcement-agencies/ | 2022-07-09T04:07:25 | 1 | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/little-caesars-donates-k-9-equipment-to-wv-law-enforcement-agencies/ |
FRISCO, Texas — Ernie Williams has 24 years of military experience which includes a stint with the SEALs.
He also spent nearly two decades in counter-terrorism, which has prepared him for his next big project -- a technology called Go-to-Green.
Williams tells WFAA that the technology has the potential to save lives in the event of a mass shooting.
"What we're trying to do is show a pathway to safety immediately," said Williams.
There are acoustic sensors set up to detect the sound of gunfire and cameras to capture the movement of the shooter. Depending on the proximity of the gunfire a directional lighting system is set up around the sensors indicating safe and unsafe places to go.
"The lights away from [the shooter] will light a pathway to safety. They will be flashing green," he said.
The sensors closest to the gunfire will have lights that show red and blue which is an indicator to first responders on the active threat. Then, there are red and green lights for innocent bystanders drawing them away from the gunfire and telling them where and where not to exit the area.
It is something Williams and engineers have been working on for months. They are set up on the inside of Collin Creek Mall in Plano which is mostly an empty shell because of major renovations.
But the building does allow for Williams and his team to space out sensors similar to the layout of a school or office building.
"So to me the important thing is give people a direction. Give them a chance. Right now the bad guys are betting that you don't have a chance," he said.
Go-to-Green also comes with an operations center fit with monitors to visualize the lights and the movements of the shooter along the mapping of the property.
Williams tells WFAA the ops center will be manned by someone trained and says in the case of multiple shooters, it may require manual tracking of the subjects.
"It takes seven minutes for a first responder to get there. It takes about ten seconds to clear a 30-round magazine," he told WFAA.
Several churches in Florida have the Go-to-Green technology. Anna City Hall is having one installed and two North Texas school districts are seriously considering it. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/frisco-man-unveils-active-threat-tech-help-public-safety/287-42c096ec-f599-402a-95fd-3e5074d97f61 | 2022-07-09T04:21:01 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/frisco-man-unveils-active-threat-tech-help-public-safety/287-42c096ec-f599-402a-95fd-3e5074d97f61 |
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – New numbers released by Orange County Thursday for the month of May show the county collected more than $28 million in tourist taxes — up 65.8% compared to the same time last year.
While this figure was lower than April’s collections by approximately $6.6 million, Visit Orlando said the collections were “the highest May collections on record.”
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Visit Orlando said the month started strong thanks to Megacon Orlando, which brought in roughly 140,000 visitors.
However, despite these numbers, the group said international travel still sits about 10% lower than the same time in 2019.
Orange County releases its revenue numbers several months after the money is collected, meaning that there is a delay associated with current revenue figures.
The next tourist development tax release for June is scheduled to be released in early August. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/07/09/orange-county-reports-show-tax-collections-up-nearly-66-from-last-year/ | 2022-07-09T04:23:19 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/07/09/orange-county-reports-show-tax-collections-up-nearly-66-from-last-year/ |
GREENSBORO — Un regalo de Pastores por la paz.
Large duffel bags are emblazoned with this message — meaning, “a gift from Pastors for Peace.” A duffel bag with this message also means the beginning of yet another mission Pastors for Peace will be making to Cuba.
The New York City-based organization calls it a “friendshipment caravan.”
For 30 years, the nonprofit has been dedicated to normalizing relations with Cuba, which have been strained for decades. During that time, Pastors for Peace has donated thousands of educational materials, vehicles and over-the-counter medications to the Cuban people.
This year, inside of the large duffel bags will be masks, gloves, personal protective equipment and other medical supplies — pandemic-related items that are much needed in the island country of roughly 11 million.
Executive Director Gail Walker said this is the first time Pastors for Peace has gone to Cuba since the coronavirus pandemic.
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“As COVID has eased up some … we thought it was important to connect with people again,” Walker said. “We’re not meant to just be little squares on a Zoom screen. We wanted to have that connection with people, face to face.”
This latest project is also bringing back another tradition. Before hopping on a flight to deliver the aid to Cuba, a number of “caravanistas” will fulfill the education piece of their mission through routes of advocacy. Riding in a cargo van, passenger van and a car donated by a supporter, three groups of these people will travel through different regions of the U.S.
Eventually, one route will take them to the South. To North Carolina. To a Greensboro church.
****
In states ranging from New Mexico to North Carolina, the caravanistas will gather donations for their trip and hold discussions about the impact of America’s decades-long embargo with Cuba and other policies, which some feel have become outdated.
Today, a portion of the caravan will make its way to Peace United Church of Christ for a fundraiser luncheon.
The Rev. Tom Warren said the money raised will go toward the caravan’s drive to purchase the COVID-related medical supplies. There will also be a discussion about the negative effects of economic sanctions on Cuba.
This is the first time the Pastors for Peace caravan has stopped at Peace United Church of Christ — but it isn’t the house of worship’s first experience raising awareness for Cuba.
Every January, the church sponsors a cultural immersion trip to the country. During the trip, attendees spend nine days on the island learning about Cuba’s history, culture and people.
Warren’s first trip to Cuba was in 2003. It left an impression.
“I was transformed on that trip,” recalled Warren, who has since returned to the island eight times. “I was deeply impressed by the universal education. It is free to all students through graduate school … and I was particularly moved by the free health care … and the crime is so little. They don’t have the problems we have. They have other problems. I don’t want to paint it as perfect, but it’s different.”
One of those problems is access to medicine. Although Cuba has a free health care system, Walker said many citizens aren’t able to receive certain types of care because of impacts related to the embargo.
A surgical intern in Cuba once told Walker that he had to delay certain surgeries because of a lack of common medicines ranging from pain relievers to anticoagulants that prevent blood clotting.
“He said, ‘Even if it’s dire, what are we going to do?’” Walker remembered. “It’s difficult to get an aspirin or to get certain other kinds of basic medical goods. They are able to produce, ironically, things as wonderful as vaccines for COVID, but are struggling to have pain relievers in the hospitals when people need to have surgery done.”
Walker said the streets aren’t exactly lined with people about to die, but the limited access to medicine has been dire for some. She knows a mother whose child died because there wasn’t medicine to treat a rare kidney disease.
One of Walker’s friends in the country needed a life-saving medication as well. It wasn’t available in Cuba, but could be found in the U.S. But Walker couldn’t get it delivered in time.
“It was tragic,” Walker said. “Just one death is too many.”
****
The current embargo prevents businesses in or majorly run by people in the United States from trading with the island — measures Walker says are intended “to isolate and squeeze Cuba into a corner.”
However, the embargo has exemptions for sending food or medicine — if used for humanitarian purposes and given to individuals or nongovernmental organizations.
Enter Pastors for Peace and its many missions to the country. In its latest venture, the duffels filled with medical supplies will be donated to an organization called the Cuban Ecumenical Distribution Committee. This group, made up of local religious and community members, decides where the supplies are needed most.
Walker said that although donations give the people of Cuba relief, that alone isn’t enough.
“What we bring in the planes and the boats and the tons of aid over the years, that’s not what Cuba needs,” Walker said. “What they need is the policy done away with so they can provide for their own people. We continue to do this work 30 years later because the need remains. People are hurting in Cuba.”
Of late, Warren has been preparing his church’s fellowship hall for today’s fundraiser. He hopes to see plenty of new faces and maybe get some signed up for the church’s trip to Cuba next year.
“As a Christian, it’s really about loving your neighbor,” Warren said. “Cuba is our neighbor and we want to build bridges of love, learn from each other and stop this where human beings are being hurt by policy.” | https://greensboro.com/news/local/you-wont-guess-what-us-policy-this-greensboro-church-wants-to-change/article_d89d259c-fc73-11ec-8b12-5b0d888d65a2.html | 2022-07-09T04:33:30 | 0 | https://greensboro.com/news/local/you-wont-guess-what-us-policy-this-greensboro-church-wants-to-change/article_d89d259c-fc73-11ec-8b12-5b0d888d65a2.html |
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The Fort Wayne Police Department welcomed 37 new officers Friday, which puts the department temporarily one person short of a full force of 485.
The new members were from the 66th recruit class, which graduated in a ceremony at the Rhinehart Music Center at Purdue University Fort Wayne.
“This was one of our larger classes,” said Stephen Reed, chief of police. Class numbers dwindled until the department created a recruiting team and strategy four years ago.
“We’re probably one of the few police departments in the state, perhaps in the country, meeting our recruitment goals,” Reed said.
The police department will also gain new officers from other departments later this year after they complete an abbreviated version of the recruitment class. They’ll replace officers retiring or moving on, and the force should be full by year’s end, Reed said.
The oldest recruit among the new officers turned 47 years old Thursday.
Mark A. Litwinko, who’s worked 18 years on the Fort Wayne Fire Department, went through the 23-week class as part of his recent promotion to arson investigator. The position requires the investigator to be a certified police officer.
Litwinko noted that he was 16 years older than the next oldest recruit and 25 years older than the youngest recruit. “But it was a good time,” he added.
Despite the 18-year hiatus from training, he “kind of knew what to expect” from the experience, which taught him the police point of view.
And, he said, he knew from working with city police officers that the city has a world-class academy.
The class brought in five new female officers, which Reed said is in the usual range.
Mary J. Street said civic pride persuaded her to pursue a law enforcement career.
“I wanted to take more responsibility for my community,” she said. Street had worked as a security officer in the downtown Allen County Public Library but felt she could do more.
Having other women in the class provided camaraderie.
“We had a lot of motivation,” she said. “We motivated each other.”
Friday’s ceremony mirrored most graduation ceremonies with motivational speakers, including Mayor Tom Henry, who appeared by video. Honors were awarded, achievements were recognized and the pageantry started with formal music, provided by the Fort Wayne Police and Fire Pipe and Drum Brigade with assistance from the Fort Wayne Police Honor Guard, which carried out a flag presentation.
Instead of receiving diplomas, the graduates were awarded badges, which were pinned to their uniforms by a loved one, sometimes a spouse or parent and sometimes a relative who is or was a police officer.
Kodie Boyer, who earned the Academic Achievement award and was Squad No. 1 leader, was pinned by his grandfather-in-law, retired Sgt. Denny Anspach.
Boyer credited Anspach for being his biggest inspiration. However, it was Boyer’s wife, Kelsey Boyer, who most helped him get through the 23 weeks.
Anspach took pride in Boyer’s achievements.
“He’s great,” Anspach said. “He’s No. 1 in his class. He made me proud – more than proud.” | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/fort-wayne-police-see-37-recruits-graduate-to-officers/article_d70ff0b8-ff22-11ec-8e58-5f981699a375.html | 2022-07-09T04:34:01 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/fort-wayne-police-see-37-recruits-graduate-to-officers/article_d70ff0b8-ff22-11ec-8e58-5f981699a375.html |
The woman accused of shooting and killing a 20-year-old woman at her home in 2021 pleaded guilty but mentally ill Friday.
The plea agreement for Valerie Rose Hardiek’s admission sets no sentencing restrictions. The sentence will be argued at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 23.
No specifics were given about her mental condition.
Hardiek, now 23, shot Shelby Erin Vonholdt at least four times about 6:45 p.m. June 20, 2021, according to court documents. Vonholdt, who knew Hardiek, was able to call 911 after she’d been shot.
When Fort Wayne police Sgt. Brad Griffin asked Vonholdt who shot her, she told him, “Valerie.”
Earlier that day, when the man who owned the home left for the day, Vonholdt told him that Hardiek was coming over later, the probable cause affidavit says. The two joked about how crazy Hardiek was, according to court documents.
Vonholdt died in the hospital two days later.
Hardiek was arrested in Van Wert County, Ohio, the day before Vonholdt died. A news release from the Van Wert County sheriff’s office said she had been walking around with a gun and trying to read customers’ credit card numbers at an Ohio gas station for about an hour.
Police matched the bullets that killed Vonholdt to the gun in Hardiek’s possession.
Vonholdt’s death was the 22nd of 49 homicides in Allen County last year. The number of murders tied the record set five years earlier in 2016. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/woman-pleads-guilty-but-mentally-ill-to-2021-murder/article_e47fc55c-ff18-11ec-b470-cbd45eba9010.html | 2022-07-09T04:34:07 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/woman-pleads-guilty-but-mentally-ill-to-2021-murder/article_e47fc55c-ff18-11ec-b470-cbd45eba9010.html |
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Former Fort Wayne officer sentenced for domestic battery | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/workout-on-the-river-greenway/article_ffa1a78c-ff00-11ec-80df-c36ca12c7092.html | 2022-07-09T04:34:13 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/workout-on-the-river-greenway/article_ffa1a78c-ff00-11ec-80df-c36ca12c7092.html |
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Certain transgender care treatments under Medicaid may soon be denied in Florida.
Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) proposed a rule that would do so and LGBTQ+ groups are pushing back.
Under the notice, Florida Medicaid would no longer cover these gender-affirming treatments:
- Puberty blockers
- Hormones and hormone antagonists
- Sex reassignment surgeries
- Any other procedures that alter primary or secondary sexual characteristics
Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo already issued a letter recommending these certain medical care for transgender children, arguing “the scientific evidence supporting these complex medical interventions is extraordinarily weak.”
The Florida Department of Health already issued guidance that the treatments shouldn't happen to youth.
AHCA also stated such treatments "are not consistent with widely accepted professional medical standards and are experimental and investigational with the potential for harmful long-term effects."
However, the findings go against federal guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In addition, medical entities like the American Academy of Children and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Cleveland Clinic generally agree on the effectiveness of gender-affirming care.
Several LGBTQ groups have condemned the AHCA's findings and the state's potential move to restrict transgender care treatments under Medicaid. Opponents at the hearing also stated mental health concerns transgender people may face without such coverage.
"We are part of the fabric of this nation and of this great state, and we deserve the rights and benefits afforded to all," Nathan Bruemmer, LGBTQ Consumer Advocate with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said at the hearing.
However, some proponents who spoke in favor of the proposal called the treatments "child abuse" and expressed concern over minors going through the procedures.
AHCA is accepting comments until Monday and the new rule could take effect after. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/florida-acha-medicaid-transgender-gender-affirming-care/67-83c8bbf6-3b8c-4a12-942b-63243e7f1719 | 2022-07-09T04:39:20 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/florida-acha-medicaid-transgender-gender-affirming-care/67-83c8bbf6-3b8c-4a12-942b-63243e7f1719 |
TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — Tarpon Spring police are searching for a man from Wisconsin they say went missing Friday evening while visiting his family.
At around 7 p.m., the father of 21-year-old Raynor Stehno went to the Tarpon Springs Police Department to report his son missing. Police explain in a news release the father was worried because Stehno left the house earlier in the day and never returned.
The 21-year-old reportedly left without his phone, wallet or any belongings. He is only visiting family in Tarpon Springs, and police believe he might be having a mental health crisis.
Stehno was entered into the Florida Crime Information Center (FCIC) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) as missing, and it was revealed he had earlier been taken to Pinellas Safe Harbor, police explain.
Investigators learned that the 21-year-old expressed to an employee at the homeless shelter that he wanted to speak to a mental health professional.
But he allegedly left the facility before anyone could help him get mental health services, according to the police department. Stehno was last seen walking away from Pinellas Safe Harbor at around 5:40 p.m.
Police describe Stehno as being 6 feet tall and 200 pounds with red hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information on where he is can call the Tarpon Springs Police Department at 727-938-2849. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/police-search-missing-wisconsin-man-tarpon-springs/67-479ad63e-9273-420d-b811-6e399c970ec2 | 2022-07-09T04:39:26 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/police-search-missing-wisconsin-man-tarpon-springs/67-479ad63e-9273-420d-b811-6e399c970ec2 |
LAKELAND, Fla. — The family of an 11-year-old boy who recently died unexpectedly is putting forth the effort to fulfill one of his lifelong dreams of space travel.
Matthew Gallagher was an all-around great kid, his parents said. He never met a stranger and was your typical goofball of an 11-year-old older brother to his 8-year-old sister, Savannah. His parents, Cori, and Scott Gallagher, who is a U.S. Marine, said their son had an out-of-this-world personality.
"'[He] always made people smile," his mom, Cori, said. "He was also that friend that would be friends with anybody. No matter who you are, what type of person you were, if you had special needs or what age you were, it didn't matter to him."
Their lives were forever changed in May when his mother found him unresponsive in the middle of the night.
"It was just pure shock and panic — almost like it wasn't real," his mom explained. "You kind of expected to wake up and this wasn't happening and then after several hours it just hit and it was just an overwhelming experience and it's something nobody should ever have to go through."
Now, the family is trying to move forward the best way they know how by honoring their son's love for space with a sendoff to the moon through the memorial spaceflight company, Celestis.
“We are touched and saddened by Matthew’s story,” Celestis CEO and Co-Founder, Charles Chafer, said in a statement. “We are pleased to lend our support to his family’s call for assistance in making his memorial spaceflight a reality.”
Matthew was more than a space enthusiast. From about the age of 5, he knew he wanted to be an astronaut. He could tell you all about the moon phases, the different planets in the solar system and even knew the constellations dotted across the night sky. Even Matthew's teachers from years past knew about his admiration for space.
"He had season passes with my dad every Summer to Kennedy Space Center," Cori said. "He had a full-blown astronaut suit and wore it constantly."
Matthew even had the chance to have lunch with an astronaut at Kennedy Space Center a few years ago. It was one of Matthew's favorite moments, his parents said.
"I think he probably talked the astronaut's ear off," Cori laughed. "Because he just had so many questions and wanted to know so much information."
He dreamed of becoming a pilot for the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds and was obsessed with Warbirds, his mom said. He could tell you everything about airplanes and point out the different ones at airshows.
"He even started flying," his mom said. "He actually logged his first flight hours when we lived in Grand Prairie, Texas."
Their neighbor was a flight instructor who worked for NASA and studied aeronautical engineering. She would teach him how to fly so that he could jump-start his career in becoming a pilot.
His obsession with astronomy didn't stop there. Matthew was also a huge fan of Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX.
"Everything was SpaceX," his parents said.
The Gallagher family hopes they're able to pull off Matthew's moon mission. His cremated remains would be aboard Destiny, Celestis’ third Lunar flight and 26th overall mission. It's set to launch out of Cape Canaveral, Florida, in 2023.
"Please help us make our little boy’s biggest dream come true by contributing to Matthew’s final mission to the moon," his dad, Scott, said in a statement.
The family's GoFundMe has a goal of $14,000. So far they've raised over $7,500. Many donors have been other Marines, military servicemen and women along with family and friends. While the lunar moon burial costs $12,500, Scott said the additional funds will cover what GoFundMe takes out of the total and help with travel for Matthew's final moon mission.
The Gallaghers are hopeful that the memorial spaceflight will bring them the closure they need to find a new normal without Matthew.
"It'll kind of almost give us a little bit of that healing that we need to move forward with our lives, without him, but in memory of him," his mom said. "Just knowing that no matter what, we can just look at the moon every night and I know that he's up there."
If you or someone you know would like to contribute to the family's GoFundMe account or would like to share the link, click here. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/polkcounty/lakeland-boy-gofundme-send-cremated-remains-moon-celestis/67-db0c933f-2f18-49e1-83f0-0738467ff7db | 2022-07-09T04:39:32 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/polkcounty/lakeland-boy-gofundme-send-cremated-remains-moon-celestis/67-db0c933f-2f18-49e1-83f0-0738467ff7db |
TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa native Jalem Robinson isn't the person to just sit around and talk about solutions when it comes to kids falling into violent crime…he just gets to work.
"When they don't have anything to do, they're going to find the wrong thing to do," Robinson said.
Robinson says the reason why kids may turn to a more dangerous lifestyle is layered, but he wants to do his part to step in.
That’s why he started his own non-profit mentorship program called Brothers United Building Brothers Alliance — or B.U.B.B.A., for short. It’s designed to be a “safe haven for men and boys” in Tampa.
"We’ve got boys that you would label as 'troubled kids,'" Robinson said. “But we’ve got straight-A students also. We don't turn anyone away, but we also don't make them feel like it's a 'troubled kids' program, because who wants to feel like that?"
Richard Braxton joined B.U.B.B.A when he was a freshman in high school. He says it’s changed his life for the better, and now that he’s graduated high school, he’s returning the favor to other kids by working for B.U.B.B.A.
"I always used to run away. I didn't want to do anything,” Braxton said. “An introvert. Now I'm outside more, I work out more and it changed me, my social skills are much better."
Robinson says he is currently working with state representatives who he met at Tampa's Violent Crime Forum last month to find more funding for B.U.B.B.A. because right now, it just runs off of his pockets and the generosity of family and friends.
While they push to keep the program growing, Robinson says, despite the negative influences targeting kids, he's still optimistic about his city.
"I'm a Tampa baby, so of course I have hope for the city,” he said. “Teach the youth something, or come up with something to be a part of the solution instead of making complaints.”
Tampa Police say they're still planning to have another community meeting at the end of the month. As for more free youth programs coming to the city, we're still waiting to hear back from city staff.
You can find out more about B.U.B.B.A. by clicking here. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/tampa-man-mentorship-program-free-city-youth-outlets/67-6af2889c-7de3-4eb1-94a6-c73c6a84ca1f | 2022-07-09T04:39:38 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/tampa-man-mentorship-program-free-city-youth-outlets/67-6af2889c-7de3-4eb1-94a6-c73c6a84ca1f |
ATLANTA — A Buckhead high-rise apartment is giving the green light to Airbnb in its complex. The Cyan on Peachtree apartments announced it is bringing in short-term rentals to help residents make more income, and have a better idea of who is coming in and out of its doors.
This idea came with mixed reactions from the community.
Jeanna Sawyer used to work for Greystar, the property management company that owns Cyan on Peachtree. She left for another job two months ago but remembers management speaking about this idea.
"One day I remember being in there and they talked about the idea of bringing Airbnb to the properties, but I didn’t think it would actually happen because there’s a lot of liability and stipulation behind it," Sawyer said.
She believes that bringing in short-term leases will bring crime up.
"Their property is going to go to trash and their occupancy is going to be even worse," Sawyer said. "There’s going to be a lot more evictions and a lot more stuff that’s going to happen. I don’t think it’s a good idea."
Meanwhile, former resident Deja Smith, who moved out in February, says this has already been taking place at the building.
"You can’t stop it at the end of the day... every high rise or condo you go to they’re Airbnbing it out. I think they should do it for more condos too," she said.
Smith says that she would've rented her apartment out if she still lived in the building.
"At the time, if I was living there and they allowed that... I'd be putting my unit up for Airbnb, too, and making money off of it," she said. "I think it's pretty cool."
Cyan management sent out an email notifying residents that now, they can rent out their apartment for up to 180 nights. Management would then collect 25% from each booking.
"At this point, now they’re doing anything to generate income," former property manager Sawyer said. "I feel like it started like that after the pandemic. I worked in property management during the pandemic and our occupancy went from high to pretty much nothing."
Smith, on the other hand, says this will be beneficial to all parties involved.
"It’s cool is... they’ve already been doing it so if you can’t control the traffic that’s coming in and out of the high rise, you may as well make your money out of it and see who is coming in and out," Smith said. "Now you’re able to see faces and see who is coming in and out of your establishment."
In an email, Cyan management tells 11Alive that residents have already been subletting their apartments without permission.
As for safety, it says guests will have to provide a government ID and that only guests with positive ratings from previous Airbnb rentals will be accepted.
For the full statement, scroll below.
Smith argues that there are residents who have visitors over who don't have their records checked.
"Background checks aren't really needed unless there are multiple people in one setting," Smith suggested. "But if it's just one or two people coming into a unit, trying to rent out a space for a night or two, let it be. Someone who does have a unit, their family comes over, you don't know if the family member is a felon or not."
On the other side of the coin, Sawyer says she feels passionate about not bringing short-term rentals into properties because of a personal experience she had during Christmas break in 2019 when she worked for another property management company.
Instead of spending Christmas with her family, she says she had to help detectives solve a homicide on one of the properties - not Cyan. She claims it was tied to short-term rentals not doing background checks.
"I pulled up, there was caution tape everywhere," she said. "He was shot in the parking deck, I was told he did pass away. Come to find out, the tenant that was occupying the unit - which at that time Airbnb was illegal, and your lease is terminated – she not only had an apartment in our place she had an apartment at another street also. She rented her apartment out to Airbnb, it was tied to her, and she became responsible. I had to terminate her lease immediately."
On Airbnb's website, it says it has the ability to run background checks in the U.S. but does not do it for every reservation.
Its website reads:
"We don’t run background checks as a matter of course. We only run background checks in the USA and India, and if we do, we only do it when we have at least the first and last names plus dates of birth of the Host or the guests in certain situations. Because we don’t have this information for everyone, we can’t guarantee that we’ve conducted a check on everyone."
Sawyer thinks this will lead to higher crime.
"I've been involved in crazy things happening on properties with [short-term rentals]. The crime rate is going to go up even more, the property is going to be destroyed because you're just letting in everybody," she said.
Here's the full statement from Cyan's management:
Our new program gives residents the ability to participate in short term rentals in a way which allows the management team to have a better oversight of the community. While we currently have a resident addendum in place that prohibits residents from subletting and advertising their apartments for short term rentals, we believe that unauthorized short term rental activity has been occurring unmanaged at our community and others in the surrounding area. This new program with Airbnb will give our property better visibility, tools and controls so that residents who want to earn additional income can now responsibly offer their units for short term rental in compliance with the community and hosting rules established by the program. Residents who opt to participate in the program will be required to sign a new lease addendum, which includes specific rules and conditions for their participation. Residents and their guests must acknowledge and agree to community rules through the platform. Guests must provide government ID and are screened. Only guests with positive ratings from previous Airbnb stays are accepted. The platform provides real time visibility of the number of hosts and guests onsite at any given time. Hosts and guests can be deactivated from the platform if they are not complying to community and hosting rules. This new platform is a benefit to all residents as it will reduce the amount of unauthorized short term rentals occurring at the community and will allow residents a way to responsibly host their apartment homes through Airbnb.”
Meanwhile, there's a city ordinance trying to crack down on Airbnbs in Atlanta. Under the proposal, people would only be able to own two short-term rental units, and one must be their primary residence.
That could eliminate more than 4,000 Airbnbs from the city, and would increase penalties for people hosting loud parties. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/buckhead/buckhead-airport-opens-doors-airbnbs/85-b935a565-ad61-4b10-91b1-84adde3594ea | 2022-07-09T04:42:24 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/buckhead/buckhead-airport-opens-doors-airbnbs/85-b935a565-ad61-4b10-91b1-84adde3594ea |
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — Many metro Atlanta communities don't have enough law enforcement officers and are planning on holding hiring events through the summer as agencies deal with ongoing staffing shortages and difficulties finding qualified candidates.
They said pandemic staffing losses, low pay, and the danger of the job are some of the reasons for the crisis.
Imagine having to work 78 hours a week.
That's what the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said many of its deputies are doing because of a severe staffing shortage. The deputies should work 84 hours each pay period, but that's not usually what happens.
“I've seen people pull 72 hours of overtime in a pay period," Douglas County Sheriff's Office Lt. Col. Tavarreus Pounds said.
The department should have about 350 sworn deputies, but they're almost 60 short.
“We've got vacancies everywhere and everyone is pulling their share, but they do get burned out from time to time, so we're trying to relieve that," Pounds said.
Deputies being stretched so thin is causing problems throughout the county.
“Right now we're having to pull people off the road," Pounds said.
Fewer eyes are on Douglas County's streets to proactively react to and reduce crimes.
“We just can't be at every place at all times," Pounds said. "We would love to have a full shift of 15 or 20 people on the patrol shift so that we can be in more places and so we can reduce the crimes that's happening in the county.”
Another consequence of the deputy shortage affects the county jail.
“When you don't have enough people to cover a shift in the jails, we have to lock the jail down," Pounds said.
The jail has cut down visitation hours, so families aren't able to see inmates as much.
“The inmates won't get to be out like they want to be out, but it's a safety has to have that many inmates roaming around and we don't have enough people to watch them," Pounds said.
Douglas County isn't alone.
The Atlanta Police Department is trying to hire 250 officers this year. They're holding a hiring event at Lenox Mall on July 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
City of South Fulton Police Chief Keith Meadows said a study showed its department should eventually have 300 to 350 officers, but they currently have 178 officers.
“We need good quality people, good quality candidates to come out so that we can place them in those positions so that we won't lose people because we are burning them out and working them too much," Pounds said.
The hiring event at the Douglas County Sheriff's Office takes place Saturday, July 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 8470 Earl D. Lee Boulevard in Douglasville. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/douglas-county-sheriffs-office-staffing-shortages/85-754035a9-71e1-4a2b-ac97-2ce738cc345d | 2022-07-09T04:42:30 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/douglas-county-sheriffs-office-staffing-shortages/85-754035a9-71e1-4a2b-ac97-2ce738cc345d |
EVINGTON, Va. – A Bedford County family is mourning the loss of their dog, after they say their neighbor tortured the dog to such an extreme, it has to be put down.
Donna Ripley and her fiancé, Dennis Evans are the owners of the two-year old husky, Winter.
They say last week, they were forced to put their beloved dog down after their neighbor tied Winter up to a tree and beat her.
“With multiple ties of ropes around the tree and one rope around her neck. She could not even, she was gasping for breath. Her eye was almost out of the socket. And the other ear had been penetrated by a BB gun, is what the officer told me when he went over there,” said Evans.
Bedford County Sheriff’s Office charged Michael Elliot with one felony count of animal cruelty.
They say their neighbor did it believing the dog killed his cat.
“It was a heinous act,” said Ripley.
“It was mishandled,” said Evans.
Winter was dragged from another neighbor’s porch, while playing wit the neighbor’s dog the day it happened.
“They were both on the deck right here. The neighbors behind started beating on my front door. And they said that Winter had killed their cat, “ said the neighbor, Claire Falwell.
“Winter was right there on the deck. And then they went and grabbed a rope, wrapped it around her neck, and dragged her off my porch. I called my husband while they were yelling at me, who he then called Dennis to let him know,” she added.
The vet told Dennis it was best to put Winter down.
The dog’s injuries were just too bad.
The couple hopes the man who did this to their dog is held responsible.
“Hopefully he will never own another animal. I really hope that something is done about the fact that this man did this with no remorse,” said Ripley.
“I just hope the commonwealth and the judge does justice,” said Evans.
Felony animal cruelty charges in Virginia could be punishable by up to five years in prison.
Elliot’s arraignment is scheduled for July 21. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/07/09/bedford-county-couple-mourning-the-loss-of-their-dog-after-neighbor-tortured-it/ | 2022-07-09T04:42:45 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/07/09/bedford-county-couple-mourning-the-loss-of-their-dog-after-neighbor-tortured-it/ |
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Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/speed-signs-installed-on-germantown-ave-after-woman-killed/3294643/ | 2022-07-09T04:52:37 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/speed-signs-installed-on-germantown-ave-after-woman-killed/3294643/ |
Arizona lottery numbers, July 8
Associated Press
These Arizona lotteries were drawn Friday:
Pick 3
3-2-1
Fantasy 5
09-13-23-27-38
Estimated jackpot: $53,000
Triple Twist
17-18-19-23-24-35
Estimated jackpot: $710,000
Mega Millions
20-36-61-62-69, Mega Ball: 20, Megaplier: 3
Estimated jackpot: $410 million
Powerball
Estimated jackpot: $48 million | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/07/08/arizona-lottery-numbers-july-8/10019883002/ | 2022-07-09T04:59:41 | 1 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/07/08/arizona-lottery-numbers-july-8/10019883002/ |
City Commission approves housing master plan, but questions remain unanswered
Great Falls city commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday night to adopt both a five-year “master plan” and a new one-year “action plan,” which together are meant to guide the city though its distribution of $1.08 million in federal Housing and Urban Development grants.
That sentence alone is more than enough to make the average reader yawn, but its only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to federal appropriations and understanding what the city of Great Falls can and cannot do with the millions of federal dollars it’s been given to address the pandemic, homelessness, urban blight, and affordable housing. These issues have recently come to the forefront as the city searches for new ways to address public concerns over an emergency homeless encampment that’s taken root in the parking lot of the First United Methodist Church near the Downtown Historic District.
Last month the city of Great Falls filed a complaint in District Court alleging that the Methodist Church encampment was in violation of city zoning ordinances, and demanding the church remove the tents and camping arrangements from the area. That complaint is still in litigation.
Learn more about the First United Methodist Church's emergency homeless shelter
Tuesday’s public hearing began with Great Falls Director of Planning and Community Development, Craig Raymond, attempting to slice through the Gordian Knot of federal appropriations gobbledygook. He noted that that the $1.08 million the city expects to receive comes from two separate but strategically aligned programs of the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD). The city of Great Falls has participated in both the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG) and the Home Investment Partnership program (HOME) for decades and relies upon these annual federal disbursements to help fund affordable housing and urban renewal projects.
“Every year the amount changes slightly, but this year the city will receive $764,295 in CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds and we will also receive $319,759 in HOME funds (Home Investment Partnership),” Raymond explained.
The CDBG and HOME programs both originate from the same federal agency (HUD), but each program has its own set of separate requirements and qualifications to obtain funding.
“One requirement CDBG and HOME share is that the municipality applying for them must develop both a five-year Consolidated Plan as well as Annual Action Plans that lay out in detail how the grants will be used,” Raymond explained. “The Consolidated Plan is a five-year ‘master plan’ that lays out the types of efforts and projects that the city intends to focus on over the next five years. It is intended to be broad in focus but specific enough to chart the course.
“The Annual Action Plan is essentially a much more detailed direction for the coming one-year period that’s supposed to reflect the ‘how to’ of the master plan.”
Tuesday’s vote was to approve both the Consolidated Plan and the 2022 Annual Action Plan, along with amendments that will allow the city greater latitude to allocate funds to acquire and rehabilitate distressed properties in Great Falls to address affordable housing issues.
But that’s only the beginning of a saga that also includes $4 million in special federal funding meant to address economic recovery after COVID as well as homelessness in Great Falls. Just how these funds are eventually allocated has been placed into sharper public focus given an increasing shortage of affordable housing in the city, compounded by a very visible encampment of homeless people near the city center.
Federal grants bring opportunity ... with obstacles
“Since the adoption of the plan, circumstances surrounding housing demand have significantly accelerated,” Raymond told the Commission. “The proposed amendment to the five-year Consolidated Plan is the addition of activities specifically intended to target affordable housing opportunities and the elimination of blight in the community. Staff will be placing a high interest and priority on homelessness services through the public services category. We will also be very active in affordable housing, housing rehabilitation, fair housing, economic development, and public facilities.”
CDBG and HOME funds are, by statute, specifically targeted toward sustainable, long-term community improvement projects to aid low to moderate income neighborhoods and to develop more affordable housing. The money is not intended for the establishment of emergency homeless shelters; yet the topic of homelessness rose to the top of Commission debate on Tuesday.
“We have $1 million plus dollars – looking at the emergency fund for these homeless shelters,” noted Judith Mortenson, an opponent to passage of the Consolidated Plan. “How is this emergency funding and these shelters we are proposing going to actually solve the problem rather than just mitigate people who want to come in and find whatever benefits they can at the hands of the taxpayers of Great Falls?”
Mortenson’s reference was to a separate federal grant of $1.03 million, specifically targeted toward addressing homelessness and affordable housing. To make things even more confusing, the HOME COVID Funds grant (HOME/CF) originates from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) just like all the others do, but carries with it an entirely different set of priorities and limitations. The Great Falls City Commission approved a set of priorities for the $1.03 million in HOME/CR funds last February. That plan did not include a funding priority for emergency homeless shelters.
“I don’t see where this housing proposal actually solves much of that problem,” Mortenson continued. “There are many people in Great Falls who are having difficulty with housing who do not qualify. How is this solving the problem and what do you see going forward?”
It’s an important question; but the answer is fraught with complexities. First, its important to realize that the city of Great Falls does not have complete control over how the federal grants are spent. In fact, the city acts more like a pass-through organization than a direct participant in the application of the grants.
“There seems to be a misconception sometimes that the city of Great Falls is directly involved in addressing the homeless situation, the poverty situation, the lack of housing by directly expending funds. We do not,” Great Falls City Commissioner Rick Tryon said. “What the city of Great Falls does is provide those funds through CDBG and some special allocations such as HOME/CF to provide to community partners and nonprofits who then use that money as a sub-recipient of the grant process to address those issues.”
In short, there is not a big pot of money the federal government keeps filled to the brim that the city can use for any program it chooses.
Raymond said regular CDBG and HOME funding has played a hugely important role in combating issues of homelessness in Great Falls, but these efforts don’t always show up on a concise housing balance sheet.
“The CDBG and HOME programs identify homelessness in many facets, specifically through public services,” Raymond said. “We have funded different organizations that help combat the typical things people who are experiencing homelessness, or who are at risk of losing their homes will deal with, whether it be alcohol or drug related support services, meals-on-wheels - a number of different things we have helped fund to help people out of homelessness. We’ve done an awful lot with other types of affordable housing through the CDBG and HOME programs.”
What should the city's role be?
Federal guidelines for the various grant programs are detailed and specific. Step over a line on how the grant money was spent and the city risks losing them altogether – especially when it comes to funding an unapproved project like an emergency homeless shelter.
“The world of emergency shelters is plagued with a lot of difficulties besides just opening a door,” said Great Falls Mayor Bob Kelly. “For one thing we have not seen an organization come forward with the infrastructure capable of executing an emergency shelter. That’s one of main reasons we haven’t seen a request for it.”
“If we’re going to give an organization $1 million to stand up an emergency shelter, we have to be really damn confident that they’re going to do so, and that they’ll be able to sustain it for at least 10 years,” Raymond said of the city’s obligation when it comes to HOME/CF grants. “You have to assure the federal government that they (the service organization) have the capability to sustain this thing for a minimum of 10 years and if they don’t, you’re potentially at risk of having to pay that $1 million back to the federal government. So, you really have to pay attention and you better do it right.”
Commissioner Tryon noted that one of the express conditions of the $1.03 million HOME/CR grant was that it could only be used for “non-congregate housing,” a stipulation that excludes several emergency homeless shelter alternatives.
“It means it can’t be group housing where you open up one room, put cots in there and everyone lives in the same place,” Tryon explained. “Non-congregate would have to be as an individual or as a family. It has to have some privacy involved. That’s where the Pallet housing idea comes from.”
“Pallet housing” is a reference to the Seattle based company “Pallet” which constructs small, two-person sleeping cabins with lockable doors that can be erected easily in a day. Many west coast communities have turned to Pallet homes to construct secure temporary villages for the homeless.
“They almost look like an ice fishing shack you’d find in Minnesota or something,” Raymond said.
At this point the Great Falls City Commission has not received a specific proposal to build pallet homes, nor one to establish some alternative type of non-congregate emergency shelter for the homeless. A large majority of the federal grant money the city currently has at its disposal is not eligible for that type of use.
“The efforts being made by some of the agencies are for long-term sustainable housing and not necessarily for emergency shelters,” Kelly said. “The situation going on at the church here in town – there are people there who are trying to do good things and they’re trying to be organized, but at this point there’s not the skill set involved or the infrastructure, or even the IRS status for some of these grants to be put out to do this type of emergency shelter work.
“Our community partners have requested a variety of projects to address homelessness, but as far as a low-barrier or no-barrier shelter – that is a very difficult thing to stand up. I for one would look forward to any organization that wants to try to propose that to come forward, because there’s obviously a need for it here in our community.”
In a side conversation with the Tribune, Commissioner Tryon pointed out that the city commission lacks a clear definition of even what the term “homelessness” means or who it applies to.
“Do you mean widows and orphans who have no other option other than to live outside somewhere or under a bridge, or do you mean people who voluntarily choose to live at a tent encampment in a parking lot … because they don’t want to live by rules, and they don’t want to live under any kind of structured environment?” Tryon asked.
“There are some people that want us all to think that every single one of the people who is homeless in Great Falls is homeless by no choice of their own. I don’t believe that. On the other hand, there are some people who are literally living in their car because they have no choice, they have nowhere to go. I don’t know how to quantify that.”
Tryon also said the city is ill equipped to take the lead in managing or administrating an emergency homeless shelter.
“We don’t have the resources to do that,” he said. “The money that we would allocate would have to be for somebody that has a long-term plan … who would be able to take that money and build a dozen or so pallet housing units, but then they would have to have a place to put it. They’d have to have a way to manage it. There would have to be some kind of administrative and management plan in place long-term, and nobody’s come forward to do that.”
What the appropriate role for the city to take in addressing homelessness and affordable housing has yet to be fully determined. The answer to that question rests heavily upon determining how much latitude the city of Great Falls actually has, given that nearly all the available funding has very specific federal stipulations attached to it. | https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2022/07/08/great-falls-montana-city-commission-ok-housing-master-plan-hud-funds-struggles-address-homelessness/65367686007/ | 2022-07-09T05:00:00 | 0 | https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2022/07/08/great-falls-montana-city-commission-ok-housing-master-plan-hud-funds-struggles-address-homelessness/65367686007/ |
MIDLAND, Texas — Oncor is reporting an outage impacting about 1,400 homes in Midland.
According to the Oncor outage map, the estimated time of restoration is Saturday at 1 a.m.
At this time there is no word on what caused the outage, but viewers reported seeing a bright flash and a downed power line.
We will continue to update this story as we learn more about the situation. | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/power-outage-impacts-over-1000-homes-in-midland/513-d6671d49-61eb-473e-a606-54efdb8d7635 | 2022-07-09T05:08:56 | 0 | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/power-outage-impacts-over-1000-homes-in-midland/513-d6671d49-61eb-473e-a606-54efdb8d7635 |
BOISE, Idaho — Summer events around the Treasure Valley are in full swing.
Eagle Fun Days festivities began Friday night. Attendees can enjoy anything from fireworks and car shows to cornhole tournaments.
Eagle Mayor Jason Pierce says the event is just a giant community party. His favorite part is the Wet N’ Wild Parade, which starts Saturday at 1 p.m.
“It’s organized chaos,” Pierce said. “It’s just fun to see everybody have fun. The smile on people’s faces that, you know, are in their 80s to 1 years old.”
Saturday's events also include the Eagle Fun Run and Rocky Mountain Oyster Feed.
Eagle Fun Days draws people in from all over. 34,000 people live in Eagle; Pierce said about 40,000 typically show up for the parade alone.
Another community event kicked off late Friday afternoon – the Twilight Trifecta Criterium. The Twilight Trifecta Criterium is Boise’s largest bike race.
The race is celebrating its 35-year anniversary. Boise resident Paula Bachman is attending the Twilight Trifecta Criterium for the 20th time.
"It's just a fun event," Bachman said. "Great for the cycling community here in Boise."
The course is set up in front of the Idaho Capitol Building. Amateur racing begins at 2 p.m. Saturday and the kids race is at 2:15 p.m.
The pros will battle it out starting at 6:30 p.m. Race Director Mike Cooley said there is no shortage of excitement.
"It's a 1-kilometer loop that they are gonna go around about every minute," Cooley said. "So, there's lots and lots of bike racing to watch."
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist: | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/eagle-fun-days-twilight-criterium-kick-off-treasure-valley-weekend/277-9edef302-86df-4b19-aa35-46cca052495d | 2022-07-09T05:13:34 | 0 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/eagle-fun-days-twilight-criterium-kick-off-treasure-valley-weekend/277-9edef302-86df-4b19-aa35-46cca052495d |
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