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Anna Margot Ridder
June 14, 1932-June 22, 2022
KLEMME-Anna Margot Ridder, 90, of Klemme, IA, went to her eternal rest on June 22, 2022 at RCB in Belmond. Margot was born on June 14, 1932 in Weiterode, Germany, shortly before the outbreak of WWII. She was the third of four children of Pauline and Johannes Hesse. She spent her childhood years amid the chaos of war, and forced to join the Hitler Youth at age 5, she and her classmates had to perform long hours of menial field labor for the war effort. When she was barely 17 she met a handsome American GI who was stationed near her hometown. She and Roger Ridder were married after a whirlwind romance and spent the next 60 years together. They had five children, 10 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. They spent the first 15 years of their married life in Bebra, Germany, then moved their family to America and settled in Klemme, Roger's hometown. Margot was an enterprising, gregarious woman who was able to thrive in any environment. She worked hard to provide for her family and become an asset to her community. She and Roger bought a farm where they grew corn and soy beans, and after working at the Klemme Locker for a number of years, she bought the building next door and opened her own grocery store. Throughout the years, she regularly returned to Germany to nourish her roots and stay connected with her family and friends. Our mom and Oma was a people person, and to her strangers were just friends she hadn't met yet. She was a strong willed woman with a heart of gold who made friends wherever she went. She knew how to have a good time and loved nothing more than to celebrate surrounded by all her family and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband Roger, her parents Lina and Hans Hesse, her parents-in-law Lee and Dolores Ridder, her brother Heinrich, who fell in Russia in 1942, her sisters Elise and Irma, her brothers-in-law Heinz and Herwig and her nephew Dieter.
Left to mourn and cherish her memory are her children Monica (Paul) Kruse, Randy (Patt) Ridder, Sylvia Shell, Gloria Bittner and Sonja (Randy Bannister) Ridder, her grandchildren Tanya Kruse, Ryan (Karrie) Bonner, Derek (Nicole) Kruse, Shaun (Heather) Bonner, Lisa Ridder, Justin (Esther) Kruse, Veronica Coe, Chris (Amber) Pals, Nick (Laura) Shell and Samantha (Cory Brown) Pals, and many great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
There will be a public visitation at the Klemme Methodist Church on Sunday, July 10, from 5-7 PM, with the public funeral celebrated at the same venue on Monday, July 11 at 10:30 am. Andrews Funeral Home Klemme is handling funeral arrangements. Memorials may be givein in Margot's name to the Klemme United Methodist Church, the family or the donor's choice. Margot's funeral will be live streamed on the Andrews Funeral Homes Facebook page at 10:30 AM, Monday. Just LIKE the page to view. Andrews Funeral Home, Klemme, IA. www.andrewsfuneralhomeandfloral.com 641-587-2510. | https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/anna-margot-ridder/article_3b9ea0b5-fe68-5be8-8454-0272da462b21.html | 2022-07-10T00:03:45 | 1 | https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/anna-margot-ridder/article_3b9ea0b5-fe68-5be8-8454-0272da462b21.html |
Jairon Bryan Yat Choc, 20, has been charged with manslaughter after a car crash led to a woman’s death.
Erin Danelle Norman, 39, was killed in the July 1 collision on the East Side.
According to an affidavit, Choc was speeding north in a black Camaro in the right lane on South Hackberry Street near Rigsby Avenue when he hit a Toyota Highlander that was going north in the left lane, pushing it into a concrete support pillar for the highway overpass. The impact caused a 3-foot intrusion into the right rear of the Highlander.
Norman, who was in the left rear passenger seat, was found unresponsive after the crash. Norman’s husband was driving the Highlander and their 6-month-old daughter was in the right rear passenger seat. The husband and infant had minor injuries following the crash, the affidavit said.
Norman was transported to BAMC with severe head trauma. She was pronounced dead Wednesday, five days after the accident.
Choc was arrested the following day.
According to the affidavit, Choc was driving 100 mph just seconds before the crash. The speed limit on Hackberry is 30 mph.
Choc “operated a motor vehicle in a reckless manner and caused a crash, which caused the death” of Norman, the affidavit said.
Choc’s bail was set at $100,000.
megan.rodriguez@express-news.net | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Man-charged-with-manslaughter-in-East-Side-crash-17294820.php | 2022-07-10T00:12:42 | 0 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Man-charged-with-manslaughter-in-East-Side-crash-17294820.php |
The Sanford Police Department has found a 65-year-old man who went missing.
Police were looking for Daniel Gonzalez, who left his home around 3:30 p.m. Saturday to walk his dog and didn’t return, police said.
Police said Gonzalez has since been found safely.
#Missing #endangered
— SanfordPolice (@SanfordPolice) July 9, 2022
Daniel Gonzalez, 65 years of age, left his home in Celery Key Estates around 3:30 pm to walk his dog(a small chihuahua), & did not return. He is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and does not know his surroundings.
Anyone with information, please contact SPD. pic.twitter.com/nwzxXodG9F
Gonzalez is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, police said. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/07/09/sanford-police-looking-for-missing-65-year-old-man/ | 2022-07-10T00:15:28 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/07/09/sanford-police-looking-for-missing-65-year-old-man/ |
Dwight Gardner, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Gary, holds a poster going up in churches, businesses and other locations across Gary emphasizing the devastating toll of gun violence on black men in the United States.
Dan Carden, The Times
Pastor Dewan Bynum, president of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Gary and Vicinity, at podium, speaks Saturday at the Gary Public Library alongside other Baptist pastors about the need for "putting feet to our faith" by promoting love and respect for others as a means of combating gun violence in the Steel City.
Dan Carden, The Times
1st Sgt. Terrance Weems of the Indiana State Police speaks Saturday at the Gary Public Library during a "Successful Interaction with Law Enforcement" event hosted by the Baptist Ministers Conference of Gary and Vicinity.
GARY — A coalition of Baptist ministers is working to change hearts and minds in the hope of stemming gun violence in Gary, which last week saw three people killed and seven wounded in a mass shooting at an Independence Day party.
The Baptist Ministers' Conference of Gary and Vicinity recommitted Saturday to doing all it can to make it a "Peace Summer" in the Steel City.
"We have determined that nobody is going to save us, but us. We have to become engaged in how our community is viewed and how it will move forward," said Dwight Gardner, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Gary.
Gardner acknowledged there is a place for gun violence prevention measures enacted by legislative bodies at the local, state and federal level.
But he said real change only will come when people recognize the shared humanity of others and choose to engage on that basis instead of using guns.
"Our approach to gun violence is, it's not the gun. It's the mindset and the spirit, and the loss of love and respect for humanity itself that is our major issue," Gardner said.
"We're pushing love here. We're pushing concern for the human condition where we live. We're pushing compassion and respect for self and others here. And if we can get that point across, then the gun violence will go down."
To spread that message, the ministers are deploying posters in churches, businesses, schools and other public places throughout Gary urging people to "put the guns down" by emphasizing the devastating effect gun violence has had in the United States.
One poster, for example, notes that between 2003 and 2011 there were 3,800 American soldiers killed in Iraq, while during the same period 24,000 African American males were killed in America.
"They called Iraq a war. If Iraq was a war, then what is happening where we live?" Gardner asked.
Gardner explained that in war the enemy has to be dehumanized because it's hard for soldiers to kill someone they view as a fellow human being.
He said in Gary the humanity of each person needs to once again be recognized so people will stop and think instead of picking up a gun.
"We want to elevate human life back to its place as something to be cherished and guarded and kept safe," Gardner said.
In addition to the poster project, the ministers in June led a community blood drive and on Saturday hosted a conference attended by about 100 teens and young adults at the Gary Public Library addressing successful interactions with law enforcement and featuring presentations by state Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary; Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter; and 1st Sgt. Terrance Weems of the Indiana State Police.
The Peace Summer initiative is due to culminate at a rally with speakers, food and entertainment, from noon to 5 p.m. Aug. 6 at Froebel Park, 400 W. 15th Ave., Gary.
But the work will go on into the autumn and beyond thanks to a partnership with the Gary Community School Corp. to promote nonviolence and human dignity in the classroom, at school sporting events and elsewhere in the community.
"We're in a critical time. What happened on the Fourth of July, what has happened throughout our city, throughout our country, this is a very critical moment," said Dewan Bynum, president of the Baptist ministers conference. "We're putting feet to our faith."
At the same time, Pastor Marlon Mack Sr. of Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church in Gary said the need for action extends well beyond Gary, especially among "pro-life" Hoosiers who cheered the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling eliminating the right to abortion.
"I find it interesting that many people who claim to be pro-life are only pro-life when it concerns a life within the womb," Mack said. "But in our community, once that life has been birthed, there are no efforts, there is no compassion, there is no concern to make sure that those lives have all that they should have, that our Constitution guarantees."
"We cannot have the life that Jesus came to give us if we do not have proper education, if we do not have standard housing, if we're not receiving living wages and have access to proper employment. If we don't have all of those things — and they are systematically being denied to this community — then how can we say we are pro-life?"
Mack said "the faith community, the business community, the education community and the community at large" must work with the pastors to raise the standard of living in Gary and improve the quality of all lives in Northwest Indiana.
Here are the new Indiana laws to know that took effect July 1
When I visited the crime scene of a triple homicide in Gary, I didn’t see any makeshift memorials of fresh flowers, stuffed teddy bears, or lit candles, as we’re accustomed to seeing at most sites of deadly gun violence in our hair-trigger country.
Dwight Gardner, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Gary, holds a poster going up in churches, businesses and other locations across Gary emphasizing the devastating toll of gun violence on black men in the United States.
Pastor Dewan Bynum, president of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Gary and Vicinity, at podium, speaks Saturday at the Gary Public Library alongside other Baptist pastors about the need for "putting feet to our faith" by promoting love and respect for others as a means of combating gun violence in the Steel City.
1st Sgt. Terrance Weems of the Indiana State Police speaks Saturday at the Gary Public Library during a "Successful Interaction with Law Enforcement" event hosted by the Baptist Ministers Conference of Gary and Vicinity. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/pastors-hopeful-love-of-others-will-triumph-over-gun-violence/article_35c49f59-319e-5403-943a-d49801280cd1.html | 2022-07-10T00:22:06 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/pastors-hopeful-love-of-others-will-triumph-over-gun-violence/article_35c49f59-319e-5403-943a-d49801280cd1.html |
ROANOKE, Va. – A week ago, we told you about the construction of a small home in Roanoke to help get one more person off the street.
With music blasting from the radio, 62-year-old Dawn dances with excitement to see her new home.
Dawn faced homelessness for more than two decades and mainly slept along Williamson Road.
“This is nice,” Dawn said.
Brando traveled from Atlanta to build the home after his cousin, Tiphaney Helm, told him about Dawn.
“She was like I want you to meet Miss Dawn,” Brando said. “So took me by there and we told her what we were going to be building and she was ecstatic.”
The owner of the property gave two thumbs up to allow the construction of Dawn’s new home.
And will provide Dawn access to her bathroom and shower.
The discovery of a generator to power her own fan, phone and coffee maker made Dawn smile.
Helm packed two suitcases filled with clothes, slippers and toiletries.
As Dawn sits on the edge of the doorframe, she calls it perfect.
“We hope to see a great change in how she moves, how she walks, even how she talks,” Helm said. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/07/09/woman-experiencing-homelessness-dances-to-see-her-new-home/ | 2022-07-10T00:28:11 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/07/09/woman-experiencing-homelessness-dances-to-see-her-new-home/ |
The vision of a new center to support local veteran was unveiled in Kenosha Saturday as The Bunker Coffee House opened its doors during a community open house.
Owner Jo Wynn, CEO of the non-profit organization Walkin’ in My Shoes, opened the site at 2211 50th St., welcoming veterans, members of the community, and guests including Gov. Tony Evers, who greeted and spoke with veterans in attendance.
Wynn gave Evers a tour of the new nonprofit business and showed him aspects such as its pantry area and a tree painted on the wall for veterans and their families to write their names.
Evers, who did not make a formal address, told Wynn he wanted to help her with the new cafe.
Local veterans turned out and were pleased with what they saw.
“It’s good to have veterans of any area be able to come to a place and receive services and have a place to hang out,” said Michael Hellquist, a local Army veteran who served from 2007 to 2016.
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Hellquist added there are other resources in the community for veterans to use as well, such as the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Hero’s Cafe.
“This is a place where you can come and have breakfast,” Hellquist said. “You can’t do that at the American Legion Post (and) you can’t do that at the VFW.”
Some attendees, such as Shaunta Barker, said she has struggled to get veteran’s assistance and benefits.
“I don’t know what resources are out here for the veterans,” Barker said.
Barker, who is an Army National Guard veteran originally from Arkansas, could not find information at job centers about what type of benefits she qualified for.
“I went to the job center and the guy looked it up on the computer and he put the little veteran logo sticker on my driver’s license,” Barker said. “But he didn’t tell me what I qualified for.”
Among its services of providing free coffee, breakfast and lunch, Bunker’s Coffeehouse will provide assistance to veterans looking to apply for Veteran’s Affairs benefits.
Christine Gursky and Jimmie Rosko of the Good Old Boys and Girls, which consists of American Legion members, visited the cafe to see Wynn’s vision and how the Legion post could possibly help.
“We’re always looking for ways that we can help the community maybe do fundraisers (and) maybe contribute in some way,” Gursky said. “We heard about this and wanted to come find her and see what she’s got going on, what she’s hoping to build, what her vision is for it and how we can possibly help.”
Gursky and Rosko are both veterans; Gursky served in the Army from 1997 to 2006 and Rosko served in the Marines from 1967 to 1971.
Wynn said she knows there are other resources for veterans in the area, but God was telling her to continue to pursue her vision for a safe space for vets. Wynn emphasized the importance of listening to the needs of people who need help from their communities.
Also among those attending Saturday’s open house was state Rep. Tod Ohnstad, D-Kenosha, who toured the facility for its grand opening, and greeted people who came to support Wynn. | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/gov-tony-evers-visits-the-bunker-coffee-house-for-veterans-grand-opening-in-kenosha-saturday/article_826248ee-ffaf-11ec-894c-9b75fe6b3cc3.html | 2022-07-10T00:28:12 | 0 | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/gov-tony-evers-visits-the-bunker-coffee-house-for-veterans-grand-opening-in-kenosha-saturday/article_826248ee-ffaf-11ec-894c-9b75fe6b3cc3.html |
I am excited to announce that Habitat for Humanity of Kenosha is hosting the 3rd Annual Women Build Week Aug. 1-6.
The event calls on women across the globe to raise a hammer and shine a spotlight on the need for safe and affordable housing in our community. Women Build Week raises funds to continue building Habitat homes in Kenosha while providing the tools for women to empower and educate themselves on skills used when building or repairing homes.
Women Build Week also provides the opportunity for women to take a proactive step in serving their communities, specifically to support other women. Anyone who wants to learn how to build and construct a home is invited to join us. No experience is necessary. Volunteers work under the guidance of construction professionals, alongside other volunteers and future Habitat homeowners. Whether you are learning new skills or simply adding a few to your tool belt, this is a rewarding experience for all involved and improves the community that you share.
Habitat for Humanity of Kenosha is currently building four homes, two of them in the Wilson Heights Neighborhood. Before the end of the year, Habitat for Humanity of Kenosha intends to break ground on two more new homes in the Wilson Heights Neighborhood. Most of these future homeowners are single mothers. The majority of single-parent families in the U.S. are led by single mothers. Single mothers earn income that places them well below married mothers in the income ladder. The gap between the two groups is significantly large.
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Habitat for Humanity of Kenosha homes are priced at fair market value and are not subject to the negotiating ability of the home buyer or any implicit bias or prejudice of their real estate agent. The home loans provided by Habitat for Humanity of Kenosha are interest-free, and mortgage payments are below 30% of the homeowner’s monthly income. This model assures affordability regardless of gender and protects women from paying higher costs for their homes. Consequently, Habitat homeowners, many of whom are single mothers, do not start their home ownership journey at a deficit. Instead, they gain the strength, stability, and self-reliance needed to care for their families well.
Our goal with Women Build is to empower women to build strength, stability and independence. We at Habitat for Humanity have the ability to provide opportunities for hands-on learning, and given these tools, women can succeed in changing their communities. We see a Habitat home as a hand up, not a hand out. Thanks to the support of community donors and volunteers, we can continue to build homes and hope for women here in Kenosha.
To join the efforts, visit https://www.habitatkenosha.org/women-build. | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/habitat-for-humanity-of-kenosha-ready-to-host-3rd-annual-women-build-week/article_b4aaf3ba-ff9a-11ec-a995-d33faffbe7d9.html | 2022-07-10T00:28:18 | 1 | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/habitat-for-humanity-of-kenosha-ready-to-host-3rd-annual-women-build-week/article_b4aaf3ba-ff9a-11ec-a995-d33faffbe7d9.html |
A surge in violence in the city over the past week has Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian calling again for an increase in police officers, as well as more community efforts for youth-focused programs.
The Fourth of July in Kenosha marked the beginning of a multi-day streak of violence in the city, with three shootings leaving at least six wounded and one dead.
On the night of July 4, five people were victims of a mass shooting that killed a 20-year-old man and injured four adults in the 6300 block of 25th Avenue in the Uptown neighborhood.
Family members identified the 20-year-old fatal shooting victim as Anderail K. Armstrong, who was also known as “Lil Cash.” They have established a GoFundMe page to help pay for Armstrong’s funeral expenses.
Just a day later another shooting occurred in the Uptown neighborhood just blocks away from the July 4th mass shooting. Police responding to a call in the 6100 block of 24th Avenue found a vehicle struck by gunfire unoccupied in the area. While investigating, officers received information that the man was inside a nearby house and suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. The 49-year-old man was transported to the hospital.
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On Wednesday night, a man arrived at a local hospital with multiple gunshots to his upper body after being shot in the Wilson Heights neighborhood. The 43-year-old man has since been released from the hospital.
On Friday, the department also responded to a report of a gunshot that occurred near a gas station in the 5200 block of 39th Avenue on Friday at 1:45 a.m.
In another incident Downtown, the July 4th carnival was shut down early due to fights breaking out between various groups reportedly in their late teens.
Two main sources
Antaramian said the violence over the past week have two main sources.
The fights that broke out at the carnival Downtown are from a greater need for youth-focused programs to keep them from trouble, which Antaramian said typically enjoy support from the community.
“The city has, over the years, continually tried to expand its services for young people to keep them active,” Antaramian said.
The shootings, however, are a more difficult problem to handle, Antaramian said.
“That is a much more difficult issue to deal with,” Antaramian said. “We just have much too many guns in our community.”
The Kenosha Police Department have seized over 140 guns in 2022, arrested 18 people for aggravated assault with a firearm and 53 people for concealed carrying of a weapon.
Antaramian criticized attempts at the state level to reduce the age for concealed carry of weapons to 18, arguing that addressing gun violence requires more background checks and more police officers.
“Kenosha is not any different from anywhere else in the country about gun violence,” Antaramian said. “It’s a multi-faceted issue.”
He said the city needs to expand the police department to better address gun violence and other crime, and plans to hold a referendum in August to add 10 new police officers to the local police department.
As of Saturday, no suspects have been identified in any of the shootings. Kenosha Police Public Information Officer Lt. Joseph Nosalik said detectives are “working countless hours on those shootings and trying to put the pieces together.”
“If you are aware of somebody who has a firearm and shouldn’t have the firearm, call the police,” Nosalik said. “If you see something, say something. We need people to cooperate with police. We need people to call the police and give us information.”
Nosalik asked for anyone with information to contact the detective bureau at 262-605-5203 or Kenosha Area Crime Stoppers at 262-656-7333. People who call Crime Stoppers remain anonymous. | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/mayor-responds-after-multi-day-streak-of-shootings-violence-in-kenosha/article_3d0daaa4-fee2-11ec-9fde-b7564034f045.html | 2022-07-10T00:28:24 | 1 | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/mayor-responds-after-multi-day-streak-of-shootings-violence-in-kenosha/article_3d0daaa4-fee2-11ec-9fde-b7564034f045.html |
Farmers along the Lower Colorado River in Southern Arizona and Southern California are bracing for severe reductions next year in their river water supplies — cuts they say could lead to widespread crop production cutbacks, major economic dislocation and, possibly, food shortages.
“Mass fallowing” is a prime concern among representatives of several big irrigation districts along the river. The concern is growing as farm, city, state and federal officials seek to negotiate a compromise solution to carry out cuts in water use across the entire Colorado River Basin that were ordered last month by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
The bureau wants the seven river basin states to cut 2 million to 4 million acre-feet of water use next year. That amounts to up to nearly 30% of their total annual take from the river. The bureau says the cuts are needed to prevent Lakes Mead and Powell from falling so low they won’t be able to generate power or might even reach “dead pool,” where little or no water could be removed from them.
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Farmers along the Lower Colorado will take a hefty slice of the cuts because they use the largest single share of river water in the Lower Basin, many experts say. In fact, the Imperial Irrigation District in Southern California west of Yuma owns the single largest share of river water rights in the entire basin.
Overall, the Lower Basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada are expected to take the largest share of cuts because they use more than twice as much water annually as the Upper Basin states of Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming. A top Colorado water official, Rebecca Mitchell, said last week she believes the Lower Basin should take most of the cuts.
“You can’t get to cuts of that magnitude without significant cuts to agriculture. You just can’t,” said Kathryn Sorensen, a researcher for Arizona State University’s Kyl Center for Water Policy. “Who exactly that is, where exactly that is, I don’t know.”
“I understand that the growers have their contracts in for next year, for purchasers, for labor. These are businesses. They’re doing what they need to do to keep their businesses going. If there are significant cuts and a large portion goes to agriculture, I think you are looking at pretty significant fallowing. I don’t know how you get around that,” said Sorensen, adding, “I hope I’m wrong.”
Less food available?
With reductions scheduled to be finalized next month and to take effect in 2023, several farm leaders said in interviews that avoiding large-scale removal of farmland from production will be difficult to impossible to avoid.
“I’ve been told there are as many as 150 different crops grown in Yuma, depending on what the demand is for the crops. We can grow anything in the Yuma Valley, damn near anything. We grow year round — whatever needs to be grown for the rest of the country,” said Tom Davis, general manager of the Yuma County Water Users Association.
These farmers have long been national leaders in their production of food crops, with the Yuma area renowned for supplying at least 90% of the U.S.’s entire winter lettuce supply.
Farmers in the Imperial Valley, just west of the California-Arizona border, grow up to 200 crops, according to various reports and to agricultural leaders there.
If the reservoirs go dry, there will be a food shortage, and if officials must cut off water deliveries to avoid that, “there will be less food available, or if it is available, it will be more expensive,” said Davis, whose association represents farmers growing on about 45,000 acres in the Yuma area that are served by river water.
“Just think of a farm being the Abbott baby formula manufacturing plant,” Davis said. “You cut that back, you end up with a shortage somewhere unless you end up growing it somewhere else. You can’t grow all of what we grow here somewhere else, although you can grow some of it.”
But if the farmers do sustain heavy water use cuts, alfalfa growing — not winter vegetables — will take the biggest hit, said University of Arizona agricultural economist George Frisvold and University of New Mexico water researcher John Fleck.
Far more acres of alfalfa and other forage crops to feed cattle are grown along the Lower Colorado than vegetables. Cutting vegetable crops will be the last resort, Frisvold said.
And if alfalfa growing is slashed, a lot of the cuts will be felt in reduced exports, not in shortages in cheese and other dairy products in the U.S., Frisvold said.
“The bigger impacts are going to be in farming communities,” he said. People in Phoenix and Tucson aren’t “really going to notice this.”
At the same time, farmers hope to gain compensation for their expected financial losses. They’re trying to join forces, to negotiate from a position of strength with city water users along with state and federal officials as they try to come up with a plan acceptable to the bureau.
“We’re five little counties, 12 little irrigation districts, negotiating against Arizona, California and the federal government. We’re a bunch of little irrigation districts arm wrestling with 800-pound gorillas.
“But all together we’re a pretty strong gorilla,” too, said Alan Boyce, a farmer near the Yuma area and in the Imperial Irrigation District who is involved in efforts to organize farmers in Arizona and California.
Historic rights to water; heavy use
But they have become targets for criticism and for future water rights purchases by cities, which have long eyed the farms’ abundant, senior water rights as possible sources to replace what they’ll lose as the Colorado River continues its rapid decline.
Much of the criticism has stemmed from the farms’ heavy dependence on growing water-thirsty alfalfa and other feed crops, although that’s more common among Southern California farms than in the Yuma area.
Between them, farmers in the counties along the Lower Colorado used more than 4.5 million acre-feet of river water in 2021, Bureau of Reclamation records show.
That approaches 65% of the total river water use last year in the entire Lower Colorado Basin, although it’s less than the 70% to 80% that experts say agriculture uses of the entire river’s supply.
For comparison, the Lower Basin’s two largest urban river water users, the three-county Central Arizona Project and the six-county Metropolitan Water District in Southern California, used about 2.4 million acre-feet total in 2021.
Many of the Lower Colorado farmers have senior river water rights, dating as far back as the 1860s. That gives them much higher legal priority for the water than urban users.
Agriculture also has produced economic largesse for the areas, although the region’s personal incomes are lower than those of their urban counterparts.
Yuma County agriculture produces nearly $3.4 billion worth of crops annually, county officials say. In Imperial County, agricultural output in 2019 totaled $2.9 billion annually in direct economic output, and more than $4.3 billion when indirect economic benefits are considered, said a study published by that county’s Agricultural Commissioner’s Office.
But these farmers are generally perceived as having less political clout than the big cities, since the five Lower Colorado riverfront counties have about 867,000 people, equivalent to less than 20% of Maricopa County’s 4.5 million people.
Bart Fisher, a governing board member for the Palo Verde Irrigation District, outside Blythe, California, noted the district already agreed in 2021 to fallow up to 19,461 of its 94,000 acres for three years starting this year, in return for $38 million in compensation from state and federal agencies.
“Then, if they come and say we need significantly more fallowing, what’s left to farm? What about our farmworkers? What about rural communities? When people don’t have employment, they are going to find employment somewhere else. We don’t want to be depopulated,” Fisher said.
Compensation sought for harm
The most specific forecast of economic harm to agriculture comes from Alan Boyce. Executive chairman of the Manterra Farming Company, Boyce oversees farming activities extending from the Imperial Valley to Central Arizona’s Pinal County to California’s Central Valley and beyond.
Academically trained as an economist, he spent two years as a Federal Reserve Board junior economist in the early 1980s and later worked for 30 years as a Wall Street bond trader.
In a slide show he has presented to several Lower Colorado farming communities, Boyce said the 12 irrigation districts in that area need to take a cut of about 2.2 million acre-feet, almost half their total river water supplies, to do their share to meet the Bureau of Reclamation’s goals for stabilizing the big reservoirs. He calls his effort “Save the River.”
A cut of that scale, he projected, would require fallowing of about 185,000 acres year-round with another 444,000 acres fallowed part of the year. That’s about 20% of a total of about 925,000 acres farmed in those districts.
The 2.2 million acre-feet is actually about twice as much as the river basin states are currently discussing cutting from Lower Basin farmers in their ongoing negotiations, various sources say. But Boyce said he believes a cut of less than 2 million won’t be adequate to protect the reservoirs in the long run.
To accomplish the needed water savings, “We need every irrigation district on the Lower Colorado to chip in or we cannot get there. Nobody rides for free,” he said in an email to the Arizona Daily Star.
As for what lands would be fallowed, he added, “Hopefully we pick the worst ground that grows the lowest value crops. There is a bunch of that out there, old lake bottoms, sand bars and sand dunes.”
He also projected the farms could save about 10% of their lost water without additional production cuts, by switching about 148,000 acres to more efficient practices such as drip irrigation. He would prefer to do that before resorting to large-scale land fallowing but said he doesn’t think the Lower Colorado farmers can all do it at once.
“Massive shortages and supply chain issues make this even harder, and prices of pumps and pipe are zooming. Drip tape? Skilled labor? Non existent,” he said in an email.
The production cuts required to carry out the needed fallowing would translate to about 32% in annual operating income losses across the five affected counties, three in Arizona and two in California.
That would trigger about 20,000 job losses, directly and indirectly, across the entire region, Boyce projected.
He said he based many of these conclusions on computer models used by University of California economists who studied impacts of similarly severe water cuts on San Joaquin Valley farmers.
He estimated that governments will have to pay the irrigation districts more than $11 billion during the period 2023 through 2026 to compensate them for the resulting economic harm.
“Like really. In a time of runaway food inflation and food shortages, stop farming? Who needs it?” asked Boyce, sarcastically.
“I would rather do anything with water use efficiency than with fallowing. But it’s too late,” he said. “The river is dying.”
Economic impact debated
UA economist Frisvold has little doubt that massive water cuts would hurt the Lower Colorado River farmers economically. But after reviewing Boyce’s slides, he said the farmer appears to have overstated the economic impacts.
The first crops to go will be “field crops” such as alfalfa, grasses such as durum wheat, corn and cotton, which are less profitable for farmers to grow, he said. “If the cuts are enough to start hitting higher value crops such as fruit and vegetables, and I don’t think they would be, then they are in a world of hurt,” Frisvold said.
“Early on there’s not going to be a lot of alternatives to fallowing. That’s one of the most costly ways to adjust. You’re basically cutting production all the way down to zero,” he said.
Looking at Boyce’s slides, he noticed that for the Yuma area, the farmer projected a reduction in 69,350 acres of cropland would mean a loss of $768 million in net operating income, or $11,333 per acre.
But a 2017 study from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis concluded that Yuma-area farmers earn a little more than $7,300 an acre in gross income, before expenses are considered, Frisvold said. Using a conservative estimate of crop production expenses would reduce the farmers’ operating income to below $4,000 an acre, “likely even lower,” he said.
Replying, Boyce said the federal economic bureau inaccurately estimates the total irrigation acreage in the Yuma area, because there’s no mandatory reporting of crop acreage to local government in Arizona, unlike in California. That leads to an undercount of farm income per acre, he said.
Also, farm income today is higher than in 2017 because crop prices “are way higher than in 2017 — if they weren’t higher, we would all be bankrupt because our costs are up a bunch,” he added.
Targeting thirsty, exported alfalfa
One water-saving program that governments at all levels could carry out is for that whole region to halt summertime irrigation of alfalfa, said UA law professor Robert Glennon, who has written two books about water and has advocated for that solution for years.
Much alfalfa is exported to other countries, leading critics to say the Southwest is exporting much of its water overseas.
In 2012, Glennon and Phoenix water attorney Peter Culp wrote an article saying the Imperial Irrigation District’s alfalfa farmers use up to 50% more water than other California growers “due to scorching heat, salty soil, and perhaps most important, their legal rights to an enormous quantity of cheap water.”
“It’s a no brainer thing to curb alfalfa planting in the summer,” Glennon said in an interview last month.
“Alfalfa uses four times as much water in the summer as any other cutting of the crop during the year. The quality of the alfalfa is not as good as other times and the quantity isn’t as good. Farmers say they can’t do that, that the alfalfa stand would die. You focus first on alfalfa that’s been in the ground for four or five years and in the worst case you pay farmers for one to two years worth of summer crops if it doesn’t come back in September,” Glennon said.
Glennon said he believes that could save a substantial amount of water, since the Imperial Irrigation District farmers grew 147,000 acres of alfalfa in 2021 — more acres than the next three most heavily planted crops combined.
He has long advocated paying farmers to convert to more water-efficient irrigation methods.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported in 2018 that alfalfa uses 5.8 acre-feet of water per acre in Arizona and 3.7 per acre in California.
Lettuce, by contrast, uses only 2.4 acre-feet per acre in Arizona, although it uses more, 4.2 acre-feet per acre, in California. Tomatoes, rarely grown in Arizona, require only 2.5 acre-feet per acre in California and potatoes and berries have similarly low water use, the USDA says.
‘What happens to the region’
UNM’s Fleck, an author and water researcher, said he definitely expects to see “a lot less irrigated land down there very, very quickly.”
He, too, expects a substantial reduction in lower value crops such as alfalfa, but is less certain about the broader economic impacts.
“We will have an agricultural community that looks very different down there, for some period of time, maybe forever,” Fleck said. “But what happens to the region will depend on two things: How much money is paid to compensate for their water and crop losses, and where does that money go?
“How much of that goes to the landowner and how much to the farmer who leases from them? What about the tractor dealers? What about the pesticide specialists? How do we cushion that impact on them? That’s hard to know. We don’t know what this system will look like and those are really important questions.”
Biggest water user is key to future
Many observers have long said the fate of agriculture in this region, and possibly the fate of the entire river, will hinge on what happens in the ongoing negotiations with the Imperial Irrigation District.
That’s because its 2.5 million acre-foot annual supply of river water more than doubles what any other user in the entire basin receives. That, in turn, means most water experts agree that without Imperial’s participation in water use cuts, there’s no way to fix the river’s increasing deficit between water supplies and demands.
“Two to four million acre-feet is an eye-popping number, certainly. We’ve never dealt with anything like that in the Colorado River Basin,” said J.B. Hamby, a district governing board member. “There’s a recognition that living with less for at least a temporary time is better than nothing at all.
“In the Imperial Valley 100% of our water comes from the Colorado River. We have no other systems to depend on. If we lose Lake Mead, the Imperial Valley has no water,” Hamby said. “It’s important for us to be part of the solution. The question is, what can we come up with in this very short time frame?”
The only way to save that much water quickly in the district would be through a temporary, emergency fallowing program, “not permanent,” he said.
“That’s always been an f-word here. We don’t like it,” Hamby said. “Can we contribute in the short term to make sure Mead doesn’t get to dead pool? Yes.
“In the long run, we don’t want to do (fallowing). We want to be a farming community. There are other system-wide, water conservation agreements that could replace a temporary fallowing program. That will also require investment at the federal level,” Hamby said.
“First and foremost,” however, he said Colorado River negotiators must deal with the fact that any reductions in river supplies to the Imperial Valley will also reduce water flows to the highly imperiled Salton Sea, nearby, because Imperials farmers’ irrigation runoff water is the sea’s main water source.
As valley water use has declined since earlier cuts were made two decades ago, the shrinking sea has contributed to major declines in fish and bird populations and increases in toxic air emissions from its blowing dust.
“It is unlikely we would agree to anything in water cutbacks unless there were strong Salton Sea commitments, binding federal and state commitments,” Hamby said, and Fleck agrees.
“The more water we lose,” Hamby noted, “the more impacts, the more consequences it’s going to have, on human life and wildlife.” | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/lower-colorado-river-farmers-fear-economic-calamity-from-water-cuts/article_e23048b4-f9a8-11ec-ab2a-ffe095cc16da.html | 2022-07-10T00:34:19 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/lower-colorado-river-farmers-fear-economic-calamity-from-water-cuts/article_e23048b4-f9a8-11ec-ab2a-ffe095cc16da.html |
Lubbock honors last WWII Medal of Honor recipient Woody Williams
The sound of taps and a 21-gun salute rang out Saturday morning at the Monument of Courage to honor Hershel Woodrow “Woody” Williams, the last World War II Medal of Honor recipient and a friend of Lubbock.
The VFW Post 2466, American Legion Post 575, The Purple Heart, Chapter 0900, Gold Star families and the Friends of the Monument of Courage hosted a memorial service to honor Williams, who died on June 29.
Williams, who died June 29, received the Medal of Honor in 1945 during his service at Iwo Jima where, according to the citation given along with the medal, he made several charges to help the military make advances on the island.
Hensley: Williams was a friend to Lubbock
“His unyielding determination and extraordinary heroism in the face of ruthless enemy resistance were directly instrumental in neutralizing one of the most fanatically defended Japanese strongpoints encountered by his regiment and aided vitally in enabling his company to reach its objective,” reads the citation.
Commander Steve Owen, a former serviceman and reader of the citation at the event, said Williams received the medal at the White House in October of 1945 from U.S. President Harry Truman.
Lubbock Mayor Trey Payne was also in attendance, reading a resolution from the City Council that proclaimed July 9 as Woody Williams day.
“(We) encourage all citizens to thank veterans for their service and join us in honoring Woody Williams for his dedication and service to the United States, our veterans and gold star families,” Payne said.
U.S. Rep. Jody Arrington, R-Lubbock, said Williams was from the greatest generation and a strong advocate for the Gold Star families.
Williams' foundation, The Woody Williams Foundation, helped Lubbock advocates erect the Gold Star Family Memorial Monument in 2020 in Lubbock to pay tribute to the immediate families of fallen military personnel.
Arrington read a letter from Williams’ grandson that asked West Texans to keep Williams’ dream alive and encourage Lubbock to contemplate establishing a veterans cemetery.
“We don’t contemplate in West Texas,” Arrington said. “We do in West Texas.”
Those in attendance erupted into applause at the words Arrington said and at the hope of Lubbock establishing a veterans cemetery in the coming years - a goal that even Williams advocated for during a visit to the Hub City last year.
Williams’ favorite song, Last Parade, was sung by local pastor Jeff McCreight. At the end of the memorial, everyone in attendance sang God Bless America in honor of Williams and those who have fallen while serving our country.
“God Bless Woody Williams. God Bless his foundation. There is still work to be done,” Danny Koch, master of ceremonies for the memorial, said in closing. | https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/news/local/2022/07/09/lubbock-honors-last-wwii-medal-of-honor-recipient-woody-williams/65370140007/ | 2022-07-10T00:41:07 | 1 | https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/news/local/2022/07/09/lubbock-honors-last-wwii-medal-of-honor-recipient-woody-williams/65370140007/ |
A man has been sentenced to decades in prison in the rapes of four former Penn State students over a seven-year period.
Jeffrey Fields, 38, of Port Matilda was sentenced Friday in Centre County to 29 1/2 to 61 years in state prison in the assaults, which occurred between 2010 and 2017 in State College, the Centre Daily Times reported.
Fields, who worked in State College at the time, pleaded guilty in March to all but two of the charges filed against him, including felony counts of rape and sexual assault.
First Assistant District Attorney Sean McGraw said Fields was a “very sophisticated rapist” who committed “calculated, planned attacks on vulnerable women.”
One victim said in a statement to President Judge Pamela Ruest that the defendant “changed my life completely. He changed who I am at my core.”
Defense attorney Steve Trialonas said in a sentencing memo that each of the rapes had “overtones of power and control; two aspects in Jeff’s life that were absent outside these crimes.” He said his client never challenged the evidence against him since his July 2020 arrest, never sought bail and didn't want the victims to have to testify.
Fields spoke for nearly 20 minutes, calling his crimes “unspeakable.”
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“I regret everything I’ve done. You did not deserve to go through this. I am so sorry," he said, later adding “If I could go back in time and change everything, I would."
The father of one victim said he lives in a “constant state of anger,” and no sentence would be tough enough.
“This man is the embodiment of evil,” he wrote. “May God forgive me, but I have no room in my heart for forgiveness or mercy. May he burn in hell.” | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/man-sentenced-to-prison-in-rapes-of-4-ex-university-students/3294778/ | 2022-07-10T00:41:11 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/man-sentenced-to-prison-in-rapes-of-4-ex-university-students/3294778/ |
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In Hillsborough County, the county-run nursing home is in line for an estimated $10 million HVAC system.
In Cheshire County, the 21 Bar & Grill in Keene will get a $20,000 check to help recover from its pandemic-related business slump.
In Grafton County, officials plan to devote $1.9 million in federal funds to offset a 7% tax increase.
All are examples of how New Hampshire counties, long the overlooked division of Granite State politics, are spending millions they have received under President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.
In total, ARPA funding for New Hampshire counties amounts to $263 million, one-third more than the $194 million that collectively went to New Hampshire cities and towns.
Unlike most federal money, it comes with few strings — only the general requirement that it be spent to address pandemic-related matters or economic harm related to the pandemic.
With a little creativity, officials are finding ways to spend money on projects that range from new buildings (more space for social distancing), to weight rooms for jail inmates (address pandemic-ravaged mental health) to weekly stipend checks for frontline workers (victims of the pandemic economy).
Last month, counties finalized their annual budgets, and some of those spending plans included the use of ARPA funds for a host of projects.
“You have 10 different counties and you’ll have 10 different approaches (to spending the money),” said Charles Arlinghaus, the state commissioner of Administrative Services whose job involves monitoring how New Hampshire state government spends its ARPA funds.
His responsibilities don’t extend down to county government, but he said counties, like other government entities, will face Treasury Department audits to make sure the ARPA money is properly spent.
“The list of eligible uses for the money is pretty broad. Yes, there will be some nexus to COVID, but in some instances it will be kind of attenuated,” said an aide in the office of U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who played a role in writing the ARPA law.
In his 10 years in county government, Rockingham County Commission Chairman Tom Tombarello has never seen such an infusion of federal funds.
“Not like this,” he said. “Rockingham County getting $60 million. You don’t often get that chance.”
Plenty of capital ideas
When one-time federal money becomes available, capital expenses are one of the first things officials consider, Arlinghaus said. That includes new construction, previously deferred maintenance and upgrades to existing buildings.
Among the most popular upgrades are new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems — on the grounds that they will combat the airborne coronavirus.
“The pandemic made us all look at that. Air is good,” Arlinghaus said.
At Hillsborough County, plans are on the books to replace the window-mounted air conditioners at the 47-year-old nursing home with a central air system. Initial estimates put the cost at $10 million.
“The goal is to further improve air quality while mitigating risk of airborne pathogen transmission,” Hillsborough County Administrator Chad Monier said in an email.
In an even bigger project, Rockingham County is devoting $30 million of ARPA money toward construction of a $68 million county administration building in Brentwood.
Tombarello said county officials had been weighing the need for a new building for years. When ARPA money became available, they realized there would be no better opportunity to build.
Still, it had to be justified.
Tombarello said the ARPA money is used for the infrastructure associated with the project, such as water and sewer lines. A $10 million, 13-acre solar array will power all county buildings and generate revenues through sales of energy tax credits. The project is eligible under the revenue replacement category of ARPA funding.
And the new offices will have lots of worker space, rectifying the unhealthy air and cramped spaces at the existing County Attorney office.
“You have to use it on items approved for ARPA funding. You can’t go buy a helicopter,” Tombarello said.
He said county officials ran their ideas by Shaheen’s office before moving forward.
Few limits on funds
Shaheen’s office said it can’t approve or deny projects, but it can point an official in the right direction and share the latest updates to criteria established by the Treasury Department.
“The need exists. It’s just understanding the parameters of what you can do with the funding,” a Shaheen representative said.
Shaheen played a key role in developing the ARPA law. It goes as far as allowing counties, the state and local government to transfer funds to one another. In a few cases, small New Hampshire towns have turned their ARPA grant over to the county, the office said.
Money can be granted to nonprofits too. Hillsborough County, for example, has reserved about $21 million for grants to benefit traditionally underserved populations, such as low-income people and minorities.
“What I consistently heard from local leaders was the critical need for flexibility to respond to the most pressing needs on the ground,” Shaheen said in remarks distributed by her office.
She said ARPA is being used to boost cash-strapped local budgets, support frontline workers and maintain basic services. ARPA proved essential in avoiding a nationwide recession, she said.
The only spending caveats are that the money cannot be used to shore up public-employee pension funds or to cut taxes, though Republican governors in more than a dozen states have gone to court to fight the proscription and have prevailed in several cases already.
A little extra in paychecks
Another item popular with several counties is worker pay.
Cheshire County boosted its starting hourly pay to $15.
In Rockingham County, full-time employees are receiving semi-annual bonuses for three years. The bonuses work out to about $1,250 for frontline workers and $1,000 for all others.
In Hillsborough County, ARPA is funding weekly and monthly stipends to nursing home workers (maximum of $250 a week) and jail workers (maximum of $200 a week). Other county workers get semi-annual bonuses of $600 or $1,200.
The hefty grants to counties reflect the fact that in many other parts of the country, counties play a more extensive role than in New England. County government elsewhere provides services such as schools, hospital care, roads, fire protection, economic development and law enforcement.
Counties are virtually non-existent in Vermont, Connecticut and Rhode Island, and they were written out of the ARPA law. But New Hampshire and neighboring Maine, whose counties are similar in structure, fell into the full-fledged county category.
Sometimes hard to track
A New Hampshire Union Leader review found wide disparities between counties in how much they disclose about their ARPA spending, as well as their regular finances.
The state’s largest county, Hillsborough County, is the most transparent. It has posted online the amount of its ARPA funds expenditures so far, though it does not drill down to the nitty gritty, such as the size of worker stipends.
Hillsborough County also devoted ARPA money to hire a $137,000-a-year administrator who oversees ARPA funding.
Merrimack and Belknap counties have ARPA plans on their website and report some of their spending.
Cheshire County has devoted a Facebook page to ARPA spending. It includes pictures of smiling grant recipients — including for-profit companies — holding oversized checks. But the page does not include actual spreadsheets or financial reporting.
Carroll County has no links to ARPA funding or plans on its website. But website searches for ARPA show it mentioned in agendas and commissioner-meeting minutes.
Strafford County makes only the slightest mention of ARPA on its website. ARPA funding is mentioned four times in the most recent budget document, the 2022 fiscal year budget, which runs July 1 to June 30.
In Sullivan County, a search for ARPA had two hits. Both involved the potential use of ARPA money to fund a $35 million remodeling of the county jail. | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/local/counties-start-spending-arpa-windfalls/article_c3c4eb7f-067c-551c-8038-782aeab1b06f.html | 2022-07-10T00:49:59 | 1 | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/local/counties-start-spending-arpa-windfalls/article_c3c4eb7f-067c-551c-8038-782aeab1b06f.html |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/fort-worth-kids-compete-in-tri-my-best-triathlon/3010461/ | 2022-07-10T00:55:59 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/fort-worth-kids-compete-in-tri-my-best-triathlon/3010461/ |
Dozens of kids competed in the "Tri My Best Triathlon" in Fort Worth Saturday, which was held virtually for the past two years.
It was hosted by Cook Children's Rehabilitation Services and the Fort Worth Fire Department.
The kids competing at the Bob Bolen Public Safety Complex have already overcome some of life’s biggest challenges.
Just ask Dr. Lizdelia Piñon. She’s a mom of 9-year-old special needs triplets.
“Everything they do is huge because we never know when they might not be there anymore, so it’s fun that they’re able to swim, run, and ride their bikes,” said Piñon.
There were plenty of ways to keep the kids and their families cool.
“The fire department has set up a big cooling tent by our safety fair area. We’ve got cooling towels, tons of bottled waters, and then we’ve got a bunch of cooling misting fans to try to keep everyone cool,” said Kathy Manthuruthil, a physical therapist at Cook Children’s.
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In the pool, firefighters kept an eye on the kids and their buddies who helped them splash and kick.
The Piñon triplets have taken part in the triathlon for the past five years.
“As special needs parents, we don’t get the same opportunities that other parents they do with their children. Our kids want to shine too, regardless of how that may look, right? Our kids are differently able. We want to see them shine however they can,” said Piñon.
Most of the kids who took part are patients at Cook Children’s. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/kids-stay-cool-under-competition-at-tri-my-best-triathlon-in-fort-worth/3010371/ | 2022-07-10T00:56:06 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/kids-stay-cool-under-competition-at-tri-my-best-triathlon-in-fort-worth/3010371/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/nonprofit-asks-for-donations-to-help-community-stay-cool/3010456/ | 2022-07-10T00:56:13 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/nonprofit-asks-for-donations-to-help-community-stay-cool/3010456/ |
Jewish community leaders in San Antonio had put synagogues and other facilities on high alert Saturday after being informed by the FBI of a potential threat.
But hours later, the Jewish Federation of San Antonio said the FBI had informed it there was no longer any “known imminent threat” for the local Jewish community.
“Although we recommend staying vigilant and aware of your surroundings at all times, we are pleased to share that the urgency of concern has been lowered,” the federation said in a Facebook post.
Earlier Saturday, the group had said all formal religious gatherings in the San Antonio area were canceled due to security concerns.
In a statement, the FBI said it had been investigating “a potential threat targeting an unidentified synagogue in Texas.”
Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said he urged all communities to have a heightened sense of awareness, particularly in the wake of the deadly Independence Day parade shooting in suburban Chicago.
In January, a man held four hostages for more than 10 hours at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville. One of the hostages was released during the standoff while the rest were rescued when authorities entered the building and killed the hostage-taker. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/texas-jewish-community-says-no-imminent-threat-after-earlier-fbi-warning/3010451/ | 2022-07-10T00:56:19 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/texas-jewish-community-says-no-imminent-threat-after-earlier-fbi-warning/3010451/ |
A North Texas nonprofit organization is seeking new and gently used fans and small air conditioning units as part of a new campaign this summer.
Faye Beaulieu, Senior VP of Community Investment for the United Way of Tarrant County, said the organization’s “Beat the Heat” campaign was launched after requests from the Samsom Park Fire Department experienced a number of calls from homebound residents and older adults without working AC units or fans in their homes. They reported having trouble with the heat, Beaulieu said.
The United Way of Tarrant County launched the campaign in late June and will be collecting through Sept. 22. Items will be distributed to county agencies to distribute to people in need.
“I know several agencies have stood up different cooling stations around the county,” Beaulieu said. “But if you don’t have transportation, if you’re homebound, if you don’t have the money for a $4, $4.50 gallon of gas to get you to one of those cooling stations, then you’re pretty much pinned in your home.”
There are several ways for the community to contribute to the Beat the Heat Collection Drive:
- Fans can be ordered online and shipped directly to United Way of Tarrant County’s offices at 1500 N. Main Street, Suite 200, Fort Worth, TX 76164.
- An Amazon Wishlist is available to shop from and ship directly to the office.
- Monetary donations can be made online HERE. Make sure to include “Beat the Heat” in the Notes section. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/united-way-of-tarrant-county-collecting-fans-small-ac-units-to-help-beat-heat/3010423/ | 2022-07-10T00:56:26 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/united-way-of-tarrant-county-collecting-fans-small-ac-units-to-help-beat-heat/3010423/ |
SAN ANTONIO — FBI officials say they're investigating a potential threat against "an unidentified synagogue in Texas," and formal Jewish gatherings were canceled in San Antonio on Saturday.
The Jewish Federation of San Antonio said that after the FBI warned them about a threat to an unconfirmed Jewish community facility in the San Antonio area, they spoke with all local synagogues and organizations and recommended suspending all formal Jewish gatherings.
Jewish leaders provided an update later on Saturday afternoon urging vigilance, but saying that the latest update from the FBI is that there is no "known imminent threat to the local Jewish community at this time."
"Although we recommend staying vigilant and aware of your surroundings at all times, we are pleased to share that the urgency of concern has been lowered," they said.
The FBI said that they're working on determining the credibility of the threat, and asked anyone with information to submit a tip.
"We would like to remind members of the public that if they observe anything suspicious or have information about potential threats to report it to law enforcement immediately, call their local FBI field office, or submit a tip to tips.fbi.gov."
This comes just days after San Antonio City Councilmember John Courage denounced anti-Semitic messages found around District 9 neighborhoods.
"These agitators are hiding behind the first amendment to bring fear to our Jewish community and transgender individuals. Bigotry and hate-filled messages should gain no traction here. We should refuse to give this fanatical messaging more exposure than it deserves. We are working with local law enforcement and neighborhoods to identify and expose those responsible," he said in a statement earlier in the week.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt released the following statement:
"ADL, working closely with the San Antonio Jewish Federation, which is responsible for its community's security, continues to monitor a threat to Jewish communities in Texas.
"ADL has been in close contact with federal, state, and local law enforcement in Texas for more than 72 hours around a series of threats targeting a Texas synagogue. In the past 24 hours, we received notice of a more specific and credible threat. We will continue to closely monitor and share relevant updates with all our Jewish communal partners.
"In this heightened threat environment and in the wake of the horrific act of domestic terror in Highland Park, IL we urge all communities to maintain a heightened sense of awareness and immediately report any suspicious activity to law enforcement. We are grateful to the FBI, state and local law enforcement for their proactive work investigating these potential threats." | https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/local/fbi-investigating-threats-against-san-antonio-synagogue-jewish-leaders-say-urgency-is-now-low/273-ba84c648-0cdf-4f99-9740-fb30034e20ec | 2022-07-10T01:03:48 | 0 | https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/local/fbi-investigating-threats-against-san-antonio-synagogue-jewish-leaders-say-urgency-is-now-low/273-ba84c648-0cdf-4f99-9740-fb30034e20ec |
SAN ANTONIO — FBI officials say they're investigating a potential threat against "an unidentified synagogue in Texas," and formal Jewish gatherings were canceled in San Antonio on Saturday.
The Jewish Federation of San Antonio said that after the FBI warned them about a threat to an unconfirmed Jewish community facility in the San Antonio area, they spoke with all local synagogues and organizations and recommended suspending all formal Jewish gatherings.
Jewish leaders provided an update later on Saturday afternoon urging vigilance, but saying that the latest update from the FBI is that there is no "known imminent threat to the local Jewish community at this time."
"Although we recommend staying vigilant and aware of your surroundings at all times, we are pleased to share that the urgency of concern has been lowered," they said.
The FBI said that they're working on determining the credibility of the threat, and asked anyone with information to submit a tip.
"We would like to remind members of the public that if they observe anything suspicious or have information about potential threats to report it to law enforcement immediately, call their local FBI field office, or submit a tip to tips.fbi.gov."
This comes just days after San Antonio City Councilmember John Courage denounced anti-Semitic messages found around District 9 neighborhoods.
"These agitators are hiding behind the first amendment to bring fear to our Jewish community and transgender individuals. Bigotry and hate-filled messages should gain no traction here. We should refuse to give this fanatical messaging more exposure than it deserves. We are working with local law enforcement and neighborhoods to identify and expose those responsible," he said in a statement earlier in the week.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt released the following statement:
"ADL, working closely with the San Antonio Jewish Federation, which is responsible for its community's security, continues to monitor a threat to Jewish communities in Texas.
"ADL has been in close contact with federal, state, and local law enforcement in Texas for more than 72 hours around a series of threats targeting a Texas synagogue. In the past 24 hours, we received notice of a more specific and credible threat. We will continue to closely monitor and share relevant updates with all our Jewish communal partners.
"In this heightened threat environment and in the wake of the horrific act of domestic terror in Highland Park, IL we urge all communities to maintain a heightened sense of awareness and immediately report any suspicious activity to law enforcement. We are grateful to the FBI, state and local law enforcement for their proactive work investigating these potential threats." | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/public-safety/fbi-investigating-threats-against-san-antonio-synagogue-jewish-leaders-say-urgency-is-now-low/273-ba84c648-0cdf-4f99-9740-fb30034e20ec | 2022-07-10T01:13:55 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/public-safety/fbi-investigating-threats-against-san-antonio-synagogue-jewish-leaders-say-urgency-is-now-low/273-ba84c648-0cdf-4f99-9740-fb30034e20ec |
'Excessive heat warning': Weekend temperatures expected to climb to 115
Summer temperatures are expected to continue warming up this weekend through early next week, bringing excessive heat and dry weather across the state, according to the National Weather Service in Phoenix.
According to meteorologist Bianca Feldkircher with the weather service, temperatures are expected to remain above 110 degrees across the Valley, with digits climbing up near 115 degrees on Sunday and Monday.
"For the Phoenix area, the main risk is gonna be the heat this weekend," Feldkircher said. "Due to this we have an excessive heat warning out."
The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for the lower deserts and some Flagstaff areas that will remain in effect until 6 p.m. Monday, Feldkircher said.
According to Feldkircher, the high temperatures are caused by an intense high pressure system passing through southwestern states.
She advised residents to choose early morning or late evening hours to do outdoor activities.
"Try to avoid being outdoors during the hottest parts of the day," she said. "It's still going to be very hot first thing in the morning, so it's important to stay hydrated."
Thunderstorms are also forecast for the northern half of the state, which according to Feldkircher could increase fire weather conditions.
"There is a high fire weather risk because of the dry land and lightning potentially sparking any fires," Feldkircher said.
However, she said storms and showers are also expected to bring more moisture which could help decrease wildfire risk.
Map:Track where fires are burning in Arizona in 2022
Reach breaking news reporter Laura Daniella Sepulveda at lsepulveda@lavozarizona.com or on Twitter @lauradNews.
Support local journalism.Subscribe to azcentral.com today. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-weather/2022/07/09/excessive-heat-across-arizona-weekend/10021123002/ | 2022-07-10T01:26:10 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-weather/2022/07/09/excessive-heat-across-arizona-weekend/10021123002/ |
The Oregon State University Extension Service welcomes farmers and gardeners to attend the Growing Olives in Oregon Event, hosted by the River Ranch Olive Oil Company on August Friday, August 26.
The Growing Olives in Oregon Workshop will take place from 1-3:30 p.m. at the River Ranch Olive Oil Grove in Glide, Oregon. Parking is limited, so carpooling is suggested.
During this outdoor field tour, participants will get the chance to walk through a production size olive grove and learn about best management practices for producing olives for oil in Oregon. Participants will get instruction from the grove agricultural manager, and from OSU Extension agents Logan Bennet and Heather Stoven. Participants will also receive an update on the Extension service olive program. After the field tour, participants will be able to attend an olive oil tasting with the project manager of the farm.
This workshop will cost $10, registration is required, and will close on August 19.
To register for the Growing Olives in Oregon Workshop, visit https://beav.es/isA or call OSU Extension in Douglas County at 541-672-4461.
Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made by August 1 to Logan Bennett at (541) 236-3015 or Logan.bennett@oregonstate.edu. | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/workshop-offered-for-farmers-and-gardeners-interested-in-growing-olives/article_8eee7450-fd72-11ec-8b6c-6b8ea347094a.html | 2022-07-10T01:34:52 | 1 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/workshop-offered-for-farmers-and-gardeners-interested-in-growing-olives/article_8eee7450-fd72-11ec-8b6c-6b8ea347094a.html |
Multiple families now have to look for a new place to stay after a fire ripped through an apartment building.
Fire alarms went off Saturday afternoon in the Braxton apartments.
All this after a fire burned its way through two units on the 200 block of Palm Place Dr. around 2 a.m., waking neighbors.
“I happen to see fire just coming from the rooftop and all the people taking videos and stuff like that and they needed to move their cars but they didn’t, but it was just horrendous,” said Patsy Riggins, who has been living in the complex for the past six months.
The American Red Cross is assisting five families who are now without a home.
First responders said 15 units were affected, with two units burnt from the fire and several others affected by smoke and water damage.
Neighbors are now calling on the apartment complex to re-check other buildings for maintenance issues.
“They just need to do a better maintenance check as far as the system with these here fire places and stuff like that,” Riggins said.
Firefighters say there were no injuries and the cause is still under investigation. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/07/10/fire-leaves-at-least-5-families-displaced-in-palm-bay/ | 2022-07-10T01:44:24 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/07/10/fire-leaves-at-least-5-families-displaced-in-palm-bay/ |
Crews in Marion County worked to put out a half-acre wildfire on Saturday, according to a Facebook post from Ocala Fire Rescue.
Authorities said the fire occurred in the 3100 block of Northeast 42nd Road and was spreading toward the north and south.
The fire was extinguished by both Ocala Fire Rescue and Marion County Fire Rescue with 1,000 gallons of water, according to authorities.
No injuries were reported. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/07/10/half-acre-wildfire-in-ocala-extinguished-by-authorities/ | 2022-07-10T01:44:30 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/07/10/half-acre-wildfire-in-ocala-extinguished-by-authorities/ |
GEORGETOWN, Texas — A grassfire threatened homes along State Highway 195 on Saturday afternoon, according to the Georgetown Police Department.
The fire is reportedly burning in the area of State Highway 195 and Chi Chi Drive. GPD said the fire is now under control and said only fences were damaged.
Residents of Little Deer Trail and Golden Bear were told to evacuate, according to a message forwarded to KVUE. A message sent after 6 p.m. said residents of that area were allowed to return home.
The police department said homes along Tiger Woods Drive were also evacuated but residents have since been allowed to return.
A viewer in that area sent us a photo of the fire in the area.
Pedernales Electric Cooperative also reported that more than 2,000 customers in the area of the fire are without power. However, at this time it is not clear if the outage is related to the fire.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/crews-responding-grassfire-georgetown-near-sh-195/269-effd283e-18e1-4bf2-b9e3-88f44606b4ea | 2022-07-10T01:48:15 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/crews-responding-grassfire-georgetown-near-sh-195/269-effd283e-18e1-4bf2-b9e3-88f44606b4ea |
HAYS COUNTY, Texas — Hays County Jail Advocates is a group that recently came together to shed light on issues faced by inmates.
Cyrus Gray is an inmate who's been there for over four years. His dad, also named Cyrus, said he was arrested after a murder happened in 2015.
"According to the claim, three Black guys dressed in masks went into an apartment where somebody is selling drugs and try to snatch the drug," said Gray. "One of the three guys had a gun. The gun goes off. One kid is killed."
In 2018, his son was arrested and charged with capital murder. He's been incarcerated for four years and has maintained his plea of innocence all throughout, assuming he would be able to exercise his right to a speedy trial.
It's been a long time, and it wasn't until about two weeks ago that Gray's trial finally started.
"We've been looking forward to him coming home," his father added. "It's unfortunate that it's taken this long, four years. Having somebody incarcerated... without the benefit of going to court."
According to the Hays County Jail dashboard, as of July 4, 2022, 562 people, or 83% of the jail population, were held pretrial. Twenty-four of those inmates have been awaiting trial for over three years.
"It's just, it's not right to be keeping people in jail pretrial for years on end," said Amy Kamp with Hays County Jail Advocates. "I mean, it's not right to be keeping people in jail for pretrial even for months on end."
Kamp said she's spoken to people who have been in pretrial detention for seven years.
"I feel like, you know, Hays County needs to move into the present era," she added.
In the meantime, Gray is happy his family will finally get the answers they've been waiting for.
"I got the sense that might be done before the middle of next week," he said. "The judge is already furious that they've taken too much time."
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/hundreds-inmates-trial-hays-county-jail/269-3741fe75-e401-48fb-9012-8dd26e91f37b | 2022-07-10T01:48:21 | 1 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/hundreds-inmates-trial-hays-county-jail/269-3741fe75-e401-48fb-9012-8dd26e91f37b |
WATERLOO – The Summer Soul Classic Parade helped to kick off the annual North End Arts and Music Festival on Saturday.
Starting at Gates Park, residents lined the streets as the parade marched toward Ferguson Fields Park, where the festivities would continue through the rest of the day.
The parade featured competitive drill teams from across the country, who would go on to compete Saturday evening at Young Arena in the Marching Against the Darkness competition.
The crowd clapped and cheered along as drill teams would pause in the street to perform their routines.
By noon, festivities were underway at Ferguson Fields Park, where North End artists showcased their talents on artwall panels while the Youth Art Team made portraits.
The park was also filled with local food and merchandise vendors and booths for nonprofit organizations providing information on local resources.
Kicking off the live entertainment for the day was Sam Mack Jr. and Stankface with Hip Hop Literacy, Lonni Pop, Ahmad Madlock and LowKey following throughout the day.
Photos: 2022 Summer Soul Classic Parade
Summer Soul 1
The Destruction Drill Team from Omaha, Neb. marches in the Summer Soul Classic Parade in Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 2
The Dayton Ohio High Steppers march in the Summer Soul Classic Parade in Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 3
Kids rush to pick up candy thrown from a float in the Summer Soul Classic Parade in Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 4
The Union Missionary Baptist Church Crusaders march in the Summer Soul Classic Parade in Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 5
The Michigan City Soul Steppers Drill Team marches in the Summer Soul Classic Parade in Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 6
The Gateway Highsteppers Drill Team from Kansas City, Kan. marches in the Summer Soul Classic Parade in Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 7
The Destruction Drill Team from Omaha, Neb. marches in the Summer Soul Classic Parade in Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 8
The Gateway Highsteppers Drill Team from Kansas City, Kan. marches in the Summer Soul Classic Parade in Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER, Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 9
The Kansas City Marching Sizzlers from Kansas City, Mo. marches in the Summer Soul Classic Parade in Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 10
The Summer Soul Classic Parade rolls through Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 11
The Summer Soul Classic Parade rolls through Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 12
The Summer Soul Classic Parade rolls through Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 13
The Summer Soul Classic Parade rolls through Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 14
The Summer Soul Classic Parade rolls through Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 15
The Summer Soul Classic Parade rolls through Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 16
The Summer Soul Classic Parade rolls through Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 17
The Summer Soul Classic Parade rolls through Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 18
The Summer Soul Classic Parade rolls through Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 19
The Summer Soul Classic Parade rolls through Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 20
The Summer Soul Classic Parade rolls through Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 21
The Summer Soul Classic Parade rolls through Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 22
The Summer Soul Classic Parade rolls through Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 23
The Summer Soul Classic Parade rolls through Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 24
The Summer Soul Classic Parade rolls through Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Summer Soul 25
The Summer Soul Classic Parade rolls through Waterloo on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
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Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/watch-now-festival-filled-with-the-art-music-of-waterloos-north-end/article_f6939285-6ef6-5659-aa74-506fe1b08115.html | 2022-07-10T01:52:30 | 1 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/watch-now-festival-filled-with-the-art-music-of-waterloos-north-end/article_f6939285-6ef6-5659-aa74-506fe1b08115.html |
LAPORTE — Pageants come natural for Texas native Linzie Poort.
"I was in pageants as a child," Poort said.
It was with her own pageant upbringing in mind that the Wanatah mom of two decided to enter her daughter Gracelyn Poort, 1, in the LaPorte County Fair's first Toddler Pageant.
The toddler, who wore an orange sherbet-colored multilayered dress, a white bow atop her brown curly hair and white sandals, jauntily walked the runway Saturday with a little assistance from her mom.
"I wanted to see how she would do," Poort said of her daughter. "I taught her to twirl and to blow a kiss."
The first-year toddler event was a huge success with 49 entrants in four age categories 0 to 4 years old, pageant director Mikayla Eaton said.
Parents, grandparents and family members, many with cameras, packed the pageant hall to clap and cheer on their favorite little girl.
People are also reading…
"We're very excited about it," Eaton said of the event.
Judges scored the contestants on creativity, cuteness and originality of the toddler's overall outfit/look.
The toddler pageant, and the crowning of the 2022 LaPorte County Queen which followed, were just two of the events that kicked off the start of the LaPorte County Fair, which runs July 9 to 16.
The fair, which is marking its 176th year and is known as Indiana's oldest fair, stars live musical entertainment, eclectic food vendors, carnival rides, 4-H events, kid's activities, demolition derbies and more.
In addition to a variety of rides from Skerbeck Carnival Rides and a large selection of food vendors, attendees can also make time to enjoy everything from 4-H exhibits, livestock judging, a petting zoo and Wheels of Agriculture Game Show.
Visitors may also explore Pioneerland on the fairgrounds, which features a one-room schoolhouse, general store, log cabin, blacksmith shop, antique post and beam barn, artisan barn, farm bureau cabin, outdoor kitchen, pioneer heritage garden and more.
Tina Losiniecki, her sister Teresa Losiniecki and other family members from LaPorte walked the Midway on the afternoon of the fair's opening day enjoying the sights and smells.
Teresa Losiniecki said she enjoys most the Mouse Game ride and the food.
Tina Losiniecki said she was sad when COVID-19 made it necessary, a few years ago, to cancel the area county fairs, including the LaPorte County Fair.
"I love this," she said, her hands sweeping the Midway.
Sara and Ben Moskovich, of Michigan City, brought their daughter, Emma, 3, to compete in the toddler pageant.
They were both excited to have their only child, dressed in a turquoise and pink dress, enter a new competition, but they also came to just enjoy the fair.
"We come to the fair each year. We both love the elephant ears, and Emma loves the duck game," Sara Moskovich said.
Shannon Mannella, of LaPorte, entered her daughter, Presley Mannella, 3, in the pageant because "she's a princess and loves to play dress up."
Mannella has two older boys as well, and her family comes every year to the fair.
"The kids love the animals," Mannella said.
Nastassja Spencer, of Michigan City, entered her daughter, Ninfa, 1, in the pageant.
Her daughter, who already has her own Instagram page, wore a turquoise dress, a pearl necklace and a bow in her hair for the competition.
Spencer has three older boys and finally got a daughter.
"She's my only daughter. She always acts like she's a model, so I thought this would be a good opportunity," Spencer said.
Cassidy Leja, of LaPorte, entered her daughter, Charlie Saliwanchik, 10 months, in the competition.
"I thought it was something family-friendly at the fair to do this year," Leja said.
Her daughter was decked out in a cowboy hat, a blue and pink dress, cowboy boots and a jean jacket that said, "Let's Go Girls," on the back.
"We're No. 1 to go on the stage," Leja said while carrying Charlie up to the stage to smile at the audience below her.
For more details on admission, attractions and other information, visit lpfair.com. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte/laporte-county-fair-kicks-off-with-first-ever-toddler-pageant/article_653c3636-ab2d-5cbb-ab0b-b47b5b2add45.html | 2022-07-10T02:06:19 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte/laporte-county-fair-kicks-off-with-first-ever-toddler-pageant/article_653c3636-ab2d-5cbb-ab0b-b47b5b2add45.html |
Record high property value assessments in Bonneville County have caused many residents to appeal the assessments they received in June, and the assessor’s office says it’s been one of the busiest years staff have seen from responding to appeals.
Theodore Heckathorn, 84, appealed his assessment and had his appeal hearing with the Bonneville County Board of Equalization on Wednesday. The county assessor’s office appraised his property at $638,582 this year, which Heckathorn said is almost double the amount he believes the assessment should be.
“Using these values from a grossly abnormal market disproportionally hurts the elderly, retired and those on a fixed income,” Heckathorn wrote to the county in advance of his appeal hearing. “Such a huge increase also may disqualify many younger home buyers from obtaining a home loan. Renters also will get slammed as their landlords pass along the increases to them. This damage will be widespread.”
During the hearing, Heckathorn said he believes his home should be assessed at $381,587 — the value of his house prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
From 1999 to 2019, Heckathorn said his property assessment increased by a total of $131,581 for an average of $6,579 a year. His new assessment increased by $256,955 in a single year.
Theodore Heckathorn discusses his property assessment on Friday. He recently received a 62% increase in his property assessment from last year…
“This statistical Frankenstein has been unleashed upon the citizens of Bonneville County and other counties as well,” Heckathorn said. “Many elderly people are worried that they’re going to lose their homes — they’re going to lose their life savings because of what’s going to happen to the taxes.”
Bonneville County assessor Dustin Barron said during Wednesday’s hearing that the assessments reflect the current market value of a home, but Heckathorn argues recent years are an anomaly because of the COVID-19 pandemic and he believes the extreme hikes in property assessments will lead to higher property taxes.
“We have no mechanism for appealing our taxes, we have to appeal the assessment. But you can’t tell me if you … raise the assessment by 62%, that won’t increase my taxes,” Heckathorn said. “It certainly isn’t going to lower them, is it?”
Many Bonneville County property owners are seeing assessment increases of about 45% to 55% over last year, according to the assessor’s office. Property assessments increased by about 20% from 2020 to 2021.
Heckathorn said he received a 5.9% increase in his Social Security income for the recent increase to cost of living, but that won’t be enough to cover what he estimates will be around a $2,000 increase to his property taxes.
“The food or gasoline alone will eat (that 5.9%),” Heckathorn said.
Vic Jacobson, an Idaho Falls resident who recently appealed his property assessment, speaks about his appeal on Friday at Theodore Heckathorn'…
Vic Jacobson, one of Heckathorn’s neighbors, also appealed his property assessment because 16 out of 17 of the homes the county used to compare his house to are appraised on average about $70,000 less than his house, and those houses are on average 10 years newer than his house and 300 square feet smaller.
In 2021, Jacobson’s home was appraised at $354,013 and this year, his assessment was $546,778 — a 55% year-over-year increase. He estimates he will pay 38% more property taxes than last year based on the current assessment and estimated tax rate, totaling $4,737.
Based on the comparable homes he was given, Jacobson said he believes a fairer assessment would be around $480,000, which would result in a 16% increase in his property taxes. Heckathorn said he also saw similar issues with properties the county compared to his, but both men’s appeals were denied.
“It doesn’t pass the reasonableness test, what they’ve done to me,” Jacobson said.
Barron said this year is one of the busiest years the county has seen with property tax appeals because of the substantial increase homeowners saw in their assessments this year.
By the end of June 27, the final day Idahoans could submit an appeal for their property assessments, Bonneville County had received 214 protests for parcels of property, Barron said. In 2021, the county had 102 protests.
In 2020, there were nearly 400 protests but Barron said that was an unusual year where most of the protests came from business owners or property developers who had multiple properties. Many other property owners called or visited the county office to initially complain about their assessments, but didn’t file an appeal after hearing an explanation of the new assessment. Those complaints are not included in the county’s data, Barron said.
“Someone needs to show leadership and take care of this problem,” Heckathorn said.
County Commissioner Roger Christensen told Heckathorn during the hearing there is very little the county can do to lower property assessments while upholding Idaho’s Constitution. Any significant change will likely need to come from the state Legislature.
One legislator setting his sights on decreasing property taxes is Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, who was a member of the 2021 interim committee for property taxes and revenue expenditures. He’s calling for a group of legislators to meet before the 2023 Legislative session to address property taxes.
According to Snake River Regional Multiple Listing Service, the median price of single-family housing units sold has increased every month in 2022, except for June, when the median decreased to $402,500 from $429,900 in May. The median price in January was $386,160.
An idea Gannon suggested is to create a five-year average for assessments, which he believes would give the state a more aggregate idea of what properties are really worth while avoiding extreme highs and lows.
The only major bill that addressed property taxes in the Legislature in the 2022 session was a bill that decreased property taxes, but increased the sales tax, which Gannon said he believes is the wrong direction to go.
“People in my area have seen their assessment values go up by about three times and the property taxes have doubled,” Gannon said. “That’s unfair and unjust at a time when you’ve got this billion-dollar surplus at the state level and not only that, but at a time when other (commercial property taxes) are going down. That’s not fair and it needs to be fixed.”
The interim committee for property taxes and revenue expenditures was disbanded, much to Gannon’s disappointment. He said he will ask for a working group to be formed immediately, and members would need to be appointed by the speaker of the House and the Senate pro tempore before meeting for official business.
“This is a big social issue,” Heckathorn said. “It impacts us all across the board and it’s really unfair to the people that have been paying their taxes and supporting the county for all these years.” | https://www.postregister.com/news/local/more-bonneville-county-property-owners-appeal-recent-assessments-than-previous-years/article_fbf2aea2-b6f1-5da1-a246-2d6c29ab8f95.html | 2022-07-10T02:16:18 | 1 | https://www.postregister.com/news/local/more-bonneville-county-property-owners-appeal-recent-assessments-than-previous-years/article_fbf2aea2-b6f1-5da1-a246-2d6c29ab8f95.html |
TEMPE, Ariz. — A 2-year-old boy is in stable condition after being pulled from Kiwanis Lake in Tempe Saturday afternoon.
Tempe police said the child wandered away from a family at the park and was found by some bystanders. They began performing CPR on the child.
Officials took over live-saving measures once they arrived on the scene. The boy was taken to a local hospital for further medical attention.
It is unknown at this time how long the child was in the lake.
This is the second incident of a child being pulled from the water today in the Valley.
A two-year-girl was pulled from a backyard pool in west Phoenix and was transported to the hospital but sadly did not survive.
RELATED: Water safety resources in the Valley
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Drowning Prevention Tips:
Drowning is the leading cause of death for children between ages 1-4 aside from birth defects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three children die every day as a result of drowning. Here are some tips from the CDC on how to protect children around water:
Learn life-saving skills.
Everyone should know the basics of swimming (floating, moving through the water) and CPR.
Fence it off.
Install a four-sided isolation fence, with self–closing and self–latching gates, around backyard swimming pools. This can help keep children away from the area when they aren’t supposed to be swimming. Pool fences should completely separate the house and play area from the pool.
Life jackets are a must.
Make sure kids wear life jackets in and around natural bodies of water, such as lakes or the ocean, even if they know how to swim. Life jackets can be used in and around pools for weaker swimmers too.
Keep a close watch
When kids are in or near water (including bathtubs), closely supervise them at all times. Because drowning happens quickly and quietly, adults watching kids in or near water should avoid distracting activities like reading books, talking on the phone, or using alcohol and drugs. | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/2-year-old-pulled-from-lake-kiwanis-park-tempe-police-say/75-7e5682b4-0282-45d2-9a2a-d12db9c00917 | 2022-07-10T02:25:33 | 1 | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/2-year-old-pulled-from-lake-kiwanis-park-tempe-police-say/75-7e5682b4-0282-45d2-9a2a-d12db9c00917 |
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. — Two people, two incidents involving crews having to rescue people from Northern California waters.
The first happened in Rancho Cordova.
Sacramento Metro Fire Department says a woman was rescued from the American River.
According to Sacramento Metro Fire Department Public Information Officer Parker Wilbourn, the call of the incident came in just after 1:30 p.m.
Wilbourn says she was found about a mile downriver from where she was last seen in the water. The woman was taken by air ambulance to a local hospital where she died from her injuries.
Meanwhile, the other incident involving the scuba diver happened near the Walnut Grove Bridge.
Walnut Grove Fire says the body of a recreational scuba diver was recovered there. The cause of their death was not released.
Both of these incidents are developing stories. Check back for updates. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/rancho-cordova/american-river-rancho-cordova/103-d45dbd36-ac29-4b0b-a310-368698106729 | 2022-07-10T02:26:35 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/rancho-cordova/american-river-rancho-cordova/103-d45dbd36-ac29-4b0b-a310-368698106729 |
SACRAMENTO, Calif — It's been nearly five months since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Since then, thousands of Ukrainians have fled the war — many crossing through the U.S. Mexico border and eventually seeking refuge in Sacramento. Several months later, Vlad Skots, Chairman of the Ukrainian American House says those refugees are facing another crisis — the inability to earn money as they continue to wait for their work permits to be authorized.
"People want to work. People want to pay for themselves. People want to pay taxes,” said Skots. "We've been notified that it probably will take more than one year for them to get a work permit."
However, that date is too far out for the refugees who quickly need to get on their own feet including Artem Lakotii and his wife. The couple is expecting their first child to be born in the coming weeks.
"In our profession, I am the barber and my wife, she doing makeup and brows,” said Lakotii. "We don't know what to do. We're just waiting for some benefits or some help."
"This is hard times and my family needs help and I need to earn money to have good life here,” said Speranska Sonia, a refugee that came to Sacramento a few months ago.
ABC10 interviewed Ilona Kravanskya back in April when she and her children first settled into a new life with a host family in Sacramento. Three months later, she's among the thousands also still relying on assistance from friends and family while eager to start working and rebuilding her life. Kavranskya spoke to ABC10 through a translator.
"I am an adult, a healthy adult that can work and provide for my family. For me, it's really hard to see that the family I stay with, they provide everything for me. I am capable to work and I want to sustain my family,” said Kavranskya.
Her family's host believes more guidance from the government is desperately needed when it comes to assisting Ukrainian refugees.
"It's been frustrating to get information on what services are available to the refugees and how to apply for work authorization and how to get cash assistance,” said Helen Sundet, Kavranskya’s host.
The Ukrainian American House now calling on elected officials to take swift action to help expedite the process of approving employment authorization applications and issuing work permits emphasizing this issue is urgent and must be prioritized.
"I hope that some changes will be very shortly on the way and the problem will be solved,” said Skots.
"We are willing to benefit this country with our job and with the work of our hands, and also with our taxes. We are really willing to thank this country by our work,” said Kavranskya.
The Ukrainian American House has created a fundraiser to assist refugees. The link can be found here. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/many-ukrainian-refugees-in-sacramento-are-still-without-a-work-permit/103-f448fe4b-f821-401b-b2d7-55e62901794d | 2022-07-10T02:26:41 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/many-ukrainian-refugees-in-sacramento-are-still-without-a-work-permit/103-f448fe4b-f821-401b-b2d7-55e62901794d |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Tower Bridge Battalion, an independent supporters union for Sacramento Republic FC, is planning a silent protest during Saturday's game.
"We are calling for our Club's leadership to uphold their commitment to our community by publicly standing up for the reproductive rights of all," the Tower Bridge Battalion wrote in a social media post.
The group says they will be in the stands and for the first half of the match, they will be silent.
"We'll resume cheering our amazing team in the second half," the group says. "If we truly ware 'juntos,' we believe the Club will respond with the courage and solidarity we expect from them."
ABC10 reached out to Sacramento Republic FC for a comment, but we have not heard back as of writing. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/sacramento-republic-fc-fans-to-protest-reproductive-rights/103-bf3f77e4-4a35-434e-a6b6-ca9b1af7c94f | 2022-07-10T02:26:47 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/sacramento-republic-fc-fans-to-protest-reproductive-rights/103-bf3f77e4-4a35-434e-a6b6-ca9b1af7c94f |
Artist James Overstreet is a big believer in the power of video games. In fact, they’ve inspired a good amount of his paintings.
Some of those paintings are now on display as part of an exhibit of Overstreet’s work at Art 321 in downtown Casper. Soon after Overstreet got into town on Thursday morning, the setup began for the month-long showcase. By the end of the day, self portraits, abstract art and stills from the 1996 video game Nintendo Super Mario 64 lined the walls of the gallery.
“I really credit video games to my hard work today,” he said. “They really inspired discipline, perseverance, and never to give up. You have to keep trying and trying at something until you get good enough to where you build a skill.”
Overstreet’s video game skills date to the ’90s. So do his artists ones.
“My mom was a single mom, so it was her and I for a long time. And I think she really motivated my creativity,” Overstreet said. “We would do arts and crafts stuff, we would paint ceramics together, we would cut potatoes and then make stamps out of them ... She kind of introduced me to art and that really, I think, turned my gears.”
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While he wasn’t born in Wyoming, Overstreet spent most of his life in Cheyenne. From kindergarten through senior year, he would occasionally doodle or draw, mostly inspired by video games or other interests. After graduating high school though, it became a tradition among him and some friends to sit down after a skateboarding session and just paint.
He said it made sense to him.
“It made me go, ‘I think I want to learn about the history of painting. I want to learn actual skills,’” he said. “That’s what inspired me to go to college and be like, ‘Ok, I can pursue this as a career.’”
Majoring in fine arts, he began at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, then got a scholarship to attend the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Denver. Overstreet doesn’t strictly make art as a career; he also does a handful of other jobs to help pay the bills.
But to him, painting is a full-time position.
“A lot of people go to church and stuff like that. And this,” he gestured to his painting of the Antelope Canyon in Arizona. “This is my church. The never ending journey that I take with the paint, like learning new techniques, learning new skills, I just keep getting excited about the endless possibilities that you can do with people.”
Currently, Overture is based in Denver, but occasionally takes his art on the road — like this month’s exhibit in Casper.
“I might not ever be famous,” Overstreet said. “But I do have a handful of people that get excited, and they want to go paint or they want to go work hard at something. Just being able to share that with the community to inspire other people, it’s a big reason why I do this.”
When asked at the end of the interview if he had anything else he wanted to add, Overstreet considered the question for a few minutes.
“This is something I’m sure you’ve already heard, but being an artist, it’s not easy,” he said. “You have to grind, there’s a struggle all the time. It’s not like you just hang up the artwork on the refrigerator when you’re done. It’s a lot of time investment to develop the skills to go out and put yourself out there.”
The exhibit will remain up through the end of July at ART 321 on 321 West Midwest Ave. Pieces and prints of Overstreet’s work are available on his website at www.jamesoverstreetimagery.com.
“It’s my passion,” Overstreet said. “I’m going to put all I can into it and it won’t be easy.” | https://trib.com/news/local/casper/cheyenne-bred-artist-featured-in-casper-gallery/article_f02a0382-fefe-11ec-b3eb-8b5d5fa4c908.html | 2022-07-10T02:31:27 | 0 | https://trib.com/news/local/casper/cheyenne-bred-artist-featured-in-casper-gallery/article_f02a0382-fefe-11ec-b3eb-8b5d5fa4c908.html |
NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. — After storms rolled through north Georgia Saturday morning, Newton County is warning drivers to avoid areas near a highway.
County leaders sent an alert Saturday afternoon, saying the storm's aftermath has damaged roads near Highway 212.
Flooding caused the street to cave in along Fincher Road. Officials said the road was going to be closed Monday for drain replacement, but the collapsed asphalt is delaying the replacement and shutting the road down earlier than anticipated. Starting Saturday, drivers will have to detour, according to officials. They did not offer a construction timeline.
A neighbor in the area said the storm also destroyed her driveway, flooding the exit from her home.
PHOTOS: Newton County flooding
"The water from my yard is going down to Fincher Road," Presley Kristene Coffee said, describing it "like a river."
She said the washout of her driveway was because of a nearby drain pipe that washed away.
11Alive is working to confirm if the issues on the county road is what caused damage to her property. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/covington/storms-flooding-damages-roads-near-covington-newton-county-fincher-road/85-c9c7261a-0adb-4b58-b46d-5800b98668d8 | 2022-07-10T02:35:44 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/covington/storms-flooding-damages-roads-near-covington-newton-county-fincher-road/85-c9c7261a-0adb-4b58-b46d-5800b98668d8 |
PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — Several law enforcement agencies are emphasizing the success of teamwork after they seized millions of dollars worth of methamphetamine during a drug bust.
The Paulding County Sheriff's Office said it was all thanks to a warrant and good policing.
In a news release, the sheriff's office said its deputies, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Haralson-Paulding Drug Task Force utilized a search warrant as a home along Paces Lakes Point in Dallas, Georgia. Agents believed the location was being used to traffic meth, the sheriff's office said.
During their bust, agents seized almost nine pounds of crystal meth, 115 gallons of liquid meth, six rifles, one pistol, three vehicles and around $2,505 in cash.
RELATED: ‘The drug game is changing’| DEA gives rare, inside look of operations amid search for more agents
"The liquid Methamphetamine along with the finished crystal Methamphetamine seized have the potential for a street value of over $2.5 million," the PCSO said.
A hazardous waste disposal team safely removed the material, according to investigators.
A 40-year-old man was arrested during the bust, deputies said. He was booked into the Paulding County Jail without bond and is now facing drug trafficking charges.
PHOTOS | Paulding County drug bust
“It is only through inter-agency cooperation that operations like this can occur. We are thankful for our state and federal partners and glad they are assisting us with putting drug dealers like this in Jail," the sheriff's office said.
Authorities also emphasized the importance of having law enforcement dedicated to cracking down on certain crimes, just as its drug task force.
The Haralson-Paulding Drug Task Force is located in Dallas, Georgia and services Haralson and Paulding Counties and is overseen by the GBI, according to the sheriff's office. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/haralson-paulding-drug-task-force-arrest-man-seize-25-million-worth-of-meth/85-08bb2e33-1735-45ed-abdb-8dd6b3dd8e4b | 2022-07-10T02:35:45 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/haralson-paulding-drug-task-force-arrest-man-seize-25-million-worth-of-meth/85-08bb2e33-1735-45ed-abdb-8dd6b3dd8e4b |
EAST POINT, Ga. — A relative of Atlanta rapper Young Thug is facing charges, accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend, East Point police say.
Fardereen Deonta Grier is accused of killing 24-year-old Destiny Fitzpatrick earlier this week. Police confirmed Saturday that Grier is related to Young Thug.
The shooting happened Tuesday at 4:45 p.m. at the 4000-block of Fox Hunt Lane, which is near The Park at Galaway Apartments. The location is not far from Brookview Elementary School.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner labeled the shooting a homicide, saying it resulted from a domestic dispute.
East Point Police said Fitzpatrick had been shot several times. In an initial report, police said the woman's boyfriend was taken into custody in connection to her shooting death. According to officers, the boyfriend told investigators that a domestic dispute had taken place inside their apartment.
Officers did not say how the music entertainer and Grier are related, nor did they clarify what charges he will be facing in Fitzpatrick's death.
Meantime, Young Thug, whose legal name is Jeffrey Lamar Williams is also in custody on several state RICO charges brought against him by the Fulton County District Attorney's Office. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/mynews/east-point/young-thugs-relative-accused-of-shooting-killing-woman-east-point/85-47ceebc8-7245-476f-a2bc-0e085ff0561c | 2022-07-10T02:35:46 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/mynews/east-point/young-thugs-relative-accused-of-shooting-killing-woman-east-point/85-47ceebc8-7245-476f-a2bc-0e085ff0561c |
BOISE — The Idaho Council on Indian Affairs, which met last week for the first time this year, has a storied history.
The council, which brings together tribal leaders, legislators, and representatives of the governor’s office, was formed several years after then-Gov. Phil Batt held an unprecedented five-hour Native American Issues Summit with the top leaders of Idaho’s five recognized Native American tribes in 1995, giving each tribal chairman an hour to present issues for discussion. During that summit meeting, the tribal leaders asked if Batt would establish an “Indian desk” in his new administration as governor.
“I feel as if the responsibility is mine to meet with you, government to government,” Batt responded. “I am the Indian desk.”
Batt then committed to meet monthly with the tribal leaders for at least the next few months, something he continued doing; to ask the Legislature to restart its then-defunct Indian affairs committee; and to have his state agencies address all the issues the tribal leaders brought up that day, from transportation to water quality to juvenile justice.
He called the summit productive. “There were obviously some issues that can’t be settled easily; we’ll work on them,” he said. “The ones that can be accomplished with little difficulty, we’ll go right after.”
The legislation establishing the council passed four years later in 1999; Batt’s successor in office, then-Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, signed it into law on March 19, 1999.
The council’s path hasn’t always been a smooth one. Over the years, Idaho lawmakers have proposed legislation on everything from gaming to taxes to tribal cigarette sales without consulting the council, often to the frustration of council members. The council, which includes legislators from both houses and both parties, representatives of each of the five tribes and a representative of the governor’s office, was set up in part to monitor and review legislation that affects state-tribal relations.
State law requires it to meet twice a year; it can hold additional special meetings on the request of a majority of its members. But it met just once in 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and didn’t meet at all in 2020. It met three times the year before.
Last week’s meeting included an array of presentations, from the Idaho Behavioral Health Council, which includes all three branches of Idaho’s state government and leaders said also has included tribal representatives its work; to a presentation on missing and murdered indigenous persons from the Idaho Criminal Justice Commission; to updates on police forensic services; Indian education; electrical vehicle charging infrastructure; and the Nez Perce Tribe’s Good Neighbor Authority agreement with the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, a collaborative agreement for forest fuel reduction projects that’s one of the first of its kind in the U.S.
The state-tribal council has weighed in over the years on major issues including jurisdictional questions, law enforcement, taxes, education and public services. It was formed through the passage of HB 155 in 1999, to “monitor and review legislation and state policies which impact state/tribal relations and advise the governor, Legislature, and state agencies with respect to issues involving state and tribal relations.”
“It’s good to have this meeting after a while, we haven’t had this meeting for a while,” said Brian Thomas, Shoshone-Paiute Tribes vice chairman, at the close of last week’s meeting. “It is really good information that was brought forward.”
Idaho’s five Native American tribes are, from south to north, the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes, whose Duck Valley Reservation stretches on both sides of the Idaho-Nevada border; the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in eastern Idaho; the Nez Perce Tribe in north-central Idaho; the Coeur d’Alene Tribe in North Idaho’s Panhandle; and the Kootenai Tribe even farther north, whose reservation is just a few miles south of the Canadian border along the Kootenai River.
The Kootenai were the final Idaho tribe to receive federal recognition, though their reservation was first established in 1896. Members of the then-unrecognized tribe, living in deplorable conditions, declared war against the United States in 1974. The war ended without any violence, the tribe won formal recognition, and then-President Gerald Ford signed legislation formally deeding the tribe 12.5 acres near Bonners Ferry.
TWO VYING SO FAR FOR STATE GOP CHAIR
Idaho Republican Party Chair Tom Luna has announced he’ll run for another term, and state Rep. Dorothy Moon, R-Stanley, who ran unsuccessfully for Idaho secretary of state in a three-way GOP primary in May, announced on Facebook Thursday morning that she’ll challenge him.
More hopefuls still could emerge; Tyler Kelly, party executive director, said, “Anything, technically, could happen. There’s no declaration period, so nominations come from the floor of the general session. So there could be a nomination made from the floor for another candidate.”
Rep. Chad Christensen, R-Iona, who lost his GOP primary race in May, announced earlier on Facebook that he would run for state party chair, but then removed the announcement and posted that it had been premature.
State party chairs serve two-year terms. The election of the chair will take place at the Idaho state GOP convention in Twin Falls on July 16, by majority vote of the attending delegates.
Luna is a businessman and former two-term GOP state superintendent of public instruction who won the party chairmanship in 2020 in an open two-way contest against Bonneville County GOP Chair Mark Fuller. | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/eye-on-boise-council-brings-state-tribes-together/article_ac7dc5f1-82ce-5c02-a52b-e250d46a8624.html | 2022-07-10T02:36:37 | 1 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/eye-on-boise-council-brings-state-tribes-together/article_ac7dc5f1-82ce-5c02-a52b-e250d46a8624.html |
Photos: Twilight Criterium 2022 Jul 9, 2022 47 min ago Comments Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email 1 of 5 Professional cyclists compete in the women’s pro race of the 35th annual Twilight Criterium in downtown Boise on Saturday, July 9, 2022. Jake King/Idaho Press Professional cyclists compete in the women’s pro race of the 35th annual Twilight Criterium in downtown Boise on Saturday, July 9, 2022. Jake King/Idaho Press Professional cyclists compete in the women’s pro race of the 35th annual Twilight Criterium in downtown Boise on Saturday, July 9, 2022. Jake King/Idaho Press Professional cyclists compete in the women’s pro race of the 35th annual Twilight Criterium in downtown Boise on Saturday, July 9, 2022. Jake King/Idaho Press Professional cyclists compete in the women’s pro race of the 35th annual Twilight Criterium in downtown Boise on Saturday, July 9, 2022. Jake King/Idaho Press Support Local Journalism If you value these stories, please consider subscribing. Subscribe Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Recommended for you Load comments Enter our Current Contests! Newsletter Signup Sign up today for one of our great newsletters and get headlines right in your inbox every morning. Sign up now! Trending Now Bus catches fire in downtown Boise Missing Caldwell woman and her daughter found dead in Oregon Apparent drowning victim recovered from the South Fork of the Boise River Two Idaho abortion lawsuits set for joint arguments Human rights mural planned for site of antisemitic graffiti Latest e-Edition Idaho Press-Tribune Idaho Press Manage subscription E-Edition E-Editions Homepage Report Trouble Print Edition Subscribe Archive Search the complete digital archives for all papers in the Pioneer News Group. Visit the Archives
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Idaho Press-Tribune Idaho Press Manage subscription E-Edition E-Editions Homepage Report Trouble Print Edition Subscribe | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/photos-twilight-criterium-2022/article_82068d68-e689-5cc5-9d12-d851177a35e9.html | 2022-07-10T02:36:43 | 1 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/photos-twilight-criterium-2022/article_82068d68-e689-5cc5-9d12-d851177a35e9.html |
BOISE — The pleas from Idaho families are heartbreaking, Dave Jeppesen says.
The state Department of Health and Welfare director regularly learns of families whose children are facing serious behavioral health issues for which there’s no suitable treatment facility available in Idaho, due to gaps in the state’s system of care. Those children, roughly 100 of them right now, have to be sent out of state, sometimes as far away as Georgia.
One young Idahoan was stuck in a hospital emergency department for weeks on end, awaiting a placement. “There was no medical reason for him to be there, but it was not safe for him to go home,” Jeppesen said. “We called 40 states, probably 100 facilities, looking for a place for him. It took us three months. Those are the heartbreaking stories.”
Idaho is about to change that. The governor and Legislature this year allocated $66 million over the next three years to implement a sweeping array of changes and improvements to Idaho’s behavioral health care system, recommended by a council that’s brought together all three branches of state government – the Legislature, the executive branch, and the judiciary.
Co-chaired by Jeppesen and Sara Omundson, administrative director of Idaho’s courts, the Idaho Behavioral Health Council, first formed in 2020, has an array of teams and working groups focusing on specific areas and is rolling out big changes including establishing a new youth Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility, that specific high-level residential care now lacking in the state, in all three regions of the state; setting up eight Safe Teen Assessment Centers and new youth crisis centers; opening certified community behavioral health clinics across the state; developing a plan to address Idaho’s behavioral health worker shortage; new efforts to divert people with mental health or substance abuse issues from the criminal justice system; and vastly improving crisis response for both youth and adults.
“We’re really excited,” Holly Walund of the Idaho Department of Juvenile Correction told the council at its latest meeting on Friday. “We’re going to be filling a very critical gap in the youth services that are available.” New facilities will be opening up statewide over the next year and beyond.
“Wow, that is some amazing work,” Omundson responded, “and it is great news for our kids who might be having some struggles and need some support. Things that didn’t exist in Idaho a few years ago – now they’re funded and on the way.”
Jeppesen said, “In my mind, it’s transformational. We really are on the verge of having a true comprehensive crisis system across the state.”
Here are some highlights of the plans for the $66 million, which also will be supplemented by tens of millions more in opioid settlement funds and federal grants that are headed to the state:
YOUTH TREATMENT: The highest level of care for youth behavioral health treatment is acute hospitalization; Idaho has that, but it’s short-term. The level just below that, known by the acronym PRTF, is funded by Medicaid, but Idaho doesn’t have any. There was one at Eastern Idaho Medical Center’s Teton Peaks, but it’s now transitioning to the acute hospitalization level of care. Idaho does have Residential Treatment Centers, the next step down from a PRTF, and several other steps that follow below that.
The PRTF Expansion Plan will set up at least three of the psychiatric treatment facilities, which could be existing facilities that upgrade or new ones, with one in each of the state’s three regions: North Idaho, southwestern Idaho, and eastern Idaho. “That’s our goal, is to have PRTF’s in each of the three what we call ‘hubs’ of the state,” said Ross Edmunds, administrator of the Division of Behavioral Health for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The Legislature allocated $15 million. Stakeholder engagement meetings are currently underway; all the facilities will be up and operating by June 30, 2024.
“It’ll make a pretty significant difference, to be able to get help within Idaho,” said Ruth York, executive director of Families and Youth in Idaho, a statewide advocacy group formerly known as the Idaho Federation of Families. “This money is super-important to address that gap.”
However, she warned, “If we don’t have as much focus going into the transition and step-down plans and services that people are going to need, then we’re just setting the PRTF’s up for failure.” She said, “I’ve had a child fail multiple times, coming home without a significant plan to support him. … That transition home is just fraught with peril.”
Jeppesen said that’s been particularly difficult for families whose kids are placed out of state. To have a safe return home, he said the care team must coordinate with the family at home. “It’s really hard to do that when your child is in Georgia,” he said.
Idaho also is in the process of setting up eight Safe Teen Assessment Centers around the state, including one in each of the state’s seven judicial districts and two in District 5, in south-central Idaho. Lawmakers approved a $6.5 million supplemental appropriation to the Department of Juvenile Correction for those in March. “Assessment centers provide a single point of contact and screening for youth,” Walund said. “They’re designed to really divert youth from entrance into the juvenile justice or child protection system.”
Idaho officials learned about the concept at a national conference and have toured successful centers in Nevada and Colorado. Walund said, “They serve as a safe place for law enforcement to bring youth to instead of detaining them for status offenses, things like that,” such as truancy or curfew violations. That way, she said, law enforcement officers can “go about their jobs,” and the teens can get connected to services. Eight grants already have been awarded and centers will open in every quarter of the fiscal year that started July 1.
“Idaho is the first state in the country that will have a statewide implementation of assessment centers, so we’re really excited about that,” she said.
The state also has allocated $4.4 million for youth crisis centers around the state, similar to the adult mental health crisis centers already established statewide. They provide a place for up to 24 hours for a person in crisis, who can’t safely remain at home; they can de-escalate, get connected to services, and avoid unnecessary hospitalization or incarceration. Grants for those are in the works and they should be up and running by June 30, 2023.
“There’s a fair amount of community buzz already about the youth crisis centers,” Walund said.
CALL 988 FOR CRISIS RESPONSE: On July 16, Idaho will go live with its new “988” service, which will incorporate the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline into a new emergency response line that also can take calls on other behavioral health matters. “Just like you would call 911 for fire or other emergency services, 988 is the number you would call either for suicide prevention or any other behavioral health crisis,” Jeppesen said.
This year’s Legislature approved $4.4 million in funding for the new line, a national effort that’s been long in the works.
“This is a big step forward in our crisis response system in the state,” Jeppesen said. “Just like you would expect any other first responder, you will have a first responder who responds to those behavioral health emergencies.”
Idaho’s 988 line will be answered by the Idaho Crisis and Suicide Hotline. Callers nationwide first will have three options: A Veterans’ Crisis Line, a line for non-English speaking individuals, or their state hotline. “Anybody that calls 988 will get answered by a live, trained behavioral health professional,” said Nicole Coleman of the Department of Health and Welfare.
The 988 line was created by Congress with three goals: Someone to call, someone to respond, and someplace to go. Coleman said Idaho, with its hotline and its network of crisis centers, will have all three. “But obviously, we’ll really find out next week,” she said.
COMMUNITY CLINICS: Lawmakers and the governor allocated $12 million to create a network of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics around the state, to be up and running by June 30, 2023. Edmunds said a stakeholder group including health districts, crisis centers, the Idaho Primary Care Association and more is working on plans for three grants to establish those and have them operating by this time next year, but at the same time, a second round of federal grants has come out for the same thing, and five Idaho entities have applied.
If all succeed – and Edmunds said that’s looking promising – Idaho could end up with a statewide network of eight of the community clinics, serving population centers and rural areas alike. “It has the potential to have a substantial impact,” he said.
Edmunds said part of the CCBHC model is development of crisis service including mobile crisis response teams. Between that, crisis centers, and the new 988 system, “Really all of the components, all the building blocks necessary to have a comprehensive crisis response system in Idaho is right in front of us,” he said. “We just have to organize it.”
WORKFORCE PLAN: All 44 of Idaho’s counties are classified as behavioral health worker shortage areas, Jeppesen said, and it’s a critical need. Adam Panitch, project manager with the Idaho Division of Behavioral Health, said, “No matter what ideas you come up with, you need a workforce to implement them.” Last fall, a work group of behavioral health providers, subject-matter experts and more convened and developed a comprehensive plan that’s now been finalized and published on the council’s website; it covers everything from credentialing, training, scholarships and provider rate reviews to “investing in a workforce with lived experience,” Panitch said, to bring in those who’ve experienced these issues in their own families to help others. Low- and no-cost continuing education also would be offered for providers.
York said this piece is key. “We’ve really got to pull some very new tricks out of the hat in order to create the workforce,” she said. “We’ve got to incent people into this workforce. I think if people understood the value of this work, and what a contribution it makes to our world, our country, that would help attract people. But you’ve got to pay people to do this kind of work. It’s grueling. It’s very wearing on a person to see people in distress all the time.”
“Unfortunately, right now so many providers feel so overloaded,” she said. “They know they’re not meeting the need, and that can’t feel good.”
There’s much more. Legislation passed both houses unanimously this year to update Idaho’s civil commitment process; other state laws also are being examined. Training is underway across the state on a “Sequential Intercept Model” to ensure Idahoans whose underlying issue is a behavioral health issue are intercepted from being routed into the criminal justice system. The Idaho Department of Correction has been allocated funds for pre-prosecution diversion grants and pilot programs on trauma treatment.
Rep. Brooke Green, D-Boise, one of four state legislators who serves on the council, said, “It’s incredible to see the progress moving forward. Kudos to all the teams and all the staff who have been working so hard on this.” | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/transformational-changes-in-the-works-for-behavioral-health-in-idaho/article_e46fab6c-bf45-551e-85b7-ea9c4f4f8ea8.html | 2022-07-10T02:36:49 | 0 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/transformational-changes-in-the-works-for-behavioral-health-in-idaho/article_e46fab6c-bf45-551e-85b7-ea9c4f4f8ea8.html |
NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — Four men were charged Friday with federal drug trafficking counts in connection with what the U.S. Attorney's Office said was one of the largest methamphetamine seizures in San Diego County.
The defendants, all of whom are Tijuana residents, were allegedly spotted unloading dozens of boxes from a truck on Thursday in National City, which turned out to contain more than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine. Police trailed the truck as it traveled to Hoover Avenue and 30th Street and arrested the men after allegedly seeing them move the cardboard boxes from the truck into a van.
The boxes contained 148 bundles that contained a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
"This is a significant accomplishment by our law enforcement partners," said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. "Due to stellar work by law enforcement agents, the government stopped more than 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine from being distributed on our streets."
WATCH RELATED: Second drug tunnel found connecting Tijuana to U.S. in less than a month | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/one-of-the-largest-meth-seizures-in-san-diego/509-b5e19b82-c6e0-4b10-8667-67136c1f37c8 | 2022-07-10T02:38:54 | 0 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/one-of-the-largest-meth-seizures-in-san-diego/509-b5e19b82-c6e0-4b10-8667-67136c1f37c8 |
On Saturday, Greensboro Downtown Parks’ Artist in Residence, Activate Entertainment Project, presented the second of three pop-up performances in its latest series, “Passages.” The Greensboro circus arts company used stories from community members as inspiration for the project. The final pop-up performances will be Aug. 5-6 with the group returning on Sept. 2-3 for a final 45-minute performance combining all of the work in the finished piece.
Balancing act: Group performs in downtown Greensboro park
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Mikayla Nicole Lea was jailed Tuesday without bond and scheduled for a court appearance today, according to Guilford County jail records.
The 100-acre campus in Greensboro will house immigrant children while they await reunification with family members or sponsors in the United States.
An 80-year-old man was charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle and unsafe movement in the incident, the Highway Patrol said.
At a stop in Greensboro today, Pastors for Peace will gather donations for their trip to Cuba and hold discussions about the impact of America's decades-long embargo with Cuba and other policies, which some feel have become outdated.
The armed suspect was taken into custody and the scene was secured, police said about 4:35 p.m. Wednesday.
After a year of training and two days after her 67th birthday, MayCay Beeler climbed onto the wing of a World War II biplane in flight.
A 19-year-old Greensboro man died and an 18-year-old High Point man was injured in the shooting on Saturday.
The accident occurred on West Market Street on June 1, according to a news release.
Nancy Messonnier had worked with the CDC from 1995 until 2021, when she resigned as director of the National Center of Immunization and Respiratory Diseases to take a job with the Skoll Foundation, which invests in entrepreneurs and inventors to advance pandemic and public health systems.
Nikiya Banks Gray, 30, of High Point, faces assault charges after the altercation late Thursday night. | https://greensboro.com/news/local/balancing-act-group-performs-in-downtown-greensboro-park/article_8c7079ec-ffe5-11ec-8448-ef5c865c7446.html | 2022-07-10T02:57:32 | 0 | https://greensboro.com/news/local/balancing-act-group-performs-in-downtown-greensboro-park/article_8c7079ec-ffe5-11ec-8448-ef5c865c7446.html |
Many of us may have learned what was happening Saturday morning when the harsh honking sound suddenly emanated from our televisions, jolting us awake as we dozed on the couch.
By chance, as much as for any other reasons, some of the heaviest downpours pelted Reagan National Airport, where the National Weather Service makes its official readings for Washington.
The figures there fell into what a reasonable observer might describe as the reasonably astounding range.
In the hour between about 1 a.m. and 2 a.m., the gauges at the airport collected 1.51 inches of rain. That is a heavy rainfall. But the storm, which had screeched us awake, was not done with us.
In the next hour, between about 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., even more rain fell. At 1.53 inches, it brought the total for the two drenching hours to 3.04 inches.
That two-hour total represents the amount of rain that would seem reasonable for many a full month. Often that much rain does not fall in an entire month.
It seemed that we had experienced a spectacular meteorological event, a kind of prodigy of precipitation.
With Bastille Day not far off, it was the kind of thing that may have caused the historically-minded to recall the saying attributed to Louis XV, the pre-revolutionary French king.
“Apres moi,” he said, “le deluge.”
But even with the alert blaring from our televisions, many of us may have been deprived of the sight.
For one thing, it fell in darkness, from a sky full of clouds. For another, it appears that the two-hour, three-inch total confined itself to only parts of the metropolitan area. Even Sections of the District did not report so much rain to the Weather Service.
On the other hand, some places in the Washington region got even more.
In the Loveville area of St. Mary’s County in Southern Maryland, a spotter reported to the Weather Service a total rainfall of 4.58 inches.
The report was made about 9 a.m. and covered the previous 24 hours. But data indicated that most or all of that rain fell in a relatively brief period.
Needless to say, high water, as deep as a foot or a foot-and-a-half, was reported flowing over streets and roads in St. Mary’s, as streams came out of their banks.
Closer to Washington, high water was reported on roads in Montgomery County as well.
In Montgomery, Beach Drive was closed between Wyndale Road and Woodbine Road.
It was also closed between Kensington Parkway and Connecticut Avenue, according to county fire and rescue spokesman Pete Piringer.
High water was blamed, Piringer said.
In addition, authorities received accounts of fallen trees that blocked streets and roads.
It appeared that many had come down less as a result of wind than as a consequence of rain softening or eroding the surrounding soil.
In Montgomery, more than two inches of rain was measured in areas that included Garrett Park, Silver Spring, Potomac and Chevy Chase, according to reports made by Saturday morning to the Weather Service.
In Virginia, 2.5 inches or more was measured in places that included the Mount Vernon and Chantilly areas of Fairfax County.
But as an indicator of the lack of uniformity of the storm’s liquid output, many parts of the region saw an inch or less, based on information gathered by the Weather Service.
Spots that did not seem to participate to the fullest in the morning’s frenzy of precipitation reportedly included Bowie, Brentwood and Bladensburg.
In many sections of the Washington area, the almost biblical quantities of rain might have caused many residents to look through reference works to consult instructions for constructing an ark.
But at the same time, even over the 68.3-square-mile area of the District, totals varied considerably, and might have caused some residents to wonder why that alarm sounded early Saturday.
For example, although a substantial 2.48 inches fell in Adams Morgan, the total measured by morning at Catholic University was more than half an inch less, at 1.90 inches. At the National Arboretum the figure was 1.04 inches.
Meanwhile, in many places, rain continued through the day on Saturday, if in less than deluge quantities.
As of 5 p.m., the day’s official rainfall figure for Washington stood at 4.05 inches, boosting July’s total to 4.74, or 3.42 above average for the month thus far. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/deluge-swamps-much-of-washington-area-saturday-morning/2022/07/09/a45f8f80-ffe4-11ec-87e4-55be07124164_story.html | 2022-07-10T03:00:30 | 1 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/deluge-swamps-much-of-washington-area-saturday-morning/2022/07/09/a45f8f80-ffe4-11ec-87e4-55be07124164_story.html |
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — Next week, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch will begin to hold neighborhood talks over the future of the Tropicana Field site.
Welch scrapped the old proposals from former St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman and has decided to launch a new "request for proposal" process that solicits a fresh batch of developer plans.
Economic fallout from COVID-19 and the affordable housing crisis, along with a six-month study reporting deep-rooted structural racism still impacting everyday lives of Black people in St. Pete, prompted the need for a new RFP process.
Community leaders are hoping whatever happens, broken promises won't happen again.
They want the future to honor the Gas Plant District, which once had a thriving Black neighborhood but was destroyed to make room for new development, including Tropicana Field in the 1980s. The developments came with empty promises from officials about jobs and help.
"I'm afraid for this community. I've seen this foolishness before. So if I have a fear, it's a fear that the people won't wake up and fight back until it's a done deal," said Bishop Dr. Manuel Sykes of the Bethel Community Baptist Church.
Sykes also said he hopes the development includes a resolution for what researchers found to be possible graves under a Tropicana Field parking lot.
"If it's not oriented toward justice and people, it's wrong in my mind," he said.
Welch, who grew up in the Gas Plant District, said he hopes to see the promises from people in the community fulfilled under his term.
"We now have the opportunity to bring the promises of jobs and equitable development to fruition on what I believe, and I think many people believe, to be sacred land," he said during the announcement of a new RFP process.
Sykes said he hopes to see more diversity of income and race, along with housing and business opportunities.
"I want a very strong presence of African American people living, owning and doing business," he said.
A group of Black faith leaders, including Sykes, previously endorsed a proposal from Sugar Hill Community Partners. Developers there still said they're interested in partnering with the city.
The first of Welch's "community conversations" begins Tuesday, July 12.
City leaders said meetings will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on the following dates:
- Tuesday, July 12 at the Foundation for a Healthy St. Pete, located in the Lakeview Shopping Center at 2333 34th St. South
- Tuesday, July 19 at the St. Petersburg College-Gibbs campus at 6605 5th Ave. North
- Thursday, July 28 at USF St. Pete at 140 7th Ave. South
Anyone interested in attending the meetings is asked to register, and you can do so by clicking here.
The Tampa Bay Rays stated it is not commenting on redevelopment plans at this time. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/st-pete-ken-welch-tropicana-field-gas-plant/67-eab9e4f5-2fa2-46db-95fb-45995e7bee0b | 2022-07-10T03:09:52 | 1 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/st-pete-ken-welch-tropicana-field-gas-plant/67-eab9e4f5-2fa2-46db-95fb-45995e7bee0b |
BOISE, Idaho — Hundreds of motorcyclists will gather at High Desert Harley-Davidson in Meridian Sunday for the 12th annual Idaho Patriot Thunder Ride.
Organizers call the event the largest military family charity motorcycle ride in the northwest. The ride benefits the Idaho Guard & Reserve Family Support Fund and Operation Warmheart.
Patriot Thunder attendees participate in an escorted ride at 11 a.m. from Harley-Davidson to Carl Miller Park in Mountain Home. Registration for the event begins at 8 a.m.
Upon arrival to Carl Miller Park, participants can enjoy live music, raffles and food. Free breakfast is also offered until supplies are gone at the beginning of the day.
The Idaho Patriot Thunder Ride was originally scheduled for June 5, but was postponed twice due to unpromising weather conditions in the Treasure Valley.
Motorcyclists hoping to join the escorted ride may register online. Registration costs $25 and includes a commemorative patch. According to High Desert Harley-Davidson, registration fees increase to $35 on Sunday.
15 riders can purchase VIP spots for $125 to be placed at the front of the pack with other VIP riders. The ride is limited to 1,200 participants, with 1,000 riders currently expected to participate.
A valid motorcycle endorsement is required to participate in the 55-mile ride to Mountain Home. Officers from several police agencies will be escorting participants Sunday.
Riders will head down Overload Road, turn onto Eagle Road and then head east on Interstate 84 to Mountain Home. The Ada County Highway District (ACHD) said drivers should expect short delays as the motorcyclists head through the route.
Delays will be most prominent at the intersection of Overland and Eagle, and along I-84 traveling eastbound between Meridian and Mountain Home.
To learn more about the Idaho Patriot Thunder Ride or to register for the 12th annual event, click here.
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/idaho-patriot-thunder-ride-returns-sunday/277-03a93519-98cd-4a3a-9b73-c44a5018e8f2 | 2022-07-10T03:12:31 | 0 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho-patriot-thunder-ride-returns-sunday/277-03a93519-98cd-4a3a-9b73-c44a5018e8f2 |
FORT SMITH, Ark. — According to Aric Mitchell with Fort Smith Police, a body was found on the bank of Massard Creek Friday, July 8 evening.
The body was found on the banks of Massard Creek near the 9500 block of Rogers Ave., near a restaurant where police investigated the area.
The victim was identified on July, 9, afternoon as 79-year-old Selma Josephine Thompson of Barling. The Barling Police Department contacted the City of Fort Smith earlier this afternoon about an open missing person case on Thompson.
They were able to connect the city to Thompson's family, who verified that the unidentified female was Thompson, who had reportedly left the home on foot Friday.
An official cause of death is yet to be determined, but foul play is not suspected.
No other information has been released.
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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-fort-smith-creek-selma-josephine-thompson-79-missing-person-barling-city/527-49e90b6f-cc4e-483d-88a3-789df41ea4df | 2022-07-10T03:12:57 | 1 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/body-found-fort-smith-creek-selma-josephine-thompson-79-missing-person-barling-city/527-49e90b6f-cc4e-483d-88a3-789df41ea4df |
HANSEN — A fire in Rock Creek Canyon in the South Hills was contained by 8 p.m. Saturday.
The 10-acre fire that threatened structures 12 miles south of Hansen was reported at 3:30 p.m., the Bureau of Land Management said.
Shoshone Basin, Twin Falls, Filer and Rock Creek fire districts responded. The extent of the damage was unknown Saturday evening.
The fire was first estimated at 20 acres, the BLM said. The agency had three engines on the scene and the U.S. Forest Service had an engine and a helicopter.
BLM Fire estimated the fire would be contained by 10 p.m. Saturday, with control set for Sunday evening. Crews will remain on scene, improving containment lines and mopping up hot spots.
The South Hills have been fit hard numerous times in the past decade, with major fires in 2012 and 2020. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/firefighters-rally-to-put-out-blaze-in-rock-creek-canyon/article_6fd2b7b0-fff8-11ec-98b0-0fb97be1b09a.html | 2022-07-10T03:34:28 | 0 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/firefighters-rally-to-put-out-blaze-in-rock-creek-canyon/article_6fd2b7b0-fff8-11ec-98b0-0fb97be1b09a.html |
As the spread of coronavirus continues, here are the latest updates from Southern Arizona.
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Tuesday, March 1 | https://tucson.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/updates-tucson-area-coronavirus-developments-july-10-what-we-know/article_dc8e92ea-6561-11ea-9e87-17207f678ee6.html | 2022-07-10T03:36:28 | 1 | https://tucson.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/updates-tucson-area-coronavirus-developments-july-10-what-we-know/article_dc8e92ea-6561-11ea-9e87-17207f678ee6.html |
San Angelo Nature Center offers a world of knowledge for animal lovers
If you've never checked out the San Angelo Nature Center, you're missing out on what some people call a hidden gem.
It's the closest thing that San Angelo has to a zoo with exhibits of all kinds of creatures -- snakes, tarantulas, exotic birds, reptiles, turtles, scorpions, a bobcat, a fox, and more.
There's a large collection of animals, exhibits and information native to the Southwest, and creatures from all over the planet as well.
"Our newest edition currently is our albino burmese python," said Selina McSherry, the facility's recreation coordinator. "We had Baby, our old burmese python, for years and years and years. She passed away a few months ago.
"So he'll grow to be as big as she was, and he's already pretty large as it is. His name is Brutus. He's somewhere between five and seven years old. And he's pretty hefty and very interested, always wanting to see what's going on."
Even though a lot of the animals are native to this area, the Nature Center doesn't go out and catch them, as some people might think.
"A lot of the animals that we currently have at one time were people's pets," McSherry said. "They say, 'Oh, no. We didn't know what we were thinking.'
"Or it could be the fact that they're moving to a different place and they need a home for their animal. Some of our animals were rescues that could not be released back out into the wild."
The Animal of the Month for July is the degu.
"We have three small degus that are absolutely adorable," McSherry said. "They look like a mix between a rat and a chinchilla. They play, they love their running wheel and they pretty much chew everything up."
Even if you have a phobia about certain animals or wildlife, the Nature Center can help ease those feelings.
"Whether you're a kid or an adult, a lot of the times you have kids that come in who are terrified, and we don't want them to be terrified," McSherry said.
"We want them to understand what (the animals and critters) do for our ecosystem and everything involved, but we also want to say, 'This is probably a dangerous thing that you want to stay away from out in the wild,' or anything like that."
When children and adults get acquainted with the animals a little bit, it can change their way of thinking.
"It's so great when they walk out with these big smiles and they want to come back, and that's what we're shooting for," McSherry said.
"We want them to be able to go out in the wild and say, 'Oh, I know what that is and I know what that is for and what it does.' That's our goal here at the Nature Center."
There are 35 snakes on exhibit, more than any other creatures at the Nature Center, which is home for 75 to 100 forms of wildlife overall.
One of McSherry's personal favorites is Emma, a Chaco golden-knee tarantula.
"She's just gorgeous," McSherry said. "The birds (including cockatiels and a macaw), you can't not like them. They're so loud and they demand the attention."
McSherry has worked at the Nature Center for about six years, and she has a real passion for her job.
"I absolutely love it," she said. "You know, you're working with animals. It's not as repetitive as people think. There's something new every day, and getting to work with the community and other organizations, it's a lot of fun."
The Nature Center is a little off the beaten path, nestled away at 7409 Knickerbocker Road at Lake Nasworthy.
"Not too, too many people know about us, but once they do, they come back and they do enjoy the place," McSherry said.
If you're looking for a great deal for taking the kids or grandkids this summer without having to leave the Concho Valley, the Nature Center might be the answer.
General admission tickets are $3 for adults and $2 for children. Children 3 and under are admitted free of charge.
"It's a very reasonable price," McSherry said. "You get to come in here and look at all the animals. We take a lot of the animals out (of their cages or glass tanks) so you can get up close and personal with them. So it's a great educational (tool), but also a very fun experience for kids of all ages."
"We do offer birthday parties and tours as well. Having a birthday party here and having all the kids getting to see and touch all these animals, it's so much fun for the kids."
The Nature Center is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m.
For more information, call the center at 325-942-0121. | https://www.gosanangelo.com/story/news/local/scene/2022/07/09/san-angelo-nature-center-west-texas/65370048007/ | 2022-07-10T03:36:30 | 1 | https://www.gosanangelo.com/story/news/local/scene/2022/07/09/san-angelo-nature-center-west-texas/65370048007/ |
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Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/amazon-prime-day-how-to-avoid-scammers/3294958/ | 2022-07-10T03:44:08 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/amazon-prime-day-how-to-avoid-scammers/3294958/ |
AUSTIN, Texas — Algae samples collected from sites on Lady Bird Lake and Emma Long Metropolitan Park last week were found to contain a kind of neurotoxin, according to the City of Austin.
Samples taken from Lady Bird Lake on June 27 and from Emma Long Park on June 29 contained a neurotoxin called homoanatoxin.
The City reported that algae samples collected from Walsh Tarlton and Jessica Hollis Park did not contain toxins. However, the City said harmful algae may be present in other locations with hot temperatures being the norm in the area.
Such algae could be present, especially in pockets of slow-moving water on the lakes or in creeks, the City warned. People and pets are told to avoid swimming in areas with algae or in water that is warm, stagnant or has scum and film.
The development comes after the Watershed Protection Department began treating Lady Bird Lake for harmful algae following a May 30 sample taken from Red Bud Isle that was found to contain blue-green algae.
Treatment using thousands of pounds of a clay material called Phoslock, along with testing and lab work was expected to cost $300,000. Phoslock makes it hard for algae to feed and survive, reducing the amount of harmful algae. Even with the treatment, the department said the harmful algae could still be present.
The City shared recommendations to keep people and pets safe from algae and other bacteria and parasites that could be in the water:
- Do not drink water directly from natural water bodies.
- Avoid contact with algae.
- Rinse skin or animal fur after contact with water.
- Do not allow dogs to lick their fur prior to rinsing.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/algae-samples-lady-bird-lake-emma-long-park-neurotoxin/269-a69fccfd-7ab0-4cbe-b470-256451e1b2c4 | 2022-07-10T03:49:50 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/algae-samples-lady-bird-lake-emma-long-park-neurotoxin/269-a69fccfd-7ab0-4cbe-b470-256451e1b2c4 |
AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) said officers were investigating a homicide in North Austin on Saturday night.
APD tweeted shortly before 10 p.m. that officers were investigating the incident that happened in the 1400 block of Blakeney Lane.
No other details were immediately shared by the department, but officials are expected to provide an update.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/police-investigating-homicide-north-austin/269-c7690126-0c32-44f3-bb2e-3093a6515f75 | 2022-07-10T03:49:57 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/police-investigating-homicide-north-austin/269-c7690126-0c32-44f3-bb2e-3093a6515f75 |
The chart lists crimes through July 4 investigated by the Fort Wayne Police Department including burglaries, robberies and thefts from vehicles. Because of the department’s reporting policies, an attempted robbery or burglary is classified as an actual robbery or burglary, respectively. The listed addresses are those where crimes were reported and are not necessarily where the crimes occurred.
Sector 4B
6/30/22 1:17 a.m. Theft from vehicle 100 W. Wayne St.
7/1/22 4 a.m. Theft from vehicle 1000 S. Barr St.
7/1/22 3 p.m. Theft from vehicle Ewing St. & W. Jefferson Blvd.
7/1/22 11:17 p.m. Theft from vehicle 200 E. Main St.
7/3/22 6 p.m. Theft from vehicle 100 W. Main St.
Sector 11
7/1/22 9 p.m. Theft from vehicle 500 Huffman St.
Sector 12
6/29/22 8:15 p.m. Theft from vehicle 1600 W. Fourth St.
7/2/22 1:35 a.m. Robbery 2100 St. Marys Ave.
7/2/22 3 p.m. Theft from vehicle 1900 Emerson Ave.
7/3/22 1:15 a.m. Theft from vehicle 1800 Howell St.
7/3/22 4:34 a.m. Theft from vehicle 1600 North Highlands Blvd.
Sector 13
7/3/22 4:16 a.m. Burglary 2700 Lofty Drive
7/3/22 4:24 a.m. Theft from vehicle 2400 Poinsette Drive
Sector 14
7/3/22 7:25 a.m. Theft from vehicle 1600 St. Joe Center Road
Sector 15
6/29/22 9:01 a.m. Robbery 4400 Coldwater Road
Sector 16
7/1/22 11:30 p.m. Burglary 4900 Lima Road
Sector 21
7/2/22 10:30 p.m. Theft from vehicle 2300 Barnhart Ave.
Sector 22
6/29/22 6 p.m. Burglary 4200 Lake Ave.
7/2/22 6 a.m. Theft from vehicle 1600 Reed Road
7/3/22 9:30 p.m. Burglary 4700 Heatherwind Drive
Sector 28
6/30/22 5:30 p.m. Burglary 9700 Maysville Road
Sector 31
6/29/22 9 p.m. Theft from vehicle 800 W Jefferson Blvd.
7/2/22 10 p.m. Theft from vehicle 1200 GaRoaden St.
Sector 32
6/28/22 6:30 a.m. Burglary 400 Poplar St.
Sector 33
6/29/22 12:21 p.m. Robbery 3400 Laredo Ave.
Sector 35
7/3/22 11:16 p.m. Theft from vehicle 400 Lexington Ave.
Sector 36
6/30/22 2 a.m. Burglary 7600 Pinedale Drive
Sector 41
7/1/22 12:30 a.m. Theft from vehicle 1300 Chute St.
Sector 43
6/28/22 Noon Burglary 2700 Evans St.
Sector 45
6/29/22 9 p.m. Burglary 4700 Winter St.
6/30/22 4:01 a.m. Burglary 700 McKinnie Ave.
7/1/22 11 a.m. Theft from vehicle 3900 Lillie St.
Sector 47
6/30/22 1:05 p.m. Theft from vehicle 7700 Southtown Crossing
Sector 48
6/29/22 6 p.m. Burglary 6700 Autumn View Drive
6/30/22 11 p.m. Theft from vehicle 4200 E. Paulding Road
6/30/22 11 p.m. Theft from vehicle 4200 E. Paulding Road
7/1/22 9:30 p.m. Burglary 6000 Bunt Drive
7/2/22 12:45 a.m. Burglary 3700 E. Paulding Road | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/police-fire/crime-reports/crime-reports/article_5ba0e894-fd9a-11ec-a734-375c97602b05.html | 2022-07-10T03:49:57 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/police-fire/crime-reports/crime-reports/article_5ba0e894-fd9a-11ec-a734-375c97602b05.html |
AUSTIN, Texas — Algae samples collected from sites on Lady Bird Lake and Emma Long Metropolitan Park last week were found to contain a kind of neurotoxin, according to the City of Austin.
Samples taken from Lady Bird Lake on June 27 and from Emma Long Park on June 29 contained a neurotoxin called homoanatoxin.
The City reported that algae samples collected from Walsh Tarlton and Jessica Hollis Park did not contain toxins. However, the City said harmful algae may be present in other locations with hot temperatures being the norm in the area.
Such algae could be present, especially in pockets of slow-moving water on the lakes or in creeks, the City warned. People and pets are told to avoid swimming in areas with algae or in water that is warm, stagnant or has scum and film.
The development comes after the Watershed Protection Department began treating Lady Bird Lake for harmful algae following a May 30 sample taken from Red Bud Isle that was found to contain blue-green algae.
Treatment using thousands of pounds of a clay material called Phoslock, along with testing and lab work was expected to cost $300,000. Phoslock makes it hard for algae to feed and survive, reducing the amount of harmful algae. Even with the treatment, the department said the harmful algae could still be present.
The City shared recommendations to keep people and pets safe from algae and other bacteria and parasites that could be in the water:
- Do not drink water directly from natural water bodies.
- Avoid contact with algae.
- Rinse skin or animal fur after contact with water.
- Do not allow dogs to lick their fur prior to rinsing.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/algae-samples-lady-bird-lake-emma-long-park-neurotoxin/269-a69fccfd-7ab0-4cbe-b470-256451e1b2c4 | 2022-07-10T03:55:06 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/algae-samples-lady-bird-lake-emma-long-park-neurotoxin/269-a69fccfd-7ab0-4cbe-b470-256451e1b2c4 |
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police officers are on the scene of a homicide that happened near the intersection of West Rundberg Lane and North Lamar Boulevard on Saturday morning.
The Austin Police Department said the incident happened in the 9900 block of N. Lamar Blvd, near the InTown Suites. Police told KVUE it happened in a tent community located in a field behind the hotel.
Officers got a call around 7:22 a.m. about two people fighting. They believe it ended with one of the people shooting and killing a man in his 30s.
The victim was pronounced dead on the scene at 7:44 a.m.
Police are now looking for the suspect. They believe they know who it is but they do not have a person in custody.
Detectives believe it is an isolated incident and there is no known threat to the public.
Anyone with any information is asked to call police at 512-477-3588.
This is being investigated as Austin's 39th homicide of the year.
No other information is available at this time.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/austin-police-north-lamar-homicide/269-c605b129-43df-4470-a2fa-6aed221f64b4 | 2022-07-10T03:55:12 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/austin-police-north-lamar-homicide/269-c605b129-43df-4470-a2fa-6aed221f64b4 |
BEAUMONT, Texas — Members of the Southeast Texas community gathered to celebrate the accomplishments and retirement of a Beaumont man who has been in the U.S. Navy for more than two decades.
Lt. Cmdr. Carl Stewart, Jr. has been in the Navy for 26 years.
“It’s a little overwhelming,” Lt. Cmdr. Stewart said. “You know, I got to do something I dreamed of doing. When I joined, I never thought I’d be flying. I just wanted to do four years, be around it for a little bit, come back home, go to school.”
Once he joined, the plans changed.
“I just kept on going,” Lt. Cmdr. Stewart said. “It’s been a blast. A lot of it I’m going to miss, but I’m looking forward to starting a new chapter, moving forward to something else."
Lt. Cmdr. Stewart joined the Navy once he graduated from West Brook High School in 1995. He was an aviation electronics technician on his first tour.
“I decided I wanted to go air crew,” he said. “So, I applied to be an naval air crewman, went to school for that. I was a H-53 crew chief, and I did that for the next 12 years."
Lt. Cmdr. Stewart did numerous tours during his time in the military.
“On my second tour is kind of where I started deciding, you know, if I was going to stay in. I wanted to be an officer,” he said. “So on my next [sic] tour, I went to school full time and got my degree and went ahead and applied for commission. Got accepted.”
The rewarding career was by no means easy. Lt. Cmdr. Stewart said it takes time management and discipline.
“Flight training is tough,” he said. “They throw, what they call the water hose effect, they throw a lot of information at you. You have to take all that stuff in, go study. You get a couple days, and then you’re in your first event.”
Lt. Cmdr. Stewart said a person has to want to be there.
“The people that’s like, ‘Uh, I just got aviation but I wanted something else,’ they don’t make it through the training,” he said. “You have to want to be there, have to want to fly.”
Once a person is done studying, they spend a lot of time in a simulator and begin gaining muscle memory of the cockpit and more. There were times where Lt. Cmdr. Stewart did not know how he was going to figure everything out.
“But you get through it,” he said. “You keep your eye on the prize of where you want to get. Get those wings. It’s not easy. It is tough, but it was a blast. It was all worth it.”
Lt. Cmdr. Stewart's love of flying began with his dad. He went from flying model navy fighter jets with his dad, to actually being behind the wheel of one.
“I was an aviation nut before I joined the military,” he said. “That started with my dad he loves aircraft. We flew RC airplanes."
Lt. Cmdr. Stewart knew he wanted to be around aviation.
“I’d get off from work and just be standing out there on the flight lines just watching airplanes take off and land,” he said. “I was on Cloud 9. When it got the point of flying, it was just like, 'Man, I cant wait to go to work tomorrow to do it again.'"
Some of Lt. Cmdr. Stewart's inspiration came from his cousin.
“The whole reason I chose to join the Navy, when I decided I was going to join the military, was because of my cousin,” he said. “He flew jets in the Navy.”
That cousin mentored Lt. Cmdr. Stewart while he was in the military. Stewart hopes he can inspire those who would like to follow in his foot steps.
"I would hope that people can look at me and at least say, ‘Hey, if he can do it I can do it too,’” he said. “We didn’t have a lot of that representation growing up. I was lucky to have that one person that gave me that little nudge to go in that direction.”
In March 2022, Lt. Cmdr. Stewart touched down at the Jack Brooks Regional Airport .
"Came back down here, showing the kids, 'Hey, if y'all want to do that, any of y'all can do that. If you want it you go and do what you got to do to get it.," he said.
During his time in the Navy, Lt. Cmdr. Stewart learned to do things he never though he could. At one point, he had to swim a mile. The words from someone he met got him through it.
"He told me, 'I’d rather see you go down there, give it everything you got and not make it and at least know where you stand, then to not try and to spend the rest of your time wondering what if you made it through. Just go down there. Give it 100%, and you’ll be amazed what you’re capable of doing,'" he said.
Lt. Cmdr. Stewart took that mantra all the way through the rest of his career.
Also on 12NewsNow.com ... | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/family-friends-of-retired-naval-flight-officer-celebrates-his-accomplishments/502-2d6b7ad1-1278-4951-9e75-0053ff9aba60 | 2022-07-10T03:55:18 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/family-friends-of-retired-naval-flight-officer-celebrates-his-accomplishments/502-2d6b7ad1-1278-4951-9e75-0053ff9aba60 |
HAYS COUNTY, Texas — Hays County Jail Advocates is a group that recently came together to shed light on issues faced by inmates.
Cyrus Gray is an inmate who's been there for over four years. His dad, also named Cyrus, said he was arrested after a murder happened in 2015.
"According to the claim, three Black guys dressed in masks went into an apartment where somebody is selling drugs and try to snatch the drug," said Gray. "One of the three guys had a gun. The gun goes off. One kid is killed."
In 2018, his son was arrested and charged with capital murder. He's been incarcerated for four years and has maintained his plea of innocence all throughout, assuming he would be able to exercise his right to a speedy trial.
It's been a long time, and it wasn't until about two weeks ago that Gray's trial finally started.
"We've been looking forward to him coming home," his father added. "It's unfortunate that it's taken this long, four years. Having somebody incarcerated... without the benefit of going to court."
According to the Hays County Jail dashboard, as of July 4, 2022, 562 people, or 83% of the jail population, were held pretrial. Twenty-four of those inmates have been awaiting trial for over three years.
"It's just, it's not right to be keeping people in jail pretrial for years on end," said Amy Kamp with Hays County Jail Advocates. "I mean, it's not right to be keeping people in jail for pretrial even for months on end."
Kamp said she's spoken to people who have been in pretrial detention for seven years.
"I feel like, you know, Hays County needs to move into the present era," she added.
In the meantime, Gray is happy his family will finally get the answers they've been waiting for.
"I got the sense that might be done before the middle of next week," he said. "The judge is already furious that they've taken too much time."
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/hundreds-inmates-trial-hays-county-jail/269-3741fe75-e401-48fb-9012-8dd26e91f37b | 2022-07-10T03:55:24 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/hundreds-inmates-trial-hays-county-jail/269-3741fe75-e401-48fb-9012-8dd26e91f37b |
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A 3-year-old has died after drowning in a swimming pool in northwest Harris County, according to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
The toddler was found unresponsive in the pool around noon on Saturday at a home in the 10200 block of Cascade Hills near the Sam Houston Race Park.
Deputies say the toddler was alone in the swimming pool at the time of the drowning.
The toddler was taken to Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital where the boy was pronounced deceased.
HCSO said they are still working through the details as an investigation is underway.
This is a developing story, check back for updates. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/toddler-drowns-in-pool-harris-county/285-966792a8-0c8d-4f7d-8cdc-9dd1094b58cf | 2022-07-10T03:55:30 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/toddler-drowns-in-pool-harris-county/285-966792a8-0c8d-4f7d-8cdc-9dd1094b58cf |
COLUMBIA COUNTY, Pa. — Two people have died after a crash in Columbia County.
Officials say the crash happened just before 2:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon along Route 11, a portion of which was closed for hours before reopening.
There is no word on what led to the deadly crash in Columbia County.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/columbia-county/deadly-crash-near-bloomsburg-route-11-columbia-county-fishing-creek/523-552e4186-37fe-4eef-8331-02d9efe6624b | 2022-07-10T03:57:06 | 0 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/columbia-county/deadly-crash-near-bloomsburg-route-11-columbia-county-fishing-creek/523-552e4186-37fe-4eef-8331-02d9efe6624b |
SCRANTON, Pa. — Officials in Lackawanna County say a 32-year-old man from Scranton died Saturday evening in an ATV crash.
Officials say the crash happened just before 5 p.m. in the area of the #5 dam on a trail that runs between East Mountain and Moosic.
There is no word on what led to the crash, it is still under investigation in Lackawanna County.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/scranton-man-killed-in-atv-crash-32-scranton-police-fire-department-coroner-east-mountain-moosic-glenmaura-national-blvd/523-568d858f-34f1-429c-9ca8-1282cb7c1356 | 2022-07-10T03:57:12 | 1 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/scranton-man-killed-in-atv-crash-32-scranton-police-fire-department-coroner-east-mountain-moosic-glenmaura-national-blvd/523-568d858f-34f1-429c-9ca8-1282cb7c1356 |
LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — It's the green light for the annual racing weekend in Laurel Run near Wilkes-Barre.
"We have another running of the Giants Despair Hillclimb, it's been going on since 1906 it's a tradition to the town you know covid kind of put a halt to one year but the last few years we've been back up and running good. We have 94 cars this year so you know it's the price of gas and how the world is today it's a good show out," said Bill Feist, Vice President of Giants Despair Hillclimb Association.
Eli Sharp from Stroudsburg admits that the increase at the pump is on her mind.
"Well, obviously it's an extra burden. I mean, Racing's not cheap at the best of times," said Sharp.
So gas prices are leading her to be selective about the races she attends but Giants Despair was a must.
"Well we've got people that come from Pittsburgh normally to the races that around here and you know, they haven't to be selected for us. This is a local event. You know, it's only an hour down the road, and three of the other events and nice and local. So we'll do those and then we'll see what next year brings," said Sharp.
Race car drivers tell Newswatch 16 racing fuel is almost three times as expensive as the gasoline everyone else sees at the pump.
"Yeah, it is, but you only live once. So time to splurge, I guess is what you would say," said Butch King, New Hampshire.
That's the philosophy shared by many drivers.
"You know, I used to complain about that. And then a friend of mine said, George, you're going to be dead a long time. So I don't worry about it anymore. He kind of straightened me out on that," said George Bowlend, South Carolina.
Even if some of these drivers are driving hundreds of miles to be here over the course of a few days.
"It is what it is. I mean, you can't change it. You can cry about it, but it ain't gonna change. So, and the wife and I haven't done much this summer so we wanted to go for a ride so we're going for a ride," said King.
"No, we're crazy to do this. So fuel prices just simply not going to affect our craziness," said Bowlend.
"We're going. I don't care what it costs," said Jack Danko, Laurel Run.
Jack Danko of Laurel Run says the road conditions are more of a concern to him than the fuel prices.
"In turn three you go up on the elbow going inside there it bounces the heck out of you. I was thinking about going flat out through there get over and get back in but no way not with those bounces," said Danko.
Those participating in the race, as well as organizers, were both pleased the increase in fuel didn't seem to keep spectators from the event either.
"It's great for the community. All local businesses make out, everybody has to eat somewhere, the hotels get people staying in their hotels. It's a good all around event for everybody," said Feist.
The annual Giants Despair Hillclimb continues Sunday in Laurel Run.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/giants-despair-hillclimb-returns-to-luzerne-county-bill-feist-pennsylvania-hillclimb-association-eli-sharp-butch-king-george-bowlend-jack-danko/523-504f6df5-31aa-488f-a847-f4255ae8d8c3 | 2022-07-10T03:57:18 | 1 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/giants-despair-hillclimb-returns-to-luzerne-county-bill-feist-pennsylvania-hillclimb-association-eli-sharp-butch-king-george-bowlend-jack-danko/523-504f6df5-31aa-488f-a847-f4255ae8d8c3 |
POTTSVILLE, Pa. — Country music star Lee Brice took the stage for more than 17,000 fans in Pottsville all for free.
It's all part of Yuengling's Stars and Stripes summer concert celebration; the first one since 2019.
Streets around the brewery were shut down so people could check out different vendors and drink some yeungling beer.
"There's a lot of people here for such a small little town I've never seen it so packed," said Alicia Mennig, Leesport.
Mayor of Pottsville Dave Clews shared his concerns in the days leading up to the event about how many people would flock into town.
He explains it's a massive undertaking to provide security for this big of a crowd.
"It's a very secure environment very safe environment I feel comfortable with the day knowing that all of these agencies are here in my hometown protecting us," said Mayor Dave Clews, Pottsville.
Concert-goers tell Newswatch16 a crowd like this is what makes the concert experience.
"It's a great atmosphere immaculate vibes I mean it's a great event they put on this is my first time here and I am having a good time," said Joey Kober, Allentown.
"I think they've got it all under control all organized perfectly I think they got it all planned out they did a great job," said Nicholas Papahristos, West Chester.
A portion of the proceeds from the celebration will benefit Team Red White and Blue.
"So that's our military organization partner so we are giving back and honoring our veterans as well during this ceremony," said Debbie Yuengling.
Headliner Lee Brice caught up with the Yuengling family and a small group of fans ahead of the show. He says it means alot to him to be able to be a part of an event that's giving back to veterans.
"Every time we go and do a show that's geared toward this, man they love it, we love it, and we are so proud of it and I feel like im doing a small thing," said Lee Brice.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/schuylkill-county/country-music-star-gives-free-performance-in-pottsville-schuylkill-county-lee-brice-stars-and-stripes-alicia-mennig-dave-clews-joey-kober/523-38b748f2-3e30-4c36-a5b8-d8a6183717c6 | 2022-07-10T03:57:24 | 1 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/schuylkill-county/country-music-star-gives-free-performance-in-pottsville-schuylkill-county-lee-brice-stars-and-stripes-alicia-mennig-dave-clews-joey-kober/523-38b748f2-3e30-4c36-a5b8-d8a6183717c6 |
DALLAS — As North Texas residents continue to deal with scorching hot temperatures, a local medical agency and state energy organization are also dealing with an increase in their respective workloads.
The administrative governmental organization MedStar Mobile Healthcare said the agency took 206 heat-related calls from May 1-July 8 of last year. During that same time frame this year, they've taken 406, a 97.1% increase.
Of the calls from 2022, 62% were male and 35% were female.
On Friday alone, MedStar took 13 heat-related calls, having to transport eight people to local hospitals with three people remaining in serious condition.
RELATED: MedStar heat-related calls and energy demand skyrocket, as temps hit above 100 across North Texas
This comes during a time that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is dealing with a high demand for energy from across the state. As of Saturday, the peak demand landed at about 77,532 megawatts. On Friday, which was the hottest day of the year so far, there was an all-time demand record of 78,418 megawatts.
While White Rock Lake Park didn't have as many visitors as it usually does during Saturday afternoons, there were people here and there brave enough to take on the heat.
Cyclist Jade Ortiz said she recently started riding her bike as consistently as she could, especially when she is off work. She took the biking lanes Saturday with plenty of water on hand.
"It helps with my mental health," Ortiz said. "This heat is kind of just how it is now, so I just bring a lot of water."
Jake Mu also decided to go on a walk through the Dallas park, saying he tries to simply be outside as much as possible.
"I think it's like 100 basically every day for the rest of the summer, so I don't want the heat to stop me from doing what I normally do," Mu said.
ERCOT allows you to monitor real-time grid conditions. To check that out, you can click here. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/medstar-transports-for-heat-related-calls-up-100-percent-2022/287-1fcb7f23-4b72-4a3c-a369-5c15cd9da482 | 2022-07-10T04:13:59 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/medstar-transports-for-heat-related-calls-up-100-percent-2022/287-1fcb7f23-4b72-4a3c-a369-5c15cd9da482 |
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.thv11.com/article/news/local/arkansas-ministry-mobile-showers-homeless-population/527-24c88b40-16a9-4f87-bb50-33ae4468c705 | 2022-07-10T04:22:43 | 1 | https://www.thv11.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, a body was found on the bank of Massard Creek Friday, July 8 evening.
The body was found on the banks of Massard Creek near the 9500 block of Rogers Ave., near a restaurant where police investigated the area.
The victim was identified on July, 9, afternoon as 79-year-old Selma Josephine Thompson of Barling. The Barling Police Department contacted the City of Fort Smith earlier this afternoon about an open missing person case on Thompson.
They were able to connect the city to Thompson's family, who verified that the unidentified female was Thompson, who had reportedly left the home on foot Friday.
An official cause of death is yet to be determined, but foul play is not suspected.
No other information has been released.
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HOW TO ADD THE 5NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KFSM in the Channel Store.
For Fire TV, search for "KFSM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com. | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/body-found-fort-smith-creek-selma-josephine-thompson-79-missing-person-barling-city/527-49e90b6f-cc4e-483d-88a3-789df41ea4df | 2022-07-10T04:22:49 | 0 | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/body-found-fort-smith-creek-selma-josephine-thompson-79-missing-person-barling-city/527-49e90b6f-cc4e-483d-88a3-789df41ea4df |
MAUMELLE, Ark. — Maumelle firefighters are at the site of an underground electrical vault fire on Ophelia Drive that left approximately 57 nearby residents without power.
Entergy Arkansas estimates that electricity should be restored by 6 p.m.
MAUMELLE, Ark. — Maumelle firefighters are at the site of an underground electrical vault fire on Ophelia Drive that left approximately 57 nearby residents without power.
Entergy Arkansas estimates that electricity should be restored by 6 p.m.
Paid Advertisement | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/maumelle/electrical-fire-maumelle-leaves-people-without-power/91-3f43ab8f-df26-4a75-b9e5-05d4a1ebc111 | 2022-07-10T04:22:56 | 1 | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/maumelle/electrical-fire-maumelle-leaves-people-without-power/91-3f43ab8f-df26-4a75-b9e5-05d4a1ebc111 |
INDIANAPOLIS — It has been two weeks since the Supreme Court's historic ruling overturning Roe v. Wade and — just like the past two weekends — people who feel strongly about the issue, have gathered across the country to show their support or opposition to abortion.
In Indianapolis on Saturday, hundreds of people gathered downtown at Military Park for a "Bans off Block Party" in support of keeping abortion legal in Indiana.
"This fight is really not about us but for generations to come," said LaKimba Desadier, the state director of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates of Indiana. "This is an activation movement. This is what we're doing. We want people to be energized and get ready for special session coming up July 25th."
RELATED: Indiana lawmakers reluctant to answer abortion survey ahead of special session on abortion access
Multiple organizations including ACLU-Indiana and Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates of Indiana hosted the event and are pushing Indiana lawmakers not to restrict abortion laws, following the Supreme Court's ruling.
"This is my daughter and I have another daughter that is 13 and I want to protect them, and I want to protect their health and their rights," Natasha Carter said.
The event also came a day after a federal judge lifted an order against an Indiana law that largely bans doctors from performing dilation and evacuation abortions.
On Saturday many shared their own personal stories.
"My husband and I knew that as much as we loved her and wanted to bring her home, allowing her to suffer was not an option," one woman said. "We terminated our pregnancy at 21 weeks and 6 days, which in Indiana is the last legal day I could have had that procedure. I was luckily able to hold my baby girl peacefully and say goodbye."
Those who came out said they hope state lawmakers keep the option of abortion on the table, so everyone has a choice.
"We need to make sure that our constituents feel comfortable and that we share as much information to them so that if this ban does happen, we have the resources to support them going across the state," Desadier said.
Over two thousand people were also able to register and sign up to speak during this month's scheduled special session.
It's unclear what restrictions, if any, Indiana lawmakers plan to pass. However, the Republican super-majority has signaled new restrictions are likely.
When Roe v. Wade was overturned, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb released a statement that said, "I've been clear in stating I am pro-life. We have an opportunity to make progress in protecting the sanctity of life, and that's exactly what we will do." | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/bans-off-block-party-downtown-indianapolis-protesting-roe-v-wade-ruling/531-1416578f-d008-4dd0-8f5d-6e47694c3663 | 2022-07-10T04:38:20 | 1 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/bans-off-block-party-downtown-indianapolis-protesting-roe-v-wade-ruling/531-1416578f-d008-4dd0-8f5d-6e47694c3663 |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)–The annual Automobilia Car show is a big event for downtown Wichita. More than 1,000 cars hit the streets this year, and business owners are happy about the revenue this event brings in for them as well.
“We’re slammed all the time but it’s just a different flow,” The Anchor owner Schane Gross said.
The hot rods weren’t the only thing bringing the heat on Saturday with temperatures reaching 92 degrees. Some people were looking for a place to cool down, and that’s good for business, too.
“Increase our territory, increase the amount of people that know about us,” Mark Daniels, Wichita Cheesecake Company co-owner, said. “The exposure is what helps our business grow.)
Some businesses even noticed more first-time customers than people returning.
“Earlier in the day it was just kind of people setting up their cars, and they were awesome,” Gross said. “Now it’s just people that are kind of wandering in, wandering out.”
Justin Wilson hit the road from Johnson County this morning. He didn’t have any intentions of checking the car show out and enjoyed the air-conditioning for the day but he did have his eyes on one small business.
“Cheesecake Factory is okay, but then I saw Wichita Cheesecake Company,” Wilson said. “I saw the pictures and I was like, ‘Oh, my God.’”
While these businesses are seeing success with the car show, they recognize others may not be as lucky.
“Saturdays are their busiest days so I can see someone up the road–they might not appreciate this as much,” Gross said. “It might divert traffic from them completely for a day.”
For a Saturday downtown, it’s an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.
“We couldn’t blow off Automobilia and be amateurs,” Gross said.
Organizers estimate between 10,000 and 50,000 people attend the car show every year. Proceeds from this year will go towards Convoy of Hope of Wichita and Wichita’s Littlest Heroes. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/downtown-wichita-business-owners-revving-engines-for-automobilia/ | 2022-07-10T04:49:25 | 1 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/downtown-wichita-business-owners-revving-engines-for-automobilia/ |
Under a hot Texas sun in Grand Prairie Saturday evening, friends and family lined up to dine together in support of a family in need.
"They're like, ‘I'm so sorry.’ They hear the news, or they just see the post, and they come out here and they're just supporting us,” said Vanessa Ahuyan.
With the help of community churches, Ahuyan, along with her sister Emily, held the fundraiser for their cousin Chris Ahuyan, who lost his wife and two sons two weeks back.
"What happened? We don't understand, and we may never know,” said Chris’ brother Mike Ahuyan.
Mike said his sister-in-law, Mercedes, was on vacation in Chihuahua, Mexico, with her mom and four boys when a train collided with the family's SUV, killing all but 2-year-old Cruz and 13-year-old Cesar, who remains in serious condition.
Her husband Chris, an Irving mechanic, was just a couple of days out from joining his family.
"My brother, he's just broken right now, but we're here for him. We're all here for him,” said Mike.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
In addition to Saturday night’s fundraiser, Cesar’s baseball community joined the family for a car wash Saturday afternoon to help cover the 13-year-old’s medical expenses and to bring the entire family back home where they’ll lay to rest Mercedes; her mom, Sofia; 6-year-old Cresencio; and 6-month-old Cristobal.
"Prayers have been amazing. We have felt God's presence with us, through all this,” he said.
To help with medical bills and funeral costs, the family has set up a GoFundMe. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/community-comes-together-after-irving-mother-sons-killed-in-train-collision-in-mexico/3010520/ | 2022-07-10T04:50:37 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/community-comes-together-after-irving-mother-sons-killed-in-train-collision-in-mexico/3010520/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/community-gathers-to-support-irving-family-suffering-from-tragedy/3010536/ | 2022-07-10T04:50:43 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/community-gathers-to-support-irving-family-suffering-from-tragedy/3010536/ |
Dallas police are asking for help identifying the vehicle suspected in the deadly hit-and-run crash that killed a 71-year-old woman Friday night.
In a statement, Dallas police said the SUV was going northbound in the 13400 block of Esperanza Road, near U.S. 75 and Interstate 635 in Far North Dallas, when it struck a pedestrian shortly after 9:30 p.m.
The driver kept going without stopping to help, police said.
The woman who was struck died from her injuries. She was identified by the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office as Portia Dickens, 71, of Dallas.
Anyone with information about the vehicle or the hit-and-run crash is asked to contact Dallas police Det. Ricardo Rodriguez by email or phone at 214-671-0011 referring to case Number 123266-2022. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-police-asking-for-help-tracking-down-suv-in-deadly-hit-and-run-crash/3010483/ | 2022-07-10T04:50:50 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-police-asking-for-help-tracking-down-suv-in-deadly-hit-and-run-crash/3010483/ |
Texas’ juvenile prison system is giving employees pay raises to address high staff turnover and staffing shortages that earlier this week prompted officials to stop accepting new children into its facilities.
Direct-care staff, including correctional officers and case managers, will be getting 15% pay raises. The salary increases had been temporary following an emergency measure in April but will now be permanent, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department announced Friday.
The permanent pay raises are “the first step in stabilizing the agency,” said Interim Executive Director Shandra Carter.
In a letter sent last month to Texas juvenile probation chiefs but only made public earlier this week, Carter had said her agency would have to temporarily halt the intake of youth to its five state facilities as the juvenile justice department was “hemorrhaging” staff.
Following media reports in 2007 that detailed physical and sexual abuse in state facilities and which raised concerns with state judges and lawmakers, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department has worked to improve conditions at its facilities.
In a May report to the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, the agency’s ombudsman said a leadership overhaul due to “persistent problems” at the juvenile prison system, including an ongoing federal probe, has failed to address the primary cause of the agency’s current turmoil: chronic staff shortages. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/texas-juvenile-prison-staff-to-get-pay-raises/3010503/ | 2022-07-10T04:50:56 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/texas-juvenile-prison-staff-to-get-pay-raises/3010503/ |
Arizona lottery numbers, July 9
Associated Press
These Arizona lotteries were drawn Saturday:
Pick 3
9-8-4
Fantasy 5
10-19-27-28-32
Estimated jackpot: $54,000
The Pick
10-17-21-22-26-27
Estimated jackpot: $1.4 million
Triple Twist
19-24-29-30-31-32
Estimated jackpot: $728,000
Mega Millions
Estimated jackpot: $440 million
Powerball
14-22-42-46-52, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 3
Estimated jackpot: $48 million | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/07/09/arizona-lottery-numbers-july-9/10023387002/ | 2022-07-10T05:12:35 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/07/09/arizona-lottery-numbers-july-9/10023387002/ |
LANSING, IL - Abelardo Duran age 89 of Lansing Illinois, passed away on Thursday, June 30, 2022. He is survived by his three children: Jesus (Vicki) Duran, Diane (David) Skorch, and Diana (Alfonso) Salgado. Also surviving are his six grandchildren: Jessica Plumlee, Michael Skorch, Alex Salgado, Justin Salgado, Haley Wawrzycki, and Jennifer (Rich) Drangmeister; seven great-grandchildren: Royce Plumlee, Teagan Plumlee, Adelyn Plumlee, Xanthus Wilson, Travin Parker, Cayden Parker, and Becca Drangmeister.
Abelardo was preceded in death by his wife, Esperanza Duran (nee Cardona); his parents: Juan Duran and Maria Del Refugio Ramon Duran; and eight siblings: Imelda Duran, Elugio Duran, Juan Duran, Alfonso Duran, Rafaela Ortiz, Imelda Trevino, Reyes Duran, and Rodolfo Duran Sr.
Our dad began his journey in Carrizo Springs, TX. As a young adult he enlisted in the United States Army. Upon discharge he moved to Chicago, IL where he met and then married the love of his life: Esperanza Cardona on February 28, 1959. Out of their love for each other he became a father of three - Jesse, Diane, and Diana. He worked hard to provide for his family and after 45 years of service he retired from Sherwin-Williams in Chicago, IL. Upon his retirement he loved spending time with his family and friends, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He enjoyed watching them achieve milestones in their life and participate in their activities. A memorable attribute that our father exhibited was that he valued education and he encouraged his loved ones to pursue theirs. He also mentored family members in need and was very generous with his resources to those he loved. A character trait that he's passed on to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and with hope will continue for many generations to come. Our father was greatly loved and he will be dearly missed.
Friends are invited to visit with Abelardo's family on Monday, July 11 from 3:00 – 8:00 PM at the SCHROEDER-LAUER FUNERAL HOME, 3227 Ridge Rd., Lansing, IL. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, July 12 beginning with Prayers at 11:30 AM and proceeding to St. Ann Catholic Church, 3010 Ridge Rd., Lansing, IL for a 12:00 Noon Mass of Christian Burial. Abelardo will be laid to rest with his beloved wife, Esperanza, in Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, IL. www.schroederlauer.com | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/abelardo-duran/article_d4a7cb25-ede5-511f-9545-d26578f2da4e.html | 2022-07-10T05:30:13 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/abelardo-duran/article_d4a7cb25-ede5-511f-9545-d26578f2da4e.html |
Feb. 15, 1989 - July 4, 2022
MARYVILLE, TN - Andrew James Veatch, 33, of Maryville, TN passed away Monday, July 4, 2022. He was born on February 15, 1989 to Dale and Shaunn Veatch. He is survived by his parents; his brother, Dale; his niece, Skyler; his grandmother, Jeanette Veatch; and many aunts, uncles and cousins. He loved playing cards and games, building things, cooking, gardening and caring for animals. Andrew had a nomadic spirit and called many places home during his short lifetime including Illinois, Indiana, Washington, Florida, North Dakota, Tennessee and the Big Island of Hawaii. He loved to laugh and make others laugh. He was a kind soul and will be greatly missed by many. A private family Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Donations in his name can be made to the charity To Write Love on Her Arms. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/andrew-james-veatch/article_9b62bf93-015a-59e4-81c5-a802a3a8d986.html | 2022-07-10T05:30:13 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/andrew-james-veatch/article_9b62bf93-015a-59e4-81c5-a802a3a8d986.html |
Jan. 6, 1947 - July 7, 2022
CROWN POINT, IN - Bruce F. Merrick, age 75, of Crown Point, IN, passed away on Thursday, July 7, 2022.
Bruce is survived by his wife of 42 years, Diane Merrick; children: Suzanne (Michael) Michalski, Cassandra (James) Schmidt; grandchildren: Randy Merrick, Kaylin (Chris) Kocoj, Nate and Noah Fortener; great-grandchild, Summer Kocoj; oldest brother, Allen (Virginia) Merrick; twin brother, Jerry Merrick; sister, Jeanine (Terry) Shuttz; and many nieces and nephews.
Bruce was preceded in death by his parents: Allen and Leah Merrick; children: Amy Merrick and William Fortener.
Friends may visit with the family on Tuesday, July 12, 2022 at GEISEN FUNERAL, CREMATION & RECEPTION CENTRE, 606 E. 113th Ave., Crown Point, IN 46307 from 1:00 pm until time of Funeral Service at 4:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be given in Bruce's name to your favorite charity.
Visit Bruce's online guestbook at www.GeisenFuneralHome.com 219-663-2500. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/bruce-f-merrick/article_f6d5616f-9952-5727-b6e4-57c9ae3ca9f6.html | 2022-07-10T05:30:14 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/bruce-f-merrick/article_f6d5616f-9952-5727-b6e4-57c9ae3ca9f6.html |
July 26, 1924 - July 4, 2022
CLEARWATER, FL - Esther M. Culp of Clearwater, FL passed on July 4, 2022. Her 97-year journey began in Hammond, Indiana where she and Dean, husband of 78 years, met and raised their three children: Charles, Thomas and Connie. Loyal and devoted wife, caring mother and hard worker, Esther will be forever loved and remembered by them, their spouses, her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, neighbors and friends. Condolences may be expressed online at www.nationalcremation.com. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/esther-m-culp/article_241a801e-aa11-592b-a0a9-cc7bc2709bbd.html | 2022-07-10T05:30:16 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/esther-m-culp/article_241a801e-aa11-592b-a0a9-cc7bc2709bbd.html |
Oct. 7, 1933 - July 1, 2022
MUNSTER - Gerald Thomas "Tom" Fierek, 88 of Munster, IN passed away on July 1, 2022 at 8:20 a.m. Tom was born in Duluth, MN on October 7, 1933. He graduated from Morgan Park High School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota in Duluth. He was a veteran who served in the U. S. Army. Tom was a member of St. Thomas More Church, American Legion, A.I.S.E., Great Lakes & Midwest GMC Motorhomes Club, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Crossed Flags Corvette Club.
Tom was married to Constance on June 10, 1967. They had just celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. Tom was a successful local business owner for 55 years in the steel industry. He enjoyed sailing, RV travel and sharing stories of life experiences.
Tom is survived by his wife, Constance; son, Tom Fierek (Lisa); daughter, Monica A. Decker (Mark); brother, Robert James Fierek; his canine buddy, Mr. Freckles; nephews; nieces; and countless friends. Tom was preceded in death by his parents: Stella and Benjamin Fierek; brother, Donald William; sister, Lucille Allen; and son, Christopher Michael.
Visitation will be on Saturday, July 23, 2022 from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at KISH FUNERAL HOME, 10000 Calumet Ave., Munster, IN. Service immediately follows at 5:00 p.m. at the same location. A remembrance for his son, Christopher, will be done during this time as well. Burial for Tom will be at a later date at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, IL.
The family welcomes donations in Tom's name to Hospice of Calumet Area, Willliam J. Riley Memorial Residence, 600 Superior Ave., Munster, IN 46321 or visit HospiceCalumet.org as an expression of sympathy instead of flowers. We thank the staff at Riley House for their loving kindness towards Tom in his final days. www.kishfuneralhome.net | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/gerald-thomas-tom-fierek/article_08dd889d-52ac-5952-8300-d0fc7334459c.html | 2022-07-10T05:30:33 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/gerald-thomas-tom-fierek/article_08dd889d-52ac-5952-8300-d0fc7334459c.html |
DYER, IN - Joan N. Cornet, age 80 of Dyer, IN passed away on Friday, July 1, 2022. She is survived by her husband, Alphon "Buck" Cornet; children: Desiree (Josh) Stoffregen, John Casse, Mark (Tina) Casse, Stephen "Doug" (Melissa) Cornet and John (Lori) Cornet; grandchildren: Peyton, Christopher Kyle, Cameron, Colby, Camille, Norman, Joel, Alex, Kyle C., Camden and Cade; brother, Michael Peters; and niece and nephew: Denise Vilardo and Tom Vilardo. Joan was preceded in death by her parents, Michael and Harriet Peters; and sister, Marian Vilardo.
Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church 500 Northgate Dr. Dyer, IN with a 10:00 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial offered by Reverend Charles Niblick. Interment will be private. Visitation will be on Wednesday, at the church from 9:00 a.m. until the 10:00 a.m. Mass.
Joan was an avid traveler, Cub's fan and dancer. She loved her children and grandchildren will all her heart. Joan was a wonderful, patient, kind, energetic and loving person. She will be dearly missed by all who was touched by her life. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Joan's name to Hospice of the Calumet Area. www.kishfuneralhome.net | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/joan-n-cornet/article_49659e4d-924e-5838-847d-f4cdfd545915.html | 2022-07-10T05:30:39 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/joan-n-cornet/article_49659e4d-924e-5838-847d-f4cdfd545915.html |
Jan. 30, 1945 - July 2, 2022
BEECHER, IL - Kenneth H. Huizenga, 77, born January 30, 1945 in Hammond, IN, passed away July 2, 2022 following a lengthy illness. He was a resident of Beecher, IL. Ken is survived by son, Todd (Stacey) Huizenga; grandchildren: Zoe (Nicholas) Newcomb, Alexey and Nicholas Huizenga; sister, Carol (Bill) James; and former wife, Linda (Richard) James nee' Weidenaar.
Ken was preceded in death by parents, George and Edna Huizenga; and brother, Don Huizenga.
Ken graduated from Illiana Christian High School and Northern Illinois University with a degree in Education. He remembered his years of teaching fondly. He was quite the athlete in his days and during his years of teaching in Illinois at Mooseheart School and Canterbury Junior High school, he coached basketball. He loved fishing, dogs and his grandchildren. He could always be counted on to help out those in need and delighted in sharing food and stories with all those he encountered in his travels.
Private family services will be held. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/kenneth-h-huizenga/article_e687639a-655d-5345-b5e7-9cab516f84d8.html | 2022-07-10T05:30:46 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/kenneth-h-huizenga/article_e687639a-655d-5345-b5e7-9cab516f84d8.html |
Dec. 23, 1930 - July 3, 2022
BAYTOWN, TX - Marietta Louise Whitehead, 91 of Baytown, TX passed away on July 3, 2022. She was born in Creston, IN on her grandparent's farm on December 23, 1930 to Herbert M. Southworth and Ina Marguerite Thompson. She was married to Allen D. Whitehead in Crown Point, IN for 62 years and had six children. She worked in the home and loved reading, cooking, sewing, crafting and traveling. She also loved teaching Sunday school at her church, St. Marks United Methodist Church.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Allen; her son, Douglas Scott; her sister, Judith Jaeger; and her brother, Herbert Southworth.
She is survived by her children: Brian (Dana) Essex, VT, Leslie (Donald Speranza) Locust Valley NY, Courtney (Richard Esparza) Bandera TX, Alison Whitehead New Braunfels TX, and Gayle Whitehead San Antonio TX. Her grandchildren: Alia, Stuart, Jordan, Peter, Hayley, Erin, Philip, Samuel, Remy, and Jett. Her great-grandchildren: Amelia, Benjamin, Evelyn, Charlie, Theodora, Ellis, Clyde, Elaine, Allen, and Ambrose; and her family, and many friends too many to list.
A small service will be held over Labor Day in San Antonio, TX.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Houston Food Bank, 535 Portwall St., Houston TX 77029. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/marietta-louise-whitehead/article_983b744f-c70d-57bf-a405-05559e2b0339.html | 2022-07-10T05:30:52 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/marietta-louise-whitehead/article_983b744f-c70d-57bf-a405-05559e2b0339.html |
Oct. 31, 1923 - Dec. 12, 2021
VALPARAISO - Marilyn Marcella Sabotta (nee Schroeder) was welcomed into Heaven on December 12, 2021. She was born on October 31, 1923 in Snyder, NE to Dorothea A. and Walter A. Schroeder. She was preceded in death by siblings: Doran Schroeder, Celeste Brandert, Walter Schroeder, and Patricia Nagy. She is survived by her dear sister, Greta Krstovich.
Also survived by four children: Tom Sabotta (Sherri), Jane Guilfoyle (Roland), Steve Sabotta, and Teresa Komjathy (Joseph). Also mourning her passing are seven grandchildren: Eric Sabotta, Kenneth Sabotta, Anthony Guilfoyle, Michael Guilfoyle, Resa Hauter, Dan Mendoza, and Rick Mendoza. Preceded in death by beloved granddaughter, Charlotte Phillips. She also leaves 13 great-grandchildren: Quentin Sabotta, Ryan Guilfoyle, Nathan Guilfoyle, Blake Guilfoyle, Leah Guilfoyle, Anabelle Hauter, Jasmin Roman, Angelica Weaver, Alex Navarro, Aubrey Phillips, Marcella Mendoza, Mallory Mendoza and Derek Mendoza; as well as one great-great-granddaughter, Luna Weaver.
Marilyn was a graduate of Snyder, NE High School (1941) and the University of Nebraska School of Nursing (1945). Spending her career as a registered nurse, she retired as supervisor of the medical department at Wyman Gordon Co. (Harvey) with 26 years of service. Marilyn loved travel, visiting China, Russia, Italy, England, and Hawaii. She was an avid collector of rare books and antiques. Marilyn was a remarkable mother, always putting her family before herself. She was the rock, and the pillow, always smoothing over a rough patch. It is with great sorrow that we return her to Snyder for final resting, under her beloved Nebraska-Blue skies. She will be deeply missed.
Private graveside services on July 12, 2022. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/marilyn-marcella-sabotta/article_112b854a-aa8e-59e3-86fb-7f831478ff2e.html | 2022-07-10T05:30:58 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/marilyn-marcella-sabotta/article_112b854a-aa8e-59e3-86fb-7f831478ff2e.html |
CROWN POINT - Marlene Aznar, 81, of Crown Point, loving wife of devoted husband and best friend, Joe, of more than 57 years, passed away on July 1st, 2022. She is survived by her sons: Tony of Austin, TX, and Adam (Mandy) of Montgomery, TX; cherished grandchildren: Evan Joseph and Kailee Anita, who were special blessings in her life; her sister-in-heart, Mil (Larry) Cavanaugh of Hobart; brother-in-law, Marty (Cathy) Aznar of Crown Point; many dear nephews; nieces; and cousins; and her adored, irrepressible Havanese, Reggie, who brought immeasurable joy to her final years.
She is predeceased by her parents: Frank and Adeline Martinez; brother, Frank Martinez; nephew, Kenneth Martinez; lifelong friend, Gloria Jean Cavanaugh; and many beloved pets.
Marlene was a lifelong area resident and graduate of Emerson High School, class of 1959, a parishioner of St. Mary's Crown Point, and a former employee of U.S. Steel, Midwest Steel - Portage, and White Lodging Services of Merrillville.
She was an avid reader and loved to bake for neighbors, friends, and family, and was well known for her rum cake and marble brownies. She enjoyed traveling to near and far destinations with her husband, dining out with dear friends and family, walking with her husband and Reggie in the neighborhood and the greater Crown Point area and, most of all, sharing laughs and fun times with her treasured grandchildren.
Special thanks to Dunes Hospice of Valparaiso, and especially to Kelly, her nurse, for the care, comfort, and peace of mind brought to her and her husband in her final months. A private interment is arranged through Calumet Park Funeral Chapel and Cemetery. If so inclined, memorials to Dunes Hospice of Valparaiso, any local Humane Society, the American Cancer Society, or charity of your choice would be appreciated. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/marlene-aznar/article_200af9d4-0501-5edc-90bb-4575c7b4b331.html | 2022-07-10T05:31:04 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/marlene-aznar/article_200af9d4-0501-5edc-90bb-4575c7b4b331.html |
Oct. 16, 1927 - July 8, 2015
IN LOVING MEMORY
A Beloved Son, Brother,
Uncle and Friend,
Stephen "Yanks" Jandura
Missed Greatly -
"Safely Home"
Rest in Peace, Stevo....
The Jandura Family
Oct. 16, 1927 - July 8, 2015
IN LOVING MEMORY
A Beloved Son, Brother,
Uncle and Friend,
Stephen "Yanks" Jandura
Missed Greatly -
"Safely Home"
Rest in Peace, Stevo....
The Jandura Family
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/stephen-m-jandura/article_332e720e-b19d-5293-a429-26389ae71eca.html | 2022-07-10T05:31:10 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/stephen-m-jandura/article_332e720e-b19d-5293-a429-26389ae71eca.html |
ATLANTA — Soccer was not the main focus of Atlanta United's match-up against Austin Saturday.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium was just one of the locations in Atlanta that served as the backdrop for reproductive rights advocates, with the stadium a symbol of where soccer fans and pro-choice believers intersect.
People made their voices heard in several protests across Georgia's capital and showed disagreement with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to reverse the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade ruling to send abortion rights back to the states.
Two different groups rallied for the right to choose at two different locations, but they both had the same message of believing those with uteruses should be able to make their own reproductive decisions.
“The women were in front, and those are people that identify as women and people that are affected by this decision were leading the process and everyone else was in the back," said Myrikal Rice, a member of the Footie Mob, an Atlanta United Supporters Group.
Several Atlanta United fan clubs marched from a parking lot to Saturday's showdown at the stadium to make their point. Then thousands of them held up signs and had a moment of silence during the game.
“We hope that this protest (shows) the fans are affected by this decision and show that we are in unity," Rice said.
“Inside we are planning to spend the first 7 minutes and 30 seconds of the match in total silence with no chants, no drums, none of the normal hype stuff we do," said Sarah Dempster, a member of the Resurgence Club.
Atlanta United fans Rice and Dempster hope the banners at the game and silence from the normally boisterous group send a clear message.
“We hope that this shows that we are here to affirm every person's right to reproductive choice. Decisions about their own body and their own health without the government telling them what they can do," Dempster said.
Beyond the Benz, a group of abortion-rights advocates marched outside the Georgia State Capitol earlier in the day as well.
“I’m out here today to support women such as myself, my nieces, my mom," Kiara Bradix said.
Protestor Bradix believes she should be able to decide when to have children.
“This is all women’s issue. If you are a woman with a uterus, this is as much your issue as a white woman, a Black woman, Hispanic," Bradix said.
Joan Coles came out to protest the highest court's decision and Georgia's heartbeat law, which would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks. Legal experts believe the law is likely to take effect, but it's still caught up in the courts.
“I’m outraged about the heartbeat bill and the fact that Kemp is trying to stop women from getting an abortion before most women even know that they’re pregnant," Coles said.
Atlanta United fans who protested for abortion rights wanted to make it clear they still support the team and its players. They do say they're disappointed team management hasn't made a statement on the Supreme Court's decision. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/atlanta-united-fans-protest-abortion-rights-during-game/85-d9491740-2c70-46e6-8373-c9b55db56eb9 | 2022-07-10T05:33:59 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/atlanta-united-fans-protest-abortion-rights-during-game/85-d9491740-2c70-46e6-8373-c9b55db56eb9 |
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas is experiencing the worst drought conditions the state has seen in years. Not only is there increased wildfire danger, but it's becoming challenging for farmers.
Derek Emadi, the owner of Emadi Acres Farm in Lockhart said the drought is making things difficult.
"This row of tomatoes, I planted it three times because the plants just kept dying on me like this," Emadi said gesturing at some of his crops.
The current drought conditions are drying up some bodies of water and killing crops. Right now Texas has the worst corn conditions in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Emadi grows his crops on a smaller scale compared to other farmers in the area.
"Because I grow on this kind of scale, I do use drip irrigation and I use shade. So it doesn't impact me like it would other farmers who are out in the open," Emadi said.
About 97% of the State of Texas is in a drought, according to Texas A&M Forest Service.
"April and May are some of our wettest months, and that precipitation really didn't come this year, and now that we're into summer, the drought is continuing," Walter Flocke said, a spokesperson for Texas A&M Forest Service.
Areas that are shaded would usually hold moisture, but even the shade can't beat the effects of a drought.
"If we had some moisture, these plants would just be loaded with peppers. But this one plant might have, you know, six peppers on it. That's not where I'd like it to be," Emadi said.
For several years Emadi has served restaurants and farmers' markets in the area. This year the quality is not quite up to his standards.
"I think everybody's going to have reduced yields and really reduced quality in their crops," Emadi said.
Farmers like Emadi across Central Texas are looking forward to some much-needed rain.
According to Texas A&M Forest Service, the current drought conditions are not as bad as in 2011. That's when the state saw the most intense period of drought. That year the Bastrop County Complex Fire became the most destructive wildfire in Texas.
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© 2022 KVUE-TV. All Rights Reserved. | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/ongoing-drought-conditions-impact-central-texas-farms/269-694697e0-f0a3-415a-986e-e1ae1ce14049 | 2022-07-10T05:42:48 | 1 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/ongoing-drought-conditions-impact-central-texas-farms/269-694697e0-f0a3-415a-986e-e1ae1ce14049 |
Joesette Purcell had just started a new job at a cabinet factory in early 1992.
The 23-year-old and her boyfriend, Jeff Koop, 22, with whom she attended Leo High School, lived in a rented home along Water Street in Harlan.
Koop had just started a new job, too, working at a Chevrolet dealership. The jobs not only provided an income but medical insurance as well, a plus for a young couple just starting out.
The couple planned to get married the next year, a ceremony to be held at Joesette’s parents’ home, family members said. Jeff had planned to talk with the owner of their rented home to see about buying it.
“They were so happy,” said Janice Purcell, Joesette’s mother. “Joesette called me one time and she was telling me a bunch of stuff, and I said ‘Joesette, you sound so happy,’ and she said ‘I am, Mom.’ ”
But the couple never had the chance to have that wedding. They were killed Christmas Eve in the rented home they hoped to one day own.
The home was set ablaze that night while the couple were still inside. The fire was ruled an arson, and while there was someone charged and tried for their deaths, no one has ever been convicted.
For that to happen, investigators need someone to come forward to provide more insight on what really happened that night and why.
John Purcell believes that someone is still out there. It’s why he hasn’t given up trying to find the person responsible for his daughter’s death, a night that replays in his mind – even if others have forgotten the case.
After all, it has been nearly 30 years. People have moved on, neighbors have come and gone, and homes have changed.
“That’s what’s so frustrating for us and everybody because there’s people out there that know stuff, but for whatever reason, they won’t come forward,” Purcell said “Maybe they think that little piece of information won’t work, but that little piece of information might put everything together.
“(The people responsible have) enjoyed 30 years of holidays and Christmases and birthdays, vacations, working, getting up every day and going to bed every night. That’s one of the hardest things … these people, all these years, enjoying what they’re doing and carrying on in everyday life.”
The ex-boyfriend
Although Joesette was looking to the future, she hadn’t quite shaken her past.
She had left an abusive relationship before she and Jeff became a couple, but it was clear the ex-boyfriend had no intentions of leaving Joesette alone.
Her parents say the ex-boyfriend followed Joesette around. It became so bad that they had him arrested.
John Purcell believes the ex-boyfriend may have had some involvement in the fire. Police did too. Police reports say that witnesses stated that if the ex-boyfriend had not started the fire, then he hired someone to set it.
Police suspect that person was Thomas M. Bass. According to a probable cause affidavit, Bass admitted to two people that he was paid to start a fire just before Christmas and that the home owner did not make it out.
Bass was charged in 1993 with felony murder, burglary and arson in the deaths of Joesette and Jeff. Authorities accused him of breaking into the couple’s home, pouring flammable liquid downstairs and setting the house on fire, trapping them inside.
Jeff was found lying face down at the bottom of the stairs, and Joesette was discovered in an upstairs room.
That Christmas Eve
On the night of the fire, John and Janice Purcell were getting ready to go to her mother’s in Indianapolis, where they always went Christmas Eve. But Janice was dragging her feet.
“I couldn’t make myself get ready,” Janice said.
She said John kept telling her that they needed to get going, but “I just couldn’t do it. It was a bad feeling I had, but I didn’t know what it was.”
The couple hadn’t been at her mother’s for long before receiving a phone call from their oldest son, letting them know of the fire. The son didn’t say too much, but the couple asked if Joesette and Jeff were OK. There was hesitation.
“I said, ‘Are they dead?’ and he had no answer,” Janice said.
The couple packed up and traveled as fast as possible to get back to Fort Wayne. But they stopped at a rest area and called St. Joseph Hospital, where Joesette and Jeff were taken. Based on the hospital personnel’s response, “We knew they were gone,” John said.
Police and the Purcells have tracked the couple’s last few hours before they were killed. The parents of Jeff Koop declined to be interviewed for this story.
Joesette and Jeff had gone to his father’s house in the Georgetown area, but the father wasn’t home because he had gone to pick up Jeff’s sisters, who were coming for the holiday.
The couple left the house just after 6 p.m. Before leaving, they wrote on a chalkboard, “Merry Christmas.” They stopped at McDonald’s and arrived home a little after 7 p.m.
A neighbor who was heading to work then would later tell police that everything was OK at the home at that time.
However, another neighbor came outside about 8 p.m. and heard a commotion. She saw three people on the porch, thinking that was strange because the couple never used the front door. Instead, they usually entered the house from a side driveway.
Shortly after, neighbors saw the fire and called 911.
Neighbors
Neighbors Gayleen and Mark Fogle were on their way home from church that night. Gayleen said she noticed it became foggy after they turned on Indiana 37 to Spencerville Road. The closer they got, she realized it wasn’t fog, but smoke. The couple realized a house was on fire on Water Street.
Mark jumped out of the vehicle and ran over to the house and Gayleen called 911. Mark said he went up to a window and it was bulging out because of the heat. A fireman then showed up and ran around to the front door. When he touched the door knob, it was too hot to open.
Mark then went to another neighbor’s home and started helping them get their things out of the house in case it caught fire.
Eventually, one of Joesette’s brothers came to the house and wanted to go inside but was unable.
“I’ve never seen anything that bulged the windows and doors like that,” Mark said. “We didn’t see anybody else running from the house.”
Mark was across the street when the bodies of Joesette and Jeff were carried out of the home.
Mark Fogle has lived in his home along Spencerville Road, adjacent to Water Street, for 65 years. The Fogles said they didn’t really know Joesette and Jeff, but could see where they lived from their kitchen window.
Earlier in the day of the fire, Gayleen said she remembers looking out the window and seeing someone in a black trench coat walking up to the house. She believes the person went inside, but she’s not sure.
She wonders now, “Could that be the person that started the fire?”
Gayleen said authorities never interviewed the couple about that night or what she saw that day.
“I wish they would find out who did it,” she said.
The mistrial
Thomas Bass was almost 31 years old when his trial for arson and the murder of Joesette Purcell and Jeff Koop began in Allen Superior Court in August 1993.
Bass lived in Fort Wayne at the time, working as a carpenter and subcontractor.
When questioned about the fire, Bass said he was at his ex-wife’s and later parents’ home in Grant County that Christmas Eve.
He also claimed to not know the ex-boyfriend, but he later admitted they had worked together a month before the December fire. Bass also told police about his military experience and expertise in incendiary devices, telling officers, “if he had done the job in Harlan, he would never have been caught,” according to the police affidavit.
Bass was assigned public defender Don Swanson for his upcoming trial.
Swanson described Bass as a “ne’er-do-well” – defined as someone who is not capable or not willing to do what is expected or proper, but nothing in his past suggested that he was a murderer. He also said Bass was competent but easily influenced.
Bass’ trial began Aug. 3, 1993, and the witness list was long as Fran Gull, chief deputy prosecuting attorney at the time, tried to prove Bass’ guilt.
But after three days, the trial ended in a hung jury, and a mistrial was declared.
Eventually, Gull requested the case be dismissed without prejudice, citing in her request that the “best interests of justice and society do not dictate further prosecution at this time.”
“Obviously 11 of the 12 jurors didn’t think (the prosecution) had enough evidence to convict him,” Swanson said. “I’m absolutely convinced he had nothing to do with it.”
However, Swanson does recall one interesting thing that came to light after the trial. Swanson was asked by an officer why he didn’t introduce evidence that another individual might be the one responsible for the fire. According to Swanson, the state withheld evidence about the ex-boyfriend.
In 2012, Bass died while living in Marion. No one else has been charged with Joesette and Jeff’s deaths.
‘A dead end’
Lt. Brian Sell of the Allen County Sheriff’s Department went to high school with Jeff Koop, having grown up on that side of the county. “I was in the same grade as his younger sister,” Sell said.
He was a senior when Koop and Purcell were killed in the house fire. So it was sort of personal when he was assigned to reexamine the case in 2010.
Ken Fries, who had just been elected Allen County sheriff, had been approached by the Purcell family not long after he was elected about reopening the case.
“Obviously (there was) pain in their hearts,” he said.
But even after the case was reopened, it didn’t lead to any new evidence or someone to criminally charge for the deaths.
Authorities have “exhausted all of our measures. We’ve talked to so many people. Everything was a dead end,” Sell said.
Over the years, numerous members of the Allen County Sheriff’s Department have worked on the Purcell and Koop case.
The original lead investigator, Sgt. Joseph King, has since died, and other investigators who had some involvement were directed to other cases or have retired.
The last investigative work done on the case was 20 years ago – in 2012, Sell said. “I pull it out from time to time,” he said.
But, for now, it remains in cold case status.
Sell tries to stay in close contact with the Purcell family, especially around Christmastime.
‘Don’t ever forget’
It took several years before the Purcells were able to have a normal Christmas again. The holiday became a constant reminder of what they had lost.
The house where the couple died is no longer there, having been torn down. Another was built in its place.
The day after the fire, the Purcells were able to go inside what was left of the house. John Purcell said he could see where accelerant had been thrown on the walls and floor. The couple’s Christmas tree was still standing and the McDonald’s bag and presents that the Purcells had gotten them were on a table.
Joesette and Jeff are buried together in Harlan Cemetery. John and Janice Purcell place roses on the gravesites every Christmas Eve.
“We don’t ever forget,” Janice Purcell said. But because they had other children and grandchildren, they knew they had to move forward.
“You get through it, but you never really get over it,” John Purcell said.
Over the years, the Purcells have put up billboards and posters asking people who might know something to come forward. They still hold out hope that someone will be charged and convicted.
But they’re both 80 and not sure it will happen before they pass.
“Without a conviction, it will never be over,” John said.
“It’s like chasing a phantom.” | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/30-years-later-family-still-looking-for-answers-in-arson-deaths-of-harlan-couple-on/article_e5fe9c18-eda8-11ec-bac4-6331deba0347.html | 2022-07-10T05:51:35 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/30-years-later-family-still-looking-for-answers-in-arson-deaths-of-harlan-couple-on/article_e5fe9c18-eda8-11ec-bac4-6331deba0347.html |
Julie DeVille ventured a theory for why the Fort Wayne Museum of Art’s Chalk Walk was “so crowded” this year.
“I think everybody just wants to get out,” the Fort Wayne resident said Saturday as she filled in details of an enormous cat’s head.
Three hundred artists filled the sidewalks and sections of Main Street itself with undersea scenes, animals and global wonders. The works radiated vibrant colors between Clinton and Lafayette streets downtown.
All the squares sold out this year, said Ashley Stoneburner, the museum’s chief development officer. More people signed up to decorate spaces. Also, sponsors who pay registration fees for squares that professional artists design have all returned, she said.
The event began in 2000 and now runs Saturday and Sunday during the Three Rivers Festival’s first weekend.
DeVille, whose cat head was based on the work of Louis Wain, has seen the Chalk Walk flourish in the 20 years she has participated.
“It was small when it started, and it kept getting bigger,” she said.
For the last two years, DeVille participated remotely under COVID-19 precautions. “We got to do it in our driveways,” she said.
Stoneburner said all submissions were electronic entries two years ago. Last year the squares were spaced farther apart, and participants also had the remote option.
Several participants’ work this year included sea turtles, which fit one of the themes: under the sea. The other 2022 award categories were trompe l’oeil (optical illusions), ode to Indiana, favorite art genre, best use of a street/sidewalk blemish, seven wonders of the world, best square by an artist under 12 and people’s choice, based on voting.
Kate Koehlinger of Fort Wayne was working on a Great Barrier Reef scene that included a sea turtle, putting it both in the under the sea and seven wonders categories, she said.
In 2019, she won in the category of best re-creation of a museum piece.
Koehlinger, who has an art degree, does a square each year to keep her hand in art because her job uses her business and psychology minors.
“It’s what I love to do, but I don’t do it on a regular basis,” she said.
The drawing by Elias Nussbaum, 11, of Ossian, focuses on a large sea turtle. It’s the second time he’s participated in Chalk Walk and the first time alone. Last year, he worked with his mentor, Leigh Alfredson, who works out of Florida and is a regular in Epcot Center’s February art festivals.
Their 2021 creation of a circle divided into quarters with features of a bear, a panda, a tiger and a cheetah making one composite face was chosen for this year’s Chalk Walk T-shirt design. Elias has also worked in sketching, painting and sculpture, taking lessons from Alfredson via Zoom.
He likes working with chalk the best.
“It’s fun to get the colors down and blend them,” he said. “It’s just very colorful, and I like colors.”
Most artists, including DeVille, Koehlinger and Nussbaum, use a grid system. They mark off squares on a photo or sketch and put a larger grid on the sidewalk or street, matching the design square for square.
Steve Sprunger, who’s gotten his hands full of chalk dust at this event and others for 16 years, tried something different this year. Using a grid at home, he fashioned a large pattern for a Tincaps baseball cap and a baseball glove and traced them onto his square on Main Street.
He found the help necessary.
“For that size space,” he said, “it’s really hard to do freehand.”
Brittany Adams, a first-time participant, approached Chalk Walk as a challenge.
“I’m working on getting out of my comfort zone,” the local woman said.
Adams liked the sense of community – people being helpful, sharing chalk and giving advice. She rated her experience as five out of four stars.
“I’ll be back next year,” she said. “I’ll have more of an idea of what to do.” | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/artists-fill-downtown-main-street-with-colorful-chalk-works/article_5996fe94-ffde-11ec-b15c-0be21e5ebe80.html | 2022-07-10T05:51:41 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/artists-fill-downtown-main-street-with-colorful-chalk-works/article_5996fe94-ffde-11ec-b15c-0be21e5ebe80.html |
Indiana legislators will meet this fall to study for the first time the state’s laws concerning HIV.
Current scientific knowledge has resulted in existing laws being outdated, critics say.
Human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, was first officially reported in the United States in the early 1980s. The virus attacks the body’s immune system. If left untreated, HIV can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS.
During the early years of the epidemic, information was scarce and often incomplete, particularly among the general public. And back then, there were no effective treatments for the virus.
In a letter earlier this year to House Speaker Todd Huston, a group of lawmakers wrote that states – including Indiana – “enacted HIV-specific criminal laws based on the perception of HIV at the time.”
The legislators characterized it as “a time of fear and stigma,” and many commonly held beliefs in the latter decades of the 20th century are now known to be inaccurate.
State Rep. Ed Clere, one of 16 legislators who signed the letter, said a group of lawmakers wrote a similar letter last summer, but that effort went nowhere.
That could all change as early as next year after Huston assigned the Interim Study Committee on Corrections and Criminal Code to review the laws governing HIV. The review will include “provisions related to biting, spitting, donating organs and donating blood.”
Existing HIV laws
Dr. Carrie Foote, chairwoman of the state’s HIV Modernization Movement, has long advocated for changes to Indiana’s criminal and public health codes.
The professor of sociology at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis has been living with HIV since 1988 – the same year Indiana first enacted one of the statutes she hopes to see changed.
That 1988 law adds enhancements to previously existing state statute on battery, which makes it a misdemeanor when a person “in a rude, insolent, or angry manner places any bodily fluid or waste on another person” – basically, for spitting on someone.
However, that charge is enhanced to a felony if the perpetrator is living with HIV, hepatitis or tuberculosis. It’s further enhanced if a person living with HIV spits on a public safety official.
In effect, those enhancements can add years to the sentencing range for a person who is living with HIV – even though scientists now know HIV cannot be transmitted through saliva.
Some other laws enacted during the 1990s are similarly outdated, Foote said. Those include HIV-related enhancements in the state’s malicious mischief statute determining punishments for exposing people to bodily fluids.
Foote believes people living with HIV are punished too harshly solely based on those laws.
Michael Moore, assistant executive director of the Indiana Public Defenders Council, said those sentencing enhancements apply if a person “knew or should have known” their HIV status.
Foote thinks some people living with HIV believe they can avoid such enhancements by remaining unaware of their HIV status. As a result, she said, “take the test and risk arrest” is a common mindset as a lack of knowledge can serve as a defense against Indiana’s HIV laws.
“Stigma keeps people from getting tested, keeps people from getting into care,” Foote said. “These laws that remain on the books from the ’80s and the ’90s in the early years, not one study has shown that they have any kind of prevention benefit.”
Other Indiana laws make it a felony for a person living with HIV to donate bodily fluids, including blood, semen and plasma.
The Indiana Region of the American Red Cross said the organization carefully follows FDA guidelines for blood collection and testing.
“There is a patchwork of laws in the U.S. concerning disclosure of HIV status when presenting to donate blood. A small number of states criminalize such behavior, but most do not,” the nonprofit said in a statement. “Furthermore, criminalization is not an FDA-required measure. Therefore, the Red Cross does not rely on HIV criminalization statutes to protect the blood supply due to inconsistent laws.”
Foote also criticized the state’s laws requiring people living with HIV to disclose their status before engaging in sexual activity or sharing needles. The existing statute results in the criminal justice system viewing people as “guilty until proven innocent” when charged under those disclosure laws, she said.
Foote believes the burden is on the defense to prove innocence in HIV disclosure cases.
“Whereas, normally in criminal law,” she said, “you’re innocent until proven guilty.”
Fighting the stigma
Jeff Markley serves as executive director of the Positive Resource Connection, a local service organization which provides case management, prevention and education services for HIV, AIDS, hepatitis and other diseases in northeast Indiana.
He said changes to the state’s HIV laws are “long overdue” and that existing codes “don’t match the current science.”
“If you’re not … able to transmit the virus” through various outlawed acts, Markley said, “then the laws need to be changed to reflect that so that you’re not charged with something that is just not a real threat to anyone.”
Along with newer scientific knowledge about the virus, modern medical advances have significantly changed the outlook for people living with HIV.
“For someone who’s newly diagnosed today, with effective treatment they can live just as long as anybody without HIV. Life expectancy is the same, is normalized with treatment,” Foote said. “We also know that not only does treatment keep us alive and well, treatment is also prevention.”
Foote calls this U=U, or undetectable equals untransmittable. According to the National Institutes of Health, new research shows people with an undetectable viral load cannot sexually transmit HIV.
“Even things that might transmit HIV, like certain sexual behaviors and acts, when we’re treated, we essentially become unable to transmit the virus,” Foote said. “It’s almost like a functional cure in a way.”
Despite scientific advances, Foote said the stigma surrounding HIV still discourages people from getting tested.
“When you know your status, we can get into care, we can get on treatment,” Foote said. “We know that treatment is prevention. We need people to get tested if we want to end the epidemic.”
Markley said people still fear disclosure – even though there is less stigma around HIV than there was 30 years ago.
“People still have a fear about what might happen if they would disclose their status,” Markley said. “From an epidemiological standpoint, with very few (exceptions), there’s really not a need for anybody to disclose their status.”
He said people living with HIV haven’t forgotten the 1980s and 1990s: “the prejudice and the hate and the discrimination that occurred.”
“You’re always going to have some pockets of individuals who are not as informed or can’t quite wrap their head around all of the science and the information,” Markley said. “Sometimes they tend to be pretty loud and vocal and can make things difficult for other individuals.”
Looking forward
Since 2018, Rep. Clere has introduced multiple bills addressing HIV and the Indiana code. Some have passed, including House Bill 1340 in 2021.
That bill eliminated “stigmatizing language” from the code, Foote said. The new version uses “people first language” – for example, changing the wording from “carriers” to “people living with” HIV or other communicable diseases.
This year, though, a bill to remove HIV-related sentencing enhancements and repeal laws prohibiting people living with HIV from donating bodily fluids died in the House after making it out of committee.
This year’s study committee could be a turning point, Foote said. The fast-paced and brief regular session at the statehouse often leaves little time for in-depth discussion – particularly about HIV, a topic many legislators don’t have extensive knowledge about.
“There’s very little time to talk to the legislators,” Foote said, “to explain to them, ‘Here’s what we’re doing … Things have changed around HIV; we’re not in the 80s anymore.’ ”
The study committee will provide more of an opportunity to bring in experts and educate lawmakers, she said. Clere said the committee will allow for more extensive testimony on HIV.
“It’s exactly the sort of thing that we should be studying in the interim study process,” he said. “(It) offers an opportunity to take a more measured and thoughtful look at issues.”
Clere hopes the committee will help dispel outdated ideas about HIV.
“I’m optimistic that the study process will help address the fear and stigma, the stereotypes and the misinformation … and really get everyone up to speed on the science,” he said.
The Modernization Movement’s ultimate goal is to repeal and replace the state’s old HIV laws. Foote said any new statutes should not be based on HIV status. Instead, she said, they should incorporate the idea of intent and the possibility of harm.
“We’re not saying anyone that goes out and intentionally tries to harm another person – yeah, they should be tried just like anyone else who attempted to harm somebody in any other way,” Foote said. “But right now, the way these laws are written in Indiana, they don’t take that into account.”
She’s “extremely optimistic” about the possibility of a modernization bill passing during next year’s legislative session. Foote views it as a bipartisan issue. Although some lawmakers might be initially hesitant, she hasn’t seen strong opposition to the changes.
“Going into the next session, particularly because we have this study session, we’re going to make a lot of headway there,” Foote said. “So when we do go in, folks will understand a little bit better, and we’ll have more people (saying), ‘Yeah, we fully support that. Let’s move these forward.’ ” | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/indiana/study-committee-to-review-indianas-hiv-laws/article_537ca9d6-fe5e-11ec-b1c0-478a9a280881.html | 2022-07-10T05:51:47 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/indiana/study-committee-to-review-indianas-hiv-laws/article_537ca9d6-fe5e-11ec-b1c0-478a9a280881.html |
“Elvis” is driving moviegoers to theaters – a fact not lost on vendor Joanna Kirkman.
So, the Fort Wayne used-goods hawker placed poster portraits of the King of rock ’n’ roll front and center Saturday.
“Yeah, we’ve sold a few already,” said the former BAE Systems employee, 45, who made a lifestyle change during the pandemic and quit her job. “I have a small child and my husband works, so it was just something we chose. Now, I’m doing this.”
The annual two-day flea market draws thousands as part of the Three Rivers Festival. The event continues today.
Tons of visitors Saturday enjoyed the beautiful weather while eyeballing a hodgepodge of goods, including furniture, clothing, jewelry, toys and a multitude of other doodads scattered about in tent stations at the park.
According to the The National Flea Market Association, more than 1,100 flea markets are active in the United States, comprising about 2.2 million vendors who ring up more than $30 billion in sales each year.
Kirkman has been at it only for a year or so and says she didn’t know what to expect. But traffic was steady Saturday.
“We get our goods from estate sales, auctions, garage sales … just about anywhere,” she said.
Retiree Sue Griffin, 77, is a flea market veteran, selling perfume, clothing, pipes, shoes and other items, including a pair of black-and-white Nike basketball leather high-tops.
“They’re like new because my grandson is growing so fast, he had to get a bigger size,” the Fort Wayne woman said of the size 12 shoes priced at $40. “He’s 6-foot-2 and isn’t on the high school basketball team. He’s a band geek.”
Lawton Flea Market promoter Steve Meyer said the event is more than 35 years old and grew out of a need to eliminate an unsavory element that frequented the Three Rivers Festival in its early days.
“There were bikers, prostitutes and stuff like that going on, so they started the flea market hoping to push them out,” said Meyer, who touts the event with his wife, Jenn. “It’s more like a family (atmosphere) now.”
Decatur retiree Kevin Burdette helps his partner, Carla Mattingly, each year at the market. One of the best things about pitching in is vendors get first dibs on goods, he said.
“We’re always buying from each other,” Burdette said. “We’re either taking things back to the booth or back home.”
Home.
That’s where Joe Neumann wanted to be, well in a way.
“I’d rather be golfing,” joked the 67-year-old who tried to wait patiently on his wife while she shopped. “I send pictures (on the phone) to show her what’s out here, but that’s not enough. She has to come, so I just wait on the sidelines for her. It’s not so bad.” | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/lawton-park-flea-market-dazzles-3-rivers-festival-goers/article_080f59c2-ff98-11ec-9f38-8fc78d27b3f3.html | 2022-07-10T05:51:53 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/lawton-park-flea-market-dazzles-3-rivers-festival-goers/article_080f59c2-ff98-11ec-9f38-8fc78d27b3f3.html |
Community and business leaders came out in support of Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children of Atlantic, Cape May and Camden Counties on June 20 at Greate Bay Country Club in Somers Point and Linwood Country Club for the organization’s annual Go Blue for CASA Golf-Gather-Give presented by NorthMarq Advisors. During the day, 180 golfers filled the two courses simultaneously, and in the evening, more than 150 people came together for an event to support local foster youth. The combined events raised more than $114,000 to help recruit, train and coach community volunteers who advocate for children living in foster care in Atlantic, Cape May and Camden Counties.
Neighbors / Go Blue for CASA golf tournament
- Karen DeRosa Submitted
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BOISE, Idaho — Following the tragic ending to the search for a missing Caldwell mother and her daughter a loved one is speaking out.
Dawna and Gabrielle Roe were last seen June 30 before heading out for a camping trip. On Friday, Caldwell Police Chief Rex Ingram confirmed they were found dead in Oregon in what appears to be a murder suicide by gunshot.
The Grant County Sheriff's Office later confirmed Dawna and Gabrielle were located northwest of Drewsey, Oregon in Dawna's 2004 Toyota van.
Mariah Villesca - the daughter of Dawna and the sister of Gabrielle - said when she first heard what happened, fury, grief and guilt went through her head.
"I'm just going to miss that. I'm going to miss her smiles, her laugh, her pure, unfiltered love," Villesca said.
In an exclusive interview with KTVB Saturday, Villesca said the system failed her sister. Herself and another sister called Child Protective Services last year, but Villesca said nothing was done.
Villesca said Dawna was never diagnosed, but she believes her mom had a mental illness and the situation could have been prevented.
"My mom loved Gabby, she absolutely did. My mom had six children and Gabrielle was the favorite," Villesca said. "So many people thought this would never happen, because of how much my mom loved Gabby. So many people didn't listen to how severe things were.
"If somebody's ill, you know, they can appear lucid. You don't know what's going on in their mind."
She went on to tell KTVB she is not pointing any fingers, but Villesca believes her sister fell through the cracks.
"Gabrielle, we call her Gabby. She was sassy. She was clever. She was witty. She had the purest heart," Villesca said.
The Roe's van was located in a remote area on public land by employees with Silvies Ranch on Thursday, July 7. The employees reported it to authorities, saying there was a body inside the vehicle.
Oregon State troopers, Oregon State Police Forensic personnel and the Major Crimes Team responded to the scene with deputies from Grant and Harney counties.
Personnel stayed on the scene through Thursday night and did not leave until 9 a.m. Friday. The Grant County Sheriff's Office said, "no other individuals are being sought at this time."
KTVB reached out to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, but has not received a response.
A GoFundMe has been set up to cover funeral costs for the victims.
If you or someone you know needs help, call the Idaho Crisis & Suicide Hotline at 800-273-8255, text 208-398-4357, or go to the hotline website.
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/family-member-of-caldwell-woman-daughter-found-dead-speaks-out/277-d2776bc3-9c65-475b-aa0c-25f5337f8778 | 2022-07-10T06:09:22 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/family-member-of-caldwell-woman-daughter-found-dead-speaks-out/277-d2776bc3-9c65-475b-aa0c-25f5337f8778 |
BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
A human rights mural at the site where antisemitic graffiti was spray painted last December is in the works.
The Boise City Department of Arts & History is taking the lead on the mural project, Director of Parks and Recreation Doug Holloway said. The Department of Parks and Recreation maintains the mural location, the Eighth Street tunnel adjacent to the Anne Frank Memorial.
“Any time you see antisemitic or racially related slurs that pop up anywhere they have a tendency to pop up a lot of times in locations in parks,” Holloway said. “It is pretty infrequent but when it does pop up, it is very disturbing and it is not the experience we want our citizens to see in Boise or visitors to see in Boise.”
The project received a budget allocation of $35,000 from the city's general fund, Holloway said.
The Arts & History team has a list of around 35 artists to call on and will work with stakeholders to pick three or four artists. In the next two to three weeks, the city hopes to narrow down the number of artists.
“The goal is to have it done by sometime in September,” Holloway said. “It would be a pretty tight turnaround but murals, they can be done fairly quick.”
There may be some detours on the greenbelt while the mural is in process.
“We’ll have to protect what the artist is doing,” Holloway said.
Over the past few years, antisemitic incidents have kept happening in Boise. The Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial was defaced with antisemitic graffiti in 2017 and 2020. In the past two years, other graffiti appeared in downtown Boise on the Idaho Building, in the Kristin Armstrong Municipal Park and on tunnels of the Greenbelt.
In December, antisemitic flyers were distributed in the North End neighborhood of Boise.
Stakeholders previously told the Idaho Press that Idaho has “weak” hate crime laws and that they were looking for non-legal ways to respond to such incidents.
But the issue continues.
A white nationalist concert is scheduled for Saturday, July 9, according to the Idaho Statesman. The event is called “Hills of Hate Camp.” The event was also held in Boise in 2012 and 2017, the Statesman reported, though previously the event took place near Melba on private property.
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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/idaho-press/human-rights-mural-planned-for-site-of-boise-antisemitic-graffiti/277-ac3d451b-c0ca-42af-b6fe-2ef1117d3efe | 2022-07-10T06:09:28 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho-press/human-rights-mural-planned-for-site-of-boise-antisemitic-graffiti/277-ac3d451b-c0ca-42af-b6fe-2ef1117d3efe |
BOISE, Idaho — Opera in the Park celebrated its second year in Boise Saturday, with more than 1,000 people in attendance at Julia Davis Park.
World-class soloists, the Opera Idaho chorus and a live orchestra performed season highlights and even some Broadway hits.
Opera Idaho Artistic Adviser Cecilia Violetta López said the musical event is for everyone, including those that have never heard Opera music before.
“We want to fill those theaters," López said. "We want to be able to expose people to this beautiful music that has existed for hundreds of years."
People started laying down blankets and setting up chairs several hours before the singing even started. Opera in the Park's VIP Experience kicked off at 5:30 p.m., with a dinner catered by Open Table.
The Opera Idaho performance got underway in the Gene Harris Bandshell at Julia Davis Park at 7:30 p.m. Saturday's event also included food trucks and a beer garden to compliment the concert.
Community member Sarah Smith said she appreciates how events like Opera in the Park bring people closer.
“Having music like this of all time, whether that be opera or country or pop, it’s great to have everyone as a public be able to experience it together,” Smith said.
Marketing Director Fernando Menendez said he hopes Opera in the Park continues in Boise. Menendez said the more people that show up year-after-year, the bigger they can plan the event.
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/idahoans-enjoy-opera-in-the-park-in-boise/277-58a3b17f-ab2c-4bea-a508-b10367ac0ff2 | 2022-07-10T06:09:34 | 0 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idahoans-enjoy-opera-in-the-park-in-boise/277-58a3b17f-ab2c-4bea-a508-b10367ac0ff2 |
PORT RICHEY, Fla. — The Pasco County Sheriff's Office is looking for the parents of a child who was found early Saturday morning.
Deputies say the child is around 6 years old with brown hair and brown eyes and was located in the Gulf Highland area of Port Richey around 9:30 a.m.
Currently, the child is safe with deputies, the sheriff's office said in a statement.
If you have any information on the whereabouts of this child's parents or guardians, call the Pasco Sheriff's Non-Emergency Line at 727-847-8102, option 7, or report tips online at PascoSheriff.com/tips. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pascocounty/child-found-port-richey-deputies-parents/67-427fc8a9-405e-4ee9-bf6c-82225bda09e7 | 2022-07-10T06:10:59 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pascocounty/child-found-port-richey-deputies-parents/67-427fc8a9-405e-4ee9-bf6c-82225bda09e7 |
BOSQUE COUNTY, Texas — Bosque County Volunteer Fire Departments need assistance from the community. The ongoing drought and constant wildfires are draining their resources.
"We're also strained monetary-wise due to the rise in gas prices, and truck maintenance has been pretty brutal lately with all the fires we've gone on," Bryant Clark, the Fire Captain at Morgan Volunteer Fire Department said.
Clark added that he and his co-workers pay hundreds of dollars a week to keep their engines running. So many wildfires, like the five day wildfire they are battling now, are draining their team of resources.
"They're still having a bunch of breakouts, but they did come close to having walnut evacuated, it was getting that close," Fire Chief Brian Moore said.
The Department not only helps their area, but they assist Departments all over the county. That is why Moore and Clark said it is important they receive the assistance they need right now, so they do not have to close.
"It puts a strain on a lot of the other fire departments that are already able to stay open," Clark said.
A recent Facebook post by the Bosque County Office of Emergency Management reached out to community members asking for their help. The Volunteer Fire Department in Morgan said within 36 hours, they received water, snacks and more from the community.
"A few of them have actually gone out on site and delivered it straight to the firefighters out there and it has been a blessing," Clark said. "I want to thank them so very much for doing that, and that has helped replenish some of our water that we use to replenish ourselves."
If you would like to help the Morgan Volunteer Fire Department, their email is morganvfd@windstream.net.
More KCENtv.com: | https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/local/volunteer-fire-departments-bosque-county/500-f7ce8bd8-47cb-4526-93da-0db421009e11 | 2022-07-10T06:15:39 | 0 | https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/local/volunteer-fire-departments-bosque-county/500-f7ce8bd8-47cb-4526-93da-0db421009e11 |
ASHLEY DIANE ROYER
Age: 26
Height: 5 feet, 3 inches
Weight: 140 pounds
Sex: Female
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Strawberry blonde
Race: White
Wanted for: Failure to appear on the original charges of driving under the influence (second offense), and probation violation.
Bond: $100,000
The Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office asks that anyone with information please call 208-735-1911 or Crime Stoppers at 208-343-2677, where they can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward. Tips can be made at www.343cops.com or download P3 Tips on your mobile phone. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/twin-falls-county-most-wanted/article_fcdec898-ff1b-11ec-a200-a75a3532fbc7.html | 2022-07-10T07:19:23 | 1 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/twin-falls-county-most-wanted/article_fcdec898-ff1b-11ec-a200-a75a3532fbc7.html |
PORTLAND, Ore — At a appearance at Stark's Vacuums in Northeast Portland Saturday morning, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden pushed a package of incentives and subsidies to increase semiconductor manufacturing in the United States.
Wyden is one of the driving forces working for passage of the CHIPS for America Act, which would come with a $52 billion price tag.
There's also something called the FABS Act that would establish a tax credit for investing in the design and manufacturing of semiconductors.
“This is a national security issue as well as an economic issue,” said Wyden at the vacuum store.
Semiconductor chips are found in everything from vacuum cleaners to cars and appliances these days.
But there's been a shortage of chips since the pandemic forced the closure of factories. Countries in other parts of the world have since worked to open new factories to produce chips, but that has not happened in the U.S.
The CHIPS for America Act would be an important boost to U.S. chip makers like Intel, whose staff were also in attendance at Stark's.
“The longer Congress delays passing CHIP, manufacturers will continue to invest outside the United States,” said Gabriela Cruz Thompson of Intel.
Chip makers say they are trying to meet demand, but they need help.
“The reality is we can't expand fast enough to meet the unprecedented demand that we see from our customers,” according to Dan Malinaric of Microchip Technology Inc.
The legislation has strong bipartisan support in Congress and is a top priority for the Biden administration. Senator Wyden's goal is to get Congress to vote on the legislation before the Senate recess in August. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/wyden-support-semiconductor-makers/283-9027d85e-d4ce-4414-b9bd-5b3783981514 | 2022-07-10T08:25:39 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/wyden-support-semiconductor-makers/283-9027d85e-d4ce-4414-b9bd-5b3783981514 |
For three decades, Joe Garrera has been seeking the answers to two questions:
Are we alone?
What’s out there?
“I don’t like being called a UFO enthusiast, because that kind of implies that you are an advocate,” said Garrera, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum. “I am not an advocate for UFOs. I’m just the person that likes to find out the truth.”
This month marks 75 years since the legendary Roswell incident, during which an alien craft, or flying saucer, purportedly crashed in the New Mexico desert, followed by a quick cover-up by the federal government.
Well, that’s one story.
What really happened in the desert that day and in the years since has been the topic of heated debates and conspiracy theories. While the alleged crash site is almost 2,000 miles away from the Lehigh Valley, researchers, enthusiasts and historians say the event — regardless of the theories surrounding it — profoundly impacted our culture.
[ UFOs: The federal government thinks they might be real, and they’ve visited the Lehigh Valley before ]
“The events of what happened in the evolution of the story in Roswell take on a new level of importance and fascination based on what is happening now with unidentified aerial phenomena and the government’s research into the subject,” Garrera said. " … And just imagine, think about those answers that they could provide.
“And the question is, are we ready for that?”
‘There can be no doubt that something happened’
A July 1947 front page of the Roswell Daily Record featured a story about a flying saucer or disc that had been recovered on what was then the J.B. Foster ranch near Roswell. However, the military quickly issued a statement saying the debris was merely the remnants of a high-altitude weather balloon.
But the damage was done.
The story quickly circulated, polarizing residents the world over into believers and nonbelievers. While the incident didn’t start the world’s fascination with extraterrestrial life, it gave fuel to theorists and researchers who believe in intelligent life outside the Earth’s atmosphere, as well as those seeking to debunk them.
Tom Carey, an Air Force veteran with what he said was top-secret crypto clearance, has been researching the Roswell incident for decades and has published 11 books about it.
“We’re not waiting for something to come to us. We’re out there shaking the tree,” said Carey, 81, of Huntingdon Valley, Montgomery County. “We have up to 600 first- and second-hand witnesses on the case.”
Carey believes he has it solved.
“We have witnesses from the crash site, to the retrieval, to Roswell Army Airfield, to Fort Worth, Texas, and on to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio — that’s where all the records and the bodies went,” Casey said. “We know where the bodies are today. We know where the wreckage is today.”
Carey earlier this month traveled to Roswell to speak at the 2022 UFO Festival. The event included vendors, live music, a 5K Alien Chase, laser shows, sci-fi movie screenings and more.
“The only thing we are missing is a piece of incontrovertible physical evidence,” Casey said. “And we call that our ‘Holy Grail of Roswell.’ We are searching for a piece of what they call the memory metal — this was a part of the ship that exploded.”
For Kathleen B. Covalt, who teaches online classes through Northampton Community College for adults interested in learning more government UFO disclosures, increased acceptance of the phenomena and possible religious connections to sightings, the Roswell incident was significant to our culture.
She believes there was a government cover-up.
“You want to go as close as possible to the original source,” Cobalt said. “I wasn’t there, and I wasn’t even alive during that time. So then I have to look at, Who do I trust that said something about it as close as possible to what happened?”
For Covalt, that person is NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchell. A member of the Apollo 14 mission in 1971, he was the sixth person to walk on the moon — and grew up near Roswell.
In 2009, Mitchell spoke at a news conference, saying after he returned to Earth, friends and neighbors trusted him with their stories of aliens crash landing in the desert.
“There is no doubt, we are being visited,” he said.
“That just weighs heavily on me that Edgar Mitchell, who’s a true scientist, who wants to explore consciousness, says that people that he trusted because he was a neighbor, his family was known in the area — these people, and there were a lot of them, told him their stories. I think that’s fantastic evidence,” Covalt said.
And, in the wake of the incident, the government’s lack of transparency could have stunted scientific breakthroughs.
“With the belief that UFOs are true and genuine, we can advance our understanding of physics and the nature of reality,” Cobalt said. “And so if corporations and maybe academic places have had this material, and has known for sure that some craft can do these kinds of things for 75 years, we could have had a cultural paradigm shift during this time, where we wouldn’t be relying on coal and different kinds of fossil fuels.
" … We could have changed the way we are in the world and made such great strides,” she continued. “But we haven’t, because we’ve mocked the UFO phenomenon. And by mocking it, we think it doesn’t exist.”
But was it an alien spacecraft that crashed at Roswell? Garrera doesn’t think so.
“First of all, there can be no doubt that something happened. There is absolutely no doubt that something happened that was not easily explainable,” Garrera said. “The question is, What created the newspaper headlines that kind of rocked the world and got people upset? Well, we can debate this indefinitely.”
In July 1994, the U.S. Air Force released a study, “The Roswell Report: Case Closed.” The cover page of the report, featured on the branch’s website, includes the face of a gray alien surrounded in a beige circle with a diagonal line — often called the “universal no.”
“‘Aliens’ observed in the New Mexico desert were actually anthropomorphic test dummies that were carried aloft by U.S. Air Force high altitude balloons for scientific research,” the study argues. “The ‘unusual’ military activities in the New Mexico desert were high altitude research balloon launch and recovery operations.
“Reports of military units that always seemed to arrive shortly after the crash of a flying saucer to retrieve the saucer and ‘crew,’ were actually accurate descriptions of Air Force personnel engaged in anthropomorphic dummy recovery operations.”
But the report came decades after the alleged incident. And, during those years, conspiracy theories and alternative narratives thrived.
“It’s obviously a problem when someone has given you disinformation, and not been totally candid with you, and then comes out at a later date and says, ‘Oh, well, we didn’t tell you the truth. But this is the truth this time,’” Garrera said. “Could you imagine doing that in a court of law, how you would lose your credibility? So, this is a problem that the government has.”
And the federal government has since doubled-down on its claim to become more transparent with UFO phenomenon and studies, creating a task force last year.
The National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in December, includes the “establishment of office, organizational structure, and authorities to address unidentified aerial phenomena.”
Whatever really happened in the desert in 1947 didn’t create the alien phenomenon of today, Garrera said, but over the decades since, Roswell has become a major tourist destination.
“People love a good story,” Garrera said. “And of course, when it comes to UFOs or UAPs, I think the average person has some kind of fascination.”
Recent disclosures have helped to “supercharge” the Roswell incident, Garrera said, adding credibility and plausibility for researchers and enthusiasts.
“The science and the facts tell me that no extraterrestrial encounter occurred at Roswell, New Mexico,” Garrera said. “It’s still a good story. I think that it’s still a great tourist attraction. And I also know that I could be proven completely wrong. It just doesn’t seem plausible.”
‘Are we ready for it?’
The 75th anniversary may be the last significant milestone anniversary for the event, as many who’ve claimed to witness the crash or had a close connection to it have grown old or died.
“The next 25 years, a lot of us will be gone,” Carey said. " … All of the first-hand witnesses are gone, and we’re starting to lose the second-hand witnesses — the children and relatives and others are starting to go also.
“And, like I said, in 25 years, we will be long gone.”
But, even if the Roswell incident fades as witnesses become scarce, many believe we’re close to a time when aliens will make meaningful contact with residents of Earth.
“I do believe extraterrestrials on Earth, at this time, are real,” Garrera said. “I wouldn’t be surprised by the 100th anniversary of Roswell, contact is made. The question is, are we really ready? Are we ready for it?”
But, before any others, there’s one question that every resident has to answer for themselves — Do you believe?
Morning Call reporter Molly Bilinski can be reached at mbilinski@mcall.com. | https://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-nws-lehigh-valley-marks-75-years-after-roswell-20220709-jc3oztttszfsrgoxjrvmzakswi-story.html | 2022-07-10T08:42:45 | 0 | https://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-nws-lehigh-valley-marks-75-years-after-roswell-20220709-jc3oztttszfsrgoxjrvmzakswi-story.html |
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