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HOUSTON — Up until a few weeks ago, the website for the University of Texas at Austin’s health center laid out three options for pregnant students to possibly pursue: they can carry the pregnancy to term and raise the child, put the baby up for adoption or terminate the pregnancy.
When the state enacted a law in September that prohibited abortion after about six weeks, the website added language making note of the restriction.
But two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that asserted abortion access as a constitutional right for nearly five decades, the university removed the entire text about pregnant students’ options from its website. What remains are vague instructions.
“If you are pregnant, our Women’s Health providers can discuss options and help connect patients to appropriate resources,” the website now reads.
UT-Austin officials did not respond to questions explaining why they removed the paragraph about pregnant students’ options from its site. But the timing illustrates how public university health centers are rethinking how they can and should communicate with students about reproductive health care amid a vague and rapidly changing legal landscape in Texas.
“It’s put people in a position where they don’t know what they can offer in student health centers, because they don’t know exactly how the law is going to fall out — or even what the law defaulted to after Roe was repealed,” said Gretchen Ely, a social work professor at the University of Tennessee Knoxville who focuses on access to reproductive care.
Yet the stakes are high because college students fall in the age group that has historically received the largest percentage of abortions in Texas annually, which puts university health centers on the front lines of providing reproductive health information and services in the form of wellness exams and birth control.
So far, Texas universities have remained silent about the Supreme Court’s ruling. The vast majority did not respond to The Texas Tribune’s requests for comment or provided vague answers about what kind of information and resources health centers will share with students who become pregnant in this new era of reproductive care in the state.
“Each student’s circumstances dictate our counsel regarding medical care,” Cecilia Jacobs, a spokesperson for Stephenville-based Tarleton State University, said in a statement. “[F]or students seeking non-emergency assistance that’s not readily available we provide information on how to find it” through internet searches, health insurance resources or local health care entities, she added.
Students say they are also frustrated — but unsurprised — that university leaders have not spoken out about the Roe v. Wade reversal or proactively communicated about how they plan to handle conversations about abortion access moving forward. At some universities, students have recommitted to sharing abortion access resources through student organizations, as well as providing deliveries of free emergency contraception to students anonymously. Last week, a group of student leaders at UT-Austin signed a list of demands calling on administrators to support students’ reproductive health care and advocate for students’ rights with the Texas government. The university has not responded to the students as of Tuesday.
“During times when the rights of marginalized communities are under attack, our university succumbs to silence to avoid criticism from said politicians. However, it is the university’s responsibility and priority to protect the rights and health of their students, staff, and faculty,” the petition read. “Therefore, we call upon the university to advocate for reproductive health care access through its influential position within Texas politics to protect and uplift its students, faculty, and staff.”
As health care professionals try to figure out how to move forward in a post-Roe world, some students say they are now hesitant to ask questions or share details of an unexpected pregnancy with university health centers, unsure where the role of a health professional ends and a state-funded university employee begins.
“It’s too much of a gray area at this point,” said Nikita Kakkad, a junior at UT-Austin. “And it’s not the practitioners. It’s the structure.”
Preexisting information gaps about abortion
Even before Roe v. Wade was overturned, few Texas universities mentioned abortion as an option for pregnant students on their public-facing websites and very few listed places like Planned Parenthood as a community resource. Students said it is also difficult to access information about abortion and comprehensive sex education on their campuses.
Most Texas universities state that they offer wellness exams, birth control and pregnancy tests and will provide referrals to pregnant students for off-campus prenatal care. That often includes referrals to OB-GYNs.
A few universities across the state, including Prairie View A&M University and Tarleton State, also include crisis pregnancy centers as resources for pregnant and parenting students on their websites under Title IX resources. Pregnant students have protections under Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination.
Research has shown that crisis pregnancy centers often inaccurately present themselves as health clinics — some offer free ultrasounds and provide free baby supplies — even though they are religiously affiliated nonprofits largely staffed by nonmedical professionals who cannot diagnose patients. They often discourage abortion in sometimes manipulative and deceptive ways. Neither Prairie View A&M nor Tarleton State responded to questions as to why they include these centers as potential resources for pregnant students.
In addition to information gaps, one university health center leader told the Tribune the facility had already adjusted how its health care providers advise pregnant students about their options. The center made the changes after the state passed a law last year that allows private citizens to file a lawsuit against anyone who “aids or abets” an abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy.
“We interpreted that as [our] providers can’t really help people find that service,” said Martha Dannenbaum, director of student health services at Texas A&M University in College Station and an OB-GYN. “I don’t see this dramatically changing … how we will manage and support the students who come to us with these questions. Where we will be mindful is that we’re not going to be making direct referrals to an [abortion] provider. Mainly because we don’t have any. We’re not going to have any.”
She said in instances in which a pregnant student wanted information about their options to keep or terminate a pregnancy, she would share how students could find additional information themselves, either through health insurance or on the internet.
“Our role is, as the health care providers particularly in a college health setting, is to provide … the student with factual information and answer any of their questions about it and provide them nonjudgmental care,” she said.
Rachel Mack, a spokesperson for the American College Health Association, said abortion bans and other restrictions can put health care providers at risk of civil liability or arrest.
“Many of these laws are not just restrictive — they are also vague, which creates fear and confusion among both patients and health care providers,” she said in a statement. “The vagueness of these laws also could result in students being isolated from trusted supports in their most vulnerable moments.”
Dannenbaum at Texas A&M said she does anticipate an uptick this fall in the number of students trying to access more effective contraception, such as intrauterine devices (IUDs), in response to a “trigger law” passed last year that was set to go into effect and ban abortion from the moment of fertilization if the Supreme Court overturned Roe. The trigger law will likely go into effect in mid- to late August, though the procedure is already illegal in Texas due to a near-total ban on abortion passed in the 1920s that went back into effect after the Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade.
She also said she expects to have additional conversations with Texas A&M lawyers and the university’s health care providers ahead of the fall semester to make sure everyone understands how to provide factual information to students while remaining within the confines of state law. But she remained confident the health center could maintain its quality of care.
“There are many things that happen that change processes of how you have to do things in health care and in other industries. This is another one of them. It doesn’t help patients, students, providers, to get panicked about it,” she said. “In the college health setting, I’m here to support them to be successful students, regardless of whether they parent, whether they adopt out, whether they choose termination. We’re here to support them.”
Yet Dannenbaum said she and her team haven’t discussed if the university’s health care providers would suggest that students can reach out to abortion funds to learn about ways to possibly travel out of state to access abortion care.
She said she would likely direct students to the student assistant services department, which can provide some short-term financial support for medical services to students without requiring detailed information about a diagnosis.
“It’s really dependent on whether you have a needed medical service and … a financial need,” she said.
More access to contraception
Students involved in reproductive justice advocacy on college campuses said they would largely advise students who are considering terminating their pregnancies to reach out to abortion funds rather than going to the university health center for information.
“Students themselves are not comfortable with going anywhere beyond surface-level questions,” Hairou Yi, a UT-Austin junior and vice president of UT Students for Planned Parenthood, told the Tribune about health centers. “Because they don’t know the legal ramifications that can come with [it].”
Experts, such as Ely at the University of Tennessee, said health centers should not just be ready to provide information, but be prepared for the possibility that some students might come into the center with complications from a self-managed abortion.
But Ely said she’s cognizant of the tightrope that health care providers at publicly funded institutions must walk.
“That’s a very real concern, both at the individual level for the student in terms of confidentiality and then for the student health centers in public universities in states where abortion is criminalized,” she said.
With all that in mind, Ely said, university health centers should increase their work to provide accessible reproductive health information and have emergency contraception available for free or low cost. While many Texas universities currently offer Plan B emergency contraceptives in their pharmacies, it can cost $25 to $35.
Kakkad, the junior at UT-Austin, has been pushing the university to make emergency contraception more accessible by installing a vending machine on campus that dispenses Plan B contraceptives. She said talks with university officials have been productive, but action hasn’t been taken toward making the proposal a reality. The list of demands sent to UT-Austin administrators last week included adding a vending machine, as well as eliminating mandatory attendance, a policy that students say hurts those who are pregnant or have children.
Student groups say they can offer a safe space for students to figure out where they can go for information about their specific situations, but they have their limits.
Nimisha Srikanth is a rising senior at Texas A&M University and president of the group Feminists for Reproductive Equity & Education, or FREE Aggies, on campus. She said now that Texas allows people to sue those who help a person get the procedure, there is confusion about what constitutes helping someone get an abortion, which can make people hesitant to share information.
The trajectory of limiting abortion access has led many in her group to prepare for the state to also criminalize providing information about abortion, which also makes them hesitate about how much information they should share.
“The best thing a person could do at this point is contact an abortion fund because they’re the ones on the ground doing the work,” she said. “We run the risk of having really complicated legal stuff if we were to get more involved.”
Disclosure: Planned Parenthood, Prairie View A&M University, Texas A&M University and University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-universities-how-to-provide-reproductive-health-care-information/285-704284a9-67bf-4760-a582-de1adc358e92 | 2022-07-25T04:36:50 | 0 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-universities-how-to-provide-reproductive-health-care-information/285-704284a9-67bf-4760-a582-de1adc358e92 |
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NAMPA, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Butterfly wings spanned the wall behind speakers at the Hispanic Cultural Center in Nampa last week. Three panelists were seated in front of a dozen attendees who came to learn more about the realities of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
“My take is that it’s not sounding positive for the DACA program,” Monica Salazar said.
It has been 10 years since the creation of DACA, a program to allow undocumented immigrants to receive work authorization and Social Security cards. In a court ruling on July 16, 2021, Texas Judge Andrew Hanen declared DACA to be unlawful, placing the program under scrutiny over the past year.
Salazar, principal attorney at Salazar Law, explained that this ruling has been brought up to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals for consideration.
“Some of the possibilities might be that the Fifth Circuit decides that DACA is, in fact, illegal and decides to terminate the program,” Salazar said.
In this case, Salazar said the decision could go to the Supreme Court for a final ruling. Until then, the program is currently renewing DACA recipients but is not processing new applicants.
Salazar said it is important to differentiate DACA from a documentation status. Instead, DACA defers, or puts off, action from the government. This grants DACA Dreamers temporary residency in the country.
Idaho is home to about 2,760 Dreamers according to a 2020 report from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Betsaida Chavez, staff attorney at Immigrant Justice Idaho, said her office is advising people not to submit new applications. Those who have already been accepted into DACA must renew their application every year, something Chavez said is especially important to stay on top of now.
“It’s really important that you don’t let it lapse for over a year,” Chavez said. “Otherwise, it will be considered an initial application and you won’t be able to renew.”
A DACA recipient herself, the financial burden of the renewal process took a toll on Chavez when she was in college. Paying for tuition, books and rent, she couldn’t afford her annual DACA renewal even with her family’s help.
“I get emotional when I talk about my family,” Chavez said, tearing up, “because (the burden) touches all of us.”
Rosseli Guerrero, an advocacy fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho, shared a similar experience. A college degree that should have taken only a few years took Guerrero eight due to the financial burdens.
“I was so excited (for college),” Guerrero said. “But there’s no funding.”
When Guerrero looked for resources, there simply weren’t any available in Idaho. Counselors advised her to go to school in California instead, a move that was not affordable.
Salazar described DACA as a Band-Aid to a much larger issue, a program that helps but is not the solution. The program is open to those born after 1991 who arrived in the country before turning 16. To be eligible, individuals must have resided in the country already for a number of years.
Similar to DACA, the DREAM Act was introduced and amended many times in Congress according to Salazar. When it continued to fail, former President Barack Obama used DACA as a temporary fix.
“DACA didn’t just come from nowhere. It didn’t just come from the kindness of President Obama. It came from years and years of advocacy and efforts,” Salazar said.
While attention is drawn to immigration issues when rulings are made by the courts or programs are threatened, Guerrero asked, what is being done in the in-between times?
“There’s so much we need, but (as an individual), what can you do?” she said.
ACLU’s Butterfly Migration Project was a positive advocacy experience for Gurrero. The project had Idahoans making paper butterflies and writing information about DACA on them. With over 10,000 submitted butterflies, they soon became a symbol for DACA Dreamers.
“It’s the community support that keeps me going,” Guerrero said.
Guerrero hopes for a brighter future where she won’t have to see her young son go through similar struggles.
“I have a son, I don’t want him (to still be) fighting for immigrant rights when he’s older,” she said.
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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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/after-a-decade-in-daca-protections-stand-on-shaky-ground/277-359e00fa-f83f-4ff2-b02e-446dad0808e6 | 2022-07-25T04:58:13 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho-press/after-a-decade-in-daca-protections-stand-on-shaky-ground/277-359e00fa-f83f-4ff2-b02e-446dad0808e6 |
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MANERI — To Jaclyn and Anthony Maneri, of Linwood, a daughter, June 20.
THOMPSON — To Alice and Thomas Thompson Jr., of Swainton, a daughter, June 20.
NAVARRETE — To Loris Navarrete, of Atlantic City, a daughter, June 23.
OTALVARO-TAPIA — To Daniela Otalvaro Escobar and Jose Tapia Espinal, of Somers Point, a daughter, June 23.
GONZALES-SWEIGART — To Ashley Gonzales and Lawrence Sweigart V, of Pleasantville, a son, June 23.
GRIFFIN — To Justine and Ryan Griffin, of Cape May, a son, June 25.
FELD — To Elizabeth and Dan Feld, of Egg Harbor Township, a son, June 27.
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BACHMAN-WHILDIN — To Kelsey Bachman and Nicholas Whildin, of Dorchester, a daughter, June 28.
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RODRIGUEZ-POTTS — To Destiny Rodriguez and Tiaz Potts, of Williamstown, a son, July 1.
CRUZ-WALKER — To Milagros Cruz Hernandez and Sha’mad Walker, of Atlantic City, a son, July 1.
JONES-BACHOFEN — To Catherine Jones and Richard Bachofen, of North Wildwood, a son, July 2.
JOHNSON — To Anna and Austin Johnson, of Cape May Court House, a son, July 5.
NASTASI — To Miranda and Francesco Nastasi, of Longport, a daughter, July 5.
DOUGLAS — To Catherine and Matthew Douglas, of Northfield, a daughter, July 6.
GAMARRA-LORENZO — To Miluska Gamarra-Yanez and Gilbert Lorenzo-Nunez, of Absecon, a son, July 7.
SCHAFFER-McGRATH — To Kimberly Schaffer and Max McGrath III, of West Wildwood, a son, July 12.
KEELER — To Michelle and Jeffrey Keeler, of Woodbine, a daughter, July 12.
OBLEA-SANCHEZ–BIANCO — To Jennifer Oblea-Sanchez and Andrew Bianco, of Galloway Township, a daughter, July 12.
CARLINO — To Deborah and Thomas Carlino, of Erma, a son, July 13.
WEINSTEIN-BENNETT — To Lauren Weinstein and Anthony Bennett, of Sea Isle City, a son, July 14.
O’CONNELL-GUTIERREZ — To Kate O’Connell and Juan Gutierrez, of Wildwood Crest, a daughter, July 14.
SARA-SHIHAM — To Lamiya Sara and Ayman Shiham, of Atlantic City, a daughter, July 15.
TABER-GOLDBERG — To Michelle Taber and Daniel Goldberg, of Linwood, a son, July 16. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/south-jersey-hospital-births-for-july-25/article_39ce2e2a-0858-11ed-ab1e-3b7dc6f6d7fb.html | 2022-07-25T04:58:20 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/south-jersey-hospital-births-for-july-25/article_39ce2e2a-0858-11ed-ab1e-3b7dc6f6d7fb.html |
BOISE, Idaho — 26-year-old Sarah Jensen is just about to start her third year of teaching in Idaho; she teaches middle school math.
"There are so many things I love about being a teacher," Jensen said. "I think I knew I wanted to be a teacher in high school, and in college, I never once doubted that decision. It makes me feel like I'm making a big difference because I'm making middle school kids who are in the weirdest phase of their lives, feel valued and important and cared for. I really like that part of my job."
Jensen has a new and exciting role this year. This proud math teacher is also Miss Idaho 2022. Jensen was just crowned in June and it was a dream come true for her. She will compete at Miss America in December.
"This was my fifth year competing in the Miss Idaho Organization, and here we are, on my final attempt, I walked away with the title," Jensen said. "I appreciate it so much. I get to go compete at Miss America, and it's incredible I'm excited."
Jensen was born and raised in Weiser, Idaho. She loves the small town feel there and the community has surrounded her with support.
"I actually just got to go back there, for the Weiser Fiddle Festival as Miss Idaho, and it was really an incredible homecoming experience," she said.
Jensen went to college at Washington State University and moved back home to Idaho to pursue teaching. Her first job was at Middleton Middle School. This year she will be taking on a new challenge at a brand new school.
"This year I will be transitioning to Gem Prep Meridian North," said Jensen. "I can't wait to start."
During her first year of teaching, COVID-19 hit. Something no one could have predicted. It has been an adventure ever since.
"We've been through it the last few years, teachers have been asked to do so many things. I've had to learn how to teach in a hybrid system, I've had to teach online, I had to teach in person with masks, and later without," Jensen told KTVB. "It really taught me how to be flexible and adaptable."
Something else that has taken a toll on Jensen and her colleagues, the recent school shootings. The shooting in Uvalde, Texas that ended with 19 children and two teachers dead, has been especially hard on her.
"I mean just with the shooting in Uvalde, it was heavy, it was really heavy. We had to have extra police presence, and it was just hard to enjoy the last few days of school knowing the kids in Uvalde would never get that opportunity," Jensen said. "It really affects me, and I can't imagine what I would do in that situation."
Jensen says she and her fellow teachers are ready to protect their students at all costs.
"We all take it seriously, it's something that we don't expect, to be a protector of our students, but if it came down to it we are ready to go."
Jensen's platform, or social impact initiative for the Miss America competition, is WHY MATH MATTERS. Her goal is to get students to fall in love with math and to see how important it is in daily life.
"I realized if I could prove to kids that they could use math in their dream jobs, it would change their outlook on the subject altogether. So, I started interviewing people of all different professions about how they use math in their careers," Jensen said. "I started a YOUTUBE channel and a website. I love the idea that in a time when social media is so big and kids idolize YouTubers, TikTokers, and that, I get to be a role model who values service and education. I get to showcase that on a national stage. I'm just really honored to have this opportunity."
She knows she will be representing teachers when she competes at Miss America, and she is more than ready to do that after some really tough years.
"I would argue that many of us feel underappreciated and disrespected by our students, and by so many other people in the world and in the community. I think we needed a win, I feel like my win is a win for all of us," she told KTVB. "I'm honored to represent not just the state, but all of my colleagues and my friends as educators."
You can watch Jensen compete in Miss America in December. Follow her journey on Facebook, and Instagram.
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See all of the heartwarming segments in our YouTube playlist here: | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/outreach/sevens-hero/7s-hero-miss-idaho-2022-is-a-teacher-proud-to-have-the-opportunity-to-represent-all-educators-at-miss-america/277-2bceb88f-2719-4a87-9c3c-67ffd693ca81 | 2022-07-25T04:58:20 | 0 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/outreach/sevens-hero/7s-hero-miss-idaho-2022-is-a-teacher-proud-to-have-the-opportunity-to-represent-all-educators-at-miss-america/277-2bceb88f-2719-4a87-9c3c-67ffd693ca81 |
Balch Springs Police are investigating a Sunday road rage shooting that left one child with non-life-threatening injuries, officials confirm to NBC 5.
Police first received 911 calls shortly after 5:19 p.m. of a shooting on westbound Interstate 20 at Seagoville Road. A Honda sedan and dark-colored sedan road rage resulted in an occupant shooting at the Honda, striking an 8-year-old boy.
The boy was transported to Children's Hospital where remains stable along with two other children suffering non-life-threatening injuries. The details of the other two children's injuries were not made available. Dallas police assisted in helping the passengers and driver of the Honda.
The suspected driver of the dark-colored sedan is a thin build Hispanic male with a goat-tee and is wearing an orange shirt. The passenger is a Hispanic male and heavy set.
This investigation is ongoing. If you have any information regarding this shooting, contact Balch Springs PD at 972-557-6000. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/balch-springs-police-investigating-road-rage-shooting/3030483/ | 2022-07-25T04:58:49 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/balch-springs-police-investigating-road-rage-shooting/3030483/ |
Arike Ogunbowale scored 16 of her 22 points in the second half and the Dallas Wings handed the Indiana Fever a club-record 12th straight loss, 96-86 on Sunday.
Teaira McCowan finished with 17 points for Dallas (12-15), while Allisha Gray scored 16 with three steals. Kayla Thornton pitched in with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Gray scored 10 of her 11 first-half points in the second quarter to help Dallas rally from a 23-17 first-period deficit to a 45-39 lead at halftime.
Gray hit a 3-pointer to push the lead to 10 just 1:11 into the third quarter and the Wings stayed in front from there. Dallas improved to .500 on the road with its seventh win.
Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana (5-25) with a season-high 34 points. She added six assists, five rebounds and three steals. Nalyssa Smith added 16 points, while Queen Egbo scored 14. Indiana fell to 3-12 at home. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-wings-win-gives-indiana-fever-record-breaking-losing-streak/3030515/ | 2022-07-25T04:59:01 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-wings-win-gives-indiana-fever-record-breaking-losing-streak/3030515/ |
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — There are more than 4,600 children in foster care across Arkansas, with fewer than 1,7000 foster homes to care for them, According to a release from the Arkansas House of Representatives in May.
The non-profit “Deb Project” is working to make sure foster families have what they need even with rising costs.
" I lost my girlfriend to suicide," said Executive Director and Founder of the Deb Project, Sammy Laney.
The loss of her childhood friend, Deborah is what prompted her the start the nonprofit.
"We say it's our story but her legacy," Laney said.
Laney says the vision of the non-profit is to create a network of support for the foster care community.
"We want to be a resource to other families who have that need," said Laney.
Laney works with parents and community members of foster children, as well as school social workers like Kris Davis, a school social worker with Decatur Public Schools.
Davis says she sees firsthand how struggling can affect foster caregivers and their children.
"If you're struggling with everything in life," Davis said. "Then, setting down, addressing homework with your child is not always your first priority."
Through the 'Deb Project,' Davis says she is able to help families.
"I am able to pick up items such as diapers, hygiene products, clothing," Davis said.
Foster mom and current 'Deb Project' board member Kris Owen says the non-profit helped her when she became a foster mom.
"We welcomed a precious baby into our home," Owen said. "That was a meth baby and there was nothing absolutely no clothing."
She finished by saying Laney came to the hospital with a bag of clothes and diapers to offer her.
"If they have a need, I'm going to figure out how to get it," Laney said.
"She's awesome," Davis followed. "She's my hero."
As of June, Laney said this year alone, the 'Deb Project has served more than 500 children.
"If we don't, who will," Laney asked. "That's the bottom line, if we don't who will?"
"We are just so thankful to her," Owen said. "And I'm thankful that now I'm able to be a part of it."
For more information on the 'Deb Project,' click here. There you will find more information on the non-profit, and how to volunteer and donate.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/non-profit-helping-assist-families-of-children-in-foster-care/527-f07655df-2700-494e-82af-eca3b48df96b | 2022-07-25T05:01:41 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/non-profit-helping-assist-families-of-children-in-foster-care/527-f07655df-2700-494e-82af-eca3b48df96b |
Veronica Weaver spoke up Sunday when a mostly Black audience turned the focus of a forum about the Allen County public defender’s office to race and equity issues.
The 27-year-old public defender told about 30 people seated inside a church on Hessen Cassel Road that she not only has ties to southeast Fort Wayne, but she also has family members in the criminal justice system. And, Weaver said, she might look white, but she is biracial. Her mother is Mexican.
Weaver, who previously was a prosecutor, said her background helps her empathize with her clients as a public defender.
The audience at The Temple, a nondenominational church, appeared eager to further diversify the public defender’s office, which was mostly represented by white panelists.
“Let’s mix it up,” said Timothy Russell, who moderated the two-hour community forum hosted by the local NAACP branch to help rebuild trust in William Lebrato, the county’s chief public defender, and his team.
Lebrato said he would like to hold more forums on a somewhat regular basis.
“All we can do is address the concerns and complaints and do the best we can to fix those concerns and complaints,” Lebrato said. “We came here today to let you know that we’re willing to do that. We’re trying to do that.”
Those concerns included questions about whether local public defenders zealously represent clients as opposed to recommending plea deals. Some comments centered on the systemic lack of equity in sentencing, based on race.
Lebrato was suspended briefly this year from his salaried position after someone anonymously alleged he was not spending enough time doing his job, officials have said.
Paulette Nellems, a Democrat running for the Allen County Council District 1 seat in November, pressed the panel for details.
“I feel like we have a right to know,” she said, adding it creates a sense of distrust, especially when the jail is filled with “more people who look like us.”
Lebrato deferred to John Surbeck, a retired Allen Superior Court judge, to address Nellems’ concerns. Surbeck was one of the Allen County Public Defender Board members who voted in February to reinstate Lebrato. Surbeck said Lebrato’s suspension was based on the anonymous complaint, and it was determined neither the performance of his duties nor the interests of his clients were affected.
Lebrato repeatedly encouraged forum attendees to call him if they have a problem or questions.
But some problems – such as building diversity on staff – might be more difficult than others to solve. He said there’s a lack of attorneys in general.
Larry Gist, NAACP president, described the forum as productive but said the community will continue to hold the public defender’s office accountable.
“We are watching you,” he said afterward. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/courts/public-defenders-listen-to-community-at-forum/article_6a555cbc-0bb4-11ed-acad-d3e556993ed8.html | 2022-07-25T05:03:38 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/courts/public-defenders-listen-to-community-at-forum/article_6a555cbc-0bb4-11ed-acad-d3e556993ed8.html |
This year was Shiloh Bowser’s first time at Fort Wayne Pride – something he had been looking forward to for a year.
“My mom said last year that we could go together this year, and that’s the only reason why I’ve been looking forward to it,” the 16-year-old said. “I’m just excited to be around a bunch of people with the same Pride flags as me. It makes me feel like I’m not by myself.”
Bowser’s mom, Cori Brunson, 41, has been going to Pride for as long as she can remember. Brunson said it means a lot to her that the local festival has been around for 25 years.
“It’s amazing that you can come here and be yourself and be around like-minded people,” she said. “It’s a great place to be.”
Nikki Fultz, executive director of Fort Wayne Pride, said that although this was the festival’s 25th anniversary, Pride events have been around for more than 50 years. The local event was Friday and Saturday and featured activities such as a vendor market, performers and a kids’ space.
The Pride March was supposed to return this year, the first time since 2019. Thunderstorms Saturday morning caused a cancellation, however. A Facebook post from Fort Wayne Pride said the festival would continue rain or shine.
The event expanded to both sides of Headwaters Park, which added a second entertainment stage and a nonprofit resource fair to the growing festival.
“There has been such a shift in 25 years,” Fultz said. “I don’t think anyone could have foreseen how far we would come. … Being able to bring thousands of people joy is one of the most important things Pride can do.”
Fultz said Friday that she expected more than 17,000 people at the festival both days.
Yvonne Sly, Cecilia Nyman and Olga Rasor are all part of Free Mom Hugs, an organization giving hugs and support to people who wouldn’t get support from their own families.
“Unfortunately, when a lot of people come out, their families aren’t supportive,” Sly said. “So, we want them to know that there are people who support them and give them the hugs and love they need. Everyone can use a hug sometimes.”
Sly and Nyman had both been part of Fort Wayne Pride before, but Rasor said this was her first year. Each of them said it’s important to look at the diversity in the community and to make sure everyone feels loved and supported.
Tyler Baumgart and Luc Larson are both from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and performed at Fort Wayne Pride Saturday. Baumgart is an alt-hip-pop musician and goes by TeawhYB, and Larson is his DJ.
“This is the type of environment we want to perform at,” Baumgart said. “This is the type of place we want to be, representing our people. … Representation matters.”
Larson said they did not get to see a lot of queer performers growing up.
“We’ve had people come up to us afterwards and talk about how much it means for them to see queer performers onstage,” they said.
The two travel to Pride festivals across the country, and each time they hear positive feedback from audiences. Larson said all their performances are high-energy, and Baumgart said their goal is to get everyone dancing.
This was Hayley Kruger’s first year at Pride, and although she said she isn’t a member of the LGBTQ community, it’s important for her to be an ally.
“I’ve had a lot of people in my life that have come out to me, and they’ve never done it for anybody else,” she said. “There was a transgender person at my school who got bullied a lot, and I was right by their side the whole time. It means a lot to me to be here today.”
Kruger said everyone she met at the festival was “so nice and so loving,” and she loved her experience.
“It’s very helpful when you feel like you’re in the dark about something,” she said. “You come here, and you’re like, ‘Wow.’ There’s just so many other people that I didn’t know about.” | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/fort-wayne-pride-returns-for-its-25th-year/article_7d3a3fb8-0abb-11ed-b169-cb8a0d34ffc8.html | 2022-07-25T05:03:44 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/fort-wayne-pride-returns-for-its-25th-year/article_7d3a3fb8-0abb-11ed-b169-cb8a0d34ffc8.html |
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Dr. John Crawford, former Fort Wayne councilman, has died
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The Dish: Cookie company to open store in Fort Wayne, bringing famed chocolate chip cookie with it | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/pets-of-the-week/article_da94187c-093b-11ed-a10d-674864247ca8.html | 2022-07-25T05:03:50 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/pets-of-the-week/article_da94187c-093b-11ed-a10d-674864247ca8.html |
Two adults and five children escaped a mid-morning house fire Sunday on the city’s south side.
The Fort Wayne Fire Department responded to 4405 Lillie St. about 10:45 a.m. Firefighters found heavy fire and smoke coming from the front of the one-story home, according to a news release.
The fire, which caused heavy damage, was burning in a bedroom, the kitchen, living room and attic, the release said. The structure also sustained heavy smoke and moderate water damage.
Crews brought the blaze under control 12 minutes after arrival, the release said. No injuries were reported.
Although officials were working to determine the exact cause of the fire, they believe it started in a bedroom, the release said.
The American Red Cross was called in to help the family.
2 in Williams crash flown to Parkview The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a two-vehicle crash Saturday night that sent two drivers to a Fort Wayne hospital with serious injuries, according to a news release.
Phillip Richmond, 26, of Montpelier, Ohio, was driving a 2010 Pontiac Vibe west on County Road H in Williams County about 7:15 p.m. Meanwhile, Bonnie Mills, 79, was driving a 2013 Nissan Sentra north on Ohio 49.
Richmond failed to yield the right of way at the intersection of County Road H and Ohio 49 and was struck by Mills, the release said. Both vehicles went off the west side of the road, law enforcement officials said.
Both drivers were taken by air ambulance to Parkview Hospital. Both were wearing a seat belt, according to the release.
Mills’ hometown was not included in the release. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/police-fire/2-adults-5-children-escape-house-fire-on-fort-waynes-south-side/article_b887cb94-0bab-11ed-9220-b3abc3e81f20.html | 2022-07-25T05:03:56 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/police-fire/2-adults-5-children-escape-house-fire-on-fort-waynes-south-side/article_b887cb94-0bab-11ed-9220-b3abc3e81f20.html |
Rainy-day workout
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Dr. John Crawford, former Fort Wayne councilman, has died
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Man found dead after northeast-side standoff; woman badly injured
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The Dish: Cookie company to open store in Fort Wayne, bringing famed chocolate chip cookie with it | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/rainy-day-workout/article_03850e40-0bbb-11ed-8a18-eb8d5c4b27dd.html | 2022-07-25T05:04:02 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/rainy-day-workout/article_03850e40-0bbb-11ed-8a18-eb8d5c4b27dd.html |
Fort Wayne high school students have a chance to win up to $500 by letting their voice be heard.
That voice would be expressed in a “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Why it Matters” essay contest sponsored by The Journal Gazette.
Ashley Sloboda, our education reporter, is taking the lead on a data-supported project that explores diversity, equity and inclusion discussions that have stirred culture and curriculum concerns, particularly in area K-12 districts that have grown more diverse in recent years. The project will also address academic achievement and related matters.
While we will be talking to educators, school leaders and parents, we believe the project will also benefit from the voice of students. That’s where our essay contest comes in.
We are inviting high school students in Fort Wayne to address, in 500 to 600 words, the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion. The essays should convey why they think it is important to feel a sense of belonging in the classroom and in extracurricular activities. They should also address what sort of efforts they see being taken or that could be taken to ensure a culture where all students are welcomed, valued and encouraged to succeed.
The deadline for typed essays to be emailed for judging is about a month away. Money for the first-, second- and third- place essay winners will be provided from The Journal Gazette through an Education Writers Association Reporting Fellowship Program.
First-place winner will receive $500; the second-place winner will receive $250; and third-place winner will receive $100.
The essay contest rules:
• Must be original work, submitted in English, with limited guidance from others. Information and quotes from other sources must be accurately attributed.
• Length is 500 to 600 words, typed.
• Content should address the need for and importance of being valued and accepted in local schools, including in classrooms and extracurricular activities. Students can express what they feel like when they are not accepted and can also provide specific examples. The essays should also include examples and/or suggestions for how teachers, other staff, and student peers can genuinely embrace inclusion.
• Essay submission is limited to one per student, and it must be included in the email.
• Essays should be emailed to jgnews@jg.net by 5 p.m. Aug. 24, 2022, and the email subject line should be “DEI Essay.”
The top of the entries must include:
• The full, legal name of the student submitting it.
• The student’s grade level as of August 2022 and school they are attending.
All entries become the property of The Journal Gazette, which will publish the winning essays in print and online. Excerpts or complete essays from other submissions may also be published. A photo of the top winners will be published.
Essays will be judged by experienced writers and editors. Winners will be notified in October. Submissions that do not meet the stated guidelines will be deemed ineligible.
Bluffton
Mike Murray• , a Bluffton-Harrison Metropolitan School District board member, was appointed to the Legislative Committee of the Indiana School Boards Association to help direct the development of the association’s advocacy agenda for 2023. Committee members convened July 15 for a daylong meeting to identify and discuss the annual legislative priorities and foundational statements. Their recommendations will be presented to the association’s delegate assembly for formal approval at the annual fall conference in October.
Concordia
Concordia Lutheran High School has named Matthew Konow, a 1991 alumnus, as its new chief advancement officer. He will start Aug. 1.
EACS
Megan Cripe• took over July 1 as principal of Southwick Elementary School. She most recently was the school’s assistant principal.
Grant
• Zimmer Biomet contributed $1.25 million to establish the Fellowship Education Improvement and Innovation grant, which is aimed at incentivizing fellowship programs to provide new and unique training opportunities. Zimmer Biomet partnered with the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons as the grant’s founding sponsor. Go to www.aahks.org/fellowship-grant-program for information, including how to apply and deadlines.
Indiana Tech
• Fifteen Parkview Health executives completed Indiana Tech’s Leveraging Engagement and Action in Diversity executive certificate program. The Parkview team began the program in late March, with the final class session taking place at the university’s corporate engagement center June 17. Students in the program complete a total of six class sessions in order to earn their certificate. It equips professionals with skills to lead and transform an organization’s culture, help managers and executives become more understanding, and lead and implement inclusive practices. Indiana Tech will begin the next session Sept. 15. Go to indianatech.edu/leadcertificate for information.
Manchester
Olan Griffiths• of Fort Wayne has been promoted to director of information technology services at Manchester University after working as interim director for two months.
Recognition
Kiddie Academy Educational Child Care recognized Amber Nunn• of Kiddie Academy of southwest Fort Wayne as the Teacher of the Year. The award was given at the brand’s 2022 annual conference to an educator who has exceeded standard performance in all areas associated with classroom instruction as well as child interactions, professional behavior and overall program quality.
Reunion
• The South Side High School Class of 1962 will hold its 60th reunion Aug. 20 at the History Center on Berry Street. Call Lane Grile Ross at 260-438-5710, Diane Fredrick McArdle at 260-402-6696 or Susie Hines Muncy at 260-615-0051 before Aug. 5 to register.
Saint Francis
Clifford Buttram• is the University of Saint Francis’ new division director for the Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership. He also continues in his role as graduate business instructor, graduate business instructor coordinator and Master of Business Administration program director.
Saint Francis will hold Blue and White Days from 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Thursday and Aug. 11. Incoming high school seniors and juniors and their families are invited to campus for an admissions presentation, tour, faculty presentation and lunch. Contact the USF Office of Admissions at 260-399-8000 or email admis@sf.edu for information.•
• Saint Francis adjunct faculty member Nicholas Messina• received the best conceptual paper award for “Millennials and the Motivation to Lead: Is a Transformational Leader a Catalyst or Barrier?” written by Tracy H. Porter, Michele L. Heath, Nicholas Messina and Scott C. Bible, at the Eastern Academy of Management 59th annual meeting.
Trine
Trine University promoted three staff and restructured its College of Graduate and Professional Studies, home to TrineOnline, to accommodate growth in online courses and programs. Brittni Heiden is now the executive director of academic operations for TrineOnline; Joshua Pranger is the senior academic director; and Anuja Shukla is director of advising and student success.
Students and parents who have a favorite teacher can nominate the individual for Teacher Honor Roll. Send nominations to The Journal Gazette, 600 W. Main St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802; fax 461-8893 or email asloboda@jg.net.
To submit an item, send a typed release from the school or organization to Education Notebook, The Journal Gazette, 600 W. Main St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802; fax 461-8893 or email asloboda@jg.net at least two weeks before the desired publication date. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/schools/diversity-equity-inclusion-essay-contest-to-award-500-for-first-place/article_dd7e141e-0712-11ed-b03b-d3073d637703.html | 2022-07-25T05:04:09 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/schools/diversity-equity-inclusion-essay-contest-to-award-500-for-first-place/article_dd7e141e-0712-11ed-b03b-d3073d637703.html |
Police seek help to ID suspect in fatal shooting at Detroit gas station
Detroit police are asking for the public's help to identify a suspect in a fatal shooting at a Sunoco gas station on Sunday afternoon
The shooting occurred at about 1:50 p.m. at the station, a Project Green Light business located in the 20600 block of West Seven Mile Road in Detroit.
Police posted a photo of a man wearing a neon-yellow T-shirt and construction-type vest, black pants and Nike gym shoes, and an orange cap. His face was hidden by a dark-colored bandana-type scarf.
The photo was taken by a Project Green Light camera, which captured images of the shooting victim and the man running away.
Detroit police Cpl. Dan Donakowski said details were not yet available about the victim's identity or a motive for the shooting.
An investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to call (313) 596-2260 or 1-800-SPEAK-UP. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2022/07/24/suspect-fatal-shooting-detroit-gas-station/10140633002/ | 2022-07-25T05:09:22 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2022/07/24/suspect-fatal-shooting-detroit-gas-station/10140633002/ |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — As more people have headed to open houses to browse for their potential home, real estate agents have been making sure they aren't setting themselves up for danger.
Realtors have begun to see a shift in the market.
Kaye Chambers, with Keller Williams Realty mentioned how the shift in the housing market has been, in part, due to the interest rate hike.
"Houses are staying on the market just a little bit more," Chambers said.
Although that hasn't stopped future homebuyers from stopping by.
"It's definitely more people than last summer,' Chambers described.
Asides from showing off homes that are currently on the market, she also makes sure that she can stay out of harm's way.
"Safety is a huge factor and what we do as real estate agents," Chambers said.
One of the first things Chambers said her company teaches them about, is what safety precautions the agents should take.
"Making sure that you get everyone to sign in, making sure that you know where all your exits are [and] that you don't have any open windows," Chambers explained.
Ericka Day, a realtor with Crye-Leike Realtors mentioned how she created a buddy system.
"I will bring someone with me, whether it's another realtor, my husband, or my brother, I will always let somebody know I'm there," Day said.
She even goes a step further and sees if people who live in the neighborhood are able to help.
"I might go to the neighbor's door and be like, you know, I'm hosting an open house here tomorrow. Can you kind of pay attention [and] keep an eye on me," Day said.
Staying safe isn't just a priority for her, but also for her company. They meet weekly to remind fellow realtors what precautions they should take.
Fortunately, both real estate agents said that they've never been in any danger while on the job.
"Always follow your instinct [and] your gut feeling. If your gut feeling tells you that ain't right, it ain't right," Day said.
Their safety is thanks to some careful training from their respective companies.
"We're making it much harder for people to consider doing anything that might be something that could harm us," Chambers said.
Back in 2014, real estate agent, Beverly Carter was kidnapped at a house showing and murdered by a man and a woman, since then The Beverly Carter Foundation was created.
You can check out the foundation's website for tips and tricks on how realtors can stay safe here. | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/arkansas-realtors-stay-safe-showing-homes/91-d5b667a7-9c73-4503-a37e-d12ca85ab6d9 | 2022-07-25T05:21:43 | 1 | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/arkansas-realtors-stay-safe-showing-homes/91-d5b667a7-9c73-4503-a37e-d12ca85ab6d9 |
NEDERLAND, Texas — Doctors believe a Nederland man is lucky to be alive after a freak accident turned into a near death experience.
Michael Richard is being described as a walking miracle after a fall left him with a 24-inch piece of metal sticking through his neck and head.
The incident happened on Wednesday. Richard was painting the roof of a home when he lost his footing and fell.
"Next thing I know is I'm on the ground, and I try to stand up, and I can't stand up,” Richard said
Richard landed on a piece of rebar that was sticking out from the ground. The metal impaled him in the neck and went through his head.
"Stuff like this doesn't happen very often, and it usually doesn't have a good outcome,” Richard said.
Richard feels that if not for the quick actions of the first responders who arrived at the scene, he might not have made it.
Nederland firefighters and an Acadian ambulance crew tended to Richard on the scene. Emergency crews had to use a bolt cutter to cut the rebar that was still stuck in the ground.
Richard was then loaded onto a stretcher and taken to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, where he went straight into surgery.
"Within an hour, I was out of surgery and in recovery,” Richard said.
Paramedic Ashley Thomason treated Richard on the way to the hospital.
"We can train for this all day long,” Thomason said. “This is like almost 20 years for me, and I've never seen anything like this, and I probably never will again."
Thomason feels that in a situation like Richard's, every second matters.
"The biggest thing was keeping him calm, stabilizing his neck and just getting him to the closest trauma center, so they could take over from there, and that's what we did,” Thomason said.
Doctors said the incident could have been worse.
"It was just millimeters from hitting the voice box,” Richard said. “I mean your spinal cord, your carotid arteries, just there's so much stuff that could've gone wrong. It didn't even penetrate my skull."
Richard is thanking those involved for saving his life.
“From the doctors and nurses, to the EMT techs, to the Nederland fire and rescue, that's all I saw was nothing but professionalism and people being as cool as a cucumber,” Richard said. “Doing what they had to do to try and make a situation better and not make it worse.”
Richard feels lucky to be alive. His injury has given him a new perspective on life.
"Life's short, you know, you need to tell people that you love them all the time, that you love them every day," Richard said.
The Nederland man believes God had his hands on him and the first responders who saved his life.
"All the time God is good," Richard said.
Richard has been painting for more than 30 years prior to Wednesday's incident. He had just gone back to work after having a double hernia surgery and will now have to go back into recovery.
While he recovers, Richard will not be able to work. His family set up a GoFundMe for anyone who would like to help.
Nederland man feels lucky to be alive after fall leaves metal rod impaled through his neck, head
Also on 12NewsNow.com ... | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/nederland-man-feels-lucky-to-be-alive-after-fall-leaves-metal-rod-impaled-through-his-neck-head/502-a7a4affd-d872-482c-9fb6-3b169c7271df | 2022-07-25T05:21:53 | 1 | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/nederland-man-feels-lucky-to-be-alive-after-fall-leaves-metal-rod-impaled-through-his-neck-head/502-a7a4affd-d872-482c-9fb6-3b169c7271df |
Brevard Charter Review Commission gives affordable housing fund proposal one last chance
After months of negotiations and meetings, the proposal codifying an affordable housing trust fund in the Brevard County Charter remains elusive for its supporters.
Committee member Jordin Chandler requested, and received, permission from the Charter Review Commission Thursday to table his amendment for another meeting to address some of the ongoing concerns his colleagues have with the measure’s language.
“I believe that you deserve that right, if you want to change something,” said commission member Sue Schmitt, who seconded the motion to table it.
Members of the commission have criticized its utility, questioning if it would have any measurable impact for addressing the area’s affordable housing problem. Brevard already has a fund dedicated to affordable housing, but it lacks funding.
Others quibbled over the proposal’s wording in specific sections, saying it's not clear if the proposal requires the county commissioners to allocate affordable housing funds, or if it merely leaves it to their discretion. Members wanted to rework it so that there was no ambiguity as to the amendment’s directive.
Previously:Brevard County Charter Review Commission unlikely to back affordable housing trust fund
Sensing the commission’s concerns, Chandler pulled the measure to give himself yet another chance to finalize what has become his legacy during his time on the commission.
Tabling the matter sets up a potential dramatic showdown for the next, and final, commission meeting, when members will either vote to move it forward or decline to address an issue that has become a growing concern in the community.
Chandler introduced the measure back in May to create “a continuing, non-lapsing fund for the Brevard County Commission to use to address the need for affordable housing within Brevard County.”
How would the proposal source money?
According to the original proposal, money for the trust fund can come from several sources, including through the budget process whereby commissioners can allocate money to the fund annually from the budget. Funds may also come from private individuals and organizations who want to contribute, or fees and payments because of commercial and residential development.
Developers can then apply to use the money to build affordable housing units for residents.
There is also a stipulation that any unspent money, or principal and interest payments from loans, remain with the trust fund and not be transferred to another government entity or account.
By the way:Brevard County takes a step towards combatting homelessness
Earlier:You can weigh in on Brevard County affordable housing plan
Some on the commission were against the proposal from its inception. Among them is Public Defender Blaise Trettis who questioned whether the amendment was even necessary because a trust fund already exists for commissioners to adequately fund — they just have not done it.
The amendment would have an impact only if the proposal included a dedicated funding source.
“I am not seeing a dedicated source of money to this trust fund,” Trettis said.
Commission member Vic Luebker expressed concerns back in the June meeting about unspent money remaining in the fund even though it may have come from the general fund. He also had concerns with using money from impact fees for the trust fund.
He said later however that, “I have concerns about how the proposal is funded, but I am open to it with the appropriate funding mechanisms.”
Taking in the feedback, and sensing the measure’s potential defeat, Chandler made an impassioned plea when, once again, introducing the proposal.
“I believe that I would simply be derelict in my duty to see there is an issue, to know there is an issue, and to not even address the issue,” Chandler said.
He spoke of his childhood living in difficult neighborhoods and his godmother who raised him, along with the people who this measure will help.
“The first responder who puts his life on the line each and every single day but can’t even afford to live in the community he has been called to protect and serve,” Chandler added.
Chandler addressed his concerns and others on the commission, but with the explicit tradeoff of reworking the language so that the proposal is a shadow of the original.
The current version strips the fund of all its sources of cash except for proceeds from the sale of surplus property and “other sources as established by ordinance.”
That created another reason for Trettis to oppose the measure.
“The problem I am having is there needs to be some real money that this would go towards solving a very big problem, and I personally just don’t consider less than $60,000 per year enough money to justify a vote for the proposal,” he said. “I don’t like the virtue signal, ‘vote for something simply because I want to prove I am a good person, or I am compassionate.’ It gets down to the realities of what is before us.”
Chandler's modifications however, managed to sway Commission Chair Mike Haridopolos and, Luebker.
“You are not asking us here to solve this problem,” Luebker said. “You are asking us to give the county commissioners another arrow in their quiver to tackle this problem and allow the voters to decide. That is all you are doing.”
With such a limited pool of funds however, the question is whether this proposal provides any help for those who need affordable housing.
“It is not just the money, it is establishing and ongoing dialogue the community commits to every year to look at the problem for this year and what can we do about it,” said Robert Cramp, the executive director of Housing for Homeless. “That is what is for.”
More coverage:Brevard County Commissioners defend decision to skip church event on local housing crisis
And:Brevard Justice Ministry still wants county's help on housing crisis
Affordable housing problems are growing concern
The problems of affordable housing are a growing concern in the area. The Brevard Justice Ministry, a group comprised of different religious leaders and nonprofits, have urged the county to establish a housing trust fund.
Kirsten Patchett, head of human resources for Embraer spoke during public comment about the problems the company is having recruiting people to the area because of the high cost of housing.
Chandler will have one more chance to convince enough members his measure is worth it to follow through.
Ralph Chapoco is government and politics watchdog reporter. You can reach Chapoco at rchapoco@floridatoday.com and follow him on Twitter @rchapoco. | https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2022/07/24/brevard-charter-review-board-gives-affordable-housing-fund-last-chance/10128594002/ | 2022-07-25T05:42:22 | 1 | https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2022/07/24/brevard-charter-review-board-gives-affordable-housing-fund-last-chance/10128594002/ |
GOODING — A Memorial service will be held on Friday, July 29, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at Demaray Funeral Service–Gooding Chapel. Inurnment will take place on a later date at the Idaho State Veteran’s Cemetery.
Barbara Reed
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accounts, the history behind an article. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/funeral-notices/barbara-reed/article_3859b22d-2ba8-5936-850a-1f0eb85366a0.html | 2022-07-25T05:54:50 | 1 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/funeral-notices/barbara-reed/article_3859b22d-2ba8-5936-850a-1f0eb85366a0.html |
Marianne M Gora nee Fadlevic
Sept. 24, 1929 - July 19, 2022
CANON CITY, CO - Marianne Gora passed away peacefully at home on July 19, 2022. She was born September 24, 1929 in Gary, Indiana where she was a member of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church.
Please view full obituary online at Harwoodfunerals.com | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/marianne-m-gora-nee-fadlevic/article_d08bb3db-31a8-5c20-959e-db3193ccf356.html | 2022-07-25T06:06:55 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/marianne-m-gora-nee-fadlevic/article_d08bb3db-31a8-5c20-959e-db3193ccf356.html |
SAN ANTONIO — It's been eleven years since Pauline Diaz went missing.
On Sunday, her family celebrated what would've been her 76th birthday in the same parking lot she was last seen alive on December 7, 2010. Diaz had just finished working her shift at H-E-B off southeast Military Drive and Goliad Road. Her daughter Juanita said she worked in the tortilleria.
"She loved her job. She valued her job," said Juanita Diaz.
The Wilson County Sheriff's Office later found Pauline's truck near her home. Her estranged husband was named an person of interest in her disappearance but no arrests have been made. To date, Pauline hasn't been found.
Juanita said her case was later handed over to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office to investigate. She emails detectives monthly for updates.
Late Sunday, a BCSO officer told KENS 5, 'The investigation into Pauline Diaz’ disappearance remains ongoing and is an open case with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office'.
"I know someone out there, a handful of people know, what happened to her," said her daughter.
That's why the family continues hosting public celebrations on her birthday. Throughout the year, Juanita said the family will post flyers of the missing woman and advertise a $25,000 reward for tips leading to information. Tips can be anonymous.
"Just let us know where Pauline is at. Give us our answers and let us find her!"
Any lead or tip members of our community may have regarding the whereabouts of Pauline Diaz are urged to email BCSOTIPS@bexar.org. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/missing-11-years-family-of-pauline-diaz-birthday-san-antonio-heb/273-f6684102-2c8f-4a09-8b75-8730555d7ef1 | 2022-07-25T06:11:26 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/missing-11-years-family-of-pauline-diaz-birthday-san-antonio-heb/273-f6684102-2c8f-4a09-8b75-8730555d7ef1 |
DELAWARE WATER GAP, Pa. — The body of a teenage boy was recovered from the Delaware River Sunday afternoon.
According to officials, the boy was swimming at a small picnic area along the river on the NJ side of the park when family members saw him go under the water.
Shortly after, the boy's body was recovered with the help of members of the National Park Service dive team.
Officials say this is the second drowning this year, and neither of the victims was wearing a life jacket.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/body-recovered-from-delaware-river-delaware-water-gap-national-recreation-area-swimming-drowning/523-80ceaf7f-f049-4715-bb8b-d83d41cb785b | 2022-07-25T06:20:57 | 1 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/body-recovered-from-delaware-river-delaware-water-gap-national-recreation-area-swimming-drowning/523-80ceaf7f-f049-4715-bb8b-d83d41cb785b |
SCOTT TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Lakeland Orchard and Cidery in Scott Township was the spot for summer fun on Sunday.
From rides to ax throwing, there were attractions for the whole family to enjoy.
Summer fest also highlighted local bands, wineries and breweries.
But what made this annual event different from years past was their lumberjack shows put on by the traveling group Timberworks.
"It gives people a glimpse back to the past, and you know a lot of people have never seen this stuff before, so it's really cool to take it all over the country and educate people on how this sort of thing used to work," said Nick Hastedt, traveling lumberjack.
Timberworks puts on lumberjack shows across 48 states and hopes to come back for next year's summer fest in Lackawanna County.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/lumberjack-show-at-summer-fest-in-lackawanna-county-timberworks-scott-township-lakeland-orchard-and-cidery-nick-hastedt/523-c01c0b2a-d3f8-4860-9a1c-f329173a9e51 | 2022-07-25T06:21:07 | 0 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/lumberjack-show-at-summer-fest-in-lackawanna-county-timberworks-scott-township-lakeland-orchard-and-cidery-nick-hastedt/523-c01c0b2a-d3f8-4860-9a1c-f329173a9e51 |
EXETER, Pa. — During the spring and summer, you might see many motorcycles on the road.
And on Sunday, a church in Luzerne County held a service to bless some of those motorcycles and their riders.
After the service at Slocum Chapel in Exeter, riders had lunch with live music and then went on a 45-mile motorcycle ride. There was also a nitro motorcycle demonstration.
Nitro bikes are motorcycles that are used for drag racing.
"I know, if we're going to have good weather, we're going to get a lot of bikes. But you know, the biker community is a big community, and it's getting larger as it goes so, so we really are so blessed to be able to do this," said Guy Giordano, Pastor at Slocum Chapel.
"I think this is our sixth or seventh year. There's so much community here. It's such an old historic church, and it's so close to home. So to be able to come up and share about our Lord and Savior Jesus and our 220-mile-an-hour nitro bike, it all kind of comes together here on biker Sunday," said Rich Vreeland, Vreeland's Harley-Davidson.
The blessing and picnic were free for everyone in Luzerne County.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/a-blessing-of-the-bikes-in-luzerne-county-slocum-chapel-exeter-guy-giordano-rich-vreeland-harley-davidson/523-7dc66454-81d4-4de3-af61-e400353d5ed0 | 2022-07-25T06:21:16 | 1 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/a-blessing-of-the-bikes-in-luzerne-county-slocum-chapel-exeter-guy-giordano-rich-vreeland-harley-davidson/523-7dc66454-81d4-4de3-af61-e400353d5ed0 |
PLYMOUTH, Pa. — There was a heavy police response at a home in Plymouth earlier this evening.
Newswatch 16 was on scene on New Street in the borough where state police say they were assisting Plymouth Police with a situation.
A SWAT team did respond, and a man was taken out of the residence and into custody just before 9 p.m.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/heavy-police-presence-in-luzerne-county-new-street-plymouth-borough-police-custody/523-8792e460-1945-48df-84bc-7e96cc7a4452 | 2022-07-25T06:21:34 | 1 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/heavy-police-presence-in-luzerne-county-new-street-plymouth-borough-police-custody/523-8792e460-1945-48df-84bc-7e96cc7a4452 |
PHOENIX — All over the Valley, a growing number of "for sale" signs signal a change in the housing market.
According to data from the Cromford Report, there is a 156% increase in the number of homes on the market compared to last year.
According to RE/MAX, Phoenix saw the largest increase in the number of homes for sale this year.
"That is something we have not seen in a very long time," said Tina Tamboer, a senior housing analyst with the Cromford Report.
The increase in available homes is the most the Valley has seen since before the Great Recession.
"We are in a market that seems to be balancing out," Jeremy Fierstein, a real estate agent with West USA Realty, said.
Fierstein said the changes seemed to happen suddenly after the Federal Reserve began to raise interest rates.
RELATED: Home sales fall again while prices keep climbing
Earlier this year, multiple offers and bidding wars over available homes were relatively common. Fierstein indicated that is changing as more homes have rushed onto the market.
"Everyone is trying to get in and cash in on the end of the seller's market," Fierstein said.
“Once interest rates got over five percent, that’s when we saw a very rapid increase in supply,” Tamboer said. “It’s so unusual. I have not seen it in my career. And I've been following the market since 1993.”
According to Tamboer, most of the homes on the market do not belong to your traditional family. Instead, the majority are either new construction or owned by companies like Opendoor and Offerpad.
"I would say most of the inventory we are seeing is coming from an investor base," Tamboer said.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR HOUSING PRICES?
Housing prices will likely flatten or see a slight decline in the near future.
According to the Cromford Report, the median home price dropped from $480,000 in May to $460,000. However, Tamboer said median price drops are normal during the summer in Arizona because of a slow down in the luxury market.
The days of the average home getting multiple offers over list price are likely gone for now. Instead, experts say it will be more of a return to the pre-pandemic housing market.
"It’s really important for buyers to understand that the market has changed so quickly they need to shift their mindset as well."
Tamboer said. "The people who realize the market has shifted first will be the ones who win."
ARE WE IN A BUYER'S MARKET?
No, we still have a long way to go.
While the inventory has increased rapidly, Tamboer said we are not back to what is considered a "balanced" market supply.
According to MLS, Arizona has just over 16,000 homes listed. Tamboer said "balanced" is somewhere over 20,000. For comparison, during the height of the great recession, Tamboer said there were around 57,000 homes listed on MLS.
Up to Speed
Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. Subscribe today. | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/homes-listings-in-phoenix/75-018b019f-4e61-4843-b379-1d60267e83c9 | 2022-07-25T06:28:08 | 0 | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/valley/homes-listings-in-phoenix/75-018b019f-4e61-4843-b379-1d60267e83c9 |
North Dakota has joined other states in using the three-digit number 988 to connect people who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis to trained crisis counselors.
The nationwide mental health crisis hotline is designed to be easy to remember, like 911 for emergencies. Firstlink is the centralized call center that will answer 988 calls in North Dakota, according to the state Health Department's Behavioral Health Division.
People are encouraged to call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if they are having thoughts of suicide, a mental health or substance use crisis or other emotional distress, or if they have concerns for a loved one who might need crisis support. An online chat feature also is available, at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/. | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/health/988-mental-health-hotline-active-in-north-dakota/article_05f2cd70-0a08-11ed-ab80-e3c510515eab.html | 2022-07-25T06:54:02 | 1 | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/health/988-mental-health-hotline-active-in-north-dakota/article_05f2cd70-0a08-11ed-ab80-e3c510515eab.html |
River Road between Keelboat Park/Riverboat Landing and Fraine Barracks Road in Bismarck will be closed to traffic beginning at 8 a.m. Tuesday for road construction work.
The closure will be in place through the end of the day Friday. The Riverboat Landing and boat ramp will be accessible from the north, as will Pioneer Park, according to the city.
No detour routes will be provided. Motorists are asked to use alternate routes.
Meanwhile, Washington Street on Tuesday and Wednesday will be reduced to one lane northbound from 200 feet south of Broadway Avenue to 200 feet north of Broadway, for concrete work. Access to area businesses will be maintained. | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/portion-of-river-road-to-be-closed-this-week/article_5bdbf254-09ca-11ed-a239-cfc9a55f8965.html | 2022-07-25T06:54:08 | 0 | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/portion-of-river-road-to-be-closed-this-week/article_5bdbf254-09ca-11ed-a239-cfc9a55f8965.html |
AUSTIN, Texas — Improvements at major intersections in have resulted in fewer serious crashes, according to the Austin Transportation Department.
The improvements are part of the Vision Zero program, which has the goal of eliminating serious injuries and fatalities on Austin roads.
"One of the main focuses on Vision Zero is going back and redesigning our streets to be in alignment with things we know to be safe, and that can reduce crashes," Vision Zero Program Manager Joel Meyer said.
Through funding from the City budget and the 2016, 2018, and 2020 Mobility Bonds, Austin Transportation has worked on dozens of crash intersections. Since 2016, the department has completed work at 19 major intersections.
Early data in a new Vision Zero Analytics report show that at 13 intersections, there was a 31% reduction in crashes resulting in serious injury or death.
"Oftentimes when we look at these statistics, we sort of forget that these are real people involved in crashes. They're our family or friends or our neighbors that are really impacted by these severe crashes. And so when we see numbers and we see the reductions that we're seeing, we know that that's really making an impact on people's lives in our community," Meyer said.
Meyer said other benefits of the improvements are reduced traffic congestion for drivers caused by crashes and fewer public safety resources needed to respond.
"Reducing the potential for conflicts will over time reduce crashes and will reduce injuries, and so we're happy to see that reflected in the data," Meyer said.
Four more projects are scheduled to start construction before the end of 2022.
You can learn more about completed and planned work on the Transportation Safety Improvement Program web page.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/changes-major-intersections-fewer-crashes-austin/269-498bff78-d9d1-43c9-bb59-46ee6deabd04 | 2022-07-25T06:58:36 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/changes-major-intersections-fewer-crashes-austin/269-498bff78-d9d1-43c9-bb59-46ee6deabd04 |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A man who was underwater for more than three minutes was taken to the hospital in unknown condition.
The Sacramento Fire Department described the man as possibly being in his 40s. He was pulled from the American River near Camp Pollock by bystanders who then tried to perform CPR on him.
The man was taken to the hospital by firefighters, but his condition isn't known at this time.
WATCH ALSO: | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/man-hospitalized-american-river/103-ff8145ee-b2dd-402a-9ff0-5460fc2a0b26 | 2022-07-25T07:02:56 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/man-hospitalized-american-river/103-ff8145ee-b2dd-402a-9ff0-5460fc2a0b26 |
TUOLUMNE COUNTY, Calif. — One man was killed in a deadly accident along Highway 108 in Tuolumne County Sunday evening.
The California Highway Patrol said the crash was reported just after 5 p.m. Sgt. Adam Croxton said a 2002 Mitsubishi Mirage was heading west when it crossed over the highway's double yellow lines and hit a 2006 Lexus ES 330.
Sgt. Croxton said the Lexus' driver, a 72-year-old man, was left with major injuries, but the Mitsubishi driver, only described as a man, died from his injuries. He added that the Mitsubishi driver was not wearing a seatbelt when the crash happened.
The Mitsubishi driver has not been identified at this time.
WATCH ALSO: | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/tuolumne-county-deadly-accident/103-07e0b16d-b7f7-4152-bf22-4d0579e44111 | 2022-07-25T07:03:02 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/tuolumne-county-deadly-accident/103-07e0b16d-b7f7-4152-bf22-4d0579e44111 |
ROCHESTER, Minn.-The Med City's First Unitarian Universalist Church cancelled service on Sunday after it suffered damage from a huge tree.
The tree was blown over during the height of Saturday's storms when a tornado warning was issued, according to the Kim Reid, who is the board president for the church.
Reid said workers were cleaning up a classroom inside the educational wing of the historic building when a tree slammed into the roof.
The impact snapped the tree in two and left damage to the roof of the educational portion of the building, as well as the small courtyard that used to be the church's main entrance, according to Reid.
Reid said fortunately no one was hurt and aside from water damage in the church's classrooms, there does not appear to be any major structural damage to the building, which she said is in part to its unique design.
"The slates or tiles on the building are concrete and they were specially designed for this building and they extremely strong and right now we think there is no structural damage to the building at all and we are really fortunate with that and really fortunate that no one was injured," Reid said.
Reid said it will likely take a crane to remove the downed tree, with work expected to begin Monday.
Reid said services should be back in service by Sunday. | https://www.kimt.com/news/local/saturdays-storms-blow-over-giant-tree-onto-first-unitarian-universalist-church/article_73beb1d6-0bc8-11ed-a766-afa7ec458f63.html | 2022-07-25T07:46:33 | 1 | https://www.kimt.com/news/local/saturdays-storms-blow-over-giant-tree-onto-first-unitarian-universalist-church/article_73beb1d6-0bc8-11ed-a766-afa7ec458f63.html |
PORTLAND, Ore. — Saturday evening, Angie Williamson finished a marathon swim on the Willamette River that was more than a year in the making.
Williamson swam 25 miles in the Willamette River, an effort that took about 14 hours.
Williamson got into the water at 5:30 a.m. at Clackamette Park, where the Willamette and Clackamas rivers meet. She swam north, finally finishing a little after 7 p.m, at Kelley Point, the confluence of the Willamette and the Columbia rivers.
She's swum the route once before. But this time she partnered with three nonprofits that embrace the Willamette: the Human Access Project, Black Swimming Initiative and Willamette Riverkeeper.
And this time, she did it by the book, using Marathon Swimmers Federation guidelines.
"it was a good day all around,” Williamson told KGW right after she finished. “I had an amazing crew of friends all around me making sure I had enough to eat and didn't get run over by boats, so that's a plus."
Her goal was to promote safe and clean river access for all Portlanders. “It takes a village to nurture safe swimmers, a clean river, and public access to that river -- that's why she's dedicating her swim to a trio of nonprofits that work on those causes,” said a news release promoting the effort.
"I like a challenge, but I also love the Willamette," she said. "It's an incredible river in that it runs through so many communities."
Williamson trained all winter for this moment, swimming up to 40,000 yards a week to prepare.
She completed a trial run of the swim in summer 2021. She describes the trial on her blog, www.angieswims.com, as her first ever marathon swim.
But that time, she used a safety buoy, and she swam parts of the route with groups. Those disqualify a swim as a “marathon” under the rules of the Marathon Swimming Federation.
This year, she completed the challenge by the book. She had observers and the whole swim was documented.
This way, the swim counts as a qualifying swim for other high-profile ultramarathon swims she could attempt in the future, such as crossing the English Channel.
She also raised money and awareness, with donors encouraged to visit and give at www.lowerwillametteswim.com.
The three organizations she promoted are all close to her heart.
Williamson has volunteered at Black Swimming Initiative swim clinics since 2020 and serves as the group’s outreach and development coordinator. The organization supports water safety and swim classes for Black athletes of all backgrounds, abilities and lifestyles.
Human Access Project is a grassroots advocacy group dedicated to helping people recreate on the Willamette. Williamson first swam with their River Huggers swim group in 2017.
Last but not least, Willamette Riverkeeper does work to protect and restore the river she loves.
Williamson said she goes to a "special place" when she does a marathon swim.
In the end, a tired Williamson arrived at a special place too, greeted by friends and even some strangers spending a day in Kelley Point Park.
For her, it was mission accomplished.
"it was a great day," she said. "I don't think you could ask for more in your back yard." | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/25-mile-marathon-swim-willamette-river/283-86fd62ae-c67d-4833-86cd-d5eef5056add | 2022-07-25T08:07:50 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/25-mile-marathon-swim-willamette-river/283-86fd62ae-c67d-4833-86cd-d5eef5056add |
Fan favorites are returning and new sights are coming to the CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show this weekend at the Dayton International Airport.
Closing out each day’s aerial performance will be the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flight demonstration team in their new F/A-18 Super Hornets.
“This is the first year they’re flying that aircraft,” said air show spokesperson Sheila Wallace.
The air show will happen Saturday and Sunday at the airport.
Both days gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. The aerial show will take place from noon to 4:15 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The schedule is the same both days, except for a fly-by from a U.S. Air Force E-3 AWACS on Sunday only.
The U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team will lead off the show, and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels will end it, according to the official schedule.
In the air and on the ground spectators can see a variety of modern and historic airplanes and helicopters. The 2022 show will feature more aircraft on static display than in previous years, Wallace said.
“We have a B-52 bomber coming in,” she said.
Ground displays include many modern aircraft, plus a World War II-era Mitchell B-25 bomber and a DC-3 airliner from 1937.
Ten-minute rides on a Bell UH-1H Huey helicopter are available for $110, while 10-minute solo rides on a Bell AH-1F Cobra attack helicopter cost $625.
Among the flying demonstrations is “Tora! Tora! Tora!,” a re-creation of the attack on Pearl Harbor with replica Japanese planes and a “wall of fire” pyrotechnic show.
“Both days you will see that happening,” Wallace said.
Aerobatic flier Kevin Coleman performed years ago at the Dayton show as part of the “Stars of Tomorrow” program, Wallace said. Now he’s back on his own.
The show was cancelled in 2020, and a drizzly weekend in 2021 drew about 40,000 people, down roughly a third from some previous years.
For this year most specialty tickets are sold out, Wallace said. Some “family pack” and higher-priced individual pavilion seats were still available as of Friday; otherwise only general admission tickets remain.
There will be plenty of food and beverage vendors at the family event, and a full medical team available for any emergency needs, Wallace said. Full details are available at www.daytonairshow.com.
Wallace suggests attendees wear light-colored clothing, bring sunscreen and remember to stay hydrated.
How to go:
What: CenterPoint Energy Dayton Air Show
When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Aerial shows will take place noon to 4:15 p.m. both days. Aircraft displays on the ground are accessible open to close.
Where: Dayton International Airport, 3600 Terminal Drive.
Tickets: One-day tickets are available at www.daytonairshow.com, at Dayton and Cincinnati Kroger stores, or at the gate. For general admission, ages 5 and under get in free. Those ages 6-11 or 60 and above will pay $17 at Kroger, or $20 plus a $2 fee online or at the gate. Ages 12-59 will pay $22 at Kroger, or $30 plus a $2 fee online or at the gate.
Parking: Single-car parking passes bought online are $12 plus a $1.20 fee, and $15 at the gate. Passes for buses and RVs are $22 plus the fee. At the gate, only cash will be accepted for parking.
About the Author | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/dayton-air-show-what-will-you-see-this-weekend/LFCN3DYYDJCCXPWSMS3N443TEM/ | 2022-07-25T08:26:36 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/dayton-air-show-what-will-you-see-this-weekend/LFCN3DYYDJCCXPWSMS3N443TEM/ |
The city of Bismarck is seeking to fill an open position on the Parking Authority.
The volunteer position is open to any member of the community and is not subject to property ownership conditions. The position is to fulfill an unexpired term through December 2025.
Interested applicants should complete a form describing their qualifications, background and reasons for interest. The form is available at https://bit.ly/3D0XT5M. It also can be picked up at the Community Development Department in the City/County Office Building at 221 N. Fifth St., or by calling 701-355-1840.
Completed applications should be sent to: Ben Ehreth, AICP, Director, Community Development Department, P.O. Box 5503, Bismarck, ND 58506-5503. The deadline is Friday.
The Bismarck Parking Authority is a five-member advisory board appointed by the City Commission to oversee convenient, reasonably priced parking downtown. The authority manages four ramps and two surface lots. The group meets the second Thursday of every month at 9 a.m. in the Tom Baker Meeting Room in the City/County Office Building.
People are also reading…
The City Commission anticipates naming the new board member at its Aug. 23 meeting. | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/bismarck/bismarck-parking-authority-seeks-new-member/article_2641d78c-09e6-11ed-8324-1ff3fe8b3d0d.html | 2022-07-25T09:02:17 | 1 | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/bismarck/bismarck-parking-authority-seeks-new-member/article_2641d78c-09e6-11ed-8324-1ff3fe8b3d0d.html |
Lakewood Ranch centenarian to turn 105 on July 25; wife turned 100 this year, too
LAKEWOOD RANCH – Jack Wagner will turn 105 on Monday, July 25, while Leona, his wife of 36 years, recently turned 100.
The two centenarians live in The Sheridan at Lakewood Ranch but met in Palm-Aire, after Jack ultimately retired there in 1985, after a long career that included working in an engine parts factory during World War II; the family business, the Federal Lithograph Company; and as a paper salesman in the Midwest.
Leona, who spent 34 years working as an assistant for five Chicago mayors – including both Richard J. Daley and his son Richard M. Daley, as well as Jane Byrne, the first woman to be elected mayor of a major city in the United States – wasn’t looking to get married when they met.
Previously:Lakewood Ranch holds position as No. 2 selling master-planned community in mid-year rankings
And:Upcoming documentary looks at the life of Lakewood Ranch's Dick Vitale
Neither was Jack, but eventually love won and the couple moved to The Sheridan about three years ago.
“I was over 100 and I was trying to keep the house and drive my car and do the cooking and the shopping,” Jack said. “I just didn’t have the energy.”
Jack still manages his finances online, frequents Amazon for online purchases, and works out in a small gym at The Sheridan.
On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Jack boasted about how Leona – Lee, for short – the youngest of 10 children, worked her way up in the mayor’s office.
Three of Lee’s brothers became Catholic priests, two became doctors and two went into politics. Her sister became a nurse.
Lee was in her second year at DePaul University, when she had to take time off to care for her mother.
“Everyone in her family got a college education, which was very rare,” Jack said.
One of her brothers in politics urged her to work in the mayor’s office. Originally she was hired on a temporary basis, answering phones, but her responsibilities grew.
“She was so efficient that they wouldn’t let her go,” Jack said.
Lee countered that “some of the girls were married and had children and other responsibilities.”
Wisdom from the Great Depression
Jack Wagner was born in Erie, Pennsylvania. The family moved to Chicago, then New Rochelle, New York, and eventually Detroit, Michigan, when he was in fourth grade.
That’s where the family was when the 1929 stock market crash hit, followed by the Great Depression.
In 1932, his dad, Elmer F. Wagner, who was in the printing business, bought a home in Grosse Pointe once valued at $28,000 from a bank executive for only $13,500.
In that way Jack and his older brother Elmer A. Wagner learned a valuable lesson from their father.
“He said, 'If you save money, then you can name your price,'” Jack said. “I knew the best thing to do is to save your money – don’t try to keep up with the Joneses, live within your means.”
Henry Ford II was in Jack’s class at Grosse Pointe High School, but Jack said he got to know the younger brother, Benson Ford, better – and later in life both were members of the Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit..
Jack was 24 and working in advertising when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. He went job hunting and was hired at NA Woodworth Company in Ferndale, Michigan, which was building parts used in radial engines both for aircraft and tanks.
There were 238 people at the company when he started, and within a year-and-a-half the company grew to more than 5,000 people.
“A really big organization and I got a great education there, believe me,” Jack said “I worked 12 to 14 hours a day, seven days a week, for four years.
“I was so worn out, it would take me half a day to read a newspaper,” he added “I was so tired out I could hardly move.”
After the war, he went into sales for a subsidiary of NA Woodworth, selling gauges, but the market was too saturated in his territory of Wisconsin and Michigan.
Eventually his father called and said there was an opening for an office manager at the family business, Federal Lithograph Company, in Detroit.
It was one of five big lithograph companies in the city. He worked for the company for 12 years, until his father sold the company. Both his father and older brother moved to Sarasota and established the Sarasota Printing and Lithograph Company.
Jack worked on getting a job for a paper company in the Midwest and eventually was hired on by the Champion Paper Company in Chicago and worked for a childhood friend from Erie.
On one of Jack’s visits to his family in Sarasota, they set him up with Shirley Johnson, who would become his first wife in 1947.
They married, had two boys and moved to Peoria, Illinois.
He eventually moved on to the Forest-Atwood Paper Company in Elk Grove, Illinois.
A passion for sailing
When he worked at NA Woodworth, Jack became friendly with one of the executives, joined the Bay View Yacht Club and bought his first sailboat, but it was too slow.
He developed a passion for sailing and raced in 33 Chicago and Port Huron Mackinac races.
The highlight of his career was being part of a crew that won the overall cruising class of the 1962 Bayview-Mackinac race.
“I loved that sport better than any other sport I’ve been in,” said Jack, who also played golf and tennis.
He also developed an affinity for creating wooden model ships.
One model of the HMS Victory, he donated to the St. Petersburg Yacht Club.
Another, of the USS Confederacy – a Revolutionary War era Frigate – he displays in a case in the recreation room at The Sheridan.
Sailing is still a passion.
Shortly after Jack and Lee married, they went to Michigan for the 50-year class reunion for Grosse Pointe High School.
The celebration was hosted at the Bayview Yacht Club.
When Lee hadn’t returned from a trip to the ladies room, Jack went to find his wife.
Lee, 63 at the time, was surrounded by five young men.
“They had just won the Canada Cup, they raced sailboats,” Jack said.
The champion sailors had the cup with them, filled with Stingers – a cocktail made of creme de menthe and brandy – urging people to dip a glass in the cup for a drink.
“I was teaching them the songs that we sang,” Lee said. “Sing for me a sweet melody called doodle-e-doo, doodle-e-doo.”
Earle Kimel primarily covers south Sarasota County for the Herald-Tribune and can be reached at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription to the Herald-Tribune. | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/2022/07/25/lakewood-ranch-man-turns-105-his-bride-100/7683387001/ | 2022-07-25T09:18:50 | 0 | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/2022/07/25/lakewood-ranch-man-turns-105-his-bride-100/7683387001/ |
A fourth COVID-19 vaccine, produced by Maryland-based Novavax, will arrive in Virginia in mid-August, the Virginia Department of Health announced, giving adults another option for immunization.
But studies suggest that most people who are unvaccinated have no intention of getting a shot.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave its approval of Novavax on July 19, and the federal government has purchased 3.2 million doses of the two-shot series. It allocated 20,800 doses for Virginia.
Novavax, already authorized in more than 35 countries, is not available as a booster or third dose. It’s not available for children, either.
In trials, Novavax was 90% effective against lab-confirmed, symptomatic infection and 100% effective against moderate and severe disease. But it wasn’t tested against the more transmissible omicron variant, which rewrote experts’ understanding of what COVID-19 vaccines can and can’t do.
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Novavax says its shot could generate an immune response to omicron, but scientists are still studying.
Unlike the other three vaccines, Novavax contains a small amount of the COVID spike protein, which elicits an immune response, and an adjuvant, which boosts the immune response.
Other protein-based vaccines have been used widely for decades, as opposed to the mRNA technology of Pfizer and Moderna, which is relatively new. Vaccines to prevent hepatitis B and whooping cough are also protein-based.
Side effects include site tenderness, fatigue, headaches and muscle pain, similar to other vaccines.
The protection Novavax offers seemingly doesn’t drop off as quickly as Pfizer or Moderna, Dr. Wes Shepherd, a VCU Health pulmonologist, said in May. That gives the protein-based shot an advantage over the widely used mRNA vaccines. As Americans tire of repeated vaccinations, a longer-lasting shot could be of great importance.
In Virginia, 72% of the population is fully vaccinated — which is still defined as having two shots of Moderna or Pfizer and one of Johnson & Johnson. Experts say people with a booster shot are better protected. A study from the University of Virginia determined the immunity level from Pfizer dropped 40% over several months. Moderna’s level of immunity dropped slightly less.
Interest in new vaccinations has been low in recent months. According to a recent poll by Morning Consult, 20% of Americans are unwilling to be vaccinated against COVID, a number essentially unchanged over the past year.
It’s unclear if Novavax will do anything to change the minds of the vaccine hesitant.
For residents waiting for a vaccine based on a different technology than those available now, “we urge you to consider the two-dose Novavax COVID-19 vaccine,” state vaccination coordinator Christy Gray said. “Novavax is safe and effective and uses technology commonly used for decades.” | https://richmond.com/news/local/fourth-covid-vaccine-novavax-will-come-to-virginia-in-august/article_1c1f91a2-961b-5909-8308-27d8acff50de.html | 2022-07-25T09:50:25 | 1 | https://richmond.com/news/local/fourth-covid-vaccine-novavax-will-come-to-virginia-in-august/article_1c1f91a2-961b-5909-8308-27d8acff50de.html |
Finding and understanding the price of a medical procedure at Richmond-area hospitals can be a challenge, despite a new federal law that calls for hospitals to be transparent about their prices.
To locate the charge for basic procedures, such as CT scans, colonoscopies or mammograms, a customer must search spreadsheets with tens of thousands of lines or enter their health insurance information in hopes of receiving an individualized estimate.
But not every procedure is published, and even if a price is listed, hospitals often warn that they can’t guarantee the accuracy of their estimates because other charges might apply, making the final bill much different than the estimate.
At a time when an estimated 41% of the U.S. population has health care debt, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the federal government now requires hospitals to publish their prices. A Trump administration push required hospitals to publish their prices at the beginning of 2021, but according to analyses, compliance has been slow. Virginia passed its own law this year to spur hospitals toward transparency.
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This month, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association released a new tool that groups the price transparency webpages of the state’s hospitals in one spot. But that doesn’t mean finding prices for each hospital is easy.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch attempted to price shop at three local hospitals: Chippenham Hospital, operated by for-profit HCA Healthcare; St. Mary’s Hospital, operated by nonprofit Bon Secours Mercy Health; and Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, which is government-affiliated.
But roadblocks abounded. The listed price of a CT scan of the abdomen appeared to vary widely. Other procedures could be located easily on one hospital’s list, but are hard to identify on another. The price can vary widely based on insurance — or be reduced to zero in at least one instance. And the final bill for a procedure can grow substantially because of medicines prescribed, doctors’ fees or complications during the procedure.
Hospitals make it clear that the prices they post are nonguaranteed estimates that may differ from the actual price and usually don’t include the expected additional costs.
In other words, don’t bank on these estimates.
Federal government requirements
Hospitals across the U.S. have been required to post their prices since the beginning of 2021. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services mandates acute care hospitals post a machine-readable file with standard charges and either a “consumer-friendly” file listing at least 300 shoppable services or a price estimator tool.
Richmond’s three health systems have price estimator tools in which a patient plugs in his or her health insurance information and the name of the procedure. Then the website returns an estimated price based on the patient’s deductible, coinsurance and other information. Not included is how much the insurance company is actually paying the hospital.
Health care costs have risen in recent years, and a lack of transparency in pricing is a reason why, CMS said in its explanation of the law. Health care spending is expected to consume 20% of the economy by 2027.
Hospitals are typically required to publish a “gross charge,” which is the cost of a procedure before it’s been negotiated down with an insurer. It doesn’t necessarily include medicines administered or doctors’ fees, and it isn’t what an insured patient necessarily pays.
But publishing the gross charge is “necessary to promote price transparency and necessary to drive down premium and out-of-pocket costs for consumers of health care services,” CMS said.
Spokespeople for the three Richmond-area systems said their hospitals are in compliance with the federal law.
Virginia passed a law of its own, requiring hospitals to be in compliance by 2023 and directs the secretary of Health and Human Services to develop recommendations for administering the measure.
But according to analyses at a national level, compliance has been slow.
An analysis published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that as of last summer, only 6% of hospitals had both a machine-readable file and a list of shoppable services. Half of hospitals had neither.
A separate study, also published in JAMA, found that 68% of hospitals had published the negotiated prices specific to different insurers. That figure was 50 percentage points higher than earlier in 2021, indicating that hospitals were slowly catching up.
CMS can fine hospitals that don’t comply up to $300 per day, and members of the public can report hospitals that aren’t in compliance.
Price lists include 50,000-plus items
Each of the three Richmond-area systems displays on its website a massive machine-readable price list plus a personalized estimator tool.
The machine-readable file for St. Mary’s is a long list, but procedures can be found by searching. For example, a diagnostic mammography costs anywhere between $25 and $309 depending on insurance. A gross price isn’t clearly identified. AARP Medicare Complete, along with other Medicare providers, pay the lowest prices. The cost for self-paying customers is $233. St. Mary’s charges Cigna the highest rate. Medicare and Medicaid determine how much they will reimburse hospitals, and insurers negotiate rates.
Cesarean sections vary widely based on insurance and the circumstances of the procedure. Medicaid pays $5,300 for a “Cesarean delivery,” but Cigna pays more than $38,000 for a Cesarean section with sterilization if it includes a major complication or comorbidity.
Bon Secours also publishes an Excel document price list for Richmond-area hospitals, but it’s filled with abbreviations and isn’t decipherable by the common patient. The most expensive item, listed as IMPL VAD ASST HRTMT III W/CNTRL STJU -L, costs $620,000 — though that’s not necessarily the price an insurance company would pay. A spokesperson for the health system did not explain the name of the procedure following a request.
“Bon Secours believes in price transparency and empowering consumers to know more about the cost of their care,” said Jenna Green, a spokesperson for the system. “Because health care is complex, we will work closely with patients and their families to provide information about the payment for their care, what their insurance covers and ultimately what their out-of-pocket expense may be.”
Some hospitals have apparently negotiated no cost at all for some insurers. According to St. Mary’s machine-readable file, a colonoscopy diagnostic costs $612 for Cigna and $504 for Aetna but is free for United Healthcare.
Chippenham also published an Excel price list with nearly 54,000 items. Mammograms appear to cost $706, and colonoscopies range from $6,000 to $17,000. These are gross prices, not necessarily the reduced price an insurer actually pays.
“We have been focused on pricing and transparency for many years, because we believe it’s important for patients to be able to make informed choices about their health care and understand their financial obligations,” said Pryor Green, a spokesperson for HCA.
At HCA hospitals, uninsured patients are eligible for free care through a charity care program, or they can receive discounts similar to what a private insurance plan pays, Pryor Green said. Bills are capped for eligible patients who earn up to 400% of the federal poverty line.
VCU Health’s file contains nearly 18,000 items, but several common procedures are searchable. An appendectomy starts at $43,000 but can triple in price if there’s a complicated principal diagnosis and major complication. A Cesarean section starts at $36,000 but can nearly triple in cost with complications.
The astronomical cost of cancer treatment is evident — the most expensive item on VCU’s list is Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-Cell Therapy, a form of cancer treatment. Its listed cost is $1.9 million.
The three local health systems also offer price estimator tools, in which a prospective patient inputs his or her name, date of birth and insurance identification number along with the name of a procedure. The estimator tool calculates how much the patient would pay based on the patient’s deductible, coinsurance, maximum out-of-pocket cost and other factors.
But these tools include fewer procedures than the massive lists hospitals are also required to publish.
For high-cost procedures that exceed a patient’s deductible or maximum out-of-pocket cost, it can be difficult from these tools to tell how much the hospital is charging the insurer.
And the estimator tools come with stern warnings. Chippenham advises that the hospital “makes no guarantees regarding the accuracy of the pricing information provided herein.” The disclaimer notes that the estimate doesn’t include unforeseen complications, additional tests or procedures and non-hospital related charges. The “final bill for services rendered at this facility may differ substantially from the information provided by this website.”
This month, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association unveiled a webpage that links the price transparency pages of Virginia hospitals in one location. The VHHA notes that low-income patients might pay less than the listed prices. In 2020, Virginia hospitals provided $432 million worth of charity care.
Varying prices for a CT scan
All of this makes comparing costs from one hospital to another difficult, though the entire point of price transparency is allowing customers to see how much they’ll pay before they’re actually handed a bill.
When comparing the listed prices at Richmond-area hospitals, some large variations can be found.
A CT scan of the abdomen using contrast dye costs $2,800 at VCU, according to its list of standard charges.
At St. Mary’s, its machine-readable file doesn’t clearly identify a gross price, but the self-paying price is about $2,000, and its highest price — for generic workers’ compensation — is $3,000.
A price list for several Bon Secours hospitals in Richmond lists the procedure twice — $3,400 for outpatients and $2,300 for inpatients.
At Chippenham, the listed price is more than double the VCU cost — $6,700.
For the average patient, comparing prices for a colonoscopy is difficult because there are several types of colonoscopies listed on medical forms, and finding the right one can be a challenge. VCU lists a colonography screening at $665.
The Bon Secours Excel sheet lists a colonoscopy diagnostic at $661. Chippenham’s sheet details more than 10 types of colonoscopies, and one labeled Colonoscopy DX costs nearly $9,000.
Patients don’t necessarily pay these prices, since insurers negotiate lower rates. And the total cost of a hospital visit can be significantly higher than the cost of one procedure. For example, a tonsillectomy at VCU is listed at $4,000. But other common costs associated with the procedure, including anesthesia and drugs, run the total cost to closer to $20,000, said VCU Health spokesperson Laura Rossacher.
The type of facility factors into the price, too. Tonsillectomies and other same-day surgical procedures can be performed in an ambulatory surgery center at a more affordable price than at VCU Medical Center.
For this reason, VCU cautions against comparing hospitals’ gross charges.
“Such comparisons may not be valid, as hospitals may use different data sources to estimate their charges,” Rossacher said. “In addition, the true cost of care for our patients depends on their insurance coverage, the hospital’s financial assistance polices and the individual circumstances of the case.”
But according to CMS, the federal agency that enacted the price transparency law, knowing a hospital’s gross cost is important, because higher gross prices are associated with higher negotiated prices for insurance companies. | https://richmond.com/news/local/prices-at-richmond-area-hospitals-can-be-hard-to-decipher/article_9ba645cb-515e-5713-9877-ff579ae0e6c6.html | 2022-07-25T09:50:31 | 0 | https://richmond.com/news/local/prices-at-richmond-area-hospitals-can-be-hard-to-decipher/article_9ba645cb-515e-5713-9877-ff579ae0e6c6.html |
CEDAR FALLS — In celebration of its upcoming 100th birthday, members of the Cedar Falls Rotary Club have committed to constructing something downtown the community can take pride in for years to come.
The club is finalizing the design of a new monument planned between the Little Red Schoolhouse and Behrens-Rapp filling station on West First Street to pay tribute to the “essential” workers who were and are still on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We want to represent all the different types of people, from nurses and doctors, to delivery drivers and farmers,” said member Mike Butler.
The Rotarians received the backing of the City Council last week, meaning city officials will continue working with the club and in August come up with an agreement regarding future construction and maintenance.
Members stress there will be no cost to the city. A fundraising campaign could kick off as soon as the middle of August for some $200,000.
CEDAR FALLS — Debate continued among elected officials this week as to whether Planning and …
In the middle will be three polished, dark-colored granite walls, each detached, curved inward at the top, and angled toward the center in a way that looks like they’re capable of holding up a scaled-down planet Earth.
The center point will be a light fixture.
While the monument will not hold a signature blue and green globe, it will have twisted stainless steel rods overarching the three granite structures to represent the seven continents.
After all, COVID-19 intruded on people’s lives all over the world.
The walls will be an estimated eight feet tall, five feet wide and eight inches thick. When factoring in the stainless steel rods, the entire creation is projected to be some 14 feet tall.
'He had a certain cadence and rhythm to him. He moved through life on his own terms.'
“We’d like it to look a little bit like a Washington, D.C- type of a memorial,” member Gale Bonsall told the council.
Ten-foot wide concrete bike paths will be on either side of the monument.
They’ll stretch from the Rapp Station to the monument, and to the schoolhouse and nearby Exchange Club Gazebo.
Within the steel components and on one of edge of the floor base will be a limestone block bench.
Additionally, a separate sign would share more about the monument’s purpose, a list of supporters of Rotary Club and the overall project, and the club’s history.
“Names like (Roger) Leavitt and (LeRoy) Redfern and (Homer) Seerley and (J.H) Peet and a lot of names through our history have been in Rotary,” Butler told the council.
Because of the future construction, an AMVETs bench will have to be relocated on the property. And one to three trees will likely be removed.
That was a primary concern of several council members who asked that the priority be saving them, and that at least they be replaced with new trees.
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GriefCamp06.JPG
Quincy Koala poses for a photo with children Wednesday at the Cedar Valley Hospice grief camp.
I've covered city government for The Courier since August 2021. I'm a Chatham, NJ native who graduated from Gettysburg College in 2018 and previously worked for publications in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The twisted stainless steel rods overarching the three granite structures will represent the seven continents and make the entire monument some 14 feet tall.
In the middle will be three dark colored granite walls, each detached, curved inward at the top, and angled toward the center in a way that looks like they're capable of holding up a scaled-down planet Earth. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/future-cedar-falls-rotary-plaza-will-honor-covid-19-pandemics-essential-workers/article_29a395ff-972b-561f-a6cd-a5adb06e5b67.html | 2022-07-25T10:14:22 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/future-cedar-falls-rotary-plaza-will-honor-covid-19-pandemics-essential-workers/article_29a395ff-972b-561f-a6cd-a5adb06e5b67.html |
WATERLOO – State legislation now allows more freedom on the road for ATVs and ORVs, but Waterloo won’t allow the vehicles on its city streets.
Under a new Iowa law, the vehicles can be operated on most gravel roads and on most paved undivided two-lane county roads for limited purposes. They also can be driven on two-lane state highways for purposes such as traveling to a county road.
The legislation defines an all-terrain vehicle as having handlebars, a straddled seat for the operator and three to six tires. An off-road vehicle has a bench-type seat, steering wheel and four to eight tires.
However, the legislation does not necessarily legalize a vehicle’s operation on city streets. It leaves that decision up to each city.
Waterloo’s city code does not allow for ATV operation on city streets. It does allow ORV operation for limited purposes, including snow removal, gardening, transporting equipment for construction or parades.
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Violation of these rules carries a penalty of up to $750.
Drivers of ATVs and ORVs on roads must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license. Both of these vehicles must be equipped with proper headlights, tail and brake lights, horn and rearview mirrors. They must follow traffic signals. The vehicles cannot exceed 35 miles per hour.
The legislation allows the vehicles on state highways, but they cannot travel on four-lane or interstate roads. They can be driven on any county unpaved road.
It also states if driving on a state two-lane highway or county highway, it must be the most direct and accessible route to or from an ATV park, the nearest county road, or the driver’s home.
Riders may cross a four-lane highway at an intersection from an authorized road as long as it is not an interstate highway.
As for other unconventional vehicles, the past ordinances still stand. Mopeds are allowed on all city streets. Motorized or e-bikes are not allowed on sidewalks.
The city asks people to call the Waterloo Police Department at (319) 291-4340 for more information. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/no-atvs-orvs-on-city-roads-in-waterloo/article_39766abb-9fa5-5fe6-ac6a-df1cd781c1ae.html | 2022-07-25T10:14:35 | 1 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/no-atvs-orvs-on-city-roads-in-waterloo/article_39766abb-9fa5-5fe6-ac6a-df1cd781c1ae.html |
JERSEY SHORE, Pa. — Go Joe 25 kicked off Monday morning in Lycoming County.
Joe Snedeker will start his ride in Jersey Shore at the park next to the river.
He will ride through Williamsport (Bowmans Field), Loyalsock, Montoursville, Muncy, Montgomery (Fire Company Field across from Montgomery Park), Watsontown, Milton, Lewisburg, and Sunbury.
He will finish the day in Northumberland at Town Park.
The intrepid bicycling meteorologist is raising money for St. Joseph's Center, a place that cares for people with disabilities and provides medical daycare and adoptions.
Newswatch 16's Chris Keating will be will Joe during his ride. Make sure to follow him on Facebook and Twitter @CKeatingWNEP.
St. Joseph's Center Festival
The St. Joseph's Center Festival returns for food, fun, and games on the campus of Marywood University, Dunmore.
- Friday, July 29, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Saturday, July 30, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Sunday, July 31, noon to 7 p.m.
Telethon
The festival at Marywood University includes WNEP'S Telethon for St. Joe's, which runs from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, July 29 and 30, right here on WNEP, WNEP.com, ROKU, and Fire TV.
Donations and Go Joe Shirts
Go Joe shirt orders cannot be taken by mail, but if you'd like to mail in a donation, make checks payable to St. Joseph's Center and mail to Go Joe 25, c/o WNEP-TV, 16 Montage Mountain Road, Moosic, PA 18507.
Thank you for your support.
Your donations in action
While Joe is pedaling through the area, we wanted to shed some light on Saint Joseph's Center. Jon Meyer and Mindi Ramsey have more on where your donations go in the video below.
Iced Coffee Day
If you're looking for a way to participate in Go Joe 25, Wednesday, July 27, is Iced Coffee Day at Dunkin's throughout northeastern and central PA. For every iced coffee purchased, Dunkin' will donate $1 to St. Joseph's Center in honor of Go Joe 25.
Updates from the road
Newswatch 16's Chris Keating will be will Joe during his ride. Make sure to follow him on Facebook and Twitter @CKeatingWNEP. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/outreach/go-joe/go-joe-25-kicks-off-joe-snedeker-saint-josephs-center-wnep-lackawanna-county-day-1/523-8b552f97-d79e-4d5a-8dd3-791b9353bec1 | 2022-07-25T10:24:14 | 0 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/outreach/go-joe/go-joe-25-kicks-off-joe-snedeker-saint-josephs-center-wnep-lackawanna-county-day-1/523-8b552f97-d79e-4d5a-8dd3-791b9353bec1 |
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – A Hurt volunteer firefighter, who is also a member of Gretna Fire & Rescue, was flown to the hospital in critical condition after being hit by a drunk driver, according to the Hurt Volunteer Fire Department.
We’re told the crash happened Saturday overnight in Williamsburg and involved Thomas Page, his daughter, Emily and a suspected drunk driver who has not been named at this time.
The Town of Hurt posted a message from Thomas’ wife, Jacqueline, who explained briefly what happened while also requesting prayers and support from the community.
According to the post, after the drunk driver hit Thomas’ vehicle, Thomas then got out of the car to check on the injuries involving the other vehicle. That’s when the drunk driver went to leave the scene and ran him over, the post reads.
“Our daughter Emily witnessed the entire event. Emily is not physically injured. Just very traumatized,” Jacqueline said in the post.
Thomas was flown to a trauma center in Norfolk.
“He is in critical condition, and not expected to make it. I have faith in God that can change ... Please I beg you to keep us all in your prayers,” his wife said. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/07/25/hurt-volunteer-firefighter-flown-to-hospital-after-being-hit-by-drunk-driver-authorities-say/ | 2022-07-25T10:37:09 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/07/25/hurt-volunteer-firefighter-flown-to-hospital-after-being-hit-by-drunk-driver-authorities-say/ |
Summer isn’t over yet and neither is COVID-19. What to know about spike in cases, boosters
A rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations is not the kind of summer wave anyone was hoping to catch.
But it’s a reality that is only becoming more prominent as people hear of friends hunkering down after positive tests, and both President Biden and U.S. Sen. Tom Carper tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.
This latest spike is largely driven by the BA.5 subvariant of omicron, which is now making up about 80% of new cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Delaware’s most recent monthly report, the Division of Public Health reported a rise that matches national trends. As of Thursday, the average percentage of tests coming back positive over a seven-day period was 19.2%.
The state acknowledged that the number of COVID-19 cases in the community is higher than that reported percentage because at-home tests are not included.
VACCINES:Delaware's youngest residents are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccines. How to get them
While DPH emphasized that the state is not seeing the same impact on hospitalizations and deaths as in previous surges before more of the population was vaccinated, the CDC reported that all three counties have at least a medium or high level of spread right now.
The state also marked more than 3,000 deaths in July, according to DPH. Almost ⅓ of those who died from complications due to COVID-19 were long-term care residents.
HISTORIC LOSS:What Delaware can learn about grief and hope amid another tragic milestone for COVID-19
Public health officials agree that the biggest tool protecting people from serious illness or death right now is vaccines and keeping up to date with boosters. In the First State, just over 70% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to CDC data, which includes Delawareans who are vaccinated in other states.
As people enjoy the rest of the summer by the pool or on the beach, or families get ready for back to school with end-of-summer sports camps, what should you know about the current public health risks? Here's the latest advice from local and federal public health officials.
How to safely enjoy the rest of summer
First, the good news: Spending time outside is still one of the safest things we can do, according to the Division of Public Health.
That means your outdoor barbecues, cornhole competitions, days on the beach and bonfires – they’re all still safer options than cramming into crowded indoor spaces.
However, if you do have plans to be indoors or around a lot of people, DPH is suggesting people wear masks, distance as much as possible and keep up a good hand-washing regimen. And if anyone starts to feel sick or knows they were exposed to someone with COVID-19, they should get tested and stay away from others in the meantime.
Basically, you can still have a fun summer – it’s just wise to be aware of your surroundings and keep up those healthy routines that will prevent you and others from getting sick. Beyond these familiar steps, DPH said the ultimate shield from serious illness is staying up to date on vaccines and boosters.
Boosters – when to get them
Ever since the latest BA.5 subvariant of omicron arrived, doubts have swirled about whether people should wait for updated vaccines that might be more effective against this strain.
Yet Delaware’s public health officials, the CDC and White House advisors are all saying the same thing: Don’t wait.
Of the test results coming back to Delaware labs in June, about one-third of them contained the original strain of COVID that the current vaccines are designed to specifically fight against, according to DPH.
However, health officials also stress that the vaccines will still provide some protection no matter the variant that someone contracts.
These vaccines might not help as much with keeping people from getting the virus, but they are “highly effective at preventing more severe consequences, including serious illness, hospitalization and death against all variants,” DPH spokesperson Timothy Turane said in a recent press release.
This is why DPH is pushing for people to get their boosters when eligible.
When a person’s immunity wanes after their initial vaccine doses, the boosters help increase antibody levels so the body can keep protecting against serious illness. Also, if people get vaccines and boosters now, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will be ineligible to get the updated versions when they become available in the fall.
BOOSTER UPDATES:FDA panel approves reformulating COVID boosters to fight 'risk of major outbreak' this fall
Here’s who is eligible for a booster:
- Ages 5+ if it has been 5 months since your second dose of Pfizer.
- Ages 18+ if it has been 5 months since your second dose of Moderna.
- Ages 18+ if it has been 2 months since your initial dose of Johnson & Johnson.
- Those who qualify for an “additional/third” dose of Pfizer or Moderna because they have certain immunocompromising conditions.
People can also get a second booster, or fourth dose, four months after receiving their initial booster if they are over the age of 50 or immunocompromised.
Gearing up for school, sports
As July melts into August, it’s also the season of late-summer sports camps and other gatherings as students get ready for the fall.
When parents and guardians send their kids off to camps, DPH reminds them to continue following the measures to keep themselves and their students protected, primarily keeping updated on vaccines.
“We want all children to be safe and the best way to do that is by adding the COVID vaccine to the child’s immunization record,” Turane said in a statement.
Now, more than 74% of all Delawareans ages five and up are vaccinated, according to CDC data. Delaware public health officials have said convincing parents of the safety of COVID-19 vaccinations for children has been a significant hurdle.
With the latest approvals, children ages 6 months and up can get the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.
Vaccination rates may also affect what school looks like as fall comes around. Most school districts won't make decisions about COVID-19 policies and back-to-school strategies until closer to August, and the Delaware Department of Education spokesperson Alison May said there is no blanket guidance at this point.
SCHOOLS:As students experience more trauma, why have mental health services lagged in Delaware schools
However, May said the department will continue to follow DPH guidance and "adapt to conditions as needed." At the end of the school year last spring, face masks were no longer required by the State of Delaware in K-12 schools, on school buses or in childcare facilities.
When asked about back-to-school, DPH referred to CDC guidance for K-12 facilities, including encouraging vaccinations, staying home when sick, optimizing ventilation in schools and frequent hand washing.
Emily Lytle covers Sussex County from the inland towns to the beaches, with a focus on health-related issues. Got a story she should tell? Contact her at elytle@delmarvanow.com or 302-332-0370. Follow her on Twitter at @emily3lytle. | https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2022/07/25/new-covid-variant-de-cases-booster-summer/65376604007/ | 2022-07-25T10:43:21 | 0 | https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2022/07/25/new-covid-variant-de-cases-booster-summer/65376604007/ |
PEACH BOTTOM, Pa. — A 35-year-old man was found dead outside his property on the 200 block of Gemmill Road in Peach Bottom Township, York County on July 24, according to the York County Coroner's Office.
The man had apparently been operating a skid loader when the machine rolled over, causing him to become caught in the equipment. He was reportedly not wearing a safety belt while operating the machine, also according to the coroner's office.
It is not known at this time how long the man had been incapacitated or when exactly the incident occurred.
Deputy Coroner Karen Frank and Deputy Trainee Scott Pennewill responded to the scene to investigate further and certify the death.
The man's name will be released after additional family is notified, and an autopsy will not be performed.
Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the incident. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/coroner-incident-york-county-peach-bottom/521-354695ce-9dff-455e-9be2-3909acaf8dde | 2022-07-25T10:49:15 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/coroner-incident-york-county-peach-bottom/521-354695ce-9dff-455e-9be2-3909acaf8dde |
YORK, Pa. — Sunday afternoon was a rather quiet one at the York State Fair. It's something some fair-goers prefer.
“I feel the crowd is smaller but I kind of like that," Bobbie Frick of York said. "I’m a veteran, so I feel safer with a smaller crowd.”
In a time where nerves are high following a string of mass shootings across the country over the last several months, some people say they’re still hesitant attending large-scale events.
“It does make me a little bit more nervous, but life goes on," Frick said. "You have to try to enjoy what you can."
Others aren’t phased.
“I feel fine, there’s a lot of security around, fire, police, EMS," Matt Saunders said. "I feel safe.”
For fair officials, guest safety is top priority, and unfortunately, they say they have to be prepared for anything.
“Everywhere I go, I think of it," Bryan Blair, CEO of the York State Fair told FOX43. "Whether I’m in the theater or the grocery store, (with) the day and time we’re in, it’s always in the back of your mind.”
Blair says from open to close, there’s a large presence of police and other security on the grounds. The grand stand arena is also heavily protected.
“Everybody that comes through the concert, goes into one entrance up at the east end," Blair said. "They all go through the metal detectors and bag searches and all that and once they’re in the concert area, they can’t leave and come back in.”
What Blair asks of the public is for everyone to be aware of their surroundings, and if you see something, say something.
“If you come to the fair and you see something that doesn’t look right, you don’t need to worry about what the phone number is to call. It's 911," Blair said.
You can read more about safety and security procedures at the York State Fair on the official fair website. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/safety-security-york-state-fair-police/521-82cd293b-1bb6-4e9d-b4dd-4a24b48d5dbb | 2022-07-25T10:49:22 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/safety-security-york-state-fair-police/521-82cd293b-1bb6-4e9d-b4dd-4a24b48d5dbb |
ADAMS COUNTY, Pa. — The sun was beating down on Adams County this weekend.
As temperatures continued to climb, Hollabaugh Bros. employees continued to work, and still with smiles on their faces.
Kenol Laurent, one of the orchard workers, does not mind the intense heat.
“We've been working like this for a long time. But it is the heat, we have to do what we have to do,” said Laurent.
Despite the optimism of their employees, owners Brad and Kay Hollabaugh make sure to take the necessary precautions in the intense summer seasons.
“We always make sure there is plenty of water. We also have big Igloo coolers in the fields and at break time they get watermelon or cantaloupe, or whatever refreshing fruits we might have,” said Kay Hollabaugh.
Brad Hollabaugh says that how the workers dress help them get accustomed to the harsh temperatures.
“If you look at the people you're going to see hats and long sleeves," said Brad Hollabaugh. This type of clothing helps protect workers from the sun, and help insulate their bodies.
Medical experts agree with the workers at Hollabaugh Bros.
Dr. Anthony Guarracino said that because the workers had chronic exposure to these intense temperatures, they have been acclimated to the heat. This in turn, added Guarracino, lowers risk of severe heat illnesses.
Temperatures may continue to climb, but the workers at Hollabaugh Bros. will still return.
“They simply do not complain. They come to work with smiles on their faces," said Kay Hollabaugh. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/summer-heat-orchard-apple-picking-adams-county/521-51ff6950-caed-4afa-81ea-11b1d714dece | 2022-07-25T10:49:30 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/summer-heat-orchard-apple-picking-adams-county/521-51ff6950-caed-4afa-81ea-11b1d714dece |
Enshrinement Week grew because of community pride and hard work
There are so many stories from Stark County residents over the years cherishing fond memories of the Enshrinement Festival — tales of camping out overnight downtown to save a spot to watch the Grand Parade, opinions on which location offered the best experience for ribs fest, chatter about the Hall of Famers encountered out and about in community businesses, and fun stories of the lifelong memories made while serving with friends, family and co-workers on volunteer committees each year.
There are so many passionate tales from excited residents about Enshrinement Week over the decades, that I almost feel as though I grew up here, living vicariously through all the shared memories.
However, in fact, I didn’t grow up in Stark County. I wasn’t familiar with the Pro Football Hall of Fame or the Enshrinement Ceremony, and growing up I never witnessed the festivities that transform Canton and the surrounding community into football heaven each year in August.
I enjoy the nostalgia. When asked, "What does Enshrinement mean to me?" I have a bit of a different perspective.
What really stands out to me about the first week in August here in Canton is understanding the humble beginnings from which it all began and realizing all the community collaboration it took to become a world-renowned festival.
My, how much it has grown from that time not so long ago (2001 to be exact) when people just pulled up a lawn chair and sat on the street to watch the Enshrinement Ceremony on the front steps of the museum.
There was no magic jump overnight from a ceremony on the front steps of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to the all-consuming series of festivities that now fill our communities over what we’ve come to reference locally as Hall of Fame Week.
What did it take? Community pride and hard work. All the basic building blocks existed, but it took strategic vision, shared resources, open communication, and a lot of sweat equity from a lot of stakeholders to build, grow and develop the massive community network that works together to successfully welcome and entertain tens of thousands of visitors and millions of television viewers each year during Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week.
Community organizations, event planners, volunteers, sponsors, annual ticket renewals, all of these many pieces that have to converge for success, and this community pulls it off at a caliber rivaled by very few other events, anywhere.
This is a well-deserved acknowledgment and appreciation of the work and support that has been carried out by so many in this community for so long. It’s also a reminder that accomplishing big plans requires a willingness to take on big work … together.
As our community continues to expand and venues continue to grow, the passion, pride, and support of community members should also grow.
Let the Enshrinement Ceremony and Hall of Fame Week be a reminder to us all, of the heights we are capable of reaching when we come together, work hard and support one another.
Tonja Marshall is the chief marketing officer at Visit Canton, the convention and visitors bureau for Stark County. | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2022/07/25/enshrinement-week-grew-because-community-pride-and-hard-work-pro-football-hall-of-fame-canton/7808639001/ | 2022-07-25T11:01:23 | 1 | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2022/07/25/enshrinement-week-grew-because-community-pride-and-hard-work-pro-football-hall-of-fame-canton/7808639001/ |
Stark golf courses report increase in play, beginner golfers
Ryan Johnson started playing golf less than a year ago. Already, he prefers hitting the range in his free time.
For his 19th birthday last month, his parents bought him new golf clubs. And his social media feeds are filled with golf content.
"I've recognized and noticed a lot more people coming out to golf," said Johnson, of Jackson Township. "I know a bunch of my friends have been asking to golf and stuff like that a lot more often than we would have in the past."
Johnson and his friends are among the many people who started playing the sport in recent years, a movement that is evident at golf courses across Stark County where parking lots are full, tee times are booked and business is booming.
Carrie Lowry, PGA director of golf and general manager at the Legends of Massillon Golf Course, estimated business at her course has risen 30% since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S in spring 2020. Last year, she said, about 48,000 rounds of golf were played at the Legends, which amounts to nearly 300 golfers per day.
Across the U.S. in 2021, 37.5 million people above the age of 6 participated in on-course and off-course golf activities, according to data from the National Golf Foundation. More than 3.2 million people played golf for the first time last year, breaking the previous record, set in 2000, by 800,000 people.
People flocked to golf courses because playing the sport was a way to relieve stress, Lowry said, and it allowed people to be outdoors, away from health restrictions imposed on indoor areas. That ushered in a new era for the sport in which people not traditionally associated with it — like teenagers and women — played a major role in growing the game.
More young people, women enjoying golf
"There's a tremendous amount of growth in the younger age groups," said Andy Lyons, owner of Lyons Den Golf Course near Canal Fulton. "Several years back it was just the opposite. All the growth was in and forecasted to be in the senior (age group), and now we're seeing a dramatic shift from that."
Lyons said places like Topgolf and 1899 Indoor Golf — which both utilize elements of traditional golf in competitive-style games — have incentivized people to try their hands on real golf courses.
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Sue Snode, business manager at Tannenhauf Golf Club in Alliance, agreed, saying more people in their 20s and 30s are coming to the golf course than ever before. Tannenhauf offers a number of junior programs and golf clinics for beginners, she added, which has increased the amount of young players.
At Sable Creek Golf Course near Hartville, women have been playing much more, too, said Director of Golf Ray Headley. He attributed the increase to people being allowed to work from home, which gives them a lot more time to try new things, especially during the summer months.
Bringing home the bacon
As the amount of people playing golf increases, so does the amount of money Stark golf courses are making this year. Diane Simms, manager of Edgewater Golf Club in Minerva, said there's been a sizable increase in play at her course this year.
She pointed to Edgewater's rates and a steady stream of weekday and weekend golfers as reason for the course's financial prosperity. With recent favorable weather, she said, people are just trying to find a way to get outside.
Doug Sweitzer, superintendent at Spring Valley Golf Course in East Sparta, said his course has experienced a large increase in between 2019 and 2021. This year, however, the course is slightly down from its 2021 trend, but he attributed that to rainy and cold weather earlier in the year.
Sweitzer added that the closures of local golf courses, like Skyland Pines and Tam O'Shanter, have have also driven up business at Spring Valley.
"A lot of people have come in and said that the course they used to play at was Skyland or Tammy, and they didn't realize that our course was down here until COVID hit," he said. "With those courses closing, they found us and they've been coming around ever since."
Contact Ryan via email at rmaxin@gannett.com, on Twitter at @ryanmaxin or by phone at 330-580-8412. | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2022/07/25/golf-courses-across-stark-county-getting-more-business-2022/10105848002/ | 2022-07-25T11:01:23 | 1 | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2022/07/25/golf-courses-across-stark-county-getting-more-business-2022/10105848002/ |
317 Project: Indy urban farmer left college to grow food, improve his community
The 317 Project tells stories of life in all of Indianapolis’ vibrant neighborhoods – 317 words at a time.
Shortly after 9 a.m. on a Thursday, Kevin Goheen was clipping ripe tomatoes from the vine in the high tunnel greenhouse at the farm for Growing Places Indy, an organization that improves community wellness through urban agriculture and food education.
Divided into a few areas around the lot for Arsenal Tech High School, this farm has two greenhouses, 12 chickens in a chicken coup and about 26 different plants rooting into 18 raised beds and rows and rows of healthy topsoil.
The 26-year-old urban farmer was quietly working, so when the volunteer asked which tomatoes she should harvest, Goheen quickly advised her to pick "mostly red" tomatoes but said she was fine to make a mistake.
“Tomatoes are very forgiving,” he said. “They’ll continue to ripen.”
Goheen dropped out of IUPUI more than a year ago and became an apprentice at the farm, working in the fields and plots, visiting other urban and organic farms and learning sustainable practices. As the assistant farm manager, he said he gets the best of both worlds: to work with nature and live an urban lifestyle.
By lunchtime, the two had picked, weighed and stored 25 pounds of blush-colored tomatoes, harvested radishes, weeded the radish beds and sprinkled straw over freshly-planted carrots — a way to adjust for increasing temperatures and lack of water in that portion of the farm.
Goheen didn’t like yard work when he was a kid. He hated mowing grass. But he loves urban farming because he is cultivating food and helping improve his community.
Goheen lives by the phrase, “You are what you eat.” As a kid, he thought it was cheesy. As an adult, he realizes how true this saying is — how food access can create or limit opportunities, how food choices can affect health and how he can help others through food education and improving access.
"Food," Goheen said, "means so much more."
Contact IndyStar reporter Madison Smalstig at MSmalstig@gannett.com or 765-7172758. | https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/indianapolis/2022/07/25/317-project-growing-places-indy-farmer-community-indianapolis/65378771007/ | 2022-07-25T11:01:28 | 1 | https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/indianapolis/2022/07/25/317-project-growing-places-indy-farmer-community-indianapolis/65378771007/ |
Heart of Stark: Valentine Project sends love, all year long
In partnership with The Repository, every Monday, Stark Community Foundation is highlighting positive happenings in our community. Here’s to Good News Mondays!
The Valentine Project and its thousands of volunteers are spreading love, hope and joy to kids throughout the United States all year long through the Kindness Card Program — where anyone, anywhere in the country can write and send a greeting card to brighten the day of a child affected by pediatric cancer or chronic illness.
Founded in 2010 by siblings Gregory and Michaela Margida, the local nonprofit was created after the siblings discovered how dealing with a serious diagnosis can be especially lonely for patients and their families, and that those feelings of loneliness are often heightened on holidays like Valentine’s Day.
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The Valentine Project’s primary initiative is sending personalized packages for the Valentine's Day holiday in February. Each package is sponsored by that child's own "volunteer valentine" located in cities all over the country — and even as far away as South Africa.
The organization began by sending Valentine packages to children throughout Ohio, and, as its volunteer base grew, it expanded its reach to include children in California and Kentucky. As it realized the impact it was making on children and their families and saw the dedication of its volunteers, the Valentine Project designed a way to send "smiles across the miles" all year long and launched The Valentine Project Kindness Card Program in 2019.
Volunteers from around the globe purchase or create greeting cards, each containing a joke or riddle to serve as a break from health concerns for the recipient and to add an unexpected burst of love when least expected. The Valentine Project personalizes each card before sending it to a child on its list. To date, more than 700 children across the country have received Kindness Cards.
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"The feedback has been entirely positive with families sharing how thrilled their children are to get a silly card from someone they don't even know," said Andrea Margida, president and CEO of The Valentine Project. "We've had families tell us that opening a Kindness Card is what made their child, who hadn't smiled in weeks, start giggling and suddenly the house is filled with laughter!
"Imagine what that means to a parent who thought they'd never hear the sound of their child's laughter again. A serious diagnosis changes everything, and children often miss out on the simple joys of childhood."
Any individual, family or organization is invited to participate in the Kindness Card Program. Directions and more information can be found at www.thevalentineproject.org.
The Stark Community Foundation helps individuals, families, businesses and nonprofits achieve their philanthropic goals through a variety of charitable funds and strategic initiatives. Ranked in the top 10% of community foundations in the country, the foundation and its family of donors have granted $215 million to nonprofits since 1963. Learn more at www.starkcf.org. | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2022/07/25/heart-of-stark-valentine-project-sends-love-all-year-long/10126811002/ | 2022-07-25T11:01:33 | 1 | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2022/07/25/heart-of-stark-valentine-project-sends-love-all-year-long/10126811002/ |
Only tenants facing eviction will be eligible to apply for IndyRent from now on.
In a significant change to the city-wide IndyRent program, only tenants facing active eviction will be eligible to apply for and receive rental assistance from July 21 onward. Indianapolis officials said the move is necessary due to financial constraints and will help the city achieve its goal of improving eviction prevention under the year-old Tenant Advocate Program.
Previously, any tenant facing housing instability who metother eligibility criteria such as being low-income and having suffered a loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic was able to receive rental aid.
The city has spent more than $150 million in federal COVID-19-related funds to help Marion County residents at risk of housing instability due to the pandemic pay their rent over the past two years. That money allowed IndyRent to help more than 58,000 Marion County households, as of July 19.
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The program has been approving $7 million to $10 million each month in rental assistance. But at that rate of spending, IndyRent would run out of funds by the end of September, Deputy Mayor Jeff Bennett told IndyStar, as the program only has $24 million in federal funds remaining.
"In an ideal scenario, we wouldn't want to have to wait until somebody has an eviction filing to be able to help them," he said. "But we would like to stretch these funds for the longest term we possibly can."
Under the new eligibility criteria, tenants will have to show they have an eviction filing against them in order to apply. In addition, tenants must:
- Be a renter in Marion County
- Have experienced a reduction in employment income (or self-employment business income) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Must be a household at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and be at risk of housing instability, such as having back rent or utility payments owed. The Area Median Income values can be found on the IndyRent website.
The city has applied for $100 million in additional federal emergency rental assistance funds as part of an ongoing process where dollars that were not used by other states can be reallocated to those that need it.
Bennett did not rule out the possibility that the program might evolve again in the future to provide rental assistance to tenants beyond just those facing eviction. But, he said, it would depend on whether the city receives more funds from the federal government.
The IndyRent application portal closed Thursdayfor approximately one week before it is scheduled to reopen, at which point only tenants facing active eviction will be able to apply.
Tenants who have submitted applications and are waiting for them to be processed will still have those applications evaluated, and can still receive rental assistance if deemed eligible. There are currently about 6,000 applications submitted.
Under the Tenant Advocate Program, tenants facing eviction in court can receive free onsite legal assistance and help applying for rental assistance.
Statewide emergency rental assistance program to stop accepting applications Friday, 5 p.m.
The Indiana Emergency Rental Assistance program also announced last week that the application portal will close on July 29 at 5 p.m. to allow the program staff to "review pending applications and assess remaining funds." It will continue to process applications that are in the queue until the funds have been exhausted.
The program has allocated more than $366 million in rental assistance to 28,400 households in need as of July 22. It provides 18 months of rental and utility assistance to eligible households.
Contact IndyStar reporter Ko Lyn Cheang at kcheang@indystar.com or 317-903-7071. Follow her on Twitter: @kolyn_cheang. | https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/marion-county/2022/07/25/indyrent-org-status-application-2022-eligibility-eviction/65379640007/ | 2022-07-25T11:01:42 | 1 | https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/marion-county/2022/07/25/indyrent-org-status-application-2022-eligibility-eviction/65379640007/ |
BALCH SPRINGS, Texas — An 8-year-old boy was injured in a road rage shooting in Balch Springs on Sunday afternoon, police say.
Balch Springs police say the incident happened on westbound Interstate 20 between Beltline Road and Seagoville Road. Dallas police also responded to the scene.
Police say the child was struck by a bullet in his hip area. He was transported to a hospital in Dallas and is currently stable.
According to police, there were two other children, ages 1 and 5, in the car at the time of the shooting. They were also taken to the hospital as they may have been hit by glass or other fragments, police say.
Police are investigating the shooting as a road rage incident. A description of the suspect vehicle has not yet been made available.
Further details were not immediately released as the investigation continues.
A second vehicle was also struck by at least two other bullets. There were no injuries reported in that car.
Anyone who witnessed the incident and may have information is asked to call police at 972-557-6000.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is released. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/8-year-old-boy-shot-road-rage-incident-balch-springs/287-ffca91b1-7ce7-45eb-9d99-4309ad9c5715 | 2022-07-25T11:15:41 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/8-year-old-boy-shot-road-rage-incident-balch-springs/287-ffca91b1-7ce7-45eb-9d99-4309ad9c5715 |
HOUSTON — Up until a few weeks ago, the website for the University of Texas at Austin’s health center laid out three options for pregnant students to possibly pursue: they can carry the pregnancy to term and raise the child, put the baby up for adoption or terminate the pregnancy.
When the state enacted a law in September that prohibited abortion after about six weeks, the website added language making note of the restriction.
But two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that asserted abortion access as a constitutional right for nearly five decades, the university removed the entire text about pregnant students’ options from its website. What remains are vague instructions.
“If you are pregnant, our Women’s Health providers can discuss options and help connect patients to appropriate resources,” the website now reads.
UT-Austin officials did not respond to questions explaining why they removed the paragraph about pregnant students’ options from its site. But the timing illustrates how public university health centers are rethinking how they can and should communicate with students about reproductive health care amid a vague and rapidly changing legal landscape in Texas.
“It’s put people in a position where they don’t know what they can offer in student health centers, because they don’t know exactly how the law is going to fall out — or even what the law defaulted to after Roe was repealed,” said Gretchen Ely, a social work professor at the University of Tennessee Knoxville who focuses on access to reproductive care.
Yet the stakes are high because college students fall in the age group that has historically received the largest percentage of abortions in Texas annually, which puts university health centers on the front lines of providing reproductive health information and services in the form of wellness exams and birth control.
So far, Texas universities have remained silent about the Supreme Court’s ruling. The vast majority did not respond to The Texas Tribune’s requests for comment or provided vague answers about what kind of information and resources health centers will share with students who become pregnant in this new era of reproductive care in the state.
“Each student’s circumstances dictate our counsel regarding medical care,” Cecilia Jacobs, a spokesperson for Stephenville-based Tarleton State University, said in a statement. “[F]or students seeking non-emergency assistance that’s not readily available we provide information on how to find it” through internet searches, health insurance resources or local health care entities, she added.
Students say they are also frustrated — but unsurprised — that university leaders have not spoken out about the Roe v. Wade reversal or proactively communicated about how they plan to handle conversations about abortion access moving forward. At some universities, students have recommitted to sharing abortion access resources through student organizations, as well as providing deliveries of free emergency contraception to students anonymously. Last week, a group of student leaders at UT-Austin signed a list of demands calling on administrators to support students’ reproductive health care and advocate for students’ rights with the Texas government. The university has not responded to the students as of Tuesday.
“During times when the rights of marginalized communities are under attack, our university succumbs to silence to avoid criticism from said politicians. However, it is the university’s responsibility and priority to protect the rights and health of their students, staff, and faculty,” the petition read. “Therefore, we call upon the university to advocate for reproductive health care access through its influential position within Texas politics to protect and uplift its students, faculty, and staff.”
As health care professionals try to figure out how to move forward in a post-Roe world, some students say they are now hesitant to ask questions or share details of an unexpected pregnancy with university health centers, unsure where the role of a health professional ends and a state-funded university employee begins.
“It’s too much of a gray area at this point,” said Nikita Kakkad, a junior at UT-Austin. “And it’s not the practitioners. It’s the structure.”
Preexisting information gaps about abortion
Even before Roe v. Wade was overturned, few Texas universities mentioned abortion as an option for pregnant students on their public-facing websites and very few listed places like Planned Parenthood as a community resource. Students said it is also difficult to access information about abortion and comprehensive sex education on their campuses.
Most Texas universities state that they offer wellness exams, birth control and pregnancy tests and will provide referrals to pregnant students for off-campus prenatal care. That often includes referrals to OB-GYNs.
A few universities across the state, including Prairie View A&M University and Tarleton State, also include crisis pregnancy centers as resources for pregnant and parenting students on their websites under Title IX resources. Pregnant students have protections under Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination.
Research has shown that crisis pregnancy centers often inaccurately present themselves as health clinics — some offer free ultrasounds and provide free baby supplies — even though they are religiously affiliated nonprofits largely staffed by nonmedical professionals who cannot diagnose patients. They often discourage abortion in sometimes manipulative and deceptive ways. Neither Prairie View A&M nor Tarleton State responded to questions as to why they include these centers as potential resources for pregnant students.
In addition to information gaps, one university health center leader told the Tribune the facility had already adjusted how its health care providers advise pregnant students about their options. The center made the changes after the state passed a law last year that allows private citizens to file a lawsuit against anyone who “aids or abets” an abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy.
“We interpreted that as [our] providers can’t really help people find that service,” said Martha Dannenbaum, director of student health services at Texas A&M University in College Station and an OB-GYN. “I don’t see this dramatically changing … how we will manage and support the students who come to us with these questions. Where we will be mindful is that we’re not going to be making direct referrals to an [abortion] provider. Mainly because we don’t have any. We’re not going to have any.”
She said in instances in which a pregnant student wanted information about their options to keep or terminate a pregnancy, she would share how students could find additional information themselves, either through health insurance or on the internet.
“Our role is, as the health care providers particularly in a college health setting, is to provide … the student with factual information and answer any of their questions about it and provide them nonjudgmental care,” she said.
Rachel Mack, a spokesperson for the American College Health Association, said abortion bans and other restrictions can put health care providers at risk of civil liability or arrest.
“Many of these laws are not just restrictive — they are also vague, which creates fear and confusion among both patients and health care providers,” she said in a statement. “The vagueness of these laws also could result in students being isolated from trusted supports in their most vulnerable moments.”
Dannenbaum at Texas A&M said she does anticipate an uptick this fall in the number of students trying to access more effective contraception, such as intrauterine devices (IUDs), in response to a “trigger law” passed last year that was set to go into effect and ban abortion from the moment of fertilization if the Supreme Court overturned Roe. The trigger law will likely go into effect in mid- to late August, though the procedure is already illegal in Texas due to a near-total ban on abortion passed in the 1920s that went back into effect after the Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade.
She also said she expects to have additional conversations with Texas A&M lawyers and the university’s health care providers ahead of the fall semester to make sure everyone understands how to provide factual information to students while remaining within the confines of state law. But she remained confident the health center could maintain its quality of care.
“There are many things that happen that change processes of how you have to do things in health care and in other industries. This is another one of them. It doesn’t help patients, students, providers, to get panicked about it,” she said. “In the college health setting, I’m here to support them to be successful students, regardless of whether they parent, whether they adopt out, whether they choose termination. We’re here to support them.”
Yet Dannenbaum said she and her team haven’t discussed if the university’s health care providers would suggest that students can reach out to abortion funds to learn about ways to possibly travel out of state to access abortion care.
She said she would likely direct students to the student assistant services department, which can provide some short-term financial support for medical services to students without requiring detailed information about a diagnosis.
“It’s really dependent on whether you have a needed medical service and … a financial need,” she said.
More access to contraception
Students involved in reproductive justice advocacy on college campuses said they would largely advise students who are considering terminating their pregnancies to reach out to abortion funds rather than going to the university health center for information.
“Students themselves are not comfortable with going anywhere beyond surface-level questions,” Hairou Yi, a UT-Austin junior and vice president of UT Students for Planned Parenthood, told the Tribune about health centers. “Because they don’t know the legal ramifications that can come with [it].”
Experts, such as Ely at the University of Tennessee, said health centers should not just be ready to provide information, but be prepared for the possibility that some students might come into the center with complications from a self-managed abortion.
But Ely said she’s cognizant of the tightrope that health care providers at publicly funded institutions must walk.
“That’s a very real concern, both at the individual level for the student in terms of confidentiality and then for the student health centers in public universities in states where abortion is criminalized,” she said.
With all that in mind, Ely said, university health centers should increase their work to provide accessible reproductive health information and have emergency contraception available for free or low cost. While many Texas universities currently offer Plan B emergency contraceptives in their pharmacies, it can cost $25 to $35.
Kakkad, the junior at UT-Austin, has been pushing the university to make emergency contraception more accessible by installing a vending machine on campus that dispenses Plan B contraceptives. She said talks with university officials have been productive, but action hasn’t been taken toward making the proposal a reality. The list of demands sent to UT-Austin administrators last week included adding a vending machine, as well as eliminating mandatory attendance, a policy that students say hurts those who are pregnant or have children.
Student groups say they can offer a safe space for students to figure out where they can go for information about their specific situations, but they have their limits.
Nimisha Srikanth is a rising senior at Texas A&M University and president of the group Feminists for Reproductive Equity & Education, or FREE Aggies, on campus. She said now that Texas allows people to sue those who help a person get the procedure, there is confusion about what constitutes helping someone get an abortion, which can make people hesitant to share information.
The trajectory of limiting abortion access has led many in her group to prepare for the state to also criminalize providing information about abortion, which also makes them hesitate about how much information they should share.
“The best thing a person could do at this point is contact an abortion fund because they’re the ones on the ground doing the work,” she said. “We run the risk of having really complicated legal stuff if we were to get more involved.”
Disclosure: Planned Parenthood, Prairie View A&M University, Texas A&M University and University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-universities-how-to-provide-reproductive-health-care-information/285-704284a9-67bf-4760-a582-de1adc358e92 | 2022-07-25T11:15:49 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-universities-how-to-provide-reproductive-health-care-information/285-704284a9-67bf-4760-a582-de1adc358e92 |
Drivers slowly tried to get around a flooded section of the Roosevelt Boulevard in Northeast Philadelphia after a water main break sent water gushing onto lanes of the busy roadway during the Monday morning commute.
The break happened before daybreak around where the Roosevelt Boulevard (U.S. Route 1) crosses Goodnaw Street.
As SkyForce10 hovered overhead around 6:15 a.m., you could see muddy water on the inner lanes of Route 1 and partially on the outer lanes as well. Water appeared to be flowing from a section under a median of the roadway.
Drivers in the outer lanes could be seen splashing as they drove past.
Even as water appeared to recede around 6:45 a.m., a muddy mess could be seen on the road. Cars were able to get by in the outer lanes again.
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The best bet was likely to avoid the area entirely. Bustleton Road Avenue could be used as an alternate route, but expect a slower than normal drive.
Remember, if you are stuck behind the floodwater, don't drive through it as you could become stuck. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/water-main-break-northeast-philadelphia-2/3314472/ | 2022-07-25T11:31:51 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/water-main-break-northeast-philadelphia-2/3314472/ |
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Birmingham Restaurant Week is here with a goal of promoting local restaurants struggling to hire employees. Local restaurant, El Zun Zun is feeling the impact of current labor shortages.
General manager of El Zun Zun, Leah Harrigan, says COVID was an initial cause of labor shortages and that it has been hard to recruit new employees ever since.
She says dishwashers, hostesses and food runners are particularly difficult to find. As a result, there is slower service for customers and longer hours for employees.
“If you don’t have a server it’s going to take longer to get their order and if the kitchen is short it’s going to take longer to get their food,” said Harrigan. “All of those things cause for inconsistency.”
Harrigan believes people have found alternative employment options-like ship or delivery services- that allow them to avoid working in house.
She says several restaurants are now offering incentives like insurance, higher wages and better hours to entice people to work.
“That’s something that everybody experiences,” said Harrigan. “They’re having to pay people more. You know, better hours- just anything really. Like we’re really trying to get people in the door.”
Harrigan says she is thankful for organizations like ‘Birmingham Restaurant Week’ and the work they do to promote openings at local restaurants like El Zun Zun.
“The ‘Birmingham Restaurant Week’ crew is amazing,” said Harrigan. “I mean they put signage out. They’ve put pamphlets out. Every day I see them blasting on commercials and things. So, I’m a big, big fan of restaurant week. We always participate.”
Harrigan says many restaurants choose to promote new openings on social media as well. There is simply a need for people who are willing to look for those available jobs and apply. | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/birmingham-restaurant-week-highlights-local-restaurants-looking-to-hire-el-zun-zun-feels-labor-shortage-impact/ | 2022-07-25T11:44:03 | 0 | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/birmingham-restaurant-week-highlights-local-restaurants-looking-to-hire-el-zun-zun-feels-labor-shortage-impact/ |
A 25-year-old subway rider was stabbed during an argument on a Brooklyn train Sunday night, authorities say.
It's not clear what the victim and his attacker were fighting about, but it turned violent on the 2 train shortly before 10 p.m.
Police say the victim was stabbed in the forearm, torso and the top of his head. He was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive.
Police are looking for a man believed to be about 20 to 30 years old who was wearing green camouflage pants at the time of the attack. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Copyright NBC New York | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/subway-rider-stabbed-3-times-during-argument-on-brooklyn-train-cops/3792717/ | 2022-07-25T11:48:24 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/subway-rider-stabbed-3-times-during-argument-on-brooklyn-train-cops/3792717/ |
HOUSTON — What exactly was that lighting up the sky over Texas last night?
Several people were talking about it on social media and some even captured it on video.
According to the American Meteor Society, more than 200 reports of a fireball came in last night. The AMS says it happened at 10:24 p.m. and was visible in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.
Looking at their map, the biggest concentration of reports came from Texas, primarily the Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio areas, but some in Corpus Christi and even further south.
Though not confirmed as a meteor, there are three active meteor showers right now – the Southern Delta Aquariids, which peaks on July 29 and 30, the Alpha Capricornids, which peaks on July 30 and 31 and the Perseids, which peaks on August 11 and 12.
Did you see it? Or maybe your home surveillance captured images. If so, share photos and videos with us, by uploading it to us through the Near Me feature of our news app. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/what-was-that-lighting-up-the-sky-over-texas-sunday-night/285-0749c816-b020-4b4f-ad28-4908d6b5a5e8 | 2022-07-25T11:53:21 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/what-was-that-lighting-up-the-sky-over-texas-sunday-night/285-0749c816-b020-4b4f-ad28-4908d6b5a5e8 |
Jury selection is set for Monday in a trial that will determine for the first time how much Infowars host Alex Jones must pay Sandy Hook Elementary School parents for falsely telling his audience that the deadliest classroom shooting in U.S. history was a hoax.
The trial in Austin, Texas — where the conspiracy theorist lives and broadcasts his show — follows months of delays. Jones has racked up fines for ignoring court orders and he put Infowars into bankruptcy protection just before the trial was originally set to start in April.
At stake for Jones is another potentially major financial blow that could put his constellation of conspiracy peddling businesses into deeper jeopardy. He has already been banned from YouTube, Facebook and Spotify over violating hate-speech policies.
The trial involving the parents of two Sandy Hook families is only the start for Jones; damages have yet to be awarded in separate defamation cases for other families of the 2012 massacre in Newtown, Connecticut.
The lawsuits do not ask jurors to award a specific dollar amount against Jones.
Courts in Texas and Connecticut have already found Jones liable for defamation for his portrayal of the Sandy Hook massacre as a hoax involving actors aimed at increasing gun control. In both states, judges have issued default judgements against Jones without trials because he failed to respond to court orders and turn over documents.
The 2012 shooting killed 20 first graders and six educators. Families of eight of the victims and an FBI agent who responded to the school are suing Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems.
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Jones has since acknowledged that the shooting took place. During a deposition in April, Jones insisted he wasn’t responsible for the suffering that Sandy Hook parents say they have endured because of the hoax conspiracy, including death threats and harassment by Jones’ followers.
“No, I don’t (accept) responsibility because I wasn’t trying to cause pain and suffering,” Jones said, according to the transcripts made public this month. He continued: “They are being used and their children who can’t be brought back (are) being used to destroy the First Amendment.”
Jones claimed in court records last year that he had a negative net worth of $20 million, but attorneys for Sandy Hook families have painted a different financial picture.
Court records show that Jones’ Infowars store, which sells nutritional supplements and survival gear, made more than $165 million between 2015 and 2018. Jones has also urged listeners on his Infowars program to donate money. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/alex-jones-defamation-trial-finally-set-to-begin-in-austin-texas/3030576/ | 2022-07-25T11:56:49 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/alex-jones-defamation-trial-finally-set-to-begin-in-austin-texas/3030576/ |
HOUSTON — What exactly was that lighting up the sky over Texas last night?
Several people were talking about it on social media and some even captured it on video.
According to the American Meteor Society, more than 200 reports of a fireball came in last night. The AMS says it happened at 10:24 p.m. and was visible in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.
Looking at their map, the biggest concentration of reports came from Texas, primarily the Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio areas, but some in Corpus Christi and even further south.
Though not confirmed as a meteor, there are three active meteor showers right now – the Southern Delta Aquariids, which peaks on July 29 and 30, the Alpha Capricornids, which peaks on July 30 and 31 and the Perseids, which peaks on August 11 and 12.
Did you see it? Or maybe your home surveillance captured images. If so, share photos and videos with us, by uploading it to us through the Near Me feature of our news app. | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/what-was-that-lighting-up-the-sky-over-texas-sunday-night/285-0749c816-b020-4b4f-ad28-4908d6b5a5e8 | 2022-07-25T12:01:47 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/what-was-that-lighting-up-the-sky-over-texas-sunday-night/285-0749c816-b020-4b4f-ad28-4908d6b5a5e8 |
Milwaukee looks to raise penalties for landlords who don't comply with lead removal directives
Milwaukee landlords who don't comply with requirements to remove lead from their properties would face harsher penalties under new legislation that is headed to the Common Council on Thursday.
"We want to raise up the landlords that are compliant, doing a great job providing excellent housing in our community, and then we need to push the ones that aren't," said Common Council President José G. Pérez, who put forward the legislation.
Maria Beltran brought her two grandsons, who have been poisoned by lead, to the council's Public Safety and Health Committee meeting where the measure was recommended for passage.
A member of the parents lead group at the Coalition On Lead Emergency, or COLE, she said 4-year-old Eraclio and 5-year-old Ricardo had gone through occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy as a result of lead poisoning.
She expressed hope for the change that could come from the proposal.
"I think it's very important," she told the Journal Sentinel. "We need it set in place and in stone because all of our children of our community and in our city are very affected."
Lead poisoning has long been a problem in Milwaukee and, particularly for children, it can bring lifelong consequences.
Bevan Baker, the city's longtime health commissioner, was ousted from his job in January 2018 as reports emerged that his department failed to follow up and provide services to the families of thousands of children who had tested positive for lead.
In March, a years-long investigation into the Health Department's handling of its childhood lead poisoning prevention program ended without criminal charges.
But challenges to abating lead in Milwaukee homes remain.
In response, city officials last year directed $26 million toward lead paint abatement and $3 million to lead abatement workforce development out of nearly $400 million in one-time pandemic aid the city will receive.
That funding supports the actions laid out in the legislation by allowing the department to build up its capacity, Pérez said.
And he said while the city recognizes that lead removal is expensive, it's important that properties are fixed and children are safe.
That's part of the rationale, he said, for an element of the legislation that puts the onus on landlords to prove they are not retaliating against renters if they pursue eviction, raise rent or take other actions within two years of a tenant seeking or cooperating with outside efforts to remove lead in the home.
Heiner Giese, attorney for the Apartment Association of Southeast Wisconsin, raised some concerns and questioned the ordinance's presumption that a landlord is retaliating as opposed to allowing retaliation as a defense a tenant can raise against eviction.
However, Assistant City Attorney Tom Miller noted the language in the ordinance that allows a landlord to overcome the presumption by showing "good cause" for any action against a tenant, including a history of normal rental increases.
He said the purpose of an anti-retaliation ordinance is to allow tenants to raise the issue before requiring them to go to eviction court.
Other measures include a tripling of the maximum accumulated fines for violations of lead poisoning prevention and control regulations from $10,000 to $30,000.
For owners who do not meet deadlines to comply with lead hazard abatement orders, responses from the health commissioner could include the seeking of a court-issued warrant to enter the property and remove the lead, with the full costs of making the property safe being collected as a special charge on the property tax bill.
In rare cases, the commissioner could refer the property to the Department of Neighborhood Services for an order to raze it.
The legislation is expected to go before the council on Thursday.
The changes will take some time to implement, Tyler Weber, deputy health commissioner of environmental health, told committee members.
"This isn't something that's going to happen overnight, but we are working as best we can," he said.
Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr. | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2022/07/25/milwaukee-looks-up-penalties-landlords-who-dont-remove-lead/10113490002/ | 2022-07-25T12:17:15 | 1 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2022/07/25/milwaukee-looks-up-penalties-landlords-who-dont-remove-lead/10113490002/ |
A Ukrainian city asked Milwaukee for guns. They're getting body armor, face shields and handcuffs.
Body armor, face shields and handcuffs from the Milwaukee Police Department may soon find new homes in the former battlezone of Irpin, Ukraine.
But the guns Milwaukee's sister city requested won't be coming.
The city's Public Safety and Health Committee has greenlighted the proposal, which came together after Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn issued a request to Milwaukee last month.
"We are greatly interested in the firearms that (your) community is seizing, buying back and destroying as part of the work of (your) police force," the letter reads. "This will greatly increase our potential at repelling any Russian invasion."
Irpin, a Milwaukee sister city, became a fiercely contested battle zone along with other suburbs of Kyiv after Russian advances to the Ukrainian capital stalled in March. Donations would support "local police and territorial defense forces" amid a shortage of handguns and other weapons.
Milwaukee is not sending firearms, though. The city does have an exceptional gun recovery rate, with officers collecting 400 guns per 100,000 residents in 2016. Milwaukee routinely recovers more guns than larger cities like Chicago and Los Angeles.
MPD "does not maintain surplus firearms for donation," according to a department statement. Irpin had asked for protective equipment in a separate telephone call, the statement reads.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said sister city relationships are usually characterized by the exchange of culture and ideas, rather than weapons.
"We're in a position where our sister cities relationship is going out of the mold for what I think is usually intended," Johnson said. "We're doing our best to be supportive here, but I think guns is probably a step too far."
Johnson noted that federal officials have worked to increase the flow of American weapons into Ukraine.
Meanwhile, officials in Miami, Florida expedited a shipment of 167 guns, helmets and bulletproof vests from their police department just earlier this week. The guns include confiscated weapons as well as those purchased at a city-sponsored "Guns 4 Ukraine" buyback event last month.
Miami and Irpin became official sister cities on Tuesday.
Irpin was designated Milwaukee's sister city back in 2018, joining Galway, Ireland; Zadar, Croatia; Tarime District, Tanzania, Bomet County, Kenya; and Daegu, South Korea.
Boris Nayflish, Milwaukee's liaison to Irpin, praised the shipment and called it a "defining moment" for the sister cities' relationship.
"When our sister city requires help, we need to find a way to do so. Otherwise, what's the point?"
The residential suburb 16 miles northwest of Kyiv was among the earliest Russian targets; video of eight people killed by a mortar shell, including four members of a family, circulated on social media worldwide in March.
Half of the city was taken by Russian forces on March 14. Ukrainian forces recaptured Irpin on March 28.
Fighting in the Kyiv region has slowed during the summer as Russian forces consolidate power in Ukraine's east and south.
The protective equipment being sent is all used and largely belonged to officers who have retired or resigned, MPD chief of staff DeSiato told members of the city's public safety committee. They could still have value to Ukrainian forces, he said, and would otherwise be held in storage or destroyed. | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2022/07/25/milwaukee-poised-send-police-gear-sister-city-irpin-ukraine/10101823002/ | 2022-07-25T12:17:21 | 0 | https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2022/07/25/milwaukee-poised-send-police-gear-sister-city-irpin-ukraine/10101823002/ |
HIGHLAND — Some of the more than 50 women, men and children who rallied Sunday at Wicker Memorial Park vowed to keep fighting until the right to abortion is fully restored.
"I'm a woman. I'm a Black woman. I have nieces, and I have friends, so I'm here," said Alexia Hamilton, of Gary, as she joined more than 50 people holding signs and chanting "my body, my choice" along Indianapolis Boulevard.
Women have been sharing their abortion stories since it became clear the U.S. Supreme Court was poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, its landmark 1973 decision giving women a constitutional right to abortion.
But women shouldn't have to justify choices they make about their own bodies, Hamilton said.
"I know if something happened to me, and I needed to make this decision, I'd want it to be my decision," she said. "I don't want nobody else trying to tell me what to do with my body."
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Conservatives won't stop at abortion rights, she said.
"It's always about control. They want control. And the only way to do that is to put us in these situations where we are fighting each other because this is a fighting situation," Hamilton said. "That's what they do. They divide us constantly."
Hamilton was prepared to fight as long as it takes, she said.
"Some women before me fought, and they fought for a very long time. And I'm a person of color, so those people fought for a very long time," she said. "Until it gets accomplished. Until we move forward. And forward to the point where we're not going back. ... Who says you can have this right, but we're going to review it every 10 years. Progress is about progress. For everyone, not just certain people."
Laura White, of Hebron, was joined by her 10-year-old daughter Zooey.
White said women's rights are incredibly important to her, especially with her daughter growing into a woman.
"We want to do everything we can to help equality," she said. "Whatever we can do to help out the cause."
White is a Christian and personally would not consider abortion unless her health or the health of her child is at risk, she said.
"But I would never want to take that choice from somebody else," she said. "The lives that are here, the babies that are born, are so, so, so much more important than a bundle of cells."
White works in an emergency room, so she knows women face difficult choices in cases of rape or domestic violence.
"There's definitely situations where it's not safe to have a child," she said. "It's not good for mom or baby — the pregnancy. I would never want someone to tell me that I should or shouldn't do something with my body just because they think I shouldn't."
It's important to fight for women's equality, even if it's not a popular choice, she said.
Ginny and Rob Dickman-Lopez's 5- and 7-year-old children sat at their feet as they joined the protest.
"They're not going to stop at Roe," said Ginny Dickman-Lopez, of Munster. "Women's rights are human rights that matter."
The couple said they've been bringing their children to protests for a while because they want them to see the work that must be done to effect change in America.
"Trust me, I don't want to be out here with them anymore," Rob Dickman-Lopez said. "But to think of their generation growing up with less rights than we had — they need to know we stand for this."
It's imperative that people vote, Ginny Dickman-Lopez said.
The day Roe fell, Rob Dickman-Lopez said, he felt like his soul left his body. His wife said she expected the decision, but it was still exhausting and enraging.
"I"m hoping it will wake people up," she said. "It's past time. So much more needs to be done."
Noah Thomas, 19, of Crown Point, and Katelin Sears, 19, of Highland, organized the rally.
Thomas said he grew up around a lot of powerful women who taught him to speak out on women's issues.
"I can't stand by while rights are taken away," he said. "Roe was the groundwork, and they took that away because of Donald Trump and his Supreme Court nominees. We're never going to stop fighting until Roe gets codified into federal law."
Thomas said he planned to participate in abortion rights demonstrations organized this week in Indianapolis.
Republican lawmakers last week unveiled legislation that would prohibit all abortions in the state, except in the case of pregnancies caused by rape or incest, or if an abortion is needed to prevent substantial permanent impairment to the life of a pregnant woman.
The abortion legislation, set to be officially filed when the Republican-controlled General Assembly convenes Monday in special session, leaves doctors to determine whether a woman's life is endangered absent an abortion.
Thomas said it's important that supporters of abortion rights continue to build a peaceful movement.
"A majority of Hoosiers agree Indiana shouldn't do this," he said. "It's unfortunate that Republican lawmakers can't separate church and state and are pushing their religion on people who don't identify with their religion."
Sears said she planned to continue the fight.
"It upsets me because I have to live in a generation where my rights have to be taken away because of Republicans being stuck in their ways from the past," she said.
At a table set up by NWI AntiSexist Action, people made impromptu signs with markers and paper.
Rally attendees also could take photographs of contact information for Republican lawmakers, pick up voter registration forms and learn how to connect with Rise Northwest Indiana, a nonpartisan group working to increase voter participation, said Janine Harrison, of NWI AntiSexist Action.
U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland, made his way down the line of protesters, exchanging words and some hugs with them.
Mrvan said he supports women's rights and voted last week in Congress to codify the right to same-sex marriage.
"What is at stake is a national ban on abortion," he said. "And they will stop at nothing to get that.
"We have to work together," Mrvan said. "We have to organize."
Times Staff Writer Dan Carden contributed to this report. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/watch-now-protesters-vow-to-keep-fighting-to-restore-abortion-rights/article_c88d4dce-a499-516b-8afb-1618e4fe6bf8.html | 2022-07-25T12:20:43 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/watch-now-protesters-vow-to-keep-fighting-to-restore-abortion-rights/article_c88d4dce-a499-516b-8afb-1618e4fe6bf8.html |
For Kenosha resident Marie Goff the date of July 25, 2022, holds special meaning, as she marks her 100th birthday today.
We caught up with Marie Goff at her apartment in Kenosha with her daughter Kristie, and granddaughter Simone. Marie shared with us memories from her time in military service during WWII, what it was like raising six children, and the key to living a long and happy life.
What are your hobbies?“I never had time for many hobbies, because I had six children” said Marie, “When I was young and living in Chicago though, I did enjoy the stock market. I worked in an office right across the street from the stock exchange, so I would go there during my lunch hour and sit and listen to what the men bought.”
What was dating like growing up?“Well, my husband lived next door growing up. We were always friendly neighbors, we used to go hiking a lot together. We would hike where Carthage College now is,” said Marie, “It was like a jungle then, not developed at all. We were just friends at the time though, he wasn’t a favorite yet.”
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When was your first plane ride?“I always wanted to ride in a plane. The first time I did was when I bought some liberty bonds. When you bought 10 liberty bonds, then you got to ride in an airplane,” she said. “It was only for about 10 or 15 minutes. I was probably about 18 years old.”
What was the most important invention in your lifetime?“We had a trolley that I would take to my job at the Jockey factory for 3 cents. That was a pretty big deal at the time.”
What inspired you to join military service?“Well for one, I always wanted to,” said Marie, “My brother was a year ahead of me in school. He was just barely out of school that summer and they took him into the service. He didn’t have time for anything, they just took him the day after he graduated from high school. When he was killed in the service, that’s when I became determined that I would join too. I was working in Chicago and I joined the SPARs (the acronym for “Semper Paratus— Always Ready,” which was the women’s branch of the United States Coast Guard Reserve). Marie joined at 22 and worked at the “Ship’s Store” during her service. “We went for an initiation in Palm Beach, Fla., before I was stationed in Seattle. I made friends with a lot of the girls, especially the ones I lived with. We had nicknames for each other. Mine was Dusty.”
When did she first vote?
“I don’t exactly remember the first,” she said, “but I know I voted for Kennedy.”
How have the lives of women changed?
“We minded our parents quite a bit more. I come from a big family,” she said, “and we got along very frugally. I never believed in women working and not being home with their family. Now the mothers have to work and caregivers are paid to watch the children.”
What movie did she first see?
“I was very lucky that my brother worked for Orpheum Theater. We could get in free to movies,” she said. “I don’t remember the first I saw, but we loved Shirley Temple!”
Do you use technology?
“I watch TV, but only my favorite ones,” said Marie, “Mostly western movies.”
What was your favorite, and least favorite year?
“1968! I never liked that year. There was a lot going on in the world at that time. The only good thing that came of it was my granddaughter Simone,” she said. “One of my favorite years was when my husband and I went to college together at Carroll College in Waukesha. My husband and I were just about the only married couple in the whole school.”
What’s the secret to living to 100?
“I kind of think it’s because I came from a large family. That was a role model for me, I had a large family myself. We were always together, and we did a lot of things together. My husband and I used to walk together at Petrifying Springs with the kids. My husband would walk in the front of the line, and I would walk at the end. Having a big family definitely kept me young, (as did) the home cooked meals!”
What advice do you have for younger people?
“My advice is to travel, go and see what is out there. When I was in the service we would sometimes go on fishing trips, and horse riding. I loved getting to have those experiences.”
This year, Marie will be celebrating her 100th birthday with a big family party. “They’re coming from all over the world! All my grandchildren, all my grandchildren’s children,” she said. “We had a great big cake for my 99th birthday party, so we’re going to need another great big cake for this party, with all these people! I just hope it’s as good as the last one.”
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan celebrated her birthday on Saturday, presenting a letter of commendation and a plaque at Marie’s granddaughter’s home in Oak Creek. “It was truly a pleasure to have the opportunity to celebrate with Marie,” said U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Doreen McCarthy, Deputy Commander, Sector Lake Michigan. “She served our Nation as a SPAR at a pivotal time in history and established a legacy for all of us to follow.” | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/centenarian-from-kenosha-reflects-on-her-life-as-she-marks-100-years-today-honored-by/article_1a2c57ee-0845-11ed-afad-f3cb64bcdb1a.html | 2022-07-25T12:23:07 | 1 | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/centenarian-from-kenosha-reflects-on-her-life-as-she-marks-100-years-today-honored-by/article_1a2c57ee-0845-11ed-afad-f3cb64bcdb1a.html |
It’s Hot Fudge Sundae Day, which is perfect timing on what is supposed to be a sunny Monday. Indulge with your favorite ice cream and don’t forget to add some sprinkles!
- The historic Washington Park Velodrome hosts bike racing tonight. Registration for Stock Bike Racing (open to everyone, from age 3 to adults) starts at 6 p.m., with races starting at 6:30 p.m. To race, bring your bike and a helmet. For more details, go to www.kenoshavelodrome.com.
- The Kenosha Public Library is hosting Chess Night in Lincoln Park, 6900 18th Ave. The Kenosha Chess Association hosts games from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays outside the park’s Oribiletti Center. All ages and abilities are welcome. Also: The library’s Book Truck will be parked nearby. You can sign up for a library card, check out and return items, and sign up for the Summer Reading Program.
- Prost! The Biergarten in Petrifying Springs County Park is open seven days, serving up cold beverages and warm pretzels. For more details, check the Biergarten’s Facebook page.
- Monday night music: Who says Monday night has to be a downer? Not the folks at Union Park Tavern. Start the work week with DJ, Ted Runnels and Trombone Dave. They perform their “not your normal DJ schtick” show — with a mix of blues, jazz, soul, and soul jazz — from 5 to 8 p.m. every Monday evening at the venue, 4520 Eighth Ave. in Kenosha. It almost makes Monday a day to look forward to … almost. | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/todays-events-for-monday-july-25/article_23186116-0a04-11ed-b522-ebd77dcfb4a1.html | 2022-07-25T12:23:13 | 1 | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/todays-events-for-monday-july-25/article_23186116-0a04-11ed-b522-ebd77dcfb4a1.html |
TAMPA, Fla. — Law enforcement and rescuers recovered the body of a man found floating Monday morning in Old Tampa Bay.
Police responded around 6:35 a.m. to the south side of the Courtney Campbell Causeway on a report of a body that had been spotted, according to a Tampa Police Department news release.
The man's body was taken out of the water not long thereafter.
His identity is not yet known.
An investigation is ongoing, police said. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/courtney-campbell-causeway-body-recovered/67-3af69aa1-c4ab-4093-8286-89e6e3b524f3 | 2022-07-25T12:25:28 | 1 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/courtney-campbell-causeway-body-recovered/67-3af69aa1-c4ab-4093-8286-89e6e3b524f3 |
SEMINOLE, Fla. — A 60-year-old woman died Sunday night after she was hit by a car while crossing Seminole Boulevard, the Pinellas County Sherriff's Office said.
The crash happened around 9:06 p.m. at Seminole Boulevard and Orange Blossom Lane.
Investigators said a 34-year-old woman was driving a 2007 Ford Escape northbound on Seminole Boulevard as the pedestrian, a 60-year-old woman, was crossing the road from east to northwest. The pedestrian was not walking in a designated crosswalk, according to the sheriff's office.
She was hit by the front passenger side of the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene, investigators said.
According to deputies, speed and impairment do not appear to be factors in the crash though the investigation is ongoing. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/seminole-pedestrian-crash-pinellas-county/67-9692b264-7ffe-4afa-b8c4-d79ea3f5c17c | 2022-07-25T12:25:34 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/seminole-pedestrian-crash-pinellas-county/67-9692b264-7ffe-4afa-b8c4-d79ea3f5c17c |
OCEAN CITY — The Boy Scouts of America Troop 32 of Ocean City is holding its Summer Pancake Breakfast on July 31.
The event will take place at the Morvay-Miley-Cruice American Legion Post 524 at 46th Street and West Avenue. It will feature all-you-can-eat pancakes and sausage, paired with bottomless coffee, milk, orange juice and tea.
Admission is $10 for adults and $6 for children. Proceeds will go towards scouting activities, as well as supplies and equipment for the troop. Those seeking additional information can call Jen Somers at (609) 425-9494. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/ocean-city-boy-scouts-hosting-pancake-breakfast-on-july-31/article_2496a770-0bb0-11ed-b374-e34bb090d6c2.html | 2022-07-25T12:44:56 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/ocean-city-boy-scouts-hosting-pancake-breakfast-on-july-31/article_2496a770-0bb0-11ed-b374-e34bb090d6c2.html |
100 years ago
July 25, 1922: The post office department reports a big increase in the parcel post business. The supposition is that harvesting in the vicinity now is responsible for the boom. Of the thousands of packages being received, the majority are machine parts, the superintendent said. Wear and tear on the harvesting machinery is responsible for shipment here of the parts through the mail.
75 years ago
July 25, 1947: Helicopter demonstrations, crop dusting, aerobatics, parachute jumps, free rides and air exhibits from Chanute field are among the attractions to be offered to the public Aug. 1, 2 and 3 at the grand opening of the Chief City airport, according to an announcement by "Aer-Age Enterprises, Inc.," operators of the new flying field located at the intersection of routes 23 and 66 in Pontiac.
50 years ago
July 25, 1972: Bloomington Police Chief Harold Bosshardt said his traffic division will be setting up road blocks in various locations Wednesday night to operate a vehicle light check. Warning tickets will be issued when violations are found. The chief said the light check is a public service because the average citizen usually does not take the time to check out lights on his car or truck.
25 years ago
July 25, 1997: District 87 teachers have asked that a mediator be brought into contract talks with the school board, but the superintendent downplayed its significance. Interim Superintendent Carol Struck said approving mediation is just a step teachers must take to stay on their timeline if they vote to authorize a strike. The two sides have been deadlocked over salary increases for teachers.
Compiled by Pantagraph staff | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/history/100-years-ago-harvest-drives-up-parcel-post-business/article_403f60f0-0b62-11ed-ab04-ef4d904c29ff.html | 2022-07-25T12:53:14 | 1 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/history/100-years-ago-harvest-drives-up-parcel-post-business/article_403f60f0-0b62-11ed-ab04-ef4d904c29ff.html |
CAMP LEJEUNE CONTAMINATED WATER UPDATE
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act has been passed by Congress. If you served or lived at Camp Lejeune from 1953 to 1987, you are going to want to check eligibility for funds under the act as soon as possible. An estimated 900,000 or more people were exposed and assumedly affected by the toxic water resulting in cancer, organ failure, reproductive issues and more. The act permits affected people the opportunity to seek reparations for illness, injury and death from exposure to the contaminated water. Additionally, those military veterans may file for service-connected compensation beyond the funds available under the Camp Lejeune Justice Act. As a result of this act, affected military veterans, their family members and civilians now have access to the court systems. The legislation covers individuals not already compensated who must prove and win their case on its merits. This act is adjudicated in the courts and paid out through the U.S. Treasury Department, called the Treasury Judgment Fund. There are time limits during which claims must be filed. Additionally, you may have already seen on TV that several organizations are filing class actions to access the funds under this act. If you or a family member may be eligible for litigation or are interested in learning more about the legislation and the judicial process, please visit justiceforlejeune.org.
NEW VETERANS’ CRISIS LINE NUMBER
Effective July 16, veterans have the option to dial 988 then press 1 (www.veteranscrisisline.net/about/what-is-988) to connect with a caring, qualified responder for 24/7 crisis support. The VA operates the Veterans Crisis Line through the 988 Lifeline’s national network and thus collaborated to accomplish the successful transition to the new system. VA has added hundreds of crisis line employees and responder staff, with still more hiring underway, and has strengthened call center infrastructure. The Veterans Crisis Line is a critical component of the nation’s largest integrated suicide prevention network. The line links to more than 500 suicide prevention coordinators across the VA health care system, ensuring coordination into follow-up services as part of a full continuum of care.
VA IMPROVES ACCESS TO CARE WEBSITE
Effective July 19, veterans and the public are able to see veteran experience information for care delivered through VA facilities and will have a clearer view of average wait times, with more detailed information on available health care services and specialties. The new Access to Care website offers a simplified, user-friendly experience to make it easier for veterans to make informed decisions as they plan their health care appointments. For more information, visit www.accesstocare.va.gov.
Q: My husband was an honorably discharged veteran. He is buried in the family plot and has a civilian upright grave marker. There is no indication of his veteran status on the marker, so his grave often has no American flag placed on it on Memorial Day by the local veterans organizations. Is there anything available from the VA to provide a marker in such circumstances?
A: If you husband passed away on or after Nov. 1, 1990, he may be eligible for a grave marker medallion for placement in a private cemetery. The medallions come in 2-inch, 3 3/4-inch and 6 1/2-inch sizes. The medallion will be sent directly to the requester with an epoxy set to attach it to the upright grave marker already there. For more information and how to order, browse "VA form 40-1330M" (claim for government medallion for placement in civilian cemetery). | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/veterans-corner-camp-lejeune-update-new-crisis-line-q-a-on-grave-markers/article_a3d1fa40-09c5-11ed-896a-7f007d2c106e.html | 2022-07-25T12:53:20 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/veterans-corner-camp-lejeune-update-new-crisis-line-q-a-on-grave-markers/article_a3d1fa40-09c5-11ed-896a-7f007d2c106e.html |
The World Police Blotter
The police blotter is a public record of incidents as reported by law-enforcement agencies. All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are innocent until proven guilty. The information printed is preliminary and subject to change.
Friday, 7/15/2022:
North Bend
10:59 am, Marion Street and Safeway, indecent exposure.
4:24 pm, 1700 block of Virginia Avenue, unlawful entry into motor vehicle.
Coos Bay
7:57 am, 2000 block of Newmark Avenue, shoplifter. A 31 year old male was charged with criminal trespass I, theft III and identity theft. Subject lodged at Coos County jail.
10:01 am, 7th Street and Central Avenue, hit and run damage to city property. Down traffic sign.
8:08 pm, 200 block of N Baxter Street, warrant service. Coos County Sheriff arrested a 27 year old male on three warrants.
9:56 pm, 1000 block of S 1st Street, shoplifter. A 63 year old female was cited for theft II.
11:32 pm, 1200 block of Newmark Avenue, assault. A 38 year old male was cited for harassment.
Coquille
4:32 pm, N Central Boulevard, burglary.
Reedsport
Saturday, 7/16/2022:
North Bend
11:03 am, 3800 block of Vista Drive, sexual abuse.
11:57 am, 900 block of Lewis Street, burglary.
Coos Bay
12:10 pm, 100 block of S 7th Street, criminal trespass. A 31 year old was cited for criminal trespass II.
5:52 pm, 500 block of S 4th Street, suspicious subject/warrant service. A 26 year old male was cited on two warrants.
7:24 pm, 2000 block of Newmark Avenue, criminal trespass. A 32 year old female was cited for criminal trespass I and theft II.
8:33 pm, Tremont and Exchange, warrant service on a 35 year old male.
10:43 pm, 80 block of E Hall Avenue, warrant service. A 58 year old male was cited in lieu of custody.
Coquille
4:42 pm, 1100 block of W 8th Street, suspicious conditions/warrant service. A 35 year old male was cited on a warrant and a 34 year old male was cited on a warrant.
Reedsport
Sunday, 7/17/2022:
North Bend
2:59 pm, 2200 block of Newmark Street, minor in possession of liquor.
3:42 pm, 1700 block of Sherman Avenue, theft of services.
Coos Bay
12:11 am, 100 block of N Cammann Street, warrant service. A 34 year old female was cited in lieu of custody.
1:54 am, 1000 block of S Broadway Street, criminal trespass. A 64 year old female was cited for criminal trespass II.
3:55 am, 900 block of NE Chemewa Road, Keizer police served a Coos Bay Police department warrant. A 24 year old female was cited in lieu of custody.
7:12 am, 1000 block of S 1st Street, theft of cans/warrant service. A 33 year old male was cited in lieu of custody.
12:48 pm, 800 block of S 4th Street, elderly abuse/threats.
7:42 pm, 6th and Anderson, warrant service. A 43 year old male was cited in lieu of custody.
Coquille
8:13 pm, Baxter and 5th, follow up/arrest. Juveniles arrested on charges of burglary I, theft I, criminal mischief III and lodged at Douglas County Juvenile Detention Center.
Reedsport
Monday, 7/18/2022:
North Bend
10:47 am, 1700 block of Virginia Avenue, theft of credit card.
11:00 am, 1700 block of Hamilton Avenue, recovered stolen property.
11:00 am, 1700 block of Hamilton Avenue, theft of tires.
Coos Bay
6:05 am, 1200 block of Hemlock Avenue, theft of gas from two D9 vans.
1:30 pm, 400 block of Lockhart Ave, criminal trespass. A 34 year old male was cited for criminal trespass II.
9:52 pm, 200 block of Madrona Avenue, Tillamook Police served a Coos Bay Police warrant on a 60 year old male.
Coquille
5:27 pm, 100 block of E 1st Street, accident.
6:16 pm, 800 block of SE 1st Avenue, burglary.
9:04 pm, 800 block of SE 1st Avenue, fraud.
Reedsport | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/police-blotter/article_b9aa108e-08a1-11ed-8b14-ff0864563e52.html | 2022-07-25T12:53:54 | 1 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/police-blotter/article_b9aa108e-08a1-11ed-8b14-ff0864563e52.html |
Workers have finished reinstalling the original stained-glass windows in the Church of the Bread of Life in downtown Bismarck, the oldest church and one of the oldest structures in the city.
The stained-glass windows in the church at Camp Hancock State Historic Site were mostly created by unknown local artists. Two of them were created by renowned 19th century New York artist John La Farge and dedicated as memorial windows by the church in 1882. The La Farge windows were restored and reinstalled separately in 2020 at a cost of $14,210.
“It’s the original glass from the 1880s, so it adds a lot of historical value," Site Supervisor Johnathan Campbell said. “It's not the same building without it."
The project is one of many in the building over the years. The State Historical Society of North Dakota first renovated the site in 1971, and new rounds of upgrades started in 2018. Projects have included new interior paint, new exterior shingling and other window projects.
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The goal is to restore the building to a look similar to when it was first constructed, and preserve its history.
The building was first constructed as Church of the Bread of Life by an Episcopal congregation in the 1880s. It was renamed to St. George's Episcopal Church in 1887. The building originally was at Avenue A and Mandan Street; it was moved to Third Street and Rosser in 1899. The congregation after completing a new building sold the original structure to John and Eva Calnan in 1949, and it became a funeral home.
The Calhans sold the building in 1961 to the Presbyterian church, which donated it to the State Historical Society soon after. The building was moved to its current site in 1965.
Vandals with rocks damaged many of the original stained-glass windows around that time, according to Campbell. The windows were moved to storage, and the window openings were boarded shut before the building was moved to Camp Hancock. Plain milk-glass storm windows were installed a few years later. They'll remain to help protect the stained-glass windows, but will also be replaced.
Campbell first learned of the stained-glass windows 15 years ago. They were being stored in a shed at Fort Lincoln State Park. Campbell had them moved to Camp Hancock with the intention of having them restored, but support for the project was hard to come by.
Officials expected the project to be expensive but never attempted to obtain an estimate. The Bismarck Historical Society obtained one in 2019 that breathed new life into the project.
"The total for the window project was $85,000 for the stained-glass restoration and install. The new storm windows being installed ... cost $22,000," Campbell said.
The cost of the new storm windows has dropped from the 2019 estimate of $28,000 due to lower material prices, while the cost of the stained-glass windows has remained the same.
The Northern Plains Heritage Foundation offered a $20,000 grant, and the Bismarck Historical Society spearheaded fundraising that totaled another $20,500, according to project manager Emily Sakariassen. The rest of the money came from federal CARES Act coronavirus pandemic aid.
“The stained-glass isn’t cheap, so (the project is) also honoring an older generation that built the structure originally," Sakariassen said.
Minneapolis based Gaytee-Palmer Stained Glass Studio restored and installed the windows.
Officials are planning a two-hour event on Saturday, Sept. 3, for the public to view the windows, learn about the history of the church and watch historical reenactments. It's part of the city's summerlong celebration of its 150th anniversary.
"Its just a special building, and one of the crown jewels of historic Bismarck," Sakariassen said. “It’s a positive thing for the community to see.” | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/bismarck/original-stained-glass-windows-restored-to-historic-bismarck-church/article_b2e7dd0e-06d4-11ed-851b-ab018afdc9cb.html | 2022-07-25T12:55:17 | 0 | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/bismarck/original-stained-glass-windows-restored-to-historic-bismarck-church/article_b2e7dd0e-06d4-11ed-851b-ab018afdc9cb.html |
The latest North Dakota coronavirus news: homeowners help, workplace dialogue, food aid and more.
Help for Homeowners
The North Dakota Department of Human Services has announced help for homeowners struggling financially and at risk of housing instability because of past-due mortgage payments, utilities or other housing-related costs.
“Our goal is to support housing stability and sustain homeownership for North Dakotans who have experienced financial hardship because of the pandemic,” Executive Policy Director Jessica Thomasson said.
The ND Help for Homeowners program anticipates assisting homeowners who lost income due to underlying health conditions, long-term COVID-19 complications, unemployment or reduced work hours including lost self-employment income, and other financial hardships. Households that own and occupy their single-family home, duplex, condominium or manufactured home and who meet Treasury Department and state program criteria may qualify.
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Homeowners can get more information or apply online at https://www.applyforhelp.nd.gov/nd-help-homeowners. People also can call the ND Homeowner Assistance Fund team at 701-328-1907 or 711 (TTY) and ask to speak to a homeowner assistance specialist.
COVID and workplaces
Federal officials are inviting the public to join a national online dialogue aimed at a better understanding of long-term COVID-19 in U.S. workplaces.
Some estimates are that 1 in 5 people infected with the virus might suffer a wide range of symptoms lasting three or more months. The U.S. Department of Labor, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General are gathering ideas to better support workers coping with such symptoms, as well as to better support their co-workers and their employers.
“Understanding and Addressing the Workplace Challenges Related to Long COVID” is a virtual crowdsourcing event. Dialogue participants are invited to submit ideas, share comments and show their support for others’ ideas that they believe can help federal agencies identify and respond to long COVID’s workplace challenges, and help reduce the employment and financial impacts of the condition.
To take part or get more information, go to https://longcovidatwork.ideascale.com/a/index.
Mobile food pantry
Trucks carrying fresh vegetables, bakery items and boxed goods will make stops in North Dakota on Wednesday.
Food through the Great Plains Food Bank Mobile Food Pantry is available at no cost to those in need. Scheduled stops are (all times are local):
- Fessenden, 700 Railway St. N., 9:30-10 a.m.
- Harvey, 200 North St. E., 11:15 a.m.–12 p.m.
- Drake, 969 Highway 52 E., 1-1:30 p.m.
- Leeds, 221 Main St., 3:15-4 p.m.
- Fort Totten, 7889 Highway 57, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
- Lincoln, Peace Lutheran Church, 6-7 p.m.
For more information, go to https://bit.ly/3lkvv80.
Testing and vaccines
A comprehensive list of free public COVID-19 testing offered in North Dakota can be found at health.nd.gov/covidtesting. That site also lists where free at-home test kits are being offered.
People can go to https://www.ndvax.org or call 866-207-2880 to see where COVID-19 vaccine is available near them.
County-level COVID-19 risks determined by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be found at https://bit.ly/3Clifrq.
Guidance and resources for businesses are at https://bit.ly/3w0DpKj.
General information is at https://www.health.nd.gov/diseases-conditions/coronavirus. | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/health/north-dakota-coronavirus-news-july-25-nd-help-for-homeowners-launched/article_5fa6c700-09cb-11ed-a2fb-ffe1091fb369.html | 2022-07-25T12:55:23 | 0 | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/health/north-dakota-coronavirus-news-july-25-nd-help-for-homeowners-launched/article_5fa6c700-09cb-11ed-a2fb-ffe1091fb369.html |
ROSE HILL, Kan. (KSNW) – The heat and dry weather are causing a lot of issues for farms and ranches, but we are soon going to see some relief with upcoming rain in the forecast, but there is still more impacting the ag world.
Since 2014, Scott Farber has raised registered Texas longhorns for breeding and beef at his ranch, Crossfire Longhorns.
He said this summer has been hotter than the last, with extremely dry conditions.
“We haven’t had rain since June 5th, so a long time without rain, I started feeding hay this week,” said Farber.
Hay is harder to come by right now.
“That’s because corn prices were high earlier in the season and the fact that we just don’t have any pasture because of the drought,” said KSN Ag Reporter John Jenkinson.
Farber prepared early this year. He sold a dozen steer back in May to reduce the herd.
“I knew I needed to get in a better position as quick as possible so just made that decision earlier in the year to get better in the fall,” said Farber.
His cattle are doing well. He said Texas Longhorns adjust well to conditions like the Kansas heat.
“It’s a little more stressful when it gets in triple digits, and again they just lay down more, eat in the morning, and enjoy the breeze in the afternoon,” said Farber.
His biggest issues are the cattle’s water pump going out and record-high gas prices.
“Fuel prices obviously make things a little harder when you are hauling hay and stuff. I borrowed my friend Randy’s trailer to make things easier,” said Farber.
And even though this summer is a scorcher, Farber is continuing to adjust to make sure his cattle are safe and healthy.
Experts are expecting beef prices to go up as early as October due to many ranches having to sell cattle early due to the lack of water and cost of feed. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/cattle-ranches-continuing-to-adjust-with-drought-fuel-prices-and-more/ | 2022-07-25T13:01:47 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/cattle-ranches-continuing-to-adjust-with-drought-fuel-prices-and-more/ |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – This year, Convoy of Hope celebrated its 10th anniversary by expanding aid to surrounding cities.
The non-profit provides parents and kids bags full of groceries, school supplies and pack backs to start the academic year on the right foot.
The organization benefited more than 7,000 families this time, and people all over Wichita, Hutchinson, Valley Center, and Goddard were able to drive out not only with a smile but with some neat items.
“It’s an amazing thing, and it helps so many people,” said Heidi McCarty, Wichita mother.
Families received hand sanitizer, popsicles, gift bags and yummy treats from various donors.
“Oh, he got so excited about the Girl Scout cookies, and every bit helps everyone,” added McCarty.
Some were also able to drive away with a COVID-19 vaccine if they chose to.
“They got a lot of resources on the list that we didn’t even know about,” said Rodney Jones, Wichita resident
Organizers are calling this Convoy of Hope a success and are already looking ahead to next year.
“We are going to be looking into what it would look like to bring back some of the sites that we used to have where people can come like immunizations and sports and school physicals and shoes and those kinds of things. We are really looking into those for next year,” said Stacie Cathcart, director of Convoy of Hope. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/convoy-of-hope-celebrates-10-year-anniversary/ | 2022-07-25T13:01:53 | 1 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/convoy-of-hope-celebrates-10-year-anniversary/ |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – With more airline delays happening this busy summer travel season, vacation insurance is a popular idea.
“Would I travel without it? Well, we got the insurance,” said Christie Mabe, Kingman. “We just did it. We knew the mess that was going on, and we just did it.”
Mabe said she didn’t have to use the travel insurance for the delay, even though she had a delay getting home this weekend from Tennessee.
“And the pilot said Atlanta is taking no planes at this time,” said Mabe as she was trying to leave Tennessee to get her connecting flight from Atlanta to Wichita. “So we’re going to be stuck here for a while.”
Mabe made it home and didn’t have to stay anywhere overnight on the trip home.
“I thought oh, great. This is all I need was to get stuck,” said Mabe. “I was scared of getting stuck in the Atlanta airport all night long.”
While Mabe didn’t use the vacation insurance, AAA of Kansas says travel insurance is more popular this summer with travel uncertainty, and more people are booking insurance along with planes and hotels.
“I think a lot of the news about the vast increase in flight cancelations and delays that we’ve been seeing has really pushed people to think about travel insurance even more,” said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. “Especially if they’re taking a longer trip.”
Steward points to statistics that show 2.2% of all U.S. flights have experienced a cancelation since June. Another number, according to FlightAware, shows 22% have been delayed since June.
“Travel, especially a big international trip, is a big investment,” said Steward. “And we strongly recommend protecting that investment.”
Steward says insurance can save you thousands of dollars if there is a big cancelation on an overseas trip.
He also says to check with your travel agent or your own insurance agent to see what’s covered and what’s not covered with travel insurance. He also says most insurance plans can be less than 10% of the cost of your trip.
“Travel insurance policies are generally going to be in the 4-8% range of your total trip costs,” added Steward. “And it can really save you a lot of money in terms of canceled hotels or making different flight arrangements at the last minute.”
Some say they will continue to fly and continue to get the insurance just in case.
“Yeah, do it. Just do it,” said Mabe. “And know there’s a chance you are going to get canceled or delayed.”
Steward recommends reading the fine print very carefully on insurance so you know what’s covered and what is not in the case of delays or cancelations. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/vacation-insurance-getting-more-popular/ | 2022-07-25T13:02:00 | 1 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/vacation-insurance-getting-more-popular/ |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Wichita Art Museum celebrated its 87th birthday on Saturday.
The museum encouraged guests to contribute to a special community art project inspired by sculptures housed in the museum.
Guests were treated to live music provided by the Pan ICT Steel Band, and as an additional treat, the Wichita Wagonmasters were on hand taking part in the fun by handing out free ice cream. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/wichita-art-museum-celebrates-87th-birthday/ | 2022-07-25T13:02:06 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/wichita-art-museum-celebrates-87th-birthday/ |
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — As students head back to school, communities are still talking about the mass shooting at Greenwood Park Mall.
While the news can be difficult to comprehend, Nicole Martins, associate professor of communication science at Indiana University, said it can be even more difficult for children.
"It is harder for parents to now say, 'Oh, you don't have anything to worry about because that didn't happen here. That happened someplace else,"' Martins said. "It is happening here, right?"
According to Martins, even young school children are aware of gun violence in their community. She said most of their exposure happens through practice drills at school or hearing about it through adult conversations.
When it comes to talking to children about the ongoing issue, it is not a one-size-fits-all approach, according to Martins.
"What you say to your child should be based on how old they are," Martins said, who published an article in July, walking parents through how to have those tough conversations.
When it comes to young children, Martins recommends asking them what they know and what questions they have about what they've heard.
"As they get older, children are watching the news. Most of that news exposure is coming because they are intentionally seeking that out, particularly with teens," Martins said. "It might be a good idea to watch the news with your kids. Pause the newscast. Ask what questions they may have."
Teens and older children may not be open to talking about the issues, but Martins said not to assume that means they haven't seen information about it.
"I wouldn't wait until your teen has questions," Martins said. "I would go and ask them about what they know, what questions that they have, and with teenagers, you want to be really careful not to dismiss their concerns. Let them talk to you and have these frank conversations."
For teens, Martins also suggests letting your child know you are available to talk when the child is ready.
"Let them talk," Martins said. "Honest, transparent conversation, messages of reassurance. 'You are safe, you are loved, we have a plan in place' often go a long way in managing most children's fears."
While Martins said fear can be contagious in situations like this, she said it's OK to show your own vulnerability.
"I think it is OK to admit when you don't know," Martins said. "It's OK to admit when you feel frustrated and angry when this is happening. Again, to share that kind of common emotion is important. Honesty and transparency is the key to talking to children of all ages, but the kind of information you share might just change a little bit, depending on the age of the child and what's most appropriate for them at their developmental stage."
Martins also suggests using external tools to help your child cope. Some of those tasks could include finding ways to support the victims' families or contacting local leaders to encourage change.
When violence hits close to home, Martins said coping can be even more difficult.
Children may experience symptoms like sleep loss or emotional distress. If the issues persist, Martins suggests reaching out to your child's pediatrician.
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- Former Carmel school bus driver accused of child molesting | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-gun-violence-tips-iu-professor-mass-shootings/531-96319b98-3a6a-4f79-8174-a774d6d01a9d | 2022-07-25T13:06:25 | 0 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-gun-violence-tips-iu-professor-mass-shootings/531-96319b98-3a6a-4f79-8174-a774d6d01a9d |
INDIANAPOLIS — A person was hit and killed by a car on Indianapolis' west side Monday morning.
IMPD officers responded to the 8000 block of West Washington Street, west of Girls School Road, around 5:45 a.m. for a report of a pedestrian struck.
Police confirmed to 13News a person died in the incident.
Police believe the victim was walking across the street when they were hit by a car. According to police, the driver who hit the person stayed at the scene, but another car fled the scene.
Police said multiple cars were involved in the incident, and one driver was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Washington Street is expected to be closed for a multiple hours Monday morning between New Haven Drive and Girls School Road while police investigate. IMPD is asking drivers to avoid the area until the road reopens.
This is at least the third pedestrian hit and killed in Indianapolis within the last few days.
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/pedestrian-hit-killed-indianapolis-west-side/531-6000b80c-1402-4215-b444-5e469ede5074 | 2022-07-25T13:06:31 | 0 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/pedestrian-hit-killed-indianapolis-west-side/531-6000b80c-1402-4215-b444-5e469ede5074 |
NAPLES, Fla. — Family and friends are grieving after a Naples man tragically lost his life while diving at a golf course lake on Friday.
In an exclusive NBC2 interview, family and friends sat down to honor the life and legacy of Nick Wardein.
“You can’t have Easter without Good Friday, and this is our Good Friday,” sister-in-law Stephanie Wardein said. “He loved hard, he lived hard, he worked hard.”
That is how Wardein put into words Friday’s devastating diving accident that took the life of her 44-year-old brother-in-law.
And long-time friend Matt Loboda described Nick, the Lee County first responder, as a devoted family man with a servant’s heart.
“Nick being Nick and Xavier just wanting to be with his dad, they got scuba certified, and they had all the trips planned for the future,” Loboda said.
Nick spoke about his children in one of their final phone calls.
“Everything on the outside could be really bad and burning down, even on the inside, but Leora, Xavier, and Clara, as long as they are doing well, that’s all I want,” Loboda said.
For the past few days, the family has come together to share their favorite moments with Nick. Many said he’s leaving behind a legacy at the Epiphany Bakery. He built the storefront for his wife Ruth.
Wardein said Nick’s funeral will be held Thursday morning, which would have been his 45th birthday. | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/07/25/family-friends-remember-naples-diver-who-drowned-in-golf-course-pond/ | 2022-07-25T13:11:11 | 0 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/07/25/family-friends-remember-naples-diver-who-drowned-in-golf-course-pond/ |
FORT MYERS, Fla. — An off-duty firefighter noticed a small dumpster fire on US 41 Sunday.
Station 61 was called directly while 911 was called by a civilian, according to South Trail Fire Protection & Rescue Service District.
Engine 61 arrived and quickly extinguished the fire, preventing it from spreading to the nearby storage container and building. | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/07/25/off-duty-firefighter-notices-to-dumpster-fire-on-us-41/ | 2022-07-25T13:11:16 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/07/25/off-duty-firefighter-notices-to-dumpster-fire-on-us-41/ |
Standing in a barely wet portion of the Medina River in Bandera, Levi Sparks sticks his finger in the mouth of a Guadalupe bass that he pulled from the water, as he holds the rest of the fish’s body with his other hand. The aquatic ecologist is more than enthused about his find.
At a few inches long, the Guadalupe bass is a rare, nearly threatened species specific to rivers and creeks in Texas. It’s also the state fish.
But Sparks, part of a team from the Bandera County River Authority and Groundwater District, has little time to admire the fish that he’s there to save.
“We’re always excited to catch a Guadalupe bass,” Sparks said. “We really need them to thrive.”
Sparks tosses the bass in a bucket with other fish. He and his co-workers will take this bass from its current spot — a dried-up puddle at Ranger Crossing that was once the flowing Medina River — to a safer location, where it can survive.
Bandera County is dotted with small towns and expansive ranches, and it is home to the Medina River — a sprawling natural waterway with a thriving ecosystem and popular spots for swimming. This year, however, the river and its species are dying. The drought, brought on by high temperatures and lack of rain, is shrinking the river, and the fish in it are fighting to breathe.
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Sparks and the Bandera County River Authority team are catching fish from the Medina’s disappearing puddles downstream and releasing them into deeper flows upstream, near the river’s northern headwaters. As a result of the drought, dissolved oxygen concentrations in the Medina are declining, causing fish, such as the Guadalupe bass, to suffocate. Others that manage to breathe — for the time being — are killed by predators, which are drawn to the shallow water by easy targets.
For the River Authority, catching and releasing the fish has become the best option.
“We don’t just think of it in terms of saving the fish population,” Sparks said.“We think of it as, if we don’t do this, the other option is to have them all die out here. If we’re in a position to help, then that’s what we’re going to do.”
In the puddles
Not too far from the River Authority’s headquarters, the team pulls over at Ranger Crossing, a popular swimming spot off the Medina in the town of Bandera. These days, the waterway has been reduced to a few puddles separated by dry rock bottom. Fish are restricted to several inches of water, having slowly been driven to a smaller and smaller piece of river.
This is the fifth time the team has gone out to catch fish this summer. They’ve captured fish at Ranger Crossing and at Rocky Creek, an area of the river north of Bandera. As of now, the team has rescued 113 fish, which Clint Carter, field operations manager for the River Authority, said is a good chunk of the fish that have been swimming in the drying puddles.
At Ranger Crossing, Carter tosses a net into one of the puddles. He tugs on the net to form a type of bag that catches any nearby fish.
Shelby Sckittone, a natural resource specialist, walks through the puddle, searching and kicking up water to move fish along.
A key drought-induced concern is the low amount of dissolved oxygen in the river, said Dave Mauk, general manager for the River Authority. As the volume of water declines, the fish compete with each other for diminishing oxygen, depleting the levels dramatically. Without rain, the river won’t be replenished with oxygenated water and the fish will suffocate.
Also, Mauk said, low water levels make it easier for predators, such as raccoons, to grab the fish.
“When these fish are in a spot the size of a living room, they’re done,” he said.
For the past 180 days, Bandera County has received nearly no rain. Most of the water from a few scattered showers has been immediately absorbed by the dry soil. And while several heavy rains are needed to refill the river, climatologists predict hardly any rain for the rest of the year.
The River Authority team expects that the fish it relocates will reproduce in their new upstream environment and that an augmented population will swim downstream when the river is full again.
“We usually find a lot of sunfish (at Ranger Crossing), but we’re pretty indiscriminate with who we catch to move upstream,” Sparks said. “It’s whatever fish species we can grab.”
Sparks knows Medina River fish so well that he can typically name them the instant they’re removed from the water. This time, along with a few Guadalupe bass, the team finds blacktail shiners, redbreast sunfish, western mosquito fish and longear sunfish.
Another species called the golden redhorse is incredibly important to ecosystems because it’s often a bioindicator species that can alert people when the water is polluted or toxic. The team rescued a golden redhorse during a previous trip, but it found none this time.
“If we stop seeing golden redhorses, we know something is up,” Sparks said. “They are usually the first to die when there’s a problem, so we like having them around.”
‘Fish for the future’
The team caught 62 fish at Ranger Crossing, bringing the number rescued to 175, and carried them in a bucket about 20 minutes north to Brewington Crossing, where the North Prong Medina River meets Brewington Creek, not far from the headwaters.
The water at the relocation site is also lower than usual, but it’s deeper than the water the fish came from and heavily shaded by trees. Fish can become stressed and die when the water is too low and too hot. In some areas of the Medina River, the temperature has reached 88 to 90 degrees.
Typically, fish are more comfortable in the low 70s.
“They can adapt, but when the river stays at that temperature constantly, that’s when they start dying,” Sparks said. “They can survive 80-degree water no problem, but when they have no escape, especially with no tree cover, that’s cause for concern.”
And it’s not only a concern for the fish. Low and hot water can also increase bacteria and algae in the river that are hazardous to people. When the water is stagnant because of drought, it can no longer be safe to swim in. Certain bacteria can make a person very sick or even cause death.
Mauk said he’s paused more than a few times this summer to tell people to stop swimming in the Medina River.
After counting the fish and marking the types of species, Carter releases them gently into Brewington Creek. One fish floats upside down for a while, but with a couple nudges, the tiny guy swims away with the others.
For the Bandera County River Authority, it’s a good feeling, having saved even a small portion of the population. They might go out again, but for now, they feel like they’ve perhaps done enough.
“That’s 62 that would have died,” Mauk said. “If they survive here over the years, that turns into a lot of fish for the future.”
Elena Bruess writes for the Express-News through Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. ReportforAmerica.org. elena.bruess@express-news.net
More than 100 Black female veterans and active duty members attended the National Association of Black Military Women's four-day conference downtown at the Westin Riverwalk. | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Bandera-river-save-fish-drought-17323618.php | 2022-07-25T13:15:36 | 1 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Bandera-river-save-fish-drought-17323618.php |
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Army veteran Elizabeth Eckford tells her story so others will know they are not alone in any confrontation they face. Her tale isn’t of war but of being on the front line of the Civil Rights era.
Eckford was one of the Little Rock Nine — the first African American students to desegregate Central High School in Little Rock.
On Sept. 4, 1957, the 15-year-old was excited and nervous about her first day at the new school. She wore a new white blouse and skirt laced with navy blue gingham trim that she made with her sister Anna.
Alone, she stepped off the bus, and an angry mob of more than 250 people awaited her arrival. Arkansas National Guard soldiers blocked her attempts to go in the school.
An older woman spat on her face when she looked to her for help. The swarming crowd shouted racial epithets, and a photographer captured a spiteful-faced girl yelling at Eckford. The image became an iconic photo of her ordeal.
Sunglasses, which she wore because her eyes were sensitive to brightness, hid her tears.
For Eckford, that was “The Worst First Day: Bullied While Desegregating Central High,” the title of a book she co-authored with Army retired Lt Col. Eurydice Stanley and her daughter, Grace Stanley. That day several journalists encircled her to protect her from the mob.
She wasn’t alone.
“I want people to know that they shouldn’t be bystanders,” Eckford said. “When we were being attacked and other people weren’t acknowledging that, it made me feel like they were thinking that was what we deserved. Anybody can have empathy and support someone who is being bullied. There were two students who fulfilled that role for me. It was very empowering.”
Eckford shared her story over the weekend at the National Association of Black Military Women 22nd Biennial Reunion and Conference at The Westin Riverwalk. More than 100 members attended the four-day conference. The association’s mission is to “seek out, record, maintain and tell the history and heritage of African American military women who served and are serving in the United States Armed Forces.”
The association was formed from the Black Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, Women’s Army Corps and the Women in Service Association. Fifty-six years ago, 21 Black women who served during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War founded the association in Hampton, Virginia. That group included members of the 6888th Central Postal Battalion, an all-female African American unit deployed to England and France during World War II. In 1978, the group hosted its first biennial convention in Dallas.
The recent conference was the association’s second gathering in San Antonio; the first was in 1994. They saluted trailblazers who served under discriminatory conditions and segregation and paved the way for future generations.
In her welcome, Army retired Lt. Col. Patricia Jackson-Kelley, association president, said they “should always remember the past tenacity and fortitude of the women who paved the way.” The roster included keynote speaker Army retired Brig. Gen. Clara Adams-Ender and retired Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Rosetta Y. Burke.
“My coming along and telling my story is standing on the shoulders of those who were in the military before me and were not recognized,” Burke said. “For me, the understanding of the military was mostly, ‘his’ story, compared to ‘her’ story.”
Stephanie E. Dawson was the first female to serve as a brigade commander in the New York Army National Guard. Dawson served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was the association’s fourth president. She spoke of a monument to the 6888th (Six Triple Eight), erected at the Buffalo Soldier Military Park in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The memorial features a quote from WWII veteran Gladys Schuster Carter, known as the mother of association, about the women who navigated discrimination and exceeded expectations by reducing a six-month backlog to three.
“That’s the story that needs to be told,” Dawson said. “Kids, especially African American girls, need to know we’ve been serving this country from day one. That’s why we need to round out the picture of what actually happened. The more people see and know what people have accomplished, the more they can visualize what they can accomplish.”
Eckford said she’s proud of her military service and the accomplishments of the Little Rock Nine. In 1999, President Bill Clinton presented the nine with the Congressional Gold Medal. Eckford attended Central High for one year. She was home-schooled when the governor closed public high schools to stop desegregation. Now, there are more than 2,500 students at Central High speaking 24 different languages.
“Now, you can see the whole world in looking at the student body,” Eckford said. “We can never have racial reconciliation until we honestly acknowledge our painful but shared past. There are some people who want to talk about the hopes for the future. That is impossible without acknowledging and having difficult conversations.”
Stanley said Eckford’s story has resonated across the world. She recalled how students in New Zealand embraced Eckford. They were stunned by the treatment she had endured by her townspeople.
“It was absolutely overwhelming to see the level of respect and interest,” Stanley said. “There were students who would come up to Ms. Eckford in tears, just thanking her for what she had endured and the difference that she made. I just wish there were more people in the United States who understood the sacrifices that were made by the nine and people like the nine.”
vtdavis@express-news.net | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Black-military-women-history-not-forgotten-17325693.php | 2022-07-25T13:15:42 | 1 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Black-military-women-history-not-forgotten-17325693.php |
The heat felt like a blast from a furnace when Julio Garanzuay, 39, brought his sons Ramiro Villy, 12, and Julio Garanzuay, 8, for haircuts from Christopher “Chris DaBarber” Flores.
Inside Flores’ Big Shots Barber Lounge, it was chilly.
The 46-year-old barber, wearing a dark blue New York Yankees baseball cap, welcomed the trio. Flores clicked on his silent clippers to first trim Ramiro’s shock of hair as his brother tapped away at a game on a cellphone.
“They call me little Julio; he’s big Julio,” the youngster said with a nod to his father. The older Garanzuay gazed around the barbershop on wheels.
The 14-foot-by-7-foot trailer was parked at a lot at Potranco and Loop 1604. It has a silver, diamond-plated sheet metal floor. A flat-screen TV, connected to WiFi, anchored a corner near the door. Jars of Johnny B. Mode styling gel and Pacinos styling paste rested on bookshelves. A portable air conditioner, powered by a mini-split, two-ton generator, cooled the white-walled space. Bolted outside is the barbers’ calling card — a red, white, and blue striped barber pole.
“It’s a clean setup,” Garanzuay said. “It’s pretty impressive. It’s more personal, one on one, no distractions and more access to more clients.”
Flores’ lounge is a reflection of the coronavirus-changing times. It’s one of several mobile salons offering haircuts on the go across San Antonio. Flores cuts his customers’ hair six days a week at parking lots on the Northwest Side. He posts spots where he’ll be on social media, including Instagram and Facebook. Longtime and new clients flock to his black mobile grooming trailer pulled by a white Dodge Ram truck.
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Before the pandemic, Flores had a fixed location near the South Texas Medical Center, with a robust roster of clients. Offering haircuts on the move became an option when the virus brought business to a halt.
In January, he started thinking about food trucks around him and wondered if he could customize a shop on wheels. Flores said he consulted with The Fud Trailer Co. He wanted a trailer gutted of inside appliances, built to his design.
He saved up for the first payment of the double-axle trailer that runs between $13,000 and $18,000. The only remnant of a food truck on the custom trailer was a service window. A friend mounted a 12,000-watt generator that powers the unit. On May 19, Flores picked up the trailer. After 30 days of preparation and paperwork, he rolled his grooming station onto the road.
“I wanted to create something different,” Flores said. “More of a come-to-you service.”
A 22-year veteran of the Air Force, Vincent T. Davis embarked on a second career as a journalist and found his calling. Observing and listening across San Antonio, he finds intriguing tales to tell about everyday people. He shares his stories with Express-News subscribers every Monday morning.
He became interested in the art of grooming as a little boy when his grandfather took him to a barbershop in Nacogdoches. Flores was captivated by the barber, Mr. Arriola. The man, in his 60s, wore sharp, ironed clothes. He used clippers attached to a clear plastic hose that vacuumed up shorn hair. But the most impressive thing about the barber was his two-tone 5.0 Mustang, a gray-bottom, blue-topped clean machine parked outside.
Flores learned to listen without prejudice, not interrupt, and store information away for future access. Arriola let Flores use his first clippers to touch up hair of the regulars. His lessons took place under the unblinking glass eyes of a deer’s head mounted on a wall. The two-chair shop’s carpet captured the scent of blue hair tonic and white talc from the barbers.
Ten years ago, Flores moved to San Antonio and worked at Ray’s Barber Shop on the West Side. He said Ray Gonzalez taught him about life and how to use money to make money. Flores shares those lessons on his YouTube channel titled “Big Shots Barber Lounge.”
“I’m letting other barbers know this is the future,” he said. “I want to show there are plenty of opportunities out here. Saving time and gas is a real convenience for customers these days.”
After Flores finished Ramiro’s hair, Garanzuay motioned for little Julio to climb into the chair. The youngster grimaced as the barber fastened the cape around his neck. As he finished, Julio was ready to get out of the chair.
“You want some gel in your hair?” Flores asked the youngster.
“No, I’m fine,” Julio said.
His father said, “You need some gel.”
“Yeah,” Flores added, “let’s see how it looks with some product.”
The barber combed blue gel into the boy’s hair. He leaned back, like an artist eyeing a painting, and inspected the smooth locks laid to the right, above shaved sides.
“Whoooo!” Flores said. “That’s fresh!”
Julio looked in the mirror and gave his approval. As 5 p.m. stop-and-go traffic packed lanes on 1604, Abel Orta, 42, walked in with his son Matthew, 16. The teen wanted a taper fade cut. The Ortas have followed Flores for a few years, happy with his style of grooming.
“I love to see him get better and prosperous in the business,” Orta said. “He’s a go-getter.”
Driving to get styled by Flores is not a problem for the father and son.
“He’s been my guy,” Matthew said. “I cannot go anywhere else.”
vtdavis@express-news.net | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/San-Antonio-barber-drives-his-shop-on-wheels-17325282.php | 2022-07-25T13:15:48 | 0 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/San-Antonio-barber-drives-his-shop-on-wheels-17325282.php |
When it comes to water, northeastern New Jersey simply can't catch a break.
A broken water main Monday morning left six towns with low pressure, Veolia Water NJ said.
The 36" main break in Paramus impacted service there, as well as in Hasbrouck Heights, Hackensack, Carlstadt, Maywood and Wood-Ridge.
It's the second week in a row Veolia customers in that part of the state have struggled with water problems.
Last week a water main broke in Ridgefield, and after it was repaired, routine testing detected the presence of E.coli, which the CDC says can cause diarrhea, pneumonia and urinary tract infections, among other serious illnesses.
That prompted the water company to issue an advisory Friday warning residents of Fairview, Cliffside Park, Ridgefield, Edgewater, Fort Lee, Palisades Park and Leonia to boil their tap water before drinking it.
The advisory was lifted Sunday afternoon. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/6-nj-towns-impacted-by-broken-water-main-days-after-e-coli-scare/3792811/ | 2022-07-25T13:23:52 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/6-nj-towns-impacted-by-broken-water-main-days-after-e-coli-scare/3792811/ |
A Brooklyn teenager is in custody after what cops say was a domestic dispute with his older sister that turned deadly.
Police responded to a Beverley Road home in East Flatbush about 11:30 p.m. Sunday and found a woman, 26, with stab wounds to the neck and arms. She was taken to Kings County Hospital, where she died.
Her brother, 17, was taken into custody.
Police said the circumstances are still under investigation.
Copyright NBC New York | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/brooklyn-teen-17-arrested-in-stabbing-murder-of-older-sister/3792866/ | 2022-07-25T13:24:03 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/brooklyn-teen-17-arrested-in-stabbing-murder-of-older-sister/3792866/ |
Days after police in the Lehigh Valley shot and killed a giant snake that had wrapped itself around the neck of a 27-year-old man, the man died from his injuries.
The Lehigh County Coroner's Office reported Monday that Elliot Senseman, a 27-year-old Upper Macungie Township man, died Sunday morning at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Cedar Crest.
In its news release, the coroner ruled the cause of death as "Anoxic Brain Injury due to Asphyxiation by Constriction." The manner of death was ruled an accident.
"A Boa Constrictor type snake approximately 18’ in length constricted around the neck of Mr. Senseman, thus causing the anoxic brain injury (complete lack of oxygen to the brain)," the coroner's office said.
When Upper Macungie Township police officers arrived around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, Senseman was already unconscious and in cardiac arrest in his Fogelsville neighborhood home, authorities said. In an attempt to save the man, officers shot the boa in the head "without risking further injury to the male" and killed it, Upper Macungie Township police said.
It was a pet snake that had grown enormous, police said.
Police originally said the snake was at least 15 feet long. On Monday, the coroner's office said the snake was actually 18 feet long.
Senseman was pulled from the snake's grasp after the gunfire and rushed to the hospital.
The county coroner's office and the the Upper Macungie Township Police Department continued to investigate the incident. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/strangled-snake-police-shot-dead-lehigh-county/3314547/ | 2022-07-25T13:24:15 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/strangled-snake-police-shot-dead-lehigh-county/3314547/ |
Originally published July 18 on IdahoCapitalSun.com.
Four years after the U.S. Supreme Court decided that abortion was a constitutional right in 1973, Idaho passed a law to monitor those abortions — not in a way that would identify patients, but in a way that would allow the state and public to see the statistics.
Abortion is one of few medical procedures that is tracked and analyzed annually by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The state has refused to participate in data collection that would offer similar insight into a vast array of other medical procedures.
From the annual abortion reports, health officials know what abortion looks like in Idaho: who gets them, when, how and where.
What we know about abortion in Idaho
Abortions in Idaho have become much less common over the years.
They peaked at 2,706 in 1981 — about 1,000 more than in 2020, even though Idaho’s population had grown significantly in those 40 years.
The year of the pandemic’s arrival in Idaho brought with it an increase in abortions. The number of abortions to Idaho residents in 2020 — the most recent data year — was 11% higher than the year before. And rates of abortion also reached their highest levels in at least a decade.
What we know about abortions provided to Idahoans
There is no typical abortion — just as with any other medical procedure, the patient’s health and many other factors can play a role. But we do know what the numbers say.
Most Idahoans seeking abortion were able to get them in Idaho as of 2020. About 72% of the 2,007 abortions to Idaho residents that year occurred in-state. The others occurred mostly in Washington — likely due to availability of abortion care across the state border in North Idaho — with a few dozen in Utah and a small number in Montana, Oregon and Tennessee.
Nearly all abortions occur in Ada or Twin Falls counties. That’s where Planned Parenthood clinics have been located.
The number of Idahoans getting abortions in other states will grow if the Idaho abortion ban survives a pending legal challenge. Planned Parenthood plans to open a new clinic just across the border in Oregon.
What we know about who gets abortions
The ‘typical’ Idahoan who receives an abortion is in her 20s, according to Idaho Health and Welfare data.
She is not married.
She’s white and non-Hispanic.
This is her first time getting an abortion, and the pregnancy is new — less than nine weeks.
There is about a 51% chance she doesn’t have children. If she does, she has one or two kids, but it’s possible she has three or more.
She probably lives in one of Idaho’s urban areas.
The clinician gives her a prescription for medication that will induce the abortion — as opposed to performing surgery — and she will not report any physical or mental health complications.
The law does not require the state to gather any information about her education, income, poverty level or housing.
Because pregnancies are more common in certain age groups, abortions in that age group may also be more numerous. The rate of abortions per 1,000 female residents in each age group was, as of 2020:
- Age 10-14: 0.1
- Age 15-19: 3.8
- Age 20-24: 11.3
- Age 25-29: 8.5
- Age 30-34: 5.9
- Age 35-39: 3.3
- Age 40-44: 1.1
- Age 45 and older: 0.2
It’s slightly more common for a patient who receives an abortion in Idaho to have no living children — about 51% of abortions in 2020.
It’s much more common for a patient to be undergoing abortion for the first time in their life — about 80% of abortions in 2020.
What about abortions for rape, incest or life-saving care?
The Idaho Legislature has not required health care providers to gather any information from patients on the reason they’re seeking an abortion.
Idaho law enforcement agencies reported at least 576 rapes in 2018, the most recent FBI data year. That is an undercount; many victims do not report their rape, and not all Idaho law enforcement agencies report their numbers to the FBI.
While it is possible for a female to become pregnant at a young age, due to early fertility, their babies are at much higher risk of being born too early and too small, and the birth can be traumatic for the girl.
“Childbearing by very young mothers is a matter of public concern because of the elevated health risks for these mothers and their infants and the socioeconomic consequences,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Girls in Idaho age 10 to 14 have received abortions every year since at least 2003 — anywhere from three abortions among these girls in 2017, to 13 in 2010. Based on the abortion and birth rates in that age group, Idaho girls in their preteens and early teens were more likely to get abortions than to deliver a baby.
Many more Idaho girls age 15 to 17 receive abortions each year — from 56 in 2014 and 2020, to 159 in 2006.
The law also doesn’t require health care providers to report whether abortions were performed to save the patient’s life.
There is no demographic for whom a pregnancy is most likely to cause serious, life-threatening complications. Those can happen to anyone.
But one of the major risk factors for dangerous complications in pregnancy is a history of complications.
National data show that nearly 10% of pregnancies cause blood-pressure related disorders, including a disorder that results in seizures and can kill the mother. The only way to treat that disorder is to deliver the fetus — whether or not the fetus has developed enough to survive. (There is no data for Idaho, because Idaho does not participate in that national data-gathering program.)
The risk of complications in a pregnancy is never zero, but it does increase with a mother’s age. Some of those complications are resolved or prevented by abortion.
About one in four Idaho women age 40 and up who received abortions in 2020 had already undergone the procedure at least once before. | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/idaho-s-abortion-data-the-demographics-of-who-gets-them-when-how-and-where/article_a96d03aa-42a7-59b9-b3b4-6f17e5a50956.html | 2022-07-25T13:28:59 | 0 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/idaho-s-abortion-data-the-demographics-of-who-gets-them-when-how-and-where/article_a96d03aa-42a7-59b9-b3b4-6f17e5a50956.html |
One person is dead and another is severely injured after an auto-pedestrian crash in Dallas on Sunday night, police said.
According to the Dallas Police Department, the incident occurred just before the intersection of Forest Lane and Cromwell shortly after 9:30 p.m.
Police said one individual was in a wheelchair and the second was pushing the wheelchair at the time of the crash.
The driver, who was going eastbound on Forest, hit the two individuals and severely injured the person in the wheelchair, police said.
According to police, the driver also dragged the other pedestrian for more than three full blocks.
Police said when the driver turned southbound on Marsh, the second victim fell to the ground where he was later pronounced dead.
The driver did not stop and drove all the way home to the Elan at Bluffview Apartments, located at 3850 NW Highway, where he was later arrested, police said.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
According to police, officers confiscated the driver's vehicle and charged him with accident causing death as well as accident causing serious bodily injury. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/1-killed-1-severely-injured-in-overnight-hit-and-run-crash-in-dallas-police/3030594/ | 2022-07-25T13:32:34 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/1-killed-1-severely-injured-in-overnight-hit-and-run-crash-in-dallas-police/3030594/ |
Authorities have increased their reward in the search for the person responsible for the killing of a 4-year-old Southeast Texas girl more than 20 years ago.
Dannarriah Finley disappeared from her bedroom early on July 4, 2002.
Her mother, Jaime Arnold, told authorities she put her daughter and two other children, plus three cousins to bed at 1:30 a.m. after returning from work. She checked on the children about 4 a.m. and then awoke at 10 a.m. to discover Dannarriah was gone from their home in Orange, about 110 miles east of Houston.
Dannarriah’s body was found four days later by pipeline workers in Port Arthur, about 20 miles south of Orange. Authorities say she had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
The Texas Department of Public Safety, or DPS, on Friday announced it had increased its reward for information from $3,000 to $6,000.
“Despite intensive investigation into what happened to the young girl, this case remains unsolved and anyone with details regarding the homicide is asked to come forward with information,” DPS said in statement. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/20-years-later-police-still-searching-for-texas-girls-killer/3030581/ | 2022-07-25T13:32:36 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/20-years-later-police-still-searching-for-texas-girls-killer/3030581/ |
HENRY COUNTY, Va. – A 41-year-old woman is dead following a crash in Henry County on Sunday, according to Virginia State Police.
Shortly after 10 a.m., a 1998 Dodge R-15 was going north on Beaver Creek Drive when it ran off the right side of the road and hit several trees, authorities say.
We’re told Melissa Ann Key, of Martinsville, was a passenger in the Dodge.
It is unclear if Key was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.
According to officials, she was transported to Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Unfortunately, she did not make it.
The crash remains under investigation. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/07/25/41-year-old-dies-in-henry-county-crash/ | 2022-07-25T13:41:56 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/07/25/41-year-old-dies-in-henry-county-crash/ |
Terracon Foundation: The Terracon Foundation awarded a $4,900 community grant to the Southern Arizona Research, Science and Engineering Foundation. The funds will be used to support SARSEF’s Creating an Equitable AZ STEM Pipeline. To date, the Terracon Foundation has granted more than $3.5 million to community organizations, universities, dependents of employees, and for disaster relief efforts.
Round Room, LLC: Round Room, LLC., a Verizon authorized retailer, announced that its TCC and Wireless Zone stores are giving away backpacks in Tucson and across the country. Across the U.S. on Sunday, July 31, the company is donating 140,000 backpacks full of school supplies as part of its 10th annual School Rocks Backpack Giveaway. Families are invited to visit a store between 1 and 4 p.m. to pick up a backpack filled with pencils, paper, a pencil box, folders, a ruler and glue. One backpack per child present will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. In addition to the backpack donations, families can enter their students in a sweepstakes to win a $10,000 college scholarship through the giveaway’s Big Impact. Children in grades K-12 are eligible for entry. Five scholarships in total will be awarded to randomly selected winners. To find a location near you, visit tucne.ws/1kzp. Any leftover backpacks at School Rocks Backpack Giveaway events will be donated to local schools of each store’s choice.
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Western Wealth Capital: School supply kits and backpacks were given to school-age children at Tucson-area Western Wealth Capital-owned apartment communities. The backpacks included a school district-approved supply kit with notebooks and other vital supplies like pens and art supplies. This year, the company will surpass $200,000 in donated school supplies since the event’s inception in 2016, with more than 450 backpacks being distributed in Tucson this year alone.
Southwest Gas Foundation: Mayor Regina Romero’s Tucson Million Trees program received a $50,000 commitment from the Southwest Gas Foundation as part of the company’s multi-year pledge to responsible environmental stewardship and community partnerships. The donation, matched dollar-for-dollar through another philanthropic gift, represents a $100,000 boost towards the mayor’s goal of planting one million trees in Tucson by 2030. The donation is expected to increase the number of trees in up to five neighborhoods around Tucson, a news release said.
Submit items about charitable donations by businesses or nonprofits to business@tucson.com. | https://tucson.com/news/local/business/giving-back-in-southern-arizona/article_8caa891c-0840-11ed-bf39-07ce8124fcd3.html | 2022-07-25T13:42:33 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/business/giving-back-in-southern-arizona/article_8caa891c-0840-11ed-bf39-07ce8124fcd3.html |
Harrison Twp. woman dies after apartment building fire
Harrison Township — A 27-year-old woman is dead after a fire at an apartment building early Sunday, the Macomb County Sheriff's Office said.
Harrison Township firefighters and county deputies were called at about 3:50 a.m. to the Village Green on Lake St. Clair apartment complex for a report of a fire on the building's third floor, officials said.
A caller who lives in the building told dispatchers he could see flames coming from an apartment's window.
Firefighters and deputies located the apartment by thick black smoke. Officials evacuated the building.
Once firefighters extinguished the blaze, they went into the apartment and found a lone person inside. Medics took the woman to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Deputies identified the woman as Taryn Gainey.
Officials said several residents of the building reported smoke inhalation, but no one was seriously injured.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, police said, but it appears to be cooking related. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2022/07/25/harrison-township-woman-dies-after-apartment-building-fire-sunday/10141968002/ | 2022-07-25T13:50:38 | 0 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2022/07/25/harrison-township-woman-dies-after-apartment-building-fire-sunday/10141968002/ |
Roseville woman arrested after baby taken to hospital for ingesting heroin
Roseville — A woman was arrested over the weekend after her 18-month-old girl appeared to have ingested heroin, Michigan State Police said.
A trooper patrolling the area of Little Mack and Masonic in Roseville at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday was flagged down by someone in a car who said her baby was not breathing, according to authorities.
As the trooper approached the woman's car, she handed him her 18-month-old daughter. The trooper called for medics and additional police officers as he rubbed the child's sternum. The baby began to breathe slowly, officials said.
Medics arrived and began treating the child.
After an investigation, the trooper and medics learned the baby had ingested some heroin. They administered a dose of Narcan and the child's breathing grew stronger. Medics rushed the child to a hospital where she was last listed in critical condition.
Officials said police searched the mother, a 31-year-old Roseville woman, and her car. They found 15 doses of heroin in red and black capsules. Police said she tried to hide the capsules from police during their investigation.
Authorities also found a 3-year-old child in the vehicle with the capsules.
Police took the woman and the 3-year-old to a hospital. The woman was expected to be moved to the Macomb County Jail while the two children remain at the hospital for treatment and await placement by Child Protective Services. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2022/07/25/roseville-woman-arrested-after-baby-taken-hospital-ingesting-heroin/10141839002/ | 2022-07-25T13:50:43 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2022/07/25/roseville-woman-arrested-after-baby-taken-hospital-ingesting-heroin/10141839002/ |
Detroit teen drowns in pond at Monroe Co. campground
A 15-year-old Detroit boy is dead after drowning in a pond Saturday at a Monroe County campground, officials said.
The teen has been identified as Jaylen Christopher Hill, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies were called at about 5:20 p.m. Saturday about a 15-year-old who was missing and last seen in a swimming pond at the KOA Campground on Tunnicliffe Road near Summerfield Road and U.S.-23 in Summerfield Township. A caller reported the boy had been missing for about 20 minutes.
Deputies and firefighters began searching the pond. The sheriff's Dive Team was called to assist the search.
A dive team member located the boy and medics took him to a hospital in Toldeo where he was pronounced dead.
Officials said the drowning remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the incident should call the Monroe County Sheriff's Office at (734) 240-7400. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/07/25/detroit-teen-drowns-pond-monroe-county-campground/10142050002/ | 2022-07-25T13:50:46 | 0 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/07/25/detroit-teen-drowns-pond-monroe-county-campground/10142050002/ |
SAN ANTONIO — For some people, a trip to the nail salon is an ideal way to relax and pamper themselves. But if you're short on time and money, there's another option from California that recently popped up in Texas.
It's called the Clockwork "Mini-cure." It's a fully autonomous robot that uses 3D cameras to take a picture of each nail. Then, it uses artificial intelligence to quickly and accurately paint them.
Clockwork Chief Marketing Officer Mara McCune said this tiny robot can paint your nails in just 10 minutes for under $10.
“And the second that that robot starts painting your nails? It is just a wow moment," McCune said. "It is incredible to see this technology really revolutionizing the beauty space."
According to Clockwork's website, the average woman spends 3,120 minutes a year on her nails. McCune said this device is meant to save you time and money.
“We are creating new occasions for people to give themselves the gift of time," McCune said. "It's a little luxury that fits into your day. It's 10 minutes, just under $10 and you can treat yourself and then love having your nails done for the next week.”
McCune said they're not trying to compete with regular nail salons. Their service is offered as more of an alternative.
“There is a huge demand for people who still want to go to the salon, get pampered, get their nails shaped and filed and cuticles push back, and that there's a role for that," McCune said. "And we think we can live alongside them for a fast manicure. That is a different experience. And so we see us partnering with nail salons and really being able to live simultaneously."
To get your Clockwork "Mini-cure," You just book and pay online before showing up. Right now, Clockwork can be found inside several Target stores in California and Minnesota. In May, Clockwork made it to Target stores in Texas. There's currently one machine in Dallas and two in Fort Worth.
Clockwork is still fairly new. It launched its first pop-up in 2021. Now McCune's team is focused on establishing more permanent locations.
“Our Texas fans are loving the experience and we're seeing them come back multiple times,” McCune said. “And so as we set out to revolutionize Express Beauty, we're excited to explore a variety of different formats and locations. And yes, we hope to be in San Antonio soon.”
She said while they have eyes on San Antonio, you can tell them you want to see Clockwork here too at https://www.likeclockwork.com/neighborhood. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/a-tiny-robot-gives-10-minute-manicures-for-under-10-in-dallas-and-fort-worth/273-38e079c0-e25e-48f3-a8e8-05ea8375af09 | 2022-07-25T13:54:41 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/a-tiny-robot-gives-10-minute-manicures-for-under-10-in-dallas-and-fort-worth/273-38e079c0-e25e-48f3-a8e8-05ea8375af09 |
SAN DIEGO — As we embark on ‘Shark Week’ 2022, CBS 8 is diving into the reasons why juvenile white shark sightings have been on the rise in San Diego County in recent years.
“We have been seeing an increase of great white shark sightings in Southern California and that’s quite simply because there’s more great whites,” said Dr. Chris Lowe, a marine biologist and Director of the Shark Lab at California State University Long Beach.
"White sharks were protected in California in 1994 and their food sources have recovered, so as a result, we’re starting to see more sharks. The population is recovering and that’s a good sign," said Lowe.
WATCH RELATED: Above San Diego | Sharks seen swimming near Torrey Pines State Beach shore
Lowe said San Diego County is a new hot spot for white shark juveniles, who seem to prefer this area as a ‘nursery site.’
“About ten years ago when we first started to see them pop up, they were primarily around Santa Monica Bay, Santa Barbara, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, and we had none off San Diego,” said Dr. Lowe. “And starting about 2 years ago, we started seeing juvenile white sharks down in San Diego County, and now that’s one of our biggest hot spots.”
Juvenile white sharks are typically between 4 and 9-feet long and up to six-years old, and before maturing into adulthood, they seek out shallower waters where it’s safer.
“People don’t often think of a 5-foot white shark as being afraid of anything, but they are,” said Dr. Lowe. “So they’re born, they’re given no parental care, completely on their own, and we think the reason why they choose shallow water on beaches is it’s a safe place for them.”
And shallower waters are also warmer waters with plenty of food sources for them, making San Diego the perfect place to hang out.
“The number one thing we find in juvenile white shark stomachs are stingrays,” said Dr. Lowe. “We have hundreds of thousands of those along our coast.”
WATCH RELATED: Shark sighting temporarily delays World Surf League Championship
How safe is it to be in the water with some of these white sharks around?
“There is a relatively low risk of people being injured by those juvenile white sharks that are using our popular beaches as their nursery,” said Dr. Lowe.
The team at Shark Lab Cal-State Long Beach have been tagging juvenile white sharks with acoustic transmitters for the past 10 years, and they’ve been compiling observations from their drone program to see how white sharks interact in close proximity to humans.
“They treat people like ‘flotsam,’ just floating objects on the surface, so most surfers, standup paddleboarders, they’re all surface-oriented, even the swimmers, but the sharks are down below,” said Dr. Lowe. “Quite often they cannot see the sharks that swim underneath them because the visibility is not good, but we can easily see them from the air.”
Legislative protections for white sharks are not the only reason for their population resurgence. It’s also the recovery of their food sources.
“Seals and sea lions were hunted to the verge of extinction by the early 1900’s and have made remarkable recoveries because of protections, so in my opinion, these are all great signs of California’s impressive conservation efforts to bring some of these populations back,” said Dr. Lowe.
The Shark Lab will be hosting an open house on July 30, 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., where the public can gain a more extensive look at the research carried out by the Shark Lab while participating in various activities.
To learn more about this event, visit their website. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/juvenile-white-shark-sightings-on-the-rise-in-san-diego/509-882bcaa5-cca9-4fdf-9734-09fb4ae94505 | 2022-07-25T13:54:43 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/juvenile-white-shark-sightings-on-the-rise-in-san-diego/509-882bcaa5-cca9-4fdf-9734-09fb4ae94505 |
MIDPINES, Calif — A raging wildfire that sparked near Yosemite National Park has forced roughly 3,800 people from their homes in Mariposa County, officials said.
The Oak Fire started near Midpines on Jan. 22 and has grown to 15,603 acres with 0% containment so far.
Cal Fire said the northside of the fire passed Sweetwater Ridge and made a hard push toward the community of Mariposa Pines. Officials said crews were able to hold the fire at Bear Clover Lane, protecting the Mariposa Pines community.
As crews try to finish and hold the fire line on the south side, their fire line on the eastern side is holding, officials said Sunday.
The Oak Fire's perimeter is burning toward the northeast and toward the Ferguson Fire burn scar.
STAY INFORMED:
EVACUATIONS:
An evacuation map for Mariposa County is available below.
Red Cross:
Mariposa County Elementary 5044 Jones St. Mariposa, CA
Road Closures:
- Carstens Road
- Triangle Rd from Hwy 140 to Hwy 49 south
- Buckingham Mt. Rd
- Plumbar Creek Rd
- Jerseydale Rd and all side roads
- Hwy 140 from Allred Rd to Ponderosa Way
- Darrah Rd
- Silva Rd from Triangle to Cole Rd
- Cole Rd
- McNally Rd
- Boyer Rd and all side roads
- Brooks Rd
- Woodland Dr
- Carelton Rd to Morningstar Rd
- Morningstar Rd.
FIRE MAP:
This map from ESRI shows fire activity (this may take a few seconds to load):
SMOKE MAP:
This map from the National Weather Service shows where smoke from the Oak Fire is expected to be visible.
WILDFIRE PREPS:
According to Cal Fire, the 2021 fire season started earlier than previous years, but also ended earlier, as well. January 2021 saw just under 1,200 acres burned from nearly 300 wildfires. Fires picked up in the summer when the Dixie Fire burned in five Northern California counties — Butte, Plumas, Shasta, Lassen and Tehama. The Dixie Fire started on July 13 and wasn't contained until Oct. 25, burning nearly 1 million acres. It has since become the second-largest wildfire in state history and the largest non-complex fire.
Overall, 2.5 million acres were burned in 2021 from 8,835 wildfires. Over 3,600 structures were destroyed and 3 people were killed.
If you live in a wildfire-prone zone, Cal Fire suggests creating a defensible space around your home. Defensible space is an area around a building in which vegetation and other debris are completely cleared. At least 100 feet is recommended.
The Department of Homeland Security suggests assembling an emergency kit that has important documents, N95 respirator masks, and supplies to grab with you if you’re forced to leave at a moment’s notice. The agency also suggests signing up for local warning system notifications and knowing your community’s evacuation plans best to prepare yourself and your family in cases of wildfires.
Some counties use Nixle alerts to update residents on severe weather, wildfires, and other news. To sign up, visit www.nixle.com or text your zip code to 888777 to start receiving alerts.
PG&E customers can also subscribe to alerts via text, email, or phone call. If you're a PG&E customer, visit the Profile & Alerts section of your account to register.
What questions do you have about the latest wildfires? If the wildfires impact you, what would you like to know? Text the ABC10 team at (916) 321-3310.
Watch More from ABC10: Saving Mariposa Grove Redwood Sequoia trees amid Yosemite wildfire | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/wildfire/oak-fire-update-mariposa-map-evacuation/103-b801c2a3-18f7-441f-a883-d103b2d8f924 | 2022-07-25T13:54:45 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/wildfire/oak-fire-update-mariposa-map-evacuation/103-b801c2a3-18f7-441f-a883-d103b2d8f924 |
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Recent storms that have swept through the area are causing local tree experts to caution homeowners to have their trees checked for damage or disease.
Graham Henderson with Alabama Urban Forestry tells CBS 42 that dead limbs and mushrooms are an early indicator that your tree is not in good condition.
Dead limbs at the top of the tree mean the tree is stressed, and mushrooms, fungus, or rot around the base is a sign the tree is decaying.
“Even though a tree might be full of leaves, that doesn’t mean that what’s holding it in the ground is secure,” Henderson said. “If you see any of that, it means you need to have an expert tree guy to come take a look at it.”
Henderson says you should have your trees checked by a professional every two to three years.
He says winter is the best time to have them removed because there are not many storms, and the cost is cheaper.
Even if the tree is healthy and it is within 12 feet of your home, Henderson says you should have it removed.
“In the event of a storm, if you lose limbs they’re more than likely going to fall unto your house, and you could experience foundation issues,” Henderson said. | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/experts-suggests-having-trees-removed-after-experiencing-storms-this-summer/ | 2022-07-25T13:58:32 | 0 | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/experts-suggests-having-trees-removed-after-experiencing-storms-this-summer/ |
SAN ANTONIO — For some people, a trip to the nail salon is an ideal way to relax and pamper themselves. But if you're short on time and money, there's another option from California that recently popped up in Texas.
It's called the Clockwork "Mini-cure." It's a fully autonomous robot that uses 3D cameras to take a picture of each nail. Then, it uses artificial intelligence to quickly and accurately paint them.
Clockwork Chief Marketing Officer Mara McCune said this tiny robot can paint your nails in just 10 minutes for under $10.
“And the second that that robot starts painting your nails? It is just a wow moment," McCune said. "It is incredible to see this technology really revolutionizing the beauty space."
According to Clockwork's website, the average woman spends 3,120 minutes a year on her nails. McCune said this device is meant to save you time and money.
“We are creating new occasions for people to give themselves the gift of time," McCune said. "It's a little luxury that fits into your day. It's 10 minutes, just under $10 and you can treat yourself and then love having your nails done for the next week.”
McCune said they're not trying to compete with regular nail salons. Their service is offered as more of an alternative.
“There is a huge demand for people who still want to go to the salon, get pampered, get their nails shaped and filed and cuticles push back, and that there's a role for that," McCune said. "And we think we can live alongside them for a fast manicure. That is a different experience. And so we see us partnering with nail salons and really being able to live simultaneously."
To get your Clockwork "Mini-cure," You just book and pay online before showing up. Right now, Clockwork can be found inside several Target stores in California and Minnesota. In May, Clockwork made it to Target stores in Texas. There's currently one machine in Dallas and two in Fort Worth.
Clockwork is still fairly new. It launched its first pop-up in 2021. Now McCune's team is focused on establishing more permanent locations.
“Our Texas fans are loving the experience and we're seeing them come back multiple times,” McCune said. “And so as we set out to revolutionize Express Beauty, we're excited to explore a variety of different formats and locations. And yes, we hope to be in San Antonio soon.”
She said while they have eyes on San Antonio, you can tell them you want to see Clockwork here too at https://www.likeclockwork.com/neighborhood. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/a-tiny-robot-gives-10-minute-manicures-for-under-10-in-dallas-and-fort-worth/273-38e079c0-e25e-48f3-a8e8-05ea8375af09 | 2022-07-25T13:58:41 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/a-tiny-robot-gives-10-minute-manicures-for-under-10-in-dallas-and-fort-worth/273-38e079c0-e25e-48f3-a8e8-05ea8375af09 |
UVALDE, Texas — A Commissioners Court meeting will be held Monday to discuss the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary school.
They plan to approve of the independent-action review of policies and procedures of the Uvalde Sheriff’s Department related to the school shooting.
Law enforcement officers have faced criticism after nearly 400 officers responded to the school, but it took 77 minutes to take the shooter down.
A preliminary report from the Texas House Investigative Committee shows that 16 officers from the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.
During the last meeting, the commissioners unanimously passed a resolution asking Governor Abbott to call a special session.
This in an effort to raise the minimum age to buy a semi-automatic assault style rifle from 18 to 21.
The meeting is set to begin at 10 a.m. in the commissioner’s courtroom at the Uvalde County courthouse. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/commissioners-court-meeting-to-be-held-monday/273-02f26b13-8dd6-47c7-88a6-af96b34e2412 | 2022-07-25T13:58:47 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/commissioners-court-meeting-to-be-held-monday/273-02f26b13-8dd6-47c7-88a6-af96b34e2412 |
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