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With extremely dry weather conditions, Rains County is one of a number of counties to respond to fires this week, including two fires that resulted in fatalities.
Rains County Emergency Management said deputies will join firefighters in responding to fire calls and will issue citations for every instance of illegal burning.
In addition to absolutely no burning, the ban also prohibits outdoor welding. The county urges the public to operate any outdoor equipment with complete care as even one spark could ignite and devastate homes and land, as well as animals and other property.
Rains County Emergency Management also said the volunteer firefighters all have full time jobs and must leave those jobs when responding to fires. Having to continually fight multiple fires in the extreme heat can take a toll on the firefighters and their families.
Ignorance of the burn ban will not be an excuse, and citations will be issued every time for illegal burning.
Sign up for our Breaking Newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/rains-county-remains-under-burn-ban-will-issue-citations-after-multiple-fatal-fires/3041325/ | 2022-08-05T22:02:24 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/rains-county-remains-under-burn-ban-will-issue-citations-after-multiple-fatal-fires/3041325/ |
Investigators are continuing the search for a missing Stephenville woman who was last seen on July 29.
Sharla Shaffer, 48, was last seen on her Stephenville property on June 29 when speaking with her daughter, Erath County Sheriff Matt Coates said in a press release Tuesday.
A photo of Shaffer has not been provided by law enforcement.
According to Coates, Shaffer's property and adjacent properties were searched thoroughly by local and state law enforcement as well as Erath County EMS. So far, the search has yielded no evidence as to Shaffer's whereabouts, Coates said.
The property was searched by dogs from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and by drone over the weekend. Detailed searches outlining county roads in both Erath and Hood counties were also conducted.
According to the release, a note believed to be from Shaffer was found by a family member on Friday and was given to law enforcement. Coates said Shaffer is not known to have any electronic devices with her. She is both a cross-country runner and bicyclist so it is possible she traveled a long distance.
Shaffer's bicycle which had initially been reported missing was found at her property by family members.
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Coates said there is no evidence of foul play or criminal activity and that all evidence at this time points to the belief that Shaffer left on her own to an unknown location.
All agencies that can be involved in missing person cases like this one are involved in the search, Coates said. He is asking for the public to stay away from the immediate area.
For those that live on neighboring properties along County Road 491, County Road 179 or County Road 178, Coates is asking for those individuals to reach out to law enforcement to allow any outbuildings to be searched. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/search-continues-for-missing-woman-in-erath-county/3041342/ | 2022-08-05T22:02:33 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/search-continues-for-missing-woman-in-erath-county/3041342/ |
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Editors note: The attached video is from Aug. 1.
After a week of work, the removal of an 80-year-old Elm tree has been completed in Harrisburg.
As of 3 p.m. Friday afternoon, parking and traffic are allowed on the square block of Green, Penn, Harris, and Clinton Streets in Middletown.
There was no property damaged in the removal.
A PPL bucket truck will remain on the scene to help temporarily fix hanging power lines that were held up by the limbs of the tree. The company is working with Verizon and Comcast to install new poles where necessary.
Affected residents may need to call electrical companies to handle hanging wires, according to PPL. The company will return the week of Aug. 15 to reinstall fences that had been removed to make room for crane trucks.
A special thank you has been issued to HACC Midtown and the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Red Cross for assisting affected residents with shelter, water, and snacks while their power was out. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/harrisburg-tree-removal-completed-parking-and-traffic-re-open-pennsylvania-dauphin-county/521-d477ced3-ecc2-4142-af2c-f6747bf4836f | 2022-08-05T22:05:23 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/harrisburg-tree-removal-completed-parking-and-traffic-re-open-pennsylvania-dauphin-county/521-d477ced3-ecc2-4142-af2c-f6747bf4836f |
Cohen Hancz-Barron will spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing a woman and her three children.
Allen Superior Court Judge Fran Gull sentenced Hancz-Barron, 22, today to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A jury found Hancz-Barron guilty in late May of four counts of murder. He was accused of killing his girlfriend, Sarah Zent, 26, and her three children, Carter Mathew Zent, 5, Ashton Duwayne Zent, 3, and Aubree Christine Zent, 2, with a knife in a home at Gay and McKee streets on June 3, 2021.
The same jury also accepted prosecutors' recommendation that Hancz-Barron receive a life sentence without parole. A sentencing enhancement can be requested for various aggravating factors, including when victims are younger than 12 years old. Gull also accepted the recommendation.
Hancz-Barron chose not to attend today's sentencing hearing.
"I can recall no circumstance this court has witnessed that was as horrific as this crime," Gull said.
Surveillance video from a nearby school showed Hancz-Barron going into the house through the main door before 1 a.m. and leaving in a pickup between 5:54 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. It also showed no one else entering or exiting the house until a neighbor and another person discovered the bodies after calling police about 10:45 a.m., court records said.
Hancz-Barron texted a neighbor about 6 a.m., asking to use his truck because Hancz-Barron's sister was in an accident and he wanted to get her to a hospital. The neighbor refused, but Hancz-Barron used keys the neighbor gave Sarah Zent and stole the truck.
When police arrested Hancz-Barron in Lafayette that same day, he had a knife that had the victims' DNA on it, court records said. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/convicted-killer-of-4-gets-life-without-parole/article_77ccbebc-14e7-11ed-a99a-af9897bab13d.html | 2022-08-05T22:05:45 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/convicted-killer-of-4-gets-life-without-parole/article_77ccbebc-14e7-11ed-a99a-af9897bab13d.html |
Allen County's new confirmed COVID-19 cases saw a slight uptick this past week.
The Allen County Department of Health reported one person died and 906 people tested positive for COVID-19 between July 30 and Friday. That's about 129 cases each of the last seven days.
The health department reported 748 cases last week, 949 cases the week ending July 22 and 568 cases the week ending July 15.
The numbers are well below what they were earlier in the pandemic when more than this past week's total was reported in a single day.
Health officials, however, say new case numbers now do not represent a complete COVID-19 picture because many people test themselves and do not always report positive results. Self-testing was not an option earlier in the pandemic.
Friday's totals included 382 confirmed PCR, or polymerase chain reaction cases, and 524 probable antigen cases.
Since the pandemic began in March 2020, Allen County has reported 112,219 COVID-19 cases and 1,172 deaths.
Updates to positive cases and deaths in Allen County are found on the department’s COVID-19 website at allencountyhealth.com/covid-19-updates and will be time-stamped to keep the public informed with the latest local data, the health department said.
Basic demographic information on Allen County cases is provided on the website and will be updated at least once a week. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/county-sees-uptick-in-covid-19-cases-this-week/article_0c1812f8-14f0-11ed-9091-83b55f374a9f.html | 2022-08-05T22:05:51 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/county-sees-uptick-in-covid-19-cases-this-week/article_0c1812f8-14f0-11ed-9091-83b55f374a9f.html |
Hoagland Road is closing between Franke and Houk roads from 8 a.m. Wednesday to 5 p.m. Thursday during crossover-pipe replacement, the Allen County Highway Department said today.
Hoagland Road part to close Wednesday, Thursday
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Police change account of crash killing Indiana Rep. Walorski | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/hoagland-road-part-to-close-wednesday-thursday/article_c33ed4de-14f6-11ed-9f99-b7008d47931a.html | 2022-08-05T22:05:58 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/hoagland-road-part-to-close-wednesday-thursday/article_c33ed4de-14f6-11ed-9f99-b7008d47931a.html |
The Indiana House voted 93-6 Friday morning to approve Senate Bill 2, which combines inflation relief with funding for women and families.
Later, on Friday afternoon, the Senate voted 37-9 to concur. Minority Leader Greg Taylor joined eight Republicans in opposition in the Senate.
Gov. Eric Holcomb announced his support for the bill Thursday and said in a statement he plans to sign SB 2 “as soon as it arrives on my desk.”
The bill also drew broad support in both chambers including from some Democrats – although many minority caucus members criticized SB 2’s funding as inadequate.
Others, including Sen. Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, said they had concerns about the funding provided to crisis pregnancy centers and organizations like Real Alternatives.
Sen. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville, also criticized the bill and mentioned a failed House amendment from Rep. Rita Fleming, D-Jeffersonville, that would have allowed pharmacists to prescribe hormonal birth control.
“You can't reduce the number of abortions without providing contraceptives,” Becker said.
The final version of the bill is a compromise between Republicans in the two chambers.
While the initial proposals had significant differences, leadership from the two caucuses eventually agreed to a plan that was added to SB 2 by an amendment Thursday from Rep. Tim Brown, R-Crawfordsville.
SB 2 would send $200 payments to Hoosiers who filed taxes last year and would provide a $200 refundable tax credit next year to those who aren’t eligible for the refund but who receive Social Security benefits and aren’t claimed as a dependent in 2022.
It would also transfer the first $1 billion of the state’s excess reserves in 2023 – if the state has sufficient reserves next year – to the pension stabilization fund, a priority of Senate Republicans, and would cap the state gas tax at 29.5 cents until July 1, 2023.
As for wraparound services, SB 2 incorporates parts of both chambers’ proposals for funding aimed at assisting women, children and families.
The bill would give $45 million to the new Hoosier Families First Fund, money that will be allocated by the state’s budget agency to several stage agencies to pay for new and existing programs, including those that support pregnant and postpartum women, assist foster and adoptive families and to help low-income families with young children.
In addition, SB 2 would also send about $29 million in funding directly to existing initiatives including the Child Care and Development Fund voucher program and the Nurse Family Partnership program.
The state’s adoption tax credit would increase to $2,500 from $1,000 under SB 2 as well. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/house-senate-pass-bill-for-inflation-relief-funding-for-women/article_2e49f018-14cc-11ed-b3b4-335808d32aac.html | 2022-08-05T22:06:04 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/house-senate-pass-bill-for-inflation-relief-funding-for-women/article_2e49f018-14cc-11ed-b3b4-335808d32aac.html |
The Indiana House passed a near-total ban on abortion today, sending the bill back to the Senate where a vote is expected at around 6:30 p.m.
If the Senate concurs, Senate Bill 1 will head to the desk of Gov. Eric Holcomb. If not, it could go to a conference committee, allowing the two chambers to continue to negotiate.
After two weeks of debate and a long series of amendments – some adopted and many failed, the House’s Republican supermajority passed SB 1 by a 62-38 vote despite opposition from Democrats and some members of their own caucus.
Nine Republicans voted against the bill. Some opposed the SB 1 because it went too far in restricting abortion access. Others, including Rep. John Jacob, R-Indianapolis, and Rep. Curt Nisly, R-Milford, opposed the ban because of the bill’s exceptions.
Jacob, who supports a complete ban on abortion with no exceptions, voted no and called SB 1 “a weak, pathetic bill.”
Republican Rep. Ann Vermilion gave a lengthy explanation of her decision to vote no on the law. The Marion lawmaker said she’s a “proud Republican” and that she “can be pro-life and pro-woman, pro-choice.”
“I believe that the Lord Jesus would never call a woman a murderer, a pro-abortion, a baby-killer,” Vermilion said. “I despise those words.”
Many Democrats also spoke against SB 1, explaining their objections to the bill for a variety of reasons. Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, contrasted the Republican position on abortion with their support of personal choice on other issues like vaccinations and schools. Another Democrat, Indianapolis Rep. Cherish Pryor, said the “eyes of the nation” are on Indiana.
Rep. Renee Pack, D-Indianapolis, delivered a passionate speech during which she talked about her decision to have an abortion. She said SB 1 will not stop abortions, but it will return Indiana to the days of “back-alley abortions.”
“Sir, I am not a murderer, and my sisters are not murderers either,” Pack said.
Majority Leader Matt Lehman, R-Berne, spoke in favor of SB 1 and called it a “good bill.” Other Republicans who voted for the bill said while it isn’t exactly what they want, they view it as a first step.
The Fort Wayne area Republican delegation – Reps. David Abbott, Martin Carbaugh, Dave Heine, Christopher Judy and Bob Morris – all voted for the bill, while House Minority Leader Phil GiaQuinta voted in opposition.
In a statement after Friday’s vote, GiaQuinta said the fight for abortion access had only begun.
“Today, radical and out-of-touch conservatives in the House rammed through authoritarian legislation on the principles of forced birth and human suffering,” the Fort Wayne lawmaker said. “Day after day of difficult and emotional testimony from experts, survivors and women – none of which supported Senate Bill 1 – did not deter the GOP’s endless crusade to control women.”
The Senate can vote whether to concur with the bill after a four-hour waiting period. It is unclear if the abortion ban in its current form can garner enough Republican support to pass in the Senate, however.
Last week, only 26 Senators – the bare minimum to pass a bill on third reading – voted for SB 1. Some Republicans who voted in favor, including Fort Wayne Sen. Liz Brown, suggested they weren’t entirely happy with the bill.
After the vote, House Speaker Todd Huston said he wouldn’t discuss what he plans to do if the Senate doesn’t concur.
“I’m sure we’ll have those discussions,” Huston said. “We’ll see what happens tonight.”
The House then altered parts of the proposed ban on Tuesday. Those changes include expanding the “life of the mother” exception to include an exception to prevent “substantial permanent impairment of the life or physical health” of a pregnant woman, to remove language allowing the attorney general concurrent jurisdiction when a local prosecutor declines to enforce the law and to remove a requirement for victims of rape or incest to sign notarized affidavits.
As written, SB 1 would ban almost all abortion services in the state with few exceptions.
Those exceptions include cases of rape or incest, with a 10-week time limit. SB 1 would also allow doctors to provide abortion services when the pregnancy threatens the life of or poses a “serious health risk” to the pregnant woman, as well as when the fetus is diagnosed with a lethal fetal anomaly within the first 20 weeks.
In addition, SB 1 requires the revocation of a doctor’s medical license if they conduct an abortion in violation of Indiana law. It also terminates the licensure of abortion clinics in the state.
The bill does not include criminal penalties for women who receive abortion care, and it also doesn’t add any new criminal penalties for doctors. SB 1 also would not ban Plan B and explicitly does not affect in vitro fertilization | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/indiana-house-passes-abortion-ban/article_53e72c0e-14be-11ed-b9d1-0bffd6dd81cf.html | 2022-08-05T22:06:10 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/indiana-house-passes-abortion-ban/article_53e72c0e-14be-11ed-b9d1-0bffd6dd81cf.html |
Prine Road is closing between Yoder and South County Line roads from 8 a.m. Monday to 5 p.m. Sept. 2 during bridge reconstruction, the Allen County Highway Department said today.
Prine Road section to close for bridge reconstruction
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AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Association (APA) is reporting a homicide in southeast Austin on Friday.
In a tweet shared Friday around 2:45 p.m., the APA said officers and detectives were investigating a shooting off of Ben White Boulevard.
The tweet included a screenshot that suggested the victim was shot near the intersection of Montopolis Drive and Ben White.
When reached by phone Friday afternoon, the Austin Police Department could only confirm it was responding to a reported shooting in the area of 6200 E. Ben White Blvd. westbound service road. Police said to expect information at a press conference shortly.
Anyone with more information is asked to contact police at 512-472-TIPS (8477) or 800-893-TIPS (8477).
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/austin-police-association-homicide-ben-white-boulevard/269-73575e04-314b-41a4-9dfc-f6d6c645c316 | 2022-08-05T22:11:38 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/austin-police-association-homicide-ben-white-boulevard/269-73575e04-314b-41a4-9dfc-f6d6c645c316 |
SAN ANTONIO — Authorities in Comal County say they're investigating the discovery of a body in Spring Branch Friday evening—the same community where a 45-year-old woman has been missing for 10 days.
Local officials tell KENS 5 it's too early to determine the age or gender of the body, let alone if it might be Shana DiMambro, who disappeared from her RV home on July 19. But DiMambro's relatives have been notified about the discovery, which authorities say was made by a passerby not far from the RV park where DiMambro lived.
Public searches have been organized in the area in recent days, with relatives and neighbors hoping to find any sign of DiMambro. ATVs, trucks, drones and a tracking dog have been used in their search efforts so far.
"It's just a shock to the community," one search organizer said earlier this week. "It's just so rare for anyone to disappear out here."
As the investigation continues, officials with the Comal County Sheriff's Office later said in a statement that investigators believe the remains to be DiMambro "based on specific physical characteristics." But authorities have yet to conclusively identify them.
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Want to get in touch with someone at KENS 5? You can send a message using our Contacts page or email one of our team members. | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/comal-county-body-discovered-investigation-police-texas/273-60421de7-5deb-4fdc-bf42-45e8143ddff1 | 2022-08-05T22:11:44 | 1 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/comal-county-body-discovered-investigation-police-texas/273-60421de7-5deb-4fdc-bf42-45e8143ddff1 |
SAVANNAH, Ga. — The white man who fatally shot Ahmaud Arbery after chasing the running Black man in a Georgia neighborhood says he fears he will be killed by fellow inmates if he's sent to a state prison to serve a life sentence for murder.
Travis McMichael, 36, faces sentencing Monday in U.S. District Court after his conviction on federal hate crime charges in February. His defense attorney filed a legal motion Thursday asking the judge to keep McMichael in federal custody.
Attorney Amy Lee Copeland argued McMichael has received “hundreds of threats” and won't be safe in a Georgia state prison system that is under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department amid concerns about violence between inmates.
On Feb. 23, 2020, McMichael and his father, Greg McMichael, armed themselves with guns and jumped in a pickup truck to chase Arbery after he ran past their home just outside the port city of Brunswick. A neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, joined the chase in his own truck and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael blasting Arbery with a shotgun.
The killing of Arbery became part of a larger national reckoning over racial injustice amid other high-profile killings of unarmed Black people including George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.
In Georgia, the McMichaels and Bryan were sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of Arbery's murder in a state court last fall. They have remained in a county jail in custody of U.S. marshals since standing trial in February in federal court, where a jury convicted them of hate crimes. Each defendant now faces a potential second life sentence.
Once the men are sentenced Monday by U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood, protocol would be to turn them over the Georgia Department of Corrections to serve their prison terms for murder. That's because they were first arrested and tried by state authorities.
For Travis McMichael, “his concern is that he will promptly be killed upon delivery to the state prison system for service of that sentence,” Copeland wrote in her sentencing request. “He has received numerous threats of death that are credible in light of all circumstances.”
Copeland said she has alerted Georgia's corrections agency, “which has replied that these threats are unverified and that it can securely house McMichael in state custody.”
Greg McMichael, 66, has also asked the judge to put him in federal rather than state prison, citing safety concerns and health problems.
Arbery's family family has insisted the McMichaels and Bryan should serve their sentences in a state prison, arguing a federal penitentiary wouldn’t be as tough. His parents objected forcefully before the federal trial when both McMichaels sought a plea deal that would have included a request to transfer them to federal prison. The judge ended up rejecting the plea agreement.
“Granting these men their preferred choice of confinement would defeat me,” Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, told the judge at a hearing Jan. 31. “It gives them one last chance to spit in my face.”
A federal judge doesn't have the authority to order a state to relinquish its lawful custody of inmates to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, said Ed Tarver, an Augusta lawyer and former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
“She can certainly make that request," Tarver said of the judge, "and it would be up to the state Department of Corrections whether or not they agree to do that.”
Copeland's court filing refers to a prior agreement between the judge, prosecutors and defense attorneys to keep the McMichaels and Bryan in federal custody "through the completion of the federal trial and any post-trial proceedings.” She argued that means Travis McMichael should at least remain in federal custody through appeals of his hate crime conviction. | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/lawyer-arbery-shooter-fears-hell-be-killed/85-f94695ca-1698-4430-aaa7-f2ba196069ca | 2022-08-05T22:11:50 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/lawyer-arbery-shooter-fears-hell-be-killed/85-f94695ca-1698-4430-aaa7-f2ba196069ca |
BLOOMINGTON, Minn — Bloomington Police say an argument at the Mall of America ended with someone shooting three times inside a store, prompting a lockdown of the building Thursday afternoon.
Bloomington Police said no one was injured and the two suspects got away on foot. Friday morning, police say they are still looking for the people responsible for firing the shots and have no additional information available to the public beyond what was released Thursday night.
At a press conference just after 8 p.m. on Aug. 4, Bloomington Chief Booker began by saying "I really wish we didn't have to be here today." He called the shooting a "complete lack of respect for human life."
Chief Booker said the shooting started after an altercation between two parties at a cash register in the Nike Store around 4:15 p.m. One party (with two people) walked out of the store, but one of the individuals in the group turned around and fired a pistol into the store "full of people."
Police said they are looking for the shooter and the other person. They did not provide a description of them.
Anyone with information should call 952-563-4900.
The mall reopened Friday morning at 10 a.m. with increased security and police presence. Guest services will work with people who may have left any personal items at the mall during the chaos.
The lockdown, which lasted about two hours, was lifted at 5:45 p.m. The mall remained closed for the remainder of the night and Metro Transit service halted service.
Ava Malloy, an employee at Air Traffic Toys in the Mall of America, spoke to KARE 11 over the phone during the lockdown. "I turned off the lights and everyone's huddled behind something," Ava said.
"We were working with customers and then all of a sudden there were people running in the store. There was probably about 25 to 30 people and we looked and thought they were kids just goofing around," Macy's employee Brenda Wachello said via phone while taking cover inside the store. "And then people were saying, 'There's a shooter."
KARE 11's Morgan Wolfe spoke to a woman who said she heard "two gunshots above the DSW." The woman was able to leave the mall, but said her daughter had to stay inside during the lockdown.
Wolfe spoke with employees at the Nike store in the mall, who said a fight started between two groups of men. One of the men took out a gun and started shooting.
Mall of America placed on lockdown after shooting inside building
WATCH: Police say no arrests made after shots fired in the Mall of America Thursday | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/mall-of-america-reopens-after-shooting-and-lockdown/89-a727b712-90e1-4c6b-bb7e-5d76a254e507 | 2022-08-05T22:11:56 | 1 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/mall-of-america-reopens-after-shooting-and-lockdown/89-a727b712-90e1-4c6b-bb7e-5d76a254e507 |
Authorities have identified a Bismarck man injured when the all-terrain vehicle he was driving collided with a BNSF Railway train in Morton County.
Tyler Price, 32, crossed the tracks at a marked crossing about 10 miles northwest of Mandan and was struck by the train's locomotive about 10:30 a.m. Thursday, according to the North Dakota Highway Patrol.
Price was taken by ambulance to a Bismarck hospital for treatment of what authorities said were serious injuries.
Train Engineer Randall Burgard, 61, and Conductor Arvid Witikko, 55, both of Bismarck, were not injured.
The locomotive was pulling 70 cars of mixed freight and some empty cars, the Patrol said. | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/bismarck-man-injured-in-atv-train-crash-identified/article_1b2fb9c2-1503-11ed-ba04-7b98ffca0656.html | 2022-08-05T22:12:01 | 0 | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/bismarck-man-injured-in-atv-train-crash-identified/article_1b2fb9c2-1503-11ed-ba04-7b98ffca0656.html |
TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — Potential property tax rates as well as their possible impacts on this year's bills are now available on TravisTaxes.com.
All property owners have to do is enter their address into the website. Then they can see "the proposed tax rates for the taxing entities that pertain to their property," a release from the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) said.
"Right now, Travis County taxing entities are making important decisions about their budgets and tax rates that will impact property tax bills," said TCAD Chief Appraiser Marya Crigler. "Property owners who are concerned about rising property taxes should take this opportunity to get involved in the process."
The website even tells property owners upcoming budget process hearings and provides a way to give feedback to their taxing entities.
Additionally, the site allows property owners to see the impact that increased entity budgets will have on their property tax bills by comparing what a property’s tax bill would be if taxing entities adopted their no new revenue rates to their potential property tax bill using the proposed rates. Texas law requires these entities to calculate and publish their no new revenue rate to make it easier for the public to evaluate how such budgetary decisions impact their bills.
"If taxing entities don’t increase their budgets, they should set their tax rate at the no new revenue rate to balance out increases in market values," added Crigler. "When entities increase their budgets and adopt a tax rate higher than the no new revenue rate, they are increasing property tax bills for local property owners."
The TCAD said taxing entities post their rate information based on their 2022 budget adoption schedule.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/proposed-travis-county-property-taxes-listed-website/269-a422f576-f3f6-483c-90d0-c4e90575b0b0 | 2022-08-05T22:12:03 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/proposed-travis-county-property-taxes-listed-website/269-a422f576-f3f6-483c-90d0-c4e90575b0b0 |
SAN ANTONIO — Migrants travelling through San Antonio in June died in a hot trailer despite paying smugglers extra money for 'VIP travel' protections, some relatives say.
Of the 53 victims, at least three paid guides to ensure security and comfort on the journey through Mexico. Still, they did not survive the deadliest human smuggling event in recorded American history.
Reuters first identified the three victims.
Pablo Ortega's family sold a small home to afford extra benefits for the 20-year-old. He needed a good job to support his girlfriend, pregnant with the couple's son.
Once he crossed the border, Pablo intended to reunite with his mother in Florida. He would get a job and send earnings back to Mexico.
"He felt the need to leave to be able to give the best to his son and wife," Pablo's sister, Rosa Ortega, told KENS 5 in Spanish via Facebook messenger.
The siblings communicated by text through nearly every leg of Pablo's journey. He sent videos to Rosa, illustrating the 'VIP travel' perks.
Pablo and other migrants slept on beds in private residences, stocked with pizza and beer. In the evenings, they played video games and watched television.
The trip cost Ortega's family $13,000.
"He paid that because they told him he was safe there and there were not many risks to cross," Rosa Ortega said. "It was something 100 percent safe for all."
More smugglers are offering special travel accommodations for a steep price, said Elmer Romero, an educator for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.
"They use buses and private cars. They stay in a hotel or residential houses - very nice, some of them," he added. "(They may also get) the opportunity to try again if they're arrested along the way."
Romero said the smugglers call the deal "Paquete de translado complete," or the complete transfer package. Traffickers have offered these perks for at least 20 years, though it's recently become more commonplace.
It's a sort of investment, Romero explains, since entire families' economic security may depend on a relative's safe arrival in the United States.
"Families are willing to sell everything to get loans and to pay for more safe travel for the person," Romero said. "They want to invest in this person for a better future."
Immigrants who work with Romero have mostly told him the smugglers honor their promises in Mexico, he said.
"But (the smugglers) lose control when they are at the border," he said.
Stateside smugglers mix migrants who paid for 'VIP travel' with migrants who did not. Expensive travel packages often end in 18-wheeler trailers, Romero said.
But some migrants don't realize they'll have to risk the big rig ride when they set out on the journey.
Pablo Ortega didn't initially expect to ride in a big rig, his sister said. He believed he would travel to his destination in a private vehicle.
Once Pablo crossed the Rio Grande, he told Rosa he was worried about the number of people arriving to the stateside safe house. Then, traffickers told them they would spend three hours in a trailer before private vehicles picked the migrants up, Rosa said.
"I told him to move forward in the trailer so he would not suffocate," she added.
Rosa buried Pablo in Mexico in July.
"I would like to see my brother alive again," she said. "All his plans and dreams that had to fulfil did not come true."
She said she's "more or less getting used to" the pain left in his absence.
Romero smirked that 'VIP' should actually stand for 'Vulnerable Immigrant Paying too much.'
"They don't guarantee anything," he said. "This 'VIP'... it's a lie." | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/semitruck-migrants-died-san-antonio-vip/273-be2ca70b-f1dd-44db-bc45-c9ac5596d2bb | 2022-08-05T22:12:09 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/semitruck-migrants-died-san-antonio-vip/273-be2ca70b-f1dd-44db-bc45-c9ac5596d2bb |
AUSTIN, Texas — Terry Black's Barbecue LLC is slowly stocking up on real estate as they open new restaurant locations, the Austin Business Journal reported.
The restaurant has a Dallas location and an Austin location, which sits at 1003 Barton Springs Road. A roughly 4,000-square-foot location in Lockhart, the twin owners' hometown, will spring up some time this year, and the Journal reported plans for a Driftwood site.
The Journal went on to report that Terry Black's owners are also "buying any 'cool properties' that come their way," including what used to be membership-based establishment Elks Lodge on Dawson Road. Plans for the lodge are currently undecided, but Mike and Mark Black told the Journal they could potentially turn it into a boutique hotel.
They twins are also considering Waco, but possibly for something other than another barbecue restaurant. They told the Journal that in their growth plan of buying real estate, they want to build "other hospitality projects," such as clubs and hotels, where their restaurant simply doesn't work.
The twins reportedly have around 10 properties across the state but have been unable to purchase their original Austin restaurant site.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/terry-blacks-barbecue-real-estate-additional-locations/269-638f1829-646b-4efb-a0a2-9b02d19da284 | 2022-08-05T22:12:15 | 1 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/terry-blacks-barbecue-real-estate-additional-locations/269-638f1829-646b-4efb-a0a2-9b02d19da284 |
UVALDE, Texas (ABC News) – Eight years before Uvalde school Police Chief Pete Arredondo led the controversial law enforcement response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, he was demoted from a high-ranking position at the Webb County Sheriff's Office, according to reporting by a local news outlet Thursday.
Arredondo "couldn't get along with people," Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar told the San Antonio Express-News, according to the report. Cuellar also said that he demoted Arredondo from assistant chief to commander in 2014.
"He just didn't fit the qualifications or the work that I set out for him," Cuellar said, according to the report.
Arredondo has come under immense scrutiny for his role in the police response to the May 24 massacre, which claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers. Police waited 77 minutes after arriving at the school to breach the door to the classroom containing the 18-year-old gunman.
A special committee in the Texas legislature issued a report last month that found Arredondo had "failed to perform or to transfer to another person the role of incident commander."
Arredondo previously told the Texas Tribune that he did not consider himself the on-scene commander during the shooting.
According to documents first reported by the San Antonio Express-News and obtained by ABC News, Arredondo, while working for Webb County, was "reassigned from Assistant Chief to Commander" in October 2014, and that two days earlier, a Webb County employee had written "demotion" on his payroll worksheet.
Arredondo left the Webb County Sheriff's Office in 2017 and took a role in Laredo as a school district police captain, where he stayed for three years. When he applied for the position in Laredo, Arredondo highlighted his role in a hostage negotiation during his time in Webb County.
Cuellar, the Webb County sheriff who demoted Arredondo in 2014, told the San Antonio Express-News that Arredondo "exaggerated a little bit" his role in the hostage negotiations he mentioned in his application to Laredo.
"It wasn't him completely. I think he exaggerated a little bit," Cuellar was quoted telling the newspaper, adding that it was a team effort.
Arredondo was announced as the new police chief of the Uvalde Independent School District in February 2020.
Neither Arredondo or Cuellar, or officials with the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, immediately responded to ABC News’ requests for comment.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/8-years-before-uvalde-arredondo-was-demoted-from-previous-law-enforcement-position-report/269-99b3d6ef-71a7-4b54-b385-23551ef1b708 | 2022-08-05T22:12:21 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/8-years-before-uvalde-arredondo-was-demoted-from-previous-law-enforcement-position-report/269-99b3d6ef-71a7-4b54-b385-23551ef1b708 |
NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — The first migrant bus to travel from Texas to New York City arrived at the Port Authority Bus Terminal on Friday morning, Gov. Greg Abbott announced.
In April, Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to charter buses carrying migrants from Texas to Washington, D.C. The governor said Texas had become overwhelmed by open border policies.
Until now, those buses only took migrants to Washington, D.C., but now, migrants will travel to both D.C. and New York City.
In New York City, right to housing laws mean the area "is required to provide emergency shelter for every unhoused person," according to a release from Abbott's office.
"In addition to Washington, D.C., New York City is the ideal destination for these migrants, who can receive the abundance of city services and housing that Mayor Eric Adams has boasted about within the sanctuary city," Abbott said in a statement. "I hope he follows through on his promise of welcoming all migrants with open arms so that our overrun and overwhelmed border towns can find relief."
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/abbott-migrant-bus-new-york-city/269-b192b26f-d5da-434a-82c8-95065c3d3a7d | 2022-08-05T22:12:27 | 1 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/abbott-migrant-bus-new-york-city/269-b192b26f-d5da-434a-82c8-95065c3d3a7d |
AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday announced his appointment of indicted Austin police officer and defeated Texas House candidate Justin Berry to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE).
Berry will now serve on the regulatory state agency that, according to its website, establishes and enforces standards to ensure Texas residents are served by highly trained, ethical law enforcement, corrections and telecommunications personnel. He was appointed for a term that will expire on Aug. 30, 2027.
Berry, a senior police officer with APD, was among the 19 Austin Police Department officers indicted in February 2022 who were accused of excessive use of force by a Travis County grand jury. Those indictments and accusations were made in connection with protests following the murder of George Floyd and the shooting of Michael Ramos in Austin in 2020.
Berry is now set to appear in court later this year on Oct. 31 on an aggravated assault by a public servant charge.
Following his indictment, Berry denied any wrongdoing and said that an APD internal investigation had "long since cleared" him and the other officers. He also accused Travis County District Attorney José Garza of trying to influence his campaign to represent Texas House District 19 at the time.
Gov. Abbott endorsed Berry in March after the primary election went into a runoff when neither Berry nor former Austin Councilmember Ellen Troxclair secured a majority of the vote. Troxclair went on to defeat Berry in the Republican primary runoff in May. She will now face Democrat Pam Baggett in November.
Berry received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in leadership and management from Sam Houston State University. He completed his basic peace officer training at the Austin Police Academy and has a Texas master peace officer license from TCOLE.
Gov. Abbott also appointed Martina Lemond Dixon of Kingwood to the TCOLE. Her term will expire on Aug. 30, 2023.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/gov-abbott-indicted-austin-police-officer-justin-berry-texas-commission-law-enforcement/269-0a83e1bf-8f52-43f9-a438-56e9f82b515f | 2022-08-05T22:12:33 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/gov-abbott-indicted-austin-police-officer-justin-berry-texas-commission-law-enforcement/269-0a83e1bf-8f52-43f9-a438-56e9f82b515f |
Return of 'the boss': El Jefe, a jaguar that roamed Arizona, has turned up alive in Mexico
A celebrated jaguar that roamed southern Arizona’s mountains for several years before disappearing in 2015 has turned up more than 100 miles south in Mexico, conservation biologists say.
The Mexican nonprofit group Profauna said this week that the big cat known as El Jefe had been photographed in an undisclosed mountain location of central Sonora as part of the Borderlands Linkages Initative. That program, involving several groups on both sides of the border and led by the Wildlands Network, monitors more than 150 motion-sensing wildlife cameras in the region.
El Jefe, or “The Boss,” named by Tucson middle schoolers, was photographed numerous times in the mountains south of Tucson at a time when he was the only confirmed jaguar roaming wild in the United States. Two other males have since been photographed in Arizona, though both later disappeared, one of them turning up poached in Mexico.
El Jefe’s long run north of the border made him a star among those yearning for a return of the species to its northernmost historic range, and his apparent continued good health in Sonora cheered big cat conservationists.
“It’s like an old friend that you haven’t heard from in a long time,” said Aletris Neils, who directs Tucson-based Conservation CATalyst, a group dedicated to saving the word’s 38 wild cat species. “Just knowing that they’re OK warms your heart.”
In early 2016, Conservation CATalyst and the Center for Biological Diversity released video of El Jefe's last known sighting, from the previous fall in the Santa Rita Mountains.
The images captured in Sonora were the first confirmed sightings since then. A researcher for the Northern Jaguar Project, Carmina Gutiérrez-González, confirmed the cat’s identity by its spotted pattern after software first identified a match.
“There is no doubt this is the same animal photographed in Arizona that many feared could have died when he stopped showing up in trail cameras almost seven years ago,” Gutiérrez-González said in a Wildlands Network news release.
A spokesman for the Arizona Game and Fish Department confirmed that department biologists had reviewed the photos and concurred they are the same as the jaguar repeatedly documented in the Santa Rita and Whetstone ranges from 2011 to 2015.
Parts of Arizona, including the sky island forests, comprise the northernmost historic habitat for jaguars, which range south through the Americas. The only jaguars known to have roamed the state in this century have been males, and are thought to have been seeking their own territories. They were ultimately unable to find mates.
Report:Modify Glen Canyon Dam soon or risk losing the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon
The Northern Jaguar Project maintains a reserve in the Sierra Madre Occidental, a relatively wetter mountain landscape than Arizona’s some 120 miles south of the border, where a breeding population thrives. There, conservationists partner with ranchers in an effort to maintain a core population that could repopulate zones where the predators have been extirpated.
The species’ full-time return to Arizona faces a number of obstacles, not least a border wall that has left only a few pathways, such as the Patagonia Mountains and the San Rafael Valley. Conservationists also fear a proposed copper mine in the Santa Rita mountains — El Jefe’s old turf — could deter colonization.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initially determined that Hudbay’s Rosemont Mine would not destroy critical habitat for the endangered jaguar, but a federal judge overturned that decision and mandated a new review. The company has appealed the ruling.
“I love knowing that a massive, beautiful cat like El Jefe traveled hundreds of miles, crossed the border at least twice, and went virtually undetected for the last seven years,” Russ McSpadden, a conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a written statement.
The fact that that he apparently did so without previously tripping a camera in the region’s substantial network shows how hard these creatures can be to track, Neils said. His physical condition at age 12 suggests he has remained healthy, which she takes a sign that the habitat he has traversed, including in Arizona, supported him well.
U.S. conservationists collected DNA from El Jefe's scat when he roamed Arizona. Some day, Neils said, she hopes biologists will match genes in a younger jaguar, confirming El Jefe's mingling with the core population has led to successful breeding.
Brandon Loomis covers environmental and climate issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach him at brandon.loomis@arizonarepublic.com or follow on Twitter @brandonloomis.
Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at environment.azcentral.com and @azcenvironment on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2022/08/05/rare-jaguar-el-jefe-roamed-arizona-spotted-across-border/10251057002/ | 2022-08-05T22:14:15 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2022/08/05/rare-jaguar-el-jefe-roamed-arizona-spotted-across-border/10251057002/ |
Macomb County plans to remove, repair or replace 22 bridges
Macomb Township — More than a third of Macomb County’s 225 bridges need repairs or removal, county officials said at a Friday news conference where they discussed an $80 million bridge repair program.
The county has started planning for fixing or removing 22 bridges in the next few years, some with construction start dates as soon as Monday.
At least 81 bridges require fixes or removal, including what Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel called a “major concern” for the county, the bridge over 25 Mile road in Macomb Township.
Some of those are being addressed by the $80 million program, which is comes from the county’s budget as well as state and federal funding. Hackel said the county has requested state funding for fixing 10 additional bridges, and 49 bridges still need funding.
The bridge has been closed for over five years due to deterioration, inconveniencing local farmers and causing the local fire department to take time-consuming detours, Macomb Township Supervisor Frank Viviano said.
“They have to go miles out of their way, Viviano said. “So the ability to stay connected, to keep all of these roads open is hugely important both for the health and safety of the community and for the development of our infrastructure.”
Viviano said population growth has put a ton of strain on the area’s bridges and roads and funding necessary to maintain the infrastructure needed to grow. Macomb County, Michigan's third most populous county, gained over 30,000 residents from 2010 to 2021 according to U.S. Census estimates.
Then there are bridges like the one over 28 mile in Lennox Township, which has been closed for three years. Lenox Township Supervisor Anthony Reader said he is concerned about how the dilapidated bridge could affect the surrounding environment.
“It can cause environmental blockage, it can cause flooding in that area,” Reader said.
anichols@detroitnews.com | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2022/08/05/macomb-county-plans-remove-repair-replace-22-bridges/10250052002/ | 2022-08-05T22:15:23 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2022/08/05/macomb-county-plans-remove-repair-replace-22-bridges/10250052002/ |
Man charged 25 years after St. Clair County slaying
A man has been charged in connection with a 25-year-old slaying in St. Clair County, authorities announced Friday.
John Germain, 54, of Hartland was arrested Tuesday by Michigan State Police at his home, the St. Clair County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.
He was arraigned the next day through the 72nd District Court in Port Huron on charges of open murder, first-degree criminal sexual conduct as well as breaking and entering, records show.
Judge Michael Hulewicz set bond at $1 million. A probable cause conference is scheduled for Aug. 17.
Germain's arrest resulted from a lengthy investigation into the death of Virginia Cecelia Farrell in May 1997. The 79-year-old was found beaten and stabbed to death in her Clay Township home, prosecutors said Friday.
"Though investigators completed a thorough investigation, a viable suspect was not developed and the case went cold," officials wrote. "In 2007, an MSP cold case investigation was initiated and included requests for additional laboratory examinations of evidence. Although a DNA profile was developed, no suspects were identified."
A second MSP cold case investigation launched in 2019. Through scientific and technological advances, DNA evidence collected from the crime scene was re-evaluated, and the results submitted to the federal Combined DNA Index System, authorities reported.
“The diligence of investigators and utilization of scientific advancements, including those used by the MSP Forensic Science Laboratories, were integral to the identification of Virginia Farrell’s killer,” Senior Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jennifer Smith Deegan said in a statement.
An attorney listed as representing German did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/08/05/man-charged-25-years-after-st-clair-county-slaying/10251816002/ | 2022-08-05T22:15:25 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/08/05/man-charged-25-years-after-st-clair-county-slaying/10251816002/ |
Police seek suspect in Grosse Pointe Woods bank robbery
Grosse Pointe Woods police are seeking tips to identify a suspect who robbed a Flagstar Bank Friday morning.
The suspect entered the bank at 19733 Mack Avenue at about 9:15 am and told the teller to give him all the money in the cash drawer, the pubilc safety department said in a statement posted on Nixle.
After the teller complied, the man fled the location, possibly in a gray Ford EcoSport, and headed west on Allard, according to the notice. The driver of the vehicle was unknown, police said.
The suspect is described as a man approximately 40-50 years old, bald with glasses. He was last seen wearing a black zip-up hoodie, blue jeans and a blue face mask.
Anyone with additional information or who can identify the suspect is asked to contact the Grosse Pointe Woods Department of Public Safety at (313) 343-2410 or the Grosse Pointe Woods Detective Bureau at (313) 343-2412. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2022/08/05/police-seek-suspect-grosse-pointe-woods-bank-robbery/10250852002/ | 2022-08-05T22:15:35 | 0 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2022/08/05/police-seek-suspect-grosse-pointe-woods-bank-robbery/10250852002/ |
SAN ANGELO, Texas — San Angelo’s former police chief has been sentenced to 15 1/2 years in federal prison, plus a $35,000 fine with one year of supervised release after serving the sentence.
Timothy R. Vasquez was found guilty in March 2022 on one charge of bribery and three counts of honest services mail fraud.
The sentencing phase for Vasquez was held at the OC Fisher Courthouse in US District Court. Vasquez has been in the Terry County Jail since he was booked March 25, 2022, because the prosecution able to show he was a ‘significant flight risk.” His trial was held in Lubbock.
Vasquez was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2020 on charges of public corruption - one count of receipt of a bribe by an agent of an organization receiving federal funds; and three counts of honest services mail fraud - following an investigation by the FBI Dallas Field Office.
Vasquez allegedly used his official position to help a radio system vendor land two government contracts worth more than $11 million, the indictment said. In return, the vendor and its affiliates allegedly funneled him and his band, “Funky Munky,” more than $130,000.
Per the indictment, in February 2007, the City of San Angelo solicited bids for a new radio system for first responders, including the police department. Three vendors submitted bids.
Vasquez allegedly asked one of the vendors for a vacation trip, but was rebuffed.
In April, Vasquez recommended the City of San Angelo award the $5.6 million contract to a different vendor, identified in the indictment as “Vendor 1,” who was eventually selected for the contract.
Three months later, in July, Juniper Valley, L.P., an affiliate of Vendor 1, cut a $10,000 check to “Funky Munky Band.” Vasquez deposited the funds into his personal checking account.
For the next eight years, Mr. Vasquez received yearly payments of approximately $8,000 from Vendor 1 and its affiliates, Juniper Valley and Trixie & Fini, either made out to Vasquez or his band.
By 2015, Vasquez and Funky Munky had collected more than $84,000, including $38,200 the defendant deposited directly into his personal bank account and $29,800 he withdrew in cash.
However, seven years after the original contract was awarded, the radio technology provided by Vendor 1 was “phased out.” In an email with City employees, Vasquez indicated he wanted to “use the same vendor” for the new equipment, and urged the city manager to support Vendor 1. In another email with a City employee, he discussed an exemption from the competitive bidding process that would allow San Angelo to award the contract to Vendor 1.
In federal court in March 2022, the former police chief took the stand in his own defense. Vasquez said his band and the Dailey & Wells radio system had nothing to do with one another.
He told the court his job as a police officer and as a member of the band, RU Ready, in the 1990s were kept separately from each other. Vasquez said while playing with Oklahoma band, the Easy Money Band, he had the opportunity to leave his job as an officer and tour after being approached by band member Toby Keith.
Additionally, Vasquez said, in about 1995-1996, he was playing with Shane Stockton for eight months, and as the band was about to tour with George Strait, he decided to stay with the SAPD and be a "weekend warrior" for financial reasons.
When his defense team asked why Vasquez didn't complete a form about a conflict of interest related to his band, Funky Munky, being paid for performances by Dailey & Wells, which had been awarded a contract with the City of San Angelo, Vasquez said, "I didn't know about the form. I didn't know until I got arrested that there was a conflict of interest."
Vasquez told the court he never hid that Funky Munky played gigs for Dailey & Wells.
Vasquez became emotional when asked by his defense if he knew then what he knows now, would that have changed things.
He tearfully said after everything he's gone through - "I would've filled out that form. I would have filled out the conflict of interest paperwork that I didn't know existed."
The jury found Vasquez guilty on all counts. He was then remanded into the custody of federal marshals and booked into the Terry County Jail.
Vasquez was remanded into the custody of marshals before being transported the Federal Correction Institute in Seagoville. | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/former-san-angelo-police-chief-sentenced-to-15-12-years-in-federal-prison/504-f91bb178-9086-4770-8508-1ccb7603eb7b | 2022-08-05T22:18:14 | 1 | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/former-san-angelo-police-chief-sentenced-to-15-12-years-in-federal-prison/504-f91bb178-9086-4770-8508-1ccb7603eb7b |
TEXAS, USA — The 2022-2023 school year is gearing up to start, which means pools, spray grounds and splash pads around West Texas are counting down the days until they close for the season.
For the City of Midland, the Doug Russel Swimming Pool and Washington Aquatic Center both saw their last regular days on July 31. Both facilities had partial hours the following week but are closed as of Aug. 5.
The splash pads at the Dennis the Menace Park and Momentum Park will both be open through Labor Day, Sept. 5.
In Odessa, the McKinney Park Sprayground will be operating through Sept. 6.
As for other pools in Odessa, their last day was July 31.
Hours through August and the first week of September will vary, so make sure you check the Facebook page before heading out.
The Russ McEwen Family Aquatic Center will officially close for the season at 8 p.m. on August 6.
Andrews Splash Park will also close for the season on August 6. | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/pools-anounce-final-summer-hours/513-196add2b-f29d-4ba3-8b77-c315c14a450b | 2022-08-05T22:18:20 | 0 | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/pools-anounce-final-summer-hours/513-196add2b-f29d-4ba3-8b77-c315c14a450b |
Up to $1,000 in pandemic pay is available for eligible, private-sector essential workers in Connecticut who were employed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a new website for applications up and running on Friday.
Workers must have earned $149,999 annually or less to be eligible. The $30 million Premium Pay Program will officially kick off next week, following this weekend's soft launch.
“Connecticut’s essential workers have gone above and beyond during the pandemic to keep our state safe and running." said State Comptroller Natalie Braswell in a statement. “This new Premium Pay Program is another way for us to return the favor.”
Funding for the initiative was included in the new state budget approved by the Democratic controlled General Assembly and Gov. Ned Lamont earlier this year. Sometimes dubbed “hero pay,” the funds will be distributed to critical workers such as grocery store employees and non-government medical staff who were on the job between March 10, 2020 and May 7, 2022 and unable to work from home.
Union officials in Connecticut have said more money is needed to compensate all of the essential workers who risked their lives during the pandemic. The Connecticut AFL-CIO, an umbrella federation of unions, voted last year to recommend roughly $218 million in unallocated federal pandemic funds be spent on pandemic pay.
The Premium Pay Program is one of two state initiatives created to help essential workers. A separate $34 million Connecticut Essential Worker COVID-19 Assistance Fund is also available to help those who lost wages and faced out-of-pocket medical expenses and burial costs due to COVID-19. Nearly $560,00 has been distributed so far, as state officials try to spread the word about the program. A link is available on the Premium Pay Program website. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/essential-connecticut-workers-can-apply-for-1000-hero-pay/3812874/ | 2022-08-05T22:20:40 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/essential-connecticut-workers-can-apply-for-1000-hero-pay/3812874/ |
TRI-CITIES, Tenn. (WJHL) – It’s no doubt as kids head back to class to begin the school year, safety and security will be top of mind for district leaders, their parents and students themselves.
The Uvalde, Texas mass shooting at Robb Elementary in May, during which a gunman killed 19 students and 2 adults, has been a wake-up call to put a renewed focus on safety in schools.
The call to action as described by Kenneth Trump, a leading national expert on school safety, is to plan, prepare and practice.
Trump, of no relation to President Donald J. Trump, has testified multiple times to Congress about safety in schools. He has also written books about and analyzed the highest-profile school shootings in the country.
“The common thread is that they involve allegations of failures of human factors, people, policies, procedures, training,” Trump told News Channel 11 in an interview.
Trump says there is a skewed focus on physical security measures like locks, cameras, metal detectors and the like. He argues they can too easily become “security theater,” giving a false sense of safety if preparation stops there.
“Our first and best line of defense is a well-trained, highly alert staff and student body,” he said. “Any security technology is only as good as the weakest human link behind it. We have to invest in people with time, training, planning, preparing and practicing. And on recognizing warning signs during threat assessment and supporting kids to prevent a tragedy in the first place.”
School systems in the Tri-Cities are ramping up their working relationships with local law enforcement, including Washington County, Tennessee Schools. Leaders recently met with FBI agents, emergency management and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office about school security.
“We want to just make a collective, concerted effort to get as many different sets of eyes on our buildings, the outside, the inside, and our procedures. For everything we do to keep our kids safe day in and day out,” said Jarrod Adams, COO of Washington County Schools.
In Johnson City schools, an active shooter drill in July got everyone involved: the school, police and the hospital.
“We do practice what we would do if we had an intruder or someone in our schools buildings. Teachers practice that in faculty meetings during tabletop drills,” said Dr. Steve Barnett, Superintendent of Johnson City Schools.
The drill was over a year in the making. The school system created the scenario within their own facilities but kept the exact circumstances secret from responding agencies to allow them to react on the ground.
For Kingsport City Schools (KCS), a safety task force meets on an ongoing basis to discuss protocol and procedure.
“What can we learn from other situations, other issues? Those kinds of conversations really never stop for us,” said Dr. Andy True, Asst. Superintendent. “How can we bring in the experts when it comes to school safety? How can we involve our community partners? Kingsport police, fire, first responders, mental health?”
The school system determined when it comes to security technology, camera upgrades were desperately needed in all KCS buildings. The board over the summer appropriated significant funding for camera surveillance system upgrades.
“We want to take our existing cameras that need upgrading, upgrade servers, memory those things. That’s going to come in at three quarters of a million dollars,” said True.
True said district leaders want to continuously “stay at the table” when it comes to discussing safety protocol.
“School safety is everyone’s job, it’s an inside job,” said Trump. “It’s something that is part of the school culture where everyone plays a role.”
He added school leaders need to focus on three things:
- Situational awareness and training
- How to make quick decisions under stress
- Pattern recognition and spotting the abnormal
Trump stressed the responsibility of keeping kids safe in schools cannot be left to security technology and an SRO. He urges everyone in the school and outside the school to play an active role. Teachers and students should report to an official if they notice major behavioral changes in a student or concerning comments about harming themselves or others.
“We need to encourage them to follow their gut feeling, recognize those abnormalities and patterns, and act upon it. And, make sure when they tell somebody, they do something in a timely manner,” said Trump.
Adams agreed.
“We stress that it is all hands on deck. The old saying is ‘your chain is only as strong as the weakest link.’ Making sure everybody, all the adults, all the students in our schools are aware that we all have a collective responsibility to help keep each other safe,” said Adams.
Trump and the district school leaders also emphasize the importance of mental health resources, counseling services and emotional support for students in schools. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/back-to-school-news/everyone-plays-a-role-national-expert-district-leaders-weigh-in-on-school-safety-protocol/ | 2022-08-05T22:24:23 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/back-to-school-news/everyone-plays-a-role-national-expert-district-leaders-weigh-in-on-school-safety-protocol/ |
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – As kids head back to school, Washington County Sheriff Keith Sexton is launching an anti-bullying campaign.
It comes as the sheriff describes an uptick in fighting in schools and a trend of students posting videos of those fights on social media platforms, which the sheriff says, “will not be tolerated this year.”
He says every student has a right to attend school in a safe environment, and the department is committed to protecting students from harm.
Sexton says his office is not only cracking down on the students who start the fights but those who film them and post them online.
“That is a form of harassment,” Sexton said. “We will be charging them. We will use the person who posted that video, we will use that video as evidence against them.”
The sheriff calls the posting of those fight videos a ‘growing trend’ and something that encourages more fighting.
The sheriff’s office sent a letter home with all Washington County Schools students to their parents at the start of the school year.
It is a reminder that students who start fights can be charged with disorderly conduct or even assault.
Those who film the fights and post them online can also be charged with harassment and may have their phone confiscated as evidence.
“All students have an expectation and a right to attend school and participate in activities in a safe environment,” the letter sent home to parents reads. “It is our duty as law enforcement to enforce the law, and we are committed to keep all students safe from harm.” | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/back-to-school-news/washington-county-tn-sheriff-will-pursue-charges-for-students-who-fight-in-school-post-videos-online/ | 2022-08-05T22:24:29 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/back-to-school-news/washington-county-tn-sheriff-will-pursue-charges-for-students-who-fight-in-school-post-videos-online/ |
UNICOI, Tenn. (WJHL) — Two people were killed and two more were injured in a Wednesday night crash involving two motorcycles and a car in Unicoi County.
According to a Tennessee Highway Patrol report, the crash happened around 8:15 p.m. near Simerly Creek Road and Jack Berry Road in the Limestone Cove area.
The highway patrol reports a Harley-Davidson motorcycle crossed the middle of the road and hit a Subaru Outback. A second Harley-Davidson was unable to stop and hit the first motorcycle.
The two people on the first Harley-Davidson were killed while the drivers of the second Harley-Davidson and Subaru were injured, according to THP. The deceased were identified as Shawn Hill and Tina Nunley, both of Elizabethton. Both were wearing helmets at the time of the crash. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/thp-2-killed-in-unicoi-county-crash-involving-2-motorcycles-car/ | 2022-08-05T22:24:35 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/thp-2-killed-in-unicoi-county-crash-involving-2-motorcycles-car/ |
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren says he is fighting back after the governor announced his suspension on Thursday.
Warren said during a call on Friday morning that his team will be looking at their legal options in the upcoming days and will figure out the best course of action.
“I’m going to fight this we are going to fight for democracy and fight for American values," Warren said.
A former circuit court judge and current law professor, Scott Stephens, said it's unclear how things are going to play out from a legal standpoint. There is a lot of support and opposition on both sides of the matter.
Speaking during a news conference Thursday at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, DeSantis said Warren violated his oath of office and picked and chose the types of laws he enforced. Warren recently signed joint statements along with dozens of other elected prosecutors vowing not to prosecute abortion or transgender healthcare cases.
“He has focused on two laws in particular and he’s focused on letters regarding those two laws," Warren said. "Those letters were value statements stating my opposition to laws violating people's constitutional rights."
DeSantis on the other hand says Warren's statements show he is willing to defy state laws.
Stephens says the question of whether or not this suspension was legally able to take place remains unanswered.
“The next thing that is going to happen is probably the Supreme Court paying attention to it. The Florida Supreme Court will decide that question after they hear arguments on both sides that will be mad why very competent lawyers," he explained. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/suspended-state-attorney-andrew-warren-fights-back/67-f54fe6ed-8436-4854-a783-3d602ad18012 | 2022-08-05T22:29:42 | 1 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/suspended-state-attorney-andrew-warren-fights-back/67-f54fe6ed-8436-4854-a783-3d602ad18012 |
TAMPA, Fla — Police in Tampa said Friday afternoon a person drove off in a stolen car with an 11-month-old baby inside.
It happened around 4 p.m. by Siesta Court and N. Armenia Avenue. Police found a 2011 black Kia Optima about a mile away near N. Jamaican Street and W. Wilder Avenue with the infant still inside. The baby appeared hot but in good shape, a spokesperson for Tampa Police Department said.
The child was sent to St. Joseph's Children's Hospital to be checked out and was reunited with their mother.
At this time, police say they're not sure how the person was able to steal the car. Authorities are conducting a search for the person near where the car was found.
According to police, the person in question is either in their late teen years or early twenties and was reported wearing a black jacket or a long-sleeved shirt with light-colored shorts.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/tampa-woman-steals-car-baby-inside/67-c6158163-f33e-4f5f-b9ca-e3070f4eee08 | 2022-08-05T22:29:48 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/tampa-woman-steals-car-baby-inside/67-c6158163-f33e-4f5f-b9ca-e3070f4eee08 |
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Earlier this week, a lucky shark was set free by Pinellas County deputies after getting caught in a crab trap.
The sheriff's office said in a Facebook post they were flagged down by a citizen who reported the shark had been caught in the trap.
Unfortunately, deputies were not able to remove the hook that was stuck in the shark's mouth but stated in the post," they cut as far down on the line as they could so the shark could live to see another day!"
In the video, you can also hear deputies estimate the shark to be over 6 feet in length.
In other shark news, over the weekend Instagram user @karaskonieczny captured on video sharks coming remarkably close to the Neptune Beach shore in Jacksonville.
According to her post, the sharks were feeding on baitfish.
"There was a little excitement this weekend...I caught a glimpse of few sharks feeding on baitfish close to shore in Neptune Beach Florida," the post read. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/shark-pinellas-county-caught-crap-trap/67-9011a003-4338-4a13-b6f0-80ffd1f8a0dd | 2022-08-05T22:29:54 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/shark-pinellas-county-caught-crap-trap/67-9011a003-4338-4a13-b6f0-80ffd1f8a0dd |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The death of a Jonesboro police officer is being investigated after he reportedly had symptoms of "medical distress" before a training drill.
Vincent Parks, a patrolman for the Jonesboro Police Department, arrived for training at Camp Robinson to participate in physical training around 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 17, according to the Arkansas State Police.
Department of Public Safety Secretary Jami Cook told state police that the 38-year-old was "extracted" from the class formation that began at 1:30 p.m. when the reported medical distress began. Oxygen was provided to him.
Parks was reportedly able to walk to an ambulance but was "stricken by cardiac arrest" once inside the ambulance, according to a press release from Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training.
He was pronounced dead upon reaching a nearby hospital.
Joe Dubois, a supervisor with the CLEST, gave state police more information, indicating "more than once" that Parks did not participate in the physical training part of the class.
Secretary Cook then asked state police on July 18 to conduct an "independent review" of what led up to Parks' death.
"The review was re-categorized as a criminal investigation based on statements contrary to the initial facts provided to Secretary Cook and subsequently provided to [us]," said Bill Sadler, public information officer for the Arkansas State Police.
He explained that it became a criminal investigation "to ensure that any possible findings of criminal culpability" wouldn't be compromised if the findings were to be shared with the prosecuting attorney.
Sadler would not comment further on the investigation until it was formally closed. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/arkansas-officers-death-training-investigation/91-1094c244-948f-43d5-bbab-cca3198060a4 | 2022-08-05T22:31:52 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/arkansas-officers-death-training-investigation/91-1094c244-948f-43d5-bbab-cca3198060a4 |
SAVANNAH, Ga. — The white man who fatally shot Ahmaud Arbery after chasing the running Black man in a Georgia neighborhood says he fears he will be killed by fellow inmates if he's sent to a state prison to serve a life sentence for murder.
Travis McMichael, 36, faces sentencing Monday in U.S. District Court after his conviction on federal hate crime charges in February. His defense attorney filed a legal motion Thursday asking the judge to keep McMichael in federal custody.
Attorney Amy Lee Copeland argued McMichael has received “hundreds of threats” and won't be safe in a Georgia state prison system that is under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department amid concerns about violence between inmates.
On Feb. 23, 2020, McMichael and his father, Greg McMichael, armed themselves with guns and jumped in a pickup truck to chase Arbery after he ran past their home just outside the port city of Brunswick. A neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, joined the chase in his own truck and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael blasting Arbery with a shotgun.
The killing of Arbery became part of a larger national reckoning over racial injustice amid other high-profile killings of unarmed Black people including George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.
In Georgia, the McMichaels and Bryan were sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of Arbery's murder in a state court last fall. They have remained in a county jail in custody of U.S. marshals since standing trial in February in federal court, where a jury convicted them of hate crimes. Each defendant now faces a potential second life sentence.
Once the men are sentenced Monday by U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood, protocol would be to turn them over the Georgia Department of Corrections to serve their prison terms for murder. That's because they were first arrested and tried by state authorities.
For Travis McMichael, “his concern is that he will promptly be killed upon delivery to the state prison system for service of that sentence,” Copeland wrote in her sentencing request. “He has received numerous threats of death that are credible in light of all circumstances.”
Copeland said she has alerted Georgia's corrections agency, “which has replied that these threats are unverified and that it can securely house McMichael in state custody.”
Greg McMichael, 66, has also asked the judge to put him in federal rather than state prison, citing safety concerns and health problems.
Arbery's family family has insisted the McMichaels and Bryan should serve their sentences in a state prison, arguing a federal penitentiary wouldn’t be as tough. His parents objected forcefully before the federal trial when both McMichaels sought a plea deal that would have included a request to transfer them to federal prison. The judge ended up rejecting the plea agreement.
“Granting these men their preferred choice of confinement would defeat me,” Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, told the judge at a hearing Jan. 31. “It gives them one last chance to spit in my face.”
A federal judge doesn't have the authority to order a state to relinquish its lawful custody of inmates to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, said Ed Tarver, an Augusta lawyer and former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
“She can certainly make that request," Tarver said of the judge, "and it would be up to the state Department of Corrections whether or not they agree to do that.”
Copeland's court filing refers to a prior agreement between the judge, prosecutors and defense attorneys to keep the McMichaels and Bryan in federal custody "through the completion of the federal trial and any post-trial proceedings.” She argued that means Travis McMichael should at least remain in federal custody through appeals of his hate crime conviction. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/lawyer-arbery-shooter-fears-hell-be-killed/85-f94695ca-1698-4430-aaa7-f2ba196069ca | 2022-08-05T22:31:59 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/lawyer-arbery-shooter-fears-hell-be-killed/85-f94695ca-1698-4430-aaa7-f2ba196069ca |
FORT SMITH, Ark. — With the school year starting soon, many community organizations in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley are holding events to offer school supplies and other necessities kids need to start the school year.
Northwest Arkansas events:
- First Friday: Back to School | Friday, August 5 | This event is taking place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Downtown Bentonville Square. First Friday is a monthly festival series featuring live music, food trucks, multiple family-friendly activities, and local vendors.
- Back to School event for immigrants | Saturday, Aug. 6th | Immigrant rights advocacy group Arkansas United is proudly gearing up for their third annual back-to-school event to make sure families have what they need as well as to ensure they are doing their part to support the community. From 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the JTL Shop located at 614 E Emma Ave.
River Valley events:
- First United Methodist Church | Sunday, Aug 14 | This event is taking place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the church's C Main Parking Lot, located at the corner of 16th and B Street. They will be giving out backpacks, school supplies, shoe vouchers, free haircuts and free books. Activities are planned including an inflatable slide and games with the local fire department and police department in attendance.
- Matthew 25 | Monday, Aug. 8 | This is a drive-through event in the parking lot at 945 Main Street in Van Buren from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Children must be present to receive backpacks, school supplies, hygiene kits, socks, underwear, haircuts, dinner and food boxes.
- Back-to-school parking lot party and health fair | Saturday, August 13 This event is taking place from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 615 North B Street in Fort Smith. The event will include free food, fun, music, activities and school supplies.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/outreach/back-to-school/list-nwa-river-valley-back-school-events/527-e51f6176-9127-433f-8e20-4797737d9976 | 2022-08-05T22:32:05 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/outreach/back-to-school/list-nwa-river-valley-back-school-events/527-e51f6176-9127-433f-8e20-4797737d9976 |
ATLANTA — A person is dead at a scene by a Buckhead hotel, police said Friday.
The Atlanta Police Department said officers had responded to 3285 Peachtree Road - the address for the Embassy Suites hotel - and there was a "deceased victim."
The department did not initially provide further details. They later indicated it was an individual who died by suicide.
This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.
Also download the 11Alive News app and sign up to receive alerts for the latest on this story and other breaking news in Atlanta and north Georgia. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/atlanta-police-response-person-dead-buckhead-embassy-suites/85-53f37858-bbce-4b0b-9aac-3106b47717a7 | 2022-08-05T22:32:16 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/atlanta-police-response-person-dead-buckhead-embassy-suites/85-53f37858-bbce-4b0b-9aac-3106b47717a7 |
ATLANTA — The skies of Georgia will now be graced by the first female pilot in the history of the Georgia State Patrol Aviation Division.
Haley Jo Lucas was honored Thursday as she received her wings next to her Command Staff, colleagues and family when she was pinned by Col. Christopher C. Wright, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
"Today we celebrate another milestone with the Department of Public Safety," said Col. Wright. "We are proud to recognize the accomplishment of Trooper Haley Lucas on becoming the first female pilot in the Georgia State Patrol Aviation Division. We hope Trooper Lucas’ accomplishment inspires other young women to pursue their dreams."
Lucas becomes one of 14 pilots within the GSP Aviation Division that possesses a fleet of 12 helicopters and six hangars across the state.
Lt. Colonel Stephanie L. Stallings, the first female Lt. Colonel in the history of the Department of Public Safety, accompanied Lucas as she was presented with her wings.
“I am extremely honored for TFC Lucas to be in the category of 'historic firsts.' She is leading the way for other young women to follow and is a valuable addition to the GSP Aviation Division,” said Lt. Col. Stallings.
The GSP Aviation Division serves as the State of Georgia’s aeronautical search and rescue unit and provides aerial support for all 159 Georgia counties.
Lucas is excited to join the Aviation Division and committed to continuing her service to the citizens of Georgia, according to a Facebook post by the Georgia Department of Public Safety on Thursday. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/first-female-pilot-wings-georgia-state-patrols-aviation-division/85-d67c1d1c-6cec-48c3-a915-0ad38f957a93 | 2022-08-05T22:32:23 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/first-female-pilot-wings-georgia-state-patrols-aviation-division/85-d67c1d1c-6cec-48c3-a915-0ad38f957a93 |
PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — Georgia parents may have noticed school bus routes look a little different for their children this year.
Since the start of the school year, students across the metro area have faced overcrowding along with longer wait and ride times when taking the bus. This is due to the ongoing bus driver shortage throughout Georgia.
Several districts are still working to fill a gap and employ enough drivers to meet the demand of students riding the bus.
As of Thursday, Paulding County still has 45 open driver positions.
Additionally, both Fulton and Cobb County are looking to recruit around 200 people, each.
Chief Strategy and Accountability Officer for Cobb County School District, John Floresta told 11Alive the impacts of the driver shortage on their schools.
“That means we have bus drivers running what we call double and triple runs, which means that the schedule, the bus schedule, might be a little bit different than what it was. Pick up might be a little bit earlier, might be a little bit later,” Floresta said.
Paulding County officials said they are using the first couple of weeks of school to “balance our available buses against enrollment and ridership and adjust the number and size of school buses and their distribution as needed.”
On Thursday, Paulding added an additional 90-passenger bus to their routes and replaced two 72-passenger buses with two 90-passenger buses, however, students within the county have complained about overcrowding and buses having three people to a seat.
11Alive reached out to the county concerning this matter, and in a statement, Paulding explained, “While some buses have been crowded, they are not over capacity. Students are not allowed to sit on the floor of the bus or stand.”
“While sitting two to a seat is preferred, three passengers to a seat is acceptable and safe under capacity regulations when necessary. Every student should have a seat,” the statement added.
Both Paulding and Cobb said that it could take weeks for the density to decrease on the buses but said they are working to recruit new drivers.
In Paulding, the district is offering multiple incentives to bring in new hires. This includes $20/hour pay, a $750 signing bonus and a $150/month perfect attendance bonus.
“These moves, along with the continued balancing of riders, buses and routes, should help ease any crowding very soon,” Paulding County said in a statement.
At the moment, Cobb County is not offering any application incentives but Floresta said they are working on “creative and innovative ways” to bring people in.
“At the end of the day, we need people. We need people to join our team, and we're looking at every way that we can recruit and retain the best bus drivers that we can,” Floresta said.
In the meantime, he encourages parents who want to track their children’s bus route to download the Here Comes the Bus app. It allows them to follow the movements of their child’s designated bus route and also track any changes to their bus schedule. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/metro-atlanta-school-bus-shortage/85-c4a8f94a-9bdc-42ae-8390-4ec577f13032 | 2022-08-05T22:32:29 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/metro-atlanta-school-bus-shortage/85-c4a8f94a-9bdc-42ae-8390-4ec577f13032 |
DARIEN, Ga. — The video attached to this story is from a previous, unrelated report.
A new Buc-ee's travel center is coming to Glynn County, Georgia, at Exit 42 on I-95. That's about 6 miles from Darien, Georgia and 7.8 miles from Pinehurst, Georgia.
The supersized convenience store, which usually doubles as a gas station, is a tourist attraction in itself.
Buc-ee's owns the world's largest convenience store, which is in New Braunfels, Texas. Buc-cee's stores are known as the "Disney world" of gas stations, with tons of different mini-shops selling anything your heart desires. (Fudge, jerky, sandwiches, jams, jellies, pickles... to name a few).
Glynn County is investing $3 million for improvements to Exit 42, a press release said, including for this project. The investment in infrastructure will be repaid to the county through a payment in lieu of taxes (a fee usually paid to the county instead of regular taxes to save the company money and incentivize them to build in that place).
The full $3 million is expected to be repaid, the press release said. Buc-ees will invest at least $30 million and creating 175 jobs in Glynn County.
They expect annual sales of over $30 million, not including gas sales, the release said.
An opening date has not been announced. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/new-bucees-glynn-county-georgia-i-95-exit-42-darien-pinehurst/77-ba0596d3-57a1-4ccc-a6d4-c8c724bc694f | 2022-08-05T22:32:35 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/new-bucees-glynn-county-georgia-i-95-exit-42-darien-pinehurst/77-ba0596d3-57a1-4ccc-a6d4-c8c724bc694f |
Fire tore quickly through a house in the wee hours of Friday, killing seven adults and three children and horrifying a volunteer firefighter who arrived to battle the blaze only to discover that the victims were his family, authorities said.
A criminal investigation into the fire is underway, authorities said. The children who died in the fire were ages 5, 6 and 7, Pennsylvania State Police said in a news release.
Nescopeck Volunteer Fire Co. firefighter Harold Baker told the Citizens' Voice newspaper of Wilkes-Barre that the 10 victims included his son, daughter, father-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, three grandchildren and two other relatives.
He told WNEP-TV that 13 dogs were also in the home but did not say if he knew whether any survived.
The fire in Nescopeck was reported around 2:30 a.m. One person was found dead inside the single-family home shortly after emergency responders arrived, while two other victims were found later in the morning.
Some people were able to safely flee the burning home, authorities said.
Baker said that the address initially given for the call was a neighboring home, but that he realized it was his family’s residence as the fire truck approached.
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“When we turned the corner up here on Dewey (Street) I knew right away what house it was just by looking down the street,” Baker told the Citizens' Voice. “I was on the first engine, and when we pulled up, the whole place was fully involved. We tried to get in to them."
Neighbors reported hearing a loud popping sound or explosion before seeing the front porch of the home rapidly consumed by flames. Some also reported hearing a young man screaming in front of the home, “They’re all dead."
Baker, who was relieved of his firefighting duties because of his relationship to the victims, said 14 people were living in the home. One of them was out delivering newspapers, and three others escaped, he said.
“The kids that were there and my two kids were just visiting their aunt and uncle," Baker told WNEP. "Those were the ones who own the house. They were there visiting and going into the pool and all that.”
Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Derek Felsman said a “complex criminal investigation” was underway. Troopers were interviewing survivors, he said. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/7-adults-3-kids-dead-in-pa-house-fire-criminal-probe-underway/3327301/ | 2022-08-05T22:32:40 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/7-adults-3-kids-dead-in-pa-house-fire-criminal-probe-underway/3327301/ |
Ring the Alarm! Getting people from place to place on time can sometimes lead you to Beyoncé's mother. Well, perhaps only for NBC10's Sheila Watko.
Tina Lawson gave our very own traffic reporter Sheila Watko a shout out on her Instagram account Wednesday, after seeing Sheila's traffic tribute to celebrate Beyoncé's new album "Renaissance."
In Sheila's August 2nd report, she incorporated 15 song titles, old and new, from the Queen B without using a script, proving she was an ultimate member of the Beehive.
"The rest of the hive has been so sweet! I love making people laugh and spreading some joy where I can – it’s a tough world out there! When I saw so many comments from people getting a kick out of the Bey references, I was thrilled," Sheila said.
Songs included early hits from Beyoncé's time with girl group Destiny's Child like "Jumpin, Jumpin" and new hits like "Break My Soul" and "Heated".
Sheila planned to do this July 29, the day Beyoncé released her new album, but traffic had other plans.
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"I planned to do this last Friday, but there was a big crash, so I had to keep it serious," Watko said in an Instagram caption.
Flash forward two days later and Sheila was stunned when her friend notified her that Lawson reposted the traffic report.
"I did not believe it was true," Sheila wrote. "When I went onto her Instagram, I was STUNNED! Beyoncé's mother, Ms. Tina herself, knows of my existence?! I couldn’t stop smiling and then, of course, had to tell my own mom!"
This isn't the first time Sheila has incorporated songs from some of her favorite artist into the newscast. She did it last month when Big Time Rush was in town for a concert. She has also done it twice with Taylor Swift, most recently dropping Easter eggs after the singer released her "Red" album.
Our super star has one message for the Queen B.
"Beyoncé, there’s a reason you are the Queen. You make so many people feel confident and powerful and beautiful, just like you are. Now give us Act II and come to Philly ASAP! Also… tell your mom I said thank you!"
Sheila has since gone on to be recognized by the Today Show, People Magazine, Rolling Stone and many other publications.
Sheila, "Welcome to Hollywood." | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/nbc10s-sheila-watko-gets-love-on-top-from-beyonces-mom/3327266/ | 2022-08-05T22:32:41 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/nbc10s-sheila-watko-gets-love-on-top-from-beyonces-mom/3327266/ |
CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — There’s been a big development in the completion of Corridor H, West Virginia’s top highway project.
Governor Jim Justice says the Department of Transportation in West Virginia and Virginia are now in talks about the completion of Corridor H, which runs from I-79 in Weston, West Virginia, to eventually connect with I-81 in Virginia.
Most of the 157-mile highway is in the Mountain State, but the final 13 miles are designed to run from the state line to Strasburg, Virginia. For many years, Virginians resisted finishing the highway, but now that’s changed.
“It is major progress on Corridor H we want to continue on. It is the very first project we should be looking at. To get completed in West Virginia will bring more and more and more folks to this great state,” said Gov. Jim Justice, (R) West Virginia.
Corridor H is seen as a huge economic development project because it will make it easier for snow skiers and whitewater rafters from the Washington, D.C. area to get to West Virginia attractions.
Once complete, Corridor H will cut the travel time from Charleston to Washington, D.C. by one hour. | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/whats-the-latest-on-west-virginias-top-highway-project/ | 2022-08-05T22:33:55 | 0 | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/whats-the-latest-on-west-virginias-top-highway-project/ |
UVALDE, Texas (ABC News) – Eight years before Uvalde school Police Chief Pete Arredondo led the controversial law enforcement response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, he was demoted from a high-ranking position at the Webb County Sheriff's Office, according to reporting by a local news outlet Thursday.
Arredondo "couldn't get along with people," Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar told the San Antonio Express-News, according to the report. Cuellar also said that he demoted Arredondo from assistant chief to commander in 2014.
"He just didn't fit the qualifications or the work that I set out for him," Cuellar said, according to the report.
Arredondo has come under immense scrutiny for his role in the police response to the May 24 massacre, which claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers. Police waited 77 minutes after arriving at the school to breach the door to the classroom containing the 18-year-old gunman.
A special committee in the Texas legislature issued a report last month that found Arredondo had "failed to perform or to transfer to another person the role of incident commander."
Arredondo previously told the Texas Tribune that he did not consider himself the on-scene commander during the shooting.
According to documents first reported by the San Antonio Express-News and obtained by ABC News, Arredondo, while working for Webb County, was "reassigned from Assistant Chief to Commander" in October 2014, and that two days earlier, a Webb County employee had written "demotion" on his payroll worksheet.
Arredondo left the Webb County Sheriff's Office in 2017 and took a role in Laredo as a school district police captain, where he stayed for three years. When he applied for the position in Laredo, Arredondo highlighted his role in a hostage negotiation during his time in Webb County.
Cuellar, the Webb County sheriff who demoted Arredondo in 2014, told the San Antonio Express-News that Arredondo "exaggerated a little bit" his role in the hostage negotiations he mentioned in his application to Laredo.
"It wasn't him completely. I think he exaggerated a little bit," Cuellar was quoted telling the newspaper, adding that it was a team effort.
Arredondo was announced as the new police chief of the Uvalde Independent School District in February 2020.
Neither Arredondo or Cuellar, or officials with the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, immediately responded to ABC News’ requests for comment.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/8-years-before-uvalde-arredondo-was-demoted-from-previous-law-enforcement-position-report/269-99b3d6ef-71a7-4b54-b385-23551ef1b708 | 2022-08-05T22:35:50 | 1 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/8-years-before-uvalde-arredondo-was-demoted-from-previous-law-enforcement-position-report/269-99b3d6ef-71a7-4b54-b385-23551ef1b708 |
Missing Boise man found dead, police say By KTVB STAFF Aug 5, 2022 9 hrs ago Comments Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email James Daly Support Local Journalism If you value these stories, please consider subscribing. Subscribe Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Originally published July 31 on KTVB.COM.An Idaho man who was reported missing more than a week ago was found dead in Boise County, according to the Boise Police Department.James Daly of Boise was reported missing after he failed to return home; he was last seen Wednesday, July 27.The same night he disappeared, James' cell phone pinged near Idaho City around 5:15 p.m. He was driving a black 2017 Ford F150 with a camper shell. BPD reported that while an investigation is ongoing, there was no evidence found to signal foul play was involved.More from KTVB.COM:Michael Vaughan case to be featured on new REELZ seriesOne year goes by with no sign of missing Fruitland boy Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Tags James Daly Boise Police Department Police Cell Phone Boise Evidence Foul Play Ford F150 Recommended for you Load comments Enter our Current Contests! Newsletter Signup Sign up today for one of our great newsletters and get headlines right in your inbox every morning. Sign up now! Trending Now Boise man charged with arson in connection with church fire 2 Idaho men dead after high-speed chase, car crash in Kuna Idaho senators explain vote against veteran health care expansion Coroner IDs 16-year-old recovered from Lucky Peak Reservoir Von Ehlinger defense files motion touting new evidence, claiming witness leading and rights violations Latest e-Edition Idaho Press-Tribune Idaho Press Manage subscription E-Edition E-Editions Homepage Report Trouble Print Edition Subscribe Archive Search the complete digital archives for all papers in the Pioneer News Group. Visit the Archives
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Idaho Press-Tribune Idaho Press Manage subscription E-Edition E-Editions Homepage Report Trouble Print Edition Subscribe | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/missing-boise-man-found-dead-police-say/article_56177f2b-fcbb-58ea-86c1-d69286fe9ec7.html | 2022-08-05T22:35:52 | 0 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/missing-boise-man-found-dead-police-say/article_56177f2b-fcbb-58ea-86c1-d69286fe9ec7.html |
BOISE — West Nile virus has now been detected in mosquitoes in Ada County, at two locations, for the first time this year, prompting warnings to drain standing water and take measures to prevent being bitten by infected mosquitoes.
The Ada County Mosquito Abatement District announced the findings on Friday morning. The mosquitoes that tested positive for the virus were at North Five Mile Road and West Nazareth Way in Boise; and at East Deer Flat Road and South Cloverdale Road in Kuna.
West Nile virus is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito, and not from person to person. It first showed up in Idaho in 2003; in 2006, Idaho led the nation with nearly 1,000 cases and 23 deaths.
"We strongly encourage Idahoans to take measures against biting mosquitoes," Dr. Leslie Tengelsen, state public health veterinarian for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, said this week in a press release. "These include wearing insect repellent and protective clothing and reducing standing water around gardens and homes where mosquitoes can lay their eggs.”
Last year, West Nile virus infections were reported in 16 people, 15 horses and two birds in Idaho, and contributed to two human deaths. Eight of those human cases were of the dangerous neuroinvasive form of the virus, which can cause disability and death.
Virus detections in mosquitoes reached historically high numbers in Ada County in 2021, with 107 positive tests at 53 trap locations between July 27 and Sept. 15, according to the Ada County Mosquito Abatement District.
In 2020, Idaho saw six human West Nile virus infections and no deaths, but five of the six were of the dangerous neuroinvasive type of the virus. That included three residents of Ada County, one in Gem County and one in Gooding County.
In 2019, Idaho reported 13 symptomatic human cases of West Nile virus, including five patients who suffered from the neuroinvasive disease.
In 2018, Idaho had 16 cases, and 10 were neuroinvasive disease, according to the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare.
From 2003 to 2019, Idaho had 1,382 human infections, of which nearly 20% were classified as neuroinvasive. A total of 30 Idahoans died from West Nile over that time.
In addition to people, horses and birds can be infected with West Nile virus. There’s a vaccine for horses; there isn’t one for humans.
The Ada County Mosquito Abatement District advises residents to take these preventive steps:
• Drain or dump standing water weekly. For example, dump standing water from flowerpots, planter bases, bird baths, toys, cans, rain gutters, pet dishes, buckets, and old tires.
• Ensure that screen doors and windows are tight-fitting and good condition.
• Avoid overwatering your lawn and landscape.
• Limit outdoor activities during dusk and dawn to prevent mosquito bites. Those are the times when the mosquitoes that transmit WNV are most active.
• Dress in long-sleeve shirts and long pants, preferably in light colors when recreating outdoors during dawn and dusk.
• Apply insect repellent following label instructions.
Betsy Z. Russell is the Boise bureau chief and state capitol reporter for the Idaho Press and Adams Publishing Group. Follow her on Twitter at @BetsyZRussell. | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/mosquitoes-at-2-ada-county-locations-test-positive-for-west-nile-virus/article_1a3f4d3b-fc1d-5a5e-b7e7-b129c5e49e40.html | 2022-08-05T22:35:58 | 0 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/mosquitoes-at-2-ada-county-locations-test-positive-for-west-nile-virus/article_1a3f4d3b-fc1d-5a5e-b7e7-b129c5e49e40.html |
Members of the Caldwell Police Department pose with officers from their agency that were awarded the Idaho Medal of Honor during a ceremony in the Lincoln Auditorium at the Idaho State Capitol in August 2021. A ceremony will be held once again on Aug. 17 to honor six law enforcement officers with the state's Medal of Honor.
Six Idahoans will be awarded the Idaho Medal of Honor during a ceremony later this month in Boise.
The recipients are all law enforcement officers selected for performing with exceptional courage and bravery while protecting the public, according to a news release from the Idaho Office of the Attorney General.
Medals will be awarded Wednesday, Aug. 17, at the Idaho Capitol. The ceremony begins at 2:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Auditorium in the west wing of the Garden Level.
The state’s highest honor for law enforcement officers, firefighting professionals and emergency medical service providers will be awarded to:
• Officer Steve Bonas, Boise Police Department
• Sgt. Chris Davis, Boise Police Department
• Sgt. Kevin Holtry, Boise Police Department
• Deputy Camron Killmar, Idaho County Sheriff’s Office
• Officer Samuel Lang, Nampa Police Department
• Officer Matthew Rappatoni, Caldwell Police Department.
The Medal of Honor Commission met March 2 to consider this year’s nominations, all of which were made by Idaho law enforcement agencies.
For more information about the Idaho Medal of Honor and past recipients, visit medalofhonor.idaho.gov. | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/six-law-enforcement-officers-to-receive-idaho-medal-of-honor/article_c1f66e56-7873-5eed-9c3a-d6bd0e74d38b.html | 2022-08-05T22:36:05 | 1 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/six-law-enforcement-officers-to-receive-idaho-medal-of-honor/article_c1f66e56-7873-5eed-9c3a-d6bd0e74d38b.html |
Spirit Airlines Vice President of Network Planning John Kirby and Boise City Councilmember Lisa Sánchez cut the ribbon alongside Spirit employees at the airline's inaugural flight to Las Vegas on Friday.
BOISE — Spirit Airlines took to the skies Friday in its first Idaho flight, becoming the ninth commercial airline to fly from the Boise Airport. The airline’s inaugural flight from Boise to Las Vegas sold out.
“It's great to add yet another airline to the portfolio of multiple airlines that service the Boise airport,” Boise Metro Chamber President Bill Connors said.
Spirit joins the ranks of Southwest and Alaska Airlines in providing daily nonstop routes from Boise to Las Vegas. Allegiant Air also flies directly to Las Vegas every Monday and Friday.
Spirit Airlines Vice President of Network Planning John Kirby described Las Vegas as the world's entertainment capital. He hopes to better connect Boise residents to flights as a low-cost carrier.
“I’d like to put more flights in Boise if this is successful,” Kirby said. “It’s a market I think will like our low fares.”
Las Vegas is one of Spirit’s largest airport operations, with about 70 flights every day from more than a dozen different cities. Spirit will also offer flights to and from 17 other cities.
In addition to now providing flights at the Boise Airport, the Spirit Charitable Foundation donated $20,000 to Global Gardens, a Boise-based nonprofit.
“I thought at first I picked up a spam call,” Global Gardens Program Manager Rabiou Manzo recalled. “(We) are deeply grateful for this generous gift.”
Active for nearly 20 years, Global Gardens provides training for refugee and immigrant farmers in the community.
“If there's one thing that we know about Boise or folks in Idaho is that we are a generous people and take care of each other,” Boise Councilor Lisa Sánchez said. “By making a donation to a nonprofit here in Boise … it really touches my heart.” | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/spirit-airlines-first-idaho-flight-takes-off-from-boise-airport/article_8c6d9316-3b8f-53ea-8ec7-d6d603fbdc61.html | 2022-08-05T22:36:11 | 1 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/spirit-airlines-first-idaho-flight-takes-off-from-boise-airport/article_8c6d9316-3b8f-53ea-8ec7-d6d603fbdc61.html |
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – As kids head back to campus, parents may be wondering what kind of lunch to send them to school with.
With nutrition a top priority for parents prepping lunches for children, Kirby Moir, a registered dietician with Food City shares tips on packing the perfect lunch. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/first-at-four/back-to-school-nutrition-tips-with-food-city/ | 2022-08-05T22:39:26 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/first-at-four/back-to-school-nutrition-tips-with-food-city/ |
KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) – In the wake of severe flooding in nearby regions, several local emergency management agencies (EMAs) began a set of drills throughout the Tri-Cities on Friday.
While the sight of water washing over the hood of a vehicle under the I-26 overpass would normally inspire panicked 911 calls, Friday morning it was placed there on purpose to give responders a chance to hone their skills.
“We’ve been training with the representatives of eight different counties in Northeast Tennessee,” said Dan Wheeley, a member of Tennessee’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Swift Water team. “We’ve been planning this event for several months, it’s an annual event that we do to bring all the different agencies together.”
In Gray, an incident command team set up a communication and control center to manage different efforts in the Tri-Cities. In Johnson City, a group practiced search and rescue skills in a building collapse scenario. In Kingsport next to Domtar Park, swift water teams worked to retrieve dummies and colleagues from a car while preventing it from washing downstream.
“The mountains of Northeast Tennessee are very prone to flooding,” Wheeley said. “We have flooding in all of our jurisdictions every year. Obviously our friends in Kentucky and Virginia are experiencing flooding just in the last week or are still involved in that.”
Wheeley said the shared training and standards play a central part in the state’s emergency preparedness and allows a rapid reaction to form any time disaster strikes.
“No one department really has the capability to handle a major flood themselves,” Wheeley said. “And so having the eight counties come together, it doesn’t put that burden on any one county or jurisdiction. And then we can all come together, help each other out when we have these major floods.”
Even with equipment and expertise, Wheeley said the best way to stay safe is to avoid potential hazards altogether. In the case of a flood, the classic “Turn Around, Don’t Drown” is his first piece of advice.
“Cars in the water are one of the number one calls that we have during floods,” Wheeley said. “So we train on these every year.” | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/local-emas-cooperate-for-disaster-drills-flood-rescues/ | 2022-08-05T22:39:32 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/local-emas-cooperate-for-disaster-drills-flood-rescues/ |
SULLIVAN COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Sullivan County Schools system leaders hope to hire a new director by January following the retirement of current director Evelyn Rafalowski.
Rafalowski returned to the role from her retirement after the former director left.
The school board on Thursday night agreed to have the Tennessee School Board Association lead the search. This would involve a contract with the association for $6,500. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/sullivan-county-boe-hopes-to-fill-director-role-by-january/ | 2022-08-05T22:39:38 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/sullivan-county-boe-hopes-to-fill-director-role-by-january/ |
PORTLAND, Maine — The second annual Maine Wild Blueberry Weekend is set to kick off this weekend with various farms participating across the state.
The event is hosted by Wild Blueberries and gives Maine blueberry farmers and others the chance to educate people about one of Maine's most profitable crops. The weekend celebrates wild, low bush blueberries versus the typical cultivated berry found in most grocery stores.
Wild blueberries are said to be sweeter and healthier than cultivated blueberries, according to Patricia Kontur, the director of programs at Wild Blueberries. She and other organizers believe this weekend will be a huge success.
"We all started thinking about Maine Maple Sunday and the other festivals that are celebrating other agricultural products, and a lot of Mainers really don't even realize that wild blueberries are different and that they come from here in Maine," Kontur said. "We have a commercial crop that is the biggest wild blueberry crop and really, we are usually in the top three of blueberry producers in the United States."
There are more than 70 locations to check out around the state. Including Brodis Blueberries in Hope and Lynch Hill Farms in Harrington.
"I think that we have come to a point here where everything is coming together for a perfect storm. People are learning about how wonderfully nutritious and healthy blueberries are. COVID meant that people wanted to eat better and they also wanted to get out and connect with ... farmers," Brodis Farm Owner Ron Howard said. "It's all of us coming together and when we first hosted last year, we had 1,000 people show up within the two days and it just goes to show the powerful influence that wild blueberries and getting to know your farmer really has."
"This is a special thing, it's a way of life down here," Lynch Hill Farms Owner Courtney Hammond said. "We've been farming these wild blueberries since the early 1800s and the Native Americans utilized them well before that, so I always take the time to try to get our message out about what we really have here and how special it is."
For more information about Maine Wild Blueberry Weekend and what locations are participating, click here. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/207/maine-wild-blueberry-weekend-a-farmers-chance-to-show-off-way-of-life-agriculture/97-9c23722b-d52c-43d3-937c-c3a84b2e272d | 2022-08-05T22:40:49 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/207/maine-wild-blueberry-weekend-a-farmers-chance-to-show-off-way-of-life-agriculture/97-9c23722b-d52c-43d3-937c-c3a84b2e272d |
HAMPDEN, Maine — The advanced municipal Hampden waste facility has just been approved for sale by a judge on Friday.
The Municipal Review Committee was approved to purchase the Hampden waste facility after months-long negotiations between the Bondholder Trustee, the Receiver, Lienholders, and the organization, according to a news release issued Friday by the MRC.
The closing of the purchase is scheduled for next week, the release says, and MRC will then be focusing on finalizing multiple agreements with their prospective partner, Revere Capital Advisors, LLC.
"The execution of the partnership arrangement is expected to take place in September," the release says.
The approval of sale comes after an announcement on July 29 of a prospective partnership between the MRC and Revere Capital Advisors, a New York-based investment firm, to cover reopening costs.
MRC is approved to purchase the facility for $1.5 million after it sat idle for more than two years. The facility shut down in May of 2020 due to a lack of funding only six months after opening.
The facility will serve 115 communities in the greater Bangor area.
In the release, MRC addresses concerns regarding the clarity of its partnership with Revere Capital Advisors during the process of reopening the facility:
"In its address to the Board of Directors at last week's meeting, Revere identified CS Solutions as their intended contract vendor to provide engineering services in the restart and operation of the Facility. This has stirred some questions. To be clear, the MRC's partnership will be with Revere Capital Advisors, LLC and not with any other entity.
"The MRC is aware of CS Solutions' ties to a company with previous involvement in Maine. However, the structure planned for the Hampden Facility is wholly different. CS Solutions will strictly be a vendor to Revere and will have no role in ownership, financing, or governance of the Facility. It is also important to note that Revere’s proposal does not rely on any state or local tax incentives, loan guarantees, credit enhancements, or similar financial support." | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/judge-approves-sale-of-hampden-waste-facility-maine-reopen-investment-firm/97-fc8a1d79-9f75-4698-af02-b36827f38534 | 2022-08-05T22:40:55 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/judge-approves-sale-of-hampden-waste-facility-maine-reopen-investment-firm/97-fc8a1d79-9f75-4698-af02-b36827f38534 |
MAINE, USA — According to a news release issued by Sen. Susan Collins's office on Friday, she and Sen. Angus King have announced funding of over $2 million to support Maine's ferry services.
"The funding will be allocated through the bipartisan infrastructure law co-sponsored by both Senators," the release states.
The release reports that the state of Maine, Casco Bay Lines, and the town of Frye Island are eligible to receive a grand total of $2,018,936 in support of ferry services.
"This funding was authorized through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and provided through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Ferry Boat Program," the release says.
"Maine’s ferries are indispensable to those who live and work in our island communities, providing passenger, freight, and postal services and transporting students to school and people to their jobs,” Sen. Collins said in the release. “This funding will help ensure that residents and visitors can continue to access safe and reliable ferry service to Frye Island as well as islands within Casco Bay, and along Maine’s coast.”
According to the release, the following funding will be made available:
- $1,006,408 for ferry services sponsored by the state of Maine.
- $763,575 for Casco Bay Lines.
- $248,953 for the town of Frye Island ferry service.
More NEWS CENTER Maine stories | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/king-collins-to-fund-over-2-million-for-maine-ferry-services-business/97-4c709c46-083f-4d03-aba8-b6ef1eb6166d | 2022-08-05T22:41:01 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/king-collins-to-fund-over-2-million-for-maine-ferry-services-business/97-4c709c46-083f-4d03-aba8-b6ef1eb6166d |
LEWISTON, Maine — For people who are transitioning back into society after being in prison, or struggling with substance use disorder, it can be easy to fall back into old patterns. That's where Johnny Clark comes in.
Clark and his partner, Brandon Tobey, have three sober living homes in Augusta. Now, they're turning their attention to Lewiston.
Right now, only half of the new sober house is open, but next month, Clark expects to open the other side that will be for women.
Clark is in recovery himself. He was prescribed narcotics after a back injury when he lived in Las Vegas.
"[I] found out that I couldn't go without them, so I started buying them on the streets, started selling them," Clark said.
Now, he wants to help others. He and Tobey own A Hand Up, and they already have a number of sober living houses in Augusta.
Now, they are expanding to Lewiston, but they didn't do it alone.
"We bought the buildings in December, so we've really been trying to transform it since then," Wendi McPike said.
She and her husband Aaron own the building, and when they bought it, it was a weekly rent boarding house.
The couple said this area of town has a lot of problems, including drugs and violence. Aaron even pointed out bullet holes in the building itself.
The McPikes evicted tenants who were causing problems and then started working with Clark.
"[By] improving the building, you improve the block, and improve the neighborhood," Aaron said.
For people who are already living here, they say they want to help others.
"Seeing these people getting pulled out of bad situations, and I actually have a connection with them and understand what it is that they're going through," Eric Dodge, who already moved in, said. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/recovery-house-opens-in-lewiston-maine-health-sober-living/97-4d8667a4-27cb-4753-bce8-0aa96de7aceb | 2022-08-05T22:41:07 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/recovery-house-opens-in-lewiston-maine-health-sober-living/97-4d8667a4-27cb-4753-bce8-0aa96de7aceb |
MAINE, USA — Versant Power customers may see their monthly bills go up as soon as next summer. The utility company announced Thursday it is seeking a distribution rate change from the Maine Public Utilities Commission.
According to a press release, the average customer using 500 kilowatt-hours (kwh) per month would increase their bill about $10.50 per month. Customers using 750 kwh would see a $15 to $16 increase, and for 1,000 kwh an increase of about $21.
Judy Long is the communications manager for Versant Power.
"We understand that customers do not want to see rising electricity bills, and frankly, it's the last thing that we want to ask. But it would be irresponsible of us to stop investing in a system that so many Mainers rely on," Long said.
Long says the written request will be submitted to the Maine Public Utilities Commission in the next two months.
"There's no fat on this request. It's just what's needed to continue to provide the service that Mainers deserve," Long said.
Long says Versant plans to use the additional money to complete a number of projects in the five counties it serves in northern and eastern Maine: Hancock, Piscataquis, Washington, Penobscot, and Aroostook. Some of those projects include replacing its metering system and any worn cables, and building a new substation in Machias.
But in an economy where the price of just about everything is going up, many aren't convinced there's a need, like the Maine Office of the Public Advocate.
"A 28% increase is a large increase for any business to charge it's customers," William Harwood, public advocate for the state of Maine, said.
Harwood said his office will hire experts to review the data Versant files with the PUC.
"We will be taking a very aggressive approach to make sure that this increase is justified. We're pretty skeptical at this point," Harwood said.
Gov. Janet Mills also announced her opposition to the request Thursday. Mills released a statement, saying in part, "With high prices expected to continue into the coming year – which is almost entirely the result of New England’s dependence on expensive, imported natural gas – I do not believe now is the appropriate time for our utilities to seek further rate increases. I ask Versant to not to file this request, but, if they do, I will direct my Energy Office to intervene in opposition and call on the Maine Public Utilities Commission to reject the request.”
"Versant Power is not asking for an opportunity to earn a greater return on our investments, we deliberately did not ask that because we understand the environment we're working in," Long said.
Harwood said last fall, Versant was granted an 18 percent increase in rates, and now asking for more, is hard to rationalize.
"I haven't seen any inflation numbers that would suggest to me that those kinds of increases are in line with inflation," Harwood said.
"We completely open our books, we show them every project, everything that we're spending money on, to show them what is needed," Long said. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/versant-power-seeks-to-increase-monthly-rates-for-customers-maine-energy-electricity-rate/97-55fc5028-8b8f-473b-b1bb-d70718c9d0d0 | 2022-08-05T22:41:13 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/versant-power-seeks-to-increase-monthly-rates-for-customers-maine-energy-electricity-rate/97-55fc5028-8b8f-473b-b1bb-d70718c9d0d0 |
Visible through the glass doors, even when just driving past the silver chromium building on Second Street, a large illuminated clock with the words “Johnny J’s Diner” lit up and curving around the numbers. The diner doesn’t open until 6:30 a.m., but when the hands of the clock point to 6:15, waitress Nicole Moyer said there’s often cars sitting in the parking lot.
All waiting for the sign with neon cursive lettering reading “open,” to flip on.
“We have a lot of our regulars, like our coffee drinkers usually sit here and it's an all day kind of thing,” Moyer, who’s been with the diner for two years now, said. “A lot of times in the mornings, when we set up, we'll set up certain sections that people always sit at and that way they already have their coffees and everything ready.”
The diner has been open at its current location at 1705 E. Second St. since the early 2000s, and when asked by anyone who frequents the diner what’s changed since then, they’ll tell you, "Not much."
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After entering the doors, guests are greeted with a black and white checkered counter with six blue stools sitting in front, the two swinging doors leading to the kitchen on both sides. Filled to the brim with 50s signs and décor, the diner looks similar to a scene that would be found in a sitcom.
If that were the case, the frequent visitors of the diner would fit the cast.
“We know them all by name,” she said. “Half the time we fight over who wants to take them.”
Sure enough, a man wearing a patterned shirt covered in flamingos took a stool at the counter on the opposite side. Tom Loepp, a local painter, who Moyer said was one of the diner’s regulars.
“He’s trouble,” she jokingly warned.
“I’m here once a month,” he said.
A different waitress across from him made a face, hinting Leopp visited much more often.
“Okay, I meet someone here once a week for breakfast,” he said, correcting himself when he saw her expression. “And then sometimes I come here on another day and meet someone else here, again for breakfast.”
Most, if not all of the waitresses, know Leopp by name. Lightly poking fun at each other is a regular part of the relationship.
“See that one right there,” Leopp said, nodding towards a server standing on the opposite side of the counter. “She’s the worst, she doesn’t care. You say ‘What’s good here?’ and you don’t want to hear what she says.”
“Tom stop it,” she joked back, shaking her head.
When handed one of the plastic menus, he began listing off what to eat, what to skip and occasionally, what he hadn’t tried yet. He recommends the Cobb salad and anything with the chicken.
The seat of choice for Leopp is always the counter, near the register and glass containers displaying pies and other baked goods. The reason is pretty simple he said: it’s where everything is happening.
“Everybody's traveling through here. If you sit over there,” he pointed to a table in the corner. “You might be isolated. I usually go places by myself, not all the time, but you can hang out and talk with all the people that work here. But now I'm here and all these people do is give me a hard time.’’
“We do,” Moyer confirmed, still wrapping silverware.
Across the diner, in a window booth on the left side of the restaurant, two more regulars -- Rick Ullery and his daughter Siri Ullery.
After discussing just how long Rick has owned his dental practice located three blocks from the diner, and just how old Siri actually is, the pair concluded that Rick has visited the diner almost every day over the past 21 years.
“The waitresses know him,” Siri added. “They'll bring him out the biggest thing of ice tea that they can every single time… there used to be bigger glasses and they basically just gave him a giant pitcher with a straw for a while.”
Other than ice tea, recommended by Rick, the guacamole bacon burger, the Frankie Avalon. He ate it almost every day for eight years and has since switched to salads and the club sandwich. He still gets it as a treat sometimes. Siri said she’d also recommend the coconut cream pie, and that it’s her favorite pie, possibly ever.
The duo’s order changes from day to day. However, the diner Rick said, hasn’t changed much.
“I’ve been here longer than any waitress,” he laughed. “The food's always good, I like the music and the décor is relaxing. It doesn't change a lot… the only thing I don’t know is the table numbers, I still need to learn them.”
He called over a nearby waitress, by name, to ask her about the sequence.
“So the corner's one,” she started, pointing to the far booth in the corner. “Then two is here, three, four, five, six-”
“I already can’t remember that,” Rick said.
The waitress laughed, finished explaining the order of tables and moved to help her next table.
Sitting a few booths down from the entrance, Shannon Carranza with three of her kids, David, Alejandro and Jullian Carranza.
The recommendation of the table is the vanilla coke, a drink that pairs well with french fries, Shannon said. Both items from the menu sat on the table of the booth, alongside a half eaten kid portion of spaghetti and two boats, empty, other than a leftover mix of mustard and ketchup.
Growing up in Casper, Shannon said she used to get a similar order when she visited the diner as a kid.
“We used to come here every weekend,” she added. “I was with a group of church friends and after we played volleyball down the street at the rec center, we would come down here and get a bite to eat.”
Now with kids of her own, Shannon says the diner has barely changed at all since she was around their age. The décor, the music, the look just stays consistent.
“Like everything tastes exactly the same,” she said, gesturing towards the food left on the table.
The trip to the restaurant isn’t one made very often anymore, but it’s still a favorite of her and her kids she said.
“Johnny J’s is a favorite of mine since I was a kid,” Shannon added. “And still, the place is friendly and has a good menu. And the shakes of course, a really big hit for the kids as well.”
In a few hours, most of the lunch crew will finish up their food and start heading out. It will slow for a bit, then the dinner crowd will make their entrance, Moyer said. She’ll leave around 3 p.m., but the diner won’t close its doors until 9 p.m.
Tomorrow, the same thing. Same regulars, same '50s décor and the same food that’s kept the community visiting the silver chromium diner for years.
“Everybody loves a diner,” she said. | https://trib.com/news/local/casper/yes-were-open-johnny-js-diner-has-been-a-casper-classic-through-the-years/article_1f86c872-144e-11ed-a7d6-c7256f071dc2.html | 2022-08-05T22:41:17 | 0 | https://trib.com/news/local/casper/yes-were-open-johnny-js-diner-has-been-a-casper-classic-through-the-years/article_1f86c872-144e-11ed-a7d6-c7256f071dc2.html |
GREENSBORO — Mold has been detected in some inmate housing areas of the Guilford County Detention Center in Greensboro, according to a news release from the Guilford County Sheriff's Office.
The mold was recently discovered on the third, fifth and seventh levels of the jail. The sheriff’s office and county risk management officials have hired an independent environmental testing company to perform air quality and mold assessments in all potentially affected areas at the jail, according to the release.
Many of those assessments were performed between Tuesday and Friday and officials are awaiting written reports of the test results. The remaining assessments will be completed next week.
In the first housing area tested this week, the independent company verbally confirmed to the county that the mold, while allergenic, was not toxigenic. That means that while some individuals may have an allergic response to the mold, it is not the type of mold that produces small, molecular toxins known as mycotoxins, according to the release.
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Mycotoxins can be toxic for humans when they are eaten, absorbed into the skin or inhaled, according to the website webmd.com.
County officials have hired another company to thoroughly clean the affected areas beginning next week, according to the release.
The sheriff’s office has begun providing inmates housed in the affected areas with fresh linens, mattresses and clothing. These inmates also are being relocated (on a rotating basis) to other housing units inside the jail while the testing and cleaning processes are completed, the sheriff's office said. | https://greensboro.com/news/local/accident-and-incident/mold-discovered-at-guilford-county-jail-in-greensboro/article_2cf3698c-14ff-11ed-9d08-e72413c28b8c.html | 2022-08-05T22:41:31 | 0 | https://greensboro.com/news/local/accident-and-incident/mold-discovered-at-guilford-county-jail-in-greensboro/article_2cf3698c-14ff-11ed-9d08-e72413c28b8c.html |
An Asheboro veteran says the fight for benefits is not over despite the U.S. Senate's eventual capitulation earlier this week in the face of veterans rallying at the Capitol to make changes that include covering health issues connected to burn pits.
Tom Morgan, 78, who served in the U.S. Army from 1969-71, says there is still work to be done, including getting dental benefits for more veterans. About 15% of the more than 9 million veterans enrolled in VA health care are eligible for dental care, but only about 5% actually receive it, according to DAV.org, which reports on veterans' issues.
On Wednesday, Morgan sent a letter to U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis about his disappointment in the North Carolina senator's vote against the burn pit legislation. Tillis, who has been an advocate for veterans and pushed for previous legislation involving burn pits, said in June he had reservations about the bill's requirements and the ability of the Department of Veterans Affairs to meet those obligations.
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The bill, called the PACT Act, had been temporarily derailed over a technical fix, leading to Morgan and others camping out at the Capitol to encourage senators to press forward with the legislation. It won final approval in the Senate on Tuesday.
Morgan said in an interview Thursday night it was "pretty pathetic" to see fellow veterans having to "practically beg to get help."
Tillis also voted no when the bill was first passed in June, before the technical fix led to the recent stalemate. At that time, Tillis said he had reservations about the added strain on the VA, which he said was already struggling to meet its obligations to veterans.
He reiterated those concerns Thursday in an interview with Spectrum News.
"Right now, we've got a backlog of about 160,000 cases. Veterans waiting in line. With this bill, it's estimated that that will go up to two million," Tillis told Spectrum's Tim Boyum. "I'm worried about a promise that can't be kept unless we get some of the foundation of the PACT Act on solid footing."
"We have a lot of work to do," Tillis said. "I stand ready to try to fix these problems."
The legislation expands access to health care through the VA for millions who served near burn pits, the Associated Press previously reported. It directs the VA to presume that certain respiratory illnesses and cancers were related to burn pit exposure, allowing veterans to obtain disability payments to compensate for their injury without having to prove the illness was a result of their service, AP wrote.
The military used burn pits to dispose of such things as chemicals, cans, tires, plastics and medical and human waste.
Hundreds of thousands of Vietnam War-era veterans and survivors also stand to benefit from the legislation, according to AP. The bill adds hypertension, or high blood pressure, as a presumptive disease associated with Agent Orange exposure.
In his letter, Morgan asked Tillis his stance on basic dental care for veterans.
"We all need to be reminded from time to time, that it is the veterans who interrupted their lives and have always stood in the gap," Morgan wrote. "Without the veterans, there would be no country by the name of the United States." | https://greensboro.com/news/local/nc-veteran-fight-for-benefits-isnt-over/article_0711bf58-14ea-11ed-87b4-03ae18f61865.html | 2022-08-05T22:41:37 | 1 | https://greensboro.com/news/local/nc-veteran-fight-for-benefits-isnt-over/article_0711bf58-14ea-11ed-87b4-03ae18f61865.html |
MILAM COUNTY, Texas — The video above was published for a different story on May 10, 2022.
Due to a water line break issue at a plant in the area, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has issued a boil water notice for North Milam.
The notice will only affect customers in the Ben Arnold, Burlington and Clarkson areas.
To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, residence in the area are asked boil water for drinking, cooking and for making ice.
The water should be brought to a vigorous, rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes. In lieu of boiling, you may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source.
When it is no longer necessary to boil the water, the water system officials will notify you that the water is safe for consumption. The rescind notice will be issued in the same manner as this Boil Water Notice.
The North Milam Water Supply Corporation said it will update the public when the boil water notice is no longer in effect. You can stay up-to-date by visiting their website here.
If a customer wishes to reach TCEQ, they may call 512-239-4691.
More on KCENtv.com: | https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/local/north-milam-boil-water-notice/500-4476848d-654a-4f7b-8860-2dd1ac512367 | 2022-08-05T22:42:54 | 1 | https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/local/north-milam-boil-water-notice/500-4476848d-654a-4f7b-8860-2dd1ac512367 |
WACO, Texas — The Texas Department of Transportation plans to complete work on adding overhead signage on the I-35 mainlanes next week, allowing all four mainlanes to open, according to TxDOT.
From Aug. 8 to Aug.10, TxDOT will close all southbound I-35 mainlanes between N Loop 340 and BUS 77 between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. At Behrens Circle (Exit 338B), an alternative route will be available that re-enters the mainlanes south of US 84/Waco Drive.
To help maintain traffic flow and avoid merging conflicts on the southbound frontage road with those exiting I-35, the southbound exit for N Loop 340 (Exit 339) will also be closed. Drivers wanting to access N Loop 340 will need to exit at Meyers Lane (Exit 340), according to TxDOT.
Additionally, from N Loop 340 to Behrens Circle, the southbound frontage road will be restricted to all through traffic. According to TxDOT, police officers will control local traffic in the area. Behrens Circle and US 84/Waco Drive and their north-to-south turnarounds under I-35 will also be closed.
All four I-35 southbound mainlanes are expected to be open by Aug.10 at 6 a.m. TxDOT says opening all four lanes will improve drive-times within and through Waco and Bellmead.
TxDOT advises drivers to find alternate routes to avoid the area and to please follow all detour signage.
More on KCENtv.com: | https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/local/txdot-all-remaining-i-35-mainlines-expected-to-open/500-da015dd9-b7ff-490e-a62a-8f6f24b22e72 | 2022-08-05T22:43:00 | 0 | https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/local/txdot-all-remaining-i-35-mainlines-expected-to-open/500-da015dd9-b7ff-490e-a62a-8f6f24b22e72 |
ORLANDO, Fla. – The family of Tremain Hepburn is seeking answers and justice three weeks after he was killed during a shooting and crash along State Road 408.
On Friday, Orlando Police released the incident report and 911 calls.
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“I heard pop, pop, pop, pop. Sounded like a gun, pistol, like seven shots,” a witness told 911 dispatchers.
‘Not okay’
Hepburn’s family and loved ones spoke only to News 6 because they said they want to make sure he is not forgotten.
His wife, Germaine Kates-Hepburn, said she’s taking it day by day.
“Not okay. I think we’re all just here, just present,” she said.
She continues to mourn the loss of her husband. She said they’ve been together for nearly 14 years and got married in April 2021.
Hepburn was a father of six and a new grandfather.
Kates-Hepburn said one of her happiest memories is when she walked down the aisle on their wedding day.
“He just had this look on his face, that I finally made him happy because he asked me to marry him a while ago,” she said.
Family believes they know why Hepburn was targeted
Kates-Hepburn said she’s still trying to get answers three weeks after her husband’s death. According to the victim’s family, Hepburn suffered from multiple gunshot wounds and injuries caused during the crash.
“I don’t want it to go unanswered. I think that we won’t get peace, we won’t be able to have peace until the people that did this are caught,” she said.
Kates-Hepburn said she was on the phone with her husband shortly before the shooting and crash.
She said her husband was on his way to a car shop towing his white Dodge Challenger. Kates-Hepburn said he reported it as stolen in April.
She said he got a call from a tipster about where it was located.
“And he got a phone call saying they knew where his car was at, so he went over there to get his car,” she said.
Orlando police have not said whether the stolen car is part of their investigation.
Kates-Hepburn said she believes it is the reason why her husband was targeted.
“Ultimately, we believe that he was killed over his property, his car,” she said.
The person to lean on
The victim’s cousin, Anthony Ricks, Jr., said Hepburn leaves a large hole in their family.
“It’s a hole that could never really be filled,” Ricks said.
He said even though they were cousins, Hepburn was more like a big brother.
“He was always the person we could lean on,” Ricks said. “I’m just going to try to be a little bit of what he was for our family.”
Hepburn’s loved ones said he was a family man and that he touched many lives volunteering as a baseball coach.
He loved fixing cars, which was a passion he shared with his youngest son.
Kates-Hepburn said it’s tough for her to go into their garage.
“I just remember he would be in there for hours, hours working on this car or another. And just seeing all his stuff where he left it at, I had broke down because I know he’s never going to be in there anymore,” Kates-Hepburn said.
Hepburn’s best friend, Ed Green, said he’s choosing to remember the good times. He adds even though Hepburn is gone, his spirit is still here.
“You have your sad moments, but the life that he gave and just his presence that he gave everybody, it will never go away,” Green said.
‘We need justice’
Hepburn’s loved ones said they’re frustrated they still don’t have answers.
“I don’t want the people that did this to think they got away with it,” Kates-Hepburn said.
She’s asking anyone who was on State Road 408 the day of the shooting and crash who may have seen something to call Orlando police or Crimeline.
“I think that would give us some kind of closure, maybe. I don’t know,” she said.
Green echoed Kates-Hepburn’s call for people to reach out to investigators.
“People need to put themselves in our shoes. Don’t just sit back. If you know something, (say) something. Don’t sit back,” Green said.
He also urged whomever killed Hepburn to come forward.
“I know you ain’t going to do the right thing — but try to because it ain’t right. You still have to deal with life. We need justice, and do the right thing,” Green said.
Hepburn’s family started a GoFundMe page to raise money that will go towards his celebration of life.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Orlando Police Department at 321-235-5300 or Crimeline to submit an anonymous tip at 800-423-TIPS (8477). | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/05/do-the-right-thing-family-of-driver-killed-in-sr-408-shooting-crash-seeks-answers/ | 2022-08-05T22:46:13 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/05/do-the-right-thing-family-of-driver-killed-in-sr-408-shooting-crash-seeks-answers/ |
The Florida Board of Medicine voted Friday to adopt state guidelines that would ban and restrict gender dysphoria treatments for children and adolescents.
During its Friday morning meeting, the board listened to and questioned physicians about the practice of gender dysphoria treatments, including hormone treatments, puberty blockers and social transitioning for minors.
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The meeting, which included public comment, stemmed from a letter by Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo earlier this year, which asked board members to adopt state guidelines against those sorts of treatments.
The Florida Department of Health’s guidelines state that gender dysphoria treatments can have long-term, irreversible effects on children. FDOH defined gender dysphoria as “a strong, persistent cross-gender identification associated with anxiety, depression, irritability and often a wish to live as a gender different from the one associated with the sex assigned at birth.
FDOH The department’s guidelines are as follows:
- Social gender transition should not be a treatment option for children or adolescents
- Anyone under 18 years old should not be prescribed puberty blockers or hormone therapy
- Gender reassignment surgery should not be a treatment option for surgery
- Children and adolescents should be provided social support by peers and family and seek counseling from a licensed provider
FDOH stated these guidelines do not apply to children born with a genetically or biochemically verifiable disorder of sex development.
The department reported that practices such as a mastectomy, a uterine extirpation, a tracheal shave, prescribing hormones or using puberty blockers are clinical practices that run an unacceptably high risk of doing harm.
Prior to the decision, Marnie Bialosuknia, the mother of a transgender child who began hormone therapy at 17 years old, told News 6 that adopting the new guidelines could have a dangerous impact.
“It would be absolutely devastating, and you already are dealing with a community that’s marginalized; you’re dealing with a community that has a very high rate of suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide. The suicide rates amongst transgender youth is higher than any other aspect of the LGBTQ community,” she said. “I can only speak from my personal experience as a mother of a transgender child. If I had to say to my child, ‘You can’t continue with this therapy,” I don’t know that she would be here with us, and that’s really, really scary. You have to trust these parents that they know what’s best for their children that they’re going under the guidance of a physician.”
Bialosuknia said it takes several months of preparation and guidance from a physician and mental health expert prior to such treatments.
FDOH released a “fact check” earlier this year, saying that there is no reliable evidence about gender dysphoria increasing the risk of suicide. The department added that there are no quality long-term studies about the effects of treatments for gender dysphoria, saying that most children grow out of it at the onset of puberty.
The Florida Board of Medicine is set to go through the rules-making process to determine a standard of care for physicians and medical experts. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/05/florida-board-of-medicine-votes-against-transgender-treatments-for-children/ | 2022-08-05T22:46:14 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/05/florida-board-of-medicine-votes-against-transgender-treatments-for-children/ |
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – When Michael Everett walked into the Publix supermarket in Lake Buena Vista this past Monday night, he never imagined he would hit it big on a “Monopoly Doubler” lottery ticket to the tune of $5,000.
The bartender and former Applebee’s manager was set to go on vacation, so the timing of a big cash prize on a single-ticket purchase was almost too good to be true.
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The next day, he went to the lottery office in Altamonte Springs imagining what he would do with the money, only to learn the Department of Economic Opportunity had laid claim to his cash prize.
“And the guy (lottery employee) told me ‘Listen, we want to pay you, but we can’t,’” Everett recalled. “There’s a hold on it from the DEO.”
Everett told News 6 he quickly logged into his DEO account “for the first time in two years” and was surprised to see this notation: “You were paid benefits you were not eligible to receive.”
Everett was laid off from a manager-in-training position with Applebee’s on March 16, 2020.
According to a letter presented to WKMG-TV by the company’s managing director, Everett was not “called back for rehire until September 25, 2020.”
The dates coincide with the weeks disputed by the DEO.
According to Everett’s Florida DEO account, he filed for and was paid roughly $4,300 in state and federal benefits from April 22, 2020 to May 15, 2020.
But his account now shows the payments covering that five-week period as “disqualified,” which is why the DEO garnished his lotto winnings.
“I was in shock,” Everett said. “I really had no idea what to say, what to do, I just went out to my car and sat there for about an hour.”
Make Ends Meet presented the dismissal letter provided by the Applebee’s managing director to the DEO, along with Everett’s benefits payment history.
The dates of unemployment coincide with the weeks he collected jobless benefits.
The DEO team reviewed the records Friday and determined the lottery funds should be reimbursed.
Everett sent an email to News 6 that read in part:
”They called. They told me to submit my certification questions on my DEO account. I just did. She said that the Lottery hasn’t sent them money yet and that she will let them know that this is resolved. She said I will get the full amount and there are no fees from the DEO.”
Everett said he should get the money in about one month.
If you have an unemployment or another DEO issue, email makeendsmeet@wkmg.com or text the words “make ends meet” along with your issue and a screenshot of your DEO account to 407-676-7428.
Black Men Sundays talks about building generational wealth. Check out every episode in the media player below: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/05/former-applebees-manager-in-shock-after-deo-takes-5k-lotto-prize/ | 2022-08-05T22:46:20 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/05/former-applebees-manager-in-shock-after-deo-takes-5k-lotto-prize/ |
LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Lake County Public Schools announced Friday it has reached a tentative agreement with the Service Employees International Union to provide a 6% pay increase for bus drivers and other school service staff.
The district said the raise would be applied for bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and other classified employees. The agreement includes a $1,000 critical shortage bonus for bus drivers, whom many Central Florida districts have had difficulty in hiring.
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“These employees are essential to the work we do in support of our students,” Superintendent Diane Kornegay said. “They are valued and appreciated, and the pay increase is very well deserved.”
The $1,000 critical shortage bonus provides $500 each semester for bus drivers and other hard-to-fill positions, district officials said. Officials added that the district is in short supply of bus drivers, having only 11 lead drivers to fill some positions until additional drivers are hired.
“I plan to create engaging ads and social media campaigns to promote the upcoming raise as soon as the agreement is ratified,” said Jamie West, a non-instructional recruitment partner for the district. “We anticipate the applicant numbers to increase due to the competitive pay changes. We also predict that school bus drivers will see the largest turnaround when it comes to quantity of applicants due to this pay increase and the supplemental bonuses for the position.”
Classified employees are expected to vote on the plan in September. If passed, the pay increases would go into effect following ratification and school board approval.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/05/lake-county-school-district-agrees-to-pay-raises-for-bus-drivers-service-staff/ | 2022-08-05T22:46:28 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/05/lake-county-school-district-agrees-to-pay-raises-for-bus-drivers-service-staff/ |
AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas jury on Friday ordered Infowars’ Alex Jones to pay $49.3 million in total damages to the parents of a first-grader killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, which the conspiracy theorist falsely called a hoax orchestrated by the government in order to tighten U.S. gun laws.
The amount is less than the $150 million sought by Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son Jesse Lewis was among 19 children and six educators killed in the deadliest classroom shooting in U.S. history.
The trial is the first time Jones has been held financially liable for peddling lies about the 2012 attack in Newtown, Connecticut.
Jurors at first awarded Heslin and Lewis $4.1 million in compensatory damages, which Jones called a major victory. But in the final phase of the two-week trial, the same Austin jury came back and tacked on an additional $45.2 million in punitive damages.
Punitive damages are meant to punish defendants for particularly egregious conduct, beyond monetary compensation awarded to the individuals they hurt. A high punitive award is also seen as a chance for jurors to send a wider societal message and a way to deter others from the same abhorrent conduct in the future.
Attorneys for the family had urged jurors to hand down a financial punishment that would put Infowars out of business.
“You have the ability to stop this man from ever doing it again,” Wesley Ball, an attorney for the parents, told the jury.
It’s unclear how much money Jones and Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, have.
An economist hired by the plaintiffs testified that Jones and the company are worth up to $270 million, suggesting that Jones was still making money.
But Jones testified that any award over $2 million would “sink us.” And Free Speech Systems filed for bankruptcy protection during the trial’s first week.
Jones still faces two other defamation lawsuits from Sandy Hook families in Texas and Connecticut. | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/alex-jones-sandy-hook-punitive-damanges/285-0335bced-bb59-4dd2-a172-6f230f9a3cf7 | 2022-08-05T22:50:25 | 0 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/alex-jones-sandy-hook-punitive-damanges/285-0335bced-bb59-4dd2-a172-6f230f9a3cf7 |
BOISE, Idaho — A new report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition is painting a picture of Idaho's current rental market in comparison to wages in the Gem State.
Policy Specialist with the Idaho Asset Building Network, Angelica Moran, told KTVB the network co-releases the "Out of Reach" report with the housing coalition each year.
“The report highlights the gulf between the wages people earn and the prices of decent rental housings in every state, metropolitan area and county in the United States,” Moran said.
The network aims to connect leaders, service providers, businesses and consumers statewide, to advance policies that support all Idahoans in achieving long-term financial security. One of its main goals is to ensure all Idahoans have access to a safe and affordable home, according Moran.
“In Idaho, the fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $981. So, in order to afford this level of rent and utilities without paying more than 30% of an income, on housing, a household must earn $3,272 monthly or $39,000 annually, to afford that,” Moran said.
So, how does that stack up with the reality of what Idahoans are seeing and dealing with in today's rental market?
“Unfortunately, it's not staying to that same level. Currently, the housing wage in Idaho is $18.87. So, that is the hourly wage a full-time worker must earn to afford a modest rental home without spending that 30% of their income," Moran said. "Right now, our minimum wage has been at $7.25 since 2009 and has not increased and the average renter in Idaho is making $16.10 an hour."
Moran also said depending on where you go in the state, those numbers get a lot higher.
“In the Boise area, it's around $21.50 that a renter must be making to afford a rental unit," Moran said. "Gem County is $18.67 hour."
In order to sustain that, Moran said most people would have to have more than one job and for those working the minimum wage in our state, they would have to work 104 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom rental home.
“It's definitely not realistic," Moran said. "When families cannot find homes with affordable rent, they're forced to pay more than they can afford on that rent and therefore, they're unable to pay for other necessities they need to ensure their household has access to important health care services and medications, nutritious food, nutritious food quality daycare, and just any other necessities of family need to ensure they're healthy and thriving."
Moran is now calling on the Gem State's elected lawmakers to take more action and support policies that will create change in Idaho and more funding to build more affordable housing in the area.
Watch more 'Growing Idaho':
See the latest growth and development news in our YouTube playlist: | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/growing-idaho/minimum-wage-idahoans-must-work-104-hours-to-afford-two-bedroom-rental/277-af5968bc-02da-45c1-a8ca-317689a6ef3e | 2022-08-05T22:50:31 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/growing-idaho/minimum-wage-idahoans-must-work-104-hours-to-afford-two-bedroom-rental/277-af5968bc-02da-45c1-a8ca-317689a6ef3e |
IDAHO, USA — This story originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Inflation is pushing the costs of road and transportation projects higher, sometimes significantly so, state and county planning officials said.
The impact can be seen in Ada and Canyon counties.
“Costs are going up tremendously,” said Toni Tisdale, principal planner of the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho.
COMPASS plans long-term for Ada and Canyon counties’ transportation projects and has seen inflation affecting budgets since last fall.
“It’s just kind of a moving target right now because things are changing so fast with material costs, staff costs,” Tisdale said. “Everything is just very uncertain.”
For example, a project on Highway 20/26 from Interstate 84 to Middleton Road in Canyon County that Tisdale described as a “safe” project, still needed an additional $7 million over the original $53 million cost, a 13% increase.
Another project in Ada County saw a 130% increase primarily due to the use of asphalt.
“It was getting potholes really easily and it did not hold up, so they decided to make the asphalt thicker. They didn’t make any other scope-type changes to that project,” Tisdale said.
Inflation factors made the cost of that project go up “tremendously,” she said.
As of now, projects in both counties have seen only slight delays due to inflation, with an increase in federal and state funding being enough to cover additional costs.
“We are being able to cover these increases,” Tisdale said. “But it would be a lot better if that money can go further rather than covering cost increases.”
Highway Safety Manager John Tomlinson said the Idaho Department of Transportation has seen the impact of inflation for about a year. Costs of rebar, fuel and asphalt have all increased, making budgeting a more difficult task.
“What we’re doing is looking forward, looking at prospects that are into the future,” Tomlinson said. “Every year we reevaluate our transportation department board, looking at the projects that are in that year, and then the upcoming several years.”
Despite the rising costs, the department has not had to stop any construction projects.
“That would be kind of a last resort,” Tomlinson said. “All these contingency plans, all these opportunities to save for a rainy day. … Those are all to avoid having to stop projects.”
Chris Hopper, district engineer at the Canyon Highway District, has seen an increase in inflation over the past two to three years.
“Prior to that, we have seen a fairly consistent annual cost of inflation,” he said.
Passed in 2021, House Bill 362 utilized sales tax to increase funding for Idaho transportation. The additional funds from this bill were meant to be a surplus to begin additional projects, Hopper said. Instead, the department has been using the surplus to counter rising inflation costs.
Hopper said the district has not seen a large project, such as building a new intersection, in years. The plan was to utilize the surplus to propose new projects, but Hopper anticipates seeing only half of the larger project proposals coming to fruition.
“These projects will cost significantly more than we planned for,” he said.
The surplus may not contribute as much to projects as planned, but maintenance has not been sidelined in the Canyon Highway District.
The district’s 2023 fiscal year is seeing a 100% increase, doubling its budget to accommodate inflation. Hopper does not believe spending will necessarily increase as much, but the budget is meant to provide a cushion for the 100% increase in fuel costs.
The budget also includes 33% increased costs for culvert and bridge projects. Asphalt and paint costs will also see similar increases.
“We’re going to continue to do the projects that we can,” Hopper said. “But, it’s going to reduce the number of projects we’re able to do in proportion to the rising costs.”
Dyan Bevins, capital projects manager at the Ada County Highway District, said the district has been seeing construction bids at a higher price than budgeted for.
“We rarely ever hit 100% accurate on our budgeting,” Bevins said. “But this year is the one year that’s probably a little bit higher than we’ve seen before.”
Anything related to fuel has been touched by inflation with increased costs. Bevins said the district is in the process of setting the 2023 budget with inflation considered.
“It hasn’t delayed any projects so far. We haven’t had to cancel any projects,” Bevins said. “We have been able to explore the additional cost through budget adjustments that we do twice a year.”
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist: | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho-road-construction-costs-increase-with-inflation/277-7f87545a-40e2-4a25-889e-e8fafaf38c78 | 2022-08-05T22:50:37 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho-road-construction-costs-increase-with-inflation/277-7f87545a-40e2-4a25-889e-e8fafaf38c78 |
Local high school bands to march in State Fair Band Day finals
FROM NEWS REPORTS
INDIANAPOLIS — Five local high school bands qualified among the "Sweet 16" to compete at finals for Indiana State Fair Band Day on Friday.
According to the Indiana State Fair Band Day/Central Indiana Track Show Association Facebook page, bands qualifying as finalists, listed in order of performance for Friday night's show, were:
- Montgomery County United
- Richmond
- West Lafayette
- Monroe Central
- Northeastern
- Decatur County
- Frankton-Lapel
- Marion
- Winchester Community
- Centerville
- Muncie Central
- Anderson
- Kokomo
- Yorktown
- Jay County
- Lebanon
Indiana State Fair Band Day finals will begin at 8 p.m. Friday at the Hoosier Lottery Grandstand. Tickets/information: indianastatefair.com.
Other local high school bands scheduled to compete in preliminaries during the day Friday but not qualifying for finals were Cowan/Daleville, Blackford, Henry County and Randolph Southern.
In 2021, Muncie Central won the Band Day championship, after no contest was held in 2020. | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2022/08/05/local-high-school-bands-to-march-in-state-fair-band-day-finals/65393178007/ | 2022-08-05T22:57:00 | 1 | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2022/08/05/local-high-school-bands-to-march-in-state-fair-band-day-finals/65393178007/ |
COVID-19 in NJ
Here’s an update of the COVID-19 numbers in the state
New positive cases: 3,215
New deaths: 6
Total positive cases: 2,227,584
Total number of deaths: 31,230
Total vaccine doses administered: 14,164,509
Rate of transmission: 0.98
CASES BY COUNTY
Atlantic: 62,652 cases, 962 deaths, 381,275 doses administered
Cape May: 12,418 cases, 266 deaths, 134,641 doses administered
People are also reading…
Cumberland: 37,1201 cases, 580 deaths, 187,106 doses administered
Ocean: 151,931 cases, 2,884 deaths, 704,347 doses administered
Figures as of 5 p.m. Aug. 5
Source: N.J. Department of Health | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/new-jersey-reports-more-than-3-200-new-covid-19-cases-6-new-deaths-rate/article_f9392252-14f0-11ed-9c74-ffb97c73a26b.html | 2022-08-05T23:01:43 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/new-jersey-reports-more-than-3-200-new-covid-19-cases-6-new-deaths-rate/article_f9392252-14f0-11ed-9c74-ffb97c73a26b.html |
Brady Eagan scored a game-high 20 points to lead Domino's Pizza to a 50-45 victory over Casiello Construction on Monday in the high school division of the Wildwood Crest Recreation Summer Basketball League.
Ryan Troiano added 12 points.
Junior Hans scored 12 and Mark Stednardo 10 for Casiello Construction.
Smitty’s Parking 50, Cone Crazy 41: Josh McKoy scored 18 and Leo Kotten 13 for Smitty’s. Alex Daniel scored 11 and Joseph Chombko 10 for Cone Crazy.
Big Top’s Surfin’ Sundaes 60, Athens II Motel 59: Joseph Cunningham scored 13 and Jared Knights 12 for the winners. Braden Hemphill scored 24 and Ahmed Djellal 10 points for Athens.
Domino’s Pizza 66, Athens II Motel 36: On Wednesday, Lance Lillo led with 18 and Asher Chaney added 13 for Domino’s. Patrick Flaherty and Brody Zuccarello each scored 14 for Athens.
People are also reading…
Casiello Construction 78, Cone Crazy 53: Hans scored a game-high 27 and Chucky Clunn added 13 for Casiello Construction. Alex Daniel scored 13 and A.J. King and Al Sanzone each had nine.
Smitty’s Parking Lots 59, Big Top’s Surfin’ Sundaes 49: Carter Short scored 18 and Josh McKoy 16 for Smitty’s. Joseph Cunningham scored a game-high 20 and Robby Andrews and R.J. Blanda each had 11 in the loss.
Grades 6-8 Division
Casiello Basketball 47, KW sellinginjerseyshore.com 24: On Tuesday, Trevor Troiano scored 13 and Addison Troiano, Braden Kelly and Michael Blanda each added six for the winners. Aiden Murtha scored nine and Declan Farrell six for KW.
Law Office of Seth A. Fuscellaro 39, Dogtooth Grill 30: Nolan Mahwhinney scored a game-high 16 and Finnegan Chaney 15 for the winners. Cole Reilly scored 11 and Katie Eichenhoffer eight for Dogtooth.
Wawa Markets 44, Adventurer Oceanfront Inn 18: Danny Benichou scored 10 and Rebecca Benichou and Owen Bannon each added eight for Wawa. Nick Hebert scored 10 and Mason Zuccarello and James Park each had three for Adventurer.
Semifinals
Law Office of Seth A. Fuscellaro 34, Dogtooth Grill 25: On Thursday, Mawhinney scored 19 and Angelo Panzini nine points for the winners. Reilly scored 10 and Theo Margarites five for Dogtooth
Casiello Construction 23, Wawa Markets 18: Trevor Troiano scored 10 and Gianni Troiano five for the winners. Danny Benichou scored eight and Patrick Mangold seven for Wawa.
Grades 3-5 Division
Semifinals
Poppi’s Pizza 33, Lunch With Lynch 10: On Tuesday, Matthew Lyman scored eight and Jake McIlhenney seven for Poppi’s. Kevin Mangold scored five and Maxwell Givener two for Lunch with Lynch.
Duffer’s Ice Cream 25, Water’s Edge Resort 19: Ryan Davenport scored 10 and Madden Perry scored five for Duffer’s. Luca Santana scored a game-high 16 and Zach Lacivita two for Water’s Edge.
Championship
Poppi’s Pizza 24, Duffer’s Ice Cream 20: Lyman scored 10 and Kai Sciarra and McIlhenney each had four for Poppi’s. Davenport scored eight and Dominic Hudson five for Duffer’s. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/wildwood-crest-recreation-summer-basketball-league-results/article_1ef48d06-14dd-11ed-9811-e7fc0132ab23.html | 2022-08-05T23:01:55 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/local/wildwood-crest-recreation-summer-basketball-league-results/article_1ef48d06-14dd-11ed-9811-e7fc0132ab23.html |
CALIFORNIA, USA — This story was originally published by CalMatters.
Lea este artículo en español.
Sift through the campaign contributions to Robert Rivas, the Salinas Democrat angling to become the next speaker of the California Assembly, and a name keeps popping up: Govern For California.
The organization’s statewide chapter gave the maximum $9,800 to Rivas in 2021. So did its Marin chapter, Hollywood chapter, Golden Gate chapter, Palo Alto chapter and four others. In the past 14 months, 16 Govern For California chapters have given him a combined $116,000 — nearly a tenth of everything he’s raised this election cycle.
Over the last two years, Rivas’ 2022 reelection committee has been a top recipient of campaign contributions from the Govern For California network, according to a CalMatters analysis of state campaign finance records. During the same period, financial disclosure forms, lobbying reports and Govern For California emails show that his brother, Rick Rivas, has served as both a political advisor to the statewide organization and as a consultant to Robert Rivas’ campaign.
But Assemblymember Rivas is hardly the only beneficiary of Govern For California spending. In the 2022 election cycle so far, the network has donated more than $3 million to more than 110 candidates across California, the vast majority of the money going to 82 running for the state Senate and Assembly.
Govern For California characterizes its 18 chapters as “force multipliers” that amplify the influence of its donors on state politics and government. The 11-year-old organization — the brainchild of 68-year-old Stanford lecturer David Crane, and funded primarily by a group of Bay Area venture capitalists, tech executives and philanthropists — opposes what it regards as excessive sway of labor unions over state policy.
None of the campaign finance experts CalMatters spoke with said they thought Govern For California was doing anything illegal. But Ann Ravel, former head of the Federal Election Commission and California’s campaign finance agency, said its chapter donation operation was “undemocratic,” albeit similar to the model organized labor unions use.
Some experts also questioned whether it’s a way for its small cadre of wealthy donors to evade contribution caps designed to limit anyone from having outsized influence on state politics.
“Aside from getting around contribution limits, there doesn’t seem to be much reason to go through this extra effort,” said Stan Oklobdzija, a visiting public policy professor at UC Riverside who researches campaign finance. He said he hadn’t seen anything comparable to the Govern For California strategy in the state.
CalMatters reviewed the Govern For California website and other public explanations of its network, analyzed campaign finance records maintained by the Secretary of State’s office, and spoke to people familiar with the organization to understand how it operates.
In April 2020, state campaign finance regulators issued a letter giving Govern For California a green light to establish its network of chapters, each subject to its own campaign contribution limit.
That permission was on condition that “the GFC Statewide Committee and all local chapters are controlled by different individuals, who independently direct and control the entities’ respective contributions,” wrote Dave Bainbridge, general counsel for the Fair Political Practices Commission, which regulates, monitors and enforces state campaign finance laws.
That independence is a murky concept under California campaign finance law.
Crane and Rick Rivas regularly consult with the chairpersons of all 18 chapters; public records and social media accounts show that some are friends and former students of Crane’s. A majority of the funding for the chapters is funneled through a central network committee. Many of those chapters then regularly make identically sized donations to the same candidates on the same days, using the same treasurer and law firm — to 13 candidates in the final two weeks before the June 7 primary. So far in this campaign, 29 candidates have received contributions from at least half of the chapters.
And while Govern For California chapters received contributions from nearly 250 donors this election, state campaign finance records show that nearly two-thirds of all the money raised came from just 20 people — donors who can, and often do, make separate maximum allowable contributions to the same candidates the chapters are supporting.
Through its chapter arrangement, the Govern For California network has been able to expand its fundraising potential 18-fold. Individual donors can give the maximum amount to each chapter, either by making separate contributions or, like 86% of donations as of late July, routing them through a central “Govern For California Network Committee.” There is even a handy button on the Govern For California website that lets a donor max out to each chapter automatically.
The line between organizations working together toward the same goal and those that are simply different branches of the same big-spending entity can be blurry. A spokesperson for the FPPC declined to comment on whether its enforcement division had ever investigated Govern For California.
State election regulators will typically consider a series of questions when making that fine distinction, said Tracey Wigglesworth, a campaign finance and election attorney who spent five and a half years in the FPPC’s enforcement division: Do the different committees have the same officers in charge? Is one committee paying for another’s legal and administrative costs? Do they get their funding from the same source? And are their contributions “made in concert or otherwise coordinated?”
If the answers to these questions are “yes,” the committees might be considered part of the same entity and find themselves capped under a common, combined contribution limit. But, she said, “this analysis depends on the facts of the case.”
In a response to CalMatters, Crane declined to answer more than a dozen specific questions about Govern For California’s structure and political aims, including its backing of Rivas, who has sought to oust and replace Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, a Lakewood Democrat.
Instead, Crane replied via email that CalMatters “apparently developed a thesis for a hit piece before contacting us. I don’t know which special interest put you up to it, but it’s not what I ever expected of your organization.”
(Crane and many donors to Govern For California are financial supporters of CalMatters, which retains full authority over editorial content and makes news judgments independent of donor support.)
Crane has strenuously rejected the notion that Govern For California is doing anything unique or remarkable with its campaign finance structure. In recent emails to CalMatters and to Govern For California supporters, he likened the network’s spending to the way that organized labor groups, which have statewide chapters and local affiliates, transfer money to one another and regularly support the same candidates while remaining legally independent of one another.
“As much as we would enjoy pride of authorship, there’s nothing new about our model,” Crane told CalMatters.
“For too long, only special interests organized political activity in Sacramento,” he wrote in a separate message to the Govern For California mailing list. “The only thing that’s new is that, in 2011, someone started organizing for the general interest.”
That goal — to “create a counter-force to the special interests” — is shared among the chapters, which “all have the same objective,” according to Govern For California’s website. While the group funds Democrats and Republicans, business-friendly moderates and progressives, it generally supports charter schools and raises alarms about the state’s pension liabilities to its unionized employees.
In addition to campaign donations, Govern for California spent roughly $259,000 lobbying state lawmakers in the first six months of this year, records show. Among its top priorities: supporting legislation to lengthen the amount of time that teachers would be required to work before getting tenure and to require the state to make school spending data easier to sift through. The group has also opposed measures to ban “foreign-influenced” corporations from making political contributions and a bill that would allow legislative staffers to unionize.
CalMatters spoke to eight campaign finance experts about Govern For California. Five said its chapter donation model represents something new in California electoral politics, and some found it concerning.
It “seems to be contrary to the spirit of the idea of having contribution limitations,” said Ravel, the former elections watchdog, who also received $25,700 from the Govern For California network when she ran for state Senate in 2020. But, she added, “unfortunately that’s the campaign finance system we’ve been handed by the U.S. Supreme Court.”
But Bob Stern, the former president of the Los Angeles-based Center for Governmental Studies and the FPPC’s first general counsel, said he’s “much less concerned” about Govern For California than big-spending committees backed by a single industry or corporation.
He added that there’s a difference between making recommendations to the chairpersons of a committee, and exerting direct control over its political activity.
“It’s free speech,” said Stern. “It’s me coming along recommending that they support a certain candidate. You can’t stop me from making recommendations, as long as I’m not directing them.”
CalMatters tried to contact the chairpersons for all 18 chapters to understand how they operate and their relationship to Crane and Rick Rivas. The majority did not respond and none agreed to be quoted.
Crane, Rick Rivas and Robert Rivas all declined to answer questions about whether they were using the Govern For California network to advance Robert Rivas’ leadership ambitions in the Legislature. A spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Rendon also declined to comment.
A new campaign finance model?
After CalMatters began making inquiries to chapter chairpersons and donors about the Govern For California network, Crane sent an explanation to the mailing list.
“We got the idea from SEIU,” he wrote, referring to the influential Service Employees International Union, which represents 700,000 public- and private-sector workers across 17 local chapters in California.
This election, committees affiliated with SEIU have spent at least $2.9 million in California legislative races, often donating to the same candidates.
Crane’s email highlighted specific contributions this year to an unnamed Assembly candidate from 16 union-sponsored committees, including four SEIU locals, and suggested that these committees — representing teachers, California State University faculty, nurses, steelworkers and other employees — were managing their spending in a manner comparable to the Govern For California network. Campaign finance records suggest that the candidate is Elizabeth Alcantar, a Democrat from southeast Los Angeles who failed to make it into the top two for November alongside the Govern For California network-supported Democrat Blanca Pacheco.
The comparison to unions divided the campaign finance experts whom CalMatters interviewed.
Although Ravel, the former FPPC chairperson, said she does not view Govern For California’s chapters as “different than the way the system already operates,” other experts cited potentially critical distinctions.
Union locals have hundreds, if not thousands, of members who elect leaders to represent them in collective bargaining and direct political spending decisions. It is not clear how Govern For California chapter chairpersons are selected, whether the chapters have distinct memberships, or if these committees serve other functions aside from distributing money, a decision ultimately at the hands of the one to four people who lead each chapter.
Unions also tend to draw upon a broader donor base through membership dues, mainly in increments of less than $100, far below individual contribution limits — as opposed to Govern For California’s chapters, which have pulled in 62% of all contributions from just 20 people this election.
“This is totally different than anything I’ve seen before, and it’s very creative. It’s a very creative way to maximize electoral strength,” said Amber Maltbie, an election and campaign finance lawyer with the Los Angeles-based law firm Nossaman LLP.
Oscar Lopez, political director for SEIU California, said its endorsement process involves members from each local affiliate meeting with candidates, asking questions and making recommendations to the state council in a “bottom-up process” that “puts workers in the center of decision-making.” Then, he said, locals can decide whether to contribute to those candidates endorsed by the council.
“Govern For California is like a network of offshore accounts more than anything else. It’s meant to hide from accountability, create confusion in place of transparency, and is directed from the top,” Lopez said in a statement.
Some campaign finance experts made another comparison to Govern For California: Political parties, which have local county committees and clubs that are nominally independent but share money and generally make contributions in accordance with the recommendations of the statewide party.
Unlike Govern For California, however, their leaders are also elected; their spending is subject to different, sometimes stricter, transparency rules; and parties exist to promote a host of electoral and policy causes at the behest of thousands of constituents.
It is not clear, despite their names, that each Govern For California chapter represents a distinct constituency. The statewide, Golden Gate, San Francisco, Common Sense, Bay Area and Marin chapters all have chairpersons who live in San Francisco, according to a list on the Govern For California website. Los Angeles used to have its own local committee, but it was renamed the Sierra Chapter in 2021. Its co-chairpersons are a married couple from Piedmont, a wealthy enclave surrounded by Oakland, voter registration records show.
Though Crane, who serves as co-chairperson of the statewide chapter, declined to be interviewed for this story, he initially agreed to field questions by email.
CalMatters sent him a list of detailed questions, including about how the chapters are formed, why they were organized in this way, how the chapters are governed and whether they have their own individual memberships, who has power to appoint or dismiss its chairpersons, what explained the pattern of same-day contributions by multiple chapters and whether the network was constructed with the goal of enabling repeat donors to support candidates above and beyond what they would be allowed through individual contributions.
Crane did not answer any of those questions.
“GFC is proud of our diverse team of staff, consultants, and over 1,000 members from our network from whom we take advice,” Crane wrote in his email. “GFC is also grateful for the 37 chapter chairs who have stepped up to take independent action to advance the general interest and fight special interests.”
“This will be my last communication with you,” he added.
Countering organized labor
A former economic adviser to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Crane launched Govern For California to counter what he and his supporters see as the corrosive influence on state politics of campaign contributions from organized labor and other special interests. Crane has long been an outspoken advocate of reducing the state’s multi-billion dollar unfunded liability for public employee retirement, partly by reducing pension and retiree health benefits for state workers.
“They are to me a voice of sanity in understanding the finances of California,” such as unfunded pension liabilities, said Leonard Baker, a partner at the Palo Alto private equity firm Sutter Hill Ventures. He is one of seven financial supporters of Govern For California who made maximum contributions to all of the network’s 18 chapters in both 2021 and 2022 — a total outlay of $291,600.
He said he supports the organization’s advocacy against “the fiscal path that California is on and the degree to which unions, particularly public employee unions, are maximizing their specific short-term interests.”
“I have no issue with special interests trying to maximize their special interests,” Baker, a donor to CalMatters, said in a phone interview. “I have an issue with an imbalance.”
Govern For California first launched into California electoral politics in 2012, when it spent nearly $200,000 to influence a San Fernando Valley Assembly race, supporting Democrat Brian Johnson, a charter school executive director, against another Democrat, Adrin Nazarian. Nazarian won and is retiring from the Assembly this year.
Govern for California previously made independent expenditures, which are not covered by donation and spending limits but cannot be coordinated with a candidate’s campaign. It also bundled contributions from major donors. But in recent years, it established its current network of chapters that contribute directly to candidates.
California campaign finance regulators gave that approach their conditional seal of approval in the “advice letter” from April 2020.
The commission issues advice letters at the request of a political committee or its sponsor. Its conclusions are “based upon the facts given to the FPPC, not as determined by any investigation,” Jay Wierenga, a spokesperson for the commission, explained in an email.
Individual donors are limited in how much they can give to a single candidate in California. These caps vary by the office being sought and the committee receiving the donation. Currently a donor can give a legislative candidate as much as $9,800 per election — $4,900 during the primary and another $4,900 during the general. They can donate $8,100 per calendar year to a general purpose committee, such as a Govern For California chapter.
Because the 18 Govern For California chapters are considered legally independent, a single donor could give as much as $145,800 per year across the entire network.
Independence, as defined by California campaign finance law, does not prevent the chapters from working together closely.
Govern For California chapter chairpersons receive spending recommendations from Crane and Rick Rivas, including in monthly briefings, according to multiple sources involved in the network’s operations. The chapters use the same treasurer, Steven Lucas, a partner at Nielsen Merksamer, one of the state’s most prominent political law firms. Lucas did not respond to an interview request.
The chapters also regularly fund the same campaigns.
At the top of that list are Assemblymember Rivas and Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, a Corona Democrat, who have each received donations from 16 of the 18 chapters. Fourteen chapters donated to San Diego Democratic Assemblymember David Alvarez for his successful special election in June, and 14 gave to his campaign to win a full term in November.
Chapters don’t always march in lockstep. Since 2021, 34 candidates have received contributions from only a single chapter, according to the CalMatters analysis of state campaign finance data. There are no races in which chapters have contributed to opposing candidates.
Jessica Levinson — a professor at Loyola Law School, legal commentator and former president of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission — stressed that nothing about the organization’s spending appears to her to violate campaign finance law, even if it does raise eyebrows.
“There really is a symbiotic relationship here and that doesn’t mean it’s violating the rules,” she said. “But I do think it’s interesting just that they function this way — and that we allow this.”
Backing Rivas for speaker
This spring, Assemblymember Rivas made a public and as-yet-unsuccessful bid to become the next Assembly speaker.
In late May, the Salinas Democrat announced that a majority of the chamber’s Democrats supported his succession to the top spot, a claim that current Speaker Rendon refused to recognize. The following week saw a flurry of behind-the-scenes lobbying, competing procedural floor votes and a six-hour closed-door meeting of the Democratic caucus that resulted in Rivas getting an acknowledgement of his support but no assurances that the speakership would ever be his. Tensions are still simmering as the Legislature returned Monday for the final month of its two-year session.
Rendon, who has served in the Assembly since 2012 and will hit his term limit in 2024, is expected to continue serving as speaker for the remainder of the legislative session. The next Assembly, elected in November, will choose its own leader when members take office the following month.
Rivas’ voting record is generally progressive and labor-friendly and it aligns closely with that of Rendon. The pro-Rivas faction is an ideological jumble of pro-business moderates, Bay Area progressives and outgoing members hoping to have a say about the next speaker.
The unresolved clash in the Legislature shifted the competition to the campaign trail. Ten Democrats are leaving the Assembly at the end of this year. Anyone who wants to become the next speaker will likely need the allegiance of at least some of those incoming members.
And for that, having a bit of extra money to distribute to current and potential allies will help. The $116,000 that Rivas has received from Govern For California chapters accounts for about 9% of the nearly $1.3 million he has raised since the start of 2021. That’s more money than the Assemblymember has received from any other group of affiliated campaign committees. Six major donors to the organization and Crane have also individually donated to Rivas, an additional $68,600.
Rivas is unlikely to need that money for his own reelection this year. He’s running against a Republican in a Salinas Valley district where there are almost three times as many registered Democrats as Republicans. Already this election cycle, Rivas has contributed more than $190,000 to other Assembly candidates, including incumbents and new candidates.
While Govern For California’s support for Rivas surged over the past year, contributions to his rival for the speakership nearly evaporated.
In 2019 and 2020, Rendon received $75,650 from 15 Govern for California chapters. That is more than twice as much as the $35,900 that Rivas received from 10 chapters during that same period.
But so far during the 2022 campaign, just nine chapters have donated to Rendon, mostly in $1,000 increments. Their collective $12,900 in contributions is barely a tenth of what the Govern For California network has donated to Rivas.
Baker, one of Govern For California’s largest donors, said that in a recent conversation with Crane, he was told that the organization was supporting Rivas in the speakership fight.
“It sounds like they were involved, but that’s total inside baseball,” Baker said.
Crane and Govern For California’s support culminates a long relationship between the organization and Assemblymember Rivas. He attended Govern For California’s annual policy retreat in 2017, 2018 and 2019, according to economic interest disclosure reports he filed with the state. And last September, he attended a meet-and-greet event at a restaurant overlooking the golf course-carpeted bluffs of Pebble Beach, where Crane, Rick Rivas and the chairpersons of a number of chapters hosted at least five Democratic Assemblymembers.
Rivas has received more cash from Govern For California than any candidate who hasn’t run in a special election this year. Assemblymember Matt Haney, a San Francisco Democrat elected in an April special election and a Rivas ally, has received $137,200 for his regular election committee, including maximum contributions of $4,900 from four chapters on June 29 and another nine on June 30. Alvarez, the San Diego Democrat elected in June, has received $142,100 across his special and regular election campaigns.
The Govern For California network has also spent nearly $500,000 so far boosting Democratic candidates for open Assembly seats. Dawn Addis in San Luis Obispo, Pacheco in Downey, and Carrillo have each received more than $50,000.
The day after the June 7 primary, Carrillo said that he looked forward to working with Rivas as the Assembly’s next speaker.
Crane, himself, maxed out to both rivals, sending two $4,900 checks to Rendon in late October and two to Rivas at the end of December.
In an email, Crane said that the Govern For California network has donated more than $12 million to more than 150 legislative candidates over its 11-year existence.
“It’s gratifying that over the years we have been able to support a large number of legislators who serve the general interest,” he wrote.
For the record: An earlier version of this story reported that David Crane, founder of Govern For California, sponsored an event organized by the Democratic Leadership Coalition political action committee, citing a flyer purportedly advertising the event. The committee’s leader Wayne Norton said in a statement that it “has zero affiliation with David Crane. I have never met David Crane and he will not be part of our efforts in any way.”
CALmatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
Watch more from ABC10: California Politics: Newsom signs budget, additions made to November ballots | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/calmatters/california-campaign-finance-network-pushes-envelope/103-30e30df0-eb99-4003-9b5e-f6c8de40581f | 2022-08-05T23:03:21 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/calmatters/california-campaign-finance-network-pushes-envelope/103-30e30df0-eb99-4003-9b5e-f6c8de40581f |
CALIFORNIA, USA — This story was originally published by CalMatters.
This article was updated on Aug. 4 because it incorrectly identified ConnectGEN as the developer of two rejected projects in Humboldt and Lake counties.
Kings County Supervisor Joe Neves guided his pickup to a stop next to a long line of chain-link fencing. On one side of a gravel road stood row after row of glinting solar panels. The automated mirrors pivot and turn, following the sun in its daily path across the Central Valley sky.
Neves, a big man with a wispy Santa Claus beard, was showing off the county’s newest mega solar power project, still under construction on 1,600 acres. A state-of-the-art facility, it includes powerful batteries to store and deliver power after the sun sets.
This solar plant in King County is one of the scores of new renewable energy puzzle pieces across the state considered vital to California’s transition to cleaner electricity and its pursuit of climate change solutions.
Rural California counties like Kings — with lots of land, sunshine and wind — are the focal point for many of these projects. Now they are at the epicenter of a statewide controversy, too.
Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom pressured lawmakers to approve an energy plan that aimed to expedite and streamline construction of new clean energy facilities. Included is a controversial clause that lets developers bypass local permitting and instead turn to the California Energy Commission for fast-track approval.
The new strategy is an end run around local authorities who sometimes balk at allowing wind and solar facilities in their own backyards.
But if Newsom sees small, rural counties as impediments, Kings County begs to differ. Neves and other local officials have been busily opening up their county to solar projects for more than a dozen years.
Far from scoffing at the idea of renewable energy, some Kings County farmers have embraced solar generation as a profitable problem solver – they get paid for the use of their barren land and can transfer the water to higher-value crops.
Whatever the intent of the new law, Kings County doesn’t think it’s the problem: Most projects in the county’s 40,000-acre solar zone receive approval in less than six months — in some cases in six weeks, county officials say.
“We are not unsophisticated, we know what we are doing,” Neves said. “We planned for this. We can see the future.”
Across the state, local officials were miffed at state officials for being excluded from the discussion as the law was being crafted behind closed doors in late June, then piqued again after it passed the Legislature and was signed by Newsom, meaning they no longer had the final say-so for projects in their counties.
“Local governments are viewed as an impediment, another layer you have to go through to get your project across the finish line. But we permit these facilities all the time. It’s one of the core functions we perform as local government,” said John Kennedy, a lobbyist for Rural County Representatives of California, which advocates for 39 small counties.
“To have that authority taken out of our hands and given to the Energy Commission — that much farther from the people, that much removed from local sensitivity — to have that authority clawed back is really painful,” he said. “We’re in the crosshairs, but we don’t think we are the right target here.”
While a few projects have been stalled by local officials, some energy developers said Newsom’s initiative is a solution in search of a problem.
“What is this proposal solving for?” said Alex Jackson, director of California state affairs for American Clean Power, an association of renewable energy companies.
“In general we work really well with local government. We have invested a lot in those relationships. We prefer to work with them rather than strong-arm them. Overall we don’t see this as unlocking the path to accelerating clean energy.”
In his signing statement attached to the new bill, Newsom said the unprecedented pace of climate change means California must move faster to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. The state must begin producing 50% more clean power in the next decade in order to meet its goals.
The new law, Newsom wrote, will “support and expedite the State’s transition to clean energy projects and help maintain energy reliability in the face of climate change.” The fast-track option through the Energy Commission promises developers a decision within 270 days and bypasses local approval.
The new strategy, Newsom wrote, will help keep the lights on when demand peaks from extreme heat and drought, which are putting “unprecedented stress” on the state’s power grid. “Action is needed now,” he said.
Kings County: A prime place for generating energy
Kings County, population 152,486 and home to Hanford and Kettleman City, is well-situated to host renewable energy projects: It’s at the nexus of major north-south and east-west transmission lines and its power plants can readily dispatch electricity to the grid.
Solar projects already built on Kings County’s fallowed farmland are helping power Disneyland, and the newest development, called Slate Solar and Storage, will supply about 900 megawatts of electricity when it’s finished. Some will go to two Bay Area powerhouses: The BART transportation network and Stanford University.
Occupying former watermelon, cotton and corn fields fallowed by drought, developers are building solar farms in Kings County as fast as the world’s crippled supply chain will allow. To expedite the process, local planning officials created solar energy zones that have already been fully vetted and undergone comprehensive environmental analysis.
The county has more than 21,000 acres of solar development, and the land, mostly private property, is leased or sold outright to companies.
Faced with rapidly rising energy costs, school districts and towns are investing in their own small-scale solar projects, Neves said, as have farmers looking for cheap ways to pump water and run equipment.
“A humongous task”
Whether funneled through the Energy Commission’s new process or approved by local authorities, new renewable energy development will have to come fast.
Although California is well ahead of its interim goals for clean power – about 34% of its generation last year – getting to carbon-free by 2045 will be a challenge of the highest order.
With worsening climate models, electrification of transportation and buildings, the drought-driven crash in hydroelectric power, and the scheduled closure of fossil-fuel power plants, the sobering reality in California is this: At current rates the state will produce 40 gigawatts of clean power annually over the next decade, while preliminary projections show it needs 60 gigawatts a year — at a minimum.
The need, given how rapidly demand is growing, is likely to increase.
“It’s a humongous task,” said Siva Gunda, vice chair of the California Energy Commission. “We’ve had 100 years to build the grid the way it is today and we’re redoing it in the next 20 years. At least we have a plan. We are digging ourselves out of a hole.”
The scope of what’s required means California will need to greatly expand its renewable footprint. With the most obvious and cheapest sites already developed, the way forward will be achieved one sunny, windy acre at a time.
Experts say residents can expect to see energy development in parts of California where solar panels and wind turbines have not yet sprouted. That expansion is likely to challenge the hospitality of rural communities and their elected leaders, especially when they feel excluded from the process.
Such pushback is not unexpected. Research published in June found that when local groups believe they are not consulted on renewable energy projects in their communities, they push back hard. The researchers concluded that the best way to get local buy-in is to listen to local voices.
Although the state law is new and its implications not yet fully understood, Jackson said the early message is “loud and clear from my developers: They want to continue with the local process. The (Energy Commission) route is not that attractive. When you unpack the proposal, it seems to fall short.”
Some local representatives predicted a cascade of lawsuits from local authorities will follow. The law “created an enemy of local government and may unhelpfully exacerbate existing (anti-Sacramento) sentiment,” Jackson said.
Local pockets of resistance
A few California counties are firmly against some renewable projects: In 2015 Los Angeles County banned wind turbines in unincorporated areas such as the Antelope Valley and Santa Monica Mountains.
And three years ago, San Bernardino, the state’s largest county, outlawed solar and wind farms on more than a million acres in unincorporated communities where industrialization is deemed incompatible.
Residents feared construction disturbance and dust, and expressed more aesthetic concerns, said David Wert, spokesman for the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.
“Folks that live in these small communities don’t want to wake up and look at a large solar farm out their window,” he said.
Not-in-my-backyard sentiment led to the rejection of two projects in Humboldt and Lake counties.
With wind turbines, “there’s a visibility issue. ‘If I can see it, I don’t want it.’ It’s not unique to California or any of these rural counties,” said Mark Lawlor, vice president for development at ConnectGEN, a Texas-based renewable energy developer,
The issue also drove the recent denial of ConnectGEN’s Fountain Wind project in Shasta County, which was proposed to go in on a high ridge adjacent to an existing wind project. Local opposition ran the gamut, from concerns about the views to fears that tall turbines would make it impossible for air tankers to fight fires on surrounding mountains.
Lawlor said project managers made 76 changes to the plan, including reducing the turbines’ height and moving them from the most visible locations. He said the project would enhance fire safety by clearing vegetation around roads and the turbines. It had the potential to power more than 86,000 homes, according to the company.
“The benefits to the county would be overwhelming, millions of dollars infused to the economy, police, jobs and property tax,” Lawlor said. The company donated $3 million to local organizations, a common strategy among renewable developers to gain favor in communities.
“We would hire local labor, we did everything I could come up with. We are literally building Phase 2 of an existing wind project that’s been there operating safely for 10 years,” he said.
Still, the development ran into fierce opposition, including from environmental groups. The wind farm would have been in the district of Shasta County Supervisor Mary Rickert, who called it “unsightly” and said it was foolish for the developer to try to site its turbines on the ridge. “I don’t know what they were thinking,” she said.
After denying the permit, the supervisors considered imposing a moratorium on wind energy systems in some parts of the county. The board sent the proposal back to the planning commission “to put more meat on its bones,” Rickert said. She said if the moratorium proposal returns to the board, it will be passed.
Rickert said the pushback in the region has nothing to do with opposition to renewable energy. And as for doing its part to help the state achieve its clean-energy goals, she noted the county’s contribution to hydroelectric power: “We’ve got Shasta Dam.”
Nancy Rader, executive director of the California Wind Energy Association, said she understands the concerns of local groups but said they need to be balanced against the imperative to build clean-energy projects.
“There’s a mismatch between statewide goals and leaving those decisions to local communities,” she said. “Some people are being left behind. Disadvantaged communities are suffering greatly from fossil fuel impacts, and then we have other people who can’t handle a wind turbine in their viewshed. We have to keep the relative impacts in mind.”
The idea that opposition to renewables follows a political, red-blue divide doesn’t play out across the state. Conservative Kern and Riverside counties are “built-out” Rader said. Kern, for a century the state’s provider of fossil fuels, has extensive renewable energy projects.
What Kern County officials and others balk at, though, is a statewide law that exempts solar projects from property taxes, denying local governments operational cash. Neves, from Kings County, estimates the solar tax break costs his region some $3 million a year. The law is set to sunset in 2025 but a similar measure is making its way through the Legislature. (Wind projects are not offered similar tax breaks.)
But rather than providing an advantage for solar projects, the tax exemption establishes a disincentive for local jurisdictions to approve the projects, said
Catherine Freeman, legislative staffer for the California State Association of Counties. “Those property taxes pay for basic county government,” she said.
Gunda of the Energy Commission said the state established a task force last year to better understand the broad obstacles to ramping up renewable projects. Its work is still underway but Gunda said there have been significant construction delays from COVID-19 and supply chain breakdowns.
However the new law plays out, the urgency is obvious, said Shannon Eddy, executive director of the Large Scale Solar Association. She said county and state officials and energy developers should build a statewide model to help smooth the process of siting new energy plants.
“It’s neither fair nor correct to point to the counties and say therein lies the problem,” she said. “Everyone needs to help. Everyone needs to come together to make this happen. We’re building the airplane as it’s running down the runway.”
CALmatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
Watch more from ABC10: A first-in-the-nation project to put solar panels over canals begins near Turlock | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/calmatters/california-renewable-energy-counties-push-back/103-95928f27-c2b6-4e49-b409-cb0faddb4f6f | 2022-08-05T23:03:27 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/calmatters/california-renewable-energy-counties-push-back/103-95928f27-c2b6-4e49-b409-cb0faddb4f6f |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On August 5, 2022, officers witnessed a white Toyota Corolla strike a traffic signal pole at 1:52 a.m. on the 6000 block of University Avenue.
The driver of the vehicle, Benjamin Barnett, was found unresponsive.
Medical personnel arrived on the scene and later informed officers that Barnett had died from his injuries.
Accident Reconstruction Officers were requested to gather additional information from the scene and speak to witnesses.
Information currently indicates that Barnett was traveling northbound on University Avenue at a high speed when he struck the traffic signal pole.
Barnett's next of kin has been notified as the investigation continues.
We will update this article as more information becomes available. | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/one-dead-fatal-collision-s-university-ave/91-c55fec81-6f71-44e3-8224-261e1204d243 | 2022-08-05T23:11:09 | 1 | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/one-dead-fatal-collision-s-university-ave/91-c55fec81-6f71-44e3-8224-261e1204d243 |
VAN BUREN, Ark. — A boil water order has been issued for residents north of Interstate 40 along Highway 59 in Van Buren.
The order will be in effect through the weekend and until further notice, Van Buren utilities director Steve Dufresne said Friday evening.
The Arkansas Department of Health issued the order, saying:
The Arkansas Department of Health has issued the 'Boil Water' Notice for the area North of I-40 on August 5, 2022. This order was issued as a precautionary measure because of the possibility that contaminated water may have entered the distribution system as a result of a loss in normal system pressure.
Under the 'Boil Water' Notice, all affected customers are advised that the water may be unsafe for human consumption, and water used for drinking or food preparation must be boiled briskly for one (1) minute prior to use. All ice cubes should be discarded and only boiled water used for making ice.
This Notice will be lifted by the Department of Health when 1 set of 5 bacteriological samples indicate that the water is free of bacterial contamination and an adequate disinfectant level is established throughout the distribution system.
Crawford County customers in Van Buren, Cedarville and Rudy share the same water system and are all dealing with an outage that began Friday morning.
Those at higher elevations are being affected the most.
Dufresne says there is not an exact count yet of how many people are without water. He says they are working to "re-valve" water from another source, but most of the surrounding communities get their water from Fort Smith. It's unclear when water will be restored to those without it.
The outage comes a day after Fort Smith residents were asked to conserve water due to maintenance and repair issues at the Lee Creek Water Treatment Plant.
A mechanical issue was first found Tuesday morning, Aug. 2, and the plant was shut down for repairs. During the maintenance, Lee Creek was still able to produce water using a "small backup system," while Lake Fort Smith increased its water production to continue providing clean drinking water to residents.
The maintenance needed to repair the second issue isn't projected by the city to be done until Monday, Aug. 8 with the plant being back to full-water production on Friday, Aug. 12.
No other information has been released at this time.
Stay with 5NEWS for updates on this developing story.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com. | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/van-buren-water-boil-notice/527-9b63069a-f2de-4283-810a-1bb5f41ad856 | 2022-08-05T23:11:15 | 0 | https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/van-buren-water-boil-notice/527-9b63069a-f2de-4283-810a-1bb5f41ad856 |
Man suing Cramerton Police Department alleging racial profiling
A Cramerton man alleges in a lawsuit that a security firm at his gated community discriminated against his Black friend by refusing to allow him into the community to visit and instead calling the police on him.
Eric Vargosko, who lives in the gated community of Cramer Mountain on Maymont Drive, stated in the lawsuit that on May 3, 2019, a friend of his, Marquis Bass, tried to enter the gated community to visit Vargosko.
"Mr. Bass is a regular and frequent guest of the Vargosko family and has never been denied entry into the community in the 12 years Mr. Vargosko has been a resident," the lawsuit stated.
Bass approached the gate and identified himself, addressing a security guard, Sheila Ann Eddy, who works for TailorMade Protective Services.
Instead of letting him in, the lawsuit stated, Eddy told Bass that he was not in the guest logging system and refused him entry, telling him to leave the property.
Bass asked her to call Vargosko, and she refused, threatening to call and eventually contacting the Cramerton Police Department, the lawsuit stated.
Bass called Vargosko himself, explaining what was happening, and Vargosko spoke with Eddy, saying that Bass was his guest and should be admitted.
But Eddy continued to refuse Bass entry into the community, the lawsuit stated.
Instead, she told Cramerton Police that a "Black male subject was refusing to leave or allow other drivers to enter," despite the fact that no other cars arrived at the gate during this time, the lawsuit stated.
Cramerton Police Officer Randi Allen Berry and one other officer, identified in the lawsuit as Officer Byerly, were sent to Cramer Mountain, and when she spoke to police, Eddy did not tell them that Vargosko had said that Bass was his guest, the lawsuit stated.
Vargosko went to the gate himself, and Berry told him that Bass needed to be added to a guest list to be allowed into the community, the lawsuit stated. Vargosko explained that direct permission by a resident to the guard on duty was generally sufficient.
Then, the lawsuit stated, Berry threatened to arrest Vargosko, and Vargosko pulled his phone from his pocket to record him.
Berry grabbed Vargosko's phone, and Byerly seized Vargosko and the officers threw him against the side of the stone gatehouse, forced his legs apart, patted him down for weapons and handcuffed him, the lawsuit stated.
Berry is alleged to have said, "See what you get for talking to me like that," adding that he was going to arrest Vargosko.
Vargosko was placed in the back of a police car, and neither officer read him his Miranda Rights, the lawsuit stated.
When Berry entered the car, Vargosko requested that the handcuffs be loosened because he had lost feeling in his left hand, and Berry refused, joking that Vargosko "should have been nicer" to him earlier and asking if Vargosko "had anything on him" before requesting his driver's license, the lawsuit stated.
Berry eventually released Vargosko, however, telling Vargosko's wife that her husband was handcuffed and put in the police car to "give him an opportunity to calm down," but that he would not be charged.
Bass was denied entry into the community until Vargosko was released from police custody, the lawsuit stated.
The lawsuit alleges that Eddy racially profiled Bass and then involved police "based on racial profiling and her own inherently racist views."
The lawsuit, which is also filed against Cramerton Police Department and Berry, additionally alleges that Berry falsely detained Vargosko and used physical force on him, causing him both "physical and emotional injury."
In a phone call, Vargosko declined to comment, instead deferring to his attorney.
Bass, who is not a plaintiff in the lawsuit, could not be reached for comment.
TailorMade Protective Services could not be reached for comment.
Cramerton Police Chief Brad Adams declined to comment.
Reporter Kara Fohner can be reached at 704-869-1850 or at kfohner@gannett.com. Support local journalism by subscribing here. | https://www.gastongazette.com/story/news/local/2022/08/05/cramerton-man-accuses-tailormade-protective-services-racism/10238124002/ | 2022-08-05T23:12:36 | 1 | https://www.gastongazette.com/story/news/local/2022/08/05/cramerton-man-accuses-tailormade-protective-services-racism/10238124002/ |
Gastonia wants to borrow $75 million for roads, sidewalks
Gastonia voters will decide in November whether to allow the city to borrow money to improve Gastonia's roads, sidewalks, and other transportation infrastructure around the city.
If Gastonia voters approve the plan, Gastonia will borrow $75 million through the sale of bonds to improve streets, highways, sidewalks, bridges, and other traffic-related necessities.
Bond proceeds must be spent within seven years, but that deadline could extend to 10 years, City Manager Michael Peoples said.
The city will have 20 years to pay off the debt, and they hope to pay the debt using money generated by the county's coming property revaluation.
If the revaluation is 20% to 25% higher than property values are now, property taxes will produce the revenue the city needs to pay off the debt, Peoples said.
Gastonia city officials hope to use a large chunk of the $75 million — up to $20 million — to repave city roads.
Another problem the city hopes to address is manholes that need to be repaired.
The city has 806 manhole covers. Out of that total, 719 are in good condition, 65 are in fair condition, and 22 are in poor condition, according to Peoples.
The highest concentration of manholes in need of inspection are on Franklin Boulevard from the FUSE District to the Eastridge Mall, Peoples said. Other areas of interest include Garrison Boulevard between South Chester Street and South New Hope Road, and the majority of Broad Street and Union Road.
Peoples said that part of the reason for borrowing the $75 million is that the city hopes to take advantage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by Congress in November. That bill provides "unprecedented amounts of funding" for transportation, Peoples said, but a lot of that funding requires that the funds provided must be matched locally using money from city coffers.
Having the $75 million would help the city do that.
"So the thought is, it would be nice to have our own financial tool to provide that match to make us more competitive, to hopefully leverage these federal dollars here in Gastonia," Peoples said. "And so we are looking and evaluating how we're going to be applying for those programs to leverage local dollars."
City officials also hope to make the city more walkable by building sidewalks, especially in areas like bus stops where there are likely to be pedestrians. Peoples said that while there are newer developments that have sidewalks, as well as older, core neighborhoods and business areas that have sidewalks, in between some of those places, there are areas that aren't connected. The city is looking to fill those gaps.
"Walkability is a goal and has been a goal of the city. We have an improved pedestrian plan for the entire city, a greenway plan for the entire city. We're developing and should be finished pretty soon with a bicycle plan for the entire community," Peoples said. "So we just need to identify some of the things that need to be connected."
School safety also is important to the city.
They hope to improve the sidewalks and pedestrian walkways near city schools, "just trying to make it as safe as possible," Peoples said.
City officials also hope to improve traffic congestion in some parts of the city by adding turning lanes on roads that do not have them. Peoples specifically mentioned the intersections of New Hope Road at Franklin Boulevard, as well as Lowell Bethesda at Cramerton Road, as possibilities.
"I think this is just a very common sense approach at addressing real need, visible need, if you're driving through the city and being responsible for the next generation," Peoples said.
Reporter Kara Fohner can be reached at 704-869-1850 or at kfohner@gannett.com. Support local journalism by subscribing here. | https://www.gastongazette.com/story/news/local/2022/08/05/gastonia-wants-borrow-money-improve-roads/10242483002/ | 2022-08-05T23:12:42 | 0 | https://www.gastongazette.com/story/news/local/2022/08/05/gastonia-wants-borrow-money-improve-roads/10242483002/ |
Kari Lake proved this week that she has the backing of the largest share of Arizona Republicans — at least those who voted in the primary.
Now she has to figure out how to appeal to everyone else.
It starts with the 53% of Republican voters who wanted one of the other four candidates on the GOP ballot to be the party's nominee for governor.
Senate President Karen Fann issued a call Friday for "unity,'' praising both Lake and Karrin Taylor Robson, Lake's main rival, as "strong leaders'' who "ran respectable campaigns.'' She then launched into a full-throated endorsement of Lake, who now faces Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs in the November general election.
But that call has yet to be answered.
"It is my hope that our Republican nominees are successful in November,'' Robson said in her concession statement late Thursday. But there was no endorsement of Lake — and no indication she will do anything to help her former foe.
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"This part of my life's journey has come to an end,'' Robson said. "Now, I need time to be with my family and get back to my business.''
There also was a snub of sorts by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, whom Lake repeatedly insulted during the campaign by calling "do-nothing Ducey.''
The Republican Governors Association put out a statement Thursday night congratulating Lake on her victory. Of note, though, is that the quote came from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, the organization's vice chair, and not from Ducey, who chairs the organization and had endorsed Robson.
Even on Friday there was no response to inquiries made to Ducey's press aide about Lake's win.
But Republican strategist Stan Barnes said he thinks the party faithful eventually will come around.
"The party's been through really bad fights in the past,'' said Barnes, a former state legislator. "I think the dust will settle.''
The reason is the desire to win, he noted.
"To be unifying, you don't have to have 100% love,'' Barnes said.
"You have to have voters see you represent a better picture than the other guy,'' he continued. "And I believe that will happen.''
Barnes said Lake, a former, longtime news anchor in Phoenix, has something else unrelated to her stance on issues.
"If you're with her at a rally, if you're with her in a living room, she is the most unifying and likable charismatic politician that I have seen in decades,'' he said.
It was that "super power,'' he said, that enabled Lake, vastly outspent by Robson and her political allies, to pull out a win.
And it could be Lake's path to victory, said independent pollster Mike Noble.
"There's a big difference between Kari Lake's personality and Hobbs' personality,'' he said. "And that could be the X factor.''
Noble said Hobbs' best bet is not to "get in the mud'' with Lake. That could mean avoiding at all costs any face-to-face debate, or letting Lake set the political agenda, he said.
"The biggest opportunity for Lake is for Katie Hobbs to mess up,'' Noble said.
Conversely, he said, to the extent Lake continues to make her campaign about the 2020 presidential race, she will end up meeting the same fate as Donald Trump in Arizona — losing the votes of the more affluent Republicans, who were the same people who supported Robson.
The strategy for Hobbs, said Noble, is to take a page from the playbook used by the state's two U.S. senators, Democrats Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly, who portrayed themselves "right in the middle.''
GOP consultant Chuck Coughlin agreed that the model being used again this year by Kelly is the one for Hobbs to follow.
He noted the endorsement of Kelly by Mesa Mayor John Giles, a Republican, complete with a commercial.
"They've got to do, 'Hey, we're problem solvers,' '' Coughlin said of Hobbs and her campaign.
"That's an appealing message to unaffiliated voters,'' he said. "That's an appealing message to the Republican base, or the Republican portion of Karrin Taylor Robson's crew.''
What that also means, Couglin said, is not getting wrapped up in the progressive message — and not letting Lake put Hobbs on the defensive that she's a Joe Biden clone or a socialist or a supporter of an open border.
"If they can just talk about solving problems, if they can embrace that message, that's where the narrative needs to be in order to make themselves available to that portion of the electorate that wants to show up and wants progress,'' he said.
Fann, for her part, acknowledged that primaries are by their nature divisive, as candidates from each party stake out positions that can span the political spectrum. And that's what happened among Republicans.
"But when it's time to go on to the general (election), it's not so much about the person, it's about the issues,'' the Prescott Republican said.
That often means asking voters if they are happier now than they were several years ago, Fann said — presumably meaning before President Biden took office. That can play very well for Lake, she said.
A question that remains, though, is can — or will — Lake make the changes necessary to broaden her base beyond what has been a central theme that elections were rigged and that Trump actually won the 2020 race in Arizona.
Fann said she believes that now, with the primary over, Lake is "going to surround herself with some good policy that will also help her navigate and guide through that.''
She said Lake has one other asset that works in her favor. Lake's background in the media means she has "her finger on the pulse on what people are thinking and the issues and everything else,'' Fann said.
"She's not somebody out of the blue,'' Fann said. "She's somebody that's been engaged in politics for a long time now.''
But so, for that matter, has Hobbs, who was an elected state legislator before becoming secretary of state four years ago.
And Lake clearly still has at least one foot in the election conspiracy camp: an active lawsuit playing out in federal court seeking to bar Arizona from using machines to tabulate ballots.
In legal papers, Lake and Mark Finchem, now the Republican nominee for Arizona secretary of state, contend the machines are unreliable because they are subject to hacking. They say the use of components in computers from other countries makes them vulnerable. No date has been set for a hearing.
Polling so far is sparse.
A survey run by Beacon Research of 504 likely voters suggested Hobbs was the choice over Lake by a 49% to 40% margin. But that was conducted in early July, before Lake became the nominee. | https://tucson.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/gop-analysts-lake-must-broaden-base-to-defeat-hobbs-for-az-governor/article_fe79770c-14fb-11ed-81be-cb5aa7201416.html | 2022-08-05T23:14:45 | 1 | https://tucson.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/gop-analysts-lake-must-broaden-base-to-defeat-hobbs-for-az-governor/article_fe79770c-14fb-11ed-81be-cb5aa7201416.html |
The Pima County Department of Environment Quality issued an advisory for ground-level ozone air pollution on Friday.
People who are especially sensitive to air pollution may experience shortness of breath, coughing, throat irritation, wheezing and breathing discomfort, the department said.
If you are sensitive to ozone, the department recommends limiting your level of exertion outside between noon and 6 p.m. when elevated levels of ozone pollution are more likely to occur.
Since motor vehicles are the biggest emissions contributor to ground-level ozone, driving less, not using gas powered lawn and garden equipment, and reducing energy consumption are all ways to help reduce ozone levels, the department said.
Jamie Donnelly covers breaking news for the Arizona Daily Star. Contact her via e-mail at jdonnelly@tucson.com | https://tucson.com/news/local/pima-county-issues-ground-level-ozone-pollution-advisory/article_fbd4a88a-1502-11ed-b75e-d3648466ebdc.html | 2022-08-05T23:14:51 | 0 | https://tucson.com/news/local/pima-county-issues-ground-level-ozone-pollution-advisory/article_fbd4a88a-1502-11ed-b75e-d3648466ebdc.html |
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Starting this weekend, thousands of students at the University of Alabama will begin the process of being recruited by sororities.
Last year, the world got to learn firsthand about everything potential sorority pledges go through with #BamaRush, a meme that immediately became popular on TikTok for showcasing what different women wear during their recruitment period.
As of Friday, the #BamaRush hashtag has over 875 million views on TikTok.
According to Shane Dorrill, assistant director of communications at the University of Alabama, over 2,500 women have registered for Panhellenic Recruitment this year, roughly the same number as this time last year.
Recruitment begins Saturday with Bid Day happening Sunday, Aug. 14.
Emails and phone calls to UA’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life were not returned. | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/bamarush-is-back-as-sorority-recruitment-kicks-up-at-the-university-of-alabama/ | 2022-08-05T23:16:45 | 1 | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/bamarush-is-back-as-sorority-recruitment-kicks-up-at-the-university-of-alabama/ |
AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas jury on Friday ordered Infowars’ Alex Jones to pay $49.3 million in total damages to the parents of a first-grader killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, which the conspiracy theorist falsely called a hoax orchestrated by the government in order to tighten U.S. gun laws.
The amount is less than the $150 million sought by Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son Jesse Lewis was among 19 children and six educators killed in the deadliest classroom shooting in U.S. history.
The trial is the first time Jones has been held financially liable for peddling lies about the 2012 attack in Newtown, Connecticut.
Jurors at first awarded Heslin and Lewis $4.1 million in compensatory damages, which Jones called a major victory. But in the final phase of the two-week trial, the same Austin jury came back and tacked on an additional $45.2 million in punitive damages.
Punitive damages are meant to punish defendants for particularly egregious conduct, beyond monetary compensation awarded to the individuals they hurt. A high punitive award is also seen as a chance for jurors to send a wider societal message and a way to deter others from the same abhorrent conduct in the future.
Attorneys for the family had urged jurors to hand down a financial punishment that would put Infowars out of business.
“You have the ability to stop this man from ever doing it again,” Wesley Ball, an attorney for the parents, told the jury.
It’s unclear how much money Jones and Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, have.
An economist hired by the plaintiffs testified that Jones and the company are worth up to $270 million, suggesting that Jones was still making money.
But Jones testified that any award over $2 million would “sink us.” And Free Speech Systems filed for bankruptcy protection during the trial’s first week.
Jones still faces two other defamation lawsuits from Sandy Hook families in Texas and Connecticut. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/texas/alex-jones-sandy-hook-punitive-damanges/285-0335bced-bb59-4dd2-a172-6f230f9a3cf7 | 2022-08-05T23:21:21 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/texas/alex-jones-sandy-hook-punitive-damanges/285-0335bced-bb59-4dd2-a172-6f230f9a3cf7 |
Drought takes toll on Sikes Lake
Funding to save the campus lake have not been available
Sikes Lake is in bad shape.
Like other area lakes, drought has taken a toll. The 21-acre lake is a prominent part of the Midwestern State University landscape and its deterioration is visible to thousands of people who pass by on busy Midwestern Parkway.
"Sikes Lake and the adjacent trail are such beautiful settings for our campus and local communities. It’s difficult to watch the water level decline so quickly," MSU spokesperson Julie Gaynor said.
She said vegetation along the retaining walls will soon be trimmed back, but vegetation in the lake itself is being allowed to grow to reduce erosion.
The shallow lake, which is home to wildlife and a variety of university events, also suffered during a record five-year drought that began in 2010. Gaynor said heavy rains that ended that drought ironically created rapidly flowing floodwaters that worsened silting of the lake, especially the north end.
"Since that time we have been pursuing sources of funding for dredging," Gaynor said.
Finding funding has been difficult so far. In 2019, the cost to dredge silt from the north section of the lake was estimated at $1.8 million. Dredging the south portion was estimated to cost $4.3 million. University regents decided against any action at that time.
The MSU Wichitan reported in a 2018 story that if the lake, created in 1960, is not eventually dredged, it could collect so much salt if would be classified as a wetland, which by federal law would restrict the public from using it.
The lake attracts waterfowl and other wildlife but Gaynor said the university is unaware of any agencies moving wildlife as reservoirs, rivers, and lakes around the region and state are evaporating. | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2022/08/05/drought-takes-toll-on-sikes-lake/65393570007/ | 2022-08-05T23:21:58 | 0 | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2022/08/05/drought-takes-toll-on-sikes-lake/65393570007/ |
Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce and Industry names interim chief
The Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce and Industry has appointed Richard Gordon as Interim President and CEO.
He will temporarily fill the shoes of Henry Florsheim, who resigned to take a similar job in Cedar Hill near Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Gordon is the former executive director of development for Burkburnett.
More:Florsheim resigns as head of Chamber of Commerce
"His economic development knowledge and management skills will support the team in their efforts to build a strong community through economic development and business support," the Chamber said in a Facebook post.
More:Strategic initiative underway to improve city, area
"Richard’s role is to support the efforts of the Chamber staff and mission,“ said Chamber Board Chairman Gordon Drake.
Gordon will serve while a search committee works with Jorgenson Consulting on a permanent replacement. | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2022/08/05/wichita-falls-chamber-of-commerce-names-interim-chief/65393080007/ | 2022-08-05T23:22:04 | 0 | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2022/08/05/wichita-falls-chamber-of-commerce-names-interim-chief/65393080007/ |
Woman dies from injuries received in head-on collision
A Wichita Falls woman has died from injuries incurred during a late July head-on collision. This is the 10th vehicle fatality in the city this year.
Wichita Falls Police Department spokesman Sgt. Charlie Eipper said the woman, Natalie Joe Brown, 58, of Wichita Falls died Thursday from injuries she received in a pin-in accident.
According to a previous Times Record News report, three people were injured July 22 in a two-vehicle accident that occurred just before 7 p.m. on Iowa Park Road.
The driver of a Kia Sportage was westbound in the 2700 block of Iowa Park Road and she attempted to pass a truck using the center turn lane, but the vehicle continued into eastbound traffic and collided head on with a GMC Terrain.
Eipper said Brown was a passenger in the GMC Terrain. She suffered from broken bones and internal injuries. The driver of the Terrain had a broken ankle. The driver of the Kia had a broken wrist and broken ribs. All three individuals were transported to the hospital for treatment.
Eipper said the WFPD Crash Investigation Unit will file an Intoxicated Manslaughter charge against the 58-year-old driver of the Kia. | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2022/08/05/woman-dies-from-injuries-received-in-head-on-collision/65393683007/ | 2022-08-05T23:22:10 | 1 | https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2022/08/05/woman-dies-from-injuries-received-in-head-on-collision/65393683007/ |
A 37-year-old inmate at Lincoln's community corrections facility was charged in Lancaster County court this week after he sent sexually explicit messages to a 12-year-old girl while on work release, police said in court records.
Joseph Hochstein was placed at the low-level custody facility in December while serving time for witness tampering charges that stemmed from a sex crime investigation, Lincoln Police Investigator Ben Pflanz said in the affidavit for the man's arrest.
While on work release for a local construction company in June, Pflanz alleged Hochstein began communicating with the girl, sending sexually suggestive messages and sharing inappropriate videos with her.
Investigators also found evidence that Hochstein expressed plans to impregnate a teenage girl upon his release from the custody of Nebraska's Department of Correctional Services, Pflanz said.
An investigation into separate messages to additional minors is ongoing, according to the affidavit.
A Lancaster County judge this week signed a warrant for the arrest of Shana Padilla, a 46-year-old Creighton woman, for aiding and abetting Hochstein in communicating with the teen.
For his alleged communications with the Lincoln girl, prosecutors charged Hochstein with felony child enticement.
He was moved from Lincoln's low-level custody facility to the Reception and Treatment Center.
A Kansas City, Missouri, native, Andrew Wegley joined the Journal Star as breaking news reporter after graduating from Northwest Missouri State University in May 2021.
In court records, police said two men beat, tortured and branded a 26-year-old Lincoln man in a warehouse, later tying him to a tree and threatening to kill him.
A Lincoln orthopedic surgeon was sentenced to probation in federal court Tuesday for writing fraudulent prescriptions to a patient, then buying back thousands of painkillers.
"He violated me and so many other underaged women. He did not have the right to do that," one woman, identified as Victim 4, said at Gregory Dightman Sr.'s sentencing.
Deputies noticed Brett Balak had "bloodshot and watery eyes" as he approached his vehicle that night, and later observed "a strong odor" of alcohol, according to court filings.
"It was at that moment ... I saw him with the gun in his hand," State Patrol Trooper Adam Strode said according to a transcript. "I honestly thought I was going to be shot."
The contents of the fire extinguisher are considered a skin irritant, forcing store employees to destroy the merchandise affected in the incident, which happened Sunday evening inside Gateway Mall.
"He was out enjoying himself on a walk, minding his own business, and I had absolutely no reason to approach him," Gabriel Sterling said first in an apology. | https://journalstar.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/lincoln-inmate-charged-with-child-enticement-for-snapchatting-teen-police-say/article_e83e431e-79ed-5728-b9bd-99b0499c84fa.html | 2022-08-05T23:26:56 | 0 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/lincoln-inmate-charged-with-child-enticement-for-snapchatting-teen-police-say/article_e83e431e-79ed-5728-b9bd-99b0499c84fa.html |
Students set to attend Lincoln's newest elementary school will have a couple of weeks added to their summer break.
Robinson Elementary, the new school under construction near 102nd and Holdrege streets, will not open Aug. 15 as planned, Lincoln Public Schools leaders announced in an email to families on Friday evening.
Instead, classes at the new school will begin Aug. 29. Officials said the delay of the start date will not extend the school year for Robinson students, who instead will attend school several minutes longer each day.
More details on the schedule change are to be announced Monday.
"I know this news is disappointing, and not having your child in school for two additional weeks may create challenges," LPS Superintendent Paul Gausman said in the message to parents. "That challenge was not our intention, and I apologize.
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"However, I wanted to get this information to you as quickly as possible so you can begin planning for your family. We will work to ensure your child will have a unique and celebratory start to the school year when we are able to welcome them into the school building on Aug. 29."
Gausman toured the school on Friday, along with members of the media, and later met with the contractor for the project along with other LPS and school leaders. At that meeting, the decision was made to delay the start of classes at Robinson by two weeks.
Gausman noted that LPS faced a challenging timeline to get the new school open in time while dealing with supply chain issues and labor shortages linked to the ongoing pandemic.
"Out of an abundance of caution, I do not feel we will be ready to safely open the school building to students on Aug. 15," Gausman wrote. "In order to ensure the safety of all our staff and students, we need to allow the construction team extra time to finish the core areas." | https://journalstar.com/news/local/education/start-of-classes-delayed-at-lincolns-newest-elementary-school/article_07f56967-f307-58f9-94aa-7c961cc67ae6.html | 2022-08-05T23:27:03 | 1 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/education/start-of-classes-delayed-at-lincolns-newest-elementary-school/article_07f56967-f307-58f9-94aa-7c961cc67ae6.html |
A veteran Petersburg police officer was acquitted Thursday of assault charges stemming from an October incident in which he twice used a Taser on a suspect who reportedly was seen walking the streets carrying two handguns tucked in his waistband and possibly carrying a rifle.
After an all-day trial in Henrico Circuit Court, retired Judge James S. Yoffy found Lt. Jason Sharp, 50, not guilty of two misdemeanor assault charges and one count of making false statements in a police report. Yoffy ruled that Sharp’s use of his police-issued Taser on William Antonio Scott was “reasonable and appropriate” under the circumstances.
Sharp and Petersburg Officer Jonai Jackson went to Scott’s home in the 600 block of Pegram Street on Oct. 4 to investigate a 911 call about an armed man walking the streets with several weapons.
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Before arriving at Scott’s home, the officers were informed that Scott had previously been violent and resisted arrest, that he was a two-time convicted felon and was mentally unstable, said defense attorney Doug Ramseur.
Upon arrival, Jackson walked to the front door, knocked and ordered Scott to come out with his hands up, according to police body-cam footage of the encounter. When Scott came out he appeared visibly agitated, and when Jackson again commanded him to put his hands up, he repeatedly refused and made angry gestures and cursed at the officer.
Because of where she was positioned on the enclosed front porch, Jackson couldn’t move past Scott, and at that point Sharp intervened and directed Scott’s attention to him by saying, “What’s going on today?” the footage shows.
Scott, dressed in shorts with no shirt, then began walking down the porch steps toward Sharp, telling him to “Get the f- —” off his property. Sharp then drew his Taser and fired it at Scott, striking him as he stood on the first step, according to the footage.
Sharp then directed Jackson, a rookie officer who had recently graduated from the academy, “to come lock him up.” But Scott appeared to have recovered from the Taser shock, and when he began to move around, Sharp fired his Taser again, hitting Scott a second time.
“I’ll keep doing it!” Sharp can be heard saying. “Put the cuffs on him.”
Scott then complied and put his hands behind his back as instructed to be handcuffed.
Scott sustained minor injuries from the Taser and was treated at the scene before being taken to Southside Regional Medical Center for an emergency psychiatric evaluation, said Powhatan Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Cerullo, who was appointed special prosecutor in the case.
Cerullo argued that Sharp’s use of the Taser was unnecessary and excessive.
“In order to Taser someone, legally there has to be two elements,” the prosecutor said. “One you have to have a reasonable fear that he or someone else is in harm’s way. And there has to be an overt act on the part of the offender. So, I could be afraid of you but if you don’t approach me or come near me or take a swing at me, that’s not an overt act. And I didn’t think there was an overt act in this case.”
Cerullo called as a witness Dennis O’Keeffe, a former Henrico County police officer who now is director of security for HCA Hospital’s Capital Division, who reviewed the body camera footage. O’Keefee testified that he didn’t think there was an immediate threat to the officers that justified the use of the Taser.
The prosecutor also called Jackson, who during cross examination by Ramseur, admitted that she felt threatened by Scott’s actions. “That was a big turning point,’” Ramseur said.
Another witness, Petersburg Lt. Dan Felthoff, who originally was a prosecution witness, ended up testifying for the defense. “He testified that he thought that this use of the Taser was reasonable and in line with Petersburg’s policies,” Ramseur said.
It was also disclosed during the trial that Petersburg police had received a 911 call earlier in the day from a woman who claimed Scott had held a knife to her throat.
However, Cerullo said there was no evidence to corroborate the woman’s allegation. “I don’t know if that happened or not,” he said. “People call 911 and make allegations all the time.” Ultimately, Scott was not charged in the incident.
“Obviously, reasonable minds can disagree, and there were experts on both sides and they disagreed ,” Cerullo said of the outcome. “And my charging decision took that into account, and I felt that only a judge or a jury is qualified to make that determination. I, as the prosecutor, is not going to say, this guy is not guilty just because he’s a police officer.”
Cerullo said he accepts the judge’s decision. “It was a close call, we stand behind the evidence and we are disappointed.”
Ramseur said Sharp was suspended without pay since he was indicted on he charges in November, and is looking forward to returning to work. | https://richmond.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/petersburg-police-officer-acquitted-of-assault-charges-in-use-of-stun-gun-on-suspect/article_4f042d1d-be43-50e5-abf6-18b1657f6ac5.html | 2022-08-05T23:29:45 | 0 | https://richmond.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/petersburg-police-officer-acquitted-of-assault-charges-in-use-of-stun-gun-on-suspect/article_4f042d1d-be43-50e5-abf6-18b1657f6ac5.html |
Authorities on Friday released the identity of a woman found dead in Hanover County.
After enlisting the public’s help , investigators were able to identify the woman as Raquiah Paulette King, 20, of Hampton, according to the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.
Police were called July 21 to a report of a dead body seen at Winns Church and Greenwood roads. The medical examiner has ruled the cause of death as a homicide.
Investigators are working with the Hampton Police Department to determine the circumstances surrounding King’s death.
Anyone with information asked to contact the Hanover Sheriff’s Office at (804) 365-6140 or Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.
Top 5 weekend events: BrewHaha, Todd Barry & Avail Over the James
Virginia Credit Union Moonlight Ride
Friday
Take a scenic evening ride through Lakeside and Bryan Park before finishing at Sports Backers Stadium for a street festival-style celebration. The event features a 3-mile family ride and an 8-mile full course ride. Participants are encouraged to dress up or light up for prizes. Featuring food trucks, live music, a family zone and a post-ride party. Starting from 8 to 8:15 p.m. $37-$52. Registration at www.sportsbackers.org .
Jesse Peters
Mike Epps
Friday
Comedian Mike Epps is heading to Richmond for a night of stand-up. The funnyman has appeared in a slew of movies, comedy specials, and TV series. Last year, he starred in the Netflix comedy “The Upshaws,” based on his life growing up in poverty in Indiana and how comedy saved his life. 8 p.m. Altria Theater, 6 N. Laurel St. $52.50-$102.50. etix.com or (800) 514-3849.
Courtesy of the artist
Todd Barry
Saturday
Deadpan comedian Todd Barry, known for his Netflix special “Spicy Honey,” brings his stand-up set to the Ashland Theatre. 7 p.m. 205 England St., Ashland. $25-$42.50. www.ashlandtheatre.org or (804) 401-7007.
Mindy Tucker
BrewHaHa
Saturday
Head to the Virginia Museum of History & Culture for the fifth annual BrewHaha beer festival, featuring Virginia breweries such as Three Notch’d, 2 Silos, Waterbird and more, plus live music from the Slack Family Band, food trucks, and access to “Cheers, Virginia!,” the museum’s newest exhibit focused on the history of brewing, distilling and fermenting in Virginia. 6-8 p.m. 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. $35-$45. VirginiaHistory.org or (804) 340-1800.
Courtesy of VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF HISTORY & CULTURE
Avail Over the James
Saturday
Legendary Richmond punk bank Avail performs on Brown’s Island. The concert, “Over the James,” named after the band’s seminal 1998 album, will include performances by Quicksand, Cave In, Ceremony, Screaming Females and Terminal Bliss. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. $34.99-$44.99. https://thebroadberry.com .
Courtesy of the artist | https://richmond.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/police-hampton-woman-identified-in-hanover-homicide-investigation/article_8f3c790d-2d5a-5450-b49b-f85ab1c9c5cd.html | 2022-08-05T23:29:51 | 0 | https://richmond.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/police-hampton-woman-identified-in-hanover-homicide-investigation/article_8f3c790d-2d5a-5450-b49b-f85ab1c9c5cd.html |
The city of Richmond announced Friday that it is now considering just two development teams to replace The Diamond and build a new neighborhood around it.
According to a news release from the city, a panel of city officials has narrowed the field to RVA Diamond Partners and Richmond Community Development Partners, meaning that the Vision300 team that includes the Hourigan Group, Canterbury Enterprises, Timmons Group and Boston-based Freehold Capital Management is no longer being considered.
A new 10-page FAQ released by the city on Friday says officials expect to officially select a preferred development team “by the end of the summer.”
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“Panel members have been in communications with finalists to test financial assumptions to fully understand the stadium and infrastructure financing,” according to the document. “These discussions enable the Evaluation Panel to recommend the best development team with the best financial proposal to fulfill the city’s vision for the Diamond District.”
Members of the city panel include City Council members Katherine Jordan and Ann-Frances Lambert; Chief Administrative Officer Lincoln Saunders; Director of Economic Development Leonard Sledge; and James Duval, the city’s investment and debt portfolio manager.
The city has set its sights on redeveloping the area around The Diamond in hopes of capitalizing on recent economic growth in the nearby Scott’s Addition neighborhood and replacing the stadium so that the city’s Double-A Flying Squirrels baseball team can stay in Richmond.
After the city rezoned the area around the stadium last summer, the city earlier this year started soliciting developers to submit development proposals for the nearly 70 acres of public land where The Diamond is located.
City officials have said they envision new development at the site including mixed-use buildings and apartment complexes, retail shopping, restaurants and possibly a signature high-rise hotel or office.
The two remaining development teams have not revealed detailed plans yet, but officials and representatives have described some aspects of the project.
Affiliates of RVA Diamond Partners — which includes Thalhimer Realty Partners, Washington-based Republic Properties Corp. and Loop Capital of Chicago — have said their project will feature an 11-acre crescent park that winds through the development side and has a direct connection with the new ballpark.
Richmond Community Development Partners, led by Houston-based development firm Machete Group in partnership with JMA Ventures of San Francisco and Gilbane Building Co., have said they intend to build a “vibrant urban destination” with components of affordable housing.
The project faces a short timeline, as the management of the Flying Squirrels says a new stadium is needed by 2025 in order to meet new facility standards established by Major League Baseball. Otherwise, the team could leave. City officials say renovation of The Diamond, which opened in 1985, is not feasible.
A city-commissioned study says a new stadium could cost at least $80 million. Richmond officials have said they are seeking to minimize public financing for the development.
In order for the project to happen, the City Council must approve the sale of the property as well as the terms and conditions of the partnership. Seven of its nine members must vote for it to proceed.
(804) 649-6178 | https://richmond.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/update-finalist-list-for-diamond-district-developer-narrows/article_d6220712-e9a7-5d9b-a853-627d00997bb2.html | 2022-08-05T23:29:57 | 1 | https://richmond.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/update-finalist-list-for-diamond-district-developer-narrows/article_d6220712-e9a7-5d9b-a853-627d00997bb2.html |
The name of Richmond’s new bike lane street sweeper has been chosen and it’s MF BROOM.
Venture Richmond launched a Sweet 16 tournament-style bracket for the public to choose the new name for the sweeper on Twitter. The final vote came down to The Grim Sweeper vs. MF BROOM.
MF BROOM is a play on the name of MF DOOM, an underground hip-hop artist who died in 2020. The “MF” stands for Metal Face.
Over 600 votes were cast on the final bracket with 59.1% voting for MF BROOM and 40.9% going to The Grim Sweeper.
“I remain a fan of LeBroom James, but the people have spoken. Congratulations MF Broom!” Mayor Levar Stoney said via email on Friday, referencing one of the early names knocked out of the running.
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The naming contest was aimed as a way to generate city pride for its new mini-street sweeper. The bike lane sweeper is smaller than the average street sweeper and will keep bike lanes clear of debris and help make them safer for cyclists. Brantley Tyndall, director of Bike Walk RVA, said the group had been advocating for a bike lane sweeper for years.
He said he was thrilled to see the Richmond biking community be “enthusiastically engaged” with the naming contest.
“The selection process got really energetic at times with the rivalry between runner up Meryl Sweep and winner MF Broom,” Tyndall said via email.
“MF Broom is a fitting and clever name for the sweeper, as its namesake, MF Doom, was a thoughtful and innovative rap artist cherished for his flowing lines, interesting brand, and compelling message of inclusivity that I think is a foundation of the biking movement in Richmond,” he added.
The city of Richmond will host a naming ceremony with details to be released at a later date.
Until then, if you see the mini-street sweeper go by, you can call it by its new name, “MF BROOM!”
The people have spoken! We crowdsourced name ideas, you voted, and the name of the new @DPW_RichmondVA bike lane sweeper is... 🥁
— Venture Richmond (@VentureRVA) August 5, 2022
🎉 MF BROOM 🎉
The @CityRichmondVA will host a naming ceremony—details coming soon. Until then, enjoy your clean bike lanes! #RVASweep16 pic.twitter.com/fYcEpVwZVC
For context, the name “MF BROOM” is a play on the name of the late underground hip-hop artist, MF DOOM, who passed away in 2020. The “MF” stands for Metal Face. Learn more about him in the link. And “The Grim Sweeper,” well, that speaks for itself. https://t.co/nBhGrahQP0
— Venture Richmond (@VentureRVA) August 3, 2022 | https://richmond.com/news/local/the-name-of-richmonds-new-mini-street-sweeper-is/article_ae154db0-f496-50b4-8cd5-936edc0679cd.html | 2022-08-05T23:30:03 | 1 | https://richmond.com/news/local/the-name-of-richmonds-new-mini-street-sweeper-is/article_ae154db0-f496-50b4-8cd5-936edc0679cd.html |
Carter In The ClassroomFocusing on unique things school districts are doing to help children succeed. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/carter-in-the-classroom/are-there-enough-teachers-for-north-texas-schools/3041727/ | 2022-08-05T23:33:32 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/carter-in-the-classroom/are-there-enough-teachers-for-north-texas-schools/3041727/ |
Texas high school football players are back in pads this week. And with it, comes extra preparation to stay hydrated and safe amid long stretches of triple-digit heat.
Empty stands and full sun in the sky are signs another Texas high school football season is underway.
At Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas it means not only how you prepare, but when.
“We make sure we pick the coolest part of the day and all our protocols are set,” said Raul Velazquez, the head athletic trainer at TJ. He says that means a 2-hour practice starting at 8 a.m.
Dallas ISD has its 4-page heat guidelines online with rules around how often and when school can practice outside highlighted for extra emphasis. Dallas ISD does not allow any practices between 12 p.m and 6 p.m.
Jamey Harrison is deputy director with the UIL, which oversees Texas high school sports, and says coaches are required to be trained in emergency response and to recognize the signs of heat-related illness.
“We are aware of the record-breaking temperatures that we’re experiencing in most parts of Texas this year,” Harrison said.
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The latest news from around North Texas.
The UIL requires schools to allow students to acclimatize, to try and get used to the heat over several days before practice intensifies.
Harrison adds another change in recent years which allows student-athletes on campus for strength and conditioning in June and July, which helps too.
“They’re better acclimatized and they’re more accustomed to practicing so, it really changes the dynamic of that first week in a really positive way,” Harrison said.
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) lists exertional heat stroke as the leading cause of preventable deaths in high school athletics.
Dallas ISD goes beyond state requirements and mandates the availability of a cold tub at practices and measuring, which rapidly lowers core body temperature, key to reducing the possibility of long-term injury or death from heat stroke.
The state's second-largest district also requires the use of Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) which takes into account not just air temperature and relative humidity (heat index), but also wind speed and radiant heat from the sun.
Velazquez says the precautions in concert with preparation and communication help keep student-athletes safe.
“My players have done a really good job of taking care of each other, of letting me know when ‘hey one of our teammates is not feeling good’ calling me or letting one of the coaches know.” | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-isd-prepares-for-possibility-of-heat-related-illness-during-august-football-practices/3041767/ | 2022-08-05T23:33:39 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-isd-prepares-for-possibility-of-heat-related-illness-during-august-football-practices/3041767/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-sting-soccer-story-heads-to-the-big-screen/3041810/ | 2022-08-05T23:33:45 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-sting-soccer-story-heads-to-the-big-screen/3041810/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/detective-and-construction-worker-take-stand-on-day-4-of-yaser-said-trial/3041795/ | 2022-08-05T23:33:51 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/detective-and-construction-worker-take-stand-on-day-4-of-yaser-said-trial/3041795/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dog-days-of-summer-mushu-and-winston/3041762/ | 2022-08-05T23:33:58 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dog-days-of-summer-mushu-and-winston/3041762/ |
A local U.S. Army veteran, turned fitness enthusiast, can now add cover girl to her resume.
Destiny Monroe took her fitness journey to Instagram in hopes of inspiring people, specifically women, when it comes to a healthy lifestyle. When the pandemic hit, her platform because even more important, motivating people from their homes to get up and get moving.
After appearances on The TODAY Show and amassing tens of thousands of followers on social media, Monroe recently was honored with the cover of Strong magazine.
"I couldn't really believe it," Monroe said. "Yea, I know that I did the photo shoot and I did the interview and everything, but I can't believe I am on the cover!"
The Dallasite now owns her own gym in Dallas, called JD Iron Gym, and has recently launched her own fitness app, Raw Fitness, where she is now training 1,000 women virtually.
"I have just always wanted to inspire women, especially women of color, that we can do this. We can be healthy," Monroe said.
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The latest news from around North Texas.
She said there is no substitute for hard work, but her three keys to success include continuing to check in with her mental health, fostering good discipline with a daily routine and practicing self-love. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/local-army-veteran-highlighted-in-strong-magazine/3037567/ | 2022-08-05T23:34:05 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/local-army-veteran-highlighted-in-strong-magazine/3037567/ |
Hollywood loves an underdog story. The Dallas Sting's 1984 win has everything. They were the underdog women's soccer team that helped change the sport for women.
"We thought we could compete with everyone," former Dallas Sting Coach Bill Kinder said.
He took the team to China to compete in an international soccer tournament in 1984, playing against some professional teams. The Dallas Sting was a club team, based in Richardson.
"We started slow. It took a while for them to kinda get their rhythm, but then we gained steam," Kinder said. "We beat Australia 2-0 in the final."
"They would cheer 'USA, USA' for the USA," former Dallas Sting striker Sheri Mungai said.
The team became the first American soccer team, men's or women's, to win a major international tournament. It helped change women's soccer.
"From that, the U.S. Soccer Federation decided we've got something in girl's soccer, perhaps, what we don't have in men's soccer," Kinder said. "And started the Women's National Team from that event."
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Now it's the subject of a Hollywood movie in the making.
"They hired Matthew McConaughey to be the lead role," Kinder said, meaning McConaughey will play him. "I think he's a great choice because he's a great actor, and he won't have to work on his accent!"
For some former Dallas Sting players, the prospect of a movie about their part in sports history brings back memories.
"We were just a bunch of kids playing a sport that we loved," former Dallas Sting midfielder Toni Catchings said. "I'm ecstatic girls have the opportunities nowadays that they do, and I hope it continues to improve."
"We didn't have anybody to watch on game film or anything," former Dallas Sting defender Michelle Kimzey said. "I think it's great they have those role models now."
"We had fun doing it," former Dallas Sting forward Erin Adamson-O'Donnell said. "We thank Kinder for that."
"I give all the credit to the young ladies that did all the hard work," Kinder said. "As I tell them, they were the circus, I just drove the truck to the next town."
Kinder said the movie producers and director say he and McConaughey will be getting together in the future to get to know one another. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/matthew-mcconaughey-to-play-former-dallas-sting-soccer-coach-in-upcoming-movie/3041700/ | 2022-08-05T23:34:11 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/matthew-mcconaughey-to-play-former-dallas-sting-soccer-coach-in-upcoming-movie/3041700/ |
A Texas man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for attacking an Asian family in 2020 because he thought they were Chinese and therefore responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, according to federal court records
Jose Gomez III, 21, of Midland, was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to three counts of committing a hate crime.
When pleading guilty in March, Gomez admitted that he used a knife to slash Bawi Cung and his 6 and 2-year-old sons inside Sam's Club in Midland because he believed they were Chinese and spreading the coronavirus.
Bawi Cung is from the southeast Asian nation of Myanmar.
The March 2020 attack occurred as Asians faced verbal harassment and physical assaults across the United States after the virus began spreading nationwide.
Gomez did not know the family when he followed them inside the store, federal authorities said in a statement. He followed them for several minutes because he perceived them to be a "threat" because they were "from the country who started spreading that disease around," according to the statement.
Gomez then purchased a serrated steak knife and slashed the three before a Sam's Club employee intervened, stopping the attack as Gomez yelled "Get out of America," prosecutors said. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/texas-man-sentenced-to-25-years-for-virus-related-attack-on-asians/3041615/ | 2022-08-05T23:34:17 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/texas-man-sentenced-to-25-years-for-virus-related-attack-on-asians/3041615/ |
YORK, Pa. — Omega Horse Rescue in Peach Bottom Township is in dire straits.
“COVID and the economy have hit us really hard here at the rescue with funding," Director Kelly Smith said. "And we are now into our savings.”
Since the onset of the pandemic donations and the number of volunteers have dwindled.
“People are struggling to help us through donations because their costs are going up," Omega Barn Manager Samantha Raffensberger said. "They don't even have $5 or $10 extra anymore to help us.”
The organization rescues horses and additional animals from slaughter, abandonment, and other situations, then rehabbing them back to health. Losing donations as the dollar loses horsepower against rising costs has stalled their ability to help.
“That makes it harder for us to be able to go and help the horses, because we're putting more into the rehabilitation for the ones that we have," Raffensberger said.
It’s an issue impacting horse rescues nationwide. Beth Kokoruda of Travelers Rest Farm Sanctuary in Maryland has already taken measures into her own hands
“I've shut down my intake program," Kokoruda said. "I'm no longer able to take on more horses at this point.”
Kokoruda had to take the reins on funding her rescue by giving money out of her own pocket.
“I've taken on a second job," Kokoruda said. "Whatever we can do at this point to just feed the horses and cover expenses is what I've been trying to do.”
With uncertainty on if things will get better, Omega is leaning on community aid.
“It's really hard," Raffensberger said. "Day-to-day everything changes.”
“We really need [the public's] support in order for us to continue our mission of helping animals in need," Smith said.
There are multiple ways you can help, including donating money or volunteering. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/york-county/horse-rescues-struggle-inflation-costs-pandemic/521-d715a4cb-54cc-4553-bc7d-37b4703b5c34 | 2022-08-05T23:41:27 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/york-county/horse-rescues-struggle-inflation-costs-pandemic/521-d715a4cb-54cc-4553-bc7d-37b4703b5c34 |
PHOENIX — Arizona's harsh summers can make it nearly unbearable for certain professionals to work outside during the season. Construction is one of those sectors in high demand in our state, even as the stress of heat hits workers hard.
Construction workers are at risk of developing heat stroke, dehydration, exhaustion, and other heat-related illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That makes heat safety protocols even more important.
The CDC reported that 285 construction workers died from heat-related causes between 1992 and 2016.
In Arizona, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported there were at least six heat-related deaths in 2020, for people working across all industries.
Ryan Companies, which did the construction work for Goodyear City Hall, said they use an array of technology to stay ahead of the desert's dangerous heat.
There are cooling areas for employees to take breaks. An OSHA App is used to track the daily heat index and gives hydration instructions for workers. And there are plans in place if workers start to feel sick from the heat, said Ricky Erhardt, senior superintendent at the Goodyear City Hall project.
“Just the other day we had a guy out front who was slumped over, meaning that we take him into the building, get him into a cool place, hydrate him, call his company, have him escorted to the clinic to be checked out at that point to make sure he’s good to go," Erhardt said. "Sometimes they hook him up to an IV bag, bring him back, but it happens a lot out here.”
Erhardt added their hours shift earlier in summer too and they wear long sleeves to protect from sun exposure. Teams are constantly preaching to drink water day and night, and avoid caffeine and alcohol.
Monsoon storms can also create problems for construction crews. Ryan Companies said it uses technology and weather tracking apps to not only protect employees from heat, but also from strong wind and lightning.
If lightning is within 10 miles of the site, Ryan Companies said they stop working. The site is usually shut down for the day and workers don't return until the next.
If winds crank up past 15 miles per hour, the cranes are stopped because of safety hazards and are used again when the wind slows down.
RELATED: Zap! Thousands of lightning flashes hit Arizona during monsoon storm. Here's a map of where they hit
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Catch up on the latest news and stories on our 12 News YouTube playlist here. | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona-construction-company-technology-protect-workers-extreme-heat/75-1bfdf3b9-ba4a-4781-957f-c0e739c10e95 | 2022-08-05T23:45:03 | 1 | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona-construction-company-technology-protect-workers-extreme-heat/75-1bfdf3b9-ba4a-4781-957f-c0e739c10e95 |
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