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CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — Multifest is in full swing on Kanawha Boulevard in Charleston. The event runs from Friday to Sunday.
On Friday, participants heard music and got to eat plenty of good food.
On Saturday, there’s a hip-hop workout, along with Zumba and yoga.
Former NBA player and current Assistant Marshall Basketball Coach Tamar Slay will be at the event.
Multifest is also honoring one of its leaders, former Charleston Police Chief Dallas Staples.
The website thanks him for his hard work and dedication to taking Multifest to the status of being the most prolonged running and largest diversity festival in the Mountain State. | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/2022-multifest-is-underway-in-charleston/ | 2022-08-06T03:49:00 | 0 | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/2022-multifest-is-underway-in-charleston/ |
Man in critical condition after shooting in Phoenix, suspect outstanding
Haleigh Kochanski
Arizona Republic
Phoenix Police Department says a man has been transported to a hospital in critical condition after a shooting in the area of 7th Street and Greenway Parkway Thursday night.
The shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. The victim was not in a vehicle when he was shot and a passerby called, according to Phoenix PD Sgt. Brian Bower. The road was closed for several hours at the time but has since opened back up.
No suspects have been arrested. An investigation is ongoing.
Reach breaking news reporter Haleigh Kochanski at hkochanski@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @HaleighKochans.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-breaking/2022/08/05/man-critical-condition-after-shooting-phoenix/10245969002/ | 2022-08-06T03:49:37 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-breaking/2022/08/05/man-critical-condition-after-shooting-phoenix/10245969002/ |
Arizona lottery numbers, August 5
Associated Press
These Arizona lotteries were drawn Friday:
Pick 3
6-4-5
Fantasy 5
03-14-17-20-40
Triple Twist
03-10-20-27-34-38
Estimated jackpot: $260,000
Mega Millions
Estimated jackpot: $36 million
Powerball
Estimated jackpot: $20 million | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/08/05/arizona-lottery-numbers-august-5/10254026002/ | 2022-08-06T03:49:43 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/08/05/arizona-lottery-numbers-august-5/10254026002/ |
BLUFF CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – After some Sullivan County water customers went a day without service, a county commissioner is calling on a utility district to better communicate.
Commissioner Hershel Glover said much of his district was without water from Thursday to Friday. He said customers in the Bristol Bluff City and South Fork Utility Districts were not notified of the outage until late Friday morning.
“I got some calls this morning that their water had been off, started yesterday about 11,” Glover said.
The outage was caused by a break during the installation of an enhanced water meter in the Pleasant Grove Road area near Bluff City.
Bristol Bluff City Utility District was working on the meter, which serves South Fork Utility District customers.
Glover said customers should have been notified Thursday after the break happened instead of leaving customers without any explanation as to why service was out or when it would be restored.
“The upgrade probably needed to be done, but the frustrating part is that no one was notified in a timely manner so they could put some water back or have some water on hand if something happened,” Glover said.
As of Friday afternoon, service had been restored to all Bristol Bluff City customers and 90% of South Fork customers.
But Glover said the lack of timeliness could have had a negative impact on customers.
“You have folks in this area that have a lot of livestock. That’s the only means that some of them to water their cattle, their horses,” Glover said. “Lot of folks in this area, that’s older folks and probably didn’t have any means of getting out and getting water for their usage.”
South Fork Utility District has faced its fair share of issues in the past year, but Glover said they had nothing to do with the service outage.
A state comptroller investigation found irregularities in the administration and led to the resignation of some of the utility district’s commissioners.
County commissioners have no control over utility districts, but Glover said names had been submitted to refill some of South Fork’s open positions.
“I do think that there were some names presented to the mayor a couple weeks ago of some folks to step in and take the place of some of the ones that been removed or resigned,” Glover said.
Glover said he would be contacting Bristol Bluff City Utility District to make sure the communication issue does not happen again. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/sullivan-county-commissioner-wants-better-communication-from-water-district/ | 2022-08-06T03:50:31 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/sullivan-county-commissioner-wants-better-communication-from-water-district/ |
FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) - Some confusion remains over how city of Flint residents can apply for federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
The controversy started with a form Councilman Eric Mays was promoting online for people to sign up for ARPA funds. The city said his document was not the official form.
The form Mays promoted is the same document that the Flint City Council provided for residents during a series of community input sessions earlier this year.
Mays said the form is the first step for people and organizations hoping to tap into the ARPA funds. More than a dozen of these forms have been reviewed by the city's hired compliance firm, Ernst and Young.
A representative from the firm did not return a message seeking comment about the situation Friday.
There is a 900-page binder spelling out rules, regulations and compliance requirements about applying for the ARPA dollars.
Flint Chief Financial Officer Robert Widigan said there is no rule that says the council can't have an application form, but he said the document that is currently in circulation is missing some necessary details.
Widigan said the form should include the applicant's tax returns receive federal grant dollars at the very minimum.
Flint received $94.7 million from the American Rescue Plan Act. According to a news release from the city just over $21.6 million has been allocated so far this year.
Another $9 million is pending before the Flint City Council and $69.5 million has yet to be allocated. All of the money must be allocated by Dec. 31, 2024, or it will be forfeited. | https://www.abc12.com/news/local/flint-city-councilmans-arpa-request-form-missing-key-details-official-says/article_49d9c20c-152d-11ed-9efd-9b630b4499de.html | 2022-08-06T03:58:28 | 0 | https://www.abc12.com/news/local/flint-city-councilmans-arpa-request-form-missing-key-details-official-says/article_49d9c20c-152d-11ed-9efd-9b630b4499de.html |
BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — About 50,000 people in Benton County will soon have a new ambulance provider. The cities impacted include Cave springs, Centerton, Decatur, Gentry, and Highfill.
The Mayor of Cave Springs says he’s planning the next steps after speaking with the Benton County judge.
“I do appreciate the fact that he brought all the cities together that are involved. We are working with him and with each other to put together a process,” said Randall Noblett.
Judge Barry Moehring tells 5NEWS that this move comes as a surprise. He says northwest health cited financial issues with the contract for this decision.
“We've been in meetings all week to come up with a new proposal that will be in the newspaper for bid and we'll be interviewing prospects in the next month or so,” said Moehring
Northwest Health Spokesperson Christina Bull released a statement, saying in part:
"Northwest Health has notified Benton County that it will terminate the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agreement, effective Jan. 30, 2023. Northwest Health EMS will continue to provide emergency response and transport services until then to ensure adequate time for the County to identify a new EMS provider.
Northwest Health made this decision in order to refocus resources on its hospital services and other points of care across the community.
Northwest Health has appreciated the opportunity to provide EMS services to western Benton County including Gentry, Decatur, Cave Springs, Highfill and Centerton for the past three years and looks forward to continuing to be a health resource for local residents through our large network of healthcare services and locations."
The Mayor of Centerton says the decision also threw him off guard because of their strong working relationship.
“Because here currently in Centerton we have two of their ambulances here which serves quite of a bit of the area to the west of Centeron and also the city limits proper,” Bill Edwards said.
In the meantime, he and the other cities are working to find a new provider and he doesn’t want residents to be concerned.
“Us and the other cities…. they’ve all been working together, and everyone has been very proactive,” said Edwards.
County officials say they are confident a new provider will be chosen quickly enough so there is no lapse in service. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/northwest-health-ems-contract-benton-county/527-33d69925-1b85-4e58-9722-610b21d8227c | 2022-08-06T04:05:25 | 0 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/northwest-health-ems-contract-benton-county/527-33d69925-1b85-4e58-9722-610b21d8227c |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-man-confronts-catalytic-converter-thief-were-sick-of-this/3041945/ | 2022-08-06T04:07:33 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-man-confronts-catalytic-converter-thief-were-sick-of-this/3041945/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/furniture-delivery-driver-killed-in-carjacking-in-fort-worth/3041938/ | 2022-08-06T04:07:39 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/furniture-delivery-driver-killed-in-carjacking-in-fort-worth/3041938/ |
ANDREWS, Texas — There's something brewing in Andrews that is causing a lot of excitement. The U10 All-Star Little League team has made history as the first team from the city to make the Cal Ripken World Series.
The kids on this team are pretty excited, especially since this is one of the biggest competitions in a number of these players lives so far.
"It's just a lifetime experience," team third baseman Aiden Nunez said. "I'm just excited to be on this team."
This is something that this team has been hoping to accomplish since the start of the season. Even though they have already reached their original goal, Coach Mario Aguilar thinks his team can take the next step.
"We want to win it all," Aguilar said. "Those who know me know me well enough know that I do my scouting. I do my checking out on the other teams. It looks like we have a pretty good shot at this."
This accomplishment has really caught the attention of their community. In fact, so much so that the mayor of the town came to practice and declared July 26 "Andrews Little League World Series Day."
"This is a very big achievement that they've reached," Mayor Flora Braly said. "The community's behind them. We thank the players, the coaches, the parents."
This tournament takes place in Vincennes, Indiana from Aug. 4-14. | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/andrews-u10-all-star-team-makes-history/513-a51ccc28-7f38-4152-bc95-8b5457028789 | 2022-08-06T04:14:23 | 0 | https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/andrews-u10-all-star-team-makes-history/513-a51ccc28-7f38-4152-bc95-8b5457028789 |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With the cost of everyday necessities like groceries, fuel, utilities and more rising, some are seeking out community resources to help them fill the gap for the first time.
Mayra Romero, 29, recently lost her job with the Girl Scouts of Northern California. The news came shortly after she and her fiancé closed on a new home in Carmichael.
Now, the Romeros, who have a 7-year-old and are expecting a newborn in just over a month, are strapped to a single salary and are watching their budget. The higher cost of essentials is noticeable.
Mayra, who has never been unemployed or sought community resources, is looking to organizations for help with items government programs or assistance will not.
“The week that we’re closing on a house, the month before I go on maternity leave... it was just unexpected,” said Romero.
On Friday, she visited La Familia’s Maple Neighborhood Center in South Sacramento where an organization was offering free diapers and baby formula.
The La Familia Counseling Center is seeing an increase in the number of people seeking assistance, according to Susie Alcala, the Career Center Site Supervisor with La Familia.
The nonprofit, among other similar groups in the region, continues to offer services to those in need.
“It has been very difficult this year with food prices, gas prices, with the children being out of school,” said Alcala.
Over the summer, the group has hosted food drives, vaccine clinics, and summer programs for children. On Saturday, Aug. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., La Familia will host a back-to-school health clinic where they will offer free backpacks with school supplies, food, and vaccines.
Children must be present to receive a backpack and all services are on a first come, first served basis with limited supplies.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: Historic congressional vote would reduce health care costs for millions of Californians | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/some-sacramento-families-seek-help-with-essentials/103-023b55de-6aa6-4064-af40-9f4d6e9b8724 | 2022-08-06T04:20:36 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/some-sacramento-families-seek-help-with-essentials/103-023b55de-6aa6-4064-af40-9f4d6e9b8724 |
STOCKTON, Calif. — A 19-year-old was killed and another teen was injured in a shooting in Stockton Thursday.
Police say the shooting happened near Morada Lane and Maranatha Drive around 5:30 p.m. When they got to the scene, they found two people with gunshot wounds inside a car.
The driver, 19-year-old Jaylen Malone of Lathrop, was pronounced dead at the scene while the other person in the car, a 17-year-old girl, was taken to the hospital.
There is no information on suspects at this time.
"It's very tragic for the entire community, and that's why that area is going to be getting some special attention from the department. Our neighborhood impact team will be going out there with our department chaplain. Going door to door talking to neighbors. Listening to their concerns," said Stockton Police PIO, Joe Silva.
Police say something like a double shooting doesn't usually happen in the area. ABC10 tried speaking with several neighbors. None of them wanted to talk on camera.
Thursday's deadly shooting leaves the city's homicide count at 31. Last year's homicide count totaled 38.
"Having 31 at this time, once again, it is concerning to us because at this same time last year we were at 25, so we have seen an uptick in homicides. But overall our non-injury fatal shootings are down by 16% this year," said Silva.
Silva says the men and women of Stockton are working hard every day to get guns off the streets.
Police are looking for surveillance video and they're asking the community to alert them if they saw anything. There's also a $10,000 reward for anyone leading to an arrest. You can call Stockton Crime Stoppers at (209) 946-0600.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: Woman killed in Natomas gas station shooting identified as an employee | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/stockton-police-homicide-count-after-shooting/103-6e7ef366-5b37-400e-bdef-631b959b19a1 | 2022-08-06T04:20:42 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/stockton-police-homicide-count-after-shooting/103-6e7ef366-5b37-400e-bdef-631b959b19a1 |
SAN DIEGO — Lisa Miller works for Pivot Sacramento and helps women find employment.
“We've had customers that were sleeping in their car, they're sleeping in their car with kids,” Miller said.
She said she serves mostly black and brown women, and the biggest barrier to employment is housing.
“Rent just just took this giant leap," Miller said. "A one bedroom apartment is over $1,000. Rent is way too much.”
A new report shows that women are facing the greatest burden of the housing crisis, especially black women. Burdened means the woman is spending at least 30% to 50% of her salary on rent.
We know rent in California is high, but why do women allocate more of their salary to it than men?
“I have some folks that applied for a position, man and woman, doing kind of the same job, and the man is getting more money than the woman," Miller said. "$1.50 more (an hour).”
President of Gender Equity Policy Institute Nancy Cohen said miller hit the nail on the head.
“Women tend to earn less than men, and they tend to hold less wealth," Cohen said. "So that means they have less to spend on housing.”
The list doesn’t stop there.
“Women are more responsible for taking care of children and the elderly, they have less time to commute, they have less time to be in the paid workforce,” Cohen said.
Third, she said sexual harassment plays a large role in the housing market.
Here are some numbers from the report:
- 59% of Black women are rent burdened
- 52% of Latina women
- 73% of all single mothers are rent burdened
“Many of the ladies that come in black and brown are single parents," Miller said. "They don't have that family support or that that dad that's paying child support, and so they're really struggling."
And having a job, sometimes makes it harder to get assistance.
"The welfare to reform, welfare to work, doesn't really provide support if you're working" Miller said. "There's people I know, they're struggling, they can't get any public assistance, not Medicaid, enough food stamps, and they absolutely need it.”
Miller said it’s getting so bad, her employees are even paying for hotel rooms for some of the women that come in so they don’t have to sleep on the street with their children.
It's behavior she has to tell them to stop doing because there are just too many people to do that for.
What are the solutions? For one, building more housing in cities. Cohen said women tend to rely more on public transportation. So the closer they can live to child care and work, the bigger role they can play in the workforce.
WATCH RELATED: Rynor Report: What's being done to promote student health (August 2022) | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/women-california-especially-black-women-disproportionately-impacted-cost-of-housing/509-c1ff844f-0ebf-42c2-9ee7-c0b1785b9ea3 | 2022-08-06T04:20:49 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/women-california-especially-black-women-disproportionately-impacted-cost-of-housing/509-c1ff844f-0ebf-42c2-9ee7-c0b1785b9ea3 |
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — More students are gearing up to head back to the classroom, which means organizations like CASA of the Coastal Bend said it's a time child abuse cases or neglect can pick up.
"Historically what we see when school starts is probably an uptick in children that come into foster care for the next few months after school starts," said CASA Communication Director Diana Booth.
Booth has been with CASA for 15 years. She said after the summer months with kids being at home, they typically see an increase in calls.
"Because the teachers do definitely report abuse and neglect," Booth said.
John Lennan is with Family Protective Services. He said it's hard for them to predict what the next school year will bring with cases and investigations, but they are ready.
"We're prepared to receive whatever calls come in and we're equipped to respond to those calls to help any of those children or families that may need our assistance," Lennan said.
It's an idea those at CASA are also on board with.
"That's one of the things that we tried to be prepared for here at CASA," Booth said.
To be a volunteer residents must be 21 years or older, and must pass a background check.
More from 3News on KIIITV.com:
- Aransas Pass Police kill man after kidnapping, car chase, shootout
- Harbor Bridge developer still not commenting on TxDOT order to halt construction
- 'It's incredible': Family of Selena talks new music from the Queen of Tejano on Good Morning America
- Corpus Christi family looks for answers after father of two was found dead inside burned SUV in San Antonio
- Corpus Christi LGBTQ+ community concerned stigma will grow as monkeypox virus spreads
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If you do not have a photo/video to submit, just click "OK" to skip that prompt. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/casa-of-the-coastal-bend/503-36b97f0e-bcd4-4e78-a0a0-ac00d4f928a8 | 2022-08-06T04:21:20 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/casa-of-the-coastal-bend/503-36b97f0e-bcd4-4e78-a0a0-ac00d4f928a8 |
A toddler died Friday afternoon after a concrete truck went over an overpass on Beltway 8, landing on a vehicle, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Gonzalez said there were four people — a 54-year-old woman, a 24-year-old woman and two 22-month-old twins — in the vehicle when the concrete truck landed on it.
Three of the passengers were able to get out, but the sheriff's office said one of the toddlers couldn't.
The crash happened around 2:30 p.m. at the intersection of Woodforest and Beltway 8, according to Gonzalez. A deputy with HCSO said the driver of the concrete truck was a 36-year-old woman who did not show any signs of intoxication.
The deputy said a preliminary investigation shows that the driver attempted to slow the vehicle down before it went over the overpass. He said the slick roadways may have caused the crash.
HCSO said at around 4:40 p.m. that the intersection would be closed until the Texas Department of Transportation determines it is safe to reopen. Officials ask that you avoid the area at this time.
An investigation into the crash is underway. The Harris County District Attorney's Office was on the scene to review the facts and determine whether any charges will be filed, according to HCSO.
You can watch the update HCSO gave at the scene below:
One witness told KHOU 11's Zack Tawatari the crash unfolded right in front of her eyes.
"When somebody slams their brakes and you hear that screeching," said Imelda Quintero, who witnessed the crash. "All the sudden something’s falling out of the sky basically and falling on another truck. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/cement-truck-lands-on-vehicle-houston-texas-child-dead/285-140af224-0813-4395-a975-c3bb88dd0d01 | 2022-08-06T04:21:21 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/cement-truck-lands-on-vehicle-houston-texas-child-dead/285-140af224-0813-4395-a975-c3bb88dd0d01 |
TYLER, Texas — Friends, family, and community members packed the pews inside Green Acres Baptist Church to celebrate the life of Deputy Lorenzo Bustos.
Inside the church was a sense of brotherhood, community, and overwhelming grief.
A slideshow of happier moments played on the screen as the family of Deputy Bustos entered the church.
Everyone in attendance stood to show their respect. Dr. Dan Lewis opened the ceremony with a prayer.
"Father would you bless his family today," Pastor Dan Lewis said.
Followed by an obituary read by Reverend Steve Lyles.
"He had a passion for helping others and advocated doing the right thing, no matter what. Lorenzo’s family will remember him for his bigger than life personality, sense of humor, deep family commitment, and continual love," Reverend Steve Lyles said.
It was his continual love that will be missed most by his family. His wife comforting their children before she gave an emotional eulogy. She promised her late husband their kids would be okay.
"He was a loving father to our little one always teaching them the good morals to never lie, to always say yessir and ma’am to love Jesus. But most importantly he was a good husband, he was my best friend, my everything. We love you so much and don’t worry I got it from here," said Gloria Bustos, wife of Deputy Lorenzo Bustos. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/funeral-service-for-deputy-lorenzo-bustos/501-6e9699f4-dfb9-4b73-8495-e8634eef67ac | 2022-08-06T04:21:21 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/funeral-service-for-deputy-lorenzo-bustos/501-6e9699f4-dfb9-4b73-8495-e8634eef67ac |
TYLER, Texas — Hundreds of family, friends and fellow law enforcement officers gathered at Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler Friday morning to honor fallen Smith County Deputy Lorenzo Bustos.
Bustos, 29, was killed in the line of duty overnight July 29 when a suspected drunk driver struck the deputy during a traffic stop. He was on his last day of training with the Smith County Sheriff's Office when the wreck happened.
In an emotional eulogy to her husband, Gloria Bustos said he was a loving father to the young children.
"Most importantly he was a good husband, he was my best friend, my everything. We love you so much and don’t worry I got it from here," she said.
They loved dancing together and their favorite song to dance to was "Stand By Me."
"He was trying to make the world a better place one bad guy at a time. Lorenzo left us too soon and we don't know why. All we can do is trust in God." she said. "I love you honey and until we meet again."
Rev. Pat Alvey is delivering a message and prayer for the funeral attendee, while Ricky Len Williams is serving as the Spanish interpreter.
Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said in his speech that as a law enforcement family, he and Bustos' fellow officers are grieving as well. Smith noted the sacrifices that officers and deputies make constantly to protect and serve.
"Law enforcement is a duty we have been called to do by a higher being," Smith said.
He also said a prayer asking God to protect the law enforcement officers who serve their communities daily.
After the conclusion of the indoor service, there was a 21-gun salute and TAPS, folding of the American flag, presentation of the flag, final call and prayer.
A motorcade will be traveling back to the funeral home for the procession.
The procession began at Green Acres Baptist and turn left onto Troup Highway at South Beckham Ave and then right onto South Broadway Ave. The path then continued to Front Street, where it moved left and traveled outside of the city limits, according to the Tyler Police Department announcement.
Procession participants eventually reached Memorial Park Cemetery on Highway 64 West.
Police said the following streets will be closed during the procession:
- Troup Highway from Golden Road to Troup Highway/S. Beckham Ave
- Troup Highway to S. Broadway Ave
- S. Broadway Ave from Troup Highway to Front Street
- Front Street from S. Broadway Ave to Patton Lane
- Patton Lane from Front Street to Highway 64 West
- Highway 64 West from Patton Lane to Memorial Park Cemetery.
Before coming to Smith County, Bustos worked at the Henderson Police Department and the Rusk County Sheriff's Office.
He began his law enforcement career in 2012 at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as a corrections officer and was promoted to Sergeant in 2016.
He graduated from Chapel Hill High School in 2011. According to his obituary, Bustos was known as the "class clown who consistently had a bright smile and could make everyone laugh."
He married his high school sweetheart Gloria and they have three children together (ages 8, 5 and 4).
Bustos was also a loyal member of Friendly Baptist Church in Tyler. The Friendly Baptist praise team performed three songs throughout the service.
"He had a passion for helping others and advocated doing the right thing, no matter what. Lorenzo's family will remember him for his bigger than life personality, sense of humor, deep family commitment, and continual love," the obituary reads. "His brothers and sisters in blue will remember his moral standards, high ethics, investigative knowledge, unmatched expertise, and his dedication to serving others." | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/live-blog-officials-honor-fallen-smith-county-deputy-bustos-funeral-service-procession/501-d64ce1d5-6e7c-437a-a943-6b05855a1008 | 2022-08-06T04:21:28 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/live-blog-officials-honor-fallen-smith-county-deputy-bustos-funeral-service-procession/501-d64ce1d5-6e7c-437a-a943-6b05855a1008 |
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.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/alex-jones-sandy-hook-punitive-damanges/285-0335bced-bb59-4dd2-a172-6f230f9a3cf7 | 2022-08-06T04:26:30 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/alex-jones-sandy-hook-punitive-damanges/285-0335bced-bb59-4dd2-a172-6f230f9a3cf7 |
TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — A Travis County judge who presides over drunken driving cases will serve just one day in jail after pleading guilty Thursday to driving while intoxicated, according to KVUE's news partners at the Austin American-Statesman.
Lipscombe, who has presided over the Travis County Court-at-Law No. 3 since January 2011, was recently charged with a Class B misdemeanor DWI. He has not returned to his post since the May arrest but has expressed intent to return in the future.
According to the Statesman, his attorney, Randy Leavitt, said Lipscombe has "accepted responsibility for his actions and looks forward to serving the remainder of his term working for the people of Travis County."
Citing his attorney, the Statesman reported that the judge spent 60 days undergoing inpatient treatment and he will follow up for 60 more days in outpatient treatment. Leavitt did not expand on what that treatment entails.
The DWI charge stemmed from a verbal parking lot altercation at an Austin-area hotel. A man called 911 to report that Lipscombe was attempting to back into a parking space when he almost hit the man's car. Lipscombe then reportedly drove around the parking lot and eventually parked in a handicap space in front of the hotel.
When officers met with Lipscombe in the lobby, they said he "appeared slow to answer questions and was overall disoriented." Officers also noted his slurred speech and a faint odor of alcohol.
Police said Lipscombe was argumentative and refused a preliminary breath test. A blood test was eventually administered, leading to the DWI charge.
Read the Statesman's full report here.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/travis-county-judge-overseeing-drunken-driving-cases-pleads-guilty-dwi/269-d80a5976-c016-4836-aa2f-01517d770c55 | 2022-08-06T04:26:36 | 1 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/travis-county-judge-overseeing-drunken-driving-cases-pleads-guilty-dwi/269-d80a5976-c016-4836-aa2f-01517d770c55 |
FLORENCE, Texas — Williamson County detectives are investigating after a 70-year-old woman was found dead Thursday night in Florence, Texas.
The incident was reported around 8:45 p.m., with officials getting a 911 call about a shooting that had occurred on the 4500 block of County Road 245 just outside of Florence.
Upon arrival, deputies found the woman dead on the roadway. Her name is not being released pending notification of next of kin.
Officials are asking anyone with more information, including details on a light-colored sedan that is potentially silver or grey and was seen in the area, to reach out to the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at 512-943-1311 or County Crime Stoppers at 1800-253-7867.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/williamson-county-officials-investigating-homicide-70-year-old-florence/269-a06f82d1-d266-4d80-b3da-582ea5c6a81b | 2022-08-06T04:26:42 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/williamson-county-officials-investigating-homicide-70-year-old-florence/269-a06f82d1-d266-4d80-b3da-582ea5c6a81b |
WIMBERLEY, Texas — The Kaczenskis have lived in the River Mountain Ranch area for 11 years but, on Wednesday night, the Hermosa fire threatened it all.
"We could have lost everything that night," said Suzie Kaczenski.
"I got to the point where I said, 'I want it all, but I'm not going to take any of it because we don't have time,'" said Doug Kaczenski.
The Kaczenskis were ready to say goodbye to 30 years of memories.
"We didn't have a lot of time but we just figured we needed important documents, we needed house titles, car titles," said Suzie Kaczenski.
They evacuated, not knowing if everything they left behind would be there when they came back.
"Very worried and scared that first night because we didn't know. We just went and stayed at the Wimberley Inn,” said Suzie Kaczenski.
But through the uncertainty, the Kaczenskis had one thing – gratitude.
"One of the guys that's the assistant chief at the fire department was here for 36 hours straight, running and coordinating activities right here at the beginning of where the fire came to. These guys did a fabulous job,” said Doug Kaczenski.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/wimberely-couple-shares-what-it-was-like-to-evacuate-amid-wildfire/269-f0907b47-6857-46f9-b778-0743f30ff5a6 | 2022-08-06T04:26:48 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/wimberely-couple-shares-what-it-was-like-to-evacuate-amid-wildfire/269-f0907b47-6857-46f9-b778-0743f30ff5a6 |
HAMMOND — A Gary man is set to plead guilty next week as kingpin of an illicit drug network that murdered a rival dealer five years ago.
Teddia “Teddy” Caldwell, 46, the estranged husband of Gary Councilwoman Linda Barnes-Caldwell, is giving up his right to a jury trial to avoid a lifetime in prison.
Caldwell is scheduled to appear Tuesday afternoon before U.S. District Court Magistrate-Judge Andrew P. Rodovich to formally change his plea to drug and homicide charges.
Caldwell and his defense attorney, Arlington Foley, of Crown Point, who negotiated the plea deal, signed a nine-page document outlining its terms.
Caldwell admits under the deal that he and eight other co-defendants sold cocaine from Caldwell’s Gary home and Gary business, a car wash, between June 2016 and late February 2018 when he was first arrested and charged with being a large-scale drug dealer.
Caldwell is also agreeing to plead guilty to the felony counts of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and the drug-related murder of 43-year-old Kevin Hood, of Gary, on July 28, 2017.
He states in his plea agreement he hatched a plan to rob Hood of a large amount of cocaine and money compiled by Hood’s rival drug network.
Caldwell also planned to split the proceeds of the robbery with co-defendants Taquan Clarke, Devontae Martin and at least one other unnamed co-conspirator, who went to Hood’s business, another Gary car wash, to rob Hood at gunpoint.
Caldwell states in his plea agreement he arrived as Hood’s robbery was in progress. He states he saw Hood trying to fight off Martin when Clarke ran up and fatally shot Hood.
Caldwell’s plea agreement states, “I understand that I am guilty of Kevin Hood’s murder because I played a role in planning the robbery of Mr. Hood and his car wash and this robbery led to Mr. Hood’s murder.
The U.S. Attorney’s office has agreed, in turn, to drop all remaining charges against Caldwell and recommend he receive a more lenient sentence than the maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The length of his sentence will be decided later by U.S. District Court Judge Philip P. Simon, but the homicide charge does carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years.
The U.S. Attorney also agreed to drop a felony count against Caldwell’s girlfriend, Paronica Bonds, over her role in attempting to smuggle a synthetic marijuana to Caldwell inside the Porter County Jail in Valparaiso, where Caldwell is currently held.
The guilty plea would come four and a half years after Caldwell was first charged, not only with Hood’s death, but also the killing of suspected police informant, Akeem Oliver, 29, of Gary Oct. 8, 2016, in Gary.
The case has gone through multiple delays since charges were first filed in early 2018.
First, federal prosecutors spent more than a year deciding whether to seek the death penalty against Caldwell — eventually declining to do so.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic shut down federal court trials for many months over the past two years. During that time, five of his co-defendants pleaded guilty to drug-related charges.
Caldwell agreed to change his plea to guilty less than two weeks after federal authorities arrested his girlfriend, Paronica Bonds, on the latest drug charge and put her in jeopardy of a prison sentence.
Caldwell’s co-defendants, Clarke and Martin, had been set to begin trial Aug. 22, but Judge Simon cancelled that event Friday in the wake of the monumental change in the case caused by Caldwell’s plea agreement.
Gallery: Recent arrests booked into Lake County Jail
Gary police did not immediately respond to requests for more information about the circumstances of each homicide, or whether anyone is in custody in connection with the slayings.
The U.S. attorney Friday charged Teddia “Teddy” Caldwell and Paronica Bonds, both of Gary, with conspiracy to provide contraband into the Porter County Jail in Valparaiso. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-set-to-plead-guilty-to-drug-homicide-charges-in-2017-murder/article_669af6f6-05e7-54a2-8533-0532ccb47bbf.html | 2022-08-06T04:29:26 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-set-to-plead-guilty-to-drug-homicide-charges-in-2017-murder/article_669af6f6-05e7-54a2-8533-0532ccb47bbf.html |
People watch from the gallery before a vote is held on Senate Bill 1 during a special session Friday at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis. The bill bans abortions at zero weeks except in the cases of rape, incest or to protect the life of the pregnant person.
Mike Clark
Senate Democratic Leader Greg Taylor, at podium just right of center, of Indianapolis, speaks to Indiana senators ahead of voting Friday to concur on a near-total abortion ban.
The government of Indiana is on the verge of mandating every Hoosier woman who becomes pregnant to carry the pregnancy to term and deliver a baby, unless the pregnancy involves a life-altering trauma.
On Friday, the Republican-controlled House voted 62-38 to approve Senate Enrolled Act 1, sending the measure back to the Republican-controlled Senate where lawmakers agreed Friday night to endorse the final version of the legislation, 28-19.
It now is up to Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb to decide whether the near-total abortion ban crafted by the Legislature over the past two weeks will take effect Sept. 15.
The legislation prohibits all abortions in Indiana from the moment of conception, except within 10 weeks of fertilization for pregnancies caused by rape or incest, or 20 weeks if necessary to prevent serious physical impairment or the death of a pregnant woman, or because of a lethal fetal anomaly.
It also shuts down all abortion clinics in the state by requiring every abortion be completed in a hospital or hospital-owned surgical center, puts doctors at risk of losing their medical license if they fail to sufficiently justify the legal basis for an abortion, and sets the stage for Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita to some day overrule locally elected prosecutors and file criminal charges alleging an illegal abortion.
At the same time, the measure explicitly exempts in vitro fertilization programs from the restrictions on abortion and appears to leave intact current state laws relating to the availability of contraceptives and the ability of women to travel to other states to obtain an abortion.
The House vote in favor of the proposal followed more than four hours of debate that was, at times, passionate and emotional, but largely respectful, notwithstanding occasional shouts in opposition from the public gallery overlooking the chamber and continuous loud chanting against the measure from Hoosiers standing outside the chamber's rear windows in the Statehouse rotunda.
The Senate's more than three-hour debate over whether to concur with the House changes to the measure largely centered on whether denying nearly all women access to abortion is government overreach that infringes on the personal liberty of Hoosiers, which usually is well-guarded by state senators.
Among Northwest Indiana lawmakers, the House vote split along party lines with the Region's Republican representatives all supporting the near-total abortion ban and the Region's Democratic representatives uniformly opposed.
In the Senate, state Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores, broke away from many of his fellow Republicans and joined all Region Democrats in voting no because he said the legislation does not address sexual assault involving disabled adults, including Hoosiers with Down syndrome.
The proposal was supported in the Senate by Northwest Indiana state Sens. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, and Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell.
If enacted by the governor, Indiana would become the first state to legislatively impose new abortion restrictions following the June 24 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that rescinded the right to abortion established by the high court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
Public opinion polls show a majority of Hoosiers oppose strict limits on abortion access. Nevertheless, the measure will end a half-century of pregnant Hoosier women having an individual choice to bring a child into the world or to terminate her pregnancy prior to fetal viability.
Supporters of the proposal estimate it will eradicate approximately 95% of abortions in the state. According to the Indiana Department of Health, there were 8,414 abortions in Indiana during the 2021 calendar year.
"Our goal through this legislation is to strengthen protections for the unborn while stepping up support for families," said state Rep. Wendy McNamara, R-Evansville, the sponsor and a LaPorte native. "It is consistent with our overall goal to care for mother and baby."
At least three Republicans, state Reps. John Jacob, R-Indianapolis, and Curt Nisly, R-Milford, and state Sen. Mike Young, R-Indianapolis, voted against the plan because it fails to prohibit all abortions by including unverified exceptions for rape, incest, and the life and health of a pregnant woman.
Jacob said in a post-Roe world it is "weak" and "pathetic" for Indiana lawmakers to fail to fulfill their repeated promises to Christian Hoosiers and Republican voters to entirely ban abortion if given the opportunity.
"This bill justifies the wicked, those murdering babies, and punishes the righteous, the pre-born human babies," Jacob said. "By continuing to regulate baby murder in this bill you are inviting the judgment of God on our state and on our nation."
"God will not bless a state that kills its children," he added.
On the other hand, several Democratic representatives observed Indiana stands to lose much more by denying women bodily autonomy and signaling to businesses that the state is willing to use the heavy hand of government to pick winners and losers on a divisive social issue.
"This is a sad day for our state," said state Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond. "We are voting to take away the rights of Hoosier women to choose what happens with their bodies."
Jackson said if the measure becomes law Indiana will become a "wasteland" as OB/GYNs and other doctors flee the state, thousands of children are born each year to women who either don't want or can't afford them, and some women resort to unsafe abortions to terminate their pregnancies.
"Women, especially black women and low-income women, will die because of this bill," Jackson said. "It's cruel, it is unjust and it is downright despicable."
State Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary, noted in no other circumstance does the state control what happens to a person's body since individual consent is required to get a vaccine, donate blood or donate organs — even if needed to save a life.
"This bill tells women the moment they become pregnant that the fertilized egg that cannot live outside her body has more rights than she does," Hatcher said.
Similarly, state Rep. Pat Boy, D-Michigan City, and state Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, said women will become "second-class citizens" in Indiana if the proposal is signed into law.
"Women are more than capable of making this decision on their own," Harris said.
"I really believe this bill is where it needs to be. It's in a good place," said state Rep. Wendy McNamara, R-Evansville, a LaPorte native and sponsor of the legislation.
State Rep. Wendy McNamara, R-Evansville, chairwoman of the House Committee on Courts and Criminal Code, said the changes are "a thoughtful way forward" that "shows compassion for mothers and babies."
The House Committee on Public Health is scheduled to hear public testimony on the legislation at the Statehouse beginning at 8 a.m. Region time Tuesday.
The Republican Senate reluctantly agreed to advance a prohibition all abortions in the state, with limited exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest, or when the life of the mother is at stake.
It's not clear whether Senate Bill 1 will reach the 26 votes required for approval, even though Republicans, who generally oppose abortion, control 39 seats in the 50-member chamber.
State Sen. Sue Glick said the time limits ensure exceptions to her proposed abortion ban remain available, but aren't open-ended opportunities to terminate a pregnancy after viability is reached.
Thousands of people, including the vice president of the U.S., showed up at the Indiana Statehouse on Monday to make their voices heard as Hoosier lawmakers consider enacting a near-total abortion ban.
Women's access to abortion largely could be eliminated in Indiana as soon as mid-August under legislation unveiled Wednesday by Republican Senate leaders.
"Politicians are wading into an issue they are not smart enough to understand outside of their Washington talking points," said Ali Brown, a Portage native and Democratic city leader in Indianapolis.
Attorney Jim Bopp, of Terre Haute, said his proposal offers "the best opportunity to protect the unborn" following last month's U.S. Supreme Court ruling rescinding the constitutional right to abortion.
The 2021 Terminated Pregnancy Report shows 8,414 women had an abortion in Indiana last year, up from 7,756 in 2020, a total of 658 more abortions, or an 8.5% increase.
Following Friday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Indiana lawmakers are almost certain next month to enact severe restrictions on abortion access, or outright ban the procedure in the Hoosier State.
Gov. Eric Holcomb on Wednesday issued an official proclamation directing the General Assembly to convene on July 6 “in order to consider and address the current adverse economic conditions."
People watch from the gallery before a vote is held on Senate Bill 1 during a special session Friday at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis. The bill bans abortions at zero weeks except in the cases of rape, incest or to protect the life of the pregnant person.
Senate Democratic Leader Greg Taylor, at podium just right of center, of Indianapolis, speaks to Indiana senators ahead of voting Friday to concur on a near-total abortion ban. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/indiana-general-assembly-approves-near-total-abortion-ban-now-up-to-governor/article_e0494c7f-217f-5517-9d0a-095adfbcb88d.html | 2022-08-06T04:29:32 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/indiana-general-assembly-approves-near-total-abortion-ban-now-up-to-governor/article_e0494c7f-217f-5517-9d0a-095adfbcb88d.html |
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. — The Noblesville Police Department is currently accepting applications for the next Citizens Police Academy.
It is a free, 12-week program designed to give community members the chance to become better acquainted with local law enforcement.
The academy helps citizens understand the operations of the police department, including topics like criminal law, patrol procedures, investigations, and use of force issues.
Lieutenant Bruce Barnes, with the Noblesville Police Department, said the main objective of the Citizens Police Academy is to better connect with community members.
"For us to understand from the citizens what it is that they want out of us because we are not here arbitrarily," Barnes said. "We are here because the citizens have asked us to be here. They play a very vital role in understanding and maybe even telling us how it is they want the job of law enforcement to be done in their community."
Organizers say participants will also have the option to ride with a patrol officer and witness the day-to-day operations of an officer.
Barnes said the academy is just as helpful for police as it is for citizens.
"Most importantly, I think, is to get that feedback from the community to find out what their thoughts on it are," Barnes said.
The academy is intended to be an open line of communication between Noblesville Police and the community it serves, according to organizers.
"The important thing is just simply bringing the community together to talk about what it is that we do," Barnes said. "We are all a part of the community, and if we can learn from one another, then it's a win-win for everybody."
Applications are now being accepted through Sept. 6 for the 2022 fall session, which starts on Sept. 7.
The 12-week program will wrap up on Nov. 22, with sessions every Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Eligible candidates must:
- Be at least 16 years of age
- Have no felony convictions and no misdemeanor convictions within the last three years
- Pass a background check
- Live or work in Noblesville
Barnes said the academy will conclude with a graduation ceremony during the final class. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/citizens-police-academy-returning-to-noblesville-indiana-this-fall/531-548678c9-9f20-443e-bd02-5d713299b91f | 2022-08-06T04:30:46 | 1 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/citizens-police-academy-returning-to-noblesville-indiana-this-fall/531-548678c9-9f20-443e-bd02-5d713299b91f |
WASHINGTON — A third person has died and one other person remains hospitalized in critical condition following a lightning strike near the White House in Northwest D.C.
The lightning strike claimed the lives of a married couple in their 70s and a 29-year-old man. A fourth person remains in the hospital.
In a press conference Thursday night, officials explained that just after 6:50 p.m. officials received a call about the lightning strike in Lafayette Park involving multiple people.
U.S. Secret Service agents and U.S. Park Police officers were standing nearby when the lightning strike happened and was able to help the victims until first responders arrived.
According to a tweet from DC Fire and EMS, the four people were at the park outside the White House when the lightning strike happened. Witnesses tell WUSA9 that the four people were standing under a tree when the lightning strike hit.
The four people were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
DC Police said a couple visiting from Janesville, Wisconsin died at the hospital. The couple was identified as James and Donna Mueller, 76 and 75 respectively.
Officials confirmed a third victim, a 29-year-old man who has not been identified, died Friday. The fourth victim remains in the hospital.
"We are saddened by the tragic loss of life after the lightning strike in Lafayette Park," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. "Our hearts are with the families who lost loved ones, and we are praying for those still fighting for their lives."
Officials advise the public to go indoors and seek shelter whenever there is lightning or thunder.
"If it roars, go indoors," a DC Fire/EMS official said during the press conference
With more storms rolling in Friday, the National Park Service offers advice if you get caught outside in one of them:
- Keep moving towards safe shelter. If you are caught out in the open, do not stop.
Stay away from isolated trees or other tall objects. You do not want to be the tallest object! If you are in a forest, stay within a lower group of trees.
Avoid open fields, hills, boulder fields, rocky outcrops, and ridge tops. Do not lie flat on the ground.
Avoid bodies of water and metal objects, which can conduct electricity.
- Distance yourself from others in your group. Spread out so that at most only one person is likely to be hurt by lightning and the others can apply first aid.
READ NEXT:
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- Mother rushes children into Edgewater pizza place to shelter from tornado
- Lightning strikes steeple of Waldorf church causing noticeable fire
WATCH NEXT: CRAZY lightning strike over Washington D.C.
WOW! Our cameras caught the lightning over D.C. Aug. 6, 2019, as big storms rolled through. Click here to watch and subscribe to the WUSA9 YouTube channel. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/four-people-critical-condition-lighting-strike-dc/65-4132d822-9842-4ce0-8093-3a902ee9ac86 | 2022-08-06T04:30:52 | 1 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/four-people-critical-condition-lighting-strike-dc/65-4132d822-9842-4ce0-8093-3a902ee9ac86 |
INDIANAPOLIS — Gen Con Indy 2022 began Thursday, with thousands of fans dressed in elaborate costumes returning to downtown Indianapolis.
For the first time since the pandemic began, Gen Con is back to full capacity.
This convention is known as "the best four days in gaming."
People can play their favorite games, visit themed booths and even bring their own game ideas.
We met some people who tell us they've created lifelong friendships with others they've met at the convention.
"The four guys that I came here with today, I actually did not know, I met them two years ago and it's because they volunteered to play test my game, and we've become best friends since then. We came together last year, they came with me this year and we always have a great time. I love spending time with them," said Paul Elpers of Evansville.
Gen Con runs through Sunday. Visitors are required to wear a face mask and provide proof of vaccination to attend in person.
What other people are reading:
- 'He told me he loved being a police officer' | Elwood mural to be dedicated to fallen Officer Noah Shahnavaz
- Chick-fil-A in downtown Indianapolis to open Aug. 4
- Indianapolis ventriloquist advances to live shows on 'America's Got Talent'
- Edwards Drive-In working exclusively from food truck after January restaurant closure | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/gen-con-returns-to-indianapolis-at-full-capacity-convention-center-downtown/531-d80e3bc8-0504-4811-8a53-4d3a9ccf42d6 | 2022-08-06T04:30:58 | 0 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/gen-con-returns-to-indianapolis-at-full-capacity-convention-center-downtown/531-d80e3bc8-0504-4811-8a53-4d3a9ccf42d6 |
INDIANAPOLIS — Kokomo High School has won the 75th Indiana State Fair Band Day competition.
Sixteen marching bands representing 20 Indiana high schools advanced to the semifinals of the annual competition at the state fairgrounds Friday night before the Marching Wildkats took home the title.
The Top 10, as selected by the judges:
Kokomo High School
Winchester Community High School
Muncie Central High School
Anderson High School
Centerville High School
Lebanon High School
Jay County High School
Yorktown High School
Northeastern High School
Greensburg Comm., North Decatur Jr./Sr. High Schools
The "Sweet Sixteen" included bands from:
- Anderson High School
- Centerville High School
- Crawfordsville, North Montgomery and Southmont high schools
- Frankton Jr./Sr. and Lapel high schools
- Greensburg Community and North Decatur Jr./Sr. high schools
- Jay County High School
- Kokomo High School
- Lebanon High School
- Marion High School
- Monroe Central Jr/Sr. High School
- Muncie Central High School
- Northeastern High School
- Richmond High School
- West Lafayette Jr./Sr. High School
- Winchester Community High School
- Yorktown High School
The competition started with 39 bands performing beginning at 9 a.m. Friday. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/high-school-marching-bands-named-to-indiana-state-fair-band-day-finals/531-f7fbfb35-65a2-4a84-a279-08cca36c8716 | 2022-08-06T04:31:04 | 1 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/high-school-marching-bands-named-to-indiana-state-fair-band-day-finals/531-f7fbfb35-65a2-4a84-a279-08cca36c8716 |
INDIANAPOLIS — If you're a digital artist working in Indiana, Newfields announced a cool opportunity for your work to be featured alongside Monet!
The art museum is seeking original digital artworks to commission for exhibition in THE LUME Indianapolis, featuring the Monet & Friends Alive installation. The featurette program is a chance to elevate Indiana-based digital media artists on a world stage.
Artists will create a three-minute, immersive, visual and audio digital media experience that will be displayed as featurettes or short digital art productions during THE LUME's Monet experience.
The artists will also have a chance for their work to be featured in THE LUME installations around the world.
Artists interested in applying can find more information here. The deadline to apply is Aug. 30. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/how-to-apply-to-get-your-digital-art-featured-at-the-lume/531-f0247173-a093-467e-a5f1-540a89566f4f | 2022-08-06T04:31:10 | 0 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/how-to-apply-to-get-your-digital-art-featured-at-the-lume/531-f0247173-a093-467e-a5f1-540a89566f4f |
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana House approved a bill Friday that would provide $200 rebate payments from the state’s surging budget surplus.
Though below Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb's initially proposed $225 refunds, the measure represents a concession from GOP senators who were initially reluctant, concerned the rebates would further fuel inflation.
“I think we have a good bill going forward to the Senate,” said Republican Rep. Tim Brown, who sponsored the bill. Brown said Thursday that the package was an agreement with Senate negotiators, who could consider the bill later Friday.
That compromise includes utilizing about $1 billion from the state’s record $6.1 billion in cash reserves for the rebates. Another approximately $1 billion will flow toward a state teacher pension fund’s future obligations, a debt Senate Republican leaders have prioritized paying.
The bill passed 93-6, with several Democrats — many of whom voted against the bill Thursday, when legislators first broached the deal — in favor of the funding Friday.
Democratic Rep. Gregory Porter criticized Republican lawmakers on Friday for not seriously considering their amendments to the bill.
Democrats had argued that the pension debt was manageable and that the $1 billion could go toward more pressing needs such as education, improving public health and supporting child care programs.
“I'm going to vote yes because a little bit is better than nothing,” Porter said in debate. “We love this state like you love the state. But when it comes to what we have to say, it falls on deaf ears.”
Indiana senators on July 29 approved a $45 million spending bill without rebates for state agencies that “support the health of pregnant women, postpartum mothers, and infants,” especially among low-income families. The services would be available for families with children under 4 years old and for those who adopt.
Lawmakers retained elements of the House's relief bill also passed July 29, including repealing the state tax on children’s diapers. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/indiana-gop-lawmakers-settle-on-200-for-tax-rebate-payments-checks-date-amount-joint-filing/531-cc90ac6a-e58b-4374-b4b9-bc249bf8bee3 | 2022-08-06T04:31:16 | 1 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/indiana-gop-lawmakers-settle-on-200-for-tax-rebate-payments-checks-date-amount-joint-filing/531-cc90ac6a-e58b-4374-b4b9-bc249bf8bee3 |
ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. — Republican U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski was killed Wednesday in a car crash in her northern Indiana district, along with two members of her congressional staff and another person.
According to Palmer Funeral Home, visitation for Walorski will be held at Granger Community Church on Wednesday, Aug. 10 from noon to 7 p.m.
NOTE: The above video is from a previous report on the deadly crash.
Her funeral will also be held at the church on Thursday, Aug. 11 at 11 a.m.
The crash happened in Elkhart County around 12:30 p.m., when the SUV Walorski was in crossed the center line on State Road 19 and collided head-on with another car, the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday. The updated information came after eyewitness and video evidence was located. Police had originally said the driver of the other car crossed center.
Walorski, 58, two of her staff members and the driver of the other vehicle, identified as 56-year-old Edith Schmucker, of Nappanee, died in the crash.
The staff members were identified as 28-year-old Emma Thomson, the representative's communications director, and 27-year-old Zachery Potts, her district director and the Republican chairman for northern Indiana’s St. Joseph County.
Police said Potts was the one driving at the time, but the sheriff's office does not know yet what caused Potts to cross the center line.
Police said everyone in the crash had on seatbelts and airbags did deploy. They are looking for any other potential witnesses and are asking those people to call the sheriff's office.
Rep. Walorski's career
Walorski and her husband were previously Christian missionaries in Romania, where they established a foundation that provided food and medical supplies to impoverished children. She worked as a television news reporter in South Bend before turning to politics.
Walorski spent her political career focused on growing the economy and bringing good jobs to northern Indiana. She also sought to strengthen national security and help veterans in need of care.
"At every level of public service, Jackie was known to be a positive force of nature, a patriot, and a relentless policymaker with an unwavering loyalty to her constituents," Holcomb said. "Jackie’s record of achievement is impossible to quantify."
GALLERY: Life and legacy of Indiana Congresswoman Jackie Walorksi
She served on the House Ways and Means Committee, giving her the opportunity to play a crucial role in how leaders use the nation's funding.
She also was a ranking member of the subcommittee on Worker and Family Support, where she focused on helping small businesses and manufacturers grow and expanding opportunities for workers across the country, according to her biography on the U.S. House of Representatives' website.
She was also a ranking member of the House Ethics Committee.
Holcomb said Walorski will be remembered as, "a fighter with a huge heart that always went the extra mile and I’ll treasure the times we walked a few of those together."
Walorski won the Republican primary in May after running unopposed and was heavily favorited to retain her seat for a sixth term in November.
Republicans will have to choose another candidate to run in the general election, but state GOP leaders say she'll be hard to replace.
"Yeah, haven't even given that any thought. I mean, they won't be able to fill her shoes, they just won't. She was one of a kind," said Indiana Republican Party chairman Kyle Hupfer. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/indiana/funeral-arrangements-set-for-indiana-rep-jackie-walorski-visitation-location-time-day-congress/531-e59ca34f-7c68-477d-81b7-71b48d2c3d0d | 2022-08-06T04:31:22 | 0 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/indiana/funeral-arrangements-set-for-indiana-rep-jackie-walorski-visitation-location-time-day-congress/531-e59ca34f-7c68-477d-81b7-71b48d2c3d0d |
INDIANAPOLIS — The auditions are over, and it's time for "America's Got Talent" to go live!
Among the 54 acts that have already advanced to the live shows is Indianapolis ventriloquist Jack Williams. The 25-year-old got rave reviews from the judges during his audition.
"I love him," AGT judge Howie Mandel said during the performance.
According to "America's Got Talent," Williams has been performing ventriloquism for 13 years, ever since his father passed down his own childhood ventriloquist dummy.
Click here to follow Williams on Instagram, and check out his TikTok here, which has more than 1.2 million followers.
"America's Got Talent" airs Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on WTHR Channel 13.
The live shows start Tuesday, Aug. 9 with five weeks of competition leading up to the finale. Each week, two of the 11 acts that perform will advance to the two-night finale on Sept. 13-14. The winner will take home a $1 million prize.
One of the weekly winners will be decided by a viewer vote, the other will be selected by the judges out of the acts that finish second, third and fourth in the viewer vote.
A 55th act will join the automatic qualifiers through the "America's Wildcard" vote Aug. 2 through Aug. 7. Viewers can go to NBC.com or the “AGT” app to rewatch the four performances and vote for their favorite contestants.
What other people are reading:
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- ‘It's just disheartening’ | Thieves posing as new students burglarize several central Indiana yoga studios in weekend spree | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/indianapolis-ventriloquist-jack-williams-live-shows-americas-got-talent-agt/531-5e409776-3b0c-4480-b660-05c50abc46f7 | 2022-08-06T04:31:28 | 1 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/indianapolis-ventriloquist-jack-williams-live-shows-americas-got-talent-agt/531-5e409776-3b0c-4480-b660-05c50abc46f7 |
INDIANAPOLIS — A popular festival that started last year will take over part of Monument Circle this Saturday.
Indy's Chicken & Beer Festival will feature 25 local breweries and restaurants for around 3,000 people.
"Chicken is a staple in every single cuisine. You can find it in Spanish dishes, we have tacos with chicken and Thai dishes, you can find it in Pakistani food," said event co-founder Austin Burris.
"Every restaurant is trying to impress you and ultimately, we hope we hope that you can connect to a restaurant and then go back there, go back and dine at that restaurant," he added.
The one-day festival will run from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and will feature food, drink, two DJs and a wing eating contest put on by Joella's Hot Chicken.
It's a 21 and older event and tickets are still available.
Check out a list of vendors and ticket prices here
What other people are reading: | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/indys-chicken-beer-festival-returns-for-a-second-year-food-drink-music/531-bb336cc8-0508-4ddf-ad7e-500d23f92c6f | 2022-08-06T04:31:34 | 1 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/indys-chicken-beer-festival-returns-for-a-second-year-food-drink-music/531-bb336cc8-0508-4ddf-ad7e-500d23f92c6f |
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. — A local gluten-free bakery is now available nationwide through the click of a button.
Jennifer Wiese lives with her husband and four sons in Noblesville.
Her son, August, was diagnosed with autism when he was younger. That's when Jennifer learned a gluten-free diet could help August.
"We first spent several years in our kitchen really just learning about gluten-free, and learning how to make really good, delicious food with simple ingredients that just happened to be gluten-free," Jennifer said.
"I can't choose to not be gluten-free," August said. "For me, it really does help my mood. It has really helped me focus more."
After a few years of testing recipes and navigating gaps in the gluten-free food market, Jennifer and her family started their small business called BeeFree Gluten Free Bakery.
When the business launched in 2010, Jennifer said taste was just as important as nutrition. Her products quickly gained the approval of her four young sons, and it expanded to family and friends.
"People were really paying closer attention to reading labels and looking at the food that they were eating, and how it impacted their body and the functionality of their body," Jennifer said.
Once the business gained traction, Jennifer's husband helped expand BeeFree out of the Noblesville community.
"Let's get this thing across state lines," Jennifer said. "Let's get it to different regions. Let's get it coast to coast."
Because BeeFree products can easily be transported without refrigeration, those goals quickly became a reality.
"Today, we are in about 3,000 retailers across the country, and every state in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii," Jennifer said.
The newest retailer on the list is Walmart.com, after the company's largest open call event ever.
BeeFree prides itself on its Warrior Mix, which is similar to a trail mix and granola combination.
August works as a team lead, where he helps package Warrior Mix samples.
"There are five different flavors," August said. "There is berry, chocolate, original, salted caramel and apple pie."
Each flavor is named after a member of the Wiese family, with the original flavor named after August.
"We were the ones making it," August said. "So Mom was like, 'Alright, why don't we name one after each person, since it was kind of a team effort?'"
Selling nutritious and tasty gluten-free products is only part of BeeFree's mission. Creating more jobs for people with autism is also part of the company's purpose.
"We realize that 85% of people that are diagnosed with autism are un-or-underemployed," Jennifer said. "It's massive. It affects every community all over the country. No one is immune to that. We feel like having a company and being able to employ people, that is one thing that we can do to help make a change."
August is one of five BeeFree employees, working with his fellow teammates on Tuesdays.
"I'm blessed enough that I can be part of that small 15% that can be employed," August said.
"Tuesday is my favorite day," Jennifer said, "because that's the day I get to work with our team. They are so joyful and happy. They are so happy to have the opportunity to have a job in a place that is friendly, that is uplifting, that allows them to earn a paycheck."
Jennifer said the Noblesville team primarily focuses on small projects, like making bite-size samples to send to retailers and events.
Mass production of BeeFree products is then done at facilities across the Midwest, according to Jennifer.
"It is really kind of hard to put it into words, because it has been 12 years, and there has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears along the way," Jennifer said.
Jennifer said BeeFree is available through retailers like Kroger, Whole Foods, Target and Earth Fare.
Walmart.com is the newest on the list, with some products available now and the rest of the lineup coming online by Sept. 1.
"It's momentum — a big part of it is momentum. Some of the biggest retailers in the world have their eyes on us," Jennifer said.
Jennifer said BeeFree has nearly doubled sales every year since 2010, thanks to the support of family and friends.
"It's kind of like a tumbleweed effect, but it's super fun," Jennifer said.
Now, August and Jennifer say BeeFree will reach even more communities nationwide through its new partnership with Walmart.com.
"Things are not always easy, but with determination and hard work and persistence, you can make your dreams come true," Jennifer said. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/noblesville-indiana-bakery-picked-up-by-walmartcom/531-d59d5c90-579c-4072-a373-3e7c1e203a6d | 2022-08-06T04:31:41 | 1 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/noblesville-indiana-bakery-picked-up-by-walmartcom/531-d59d5c90-579c-4072-a373-3e7c1e203a6d |
INDIANAPOLIS — Some Children's Museum of Indianapolis visitors got a special treat Wednesday at the new Scooby-Doo Mansion Mayhem experience.
Matt Lillard, the actor known for being the voice of "Shaggy" in some of the movies, stopped by to check out the exhibit.
"You can kind of say this whole exhibit is very Zoinks-esque," Lillard said. "Zoinks!"
Lillard got a chance to check out Scooby-Doo Mansion Mayhem with the kids, even playing some of the games with visitors.
And, of course, he stopped to take a few pictures in front of the Mystery Machine as well.
What other people are reading: | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/shaggy-visits-immersive-scooby-doo-exhibit-at-childrens-museum-of-indianapolis-kids-cartoon-voice/531-8d9d3ea1-7f97-443f-9f80-7a379aa1657c | 2022-08-06T04:31:47 | 1 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/shaggy-visits-immersive-scooby-doo-exhibit-at-childrens-museum-of-indianapolis-kids-cartoon-voice/531-8d9d3ea1-7f97-443f-9f80-7a379aa1657c |
RICHMOND, Ind. — Police in eastern Indiana have issued a statewide Silver Alert after a man was reported missing.
Richmond Police are investigating the disappearance of 51-year-old Merle Church.
Church is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighs 150 pounds, is bald and has brown eyes.
He was last seen wearing an Indiana University hat, maroon hoodie and blue jeans.
Church is missing from Richmond and was last seen on Wednesday, Aug. 3 at 11:15 a.m. He is believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance.
If you have information, contact the Richmond Police Department at 765-983-7247 or 911.
AMBER Alert vs. Silver Alert: What's the difference?
There are specific standards a person's disappearance must meet in order for police to declare an AMBER Alert or a Silver Alert.
AMBER Alerts are for children under the age of 18 who are believed to have been abducted and in danger. Police also need to have information about a suspect and their car to issue an AMBER Alert.
Silver Alerts are for missing and endangered adults or children. They are much more common for missing people. It was not until last year when the standards for Silver Alerts were expanded to include children.
In both situations, these alerts must be issued by police. | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/silver-alert-issued-in-search-for-man-missing-from-richmond-missing-endangered-police/531-fe85e265-4627-4775-bff4-b67cefdfb5da | 2022-08-06T04:31:53 | 1 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/silver-alert-issued-in-search-for-man-missing-from-richmond-missing-endangered-police/531-fe85e265-4627-4775-bff4-b67cefdfb5da |
BROWNSTOWN, Ind. — A statewide Silver Alert for a missing 16-year-old boy from Brownstown has been canceled after the teen came home.
The Jackson County Sheriff Department said Nicholai Schrader was last seen Friday, Aug. 5 around 8:15 a.m. A Silver Alert was issued Friday afternoon, but was canceled later Friday night after Schrader returned home unharmed, according to a Facebook post by Jackson County Sheriff Rick Meyer.
Amber Alert vs. Silver Alert: What's the difference?
There are specific standards a person's disappearance must meet in order for police to declare an Amber Alert or a Silver Alert.
Amber Alerts are for children under the age of 18 who are believed to have been abducted and in danger. Police also need to have information about a suspect and their car to issue an Amber Alert.
Silver Alerts are for missing and endangered adults or children. They are much more common for missing people. It was not until last year when the standards for Silver Alerts were expanded to include children.
In both situations, these alerts must be issued by police.
What other people are reading:
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- What's next for Brittney Griner after her drug smuggling conviction | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/silver-alert-missing-brownstown-teen-16-nicholai-schrader/531-e89221cb-55d1-42e9-9b02-dbb2dd775a05 | 2022-08-06T04:31:59 | 0 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/silver-alert-missing-brownstown-teen-16-nicholai-schrader/531-e89221cb-55d1-42e9-9b02-dbb2dd775a05 |
ELWOOD, Ind. — Details were released on the procession route, as well as visitation and funeral services for Officer Noah Shahnavaz, 24, of Fishers, who was killed in the line of duty Sunday morning.
Here is the schedule:
- Visitation: Friday, Aug. 5 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at ITOWN Church, located at 12491 E. 136th St. in Fishers.
- Funeral: Saturday, Aug. 6 at 11 a.m. at ITOWN Church, located at 12491 E. 136th St. in Fishers
- Procession from ITOWN Church, 12491 E 136th Street, Fishers, Indiana to Crown Hill Cemetery (34th street entrance) 700 38th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana
Police officers who plan to attend Saturday are asked to start arriving at 8:30 a.m.
Following the funeral, Shahnavaz's body will be escorted to Crown Hill Cemetery, located at 700 38th St., for interment.
The procession will begin at ITOWN Church, make a stop at the Elwood Police Department for Shahnavaz's final 10-42 call and go under a Garrison Flag before ending at Crown Hill Cemetery.
Here's detailed information on the route:
- ITOWN Church to Brook School Road
- North (Left) on Brook School Road to Campus Parkway
- East (Right) onto Campus Parkway to Interstate 69 North
- East (Left) onto Interstate 69 North to State Road 13 (214 Exit)
- North (Left) on State Road 13 to County Road 300 S
- West (Left) on County Road 300 S to Atlantic Road
- North (Right) on Atlantic Road/ State Road 13 to State Road 37
- Continue North (Right) on State Road 37 to State Road 128
- East (Right) onto State Road 128 to County Road 900 West
- North (Left) onto County Road 900 West / Anderson Street to South "B" Street
- Continue on South "B" Street to 16th Street (Elwood)
- North (Left) onto 16th Street to Main Street/ State Road 28
- West (Left) on Main Street / State Road 28 to US 31 South (Meridian Street)
- South (Left) onto US 31 South (Meridian Street) to 34th Street
- West (Right) onto 34th Street into Crown Hill Cemetery
The procession will pause in front of the Elwood Police Department, located at 1505 South B Street, Elwood, Indiana for the final 10-42 call. The procession will then continue under a Garrison Flag, which will be located at South 16th and Main Street.
Shahnavaz was shot during a traffic stop Sunday morning and died after being taken to an Indianapolis hospital. He graduated from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in April, served the community for 11 months and served in the Army for five years prior to becoming an officer.
Timeline of events
Indiana State Police said Shahnavaz tried to stop a 2012 Buick LaCrosse near the intersection of State Road 37 and County Road 1100N in Madison County just after 2 a.m. Sunday, July 31.
According to court documents, Shahnavaz radioed in the license plate number. The last radio transmission from the officer heard him saying, "had a gun."
ISP said a man, later identified as Carl Roy Webb Boards II, 42, of Anderson, got out of the Buick and fired multiple rounds at Shahnavaz for an unknown reason. Shahnavaz was hit multiple times. His gun was found still in its holster. Investigators found 36 rifle bullet casings in the road that are believed to be from Boards' gun.
Police said Boards then took off in the Buick.
Additional responding officers gave first aid to Shahnavaz until an ambulance arrived. He was taken to a hospital in Elwood before being moved to a hospital in Indianapolis, where he died from his injuries.
Around 2:30 a.m., the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department attempted to stop the Buick on State Road 37. A tire deflation device was used on it near State Road 37 and 146th Street, but the Buick kept going and made it onto I-69.
Fishers Police Department officers then twice used their vehicles to stop the Buick. The second time, the Buick hit the median barrier and came to a stop. Officers were then able to arrest Boards.
During the arrest of Boards, a handgun was located on him. It was a 9mm handgun. A black rifle with a high-capacity magazine was on the driver seat of the vehicle. A high-capacity magazine was also found at the barber shop Boards worked at.
On Monday, Aug. 1, the city of Elwood came together for a prayer vigil to remember Shahnavaz outside the police department.
It gave many a chance to say "thank you" to an officer who gave so much to his community.
“The City of Elwood and the Elwood Police Department was lucky to have Noah for 11 months. We are forever grateful,” said Mayor Todd Jones.
What other people are reading:
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- NASA Webb Telescope releases new stunning images of 'Cartwheel Galaxy' | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/visitation-funeral-information-released-for-elwood-officer-noah-shahnavaz-august-5-line-of-duty-death/531-4178a82b-ed6f-47ff-8eff-27af7100f01b | 2022-08-06T04:32:05 | 0 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/visitation-funeral-information-released-for-elwood-officer-noah-shahnavaz-august-5-line-of-duty-death/531-4178a82b-ed6f-47ff-8eff-27af7100f01b |
Phoenix area to see additional freeway closures during weekend
The Arizona Department of Transportation announced Friday evening that the Phoenix area will face additional freeway closures over the weekend.
The agency announced that westbound lanes on U.S. 60 will be closed between Loop 101 and McClintock Drive from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for maintenance. The north and southbound Loop 101 ramps to U.S. 60's westbound lanes will also be closed.
ADOT advised drivers to take a detour on northbound Loop 101 and use the westbound lanes of Loop 202 to approach Sky Harbor Airport or hit Interstate 10 near downtown Phoenix.
ADOT also announced that Broadway Road will be closed in both directions between 48th and 55th streets from 10 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday for construction as part of an improvement project.
I-10 on- and off-ramps at Broadway Road will be closed along with the I-10 “connector ramp” between 48th Street and Broadway. ADOT said detours include Baseline Road, Priest and University drives, and State Route 143.
Lastly, eastbound Loop 202's right two lanes will be closed between Kyrene Road and Loop 101 from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. for pavement maintenance. The eastbound Loop 202 ramp to northbound Loop 101 in Chandler will also be closed. Alternate routes to reach northbound Loop 101 include using northbound Price Road.
Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at 602-444-2474 or perry.vandell@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @PerryVandell.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-traffic/2022/08/05/phoenix-area-to-see-additional-freeway-closures-this-weekend/10254587002/ | 2022-08-06T04:32:47 | 0 | https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-traffic/2022/08/05/phoenix-area-to-see-additional-freeway-closures-this-weekend/10254587002/ |
The 2022 Seafair Weekend Festival is officially underway. From the sea to the air, expect to hear and see the roar of engines across Puget Sound.
Seafair Weekend Festival runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The iconic Pacific Northwest festival is set on 1.5 miles of shoreline along Lake Washington in Genesee Park and is the largest boat and air show rolled into one. Read more
There is a limited supply of monkeypox vaccine in Washington state.
Public Health – Seattle & King County says some doses will be available on Saturday at Seattle Central College, but there are restrictions on who can receive the vaccine.
Only those who are at the highest risk of exposure will be eligible to receive the vaccine during Saturday’s free event, according to Public Health. Read more
A new, first-of-its-kind freestanding vertical evacuation tower in Tokeland aims to save hundreds of lives in the case of a tsunami.
The Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe, alongside partners from the Washington State Emergency Management Hazard Mitigation team, advisors from the University of Washington, FEMA, and other agencies, unveiled the tower on Friday.
Decades ago, the tribe's concerns about the threat of a tsunami caused it to identify nearby high ground - but it wanted to do more. By 2017, the Tribe decided it wanted a tower modeled similar to those used in Japan. Read more
Heidi said the pain and suffering at the Providence Everett emergency department isn't exclusive to the patients.
The nurses are feeling it, too.
"It's defeating showing up every day knowing these people need us and we can only do what we can," she said. "We've felt quite abandoned there."
Heidi is a nurse in Providence Everett's ER. Read more
The Blue Angels return to Seafair this weekend and they brought some new birds with them.
The new Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet jets are bigger, faster and louder than the previous jets they flew for more than 30 years.
For the first time since 2019, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels squadron will perform over Seattle and Blue Angel #6 pilot Julius Bratton says they look to impress. Read more
RELATED: Western Washington Forecast
Have the "5 things you need to know" delivered to your inbox. Sign up for the daily morning email here. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/5-things-to-know-this-weekend/281-ce1f8652-ddd6-43e2-9980-2833774764aa | 2022-08-06T04:34:57 | 0 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/5-things-to-know-this-weekend/281-ce1f8652-ddd6-43e2-9980-2833774764aa |
GREENSBORO — The Blind Tiger's alcohol permits were suspended Friday by state officials after a third shooting at or near the bar and music venue this year.
And an Alcohol Law Enforcement investigation into the venue resulted in four people being charged, including the owner and manager, the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission said in a news release.
The ABC Commission cited the shootings in issuing the summary suspension, which is immediate and in effect until the case is heard by the Office of Administrative Hearings.
The club at 1819 Spring Garden St. had been temporarily shut down after the shooting last weekend on Sunday that claimed the life of 19-year-old Pedro Alegria. Police said a security guard at the club, 28-year-old Jason Leonard, has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing.
People are also reading…
Affidavits and witness statements attached to the suspension order offer more details into what happened the night Alegria was killed.
Witnesses said Alegria was part of a group of 10 people, half of them under age 21. There was an argument between some members of Alegria's group and another group that became physical. Both groups were kicked out, and they continued to argue outside of the club, according to a summary of events included with the suspension order.
A few minutes later, about 2:15 a.m., a security guard "brandishing a gun" fired into the group, hitting Alegria in the neck, according to the summary of events.
The sworn statements by officers showed they found Alegria bleeding and unresponsive in the rear parking lot that The Blind Tiger shares with other businesses.
One officer said they followed a trail of blood from the front door of the club to the parking lot where Alegria was found.
At least two officers said employees blocked them from entering the club.
In another affidavit, an ALE agent said video footage showed employees wiping blood off of the building.
The ABC Commission said Friday it charged Blind Tiger owner Bradford McCauley, 47, of Winston-Salem with failing to superintend and hiring unlicensed armed security.
Manager Donald Beck Jr., 55, of Greensboro was charged with allowing violations to occur on the ABC-licensed premises and hiring unlicensed armed security.
The two security employees, Leonard and Anthony Delaney, both 28 and Greensboro residents, were charged with providing unlicensed armed security and allowing violations to occur on the ABC-licensed premises.
The Blind Tiger also is under investigation by the city’s Safety Review Board. It’s the second investigation of the venue this year by the board.
In April, the city shut the club down after two shootings occurred within days of each other. The business was able to reopen after all the issues were brought into compliance.
The City Council created the Safety Review Board in December 2021 to evaluate violent incidents at restaurants, clubs and bars. | https://greensboro.com/business/local/blind-tigers-alcohol-license-suspended-after-latest-shooting-4-charged-after-ale-investigation/article_0e59a82a-1526-11ed-a24a-d7045d7b5844.html | 2022-08-06T04:37:54 | 1 | https://greensboro.com/business/local/blind-tigers-alcohol-license-suspended-after-latest-shooting-4-charged-after-ale-investigation/article_0e59a82a-1526-11ed-a24a-d7045d7b5844.html |
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The first weekend of August is bringing a summer full of events before students go back to school in the Tampa Bay area.
Take a look at what's happening Aug. 6 through Aug. 7 to see what piques your interest.
When: 7:30 p.m., Aug. 7, 2022
Where: Tampa Improv Comedy Theater
How much: $48 - $288
What: Comedian and actor Marlon Wayans is making a stop at Tampa Improv on his tour, "Marlon Wayans: The Microphone Fiend Tour." Ticket prices start at $48 for a single person and rise to $288 for a table of six.
When: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 6, 2022
Where: MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater
How much: $25 - $99
What: Disney Concerts and Live Nation are bringing the hit Walt Disney Movie Encanto to Tampa in "Encanto: The Sing-Along Film Concert Tour." Disney enthusiasts and lovers of Mirabel will be able to jam out during the feature-length film with an on-stage band celebrating the record-breaking hit songs from the movie's soundtrack.
When: Aug. 6 - Aug. 7, 2022
Where: Fringe Central
How much: Free for kids, $10 for adults
What: The Everglads are heading to Tampa, packing the tunes and joyful melodies for kids to sing along and dance to. In addition, "A Goofy Musical" will feature students of Theatre eXceptional. The two-day event will also feature arts and crafts and storytime.
When: 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m., Aug. 6, 2022
Where: ROC Park, Madeira Beach, Florida
How much: $15.99 - 25.99 + $5.97 fee, prices ranges for different ages and specials for couples.
What: The Tampa Water Lantern Festival will feature...lanterns, of course. Attendees will receive a floating lantern kit and LED candle. Don't worry, this festival won't be wasteful. The event also comes with lantern retrieval and a water clean-up initiative.
When: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Aug. 7, 2022
Where: Hyde Park Village, Tampa, Florida
How much: Free
What: The open-air retail space and event destination is awaiting shoppers with more than 100 vendors. Between local food, handcrafts and live music, guests will have their hands full.
When: 1 p.m., Aug. 7, 2022
Where: Bilheimer Capitol Theatre
How much: General admission starts at $5, family four-pack for $30
What: Part of the 1982 Summer Series of films playing, the acclaimed musical comedy-drama directed by John Huston follows a young orphan named Annie in New York City during the Great Depression as she is taken in by the richest billionaire, Oliver Warbucks. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/weekend-events-august-6-7/67-cacffdeb-4773-4e4f-a22e-9c0720b89853 | 2022-08-06T04:53:39 | 1 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/weekend-events-august-6-7/67-cacffdeb-4773-4e4f-a22e-9c0720b89853 |
CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine — Runners will take their marks in Cape Elizabeth the morning of August 6 to compete in the TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race, now in-person for the first time since 2019.
The race was originally founded in 1998 by notable Maine athlete and Olympian Joan Benoit Samuelson, who won gold in the first women’s Olympic marathon in 1984.
She created the race with the intention "to give back to her community by staging a world-class road race in Maine and [include] a charitable component to help support Maine children," according to Beach to Beacon website.
The race brings over 6,000 top athletes from around the world to southern Maine, and involves over 800 volunteers, the website says.
On Saturday, the race will begin near the entrance to Crescent Beach State Park in Cape Elizabeth, and end at the historic Portland Head Light.
Saturday will feature three races, including a 10K Wheelchair division race beginning at 7:55 a.m., the Elite Women’s Start at 8 a.m., and the general field race at 8:12 a.m.
There will be over $90,000 in prize money to be awarded, with categories including Open, American-only, Masters, Maine, and wheelchair, the website says.
On Friday, high school students from across the state competed in a High School Mile race at Fort Williams.
High school student Ruth White from Orono set a course record by completing the mile in 5:23 for the girls' race. Parker Libby of Mt. Ararat ran the mile at a time of 4:38 for the boys' race.
Participants of all abilities took part in the Beach to Beacon Walk, Run, Roll race on Friday in addition to the high school races and a children's 1K race. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/beach-to-beacon-10k-returns-in-person-for-the-first-time-in-two-years-road-race-cape-elizabeth-portland-head-light-casco-bay-maine/97-a751a8ee-6cfd-4b0d-b9cd-a4795e1ce95a | 2022-08-06T05:01:16 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/beach-to-beacon-10k-returns-in-person-for-the-first-time-in-two-years-road-race-cape-elizabeth-portland-head-light-casco-bay-maine/97-a751a8ee-6cfd-4b0d-b9cd-a4795e1ce95a |
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Police change account of crash killing Indiana Rep. Walorski | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/cooling-off/article_56e78aa6-14fb-11ed-a8b8-f7ad10457d46.html | 2022-08-06T05:07:47 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/cooling-off/article_56e78aa6-14fb-11ed-a8b8-f7ad10457d46.html |
The state legislature on Friday approved Senate Bill 2, which combines inflation relief with funding for women and families. Gov. Eric Holcomb signed it the same day.
The House overwhelmingly passed the proposal by a 93-6 vote Friday morning.
On Friday afternoon, the Senate passed the bill 37-9. Minority Leader Greg Taylor joined eight Republicans in opposition.
Holcomb announced his support for the bill Thursday and said in a statement he planned 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 such as 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.
Although 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 by another taxpayer 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 earmarked for several state agencies to pay for new and existing programs, including those that support pregnant and postpartum women, assist foster and adoptive families, and 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/governor-signs-bill-for-inflation-relief-funding-for-women/article_2e49f018-14cc-11ed-b3b4-335808d32aac.html | 2022-08-06T05:07:54 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/governor-signs-bill-for-inflation-relief-funding-for-women/article_2e49f018-14cc-11ed-b3b4-335808d32aac.html |
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A near-total abortion ban was signed late Friday by Gov. Eric Holcomb after the Indiana legislature passed the measure Friday night.
The House voted in favor of Senate Bill 1 in the morning by a 62-38 vote. Then, after 9 p.m., the Senate passed the bill 28-19 with the House amendments.
The ban would be the first of its kind passed by a state legislature since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.
Nine House Republicans voted against the bill. Some opposed 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 they thought it didn’t go far enough.
Jacob, who supports a complete ban on abortion with no exceptions, called SB 1 “a weak, pathetic bill.”
Rep. Ann Vermilion, R-Marion, gave a lengthy explanation of her decision to vote no on the law. The 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, citing various reasons for their objections to the bill. Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, contrasted the Republican position on abortion with their support of personal choice on issues including 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.
House 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 that while it isn’t exactly what they want, they view it as a first step.
The northeast Indiana 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.”
Later, in the Senate, Democrats continued to speak out against the ban. They were joined by a few Republicans, including Sen. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville.
Becker shared a letter from fellow Sen. Phil Boots, R-Crawfordsville, who she said is on vacation and was not present for the vote. According to Becker, Boots wrote that SB 1 is the “worst attack on the personal freedoms of the citizens of Indiana” he’d seen in his time at the Statehouse.
Republican Sen. Mike Bohacek was overcome with emotion while speaking about women and girls with developmental disabilities.
“What happens to someone on a guardianship that’s pregnant?” the Indianapolis lawmaker asked.
Bohacek mentioned his 21-year-old daughter and said she would be inconsolable if she lost her favorite stuffed animal.
“Making her carry a child to term, …” Bohacek said. He began to tear up, then left the chamber mid-speech.
Sen. Jean Breaux, D-Indianapolis, also spoke against the bill.
“There are just eight of us in this chamber who have ever had the potential to become pregnant,” Breaux said. “Yet today, we are here today to tell millions of Hoosier women ... what they can and cannot do with their bodies.”
Sen. Liz Brown, R-Fort Wayne, was the lone senator other than the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Sue Glick, R-LaGrange, who spoke in favor of SB 1. Brown said she understands why anti-abortion groups are disappointed with the legislation and that she’s “heartbroken.” But, she said, the bill will stop many abortions.
Although Indiana Right to Life voiced opposition to SB 1 multiple times throughout the past two weeks, the anti-abortion group’s president released a statement Friday night calling on Holcomb to sign the bill.
“Although we cannot fully endorse the amended SB 1 due to its rape, incest, and lethal fetal anomaly exceptions,” Right to Life President Mike Fichter said in a statement, “we do acknowledge the path forward is to either embrace the potential to end the vast majority of abortions in Indiana now, or to allow all abortions to continue under current law, making Indiana an abortion-destination state and driving abortion numbers even higher.”
Ultimately, multiple Republicans voted with the whole Democratic caucus against the concurrence. Every Fort Wayne area senator – Justin Busch, Travis Holdman, Dennis Kruse and Brown – voted in favor.
If enacted, SB 1 will go into effect Sept. 15 and 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.
SB 1 also terminates the licensure of abortion clinics in the state, requiring all abortions to be performed at hospitals or outpatient surgical centers owned by hospitals. The bill would not ban Plan B and explicitly does not affect in vitro fertilization.
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.
It does, however, require the state medical board to revoke the medical licenses of doctors who perform an abortion in violation of Indiana law.
Friday’s votes marked the end of a two-week special session.
Holcomb also signed Senate Bill 2, which will send $200 automatic taxpayer refund payments to Hoosiers who filed taxes last year, as well as funding to assist women, children and families. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/near-total-abortion-ban-passes-bill-signed-by-governor/article_53e72c0e-14be-11ed-b9d1-0bffd6dd81cf.html | 2022-08-06T05:08:06 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/near-total-abortion-ban-passes-bill-signed-by-governor/article_53e72c0e-14be-11ed-b9d1-0bffd6dd81cf.html |
A crash Friday afternoon in Steuben County described by authorities as nearly head-on killed one person and sent three others to a hospital with critical injuries.
Steuben County sheriff’s deputies and EMS first responders were called to Indiana 120 near County Road 850 West just before 4 p.m. on an initial report of a two-vehicle crash with multiple injuries.
According to the sheriff’s office, the preliminary investigation indicated a 2007 Nissan Titan pickup driven by Donald Gene Squires, 50, of Howe was traveling west on Indiana 120 when it crossed the center line into the path of an eastbound silver 2012 Volkswagen passenger car.
The woman riding in the Volkswagen’s front passenger seat died at the scene due to blunt force trauma, the sheriff’s office said. The male driver and two small children, who were in safety seats in the back seat, were taken by ambulance to Cameron Hospital in Angola in critical condition.
The driver and the elder child were flown to Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne by Samaritan helicopter. Squires suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
The weather was clear and the road was dry at the time of the crash, the sheriff’s office said. No other information was released Friday pending notification of family.
No one injured in OmniSource blaze
No one was hurt in a Friday afternoon fire at metal recycler OmniSource, 2511 Taylor St., an official said.
The Fort Wayne Fire Department responded to the fire about 4 p.m.
The sprinkler systems kept the flames in check, Deputy Fire Chief Adam O’Connor said, allowing firefighters to concentrate on spot fires in the roof, walls and insulation. There was significant damage to the interior finishes in addition to moderate fire, water and smoke damage, he said.
OmniSource staff assisted by shutting down systems to make it safe for firefighters, O’Connor said. Due to the nature of the business, the metal recycling operation has occasional fires, he said, adding that this one was caused by machinery that caught fire.
OmniSource is a division of Steel Dynamics Inc., which bought the business in 2007 from the Rifkin family for $1.1 billion. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/police-fire-1-dead-in-steuben-crash-omnisource-fire/article_9e4b3d34-1519-11ed-9678-935041d0d3ea.html | 2022-08-06T05:08:12 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/police-fire-1-dead-in-steuben-crash-omnisource-fire/article_9e4b3d34-1519-11ed-9678-935041d0d3ea.html |
The Richmond Police Department is investigating the disappearance of Merle Church, a 51 year old white male, 5 feet 7 inches tall, 150 pounds, bald with brown eyes, last seen wearing a IU hat, maroon hoodie and blue jeans.
Merle is missing from Richmond, Indiana which is 73 miles east of Indianapolis and was last seen on Wednesday, August 3, 2022 at 11:15 am. He is believed to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance.
If you have any information on Merle Church, contact the Richmond Police Department at 765-983-7247 or 911.
This concludes this Silver Alert. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/police-fire/verbatim-silver-alert-on-richmond-man/article_836425a8-1537-11ed-99ec-b33d583ff062.html | 2022-08-06T05:08:19 | 1 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/police-fire/verbatim-silver-alert-on-richmond-man/article_836425a8-1537-11ed-99ec-b33d583ff062.html |
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(WJHL) — Former Virginia House of Delegates member Joe Johnson has died.
Johnson represented Bristol and parts of Washington and Smyth counties for nearly three decades. He retired from politics in 2014.
Several Virginia lawmakers praised him for his contributions to Southwest Virginia through projects such as the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon.
“Our friend and colleague, Joe Johnson, has passed. Joe, a true gentleman, was one of Southwest Virginia’s most dedicated public servants. A strong advocate for his community, Joe was one of the kindest, nicest men I’ve ever met. I have no doubt that he has been reunited with his loving wife Ann, who left us just last month. I ask that all Virginians join me in prayer for his family at this difficult time.”
House Speaker Todd Gilbert
Johnson graduated from Emory & Henry College in 1957 and earned his law degree from the University of Richmond.
“The Emory & Henry family mourns the loss of former Delegate Joe Johnson, whose lifetime of service to this region, the Commonwealth, and to his alma mater has inspired many. Delegate Johnson worked tirelessly, logging thousands of miles representing us in Richmond for years, and in his trademark way, shaking hands all along the way. Our hearts are heavy at this time, but our thoughts of the many ways in which Joe contributed to the betterment of Southwest Virginia and Emory & Henry shall be long remembered.”
Dr. John W. Wells, Emory & Henry’s president
He was 90 years old. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/former-del-joe-johnson-dies-at-90/ | 2022-08-06T05:10:38 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/former-del-joe-johnson-dies-at-90/ |
SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — Kids in the City of South Fulton will go back to school on Monday, and city leaders want to remind drivers school zone safety cameras will be in effect beginning one hour before and one hour after classes end.
The speed limit is 25 miles per hour in those school zones, and you'll get a ticket in the mail if you go 10 or more miles over it. It'll cost drivers $100 for the first offense and $150 for each offense after that.
One by one, cars zoom down Campbellton Road in South Fulton, as many drivers remain unaware of what happened to a little girl there.
"This is a picture of myself, my daughter, my son, and my mother," Lahtrey Majors said as he pointed to a picture.
Old family memories are etched in Lahtrey Majors' mind.
"Sitting next to the picture is her urn," Majors said.
The memories are forever changed because of what happened on February 2nd, 2018.
“Lord, please no. I was taken to Grady Hospital," Majors said.
Little Ren'gia was only 11 years old and had her whole life ahead of her. She loved to dance and spend time with her father and brother.
“I knew something was wrong because they kept on telling me to wait," Majors said.
Majors would no longer be able to kiss or text his little girl ever again.
“It was a speeder that was speeding in the school zone and hit my daughter's car that she was driving in and the car somehow or she was ejected out of the side window of the vehicle," Majors said.
He can't bring himself to drive past Sandtown Middle School anymore because of what happened there four years ago.
“I was I was horrified because being a single father and raising my children, they were kind of like my life," Majors said.
“We did not have speed enforcement cameras. We did not have traffic signals. We didn't have traffic calming devices," Councilwoman Helen Z. Willis said.
City of South Fulton Councilwoman Helen Z. Willis sponsored the ordinance putting cameras in all city school zones.
“This is all about making sure that our kids can walk to school and not worry about people speeding through the school zones and something tragically happening to them," Willis said.
“Just because your child may not go to the school and may not be around, somebody else's child goes there," Majors said.
Majors asks drivers to slow down in school zones as he thinks of the little girl who would now be 15 years old.
“I lost my child. I lost my friend. I lost my companion," Majors said. “This thing that I'll never get to do, you know, see my child walk down the aisle, you know, in a wedding dress.”
Ren'gia's memory is helping other South Fulton kids stay safe. The school zone cameras are named in her honor with a plaque below them.
The Ren'gia Majors School Zone Safety Program has been in place since 2020. Councilwoman Willis said since then speeding in school zones has been down by 92%. | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/school-zone-safety-cameras-south-fulton/85-9173bf14-3b11-4149-9a66-9177e14c46f4 | 2022-08-06T05:20:44 | 0 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/school-zone-safety-cameras-south-fulton/85-9173bf14-3b11-4149-9a66-9177e14c46f4 |
Members of the audience reach out to pet Hiccup, a female American alligator handled by Bryson Thieme with the Idaho Reptile Zoo, during a demonstration at the Kuna Days event on Friday.
Bryson Thieme, with the Idaho Reptile Zoo, introduces a Tegu lizard named Daisy to an audience on hand during a demonstration at Kuna Days in Bernie Fisher Park on Friday.
Members of the audience reach out to pet Hiccup, a female American alligator handled by Bryson Thieme with the Idaho Reptile Zoo, during a demonstration at the Kuna Days event on Friday.
Bryson Thieme, with the Idaho Reptile Zoo, introduces a Tegu lizard named Daisy to an audience on hand during a demonstration at Kuna Days in Bernie Fisher Park on Friday.
Tracie and Peter McBroom walked toward the rows of vendor tents lining up and down Bernie Fisher Park on Friday hoping to get to know the town. The couple had just moved to the area five weeks ago and were looking forward to feeling a “small town atmosphere” and a sense of community at the annual event they heard about via Facebook.
Kuna Days kicked off at the park on Friday with vendors, pony rides, a reptile show and a movie on the baseball field. The festivities will continue through Saturday with a fireworks show to finish off the two-day celebration.
“On Saturday, everybody just comes out of the woodwork,” Raymond Taff said. Taff is a member of the Kuna Chamber of Commerce, which puts on Kuna Days each year.
Taff said the large Saturday numbers can be attributed to crowd favorites like the Kuna Days parade, the mud run obstacle course and the fireworks display.
“The kids love the mud run,” Taff said. “And there's a lot of adults who like the mud run, you know, it's just so fun to do. You get crazy.”
Another event that has caused a real buzz at Kuna Days was last year’s “mullet catwalk” where people in the community compete to see who reigns king of the distinctive hairstyle. The event was so popular that it is returning again for its second year.
“It was just so funny because you got moms and dads buzzing their kid's hairs into mullets,” Taff said. “People get decked out, redneck as could be, you know last year I saw guys running around with pretty much short-short coveralls, red, white, and blue … a couple of them had their hair, their mullet even dyed red, white and blue. So it was just — it’s fun.”
At the end of the parade on Saturday, the Kuna Rural Fire District hooks up its hose and sprays the kids down Main Street, a spectacle that has become the favorite of many in attendance, including members of the fire district.
“My favorite part is spraying the kids with water,” said Kuna Rural Fire District Captain Matt Coffelt. “Just to see the joy on the kids face when we shoot our big deck gun down Main Street and all the kids run out there and play. It just — that's what it's about.”
Last year, according to Taff, the Kuna Days parade had around 30 groups participating, this year the number is over 50.
And the growth doesn’t stop there. Last year there were around 80 vendors and food trucks; this year Taff said the chamber has brought in 109.
For some of the vendors, coming to Kuna Days is about supporting the community.
“It's a lot of hometown people here, a lot of local vendors,” said Jacob Durrant, owner of the Pony Express Ranch.
Durrant’s booth at Bernie Fisher Park offers pony rides and up-close-and-personal encounters with the animals at his petting zoo like a yak, young longhorn bull, alpaca and a donkey. For a lot of kids that visit Pony Express Ranch, it’s their first time near animals like this, and Durrant said that often, by the end of their pony rides they don’t want to leave, which is fun for him to see.
But the real reason he comes out to Kuna Days is to show love for his hometown.
“I was born and raised here in Kuna, went to Kuna High School. So it's just home,” Durrant said. “I like to help support it. Make it grow. It's getting to be pretty big. So anything we can do to help.”
For other vendors, Kuna Days provides the boost in revenue and exposure they need to keep going.
Taff recognizes this, which is why he always tries to help new “mom and pop” companies get involved.
“My first year somebody bought me my booth,” Taff said. “So now every year I buy a booth or two on each side of me … I hear tons of people, ‘We want to stay local.’ So Kuna Days is perfect for all the local little businesses.”
JK’s Naughty Salt is one of the businesses that really took off thanks to Kuna Days. The owner, Jeremey Kornoely, started selling his salts, which he makes by mixing peppers he grows in his backyard with Australian sea salt, last summer. His most popular one is green habanero. Coming to Kuna Days for the first time last year gave him enough exposure and people coming through to warrant his return this year.
“That's the best part about it, being out here and being able to let people see what I have and it's just, it's way better in the flea markets,” Kornoely said.
Those wanting to experience Kuna Days can head to Bernie Fisher Park in Kuna on Saturday. The events start at 7 a.m. with a pancake breakfast that runs until 10 a.m. The festivities will continue throughout the day and finish with a firework show at 10 p.m. | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/kuna-days-kicks-off-at-bernie-fisher-park/article_5c03e55c-2c60-59df-8e95-9137687ea078.html | 2022-08-06T05:24:12 | 0 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/kuna-days-kicks-off-at-bernie-fisher-park/article_5c03e55c-2c60-59df-8e95-9137687ea078.html |
BOISE, Idaho — Three years later, some people are still unhappy with Ada County’s decision to get rid of air pumps at Barber Park.
Trespassing, parking congestion and frequent rescues on the Boise River are all issues some community members attribute to not having access to public air pumps at Barber Park.
Boise City Councilmember Patrick Bageant said not having public air compressors available at Barber Park is a safety concern.
Bageant said the Boise Fire Department is patrolling the river more this year than in year’s past, in part because people are choosing to use unreliable, flimsy floats.
The more air compressors, the higher likelihood of people spending the time to inflate safer, sturdier floats, according to Bageant.
“Somebody’s gonna die,” Bageant said. “It's going to be a child or it's going to be a person in their early 20s who doesn't know any better and they'll be on an inferior, small little floaty device, because that's the only option they have without a good air compressor up there, and they will drown.”
The county got rid of air compressors three years ago. Ada County Parks and Waterways spokesperson Robbie Sosin said their goal was to help reduce traffic bottleneck at the put in.
Oftentimes, people waited in long lines to inflate their tubes and rafts. Sosin said these long lines, combined with hot temperatures, caused fights to break out.
Littering was also common, according to Sosin.
Not only did the county remove public access to air compressors, he said they actually got rid of the hookups altogether during a park remodel.
Some community members, like Amy Bezzoso, said removing traffic bottleneck only pushed congestion to the parking lot.
“We have to spend the extra time to blow them up here instead of getting dropped off and going to the pumps and airing them up there,” Bezzoso said.
Sosin said there is one outlet open for people to inflate their tubes. Other than that, people are on their own. Barber Valley Neighborhood Association Vice President Rob Stark said the single outlet can become an issue.
Just this week, Boise Police shared a video of a man using an outlet at a private residence to inflate a float. Stark said parking and general poor behavior in neighborhoods are other concerns.
“Empty beer cans, music blasting, one of the residents found a used condom in his front yard on a float weekend,” Stark said. “Your jaw just drops like that people act this way.”
Bageant said it is creating more and more problems for the city.
“We used to have all the issues concentrated in one place where we could manage them,” Bageant said. “Now, it's just dispersed out into that neighborhood and, of course, those residents are upset.”
At the heart of the issue, Stark said he really just wants the county to be good neighbors.
Both he and Bageant said they have talked to people from Ada County about the issue, but have not made much headway in getting air compressors reinstalled.
Ada County commissioners did not return KTVB’s call.
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/community-members-upset-with-no-air-pumps-at-barber-park/277-ef7cf3dd-30e9-48ec-9bee-0821231beadb | 2022-08-06T05:56:08 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/community-members-upset-with-no-air-pumps-at-barber-park/277-ef7cf3dd-30e9-48ec-9bee-0821231beadb |
A popular beach escape for sweltering New Yorkers is back open — and not a moment too soon for those looking to find some relief from the heat index levels that once again will approach 100 degrees.
After being closed from Thursday and into Friday, park officials announced that the beach at Jacob Riis Park would be open starting Friday afternoon. The beach had been closed after park officials cited unsafe water conditions.
Samples taken from water along the Queens beachline previously produced high bacteria levels that exceed the National Park Service safety standards. But in a tweet on Friday, the Gateway National Recreation Area, which Jacob Riis Park is a part of, said that the "bacterial levels were back below local, state and National Park Service Standards."
Regular swimmers to NYC beaches know well the challenges of getting in the water this summer. In addition to a handful of shark sightings that have suspended swimming for brief periods, large stretches of the Rockaways have been closed through much of the summer for construction and restoration of the beach.
New York City reminds the public that it opens cooling centers when the heat index is forecast to be 95 degrees or above for two or more consecutive days, or if the heat index is forecast to be 100 degrees at any time. Cooling centers located at older adult center sites will be reserved for older New Yorkers, ages 60 and older.
News
To find a cooling center, including accessible facilities closest to you, call 311 or visit the NYC Cooling Center Finder at NYC.gov/beattheheat. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/popular-nyc-beach-reopens-for-swimming-after-closure-due-to-bacteria-woes/3813204/ | 2022-08-06T05:56:21 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/popular-nyc-beach-reopens-for-swimming-after-closure-due-to-bacteria-woes/3813204/ |
EVERETT, Wash. — Everett police are looking for a suspect who they say scammed a young boy running a lemonade stand by giving him a fake $100 bill.
Jeremy Ryzhonkov is a young entrepreneur. He just turned 12 this week and already has a vending machine business, lawn mowing business, and snack stand.
“I think there's nothing in the world that is free,” said Jeremy.
Three weeks ago, Jeremy was in his usual spot on Beverly Boulevard selling lemonade and snacks. He said two men bought 20 bucks worth of drinks and food and asked if he could break a 100-dollar bill.
Jeremy used all the money he had to give them change. After they left he noticed the money looked weird.
“The numbers looked different on each color and the hundred dollar bill was smaller and the color was kind of different,” said Jeremy.
Jeremy then ran to a nearby gas station for help.
“I asked is it real or fake and he said it’s not real.”
The gas station worker called the police who are now looking for the suspect accused of giving Jeremy bogus bucks.
“Very exhausted from working all day on a sunny day and felt very sad and disappointed,” said Jeremy.
Jeremy was using half the money to help fund some of his businesses and for spending money. The other half was to help other families like his still in war-torn Ukraine.
“I felt really bad that they have to suffer through this,” said Jeremy.
The bad guys didn't deter him. Jeremy was back out Friday selling food and drinks.
Neighbors were looking out for him, giving him a marker to detect counterfeit bills and buying snacks to help him get his money back.
A neighbor has set up a GoFundMe to help Jeremy, and it brought in thousands of dollars in the first 24 hours.
Everett Police said this case struck a particular chord. Police are currently going through tips and asking anyone who recognizes the suspect to come forward with information. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/everett/everett-police-looking-for-suspect-scammed-boy-lemonade-stand/281-475d00fa-051e-43cd-a155-cf0a0a39774f | 2022-08-06T06:15:16 | 0 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/everett/everett-police-looking-for-suspect-scammed-boy-lemonade-stand/281-475d00fa-051e-43cd-a155-cf0a0a39774f |
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – This summer, the Portland metro area has witnessed many fatal drownings, including one that claimed the life of 30-year-old Jason Karr at Frenchman’s Bar Park in Vancouver.
KOIN 6 talked to Karr’s mother, Terri Beard Karr, as she mourns her son and shares how he’s being remembered.
What was supposed to be a fun day out on the Columbia River for Karr with his best friend, and new business partner, ended in tragedy.
“They had just gotten a good contract and that’s what they were celebrating, they were out having fun after working many, many hours,” Beard Karr said.
Jason and his friend Jesse had just opened their own home service business.
Beard Karr told KOIN 6 her son was headstrong, witty and could bring a smile to anyone’s face
“He was always a good kid, he had a great big heart. If he felt somebody else needed the shirt on his back, he’d give it,” Beard Karr said.
After years of struggling to stay sober, Karr finally regained control of his life.
“He was proud of himself. He has 3 beautiful kids,” Beard Karr said.
Everything changed on July 18, when authorities say Karr fell off his paddleboard and struggled to get back on shore.
Rescue swimmers from the Vancouver Fire Department jumped in, but by the time they reached him, it was too late. Karr had already been underwater for several minutes.
Officials said he was not wearing a life vest.
“I think it hit me when they asked me if I wanted to see the body,” Beard Karr explained. “So, I went over and said my goodbyes. I knew that would be the last time I see him.”
A somber reminder to keep safety top of mind while out on the water.
“But what can you do, you got to be strong,” she said. “And I’m doing the best I can … having things around that are memories of him is probably one of the best things for me.”
Karr’s family set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the cost of the funeral. | https://www.koin.com/local/clark-county/son-mourned-after-falling-off-paddleboard-drowning-in-columbia-river/ | 2022-08-06T06:16:24 | 0 | https://www.koin.com/local/clark-county/son-mourned-after-falling-off-paddleboard-drowning-in-columbia-river/ |
Attorney joins GA Group, PC
Dennis Pathroff has been hired as a full-time lawyer-lobbyist by the GA Group, PC.
He has previous experience as a company landman for a large oil company and most recently a partner with the Zuger, Kirmis & Smith law firm. Pathroff graduated from Southern Methodist University, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences and earned his law degree, magna cum laude, from the University of North Dakota.
AE2S hires two
Matt Bradley and Zac Ranisate have been hired as engineers-in-training by the civil and environmental consulting engineering firm AE2S.
Bradley will work with the drinking water practice on engineering projects across the Upper Midwest and Rocky Mountain region and Ranisate will focus on drinking water and wastewater projects. Bradley earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of North Dakota and Ranisate earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in civil engineering with an environmental emphasis from the University of North Dakota.
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The business news you need
Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. | https://bismarcktribune.com/business/local/businesspeople---aug-6-2022/article_a6aa2602-11ae-11ed-8c1f-efd9acdd0cc3.html | 2022-08-06T06:27:53 | 0 | https://bismarcktribune.com/business/local/businesspeople---aug-6-2022/article_a6aa2602-11ae-11ed-8c1f-efd9acdd0cc3.html |
Dr. Alexander Kott
NAPLES, FL - Dr. Alexander Kott, age 97, a Holocaust survivor, passed away on Thursday, August 4, 2022. He was a resident of Naples, Florida and lived in Munster, Indiana for over 50 years. Loving husband of Simonne Kott, with whom he was married for 60 years. Devoted father of Andrea Kott and Marcy Kott of Chicago and Nicki Kott of Northbrook; and father-in-law of Mark Levine, David Garelick and Jim Glennon. Adoring grandfather of Max, Daniel, Olivia, Grayson, Sydney, Annabelle, Taylor, Ryan, and Lindsay. He was preceded in death by his parents: Helena and Zygmunt Kott; and his brother, Roman. Dr. Kott was a radiologist at St. Margaret Hospital in Northwest Indiana for over 40 years, where he served as the Head of the Department of Radiology. He graduated from Marburg University Medical School in Germany and then completed a residency in radiology at Cook County Hospital. He proudly served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force.
His greatest joy in life was spending time with his close family and friends.
A gravesite funeral service will be held on Sunday, August 7, at 10:30 a.m. at Elmwood Cemetery at 1413 169th Street Hammond, Indiana. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the gravesite.
In lieu of flowers, charitable donations to the U.S. Holocaust Museum (https://donate.ushmm.org/x4jZ-1q91E-sMGxm460upw2), Hospice of The Calumet Area (www.HospiceCalumet.org), or a charity of your choice would be appreciated. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/dr-alexander-kott/article_b747baee-4328-539b-ad58-d130a2a45eda.html | 2022-08-06T06:37:29 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/dr-alexander-kott/article_b747baee-4328-539b-ad58-d130a2a45eda.html |
James Norman Shore
PORTAGE - James Norman Shore, age 67, of Portage passed away Wednesday, July 27, 2022, after battling cancer and heart disease for over 12 years.
A funeral service for Jim will be held Monday, August 8, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at Rees Funeral Home, Olson Chapel, 5341 Central Avenue, Portage, Indiana 46368. Burial at Calvary Cemetery. A visitation will be held Sunday, August 7, 2022, from 3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. also at Rees Funeral Home, Olson Chapel. (219) 762-3013 Online condolences can be shared with the family at www.reesfuneralhomes.com. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/james-norman-shore/article_f660049f-72af-5275-9206-7b1a7218a51c.html | 2022-08-06T06:37:36 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/james-norman-shore/article_f660049f-72af-5275-9206-7b1a7218a51c.html |
Loretta A. Turman (nee Rys)
CHICAGO, IL - Loretta A. Turman (nee Rys), age 84, late of Chicago (Hegewisch), passed away Wednesday, August 3, 2022. Beloved wife of John G. Turman. Loving mother of Roger (Demetra), David and Joseph. Proud grandmother of Sabrina, Anthony and Jonathan. Caring sister of Ronald (late Marianne) Rys. Dear aunt of many nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by her parents: Joseph and Josephine (nee Pasternak) Rys; brothers: Robert (Betty), Edward (Stella), Eugene (Frances); and sisters: Jane "Lala" and Mary Smith (nee Rys).
Loretta was a loving wife, mother, sister and grandmother. She loved and enjoyed her family, especially her grandchildren, who she adored. She enjoyed spending time with her family, especially on Christmas Eve. Loretta volunteered at St. Margaret Mercy Hospital in Hammond as an extraordinary eucharistic minister for over 20 years. She will be missed. Loretta was a member of the Rosary Group at St. Columba.
Funeral Services 9:00 a.m., Monday, August 8, 2022 at OPYT FUNERAL HOME, 13350 S. Baltimore Avenue, Chicago, IL 60633 to St. Florian Church for 10:00 a.m. Mass. Interment Holy Cross Cemetery, Calumet City, IL. Visitation 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Sunday, August 7, 2022. 773.646.1133 or ww.opytfh.com | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/loretta-a-turman-nee-rys/article_959b4184-2200-5311-9d30-b19410cc1c67.html | 2022-08-06T06:37:42 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/loretta-a-turman-nee-rys/article_959b4184-2200-5311-9d30-b19410cc1c67.html |
Regina M. (Smith) Looney
IN LOVING MEMORY OF MY WIFE, REGINA LOONEY, pass away one year ago August 6, 2021.
Everyone say time will heal, maybe so, but it still feel like it was yesterday. Sometime it's hard to live without you, all I can say is that you don't know what you got until you don't have it anymore.
I will love you forever and always, until we are together again.
Your loving Husband, Estil | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/regina-m-smith-looney/article_0742e29d-7e27-5661-aa6c-d4cac07e6943.html | 2022-08-06T06:37:48 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/obituaries/regina-m-smith-looney/article_0742e29d-7e27-5661-aa6c-d4cac07e6943.html |
Phyllis G. (Wiegand) Stockwell, 76, of Clarion, died Friday, August 5, 2022. Arrangements: Ewing Funeral Home, Clarion.
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Phyllis G. (Wiegand) Stockwell, 76, of Clarion, died Friday, August 5, 2022. Arrangements: Ewing Funeral Home, Clarion.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. | https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/death-notices/globe-death-notices/article_d44908bd-bb77-5043-a4f8-a2abbd15db6b.html | 2022-08-06T06:44:05 | 0 | https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/death-notices/globe-death-notices/article_d44908bd-bb77-5043-a4f8-a2abbd15db6b.html |
Mark Allen Thomas
August 29, 1955-August 4, 2022
Mark Allen Thomas, Age 66, of Rice Lake, WI, died Thursday, August 4, 2022 at his home.
He was born on August 29, 1955 in Mason City, Iowa to David and Marie (Lauer) Thomas. Mark graduated from Mason City High School and then graduated from Missouri Western State University. He was married to Julie Ohlson on August 2, 1980 in St. Joseph, Missouri. Mark was in sales for many years in the Insurance and Car Sales Businesses. Mark and Julie moved to Rice Lake in 2017 where he worked for Kohl's, Herbergers, and Security Finance.
He was a devoted husband and father, a St. Louis Blues Hockey fan, and enjoyed fishing, listening to music and being with his beloved dogs.
He is survived by his wife, Julie Thomas; 2 children, Emma Finch and Stephanie (Kevin) Thomas-Schmidt; mother, Marie Thomas; brother, Gary (Cheri) Thomas; sister, Cynthia Lund; brother-in-law, Gilbert Ohlson; nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his father, David Thomas, and a brother, Dennis Thomas.
Funeral Services will be held at 7PM Monday, August 8, 2022 at Appleyard's Home for Funerals in Rice Lake, WI with visitation from 5-7PM. | https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/mark-allen-thomas/article_035fb825-10a0-5bed-bf99-cda55e27d7bf.html | 2022-08-06T06:44:11 | 1 | https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/mark-allen-thomas/article_035fb825-10a0-5bed-bf99-cda55e27d7bf.html |
TACOMA, Wash. — A 2-year-old boy is recovering after finding and ingesting a fentanyl pill at a park in Tacoma Thursday afternoon.
A spokesperson for the Tacoma Police Department said the child and his mom were at Oakland Madrona Park around 1 p.m. Thursday when the mom saw the boy put something in his mouth. The mother told authorities her son started acting lethargic and realized something was wrong.
The boy's mother took what was remaining of the pill from the child’s mouth and called 911. Tacoma police said a responding officer determined the item was a fentanyl pill.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. It is found in varying degrees in illegal drugs, including opioids disguised as prescription painkillers.
The Tacoma Fire Department administered Narcan and performed CPR to stabilize the boy, who was then taken to the hospital. Tacoma police tweeted the boy was in stable condition Friday morning.
Metro Parks Tacoma was alerted of the incident.
A survey from the University of Washington’s Addictions, Drugs and Alcohol Institute revealed a stark increase in the intentional use of the deadly opioid fentanyl across the state.
Fentanyl, which took over from methamphetamine in 2020 as the drug most associated with overdoses in Washington state, is being linked to the increase in crime across the Puget Sound region.
That trend has resulted in Seattle police seizing nearly 650,000 fentanyl-based pills in 2021. Officers seized 63,000 fentanyl pills in 2020 and less than 200 in 2018.
Now, a proposal to declare fentanyl a public health crisis in King County is nearing full approval.
Download our free KING 5 app to stay up-to-date on news stories from across western Washington. | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/boy-ingests-fentanyl-pill-oakland-madrona-park-tacoma/281-7765d331-b4dc-409f-82c8-d236584e8c5b | 2022-08-06T06:55:16 | 0 | https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/boy-ingests-fentanyl-pill-oakland-madrona-park-tacoma/281-7765d331-b4dc-409f-82c8-d236584e8c5b |
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Kojack's Poker Club on West Cuthbert Avenue is a fun and safe way to build community through cards.
According to Charlie Whittle, a staff member since the day it opened, Kojack's began when two individuals sought out a more sheltered outlet to enjoy the popular playing card game in West Texas.
“There was a free poker league in Midland-Odessa, it’s called Lone Star Poker League,” he said.
The Lone Star Poker League began playing games in homes and bars around the local area.
“Home games are kind of sketchy, you know. You don’t trust the neighborhood, you don’t trust the people,” Whittle said.
For this reason, the two decided to open Kojack's Poker Club, a members-only club built to foster clean and organized play, four years ago.
In 2020, a man named Clyde Hinton bought into the club.
“He and his daughter began running it and Clyde eventually bought the entire poker room,” Whittle said.
Hinton passed away on Aug. 8, 2021, but his daughter purchased the club from him, making her the sole owner or – “The Poker Goddess of Midland-Odessa,” according to Whittle.
Community Feel
General Manager Brendan Huse claimed a major reason he made the move from the northeast to Midland was how quickly he felt included and made relationships at Kojack's.
“I was down here for about a week working, and within the second day it seemed like I had developed friendships with the players in here. Poker, in general, while it’s huge it’s actually a tight-knit community. The people that do play, we see them often,” Huse said.
The players, who are required to be at least 21 years old to gain membership to the club, span all ages, classes and professions.
“Anywhere from 21, I’d have to look to see what my oldest member is, but I’d say he’s in his 70s. Male, female, it does not matter. It is something for everyone,” Huse said.
Huse also enjoys witnessing friendly player interactions at KoJack's.
“You’ll hear joking nonstop from table to table, from player to player. It’s all lighthearted, it’s a good, fun atmosphere,” Huse said.
Beyond just playing cards, there are means for additional entertainment, enhancing the entire player experience.
“We’re set for Sunday football; on Saturday nights we’ll get the UFC fights. We have a pool table, a few arcade games. It is a B.Y.O.B, so you’re more than welcome to come in, have a drink, relax or just watch sports, whatever the case may be,” Huse remarked.
Appearance wise, the club is pristine and well-maintained. The grey felt tables are without wear-and-tear, the black leather chairs around them look as if they were just purchased.
KoJack's has grown exponentially since its founding around four years ago, according to Whittle.
“I think we’re on member number 8,700 right now,” he said.
Legality
Huse, who moved to Midland from his home in Philadelphia to manage Kojacks, commented on the legality of competition at a Texas private club.
The state has looked into clubs like Kojacks and others with a magnifying glass, according to Huse. However, it’s clear that participation at this club is completely legal and moral.
“Number one: Poker is classified as a game of skill not a game of chance,” he said.
Games of chance would be other common gambling activities like blackjack, roulette or craps. Huse then explained the biggest differentiator between Kojack's and a casino. A poker room at a casino makes their money through a “rake,” or taking a percentage out of every pot that players play.
“We do not do that,” he said, “we are a membership club, you have to be a member to come in the doors. Secondly, we basically rent our seats by the hour and that’s how we make our income.”
Whittle also spoke on the staff’s vigilance, “collusion is a big thing in certain areas, not here. We watch film on our players, we’re constantly watching,” he said.
Events
KoJack's holds events and tournaments throughout each given month; they feature a full calendar online.
“We run four tournaments a year, we run the Permian Basin Poker Series in October and we run the West Texas Poker Championships in March, those are two-week tournaments each. Then we run two little tournaments – The Summer Miniseries, which is a weeklong, and The Winter Miniseries, which is a week-long,” Whittle said.
He continued to claim that most players like the two-day main events. In August, each day corresponds with a different poker event.
Weekly schedule
The club is closed on Mondays.
Sundays alternate between a $250 and $220 bounty game.
Tuesdays, there is a $280 Freeze-Out tournament.
For Wednesday’s, games and tournaments vary by week. Aug. 10 there is a $250 No-Limit Hold ‘Em tournament, Aug. 17 is $200 Pot-Limit Omaha, Aug. 24 is $200 Big ‘O’, then Aug. 31 is a Free-Roll tournament, which costs no money to enter.
Thursday’s there is a $150 Round of Each tournament.
Friday is free play from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday’s there is a $120 No Limit Hold ‘Em tournament.
-- | https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/Biz-Buzz-Kojack-s-Poker-Club-provides-home-for-17354991.php | 2022-08-06T07:10:45 | 1 | https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/Biz-Buzz-Kojack-s-Poker-Club-provides-home-for-17354991.php |
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When it comes to city leadership, Lori Merritt Blong said continuity and stability are important.
That may be especially true as only one Midland City Council member has more than five years of experience and a majority of members are still in their first terms.
Blong announced Friday she is running to become the next mayor of Midland, one day after current Mayor Patrick Payton announced he will not seek reelection. Blong is the representative of District 4 (generally west Midland) and had announced her intention to run for reelection there, but the opportunity to be mayor was one she couldn’t pass up.
“I feel like it is a position that is critical for our community,” Blong said. “I want to serve in that role.”
It hasn’t taken long for Blong to hit her stride as an influential member of the current Midland City Council. She has taken the lead on roles, especially when it comes to parks like the Midland Trail Park (a partnership with the Permian Basin Bicycle Association in southeast Midland) and the $55 million renovation of Hogan Park, a public-private project.
“This is a job I take very seriously. It is more service-oriented than I realized,” Blong said. “I have worked really hard to listen to community members and to make decisions that take everyone’s viewpoint into account.”
She considered the last 2 ½ years largely a time that city leaders have been “taking care of business.” Following the COVID pandemic, she and the rest of the council have focused on finishing the voter-approved road bond, working on water sources and delivery for city residents, making city hall business friendly and improving pay for first-responders (and increasing their personnel numbers). Basic city business, she said, have trumped “crazy projects,” and she said taking care of business should remain the focus heading into the next three years.
Blong is a mother of three, a wife and founder and partner of Octane Energy. She said family was considered when going into politics and that she considers being a wife, mother and business leader as “important,” but to have a Midland that residents can be happy to call home now and in the future, “I am called to serve for the benefit of my family and other families.”
“I want to stay the course, to continue to fight for individual liberties and conservative values on a local level, to make prudent financial decisions with our taxpayer dollars, and to ensure that Midland is well-positioned for the future,” Blong previously told the Reporter-Telegram.
Blong will have a rally at the Second Story Coworking space, 223 W. Wall St., at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The mayor’s seat is one of three places on the November ballot (Districts 3 and 4 are the others). The sign-up period started on July 25. The last day to put a name on a local ballot is Aug. 22. | https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/Blong-s-mayoral-run-about-serving-Midland-17354998.php | 2022-08-06T07:10:51 | 1 | https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/Blong-s-mayoral-run-about-serving-Midland-17354998.php |
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A lawyer angered a San Antonio bankruptcy judge by disclosing in open court that ex-attorney Christopher “Chris” Pettit — accused of plundering millions of dollars belonging to his clients — had tried to commit suicide.
At a hearing to determine whether Pettit should be allowed to have more than $10,000 a month for living expenses, attorney Tom Keyser revealed that his client attempted to hang himself in February.
Keyser divulged the sensitive information to support Pettit’s request for $850 in mental health services as part of a monthly budget.
Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Craig Gargotta turned him down in ruling Pettit wasn’t authorized to spend any money. He had wildly spent more than $260,000 — including on trips to Disney World and Kennedy Space Center — after his June 1 bankruptcy filing.
But Thursday’s denial of living expenses was overshadowed by a flash of anger from the usually mild-mannered Gargotta, who admonished Keyser for announcing in court information that should have remained confidential.
“Mr. Keyser, I don’t know what in God’s name you were doing,” the judge said at the end of the all-day hearing. “I’ve been on the bench almost 15 years and I’ve never dressed down a lawyer.”
Keyser earlier had told the judge that Pettit had reached out to him through the Texas Lawyers Assistance Program after his suicide attempt. The program helps lawyers who have “substance use and other mental health issues” and treats such assistance as “strictly confidential,” its website says.
Keyser has credited the program for saving his life and career that were in tatters as a result of a drug addiction more than 30 years ago.
After Pettit, 55, was discharged from a Florida psychiatric hospital, Keyser said he referred him to a San Antonio psychiatrist and a counselor.
“I don’t want Chris Pettit hurting himself,” Keyser told the judge in attempting to “validate” the $850 Pettit wanted for mental health services. “I want him to be able to walk through this.”
Saying Keyser was opening himself up to cross-examination by lawyers for creditors opposed to Pettit getting any money, Gargotta directed Keyser to “just be quiet and sit down.”
Keyser could have revealed Pettit’s suicide attempt in the privacy of the judge’s chambers rather than in court, Gargotta said.
“You have put me in a very difficult situation,” Gargotta added. “I, of course, do not want any harm to come to Mr. Pettit.” But Pettit’s legal team put on “zero evidence” to support the $850 expense, let alone the rest of the expenses outlined in his proposed budget.
Expenses ‘not reasonable’
That came after the revelation this week that San Antonio police are treating the death of Pettit’s younger brother, Charles, as a suicide. Charles Pettit, 49, had worked as a non-lawyer at Chris Pettit & Associates up until it closed in May amid mounting allegations from clients that their money had been stolen.
A police incident report shows Pettit had asked for a welfare check on his brother July 12 after not hearing from him in nearly a month. Police discovered Charles Pettit’s body at the house where he lived on Deer Crest.
Petitt had indicated to police that his legal issues may have caused his brother to harm himself.
With lawsuits piling up against him and his firm, Chris Pettit in June surrendered his law license and filed for bankruptcy protection, reporting about $40.5 million in assets and $112.2 million in debts.
The exchange between Gargotta and Keyser capped a puzzling day for Pettit’s legal team, which offered only his testimony to support his request for $10,310 a month to cover living expenses.
No bills or receipts were presented as evidence, as is normal in such cases, leading Gargotta to deny the motion to grant him a “limited” budget.
Pettit’s monthly budget request included $3,000 for child care; $2,000 for his 10-year-old son’s tuition at Saint Mary’s Hall, a private school; $400 for cable and internet; $450 for a cellphone; and $400 for prescriptions and co-pays for healthcare services. He and his son live in a 5,000-square-foot home in a gated community in Stone Oak. Pettit valued it at $1.8 million.
“These expenses are not reasonable in any stretch of the imagination,” the judge said. He also wasn’t convinced that Pettit is doing his best to reduce his spending and find a job. Gargotta sided with the Chapter 11 trustee and lawyers for several creditors, who opposed the request.
Pettit ‘evasive’
“Many of the people sitting in this gallery today, your honor, don’t have the means to meet their daily obligations because Mr. Pettit stole their money,” attorney Leslie Luttrell said, referring to the roughly dozen creditors who attended the hearing. “The court needs to keep that in mind as it is analyzing whether or not he should be afforded a dime.”
Pettit had tapped a significant amount of money from his retirement accounts to fund his post-bankruptcy lifestyle. His bankruptcy lawyer has argued the accounts were funded with legitimate earnings, so creditors can’t claim them as assets of the bankruptcy estate for distribution to them. No determination on whether the retirement money is exempt from the bankruptcy estate has been made, however.
Luttrell countered that her clients contend all of the retirement money that Pettit wants to use to support himself is “tainted by fraud and breach of fiduciary duty.” It’s Pettit burden to show the money is not tainted, she said.
He couldn’t explain numerous money transfers that Luttrell asked him about — including $125,000 moved from a trust account meant to hold client money to his personal checking account on April 18.
Gargotta found Pettit’s testimony “evasive” and not “all that credible,” noting how he repeatedly answered, “I don’t know” or “don’t recall” when questioned by the creditors’ lawyers.
“The situation Mr. Petitt’s in is of his own creation,” the judge said. “So he’s going to have dig himself out.”
Get a job
The judge gave Pettit’s side the opportunity to refile a budget request, but he’s going to have get a job.
Pettit had a job offer in Orlando but that was yanked from him after the employer found out about his legal troubles. Pettit testified he has filled out job applications at more than 100 businesses, including at Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld.
In the meantime, Pettit isn’t even permitted to use airline points he’s earned to book flights. Since a couple weeks before the bankruptcy, Pettit has been traveling between San Antonio and Orlando, where he had been living in a more than $6 million mansion at Disney World. The points are considered an asset of the bankruptcy estate.
Pettit has said the mansion is owned for the benefit of his son’s trust. A lawyer for the trust told Gargotta they are working toward a sale of the mansion and a New Orleans apartment building that the trust also owns.
The trust was created for the health, education and support of Pettit’s son, but it no longer has a bank account or cash assets. They were used to buy real estate and Pettit, who is trustee for the trust, acknowledges he probably owes it money.
“As a Texas lawyer and as a trustee of the trust, you know that that trust prohibits self-dealing, right?” asked Martin Seidler, a lawyer for creditors.
“Yes,” Pettit answered.
Also Thursday, Pettit testified he has waived discharging any of his debts in the bankruptcy case. That means he’s on the hook to repay creditors.
pdanner@express-news.net | https://www.expressnews.com/business/local/article/Chris-pettit-suicide-attempt-budget-denied-17354090.php | 2022-08-06T07:24:08 | 1 | https://www.expressnews.com/business/local/article/Chris-pettit-suicide-attempt-budget-denied-17354090.php |
A bookkeeper who embezzled $291,000 from Centro San Antonio expressed remorse for her criminal conduct at her sentencing Friday, but that didn’t spare her federal prison time.
Alicia Henderson, 60, who now goes by Alicia Padilla, pleaded guilty in 2020 to charges of wire fraud and making a false statement on an income tax return and received concurrent 33-month sentences on each charge. She also must serve three years of supervised release and pay about $356,000 in restitution.
“I take full responsibility and realize my actions were inexcusable,” she said to U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez before he delivered the sentence. “I am sorry, judge. Do not give up on me.”
Rodriguez said he would have been “very sympathetic” had this been her first run-in with the criminal justice system. She pleaded guilty to felony bank fraud in 1997 and was charged twice with theft by check more than 30 years ago.
“I don’t know how you were even hired” by Centro, the judge said.
Padilla came to Centro from a temp agency and was hired without a background check, an organization official said previously.
The embezzlement sparked financial turmoil at Centro, a public-private nonprofit created to help beautify downtown, and threatened to cripple its operations. It led to the resignation of its CEO and president. It also raised questions about whether the organization’s leaders and city officials should have uncovered the misconduct sooner.
“She controlled the books almost completely,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Blackwell told the judge. “Understand, Centro management was wholly negligent in the running of this operation. They turned over almost the entire finances to Ms. Henderson with almost no oversight.”
Blackwell urged the judge to sentence her within the sentencing guideline range of 33 to 41 months, while her attorney asked for probation.
Attorney David Christian said his client accepted responsibility for her wrongdoing when she was caught and “spilled the beans” to Centro’s lawyers and auditors to make everything easier for everyone. He attributed her actions to mental health issues.
“Why does somebody do this?” Christian said. “I don’t know why other than mental health is really what I come back to.”
Padilla, who changed her surname after a 2018 divorce, has been seeing a psychiatrist weekly and is on medication.
She served as Centro’s staff accountant and officer manager, responsible for paying paying the organization's bills. That included preparing the bills Centro submitted to the city every month for expenses ranging from sidewalk cleaning to downtown research to employee salaries.
Blackwell said the thefts began almost immediately after she was hired in mid-July 2014 and continued until November 2017, when she was caught. She wrote 118 checks to herself on Centro’s bank account at Jefferson Bank over that period. She forged Centro executives’ signatures and deposited the checks into her own bank account.
She “disguised the payments” to herself as payments to various vendors in Centro’s internal accounting systems, her plea agreement said. She used the money to pay personal expenses.
“This was long-standing, significant criminal conduct of a sophisticated means,” Blackwell said.
Rodriguez ordered Padilla to continue receiving mental health treatment. She cannot hold any type of job that involves the handling of money or financial transactions without first getting approval from the probation office.
She has until early January to turn herself in to begin serving the sentence.
Centro’s board members blamed former former CEO Pat DiGiovanni and Chief Financial Officer Tony Piazzi for mismanaging the nonprofit and failing to follow adequate internal controls. DiGiovanni resigned after the fraud was discovered and Piazzi left the organization in 2018.
“I would like to take this time to sincerely apologize to Centro,” Padilla said, trying to compose herself. “I especially want to apologize to Pat DiGiovanni and Tony Piazzi. I can never take back the damage I caused and that I am sorry for.”
Centro acts as an advocate for the downtown community, including business owners and real estate developers. It also has a multimillion-dollar contract with the city to manage the downtown public improvement district, or PID, which collects property taxes to perform extra services such as street sweeping and graffiti removal.
pdanner@express-news.net | https://www.expressnews.com/business/local/article/Judge-sentences-former-Centro-San-Antonio-17355578.php | 2022-08-06T07:24:15 | 0 | https://www.expressnews.com/business/local/article/Judge-sentences-former-Centro-San-Antonio-17355578.php |
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One of the men accused of helping smuggle dozens of migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border to San Antonio in an overheated tractor trailer, resulting in the deaths of 53 of the migrants, has pleaded not guilty to four federal human trafficking charges.
Christian Martinez, 28, of Palestine in East Texas, made the plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Bemporad during an arraignment hearing at San Antonio’s federal courthouse on Thursday.
Martinez, also known as “Gordito” or “Gordo,” allegedly worked with the truck driver, Homero Zamorano, to ferry the migrants from the Laredo area to San Antonio’s Southwest Side on June 27 in a big rig disguised as a produce truck.
The migrants who died, including three children, came from Mexico and Central America.
Another 11 migrants were injured, overcome by the heat.
Authorities have described the incident as the worst human smuggling catastrophe in U.S history.
At the scene, San Antonio police officers discovered several dozens of migrants deceased. Several more, who were incapacitated, were transported to area hospitals where they died. Temperatures that day hovered around 100 degrees, and experts have said it could have been more than 140 degrees in the trailer.
Later, police officers found Zamorano, 46, hiding in the brush nearby, attempting to disguise himself as one of the migrants.
After securing a warrant to inspect Zamorano’s cellphone, agents discovered text messages between him and Martinez discussing where to pick up the tractor trailer in Laredo, leading to Martinez’s arrest on June 29.
Last month, after Martinez and Zamorano were indicted by a federal grand jury, authorities revealed that Martinez and Zamorano had worked together on three prior smuggling trips before the one on June 27.
“This defendant helped coordinate that incident, and not only did he do it on one occasion, this defendant has done it on multiple occasions, according to his own admission,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Spears said during a hearing in July in San Antonio’s federal court.
But Michael Gross, who was appointed to represent Martinez, said at the time that his client might have been coerced into speaking with agents. Martinez attended special education classes and can’t read or write, Gross said.
At best, Gross said in July, the government’s allegations paint his client as a middle man.
“I do not mean to downplay the significance of the death of the 53 individuals,” Gross told Bemporad at the hearing in July. “However, Mr. Martinez was not present when either the air conditioner went out or when the decision to abandon those people was made.”
Both men remain in federal custody.
Martinez and Zamorano each face four federal charges, including one count of transportation of illegal aliens resulting in death and one count of transportation of illegal aliens resulting in serious bodily injury.
If convicted, they face the death penalty or life in prison. The U.S. Attorney General’s Office has said it will decide whether to seek the death penalty at a later time.
Gross and David Shearer, another attorney appointed to represent Martinez, declined to comment Martinez’s plea of not guilty.
Staff Writer Guillermo Contreras contributed to this story.
eeaton@express-news.net | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/53-deaths-Texas-migrants-trailer-17354744.php | 2022-08-06T07:25:26 | 0 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/53-deaths-Texas-migrants-trailer-17354744.php |
Republicans are attempting to raise money off of the much-maligned comments Jill Biden made during a speech in front of a Hispanic organization last month in San Antonio by selling T-shirts with a photo of a taco on them.
While the first lady was addressing the 2022 UnidosUS Annual Conference on July 11, she said Latinos are "as unique" as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio."
The remarks drew swift criticism from Republicans like U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio and from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, which said in a statement the Biden's comment “demonstrates a lack of cultural knowledge and sensitivity to the divinity of Latinos in the region.”
On ExpressNews.com: 'Breakfast tacos' comment is the latest example of political pandering to Hispanics
The first lady apologized for her comments the next day, but that hasn't stopped the Republican National Committee from attempting to capitalize on the backlash. The RNC began selling T-shirts on its website on July 12 with "Not Your Breakfast Taco" emblazoned on the chest with a photo of a taco that looks nothing like one of the breakfast variety.
"Let Jill Biden know that we are NOT her breakfast tacos," the RNC wrote in the description of the item. The proceeds will go toward fundraising for Republicans in the upcoming elections, the organization added.
The image on the shirt does not appear to be a traditional San Antonio breakfast taco, and it includes lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and possibly rice.
Similar shirts have popped up on online stores, including TeePublic, Printerval and Etsy.
shepard.price@express-news.net | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Jill-Biden-breakfast-taco-RNC-17354184.php | 2022-08-06T07:25:32 | 0 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Jill-Biden-breakfast-taco-RNC-17354184.php |
A man who barricaded himself in a Stone Oak area apartment had held San Antonio police at bay for almost two days as of press time Friday as they sought a peaceful end to the ordeal.
The man, who had not been identified as of Friday, is wanted on four felony warrants from another county, including one for a murder charge, police said.
The standoff began about 11 p.m. Wednesday after investigators received an anonymous tip that the man was residing at the Agora Stone Oak apartments, 1207 Agora Palms Drive.
Police Chief William McManus said that officers tracked him to the apartment and found him there.
“We tried to call him out,” the chief said. But the man barricaded himself inside, according to police.
He supposedly was holding a woman against her will, but he eventually allowed her to leave, McManus said.
As of Friday afternoon, the standoff continued with the apartment surrounded by SWAT and negotiators, who could be heard at various points yelling to him over a loud speaker, according to footage shared by an apartment resident.
A woman could also be seen offering guidance to people driving through the main gate Thursday.
Now, police are “waiting him out,” the chief said.
“We are not going to make entry unless there are exigent circumstances that would require us to make entry,” he said.
On Friday, Officer Ricardo Guzman, a police spokesman, could only confirm that the man is in his 40s. It is standard practice for police not to identify suspects in such cases until they have been arrested and booked into jail.
jbeltran@express-news.net | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/SAPD-chief-Police-waiting-out-man-who-apparently-17355460.php | 2022-08-06T07:25:38 | 0 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/SAPD-chief-Police-waiting-out-man-who-apparently-17355460.php |
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Frances Hall, the Helotes woman convicted of murder in 2016 for knocking her husband’s motorcycle off Loop 1604 as she chased his lover in another vehicle, has been indicted on an insurance fraud charge, accused of underpaying more than $9 million in premiums.
Hall, 59, was indicted June 30 by a Travis County grand jury, accused of participating in a scheme that started years before she killed her husband and continued until her prison sentence removed her from control of Bill Hall Jr. Trucking.
Between 2009 and 2016, Hall provided false payroll information to Texas Mutual Insurance Company and concealed payroll reports to get lower premiums for the San Antonio gravel hauling business the couple built together, the Texas Department of Insurance said Thursday, citing an investigation by its Workers’ Compensation Division.
A warrant for her arrest was issued July 8, according to court records. Hall faces a charge of securing execution of a document over $200,000, a first-degree felony. She turned herself in to Bexar County authorities this week and was released after posting a $20,000 bond.
Bill Hall Jr. died of his injuries in the 2013 chase. The jury at Frances Hall’s 2016 trial didn’t buy her story that it was an accident but gave her the lowest possible prison sentence.
Related: Frances Hall, convicted of killing husband 2 years ago, heads back to San Antonio
“Frances denies the allegations in the indictment and looks forward to her day in court so she can exonerate herself,” said her attorney, Leigh Cutter of San Antonio, who was part of the defense team at the murder trial. “In the meantime she’ll continue to be the best she can for her family and grandbabies.”
Cutter added that Hall has received an “unprecedented” outpouring of support from many people.
“She’s a good woman,” Cutter said.
Officials said the ongoing insurance scheme “allowed the company and its owners to avoid more than $9 million in premium payments,” according to a statement released Thursday by the state agency.
It quoted Travis County prosecutor Jessica Bergeman saying that workers’ comp fraud “is far from a victimless crime.”
“The Texas workers’ compensation system is funded through premiums that employers pay,” she said. “The system relies on the integrity of all who participate to ensure that workers’ compensation is viable and able to protect injured workers.”
Frances Hall was on South Loop 1604 on Oct. 10, 2013, in her Cadillac Escalade SUV when she saw the Range Rover she owned with her husband being driven by Bonnie Contreras, his lover of three years.
Bill Hall Jr. was driving his motorcycle and following Contreras when the women’s eyes met as they drove in opposite directions, according to testimony at the murder trial, which became a local courthouse spectacle and eventually drew national tabloid TV attention.
When Frances Hall saw them, she turned around, caught up with the Range Rover and rammed it, Contreras told the jury, and the trio embarked on a highway chase that ended when the Escalade and motorcycle collided.
Bill Hall was thrown from his bike and died later that day at a local hospital. Frances Hall — who continued to follow Contreras but finally drove back to the scene of the crash — was later arrested.
A Bexar County jury convicted her after a three-week trial before a packed courtroom that featured numerous experts and other witnesses, including both of the women with whom the victim was involved.
Frances Hall sobbed throughout her testimony, telling the jury that she never meant to kill her husband of 32 years and the love of her life.
More local crime: Jury finds man who ran over ex-wife in San Antonio guilty of murder
Frances Hall faced five to 99 years or life in prison, but State District Judge Jefferson Moore allowed the jury to consider that Hall acted under “sudden passion” when deciding punishment.
The jury decided that she had, and it lowered the first-degree felony punishment to that of a second-degree felony, with a possible sentence ranging from two to 20 years. The jury assessed two years on the murder charge, and two years on an aggravated assault against Contreras. The sentences were served at the same time and Hall was released from prison in 2018.
If Hall is convicted in the fraud case, she faces up to life in prison and fines up to $10,000.
ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/San-Antonio-killed-husband-fraud-17355293.php | 2022-08-06T07:25:44 | 1 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/San-Antonio-killed-husband-fraud-17355293.php |
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An infectious-diseases researcher at Texas Biomedical Research Institute has been cited by a federal watchdog agency for falsifying data in a scientific paper on treatments for tuberculosis, as well as in two grant applications.
The Office of Research Integrity, an arm of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, said Deepak Kaushal, director of Texas Biomed’s Southwest National Primate Research Center, admitted to research misconduct.
The ORI ordered Kaushal to conduct all of his research under supervision for one year, a term that started last month.
Kaushal will continue in his position at the San Antonio nonprofit, which said in an emailed statement that he “has not received a research misconduct finding before and all data from studies carried out at Texas Biomed has been reviewed and found to be accurate.”
The scientific paper cited by the ORI — titled “Isoniazid and Rifapentine Treatment Eradicates Persistent Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in Macaques” — was retracted, and no grant funding from the National Institutes of Health was awarded based on it.
The ORI listed 10 instances in which Kaushal either “falsified and fabricated” information, such as the numbers of primates involved in the study and time intervals between treatments, or in which he included data derived from falsified treatments. He stated, for example, that seven primates were given a treatment regimen while seven were in an untreated control group. However, eight primates were given the treatment and six were in the control group.
Texas Biomed said in its statement that the study was repeated with the correct design and produced the same results.
Much of Kaushal’s research relates to tuberculosis, and he is the principal investigator or co-investigator on more than two dozen NIH-funded grants, according to Texas Biomed’s website. He also has received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private granting organizations.
Under the ORI’s directive, a committee of two or three senior faculty members at Texas Biomed who are familiar with Kaushal’s field, but not including his supervisor or collaborators, will oversee his research for a year. The committee will review primary data from his lab quarterly and report to the ORI regarding Kaushal’s compliance with research standards and confirm the integrity of his research.
The committee is also expected to review applications that Kaushal submits for Public Health Service grants and to certify to the ORI that data presented in such applications and associated documents are supported by the research. The two grants applications in which he included falsified data were for PHS funding.
Also, during the supervision period, Kaushal will exclude himself from being a PHS adviser or consultant.
A plan detailing how Texas Biomed will supervise Kaushal must be approved by the ORI before he can participate in any PHS-funded research.
tony.quesada@express-news.net | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Texas-Biomedical-research-institute-SA-17354757.php | 2022-08-06T07:25:51 | 0 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Texas-Biomedical-research-institute-SA-17354757.php |
On Wednesday, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department posted photos on social media of a "very rare sighting" in Texas.
"A Snail Kite has been spotted at Lake Somerville State Park," the agency wrote. "This raptor is a very rare sighting in Texas. They are common in Central and South America but in the U.S., they are normally only seen in Florida."
The bird's name is derived from the fact that it only preys on and feeds on apple snails. The birds fly slowly and low over fields in order to spot snails, according to the National Audubon Society.
The Florida population of Snail Kites is listed as endangered due to the disruption of water flow and its impact on the bird's habitat and snail populations. An invasive species of snail has also recently established itself in Florida, with the impact on snail kites currently unknown, the national society said.
On ExpressNews.com: TikTok video captures calf riding shotgun down a Texas highway
The bird is found in fresh marshes and canals as well as large freshwater lakes in Florida. In the American tropics, the bird is also found in wet savannahs, rice fields and sugarcane fields where snails may be populous.
During times of scarcity of large snails, including during droughts, the bird may eat small turtles, small snails, rodents and crabs, although they do so rarely.
According to the TPWD, multiple types of kites can be found in Texas, including more common kite species like Swallow-tailed, Mississippi and White-tailed kites. A fourth, the hook-billed kite, is found only along the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
The snail kite has been spotted in Texas once or twice before and is considered an accidental, meaning a species that has appeared in a given area only a few times and whose normal range is in another area.
shepard.price@express-news.net | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Texas-snail-kite-endangered-17354138.php | 2022-08-06T07:25:57 | 0 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Texas-snail-kite-endangered-17354138.php |
Fire crews Friday continued to battle the Big Sky Fire that has burned through more than 1,400 acres since Tuesday, but it’s estimated that the blaze will be contained fully by midnight Saturday, according to the Incident Information System website.
In an afternoon update Friday, crews reported that the fire is 80 percent contained with more than 50 personnel battling the blaze in a joint effort between the Texas A&M Forest Service and Gillespie County officials.
Lea Feuge, a Fredericksburg spokeswoman, said firefighters are working to establish containment lines and will remain on scene overnight, monitoring points of concern.
Although the fire was estimated to reach full containment over the weekend, the current weather makes it difficult to predict when the fire will be 100 percent contained, Feuge said.
The area humidity was expected to rise up to 90 percent overnight Friday and drop down to about 27 percent Saturday. Winds are expected to be sustained at around 10 to 15 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 20 miles per hour, according to the forest service website.
The fire, about 8 miles north of Fredericksburg, was caused by a mechanical malfunction on a piece of equipment and fueled by continuing drought as well as dried trees from the February 2021 winter storm, officials said.
Authorities asked that the public avoid the area around Eckert Road and Lower Crabapple Road.
About 40 residents were evacuated from the area Tuesday afternoon but were allowed to return home Wednesday, with no damage to area homes. The fire did however claim three barn- or shed-type structures, officials said.
jbeltran@express-news.net | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Texas-wildfire-Hill-Country-17354818.php | 2022-08-06T07:26:03 | 0 | https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Texas-wildfire-Hill-Country-17354818.php |
SACRAMENTO, Calif — The Medical Board of California temporarily suspended a doctor practicing in Sacramento and Carmichael after allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct with three patients surfaced.
An investigation was under way on Dr. Gilbert Luceno in 2019 when he was working at Dignity Health in Sacramento after the board received allegations of misconduct.
The allegations range from sexually suggestive comments during appointments and harassment over the phone with one patient who was concerned medication was affecting her libido.
The doctor allegedly suggested that her boyfriend “wasn’t doing it right” and offered to help her with that.
He was also accused of sexual affairs with two other patients in exam rooms and in the back of a car in the parking lot.
“While we cannot discuss specifics, we can confirm this individual is no longer affiliated with our organization and cannot treat patients at any of our care sites,” a Dignity Health spokesperson said in a statement. “We take all allegations very seriously and every complaint is thoroughly investigated."
After being terminated from Dignity Health, Luceno moved to Capital Internal Medicine, which did not respond to a request for comment.
The state board suspension means Luceno will not be able to practice medicine until the charges against him are resolved.
Luceno’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
Watch more from ABC10: Roseville police: 4 potential fentanyl overdose within 36 hours | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/patients-accuse-sacramento-doctor-of-sexual-misconduct/103-2da87f25-fe28-4bd3-8a39-e26a9217d00a | 2022-08-06T07:40:27 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/patients-accuse-sacramento-doctor-of-sexual-misconduct/103-2da87f25-fe28-4bd3-8a39-e26a9217d00a |
Kip Marshall Shane, 53, of Jerome died July 29, 2022, in Robertsdale, Alabama. Arrangements are under the care of Mack Funeral Home in Robertsdale, Alabama.
Robert Eugene “Bob” Marsh, 79, of Burley died Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022. No formal services will be held. Arrangements are under the care of Morrison Funeral Home, Rupert.
Melvin Arthur Megaard, 85, of Filer died Friday, July 28, 2022. Arrangements are under the care of Rosenau Funeral Home, Twin Falls.
Lana Marie (Bates) Leedom, 65, of Twin Falls died Aug. 1, 2022.
James R. Winn, 80, of Paul died Friday, Aug. 5, 2022, at Cascadia of Boise. Arrangements are under the care of Rasmussen-Wilson Funeral Home of Burley. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/death-notices/article_c7072cb2-14e5-11ed-a3ee-d3b0350bd63a.html | 2022-08-06T07:58:41 | 1 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/death-notices/article_c7072cb2-14e5-11ed-a3ee-d3b0350bd63a.html |
Leora Sophronia Douglas
BUHL - Leora Sophronia Douglas, 89, of Buhl, passed away Wednesday, August 3, 2022 at her home. A viewing will be held from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 9, 2022 at Farmer Funeral Chapel, 130 9th Ave. North, Buhl. A graveside service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, August 10, 2022 at the West End Cemetery, 1574 East 4150 North, Buhl. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family on Leora's memorial webpage at www.farmerfuneralchapel.com | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/funeral-notices/leora-sophronia-douglas/article_f9133328-0ac2-5f9c-8009-0810d2b1b27d.html | 2022-08-06T07:58:47 | 0 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/funeral-notices/leora-sophronia-douglas/article_f9133328-0ac2-5f9c-8009-0810d2b1b27d.html |
Feb. 25, 1947—July 31, 2022
KIMBERLY — Larry W. Anderson, 75, of Kimberly, Idaho, passed away on July 31, 2022. He was kind and loving husband to his wife of 55 years, Cheryl. As well, an amazing father to their daughters: Dusty and Shantell, best of all he was the greatest grandpa to Keegan, Kolton, Kate and Brookie. Larry’s favorite thing was being with his family at the cabin and fishing. He will be dearly missed by all. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/larry-w-anderson/article_a5011bc9-e554-559e-b615-d002fab0b6e4.html | 2022-08-06T07:58:54 | 0 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/larry-w-anderson/article_a5011bc9-e554-559e-b615-d002fab0b6e4.html |
March 1, 1930—August 3, 2022
Thelma Mae Conner passed away August 3, 2022 surrounded by family and friends. Thelma was born March 1, 1930 to her parents Homer and Goldie Martin, in Gooding, Idaho.
Thelma married John A. Conner in 1947. Thelma and John welcomed their first child, Karen in 1948 and over the next few years they grew their family with the addition of two sons, Kenny and Keith.
After John passed in 1994, Thelma reconnected with her high school sweetheart, Marion Goble. They were great companions to one another, doing everything together from traveling, to visiting friends and family, and working on the family farm.
Thelma was a force to be reckoned with for sure, but never met a stranger. She worked tirelessly throughout her life as a devoted farmer’s wife, mother, and grandmother. Thelma had a love for nature in gardening, growing fruits, vegetables, and her many flowers. Thelma loved her children and like any great mother, helped them raise their children spanning over 30 years. Thelma enjoyed being an active member of the Garden Club and her Church, where she made many friends along the way.
Thelma was preceded in death by her parents, Homer and Goldie Martin; sisters, Phyliss, DelMarie, and Francis; brother, Robert; husband, John A. Conner; children, Karen, Kenny and Keith; and her companion, Marion Goble.
Thelma is survived by her sister, Janet Simco; grandkids, Chad McGavin, Chris McGavin, Sheri (Steve) Hammonds, Ryan Conner, John (Mandy) Conner, and Danielle Bingham; great grandkids, James, Ryan, Matthew, Karlie, Blaze, Tyler, Saige and Conner; two great-great grandkids, Bailin and Conner; and many nieces and nephews.
Although our hearts are heavy with sorrow from her loss, we know her journey has just begun.
Please join the family for graveside services 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 09, 2022, at Wendell Cemetery, 37 Nampa St. Wendell, ID 83355 followed by “lunch at Grandma’s” following the service.
Memories and condolences may be shared with the family on Thelma’s memorial webpage at www.farmerfuneralchapel.com. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/thelma-mae-conner/article_9826785b-734b-5197-8403-113b517b2a1b.html | 2022-08-06T07:59:00 | 1 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/thelma-mae-conner/article_9826785b-734b-5197-8403-113b517b2a1b.html |
A woman at a bus stop just outside of the Bronx Zoo was shot in the back, police said, an apparent victim in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Investigators said the 55-year-old woman was standing on the sidewalk along Southern Boulevard near East 187th Street in the Belmont neighborhood just before 6 p.m. when she suddenly felt a pain. She quickly realized she had been shot in the back.
The victim, who has not been identified, was rushed to the hospital. She is expected to survive, police said.
It was not immediately clear who or what the shooter or shooters were aiming at, but police believe the woman was a bystander and not the intended target.
Police said they are looking for two teenagers, who are believed to have taken off on a red and black motorcycle. Anyone with information is urged to contact police. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/bystander-shot-in-back-on-sidewalk-outside-bronx-zoo-police-ny-only-spec/3813238/ | 2022-08-06T08:58:58 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/bystander-shot-in-back-on-sidewalk-outside-bronx-zoo-police-ny-only-spec/3813238/ |
A New Jersey man who made up a story about a homeless veteran helping out his then-girlfriend and used the tale to solicit more than $400,000 in online donations was sentenced to five years in state prison on Friday.
Mark D’Amico had pleaded guilty in December 2019 and admitted concocting the feel-good tale in late 2017 about Johnny Bobbitt Jr. giving his last $20 to help D’Amico's girlfriend, Katelyn McClure, when her car ran out of gas on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia.
Prosecutors said at the time that the three had met previously and cooked up the scheme to make money. They conducted newspaper and television interviews and solicited donations, ostensibly to help Bobbitt, through a GoFundMe campaign they named “Paying It Forward.”
The campaign raised more than $400,000 from about 14,000 donors in about a month and at the time was the largest fraud perpetrated through the crowdfunding platform, according to the prosecutor's office in Burlington County, New Jersey.
Authorities began investigating after Bobbitt sued the couple, accusing them of not giving him the money. They eventually determined that all of the money was spent by March 2018, with large chunks spent by McClure and D’Amico on a recreational vehicle, a BMW and trips to casinos in Las Vegas and New Jersey.
“People genuinely wanted to believe it was true,” Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw said in a statement Friday. “But it was all a lie, and it was illegal. Our office is pleased to bring justice for the more than 14,000 kind-hearted people who thought they were helping someone who was living in a desperate situation.”
D’Amico and McClure have been ordered to fully reimburse GoFundMe.
D’Amico had also pleaded guilty to separate federal charges and is currently in federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. His state sentence will run concurrently, and when he finishes his 27-month federal sentence he will serve the remainder of his state time, according to the prosecutor's office.
McClure and Bobbitt also pleaded guilty to state and federal charges. Bobbitt is in a state drug court program as part of his plea agreement and is awaiting federal sentencing. McClure was sentenced to one year on federal charges and is awaiting sentencing on state charges, where she is expected to receive additional time. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/nj-gofundme-scammer-who-used-story-of-homeless-veteran-sentenced-to-5-years/3813233/ | 2022-08-06T08:59:04 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/nj-gofundme-scammer-who-used-story-of-homeless-veteran-sentenced-to-5-years/3813233/ |
A Queens man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually abusing his ex-girlfriend's young daughter for four years, according to prosecutors.
Michael Clark was sentenced on Thursday after being convicted in July of sexual conduct against a child, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. The victim was just 5 years old at the time the abuse began in Nov. 2011.
The district attorney said that Clark, who lived on Yates Road in Jamaica, repeatedly abused the girl while he was living with her and her mother, whom he was dating at the time, in an apartment on Sutphin Boulevard. Not long after Clark moved in, he began sneaking into the 5-year-old's room while her mother slept in the room next door.
For four years, Clark continued his abuse of the girl. It wasn't until years later, in April 2020, that the girl reported it to her mother, who reported it to police.
"The defendant used his access to this young victim to subject her to abhorrent sexual conduct," said Katz. "I commend the young victim on her bravery and strength in helping to hold her abuser fully accountable for his heinous actions."
In addition to 15 years behind bars, Clark will face 15 years post-release supervision and will be required to register as a sex offender. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/queens-man-who-sexually-abused-ex-girlfriends-daughter-for-years-sentenced-to-15-years/3813214/ | 2022-08-06T08:59:10 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/queens-man-who-sexually-abused-ex-girlfriends-daughter-for-years-sentenced-to-15-years/3813214/ |
Judge rules on whether to detain man accused of killing two following Border Patrol chase
LAS CRUCES - A judge ordered the man who police say crashed an SUV full of people at the outset of a Border Patrol chase to stay in jail until the court can resolve his case.
Julio Garcia Rascon, 19, of Ciudad Juárez, is charged with two counts of homicide by vehicle, 10 counts of great bodily injury by vehicle, and one count of reckless driving. Police believe Garcia Rascon piloted a 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV carrying 12 other passengers on July 27. They believe Garcia Rascon rolled the vehicle in Santa Teresa, killing Jorge Garcia-Vazquez, 24, and Guadalupe Cruze-Vazquez, 18, from Mexico.
According to an affidavit penned by NMPS Patrol Officer Tommy Vigil, the incident began around 5 a.m. July 27 when a Border Patrol agent tried to pull over the Tahoe eastbound on State Road 9 near Mile Marker 146. The chase lasted about 10 minutes, according to testimony in Friday's hearing. However, the Border Patrol agent lost sight of the Tahoe as the chase neared the Santa Teresa city limits after deciding to end the pursuit.
Vigil wrote that shortly after the agent lost sight of the Tahoe, a large dust cloud rose in the distance. The Tahoe had crashed into an electric pole near Airport Road and McNutt Road intersection. EMTs transported Garcia Rascon and nine passengers to an El Paso hospital via helicopter and ambulance, according to an NMSP news release.
The Mexican Consulate in El Paso said in a statement following the crash that nine of the people injured were Mexican citizens.
On Friday, 3rd Judicial District Judge Richard Jacquez ruled on whether to detain Garcia Rascon until the court resolved his case. Pretrial detention — which is not intended to be punitive — requires prosecutors to prove two points.
First, prosecutors must prove that the defendant is dangerous. Then, prosecutors must prove that no conditions of release, such as an ankle monitor or regular check-ins with the pretrial services office, could protect the public and that the defendant will return to court for subsequent hearings.
In their motion requesting a Jacquez detain Garcia Rascon, prosecutors pointed to two factors.
For one, they said that Garcia Rascon's decision to flee from the pursuing Border Patrol agent suggested he had "no regard for authority or the safety and well-being of others."
Second, prosecutors pointed to the man's country of residence. Prosecutors said that Garcia Rascon has no ties on this side of the border and faces a substantial amount of prison time if convicted.
"Those factors, coupled with the brazen and reckless manner in which he fled from authorities, indicates that he should be considered a substantial flight risk," the pretrial detention motion stated.
Heather Chavez, the chief deputy district attorney, called two Border Patrol agents involved in the chase and the New Mexico State Police officer who investigated the crash to testify in the hearing.
Both agents said the Tahoe traveled around 90 to 100 miles per hour. They characterized the driving as erratic and said the Tahoe seldom braked during the chase.
However, during the two-hour hearing, questions arose about how the police knew that Garcia Rascon drove the Tahoe during the chase. The case's lead investigator, Vigil, said that he believed Garcia Rascon was the driver for two reasons.
First, Vigil said that Border Patrol Agent Raul Herrera interviewed Rascon Garcia's brother. After first saying he was one of the people being smuggled, the brother told Herrera that he and his brother were the smugglers. The brother was the only person in the rolled Tahoe to be uninjured. Second, Vigil said that Garcia Rascon confessed to being the driver to a Homeland Security investigator.
Ultimately, Jacquez felt this was enough for him to believe that Garcia Rascon drove the Tahoe. Jacquez said that Garcia Rascon presented a danger to the public because of his alleged conduct during the chase and after Border Patrol ended the pursuit.
Jacquez also found that no conditions of release would ensure Garcia Rascon would comply with court orders. Again, he said that Garcia Rascon's decision not to stop when agents tried to pull him over suggested he would not follow court orders.
Chavez said that Garcia Rascon was also facing federal charges at the outset of the hearing.
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Justin Garcia covers crime, courts and public safety. He can be reached via email at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com. | https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/local/courts/2022/08/05/judge-rules-on-whether-to-detain-man-accused-of-killing-two-following-border-patrol-chase/65394071007/ | 2022-08-06T09:33:59 | 0 | https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/local/courts/2022/08/05/judge-rules-on-whether-to-detain-man-accused-of-killing-two-following-border-patrol-chase/65394071007/ |
Las Cruces teen sentenced to 22 years in murder case
LAS CRUCES - A Las Cruces resident who was 16 when he fatally shot another person in a drug deal gone awry was sentenced to 22 years in prison after agreeing to a plea deal.
Matthew A. Martinez, 18, was sentenced as an adult Thursday for second-degree murder and other charges related to the 2020 shooting death of Fabian Lopez, according to the 3rd Judicial District Attorney's Office.
Martinez was sentenced two years after the Aug. 4, 2020 shooting in the 900 block of Branson Avenue.
Some details of the incident which hadn't yet made public because the shooting suspects were all juveniles were included in a news release from the DA's Office announcing Martinez's sentence.
Lopez's girlfriend told investigators that her boyfriend drove — along with her and their infant child — to a predetermined location to deal Xanax pills. At the meet-up, Martinez is accused of entering the vehicle, pointing a handgun at Lopez and demanding he hand over the drugs. Two others outside the vehicle also held guns, according to the girlfriend.
She said Martinez flashed the gun toward her in the backseat and she responded, “we have a baby in the car.”
Prosecutors stated Martinez then fired his weapon, striking Lopez in the torso, and fled from the scene with the others.
Lopez attempted to drive away, the news release stated, but crashed into a nearby fence. He was transported to Memorial Medical Center where he later died. Lopez was 24.
Nearly two weeks after the shooting, police announced they had arrested six teenagers. In a news release Aug. 17, 2020, police stated two 16-year-old boys and a 13-year-old boy were each facing murder charges for their roles in the shooting. Also, police charged two 17-year-old girls and another 16-year-old boy with harboring and aiding a felon after the fact.
Prosecutors said evidence gathered at the scene and witnesses identified Martinez as the shooter. Because juvenile cases are sealed, it's not clear whether any of the other teen suspects were eventually charged and/or convicted.
Martinez ended up pleading guilty to second degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, attempted armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and child abuse.
“We are a society that is facing a gun culture of young men with firearms who are willing to use them. These young men involved in gun violence resulting in death face adult sanctions and accountability for their actions," District Attorney Gerald Byers said in the news release. "We fully support the court’s determination that this defendant was not amenable to treatment; and a strong, adult sentence was handed down by the judge.”
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Lucas Peerman can be reached at lpeerman@lcsun-news.com or @LittleGuyInATie on Twitter. | https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/local/courts/2022/08/05/las-cruces-teen-sentenced-to-22-years-in-murder-case/65394052007/ | 2022-08-06T09:34:05 | 1 | https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/local/courts/2022/08/05/las-cruces-teen-sentenced-to-22-years-in-murder-case/65394052007/ |
TUPELO • Dr. Holley Muraco, a world-renowned dolphin expert, developed her love of animals decades ago in rural Marshall County.
Muraco, 47, grew up on a farm in Potts Camp, a small town in Northeast Mississippi. Even as a kid, she was obsessed with animals. "Everything that crawls or creeps," as she described it.
Muraco said she never came across an animal she didn't want to be near, touch or learn about.
"My parents, bless them, let me bring home every little broken critter to try to save it," Muraco said. "And everything that needed to be bottle-fed, they knew they could hand it over."
Having spent her career traveling the world to research dolphins and other marine animals, Muraco has returned to Mississippi where she's served as director of research for the Mississippi Aquarium in Gulfport since 2019.
Becoming a marine biologist
Most kids with a passion for animals are told that they should become veterinarians.
So that's the path Muraco took.
Having already attended Northwest Community College for two years, she transferred to Mississippi State University where she enrolled as a dairy science major as a junior.
That year, someone suggested it would look good on her application to veterinarian school if she had experience with animals other than cows and horses.
Muraco had heard about the dolphins at Walt Disney World and the research being done at the park, so she applied for an internship there.
"For whatever reason, I was selected," Muraco said. "And I still, to this day, can't tell you why that happened, why they thought a dairy science major from Mississippi would be a really good marine biology intern, but they did."
She was one of six interns to spend six months at Disney World's EPCOT working alongside the park's biologists with dolphins, manatees, sharks and other marine animals.
That's when she came to a realization.
"There's nothing wrong with being a vet, but there's a big world out there," Muraco said. "There's a lot of careers that you can do, and so that's when I switched to Biology and decided to take a different path."
Muraco graduated from MSU in 1998, earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She went on to earn a PhD in Animal Physiology with a focus on bottlenose dolphins from MSU in 2015.
Traveling the world for work
Muraco worked briefly for a marine life facility in Gulfport before it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Deciding she needed to be in a place with more research, more involvement and more opportunity, she moved to Orlando, Florida, where she spent around five years as a trainer at SeaWorld, along with Disney World's Animal Kingdom.
"That's where I really was able to see all of the different projects, philosophies, thoughts, what we need to be working on from a conservation standpoint," Muraco said.
She and her husband, Mike Muraco, director of the Strawberry Plains Audubon Center in Holly Springs, moved from there to Las Vegas, Nevada, where she worked at a dolphin facility.
Muraco has also lived and worked in Cancun, Mexico; Napa, California; and Guangzhou, China.
During her time in California, Muraco did research with walruses, and at one point the British Broadcasting Corporation, also known as BBC News, sent a production company to interview her.
"The next thing I know, they said 'We want to make a documentary about your research,'" Muraco said.
The resulting one-hour documentary, titled "Walrus: Two Tonne Tusker," was released in 2013 as part of the "Natural World" series and featured Muraco living with various Native American tribes in Alaska and studying wild walruses in the Arctic.
Muraco later spent several years working with zoos and aquariums across South China to develop and lead projects related to the reproduction, welfare and behavior of their animals.
While there, she conducted the first artificial insemination of a polar bear in China in 2019, the result of months of research, testing and international collaboration.
It wasn't the first time she made waves in the scientific community.
Muraco has previously developed a new, minimally invasive artificial insemination technique for dolphins that has been used around the world, from the Netherlands to Bermuda.
It's a strange niche, she admits, but learning so much about dolphins from aquarium research has helped her to better understand wild dolphin reproduction.
As a child, Muraco never imagined where her passion for animals would eventually lead her. There's something to be said for taking chances, she said. Trying new things and saying yes to opportunities has worked in her favor.
Mississippi research and inspiring the next generation
When an opportunity presented itself, Muraco and her family moved back to Mississippi.
She's worked as the Mississippi Aquarium's Director of Research since 2019.
"I have enjoyed an absolutely incredible career, I have been able to do some amazing things, and I am ready to give back in the form of helping my state," Muraco said.
The aquarium is building a robust conservation and research program that will not only benefit the animals in its care, but will in turn help the state's wildlife.
The Mississippi Sound, an approximately 113 square mile area of saltwater separated from the Gulf of Mexico by a series of islands and sand bars, is home to many wild bottlenose dolphins — yet relatively little research has been done on them.
That's part of the reason she's passionate about building an environmental, behavioral-based ecology program to study Mississippi's marine life.
"Every time I take the boat out into the Sound, there's so many dolphins I'm like, 'Can you believe this?'" Muraco said.
It's one of a handful of places on the entire planet home to as many dolphins and we take it for granted, she said.
"We need to understand them," Muraco said. "We need to make sure that we are continuing to provide them with a good habitat."
Another reason for bringing her expertise back to Mississippi is to make dreams come true for children in rural areas who grow up thinking that they want to be a marine biologist.
"Mississippi needs marine biologists just as much as any other coastal state, yet somehow there's a disconnect there," Muraco said. "I want to build a program that allows students experience and opportunities. And there's no reason why we can't have that here."
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WOODBINE — On a sandy beach at Belleplain State Forest, those hoping to escape the heat with a dip in Lake Nummy have less swimming room than usual as the water levels continue to drop during this dry summer.
The lake tends to drop each summer, according to Peter Manzelmann, a trail steward at the forest who also works at Corsons Inlet Park in Ocean City.
But this year, after a dry spring and with little rain through July, the drop in water levels is more noticeable than usual.
Dr. Dave Robinson, New Jersey’s state climatologist, said this week that the southern part of the state is experiencing a borderline drought, suggesting a good soaking rain could make the difference for frizzled lawns and groundwater levels.
In a recorded interview posted Wednesday, the current conditions were described as a moderate drought, with a dry July following an exceptionally dry spring.
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“It doesn’t mean the reservoirs are empty,” Robinson said.
Officials with the state Department of Environmental Protection said the dry spell has not significantly impacted drinking water supplies statewide. The water systems were designed to handle dry years, according to Caryn Shinske, a DEP spokesperson.
Summer means demand for water increases and declining supplies, she said.
“Reservoirs and groundwater supplies are near long-term averages for this time of year,” Shinske said. “The DEP continues to monitor the situation closely, update the indicators weekly, and keep the public informed as conditions evolve.”
In late July, the DEP asked residents and businesses to conserve water, with tips that include using native plants, investing in rain barrels to water gardens and lawns.
In Lake Nummy, a roped-in area in front of the lifeguards shows were swimming is allowed, and there is less room in the lake this year than usual. Manzelmann said it is about waist-deep for him at the deepest section.
“It’s lower than it normally is,” he said Friday.
An overnight rain Thursday was not enough to make a big difference in the water levels, he said.
The lake, dug from a cranberry bog as a project for the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps, is fed by springs and groundwater, he said, and will need a lot more rain before levels are back to normal.
But this is not the worst he’s seen the water levels, Manzelmann said.
And the lake level is not the only sign of dry times. He said trees at his home are shedding their leaves early.
For the lifeguards, it is not just a matter of moving the rope back to give more room for swimmers, Manzelmann said. The tea-colored water is darkened by the tannins in the cedars and other plants, making visibility difficult, and potentially raising safety concerns with expanding the swim area.
This is the first year that swimming is allowed at the state forests after it was closed for two years because of COVID-19. It was also difficult to find guards, he added.
Manzelmann remained bullish about the park, talking up the addition of water and electric hookups in the camping area and the addition of a new concession stand at the lake.
Canoe rentals are available, and the extensive trail system is open, he said. He spoke of seeing multiple animal tracks while cross-country skiing in the park over the winter and recently hosting a moth event at night at the forest.
The lake is about a mile from downtown Woodbine, and the state forest includes more than 22,000 acres of forests and 50 miles of trails in Cape May and Cumberland counties.
Larry Hajna, also a spokesperson with the DEP, the department that oversees state parks in New Jersey, said Friday it is not unusual to see dry periods have an impact on the lakes of southern New Jersey, where the water level is closely tied to the ground water level.
Lifeguards are on duty at Belleplain State Forest 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from Wednesday until Sunday this month. Park officials say swimming is only allowed when guards are on duty.
Staff Meteorologist Joe Martucci contributed to this report. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/dry-summer-has-water-levels-at-lake-nummy-dropping/article_cbbcb696-14f4-11ed-939c-37e20f012d91.html | 2022-08-06T10:58:39 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/dry-summer-has-water-levels-at-lake-nummy-dropping/article_cbbcb696-14f4-11ed-939c-37e20f012d91.html |
Beacon UU Sunday Service: “An Infinitely Expanding Universe” Aug 7 — Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 510 N. Leroux St., Flagstaff. (928) 779-4492. 10-11 a.m., ALL ARE WELCOME! You BELONG at Beacon. Spiritually open and intentionally inclusive since 1958. Buddhist scripture states, “.. there are thousands of suns, thousands of moons, thousands of inhabited worlds of varying sorts.” Popular imagination and government funding of scientific studies are illuminating the idea that we are not the only intelligent life in the universe. If true, it would be exciting, frightening, and challenging within the living tradition of our faith. Rev. Patrice Curtis, preaching, with Worship Associate Andy Hogg and music from Andrez Alcazar. Our Guest Minister Today: Rev. Patrice Curtis is the Transformational Interim Ministries Director on the UUA Ministry and Faith Development team. Patrice collaborates with and supports interim ministers and religious professionals, in amplifying diversity, equity, and inclusion within congregations, and in disrupting unhealthy cultural patterns that make Beloved Community difficult to realize. Patrice is currently the Affiliate Minister with UUCP. Patrice interned at First Unitarian in Portland, OR, and has served the congregations of Clearwater, Florida; Washington, DC; and Church of the Larger Fellowship. https://go.evvnt.com/1258113-0.
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Unity of Flagstaff Aug 7 — Unity of Flagstaff Spiritual Center, 1800 S. Milton Road, Flagstaff. 10:30-11:30 a.m., Guest speaker Matt Devlin talks and sings about finding your inspiration. (Guess what his is!) He will share how allowing that to express in his life expands his connection and consciousness. Join us this Sunday 10:30 AM Live or LIVE STREAM 1800 S. Milton Suite #103. https://go.evvnt.com/1267095-0.
The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany Aug 7 — The Episcopal Church of The Epiphany, 423 N. Beaver St., Flagstaff. 928-774-2911. WELCOMING ALL: All ages, all colors, all abilities, all orientations. All people are welcome here. Saturday evening is a small group that meets outside in our Labyrinth, when weather permits or in our Parish Hall otherwise. Sundays 8:00 am service has occasional special music provided when musicians volunteer, Sundays 10:30 am service has music and is online at epiphanyaz.org. Come and join us anytime. Choir resumes in the fall. https://go.evvnt.com/1266912-0.
Flagstaff Federated Community Church: Please join us for in person services Sundays at 10 a.m. We are located at 400 W Aspen Ave. on the corner of Aspen and Sitgreaves in Downtown Flagstaff. All are welcome to our services. For more information about Flagstaff Federated Community Church please call our office at 928-774-7383, Mon – Thurs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Church of the Resurrection Sunday Church Services: May 8 — 740 W. University Heights Drive S., 740 W. University Heights Drive S., Flagstaff. 928-853-8522. 10-11:30 a.m., Church of the Resurrection Presbyterian Church in America (PCA): We invite you to join us for worship at 10 a.m. on Sundays at 740 W. University Heights Drive South as Rev. Joshua Walker preaches through the book of Acts. Please feel free to contact us for information on our mid-week gatherings and for more information on our church. You can find us at www.cor-pca.org and www.facebook.com/CORFlagstaff or we can be reached at corflagstaff@gmail.com and (928) 699-2715.
Living Christ Lutheran Church: Living Christ Lutheran Church is a diverse and LGBTQ-affirming community of disciples embraced by God's unconditional love and enduring grace. You are invited to celebrate with us God's love and presence in your life, grow in your discipleship, and leave empowered to be God's hands in the world. We worship through music, teaching, prayer, and the sacraments each Sunday at 10 a.m. with Rev. Kurt Fangmeier leading. We offer worship both in-person (masks are respected, not required; encouraged for unvaccinated) and online. Learn more about us at our new website: lclcflag.org.
Leupp Nazarene Church: The church, near mile post 13 or Navajo Route 15, has been holding services by teleconferences and doing drive-up meetings. For information, call pastor Farrell Begay at 928-853-5321. Teleconference number: 1-7170275-8940 with access code 3204224#. Services are 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sundays and 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays.
Christian Science Society of Flagstaff: 619 W. Birch Ave. The Christian Science Society of Flagstaff has opened for Sunday services while continuing to have them available via Zoom for online and phone. Wednesday testimony meetings are available only via Zoom. For phone Sunday Services: Dial: 669-900-9128, Meeting ID: 369 812 794#, Passcode: 075454#. For phone Wednesday meetings, dial: 669-900-9128, Meeting ID: 971 672 834#, Passcode: 894826#. The access for Zoom on Sundays is: https://zoom.us/j/369812794. The Zoom access for Wednesdays is: https://zoom.us/j/971672834. The password to use to enter both is CSS. We welcome all to attend our Sunday Services in person, or live by Zoom, at 10:00 o’clock, and to attend our Wednesday Testimony meetings live by Zoom, at 5:30 o’clock. Our Reading Room will be open on Wednesdays from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10-12 noon. For further information please call 928-526-5982. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/flagstaff-religion-news-for-august-6/article_5867683c-14f2-11ed-b08c-3f0c70a3e8e8.html | 2022-08-06T11:12:17 | 0 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/flagstaff-religion-news-for-august-6/article_5867683c-14f2-11ed-b08c-3f0c70a3e8e8.html |
The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer: In spite of last Saturday’s political heartburn, I returned to the Arroyo Cafe.
To needle Sour Frank. “Hey, Frank, your party went with the Trump Trifecta of trolls! Kari Fake, Blake and Finchem the Fixer! The election deniers! I’m the happiest satirist in America!”
Frank smiled. “I’ll have the last laugh. They’re going to win in November.”
“You’re as deluded as they are.”
Lurlene elbowed Frank. “Now that Kari’s won I’m sure ‘Miss Trump in Pumps’ will share her proof of the ‘shenanigans’ she was yapping about before she won. Unless it’s possible a Fox anchor would lie.”
Frank ignored Lurlene’s guffaws. “Rosa? Can I get a fresh cup?”
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Rosa poured. “Did you see where Brnovich found there was no evidence of voter fraud in 2020, Frank? None.”
Frank smiled. “Fake news, Rosa. Biden stole the election.”
Rosa smiled. “You’ve gone over the edge, Frank. If Trump’s tool, Finchem, becomes Arizona’s secretary of state he’ll steal the election in 2024! If you want to stop the real steal from taking place you got to stop Finchem.”
Frank laughed at Rosa’s panic. “He’ll clean up our elections. You’ll see.”
Lurlene said: “Hey Frank, now that Lake, Finchem and Masters have won, will they have to give up their Twilight Zone residency and move to Arizona? Fitz, can you believe Finchem still claims the 2020 election was rigged?”
“And he believes his mustache makes him look like that famous TV star…”
“Sam Elliott?”
“Wilford Brimley. Did you know he’s a member of oat eaters?”
Carlos corrected me. “Finchem is an ‘Oath Keeper.’”
Lurlene corrected Carlos. “Actually he’s an ‘Oaf Keeper.’ He’ll do everything in his power to keep that orange oaf in the White House.”
“Hey, Frank,” I asked, “when will your beloved Oath Keepers condemn President Trump’s failure to uphold his oath to preserve, protect and defend our Constitution?”
Frank rolled his eyes. “The day you libs admit our border’s in chaos. Thank God, Blake Masters will be looking out for us.”
I rolled my eyes. “Your millionaire election denier won’t be looking out for you. He’ll be looking out for America’s billionaires! What a bunch of suckers!”
Lurlene said: “Amen to that. What can you expect from Arizona? The state where you don’t need a college degree to teach.”
Carlos, who taught for 20 years before he retired to open his dream cafe, spoke from experience: “As if anyone with a college degree would volunteer for slavery in this Third World hellhole micromanaged by right-wing nuts who hate education. Why would they focus on funding education, raising our low test scores and fixing our terrible student teacher ratio when they can rile whites with their bogus Critical Race Theory crap? Tom Horne is back, and you can bet he’s going to run on the culture war garbage.”
Frank sneered. “I admire Mr. Horne for going after the pedophiles grooming our precious children with their sick sex education.”
Carlos winced. “Frank! You’re unhinged! Horne’s scapegoating gays as predators like we were back in the 50s. And you know what, Frank? Just like in your ‘good old pre-sex-ed days,’ more girls will seek abortions. Not less.”
Frank waved Carlos off. ”Fake news. You socialists will lose big in 2024.”
Carlos sighed over his sizzling stove. “I miss the days when being delusional disqualified a citizen from running for public office. Now it’s a prerequisite. Frank, did you know Finchem said Jan. 6 was instigated by leftists?”
Lurlene nodded. “Finchem’d know. He was there. And he said he’d never trust the FBI and Obama was trying to establish a dictatorship and Charlottesville was a Deep State Operation and Marxist pedophiles are everywhere. What district is Finchem from?”
Carlos said: “He’s not from a district. He’s from a Hangar. Hangar 51.”
Lurlene asked Frank how he felt about the anti-Semitic founder of “Gab,” Andrew Torba, endorsing Finchem.
“More fake news.” Lurlene shook her head as Frank opined about the economy, MSDNC, and Biden’s “senility.”
I interrupted Frank. “Hey, Frank, what do you think about Rusty Bowers? The Republican who told the truth about Trump’s lies and mob tactics and was rewarded with a pink slip?”
“Another RINO traitor.”
I gagged. “This all feels like the rise of the fascists in Germany in the 30s.”
“You’re nuts. That’ll never happen here. Unless you socialist elites take away our guns. This is a Christian nation.”
“Really? Why would ‘Christians’ vote for stooges who promoted the lies of an immoral narcissist — a criminal who plotted a putsch to overthrow our government?”
Frank smugly said, “Fake news.”
We fell silent.
Finally Lurlene whispered, “Check, please.” She paid her tab and walked past Frank without a word. As she left she glanced wistfully at the faded flag decal on the cafe’s glass door.
David Fitzsimmons, tooner@tucson.com | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/fitzs-opinion-at-the-arroyo-cafe-the-primary-results-called-for-a-round-of-antacids/article_33f3942c-142e-11ed-9095-bb3a1effb075.html | 2022-08-06T11:48:11 | 0 | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/fitzs-opinion-at-the-arroyo-cafe-the-primary-results-called-for-a-round-of-antacids/article_33f3942c-142e-11ed-9095-bb3a1effb075.html |
Housing in San Francisco: It's expensive.
Even if the market is cooling off ever-so-slightly, prices remain outrageously high: The median home sale in June of 2022 was $1.9 million, according to the California Association of Realtors.
For "fun" this week, we scoured Zillow, looking for San Francisco homes that sold under $1 million in July 2022. There weren't many candidates. In fact, after eliminating listings with incomplete information, just eight sales made the cut. Without further ado, here's what sub-seven-figures will get you in the Paris of the West.
461 Allison Street
Neighborhood: Crocker-Amazon
Sold for: $880,000
Two beds, one bath and 925 square feet of space for a cool $880,000. The interior sports nice-looking refinished hardwood floors, and there's lots of natural light throughout, especially in the living room. The kitchen is tiny, even accounting for the square footage, with hard-to-reach cabinets. The garage has a decent amount of storage space.
226 Brookdale Avenue
Neighborhood: Sunnydale
Sold for: $939,000
This two-beds, one-bath property sold for well over its listing price of $799,000. It's right next to McClaren Park, on a quiet street corner, according to the listing agent. The home is 1,040 square feet, and offsets a relatively unassuming living room with a genuinely spacious kitchen.
60 Castillo Street
Neighborhood: Sunnydale
Sold for: $990,000
It's impossible to miss the exterior paint job on this two-bedrooms, one-bath property, which is the featured image of this article. The listing promises a "spacious kitchen with stainless steel appliances," plus "windows and skylights allow for natural sun light throughout the home." Unfortunately, there aren't any images of the interior, so you'll have to take the agent's word for it.
778 Edinburgh Street
Neighborhood: Excelsior
Sold for: $975,000
Another two-bedrooms, one-bath home coming in a hair under 1,000 square feet (975, to be exact). It's located near BART and Muni, has a perfectly nice-looking kitchen, and the newly remodeled bathroom is in great shape. It's the exterior here that isn't necessarily a draw: it's wedged between other houses. Click the link below to see what I mean.
818 Huron Avenue
Neighborhood: Outer Mission
Sold for: $981,000
This two-beds, one-bath home has "tons of upside potential," writes the listing agent. The only problem? A second bathroom and flex space were added without permits. Surely, the new owner is figuring out what to do about this space, which is technically 965 square feet, presumably excluding the yet-to-be-permitted additions.
126 Margaret Avenue
Neighborhood: Oceanview
Sold for: $895,000
A 1,150-square-feet property with two beds, one bath and a lovely terraced backyard, which seems to currently feature an enormous trampoline. There are cool panoramic views in both the living room and dining room.
242 Naples Street
Neighborhood: Excelsior
Sold for: $950,000
The lone three-bedrooms, two-baths property on this list, 242 Naples Street is a 1,280-square-foot, single-family home that was originally built in 1948. No interior shots are available, which is a bummer, because the exterior is an intriguing shamrock green.
120 Rutland Street
Neighborhood: Viz Valley
Sold for: $710,000
At 625 square feet, this one bed, one bath is closer to the size of an apartment. It's got an unassuming interior, but does come equipped with a comparatively large garage, and actually sold for well above its listing price of $598,000. | https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/san-francisco-homes-sold-for-under-one-million-17352719.php | 2022-08-06T12:01:19 | 1 | https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/san-francisco-homes-sold-for-under-one-million-17352719.php |
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Two people died and one was critically injured after an SUV hit a pole early Saturday morning in St. Petersburg, police said.
Police closed 11th Avenue South at 42nd St. for investigation. No details on the cause of the crash were immediately available.
No other information has been released at this time. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/2-people-dead-1-injured-after-crash-st-pete/67-01910c1d-d765-46ab-9f5b-2ce8718d4850 | 2022-08-06T12:14:45 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/2-people-dead-1-injured-after-crash-st-pete/67-01910c1d-d765-46ab-9f5b-2ce8718d4850 |
CLERMONT, Fla. – An officer-involved shooting Friday night put an 81-year-old man in the hospital after he fired a gun and drew a law enforcement presence to his residence while first responders tended to a medical call placed by his wife, according to the Clermont Police Department.
The Clermont Fire Department and EMS at 8:15 p.m. responded to the call in the 1400 block of W. Highway 50, where the man brandished a firearm shortly after crews’ arrival and began firing it, police said.
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According to a news release, the firefighters and paramedics left the scene immediately to seek safety, where they then called police.
Clermont officers were shot at as soon as they arrived, police said. The man stopped shooting upon being struck by an officer who returned fire, the release stated.
No officers, firefighters or paramedics were injured in the shooting, police said. The man was hospitalized and is reportedly in stable condition, while his wife — who police said was relocated to a safe area — suffered no injuries, according to the release.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now investigating the shooting, police said. Following FDLE protocol, the officer who shot the man was placed on paid, administrative leave pending the investigation.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/06/81-year-old-man-hurt-in-officer-involved-shooting-after-firing-gun-during-medical-call-clermont-police-say/ | 2022-08-06T12:25:10 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/06/81-year-old-man-hurt-in-officer-involved-shooting-after-firing-gun-during-medical-call-clermont-police-say/ |
It’s Sandcastle Day, so get busy building your (temporary) dream house at one of our area beaches. Be careful when the tide comes in!
The St. Peter’s Catholic Church Festival continues today with live music, games and raffles. The festival is open 3 to 11 p.m. today outside the church, 2224 30th Ave. Live music tonight is from the Doo-Wop Daddies, performing from 7:15 to 10:45 p.m. Food includes the Lithuanian potato dish kugelis, along with festival favorites like pizza, cheese curds and roasted corn. The popular dessert and ice cream booth is also open.
Batter up! The Kenosha Kingfish are hosting the Rockford Rivets today at Simmons Field. The 6:35 p.m. game is also Nurse Appreciation Night, with a “Nurse Elvis” bobblehead giveaway. Stick around for post-game fireworks. To purchase tickets, call 262-653-0900, log on at kingfishbaseball.com or go to the ticket office at Simmons Field.
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The final performance of “The Barber of Seville,” presented by the Kenosha Opera Festival, is 7 tonight in the Rhode Center for the Arts, 514 56th St. Gioachino Rossini’s comedy premiered in 1816 and has remained popular ever since. Note: The opera will be presented in Italian with English supertitles, accompanied by an orchestra. Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for senior citizens and $15 for students. For more information about the group and to buy tickets, go to kenoshaopera festival.com.
The Peacetree Music Festival continues today in Pennoyer Park, 3601 Seventh Ave. on the lakefront. The music fest is open noon to 11 p.m. today. Admission is $20.
It’s time for cream puffs, fried foods on sticks and that giant yellow slide! The Wisconsin State Fair is open at the fairgrounds in West Allis. Daily highlights include free Kids From Wisconsin shows at the Amphitheater, the ever-popular Racing Pigs and talented canine performers in the K-9 Sports Arena. For more details, go to wistatefair.com. | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/todays-events-for-saturday-aug-6/article_4644791c-140f-11ed-913e-3b201efb18a1.html | 2022-08-06T12:40:04 | 0 | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/todays-events-for-saturday-aug-6/article_4644791c-140f-11ed-913e-3b201efb18a1.html |
While living in Southern California, my husband and I planted a cottonwood tree next to our driveway. It grew like a weed and provided shade for parked cars while adding beauty to our landscape. We watered it frequently but failed to make certain the water soaked deeply into the soil. In just a couple of years, our beautiful shade tree was acquiring thick, gnarled surface roots from which sprouted oodles of tiny trees.
One day we discovered a wayward cottonwood root wedging its way under the driveway adjacent to the garage. Continuing to expand, it lifted the driveway to the point of becoming an obstacle to opening the garage door. The only way to salvage the situation was to cut down the tree, grind down the stump, and purchase a new garage door.
If we had done our homework before planting, we would have found that cottonwood trees have invasive roots and are not recommended near driveways, waterlines, streets, etc. They also prefer moist soils. Because we had planted this handsome tree in the wrong place, it had become a weed.
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When we purchased our home here in Flagstaff, a cottonwood was and still is growing in the front yard. We water it deeply, so we aren't troubled with surface roots, but it has its own set of problems. Growing at 6,800 feet in elevation, the leaves often freeze before showing off any fall colors, and the tree sheds numerous twigs.
Any tree growing in the wrong place or simply not worth the work involved in keeping it handsome is a weed. Some trees tend to be weedier than others; here are a few more that grow in Northern Arizona.
Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila)
Brought to the United States in the 1860s because of its fast growth rate and ability to withstand both drought and cold, this tree has made its home throughout northern Arizona. At first glance, you may mistake a Siberian elm for an American elm; both sport serrated, shiny green leaves. However, the leaf of the former is elliptical, while that of the latter tends to be more ovoid.
The Siberian elm can be terribly invasive. Its papery winged seeds sail along with the wind and then sprout in places that would be inhospitable to most tree species. In northern Arizona, those places are anywhere that harbors a smidgen of moisture: between cracks in sidewalks, in ditches and hedges, and even in minute crevices where asphalt meets a structure. They may also sprout by the hundreds in dry, disturbed soils. And like my cottonwood tree, the Siberian elm has a propensity to send out surface roots capable of heaving up roads and sidewalks.
Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
This invasive tree resembles a walnut tree, but its pinnately compound leaves are large in comparison. As with the Siberian elm, the Tree of Heaven produces scads of fast-germinating winged seeds. In eastern states, seedlings often sprout from mortar in brick walls and on rooftops. In northern Arizona, this weedy tree thrives at elevations of 5,000 feet and lower. In addition to hogging water from surrounding vegetation, it produces chemicals toxic to plants, humans, and wildlife.
Lombardy Poplar (Populus nigra ‘Italica’)
The columnar, rapidly growing Lombardy poplar appears to reach for the heavens with its upwardly outstretching branches. Its green leaves morph into a lovely gold in fall, and several of them planted in a row are not only gorgeous, but also may serve as a windbreak.
But the Lombardy Poplar may be rife with problems. For one, many species of insects find it appetizing, and for another, it is susceptible to an array of diseases. Adding to that is its demand for high maintenance. Like the cottonwood, its roots may be invasive, and the tree requires deep watering. Additionally, Lombardy poplar wood is brittle, leading to small branches littering the ground.
Like me, you may loathe getting rid of any tree. But speaking from hard-earned experience, I recommend that you dispose of any tree seedling growing where it could become a nuisance. Another word of caution: if you chop weedy trees down after they're mature, some species may sprout dozens of new trees from the stump or roots. Be prepared to rid yourself of those too.
Cindy Murray is a biologist, co-editor of Gardening Etcetera. and a Coconino Master Gardener with Arizona Cooperative Extension.
If you have a gardening question, email CoconinoMasterGardener@gmail.com or call the Master Gardener Hotline at 928-773-6115 and leave a message. A Master Gardener will get back to you. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/gardening-etcetera-can-a-tree-be-considered-a-weed/article_bf585ed4-1510-11ed-985a-ab4385d71a27.html | 2022-08-06T12:52:19 | 0 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/gardening-etcetera-can-a-tree-be-considered-a-weed/article_bf585ed4-1510-11ed-985a-ab4385d71a27.html |
100 years ago
Aug. 6, 1922: Commissioner John G. Welch of the department of parks and public property stated that he is endeavoring to devise some method of ridding Miller Park lake of a school of carp, which he believes are playing havoc with the bass, perch and other fish. He avers that some of these carp have attained an immense size and that they will eventually rid the waters of other fish.
75 years ago
Aug. 6, 1947: Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus — "The Greatest Show on Earth" — returns to Bloomington-Normal Aug. 19 for the first time in 11 years. The big show, to be held in O'Neil Park, will arrive from Peoria in the first show-owned fleet of air-conditioned sleeping cars in circus history, plus the many special cars needed for its array of animals and equipment.
50 years ago
Aug. 6, 1972: Federal funds may be used to hire a conservationist who would work on recreation and environmental development plans for Evergreen Lake. The McLean County Regional Planning Commission, which is authorized to administer the federal Emergency Employment Act program in the county, has asked for $10,800 for the conservationist in its application for funding of the program.
25 years ago
Aug. 6, 1997: It took $18,000 in donations, sponsors and grants and 100 volunteers to make Bloomington's National Night Out at Miller Park a reality, said organizer Dee Wheat. An estimated 5,000 were present during the first hour of the four-hour event, which was kicked off by an impromptu performance of the national anthem by Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun, D-Illinois.
Compiled by Pantagraph staff | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/history/75-years-ago-greatest-show-on-earth-returns-to-bloomington/article_ee171cec-0bb0-11ed-9c2c-5790ae9744d3.html | 2022-08-06T13:03:53 | 1 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/history/75-years-ago-greatest-show-on-earth-returns-to-bloomington/article_ee171cec-0bb0-11ed-9c2c-5790ae9744d3.html |
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.wfaa.com/article/news/local/lawyer-arbery-shooter-fears-hell-be-killed/85-f94695ca-1698-4430-aaa7-f2ba196069ca | 2022-08-06T13:04:41 | 0 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/lawyer-arbery-shooter-fears-hell-be-killed/85-f94695ca-1698-4430-aaa7-f2ba196069ca |
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Complete chaos found inside the largest mall in the United States on Thursday after gunshots were heard in the Northwest wing. Bloomington Police say shots were fired shortly after 4 p.m. inside the Mall of America.
Families were separated as they ran to safety, including Kate Rutledge.
“We just ran,” Rutledge said. “It was a herd of people going down the hall. People were falling. People were ducking down with their heads on the ground. It was chaos.”
Rutledge made it out with her son, but her daughter was in the store with their foreign exchange student. They were escorted into a lockdown that lasted two hours.
“It’s one of the busiest times of the year,” Nike employee Tyana Maddox/Sanders said.
Maddox/Sanders said she heard two groups of men arguing in the store. One man walked outside the store then came back in. Shortly afterwards, shots rang out. A coworker of hers, Isaiah Nelson, recognized what was happening immediately.
“I just started yelling, ‘Get in the back, get in the back,’” Nelson said.
Nelson says people in the store were crying, and calling their loved ones as they waited to hear what was going on.
“I saw people posting things on Twitter,” Jose Niebla, a customer who was inside the Nike lockdown.
Niebla explained how upsetting it was to see children impacted by the incident.
“A lot of families. A lot of kids crying,” Niebla said.
Michelle Smith Johnson heard the gun shots, and ran with her family from the third floor.
“I just encourage everybody to make sure you tell your loved ones you love them on a daily basis,” Smith-Johnson said.
She is visiting from Kansas, and was at the mall doing back to school shopping.
“You think you're going to be safe but there is no guarantee anymore."
Bloomington Police said the shooting started after an altercation between two parties at a cash register in the Nike Store. One party (with two people) walked out of the store, but one of them in the group turned around and fired a pistol into the store "full of people" before running away.
Police say they are still looking for the shooter and the other person but have not yet provided a description of the suspects.
The Mall of America will reopen at 10 a.m. on Friday with an increased security and police presence. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/witnesses-describe-scene-after-multiple-shots-fired-inside-mall-of-america/89-4a0b6453-ea1a-4103-9b61-d44419c0269d | 2022-08-06T13:04:47 | 0 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/witnesses-describe-scene-after-multiple-shots-fired-inside-mall-of-america/89-4a0b6453-ea1a-4103-9b61-d44419c0269d |
“You look sexy today.” A customer said this to an 18-year-old female hostess at a restaurant in Richmond as she was handing the man a takeout order.
It’s hard enough to prevent harassment by co-workers or supervisors, but restaurant workers in particular endure harassment by customers as well.
Recently, my husband and I went to a local restaurant and sat at the bar. It was clear there was something going on based on the general demeanor of the two female bartenders. Then I noticed the man sitting alone at the end of the bar engaging in never-ending banter with these busy women.
He was trying to tell one bartender a long-winded story that ended with, “And I told him that I make more in one day than you make in a year.” He was interrupting them, demanding their attention and incessantly commenting on how they were making drinks. The women were taking heroic efforts to ignore him, and be nice to him, at the same time.
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When he left, I asked one of them if he made her uncomfortable. She said he frequently comes to the restaurant, sits at the bar and flirts with the women. He frequently asks her on dates even though she has told him she has a boyfriend.
I asked her if her manager was aware that he made them uncomfortable. She said he was busy and she didn’t want to bother him with this. She said another man frequently comes in and does the same thing.
Employees who fear bothering their managers with customer misconduct is a common theme. One woman was working at a local restaurant when a customer came in at the end of the night. She asked if he wanted to pick out his steak and he replied, “No, but I’ll take you,” and put his hand on her hip. She backed away and told another server what happened but didn’t tell her manager because he was busy and she was worried he’d make a big deal about it. She said, “I didn’t know what to do.”
By law, employees have a right to a harassment-free workplace based on sex, race or any other protected characteristic not just by co-workers and supervisors, but also from customers, visitors, vendors or anyone doing business with the organization. The bartenders, for example, have a right to free from the sexual harassment they were experiencing from the customer. The customer was showing unwanted attention that made them extremely uncomfortable, not to mention less productive in their jobs.
Restaurant workers in particular have a difficult power imbalance because their pay relies upon the generosity of customers who tip them for their service. This creates a greater difficulty for employees to speak up. They don’t want to upset a customer and lose their livelihood. Restaurant managers need to be clear about expectations with workers and let them know that customer harassment will not be tolerated.
When an allegation of unwanted behavior occurs, the manager should discreetly talk to the customer and ask the customer to leave. There is no need for pubic embarrassment. The goal is for the conduct to stop.
A friend recently was publicly admonished by a restaurant manager when he was accused of harassing a server. He tapped her shoulder to get her attention to ask for the check. She accused him of harassment. She felt comfortable telling her manager (which is good), but the manager’s reaction was to go to the man’s table and in the presence of a table full of people accuse him of harassment, demanding he leave. The manager said he “watched the video camera” and that the customer harassed the server.
This was not the best way to handle the situation as the customer denied the harassment and felt publicly embarrassed for conduct he denied. When he asked to see the video then and later, he was ignored.
These cases sometimes come down to nuance and perception and for these reasons they should be addressed promptly but discreetly. There could be a misunderstanding. Regardless, if the employee feels uncomfortable due to the conduct of the customer, the manager needs to address it and make sure that the unwanted conduct ceases. The restaurant might lose a customer, but that’s better than losing an employee or even a lawsuit.
Employers in all industries, but particularly hospitality, should develop a playbook for how they will address customer misconduct and share the information with all employees. If the situation arises, management and employees will know what to expect and how to address it.
Karen Michael is an attorney and the president of Richmond-based Karen Michael PLC and author of “Stay Hired.” She can be reached at stayhired@stayhired.net. | https://richmond.com/business/local/labor-law-restaurant-workers-you-have-a-right-to-not-be-harassed-by-customers/article_0a625727-4a51-57ed-b585-1b0b4fc1758f.html | 2022-08-06T13:19:50 | 0 | https://richmond.com/business/local/labor-law-restaurant-workers-you-have-a-right-to-not-be-harassed-by-customers/article_0a625727-4a51-57ed-b585-1b0b4fc1758f.html |
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Aug. 6, 1962. I was one of 14 young dancers selected to perform on the South Lawn stage at the White House for President John F. Kennedy.
I was a 16-year-old girl studying at Balanchine’s School of American Ballet in New York City, dreaming of becoming a professional dancer. My parents and I decided the perfect place to spend the summer would be at National Music Camp/Interlochen, a renowned fine arts camp nestled among the stately pines of northern Michigan.
Camp auditions placed me in the more advanced of the two ballet groups for the summer, which I then learned meant that I would travel to the nation’s capital along with National Music Camp’s Youth Symphony Orchestra to perform in one of a series of “For Youth By Youth” concerts sponsored by First Lady Jacquelyn Kennedy.
In the ensuing weeks we worked hard to master the choreography Program Director Sheila Reilly set on us to Strauss’s Emperor Waltz. Joe Kaminski, director of the intermediate ballet group and a costuming genius, created custom-fit soft-pink flowing tutus for each of us … complete with hand-sewn beading. And tiaras. And long white gloves.
On Aug. 5, 1962, we took a chartered plane to Detroit for a performance in Dearborn, Michigan, at Fairlane Gardens, which had once been Henry and Clara Ford’s home. We then flew to Washington, D.C., where we spent the night in Army barracks at nearby Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
The true magic began early the next morning, when buses picked us up to take us to DC — my first visit there. Oohs and aahs resounded as we drove past familiar monuments, but nothing could prepare us for the front gates of the White House swinging open as we approached. Our buses dropped us in front of the portico next to a newly constructed stage on the South Lawn. Orchestra members took their places for a run-through of the concert; dancers tested the stage in our camp uniform knickers, but with toe shoes so we could get a feel for the floor and the spacing ... almost too focused on our upcoming performance to notice the magnificence of the setting in front of the White House. Then we were taken to our dressing room downstairs in the White House, where we dressed for the performance ... 14 excited young ballerinas in flowing pink dresses and toe shoes.
Before the concert began, we stood by the stage as President Kennedy addressed the audience and the young musicians, talking about the skill and work it takes to play in an orchestra like this. He shared that he also had studied music, playing the piano ... badly. Although he had to return to the Oval Office, he said he’d keep the windows open so he could listen. (Of course, we dancers were disappointed he wouldn’t be watching our performance!)
As he left the stage, the president stopped to shake each dancer’s hand and talk with us.
And then we danced. The audience was mostly children with special needs from the Washington area along with children of White House staffers. To this day, it was one of the most meaningful audiences for which I’ve had the honor to perform.
After the performance, musicians and dancers (once again in our knickers) were escorted to the Rose Garden, where President Kennedy talked with us. Then it was on to the State Dining Room for a spaghetti lunch, which most of us devoured sitting on the floor of the East Room, though some of us (including me) opted to eat in the Red Room, a far more elegant setting. We basically had free rein of the area.
That evening, we flew back to Interlochen and slept in our own beds in our log cabins in the woods, just regular NMC campers once again. But oh, how each of us was changed — forever — by this experience.
I’ve visited the White House as an adult several times since, but no visit has been as special as the time I danced on the South Lawn, lunched in the East Wing, and met President Kennedy. I’ve met three other presidents since, but this whirlwind experience 60 years ago is the one that will always stand out in my memory.
How very lucky I was.
Photos: U.S. Presidents Kennedy and Johnson in Tucson
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in Tucson
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in Tucson
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in Tucson
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in Tucson
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in Tucson
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in Tucson
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in Tucson
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in Tucson
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in Tucson
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in Tucson
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in Tucson
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in Tucson
Tucsonan Nina Trasoff is a former Broadway dancer, television news anchor woman and Tucson City Council member.
There was another side to Sidney Poitier: He was a quiet man ... a decent, caring, loyal husband, father, and friend. A man with a generous spirit and a sharp sense of humor.
At 16 years old, Tucsonan Nina Trasoff was one of 14 young ballerinas selected to perform on the South Lawn stage at the White House for President John F. Kennedy. | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/sixty-years-ago-this-tucsonan-danced-at-the-white-house-for-jfk/article_0f1b23e8-138b-11ed-8ab2-bf881e82473d.html | 2022-08-06T13:41:58 | 1 | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/sixty-years-ago-this-tucsonan-danced-at-the-white-house-for-jfk/article_0f1b23e8-138b-11ed-8ab2-bf881e82473d.html |
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