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July 14, 1957—July 29, 2022
SAN DIEGO, CA – Theresa Marie Vella (nee Danner), beloved wife and mother, passed away at home on Friday, July 29, 2022, due to pancreatic cancer and the complications brought on by that disease.
Theresa was born on Flag Day, July 14, 1957, to Donald Barrett Danner and Della Rae (Smith) Danner in Victorville, CA. The family moved to Okinawa for employment, and upon returning to the United States, met Vincent F. Vella in Virginia, who, on December 30, 1978, would be her husband of 44 years.
The couple eventually moved to San Diego for the remaining 39 years of her life where she raised a family and retired from a satisfying career as a California Registered Nurse. Theresa had an unmistakable magnetic relationship with the elderly she worked with early in her career, and they to her, bringing comfort to countless patients and their families.
Later she obtained an Accreditation in Clinical Research Programs (ACRP), and conducted clinical research studies in dermatology, memory, and hepatology to help bring new medications to market.
Family was foremost in her life, always content with their welfare, and thrilled to be a grandmother!
Theresa was pre-deceased by her mother, Della Rae Danner; and brother, Fred Danner. She is survived by her husband, Vincent; four children, Vince, Jr., Angela, Anthony, and Vanessa; daughter-in-law, Susan; two granddaughters, Rachel and June; her father, Donald Barrett Danner and his wife, Sally; and her siblings, Donald K. Danner and Joann Danner Murphy both of Provo, Utah, Karen L. (Danny) Loveless of Payson, Utah, and Katherine E. (Todd) Adams of Albion, Idaho.
Theresa had uncanny luck for casino slot machines, a lifelong love for dogs, and she was a faithful Padres baseball fan. Her spirit remained undauntedly positive throughout the cancer ordeal, providing an example of strength to her family.
She is loved and is sorely missed.
The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, August 20, 2022 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located at 889 S. Main St., in Albion, Idaho. Burial will follow at the Mormon Cemetery in Albion.
Family and friends will be received from 5 until 7 p.m. Friday, August 19, 2022 at Rasmussen-Wilson Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley, and from 10 until 10:45 a.m. Saturday, preceding the funeral, at the church. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/theresa-marie-vella/article_44a7f208-1768-11ed-9723-e36691d4b6d9.html | 2022-08-09T07:24:53 | 1 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/obituaries/theresa-marie-vella/article_44a7f208-1768-11ed-9723-e36691d4b6d9.html |
A Mansfield woman found a wedding ring on a South Florida beach 1,300 miles from home and returned it to its owner: A Dallas man she had never met who happened to lose it on the same beach.
Chris Ramirez, a barber who just opened a new shop in Deep Ellum, went to Fort Lauderdale for a family vacation in June. Worried he'd lose his wedding ring in the water, he put it in the side of a bag for safekeeping.
It didn't work.
“It was gone,” Ramirez said Monday. “I looked all over the place."
Desperate, he reached out to the closest hotel and reported it missing.
"I thought it was definitely a long shot,” he said. “I knew I lost it at the beach and I thought there's no way that this is going to come up. There's just no way."
That's exactly what Latosha Duffey said. Duffey and her family happened to be staying at the same resort when her mother noticed something shiny.
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"I was like, 'No way!'” Duffey said when her mother found the ring and vowed to find the owner.
"I was walking along the beach and I was looking down and I saw a gold ring in the sand,” Charlotte Duffey said.
The golden piece was Ramirez's wedding ring.
"I brought the wedding ring back home and I called the hotel,” she said.
The younger Duffey said she never thought they would find the owner.
"I was like, this is one in a trillion that you'll find whose ring this is,” Latosha Duffey said.
Sure enough, the hotel connected the two.
"What are the odds? This is my lucky day,” Ramirez said.
Charlotte Duffey said she wanted to do the right thing.
"I was just excited and happy that I was able to return the ring,” she said.
Two North Texas families, strangers on a beach so far from home, met in the longest of long shots.
"Small world indeed,” Charlotte Duffey said.
Ramirez said he’s grateful for the Mansfield family’s honesty.
"The biggest lesson, outside of losing your ring and don't lose it, is knowing there's still good people out there,” he said. “They're willing to pay it forward and help each other." | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/no-way-mansfield-woman-finds-dallas-mans-wedding-ring-on-florida-beach/3043466/ | 2022-08-09T07:46:45 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/no-way-mansfield-woman-finds-dallas-mans-wedding-ring-on-florida-beach/3043466/ |
After more than a year in the hospital, Jazmin Kirkland is going home.
It was on a family vacation last summer that Kirkland and her husband, Kody, got sick with COVID-19. They drove home to Trenton where Kody got better, but Jazmin got worse.
Days later, on Aug. 3, 2021, they drove to Texoma Medical Center in Denison.
“I got there and I could barely walk into the hospital,” said Kirkland.
Within two weeks, she was placed on a ventilator in a coma, then on an ECMO machine used only in critical situations.
“I don't care if I wake up and I don't have an arm or leg. As long as I'm here and I'm able to be with my kids just please let me live,” Jazmin recalled.
Over the last year, Jazmin had to relearn to eat and walk.
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Her journey was documented on social media to give other families in similar situations hope. She credited her survival to doctors, a powerful will to live, and prayer.
“Even if it’s just one person that can find her story to say like, hey, someone overcame this to give them hope that they can do it too then that's what I was hoping others would take away from this as well,” said Kody Kirkland.
After six months on an ECMO machine, more than 10 months on a ventilator and more than 12 months in the hospital, Jazmin Kirkland is on the verge of another milestone: Going home.
“I'm so thankful,” she said.
She’ll still need oxygen once she's released. The couple said they had not yet been vaccinated when they became sick. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texas-mom-to-return-home-370-days-after-covid-19-hospitalization/3043443/ | 2022-08-09T07:46:51 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texas-mom-to-return-home-370-days-after-covid-19-hospitalization/3043443/ |
Muslim communities across the country and in Texas remain vigilant after a string of deadly shootings in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Albuquerque police said all the victims were Muslim men. Three were ambushed and killed in the past few weeks and authorities believe another victim from November is connected to the case.
Albuquerque PD and the FBI are looking for a vehicle of interest connected to the slayings.
"It’s sad, I’ve spoken to a few people in New Mexico who literally have families that are asking the male figure in the home to not to leave the house because this 'serial killer' appears to be targeting Muslim men," said Dr. Omar Suleiman, Islamic scholar and founder and president of the Yaqeen Institute. “We’ve had armed protests here, various forms of vandalism, and we routinely deal with hate crimes against Muslims in different public places, but the idea of someone that’s possibly out there hunting Muslims is definitely a new type of fear and uncertainty.”
Suleiman, who is also an Imam at the Valley Ranch Islamic Center in Irving, said leadership at the North Texas mosque has been in touch with local police and has stepped up security.
“Our message to our community always is to be cautious but confident to still go about your everyday lives, to not shy away from your religion and your religious identity, but at the same time to definitely take security seriously and to be cautious especially when things like this are happening and when you still have a case like this that is unsolved. Now, what’s to say he doesn’t go to another place or this doesn’t trigger any type of similar incident in a different place so be confident, but be cautious go out and attend your prayers and go do what you have to do, but at the same time do take your safety and security seriously.”
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The motive behind the slayings is unknown at this time, but authorities continue to caution the Muslim community. National Islamic organizations and mosques are also encouraging everyone to be alert.
"We don’t know everything about it yet, but what we do know is four Muslim men in a short span of time have been killed in what seems to be a hunting down of Muslims in New, Mexico," Suleiman said. “We don’t know for sure yet that this is tied to a particular type of bigotry, we do know that the rhetoric out there about the Muslim community is and has been for a very long time violence, and does insight this type of hatred towards the community."
On Sunday President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris posted statements on Twitter and condemned the violence. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texas-muslim-community-on-alert-after-new-mexico-shootings/3043413/ | 2022-08-09T07:47:04 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texas-muslim-community-on-alert-after-new-mexico-shootings/3043413/ |
Masih Alinejad, an Iranian opposition activist and writer in exile in New York City, said that the man who was arrested after he was found to have a gun while outside her Brooklyn home was "an Iranian agent."
In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Alinejad said that the FBI affidavit identified the man arrested on July 28 as Khalid Mehdiyev. In addition to cash, the weapon and ammunition, Alinejad wrote that that police also found multiple false license plates from numerous states in the suspect's car.
"Regime officials are humiliated that this latest foiled plot makes the regime look like a bumbling failure," she wrote.
People familiar with the investigation said there is evidence now that Iranian officials played a role in the alleged targeting of Alinejad.
Federal prosecutors in New York charged a man in late July with driving around Alinejad's Brooklyn neighborhood with a loaded assault rifle and dozens of rounds of ammunition. Alinejad previously said Monday that authorities told her the man was looking for her, and that a home security video had caught him skulking outside her front door.
“It is shocking that someone came to my house with a loaded assault rifle,” Alinejad told The Associated Press in an email. “Last year, the FBI foiled a kidnap plot. Now a killer is dispatched to deal with me.”
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The suspect, Mehdiyev, has been locked up without bail and his lawyer declined comment. The U.S. Attorney’s office also wouldn’t talk about the case beyond what for now is a gun possession charge.
Alinejad had already been identified as the target of an alleged kidnapping plot. In 2021, U.S. prosecutors charged an Iranian intelligence officer and others with plotting to kidnap Alinejad and take her back to Tehran. Iranian officials called accusations “baseless and ridiculous.”
Alinejad, who worked for years as a journalist in Iran and became a U.S. citizen in 2019, has long been targeted by its theocracy after fleeing the country following its disputed 2009 presidential election and crackdown. She’s known as a prominent figure on Farsi-language satellite channels abroad that criticize Iran.
In the new case, a criminal complaint filed against Mehdiyev doesn’t directly tie him to Iran or the kidnapping plot. Instead, it only charges him with a gun violation based on a traffic stop by the New York Police Department, but also cites what they say were his contradictory statements about his conduct that implicate him in a more serious way.
The complaint says Mehdiyev was seen lurking near Alinejad’s home last week and, after ordering food delivery to his vehicle, approached the residence and looked in through the windows and tried to open the front door. A short time later, police officers pulled him over and arrested him for driving with a suspended license.
A later search of the car found a suitcase containing a rifle “loaded with a round in the chamber and a magazine attached, along with a separate second magazine, and a total of approximately 66 rounds of ammunition,” the papers say, adding, ”The serial number of the rifle appears to have been obliterated.”
Initially, Mehdiyev claimed he was in the neighborhood looking for a room to rent, the papers say, and that he had borrowed the car he was driving and didn’t know about the gun. He later admitted the gun was his and that he had been in the area “looking for someone,” they add.
At that point, he stopped talking and asked for a lawyer.
In her email, Alinejad said her situation shows the need for the U.S. government to take a tougher stance toward Iran.
“What happened this weekend is NOT normal and does not just affect just me,” she wrote. “This poses a risk to EVERYONE. This is not behavior that anyone in the United States should be accepting as normal.” | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/iranian-dissident-man-with-rifle-arrested-outside-brooklyn-home-is-agent-for-iran/3803804/ | 2022-08-09T07:54:34 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/iranian-dissident-man-with-rifle-arrested-outside-brooklyn-home-is-agent-for-iran/3803804/ |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Tuesday, the Sacramento City Council will start debating whether camping on the sidewalk should be a misdemeanor.
Some say this mostly impacts people who live on the streets.
"People are afraid to dine out... because of their safety, and sometimes we're concerned about our employee safety," said one of the owners of Crest Cafe in downtown Sacramento.
The owner didn't want to share his identity on camera, but he says safety is his top priority when running his downtown business. He says he's lost a lot of business in the past because of the people camping outside nearby.
The ordinance being discussed by city council would make it a misdemeanor to obstruct any sidewalk.
"I'm all for it - whatever it takes to clean up the city of Sacramento as a whole. It's impacting all of us, and everywhere we go, we see encampments on the freeway, on major avenues and streets. That leaves a negative image to the city of Sacramento" said the owner of Crest Cafe.
The owner feels it could stop the issue of people living on the sidewalks.
However, Berry Accius, a community advocate and founder of Voice of the Youth, feels it wouldn't be in the right direction.
"I think that we're doing more harm than good. I think that what's happening. What I'm seeing, we're criminalizing our unsheltered folks more than we're finding a solution to help solve the homelessness (issue)," Accius said.
He says the new ordinance would push people further from getting off the streets.
"Who wants to sleep on the sidewalk? If a person is sleeping on the sidewalk, what money or what access do they have? What resources do they have to pay for fines? So now a person is down and out on their luck. You're now going to criminalize them," Accius said.
He believes there are better options that need to be discussed.
The city council plans to review the new proposal during Tuesday's session.
"If they charge them with a misdemeanor if it's gonna help, I think that's the way it should go because it's been going for too long to clean the city," said the owner of Crest Cafe.
Accius questioned whether the city is doing the things they need to do to address the issue.
"In reality, are we truly doing the things that we need to do? Investing the money in a proper way? Are we creating housing for our unsheltered people that are living on the sidewalks?" Accius said.
Sacramento City Council will discuss the proposal Tuesday afternoon with a plan to consider it on Aug. 16.
WATCH ALSO: | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/street-camping-misdemeanor-proposal/103-2a78a5a3-a982-4f9b-a4d4-44e1275db192 | 2022-08-09T08:03:15 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/street-camping-misdemeanor-proposal/103-2a78a5a3-a982-4f9b-a4d4-44e1275db192 |
At a 1:00 PM news conference on Monday, Mayor Francis Suarez and Commissioner Joe Carollo announced they were postponing the establishment of the homeless village on Virginia Key Beach. This comes after a weekend of protests and the objections countless in the community, including activists and other politicians from around Miami-Dade county.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Commissioner Raquel Regalado came out as two prominent opponents of the plan. While the issue of the unhoused is a growing problem for both the city and the county, neither approve of the plan that was passed for a laundry list of reasons.
One major point of contention is the location of this transition zone and its proximity to Virginia Key Beach Park, which during the era of segregation in Miami-Dade County was the only beach designated for for Black residents.
When asked about those who criticized the plan because of its nearness to the historic site, Commissioner Carollo said anyone who opposed the project for that reason was “playing the race card” because the tiny house initiative was a mile from the once "colored only" heritage site.
To keep the postponement in place, the city is tasking Miami-Dade County to locate other possible sites, with a desire that they be outside of the City of Miami itself.
Other conditions of the postponement are to have Miami-Dade County Police stop “dumping the homeless” within Miami city limits when they are released from jail after being picked up for being homeless.
The city wants the county to at least match the amount of money the city itself is currently spending on homeless services, as well as add more beds to existing county shelters.
Mayor Suarez and Commissioner Carollo also announced an unspecified initiative with a $500,000 price tag to mitigate the homeless at Bayfront Park, which they said would be funded by Commissioner Christine King's office.
Read full coverage of this developing story in Wednesday's edition of The Miami Times. | https://www.miamitimesonline.com/news/local/carollo-accuses-the-black-community-of-playing-the-race-card-amid-suspension-of-virginia-key/article_cb7671b0-1754-11ed-b825-cf7e6d4f30bc.html | 2022-08-09T08:19:11 | 0 | https://www.miamitimesonline.com/news/local/carollo-accuses-the-black-community-of-playing-the-race-card-amid-suspension-of-virginia-key/article_cb7671b0-1754-11ed-b825-cf7e6d4f30bc.html |
PAGE, Ariz. — Lake Powell is in trouble.
Weather, climate change, low snowpack...it’s all coming together against the lake.
“Based on the best climate data that's available, it's really unlikely that this reservoir is going to be around in the decades to come," said Eric Balken with the Glen Canyon Institute.
And that climate data, and the fate of the lake, should concern the millions of people downstream.
Here’s how the Southwest’s water system works:
Water comes down the Colorado River. Along the way, it gets held up in reservoirs; those are like banks.
There are agreements to make sure water comes downstream to the Southwest's reservoirs. The first one the water hits in Arizona is Lake Powell. Think of it like a savings account for water. It holds a lot, but it's not the one that directly provides water for drinking and farming.
Lake Mead, at the other end of the Grand Canyon, is the reservoir that directly provides the water. It's the water checking account; it pays the bills that need paying every day.
From there, the water sits in Lake Mead until it's drawn through Hoover Dam, generating power and releasing the water.
But now there’s less water than there’s ever been. The Southwest has been in a severe drought for the last 22 years and counting, and this year the lake dropped to its lowest level since the dam was built.
Because of how Lake Powell was formed (by damming a river and backfilling a series of canyons), it's hard to tell how much the lake has fallen just by looking at it. the water level fluctuates by the day, but photos showing the lake as recently as a year ago tell the story.
The water has changed the entire shape of the lake, especially around the popular Wahweap Marina. Famous rock formations that used to be partially submerged are now far out of the water. Wide stretches of water have now given way to dry plains. Beaches that used to be at water level are now sandy stretches on rock ledges far above the lake.
Antelope Point Marina no longer reaches the lake. the boat launch now ends at a cliff dozens of feet in the air, with a sheer drop to the lake. There are plans to extend it, but no money for it yet.
What that means for the average person is that the lake is slowly running dry. Without being helped by additional releases of water from lakes in northern states, there's a real possibility that the lake might dip so low that water can't be released through the dam downstream.
There are contingency plans before that happens, but experts say there needs to be a lot more water conservation done to keep the lake afloat.
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Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. Subscribe today. | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/water-wars/lake-powell-in-arizona-slowly-running-dry-experts-say/75-1af21840-4aa8-4249-9bd8-3d6945830a82 | 2022-08-09T08:21:48 | 1 | https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/water-wars/lake-powell-in-arizona-slowly-running-dry-experts-say/75-1af21840-4aa8-4249-9bd8-3d6945830a82 |
BELL COUNTY, Texas — A Facebook image of an alligator on Stillhouse Hollow Lake has left some people wondering what alligators are doing in Bell County.
Jonathan Warner, the Alligator Program leader for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, told 6 News some alligators do, in fact, call Bell County home.
Most of the state's alligator population is closer to the states Southeastern coast in marshes, but Warner said they do get around.
"There are alligators in over 100 counties in Texas, including in Bell County. There isn't a large population, but they have been observed in the Stillhouse lake area and along the Lampasas river for many, many years now," Warner said.
Stillhouse Hollow Lake and Belton Lake have dams controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers and their primary purpose is flood control. Warner said they still make a great place for an alligator to call home.
"Those artificial, man-made water bodies are excellent habitats for alligators and a host of other species as well. Obviously there is going to be a good, functional food web in a lot of these places with invertebrates and crawfish and fish and turtles," Warner said.
Bell County lakes are also a safe place for alligators to live. The Army Corps of Engineers' mangers for both the Belton and Stillhouse Hollow Lakes told 6 News it is illegal to hunt alligators on those public properties.
According to Warner, alligators can only be hunted on private property in the county, and public properties like parks and lakes are off limits. Even on private properties, alligator hunting season only goes from Apr. 1 - June 30.
Warner said hunters would need to by a Texas hunting permit with a special tag to kill a gator, and they can only kill one per year.
While some home owners may worry about the need to kill alligators in self-defense, Warner said that situation is unlikely.
"Their normal behavior and their natural disposition is to stay away from people," Warner said. "As long as the alligator is not being approached or harassed or fed."
Warner said most issues are created by local individuals leaving out food for an alligator or approaching them regularly, which makes them more comfortable around humans.
If an alligator gets stuck in a yard or swimming pool on a persons property, Warner said people should call for experts that can safely remove the animal.
Homeowners can call (512) 389-4848 to get in touch with the state's Nuisance Control Program.
Warner said there are people who are trained to handle those situations, but people will likely never need that help. Instead, Warner said an alligator sighting should be a rare treat for a person in Central Texas and you will likely only catch a glimpse before they get away.
"Chances are, if there is one in the area, you are not going to see it because it wants nothing to do with you," Warner said. "This is a native Texan and a natural part of our ecosystem."
More from KCEN: | https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/local/alligators-in-bell-county/500-bdf95203-ac9d-4c29-b2b8-a3ea87e8c3bd | 2022-08-09T08:26:02 | 0 | https://www.kcentv.com/article/news/local/alligators-in-bell-county/500-bdf95203-ac9d-4c29-b2b8-a3ea87e8c3bd |
Kenosha police arrested two of four suspects following a pursuit that began as a traffic stop on an alleged stolen vehicle and later resulted in crashes in two separate locations that included a police squad car and another vehicle.
The incident began at 5:43 p.m. in the 7800 block of Sheridan Road with a traffic stop on the reported stolen vehicle, according to Capt. Patrick Patton, of the Kenosha Police Department. Earlier, police learned the vehicle was reported stolen from Racine, said Lt. Matthew Strelow. An officer located the vehicle and the pursuit ensued. A traffic crash involving the squad car and the suspect vehicle, a black BMW, then occurred at 50th Street and 28th Avenue, according to Strelow.
Following the first collision, the suspect vehicle traveled to the intersection of 52nd Street and 22nd Avenue where it crashed into a second vehicle involving the motorist, according to Strelow.
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"Four suspects fled from the vehicle. We captured two of them," he said. The two other suspects remained at large and their descriptions were not immediately available as of late Monday. At least a dozen officers blocked off some streets in neighborhoods to the immediate south and west of the intersection as they searched for the suspects.
Initial police radio traffic indicated that the suspects, including at least one armed with a gun, were being pursued on foot through nearby neighborhoods. The two suspects apprehended were transported to the Kenosha County Jail, however, it was not immediately known what charges police would be recommending, said Patton.
Patton said the officer was not injured but was evaluated by paramedics at the scene, which was near Fire Station No. 1 at 2210 52nd St. The motorist also was not seriously hurt. Tow trucks at the crash site hauled away the suspect vehicle and the second car involved in the crash at 52nd Street and 22nd Avenue. Strelow said the squad car was taken to the police department's fleet maintenance division.
"There is damage that has to be evaluated," he said.
Strelow said officers recovered "multiple firearms" as a result of the arrests, as the department continues its campaign to seize weapons, especially those in unauthorized possession.
Police encourage anyone with information on the incident to contact the department at 262-605-5203. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can call Kenosha Area Crime Stoppers at 262-656-7333. | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/accident-and-incident/update-watch-now-kenosha-police-seek-two-additional-suspects-who-fled-following-crash-with-squad/article_335b9448-177f-11ed-96ab-97098df24e33.html | 2022-08-09T08:55:24 | 0 | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/accident-and-incident/update-watch-now-kenosha-police-seek-two-additional-suspects-who-fled-following-crash-with-squad/article_335b9448-177f-11ed-96ab-97098df24e33.html |
More than 415 Clark County homes and businesses have been connected to broadband services through a $3 million CARES Act-funded expansion project, and additional federal and grant funding will go toward bringing internet access to more than 1,000 addresses in the county.
The broadband expansion project created 61 miles worth of service to houses in previously unserved parts of New Carlisle, South Charleston and South Vienna.
Spectrum hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at a South Vienna farm on Monday to celebrate the project’s completion.
Farm owners Brett and Marsha Davis said they once relied on hotspots and cell phone data to carry out any digital work at their Mahar Road farm. Their home was the end of the first section included in the Clark County Broadband Expansion Project.
Marsha, an elementary school teacher at Warder Park-Wayne Elementary School, said she was signing into virtual planning meetings with other teachers after the school day was over with little to no data left to help her prepare, as her data plan rolled over on Fridays.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
She and her husband would have to walk around their house to find service to complete simple tasks. Also frustrating was the strain lack of internet access had on her husband, Marsha said.
Brett often has to submit samples to labs to check on the health of his crops and make decisions about what they need to thrive: if insecticide is needed, if they need more potassium, and more. Without reliable internet access, real-time data wasn’t an option.
“You can’t make good decisions without good data,” Marsha said.
The $3 million of CARES Act funding was approved for the project by the Clark County commission in December 2020.
Clark County Commissioner Melanie Flax Wilt said Monday that technology is the “great equalizer.” The homes and small businesses serviced through the broadband expansion include farmers, students, business owners and other workers who wish to live in the countryside and work from home.
“We want them to have the same opportunities as those who dwell in cities,” she said.
Flax Wilt said the county’s goal is to be 100% connected. Another phase of broadband expansion through Charter Communications that will bring service to 1,165 unserved addresses will be funded through $3 million of American Rescue Plan Act funding ― approved by the commission last October ― and funding through the Ohio Residential Broadband Grant program.
State Senator Bob Hackett (R-London) on Monday said the pandemic sped up the emphasis on remote working options nationally.
The countywide expansion, too, will open opportunities for those entering the workforce ten or more years from now, said State Rep. Kyle Koehler (R-Springfield).
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
“We’re changing the future for our children,” he said.
Bringing broadband services to people in Clark County is also crucial for the pivot to virtual or hybrid workspaces, Koehler said.
Marsha said that the broadband expansion has made all the difference for her family.
“Going from hotspotting to broadband is like going from being an infant to being 25,” she said. “It’s a huge jump. We needed this for farm management, but I also love to be able to FaceTime my grandkids now.”
Spectrum Internet Gig, with download speeds of 1 Gigabit per second, is now available throughout the area served by the broadband expansion. Other service speeds also exist for businesses and residents of the buildout area, according to a Spectrum press release.
“Spectrum is making a multi-year investment to extend gigabit broadband networks to unserved communities across America,” said Jeff Gehrig, regional vice president.
About the Author | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/broadband-services-rollout-to-more-than-415-unserved-clark-county-homes/V7IAY7JUPZGBHO6FDHLO4VBGJI/ | 2022-08-09T09:18:01 | 1 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/broadband-services-rollout-to-more-than-415-unserved-clark-county-homes/V7IAY7JUPZGBHO6FDHLO4VBGJI/ |
With school starting in a matter of weeks for a lot of students, districts across the country are grappling with a teacher shortage. Over the past two years, more than half of a million teachers have quit their jobs, and as time runs out before the start of the school year, there's now a rush to fill positions.
The urgency to fill teaching positions across the state is so dire, that the Sayreville School District emailed a flyer to the community virtually begging for paraprofessionals to step forward with less than a month before classes begin again. Two dozen teaching positions at the town's high school and middle school are open, just a little more than three weeks before teachers are to report for duty.
While Sayreville Superintendent Dr. Richard Labbe said that he does "eventually see an end to this" and that the teacher supply will recover, it won't be happening this year.
A new state pilot program to get non-teachers into the classroom is offering some hope to the more than 100 districts that signed up, including Sayreville, with a full week's worth of workshops aimed at helping those newcomers learn quickly. But Sayreville has yet to see great success out of the program yet.
"Although we’re optimistic that this pilot program will yield more teachers for us, we’ve only hired one teacher that fit that category," said Dr. Labbe. It was an English teacher, who will work at the high school.
Another pilot to hire retired teachers has come up with, well, nothing.
Some science classrooms could see as many as 30 students, instead of the preferred 24. There have been intense recruitment efforts lately from the superintendent and school leaders to try and get more teachers on board.
"I would go to the colleges as our director of human resources does and honestly, social media plays a big part too," said Carolynn O'Connor, the science supervisor for the district. "In the science classroom, it's actually dangerous (to have more students) because you are dealing with hands on, you are dealing with the equipment, you're dealing with the students up and about."
In fact, the college visits were this past spring, with only some modest success. The number of graduates is down nationwide, and many are declining to pursue a teaching career.
Special education in Sayreville is especially desperate, with eight positions to fill. Supervisor Dr. Cynthia DeFina won’t be surprised to find herself back in the classroom.
"I was helping with teaching multiple classrooms a during the pandemic time, so I might have to do something like that again," she said. "It puts more pressure on the existing teachers we have, because they're seeing more students, there's more of a workload."
While getting one new instructor from a professional non-education field may not seem like a victory, each one will get intense training before and during the school year.
"Learn as you go, and just to jump back now with what we provide in the building, we place every new educator that doesn’t have a background with a mentor for the entire first school year," said Christopher Howard, the supervisor of social studies and professional development.
One state legislator calls the shortage a crisis. The NJEA, the state teachers union, says it is working on both short-term and long-term solutions. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nj-schools-struggling-to-deal-with-massive-teacher-shortage-going-in-to-school-year/3816027/ | 2022-08-09T09:25:51 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nj-schools-struggling-to-deal-with-massive-teacher-shortage-going-in-to-school-year/3816027/ |
TUPELO • At $191, Tupelo’s Beth Anne Ellzey said her power bill this month is — by far — the highest she’s ever received.
“It was $10 short of doubling,” she said, comparing her Tupelo Water & Light bill from 2022 to the one from the same period the year before.
On average, Ellzey estimates she pays around $100 a month for water and power to her one-room apartment, where she’s lived for eight years. Her previous watermark bill was $135.
Without help, she said the sudden jump in the monthly expense could have been devastating.
“My sisters had to help me pay (the bill), so I am blessed I had family to turn to,” she said. “If not, that was my grocery money.”
Ellzey isn’t alone in her sticker shock. Tupelo residents can expect higher power bills for the next few months, local officials warn, noting the cost of natural gas and recent extreme weather will affect utility bills exponentially. Some residents, like Ellzey, are reporting their monthly power bills more than doubling from the same time last year.
Tupelo Water and Light Director Johnny Timmons said every resident can expect price increases in their next few bills, if they haven’t already. He noted the spikes in Tupelo residents’ bills result from a “perfect storm” of factors that affect utilities rates, including an increase in natural gas costs globally and a sweltering summer.
“It has been a terrible summer for power costs,” Timmons said.
Tupelo Water and Light buys its power wholesale from Tennessee Valley Authority, which generates its power primarily through natural gas turbines and nuclear power. Timmons said there was planned maintenance on one of TVA’s nuclear power plants, which caused the company to compensate with more gas-powered turbines.
According to Scott Brooks with TVA, the money TVA spends on natural gas is passed on to the customer through regular fuel cost adjustments, which fluctuate depending on how much natural gas the company has to purchase.
In the past two months, Brooks said, the cost of natural gas has more than doubled, jumping from 2 cents per cubic foot per minute to 4.6 cents.
“Basically, the cost of natural gas has gone up by more than 140% in the last year, and coal prices have risen as well,” Brooks said.
He added that Tupelo customers aren’t alone in facing this increase. Nationwide, people are opening their mail to find far higher power bills.
“This is not isolated to one power company,” he said. “We are all facing the same issues.”
It’s not just the rate people pay that has caused the spike in power bills. Usage is also up.
Brooks said the cost of gas and usage are the two major influences affecting a person’s power bill; June, July and August are peak usage months in summer, and usage was up significantly this year, which can largely be attributed to the summer’s extended heatwave.
According to data provided by Tupelo Light and Water, usage rates increased steadily from the end of May to 54 million kilowatts per hour to almost 68 million kilowatts per hour in July. These are up from last year’s usages by an average of about 5 million kilowatts per hour for each month.
Timmons also chalked the increased usage up to it being hotter this summer than last year. Timmons said in June and July, there were 14 days that clocked in over 100 degrees and 30 days that were more than 90 degrees at its hottest. He said the more power used, the more spent in natural gas to provide that power, which translates to higher bills.
When asked why natural gas prices have risen exponentially, Brooks said there were many factors putting pressure on the global economy. Although he couldn’t pinpoint when bills would be back to normal, prices are trending down.
“The price of gas is the variable that is least certain,” he said. “We do expect to see natural gas start coming down at some point."
Timmons said residents should expect similarly hefty bills in September.
For Ellzey, bracing for another high power bill means watching her spending closely and saving what she can.
“You have to take the punch,” she said. “Everybody needs electricity.”
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'A slap in the face': Some upset Lilly, Cummins wait to criticize abortion ban until Holcomb signed it
Eli Lilly and Co., and Cummins have released statements taking Indiana to task for adopting a near-total abortion ban since the law was signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb Friday, but neither of the two Indiana companies publicly spoke against the legislation in the preceding weeks despite being given multiple opportunities.
Lilly and Cummins did not answer questions Monday from IndyStar about their decisions to publicly comment only after the bill was signed and the law prepares to take effect Sept. 15. It's unclear what changed their calculus about taking a public position or why they decided to weigh in so late, once a law was signed.
One advocate who was at the Statehouse during the 2-week session indicated she was taken aback by the late timing of the Lilly and Cummins statements over the weekend.
"It was a slap in the face," said Lisa Wilken, a veteran and sexual trauma survivor who testified for the need for abortion access for abuse victims during the special session. Had they spoken up sooner, the bill might be less restrictive, she believes. "It was cowardice and compromise. They compromised women's safety and the revictimization of girls and women," she said.
The two companies had multiple opportunities to publicly comment after Roe v. Wade was overturned June 24 and after lawmakers signaled they would further ban abortion at a special session they started July 25.
Yet they declined to sign onto two open letters opposing the ban that circulated in the business community. IndyStar published a story June 30 about a letter signed by about 60 businesses opposing abortion restrictions at the then upcoming special session that Holcomb had called.
Neither Lilly nor Cummins signed the letter. Neither did other large companies such as Roche, Salesforce and Rolls Royce. IndyStar reached out to those companies for statements at the time. In the IndyStar story, Lilly said it was not commenting. Cummins said the company had not yet taken a position on Roe being overturned by the Supreme Court.
Then the ACLU Of Indiana announced during a news conference July 21 that more than 250 businesses from 39 communities across the state opposed abortion restrictions. Again, Lilly, Cummins and other large companies did not sign the letter.
The absences were notable because large companies had previously taken public stances on racial equity, LGBTQ rights, and the Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Representatives from Lilly and Cummins also did not testify against the legislation at the Statehouse. A Cummins representative told IndyStar the company did share concerns with lawmakers before and during the special session, but did not provide more information when asked for details.
But hours after Holcomb announced Friday he signed the bill banning abortion except within the first 10 weeks for cases of rape and incest as well as for the long-term health and life of the mother, a spokesperson for Eli Lilly and Co., said the ban would hinder Lilly and Indiana's ability to hire skilled workers.
More:Here's what the Indiana abortion law does
“Lilly recognizes that abortion is a divisive and deeply personal issue with no clear consensus among the citizens of Indiana," spokesperson Molly Mccully in a statement. "Despite this lack of agreement, Indiana has opted to quickly adopt one of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws in the United States.
McCully also said law may hurt the company's ability to attract talent and the company will be forced to expand outside of Indiana. Yet in May, after the decision to reverse Roe v. Wade leaked, Lilly announced it would spend $2.1 billion to build two manufacturing sites in Boone County. By then, Indiana already had signaled it would restrict abortion should Roe be overturned.
"We intend to honor our current commitments to Indiana," McCully told IndyStar when asked about that project.
Cummins put out a lengthy news release Saturday after Holcomb had signed the ban.
"We are deeply concerned about how this law impacts our people and impedes our ability to attract and retain a diverse workforce in Indiana – concerns that we have voiced to legislators.... As we continue to grow our footprint with a focus on selecting communities that align with our values and business goals, this law will be considered in our decision-making process."
Lilly has long positioned itself as a business leader in Indiana. When Indiana caused national uproar by proposing a bill that could lead to LGBTQ discrimination, Lilly was one of the companies that led the business community in pushing back and ensuring protections for the LGBTQ community. When businesses went remote and starved out revenues for downtown businesses, Lilly CEO David Ricks stood with Mayor Joe Hogsett to announce its workers are moving back into the downtown office.
Cummins, similarly, has been vocal on social issues. After people flooded the street to protest the murder of George Floyd, Cummins issued a statement in support of racial equity. The company also signed a letter urging Hoosiers to get vaccinated to boost the state's vaccination rate.
Many took wait-and-see approach
Cummins and Lilly were among many large employers who were silent after the Supreme Court reversed the constitutional right to abortion, breaking with a trend among American businesses of speaking on issues ranging from LGBTQ rights to racial justice. Public relations expert said many companies are taking a wait-and-see approach on abortion, monitoring the opinions of the public, their employees and stockholders.
"Companies acting cautiously might explain the late responses from these two companies," said M.K. Chin, a professor of management at Indiana University Kelley School of Business. He cited a survey that showed abortion on the bottom of a list of social issues that people want leaders of companies to weigh in on.
That survey was from 2018, though, long before the Supreme Court's bombshell decision.
It's worth noting voters in Kansas, a Midwestern state similar to Indiana, overwhelmingly voted to protect abortion rights Aug. 2. That may have factored into the two companies decisions to speak out, said Anthony D'Angelo, professor of public relations at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications.
"That really took people aback," he said. "They weighed in so heavily for abortion rights."
Businesses like Lilly and Cummins are under pressure from employees to be active in the abortion fight, particularly Gen Z and Millennial employees who believe businesses have an obligation to speak out and overwhelmingly believe in abortion rights, D'Angelo said. Three-quarters of people ages 18-29 believe abortion should be legal in some or all case, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center. More than 60% of those ages 30-49 are in favor of legal abortion.
Companies, however, also have balance that pressure with the risk of backlash on hotly-contested issues and the need to preserve relationship with politicians who hold the power to regulate them, said Rochelle Ford, president of Dillard University and a public relations expert.
“They have to work with everybody because, at the end of the day, they want a government that is going to create policies and roles and governing laws that will (allow them) to run their business in the best way possible," Ford said.
Missed Opportunity
More and more, people expect companies to take a stand on social issues, D'Angelo said.
But there is risk involved in businesses weighing in on issues, as many can be controversial or companies can get caught up in what he calls “issue Whack-A-Mole.” “Every day there's going to be some controversial news item that comes up or somebody is going to ask you to weigh in,” D’Angelo said. “That is all you'll ever do, and you won't be very effective either because your responses will be fragmented, scattered all over the place."
But to business leaders and activists who have fought against the ban, the late response from the companies is a missed opportunity.
Kristin Kohn, owner of local gift shop Silver in the City, was at the Indiana Statehouse both weeks of the special legislative session on behalf of businesses against an abortion ban. She wished these statements came earlier.
“I think it would have been immensely more helpful for them to speak out while this was being debated at the statehouse and not after it became law,” Kohn said. “At this point the decision has been made and nothing more can be done." | https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/indianapolis/2022/08/09/lilly-cummins-waited-until-holcomb-signed-abortion-ban-to-speak-out/65395566007/ | 2022-08-09T09:41:54 | 1 | https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/indianapolis/2022/08/09/lilly-cummins-waited-until-holcomb-signed-abortion-ban-to-speak-out/65395566007/ |
WATERLOO – A Waterloo couple has been arrested after their son was twice found wandering the neighborhood in a state of undress.
On June 12, neighbors called police after spotting the 4 year old in nothing but a diaper in the 900 block of Linn Street around 7:15 a.m. One of the residents picked up the child until officers arrived.
Police found the child came from a home in the 300 block of Ricker Street, about a block away, and officers said the parents appeared to be intoxicated, according to court records. The matter was reported to the Iowa Department of Human Services.
Then around 8:25 a.m. Friday, the child had apparently ran a block and a half away from his home naked and had suffered a cut toe, according to court records.
Paramedics were called to treat the toe injury.
Police arrested Trisha Likaro, 30, and Mike Selikar, 32, on Saturday on two counts of misdemeanor child endangerment. Both have been released pending trial.
Photos: Missing children in Iowa
Photos: Missing children in Iowa
Jade Colvin
Jade Colvin
Missing Since: Jun 10, 2016
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
DOB: 2002
Age Now: 18
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 135 lbs
When Jade was last seen, her hair was dyed auburn. She may dye her hair.
Contact
1-800-843-5678
or
Des Moines Police Department (Iowa) 1-515-283-4811
NCMEC: 1408941
Fredrick Workman
Fredrick Workman
Missing Since: Aug 2, 2013
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
DOB:1998
Age Now:22
Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair Color:Blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 145 lbs
He was last seen on August 2, 2013. Fredrick has a scar under his chin. He may use the alias last name Shields. Fredrick may go by the nickname Fred.
Call 911 or 800-THE-LOST
or
Des Moines Police Department 515-283-4811
NCMEC: 1222001
Benjamin Roseland
Benjamin Roseland
Missing Since: Feb 9, 2008
Missing From: Clinton, IA
DOB: 1988
Age Now: 32
Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Height5'11"
Weight: 175 lbs
He was last seen at home on February 9, 2008. He has a vertical scar which extends from his lower lip to his chin, a scar on the right side of his mouth, a scar on the left side of his nose, and a scar on the upper left side of his chest. His nickname is Ben.
Call 911 or 800-THE-LOST
or
Clinton Police Department 563-243-1458
NCMEC: 1092332
Erin Pospisil
Erin Pospisil
Missing Since: June 3, 2001
Missing From: Cedar Rapids, IA
DOB: 1986
Age Now: 34
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 125 lbs
She was last seen at home on June 3, 2001 and she has not been seen or heard from since that day. She has a small scar above her left eye. When she was last seen, Erin had red highlights in her hair.
Call 911 or 800-THE-LOST
or
Cedar Rapids Police Department 319-286-5491
NCMEC: 919997
Marc Allen
Marc Allen
Missing Since: March 29, 1986
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
DOB:1972
Age Now: 48
Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 85 lbs
He was last seen leaving his home is Des Moines, Iowa, on March 29, 1986. He was on his way to a friend's home, but never arrived. The last time he was seen, Marc was wearing a light blue t-shirt, blue jean shorts, white socks, and gray tennis shoes.
Call 911 or 800-THE-LOST
or
Des Moines Police Department 515-283-4811
NCMEC: 1053047
Eugene Martin
Eugene Martin
Missing Since: Aug 12, 1984
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
DOB: 1970
Age Now: 50
Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 110 lbs
He was last seen between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. as he was delivering newspapers. A paper bag was found outside of Des Moines with papers still inside. He has a scar on his right knee and has had a broken right wrist.
Call 911 or 800-THE-LOST
or
Des Moines Police Department- Missing Persons Unit - 515-283-4864 Or Your Local FBI
NCMEC: 601815
John Gosch
John Gosch
Missing Since: Sep 5, 1982
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
DOB: 1969
Age Now: 51
Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair Color: Lt. Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 140 lbs
He was last seen delivering newspapers. He has facial freckles, a gap between his front teeth, a birthmark on his left cheek, and a horseshoe-shaped scar on his tongue.
Call 911 or 800-THE-LOST
or
West Des Moines Police Department 515-223-3211 Or Your Local FBI
NCMEC: 601763
Kimberly Doss
Kimberly Doss
Missing Since: Sep 1, 1982
Missing From: Davenport, IA
DOB: 1966
Age Now: 54
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 120 lbs
She was last seen in the Davenport, Iowa area on September 1, 1982. Kimberly has not been seen or heard from since. She may use the alias name of Kimberly Kathleen Gardner. She has a gap between her two front teeth.
Call 911 or 800-THE-LOST
or
Davenport Police Department 563-388-3664
NCMEC: 601057
Colleen Simpson
Colleen Simpson
Missing Since: Oct 5, 1975
Missing From: Bedford, IA
DOB: 1960
Age Now: 60
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Hazel
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 90 lbs
She was last seen at home where she disappeared during the night. Colleen has a scar on her right forearm.
Call 911 or 800-THE-LOST
or
Taylor County Sheriff's Office 712-523-2153
NCMEC: 601905
Xavior Harrelson
Xavior Harrelson
Missing Since: May 27, 2021
Missing From: Montezuma, IA
DOB: 2010
Age Now: 11
Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 4'9"
Weight: 100 lbs
Xavior was last seen on May 27, 2021.
ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
1-800-843-5678
or
Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office (Iowa) 1-641-623-5679
NCMEC: 1421892
Fatima Conteh
Fatima Conteh
Missing Since: May 19, 2022
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
DOB: 2006
Age Now: 16
Sex: Female
Race: Biracial
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 4'11"
Weight: 120 lbs
She has tattoos on her chest, left forearm and right shoulder.
ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
1-800-843-5678
or
Des Moines Police Department (Iowa) 1-515-283-4811
NCMEC: 1450978
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WATERLOO — Two Waterloo women have been arrested for allegedly trying to circumvent state debt collection efforts when they cashed in a winning lottery ticket.
According to court records, Tammie Jo Kisner, 48, bought a Bonus Crossword Lottery ticket at the Kwik Star on West Ninth Street on June 30. The following day, she scanned it to confirm it was a winner to the tune of $3,000.
But authorities allege Kisner owed the state of Iowa money — mainly fines and surcharges from prior charges – and the winnings would have been used to offset her debt.
So, instead of cashing in the ticket and losing the money, Kisner allegedly enlisted the help of a store employee, Tamera McClarin, offering $200 if McClarin cashed in the ticket, according to court records. McClarin cashed the ticket in July 5.
Investigators apparently used surveillance video to determine Kisner was the person who actually bought the ticket. McClarin told police the ticket had been a gift from Kisner, court records state.
On Friday, Kisner and McClarin, were arrested for lottery fraud, a felony.
Photos: Missing children in Iowa
Photos: Missing children in Iowa
Jade Colvin
Jade Colvin
Missing Since: Jun 10, 2016
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
DOB: 2002
Age Now: 18
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 135 lbs
When Jade was last seen, her hair was dyed auburn. She may dye her hair.
Contact
1-800-843-5678
or
Des Moines Police Department (Iowa) 1-515-283-4811
NCMEC: 1408941
Fredrick Workman
Fredrick Workman
Missing Since: Aug 2, 2013
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
DOB:1998
Age Now:22
Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair Color:Blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 145 lbs
He was last seen on August 2, 2013. Fredrick has a scar under his chin. He may use the alias last name Shields. Fredrick may go by the nickname Fred.
Call 911 or 800-THE-LOST
or
Des Moines Police Department 515-283-4811
NCMEC: 1222001
Benjamin Roseland
Benjamin Roseland
Missing Since: Feb 9, 2008
Missing From: Clinton, IA
DOB: 1988
Age Now: 32
Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Height5'11"
Weight: 175 lbs
He was last seen at home on February 9, 2008. He has a vertical scar which extends from his lower lip to his chin, a scar on the right side of his mouth, a scar on the left side of his nose, and a scar on the upper left side of his chest. His nickname is Ben.
Call 911 or 800-THE-LOST
or
Clinton Police Department 563-243-1458
NCMEC: 1092332
Erin Pospisil
Erin Pospisil
Missing Since: June 3, 2001
Missing From: Cedar Rapids, IA
DOB: 1986
Age Now: 34
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 125 lbs
She was last seen at home on June 3, 2001 and she has not been seen or heard from since that day. She has a small scar above her left eye. When she was last seen, Erin had red highlights in her hair.
Call 911 or 800-THE-LOST
or
Cedar Rapids Police Department 319-286-5491
NCMEC: 919997
Marc Allen
Marc Allen
Missing Since: March 29, 1986
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
DOB:1972
Age Now: 48
Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 85 lbs
He was last seen leaving his home is Des Moines, Iowa, on March 29, 1986. He was on his way to a friend's home, but never arrived. The last time he was seen, Marc was wearing a light blue t-shirt, blue jean shorts, white socks, and gray tennis shoes.
Call 911 or 800-THE-LOST
or
Des Moines Police Department 515-283-4811
NCMEC: 1053047
Eugene Martin
Eugene Martin
Missing Since: Aug 12, 1984
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
DOB: 1970
Age Now: 50
Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 110 lbs
He was last seen between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. as he was delivering newspapers. A paper bag was found outside of Des Moines with papers still inside. He has a scar on his right knee and has had a broken right wrist.
Call 911 or 800-THE-LOST
or
Des Moines Police Department- Missing Persons Unit - 515-283-4864 Or Your Local FBI
NCMEC: 601815
John Gosch
John Gosch
Missing Since: Sep 5, 1982
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
DOB: 1969
Age Now: 51
Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair Color: Lt. Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 140 lbs
He was last seen delivering newspapers. He has facial freckles, a gap between his front teeth, a birthmark on his left cheek, and a horseshoe-shaped scar on his tongue.
Call 911 or 800-THE-LOST
or
West Des Moines Police Department 515-223-3211 Or Your Local FBI
NCMEC: 601763
Kimberly Doss
Kimberly Doss
Missing Since: Sep 1, 1982
Missing From: Davenport, IA
DOB: 1966
Age Now: 54
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 120 lbs
She was last seen in the Davenport, Iowa area on September 1, 1982. Kimberly has not been seen or heard from since. She may use the alias name of Kimberly Kathleen Gardner. She has a gap between her two front teeth.
Call 911 or 800-THE-LOST
or
Davenport Police Department 563-388-3664
NCMEC: 601057
Colleen Simpson
Colleen Simpson
Missing Since: Oct 5, 1975
Missing From: Bedford, IA
DOB: 1960
Age Now: 60
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Hazel
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 90 lbs
She was last seen at home where she disappeared during the night. Colleen has a scar on her right forearm.
Call 911 or 800-THE-LOST
or
Taylor County Sheriff's Office 712-523-2153
NCMEC: 601905
Xavior Harrelson
Xavior Harrelson
Missing Since: May 27, 2021
Missing From: Montezuma, IA
DOB: 2010
Age Now: 11
Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 4'9"
Weight: 100 lbs
Xavior was last seen on May 27, 2021.
ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
1-800-843-5678
or
Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office (Iowa) 1-641-623-5679
NCMEC: 1421892
Fatima Conteh
Fatima Conteh
Missing Since: May 19, 2022
Missing From: Des Moines, IA
DOB: 2006
Age Now: 16
Sex: Female
Race: Biracial
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 4'11"
Weight: 120 lbs
She has tattoos on her chest, left forearm and right shoulder.
ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
1-800-843-5678
or
Des Moines Police Department (Iowa) 1-515-283-4811
NCMEC: 1450978
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CEDAR FALLS — Three ensembles will play a series of casual jazz sets in Seerley Park Aug. 28, beginning at 5 p.m.
Food and drinks will be available to purchase from food trucks at the event, which is free and open to the public.
The headliner of Jazz in Seerley Park, starting at 7 p.m., is Triology + 2. The group features professional musicians Simon Harding and Chris Merz, both on saxophone, as well as Josh Hakanson (drums), Alex Pershounin (bass), and Mike Conrad (piano).
Two additional jazz groups will lead up to the main event. Local amateur group Melodious Thunk – with Roland Ganter on piano, Michael Walter on bass, Greg Hoekstra on trumpet, and Deb Roper on vocals – will perform at 5 p.m. Beauty’s Beast, a group of UNI Jazz students including Johnny Hartleip (saxophone), Jackson Schou (drums), Oisin Leopold (keyboard), Miles Rockford (bass), and Riley Jermier (trumpet), will take the 6 p.m. slot.
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Two years ago, Hakanson and Harding spearheaded a spontaneous jazz evening in honor of Charlie Parker’s Aug. 29 birthday and filled Seerley Park with music. Bettina Fabos, who helped plan this event, said the impromptu 2020 outdoor concert motivated her to plan more jazz for Seerley Park.
The College Hill Partnership is sponsoring the event.
“We would love for Seerley Park to become a cornerstone of the College Hill Neighborhood,” Hannah Crisman, president of the organization, said in a news release. “We are currently working alongside the City of Cedar Falls to bring improvements to Seerley Park such as an enclosed play area and a new shelter, which will serve as a stage for similar events in the future.
“The park is already used by many neighbors but the CHP would love to sponsor regular events such as movie nights or yoga in the park for all community members to enjoy. Jazz in Seerley Park is the perfect event to kick off what will hopefully become a vibrant community space,” said Crisman.
Food trucks from Cottonwood Canyon, La Calle, and Scoopskis will be serving their specialties and drinks. Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets for seating on the lawn. The College Hill Partnership will be collecting donations for the upcoming Seerley Park Improvement Project. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/free-jazz-in-seerley-park-event-planned-aug-28/article_d06c1d6c-f8ce-5a73-a055-442546e90e5b.html | 2022-08-09T10:14:42 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/free-jazz-in-seerley-park-event-planned-aug-28/article_d06c1d6c-f8ce-5a73-a055-442546e90e5b.html |
NESCOPECK, Pa. — All 10 people found dead after an early morning fire in northeastern Pennsylvania last week died of smoke inhalation, authorities said Monday.
Autopsies were completed Saturday and Sunday on the victims of the early Friday blaze in Nescopeck, according to the Luzerne County coroner’s office. A ruling on the manner of death for all 10 — classifying the deaths as accidents or homicides, for example — is pending the results of the state police investigation into the fire, officials said.
Positive identification of the victims is also pending review of medical records, dental records and DNA if required, the coroner’s office said. State police said seven adults ranging from late teens to age 79 were killed along with children aged 5, 6 and 7.
The county’s district attorney, Sam Sanguedolce, said a preliminary investigation suggests the fire broke out on the front porch at around 2:30 a.m. on Friday. Three people were able to escape the blaze, which destroyed the structure. The cause remains under investigation.
Nescopeck is a small town on the Susquehanna River, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Wilkes-Barre. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/coroner-all-10-fire-victims-died-of-smoke-inhalation-nescopeck-pennsylvania/521-67e77cf9-bc96-468a-950c-86a593732049 | 2022-08-09T10:28:13 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/coroner-all-10-fire-victims-died-of-smoke-inhalation-nescopeck-pennsylvania/521-67e77cf9-bc96-468a-950c-86a593732049 |
More than 20 nature lovers made a splash Saturday by helping clean up the environment.
Participants floated down the Winnebago River to enjoy the outdoors and pick up trash. The group gathered a variety of waste, from small candy wrappers to large tires.
"It's really a cool community-building experience," said Heather Hucka, Cerro Gordo County Conservation education manager. "Every single person that comes to help clean it up has some connection to the Winnebago River. It's a really a fun group of people that would probably never interact otherwise, but the river brought us together."
The Winnebago River cleanup has been an annual event for around five years, according to Hucka. The float is done in collaboration with several groups around Mason City to keep the river clean.
According to previous reporting from the Globe Gazette, the event was initiated through discussions from the city's Earth Day Committee. More than 4,000 pounds of trash has been removed from the river as part of the event.
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The float is open to the public, and a limited number of canoes are available for participants who don't have their own. Volunteers bring their own canoes or kayaks as well.
Participants gather litter like plastic bags, plastic cups, and styrofoam. Every so often, people find "jewels" in the water.
"I've heard of computers being pulled out of the river or refrigerators being pulled out of the river. You never know what you're going to find," Hucka said.
It was the first year for Hucka to lead the cleanup, which started at East Park and ended at the Averydale access on Birch Drive.
Volunteers started trickling in a half-hour before getting on the river to make sure their gear was ready to go. Participants made sure to don their water shoes and apply a layer of sunscreen.
More-experienced volunteers helped out the newbies, answering questions and advising them how many garbage bags to grab before heading out. A key tip was to make sure to keep an eye on the riverbank to spot garbage that needed to be picked up.
Volunteers quickly found trash near the launch site, like an old shoe and plastic items. Items were placed in bright orange trash bags, which then were properly disposed of at two different locations.
Hucka said any time is a good time to pick up waste, but summer is best for the float because lower water levels expose more trash. She hopes others see the efforts and take ownership by helping keep the river clean, both in Mason City and other cities along the Winnebago.
"I would love to have the problem of not enough boats. I would love to have an army floating down the river and not find enough trash for everybody," said Hucka. "My dream would be just all of a sudden it go from a trash cleanup to just a float."
Abby covers education and entertainment for the Globe Gazette. Follow her on Twitter at @MkayAbby. Email her at Abby.Koch@GlobeGazette.com | https://globegazette.com/news/local/north-iowa-paddlers-tidy-up-winnebago-river/article_218849d1-e4c1-5f6a-a664-f081b0eec995.html | 2022-08-09T10:32:02 | 0 | https://globegazette.com/news/local/north-iowa-paddlers-tidy-up-winnebago-river/article_218849d1-e4c1-5f6a-a664-f081b0eec995.html |
WILDWOOD — The next phase of a long-term plan to repair Wildwood’s iconic Boardwalk is set to begin in October, running from Maple Avenue to 26th Avenue.
Mayor Pete Byron said city staff and officials met Aug. 2 to discuss the plans, with bids on a contract expected to be in by the end of the month. He expects the city Board of Commissioners to hold a special meeting Aug. 30 to award a contract.
The total cost won’t be known until the bids are opened, but Byron estimates it to be a little under $8 million, with most of that covered through grants.
Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration has committed $4 million for the work this year, the same amount the state kicked in for the reconstruction project completed last year. In the spring, the U.S. Economic Development Administration announced a $3.2 million grant, to be matched by $845,000 in local money.
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That grant was funded through the American Rescue Plan.
“This will be the biggest section, hence the biggest cost,” Byron said.
He expects the work to continue over the course of eight phases, and hopes to continue to bring in grants from state and federal sources to help cover the long-term costs.
“We’re hoping the governor continues to come through with $4 million a year,” Byron said.
On July 4, 2021, Murphy came to Wildwood to tour the Boardwalk and announced the first $4 million in state funding. That funded the replacement of the Boardwalk from Oak Avenue to Maple Avenue last winter, with the finishing touches coming in the spring.
The work will also include new railings, repairs to the substructure that supports the Boardwalk.
“It’s soup to nuts,” Byron said.
For the first phase, the plan was to use a tropical hardwood called cumaru, which is also known as Brazilian teak. But the previous shipment did not arrive in time for that project — Byron described it as being “stuck on a boat from Brazil” — resulting in the decking being completed with the same treated pine as most of the Boardwalk.
“Now we have about 75% of the wood that we need,” Byron said.
Online resources indicate that cumaru is not listed as threatened or endangered.
The use of another species of tropical hardwood, ipe, proved extremely controversial in Cape May County communities in the 1990s and early 2000s. That wood has been used in Atlantic City and Walt Disney World, as well as sections of boardwalks in Ocean City and Wildwood. Proponents point to its extreme longevity compared to pine, but critics argued that logging it endangered the rainforest.
“The cumaru, from what I understand, is politically correct,” Byron said. He said he did not hear from any activists when the wood was considered last year.
Some organizations do oppose the use of cumaru, which is reportedly often logged illegally. The trees can live hundreds of years, towering over the canopy, and are an increasingly popular option for decking.
Georgina Shanley, a former Ocean City resident who now lives in Red Bank, helped organize opposition to hardwood use in Cape May County communities during earlier projects. Reached on Wednesday, she said any use of tropical wood harms the rainforest and contributes to climate change.
“It’s just completely irresponsible,” she said.
Byron is a rarity in Cape May County, a mayor who is a registered Democrat, although Wildwood’s government is non-partisan. Most officials in the county are Republican, including the county leadership, the Legislators and U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew.
In announcing the grant in April, the federal Department of Commerce quoted high-profile Democrats, including U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, and Murphy, and name-checked President Joe Biden.
“President Biden is committed to harnessing the full power of the federal government to ensure our nation not only recovers from this pandemic but builds a better America in the process,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo in a prepared statement. “This EDA investment will increase local tourism as an economic driver for pandemic response and recovery efforts.”
Murphy also cited tourism, and the creation of local jobs, a point also made by Booker and Menendez.
“This latest investment will help improve the existing infrastructure at the iconic Boardwalk in Wildwood, creating jobs while also improving the quality of life for residents and tourists,” Booker said.
Byron recently described the Boardwalk in his community as a major driver of tourism both in the city and in Cape May County, adding that shore tourism in Cape May County is a major portion of the state’s overall tourism economy, with county visits worth more than $6 billion.
Plans call for the next phase of the work to be completed in early May of 2023. A third phase is planned to include the blocks from Shellenger Avenue to Spencer Avenue, expected to take place after the summer of ’23.
Contact Bill Barlow:
609-272-7290
Twitter @jerseynews_bill | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/next-phase-of-wildwood-boardwalk-repair-project-planned/article_c8a82258-1344-11ed-acce-2f20135ffa51.html | 2022-08-09T10:32:10 | 0 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/next-phase-of-wildwood-boardwalk-repair-project-planned/article_c8a82258-1344-11ed-acce-2f20135ffa51.html |
Massillon's Tesla NanoCoatings, Weston partner on coating for bulk tanks, add jobs
MASSILLON ‒ Six months of research has led to the development of a specialized coating to protect metal bulk storage tanks from corrosion.
Tesla NanoCoatings worked with Weston & Associates to develop the coating that will be applied to tank systems made by Weston. The collaboration has led to a new product and developed a new client for Tesla NanoCoatings.
Meanwhile, Weston & Associates is preparing a facility on Oberlin Road SW where it will begin manufacturing pieces for storage tanks.
Todd Hawkins, president and chief executive officer at Tesla NanoCoatings, and Andrew Feucht, president of Weston & Associates, have known each other for years but only began collaborating earlier this year.
Weston had been installing bulk tanks manufactured by other companies. The company installed liquid and dry bulk storage tanks of the oil and natural gas industry, food companies, water and wastewater, and mining and cement companies, along with others.
Feucht said the company's client base has grown and that led to a need for Weston to create its own products with a coating to fight corrosion. "It's what really encouraged us to push into a nanocoating," he said.
Tesla has developed a variety of coatings that use carbon nanotubes that self assemble into rope structures. It makes the coating highly conductive, tough and flexible.
Hawkins said Tesla NanoCoatings has focused on working with customers that need coatings for harsh conditions, such as offshore drilling rigs. The company has established relationships with many leading customers that need coatings to protect in highly corrosive environments, he said. Having established that client base, Tesla NanoCoatings can explore new markets.
Feucht said Weston had been making stainless steel tanks for some customers but needed to work with other materials that cost less than stainless but provided similar durability. So Weston turned to Tesla NanoCoatings.
"It's the perfect scenario for both of us to be working together," Hawkins said
Weston is developing a production center on Oberlin Road SW with help from Putman Properties, based in Jackson Township. The production center is two miles from Tesla NanoCoatings' office and warehouse in downtown Massillon. The two companies have been able to collaborate on a high level and create a custom coating for Weston.
Meanwhile, Weston hopes to begin producing parts used to assemble its tank systems. The company's goal is to produce 75,000 panels per year, with most of the panels sized at 5-by-10 feet. Each panel will be coated with the material developed by Tesla NanoCoatings and Weston.
Feucht said the coating will provide maximum life for the tank. Where most tanks will need to be replaced or recoated within 20 to 30 years, indications are tanks covered with the Tesla NanoCoatings material will last 50 years or longer with minimal need for repairs or recoating. That leads to a better return on investment for customers, Feucht said.
Weston expects to be in full production later this month. It means about 75 new jobs at the Massillon facility where the parts are made.
Hawkins also anticipates the need to hire additional workers at Tesla NanoCoatings.
"We make each other better, and we make our community better," Hawkins said.
Hilscher-Clarke expands in Columbus
After several years of serving customers in the Columbus area, Hilscher-Clarke Electric Co. has established operations there with the acquisition of Cochran Electric, based in Powell..
HC Columbus will operate as a satellite of Hilscher-Clarke's 106-year-old Canton business. Bill Cochran will lead the operation in central Ohio.
The deal came together because both companies have a similar culture and core values, Hilscher-Clarke officials said.
Hilscher Clarke had been performing electrical construction in the Columbus area primarily for the data center market. That was a change from the work the company did in heavy industrial markets such as steel, food processing and other manufacturing segments.
HC Columbus will provide full electrical contract services in central Ohio, covering a variety of industries that include teledata and cryptocurrency mining. The operation joins Hilscher Clarke divisions service greater Akron, Coshocton, and the Tri-State area out of Toronto.
Marcus Allen selected as director on Hall of Fame Resort board
Pro Football Hall of Fame member Marcus Allen has been appointed as a director with the Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Co.
Michael Crawford, president and chief executive officer with Hall of Fame Resort, said the board is excited to welcome a "true living legend in the game of professional football" as a member. Allen "will be a key ambassador for the HOFV (Hall of Fame Resort) brand and the Hall of Fame Village, and we very much look forward to his input as a full-time Board member.”
Allen said he's impressed by the progress Hall of Fame Resort has made over the past tow years with development of Hall of Fame Village, a football-themed entertain complex surrounding the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "Seeing has definitely been believing as I’ve been able to experience first-hand during this past Enshrinement Week all that the Hall of Fame Village has to offer its guests and fans," Allen said in a press release.
Allen played 16 seasons in the NFL with the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.
Minerva Dairy hires CFO
Steven H. Lefkowitz has joined family-owned Minerva Dairy as the chief financial officer.
Fifth-generation co-owner Venae Watts said Lefkowitz will be key to driving the company's strategic plan thanks to "his timely, accurate, and relevant financial and operational planning and execution.”
Lefkowitz is an Ohio native and since 2019 has been chief financial officer for ChromeScape, a specialty chemical manufacturing company in Twinsburg. During the past four decades, he's held financial management positions with Tire Centers, Monarch Steel and Alco Manufacturing.
Vehicle sales remain low in region
New vehicle dealerships in Northeast Ohio reported a 24.7% drop in July sales, according to the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers Association.
Dealerships in the 21-county region, including Stark County, reported selling 15,384 vehicles in Jule, down from 20,426 sold during July 2021. So far this year, dealers report selling 115,572 vehicles, a 25% drop from 153,945 during the first seven months of last year.
Inventory shortages and inflation are seen as key factors driving the ongoing decline in sales, Louis A. Vitantonio, the association's president said in a press release.
Reach Edd at 330-580-8484 or edd.pritchard@cantonrep.com On Twitter: @epritchardREP | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2022/08/09/tesla-nanocoatings-weston-associates-develop-storage-tank-coating/65392106007/ | 2022-08-09T10:44:11 | 0 | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2022/08/09/tesla-nanocoatings-weston-associates-develop-storage-tank-coating/65392106007/ |
Carnation Festival: Thousands drawn to Pump-In & Muster, Kick Off Parade
ALLIANCE − Hunter Cobb has firefighting in his blood.
He was an infant when his father, Lt. Craig Cobb, joined the Alliance Fire Department. Now 23, he has been with the department for four years.
"I been around this my whole life," Hunter Cobb said.
Cobb was in charge of this year's Pump-In and Muster event on Sunday at Glamorgan Castle, part of the 2022 Greater Alliance Carnation Festival. "This is my first year running it."
Thousands of families and individuals came out for the day-long program which included contests, demonstrations and plenty of activities for children.
"It's a great opportunity for the community to come out and see what we do, from all around," Cobb said.
Regrowing participation
Participating in this year's Pump-In were fire departments from Alliance, Sebring, Washington Township, Lexington Township, Marlboro Township and Damascus.
"In the past years, the participation has come down, and I've been really trying hard to get participation back up. COVID had a lot to do with it, I think," Cobb said.
He continued: "This year, we already have more departments here than we did last year."
Stark Fire Department Rehab Unit from Maximo also was present, as were vendors and event sponsor Pauli Electric, Inc. A helicopter from State MedEvac also landed for a short time for people to see.
At 1 p.m., the Pump-In event took a break for the Kick Off Parade that went Union Avenue to Glamorgan Street and ended at the castle.
"They were nice enough to fly out and let everyone see their side of the job is for us," Cobb said.
Will Kinser, a firefighter for Washington Township, was helping children use a fire hose to spray down a "burning" house, one of the many kid-friendly activities.
"The community outreach we can provide, to build that bond with each other, is great," Kinser said. "Some kids might think firefighters are scary in all their gear.
"But, at the end of the day, we're all the same people. And we're just here to have a good time and build relationships with everyone."
So many fire trucks
No less than 15 fire trucks, with sirens blaring, took part in the parade sponsored by The Alliance Review.
The procession also included marching bands and cheerleading squads from Alliance High School and Marlington High School, a color guard and a group of custom Jeeps.
Also, a mobile memorial to those lost in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was part of the parade, brought to the area from Malvern.
Amy Carver of Alliance with her grandchildren came for the Pump-In and the parade. "They loved it," she said.
Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @bduerREP.
Follow on Twitter @bduerREP | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/alliance/2022/08/09/alliances-pump-in-muster-kick-off-parade-draw-thousands/65393194007/ | 2022-08-09T10:44:17 | 0 | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/alliance/2022/08/09/alliances-pump-in-muster-kick-off-parade-draw-thousands/65393194007/ |
Want to buy a giant indoor sports complex? Jackson SportsDome headed to auction
JACKSON TWP. – Jeff Kiko has sold plenty of buildings during his time in the family's business ― but a sports dome?
"Never," he said.
He'll get a crack at one though, at noon Aug. 25, when Kiko Co. offers The SportDome in an absolute auction. The sale will be open simultaneously to in-person and online bidders.
The auction is unusual for several reasons.
For starters, similar complexes are few and far between. Then, throw in the fact it's difficult to estimate an ultimate price tag. Typically, buyers and sellers can come up with a ballpark figure, based on similar properties in similar locations. But that's really not an option in this case.
"There are no (comparables) out there," he said.
The appraised value of the dome and property is more than $1.9 million, according to information from the Stark County Auditor's office.
More Jackson Township news:Shale Brewing Co. in Jackson Township announces permanent closure
There's a new dome in town
The dome and its 16 acres on Portage Street NW are effectively owned by the three children of Richard Kempthorn, who died in 2019. Eric Kempthorn, president of Kempthorn Motors and one of two sons, said the family decided now is the time to sell the place, which opened in 1993, because none of them are getting any younger.
The clincher, he added, is the recent addition of a dome that houses the Center for Performance at the Hall of Fame Village in Canton.
Earlier this year, the Village announced youth sports leagues and other activities at The SportDome would move into the new dome, and that The SportDome's manager had been hired to run it.
"We never wanted to exit the business," Eric Kempthorn said, adding his dad's mission in opening the SportDome was to ensure athletic opportunities and facilities were available to the community. "So, with the Village in place ... it's still going to be fulfilled. Sports was very important to him."
Richard Kempthorn, a standout football player at McKinley High, played on a pair of national championship teams at the University of Michigan. He passed on a chance to play pro football — instead opting to take over the car dealerships his father had created.
The 51,758-square-foot, canvas-covered SportDome — more than 1 acre under roof — has been home to everything from volleyball to soccer leagues, as well as a home for private instructors. A track encircles the sunken artificial turf playing field, which is 120 feet wide and 260 feet long.
"There's still a lot of life left in the dome," said Kiko, who was a regular visitor; his 10-year-old son took pitching lessons there from Shawn Nottingham over the winter.
For a half-century, the property also was home to Branhaven Swim & Tennis Club, which shared a parking lot with the SportDome. Tennis courts remain visible on the site, though the pool is gone.
Kempthorn had previously purchased the defunct club site.
More Jackson Township news:Meet Dr. Stan Anderson of Jackson Township, Ohio's 2022 Family Physician of the Year
Plenty of possibilities for site
The property will be offered in two ways. Bidders can purchase the entire 16 acres and dome, or they can bid separately on two packages: the dome and 14 acres of land and/or a 2-acre tract that fronts Portage Street NW.
"It's up to the public to decide what happens," Kiko said.
Every portion of the 16 acres is zoned for rural residential use. That means new owners have multiple options, according to information provided by township Zoning Inspector Joni Poindexter:
- It could remain a recreational sports business, because the township previously granted an exemption allowing for that type of use, despite the fact the land is zoned for houses.
- Homes could be built on the property, under the township's rural residential codes, which basically call for extra large lots.
- Any other use, aside from the above, would require a petition for a zoning change. That kind of alteration, though, would ultimately require approval from the three-member Board of Trustees.
An auction brochure notes the dome includes a front lobby, reception office, restrooms, locker rooms with showers, a viewing/party room with kitchen and a weight room.
Reach Tim at 330-580-8333 ortim.botos@cantonrep.com.On Twitter: @tbotosREP | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/jackson/2022/08/09/the-sportdome-in-jackson-township-will-be-auctioned-later-this-month-kempthorn-hall-of-fame-village/10202851002/ | 2022-08-09T10:44:23 | 1 | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/jackson/2022/08/09/the-sportdome-in-jackson-township-will-be-auctioned-later-this-month-kempthorn-hall-of-fame-village/10202851002/ |
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reinstated a lawsuit alleging the City of Michigan City, through its then-Mayor Ron Meer, defamed LaPorte County Prosecutor John Lake and his wife, Mary Lake.
The defamation lawsuit filed last year by the Lakes in their personal capacities initially was dismissed March 11 by Starke Circuit Judge Kim Hall for failing to state a claim upon which relief could be granted, records show.
In a 3-0 decision, the state appellate court ruled Monday that was a mistake. It said the Lakes may or may not ultimately prevail in their defamation claim, but their complaint was not insufficient as a matter of law and should proceed toward trial.
According to court records, the alleged defamatory remarks were made by Meer on Oct. 14, 2019, as an "official statement" following the Oct. 10, 2019, arrest of his stepson, Adam Bray, on felony drug and gun charges less than a month before Election Day when Meer was on the ballot seeking a third term as mayor of LaPorte County's most populous city.
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Records show Bray subsequently was convicted, pursuant to a plea agreement, of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, the drug charges were dropped and Bray was sentenced April 1, 2021, to the Indiana Department of Correction.
In his 2019 statement, Meer claimed John Lake targeted Meer's family for political retaliation and political gain, that it was "no coincidence" Meer's son was arrested "just a couple weeks before the election" and that false reports about his son were provided to the prosecutor's office by political allies of John and Mary Lake.
"This retaliation against my family by Prosecutor John Lake must cease immediately! The office of the prosecutor should not be used for personal agendas and political gain. John Lake’s bias towards me and my family has been demonstrated repeatedly," said Meer, who narrowly lost his reelection bid and a 2022 Democratic primary contest for Indiana Senate.
Records show Meer's statement was aired by WIMS radio, and published in whole, or in part, by the Michigan City News-Dispatch, The Times of Northwest Indiana and the South Bend Tribune.
Appeals Judge Nancy Vaidik, a Porter County native, said there's no question Meer was an employee of Michigan City for purposes of the Indiana Tort Claim Act and that Meer was acting in his capacity as a city employee when he issued his "official statement" that he signed "Mayor Meer."
As to whether Meer's statement was defamatory, Vaidik said, that is a question of fact for a judge or jury to decide.
She said the appeals court "cannot say, as a matter of law, that these statements are non-defamatory."
"A reasonable trier of fact could conclude they amount to charges of misconduct against John Lake, the prosecutor, and Mary Lake, an attorney. A reasonable trier of fact could also infer they imply facts that may be proven true or false and that there is a factual predicate to them. Under these circumstances, a question of fact exists as to whether the statements are defamatory," Vaidik said.
Michigan City still can ask the Indiana Supreme Court to consider reviewing the case, reversing the Court of Appeals decision and again dismissing the matter.
Otherwise, the defamation lawsuit is expected to return to the Starke Circuit Court for further action. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte/indiana-appeals-court-reinstates-prosecutors-defamation-lawsuit/article_1fc3ab1a-a98e-5e4b-957e-91f5e99bc047.html | 2022-08-09T11:07:05 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte/indiana-appeals-court-reinstates-prosecutors-defamation-lawsuit/article_1fc3ab1a-a98e-5e4b-957e-91f5e99bc047.html |
There goes my umbrella! Here's how to stay safe when unexpected storms pop up at the beach
One minute you're sunbathing on the sand, feeling the cool sea breeze across your skin as you read a book or doze off to the sounds of fizzing and foaming waves along the surf.
Then, a dark ominous cloud seemingly comes out of nowhere. The winds pick up and the umbrellas around you start flipping inside out. Perhaps a clap of thunder makes you jump right out of that cozy beach chair you had just settled into moments before.
This is the unfortunate reality of sudden weather changes at the Delaware beaches, especially in the summertime.
And many beachgoers in the Bethany Beach area received a rude reminder of this sporadic weather just this past weekend.
HEAT:Buckle up, Delaware – it's getting hot again. What you need to know about this heat wave
On Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service sent out a special weather statement predicting 40 mph winds and possible pea-sized hail. Trent Davis, a meteorologist at the Mount Holly station, said this type of advisory is like a “first stepping stone” to a severe thunderstorm warning.
But it wasn’t something to be ignored. Multiple beachgoers commented later on Facebook that the storm came earlier than expected and started intensifying as it got closer to the water − and “there was little you could do to get out of the way,” as one commenter put it.
Then, the umbrellas started flying. One visitor recorded a video from a porch at Sea Colony in Bethany Beach, and through the cloudy haze of wind and sand, dozens of umbrellas all rose up into the air and blew toward the ocean.
“It was sunny, then a slight drizzle, and most people stayed on the beach which is normal,” one person commented on Facebook. “Then all hell broke loose, instantaneously.”
A representative from Sea Colony said the community did not have a comment.
Others said people helped one another off the beach, and no one appeared to be injured as the umbrellas took off into the air.
Still, local meteorologists and lifeguards have said that sudden severe weather can put people at risk of injury, and they advise people to monitor water and weather conditions.
BEACH SAFETY:Those waves break harder than you think. Here's how to stay safe at Delaware and Maryland beaches
As you make more plans to soak up the remaining summer days on the beach, here’s what to know about why these storms can pop up without much warning and what you can do to avoid getting soaked or caught up in a windstorm.
What’s really behind this unpredictable weather?
Meteorologists at least partially blame the quick-changing weather forecasts on the sea breeze – yep, that attractive gust of wind that draws people to the coast on sizzling hot days.
For a thunderstorm to form, it needs some kind of instability or energy, as well as moisture, Davis explained, but it also needs something to get it going or “kick start it.” That’s where the sea breeze comes in. This breeze can act as that catalyst by scooping up the air and initiating a storm.
Because of this, Davis said storms are often popping up along the coast like “clockwork” around the late morning and afternoon hours, especially if there is already some level of instability like an existing risk of thunderstorms.
WEATHER:How severe will this winter be in Delaware? The Farmers' Almanac issues its prediction.
The sea breeze essentially acts like a cold front and can bring in this more severe weather, according to the weather service.
The good news? As quickly as these storms arrive, they often move out of the area just as fast. So, if people can quickly find shelter in a building or their car, they can often return to the beach and enjoy the rest of the day.
While there have been fewer severe thunderstorm warnings throughout this year than in the past few years, Davis said, meteorologists have noted the phenomenon called “upwelling,” happening more frequently this year.
Similar to the physics that makes a storm spin, “upwelling” is when winds constantly blow from the south or southwest direction and, with the rotation of the Earth, cause the ocean water to be pulled away from the shore. Then, cooler water from below replaces that water along the coast.
This phenomenon can also make for prime conditions for a thunderstorm to quickly take hold, especially later in the summer when the risks of thunderstorms typically decline due to warming ocean temperature.
The National Weather Service has even reported a few drastic examples this year where the waters near Atlantic City, New Jersey, dropped as much as 10 degrees due to this upwelling, Davis said.
What to know to avoid bad weather at the beach
The best advice for not letting thunderstorms ruin your beach trip? It’s pretty simple: Make sure to check the weather before heading out.
The National Weather Service even has a special report for the beaches from New York to Maryland. People can visit www.weather.gov/beach/phi, and then click on the beach umbrella icon where you plan to travel. Each beach has a specific forecast, including risks of rip tides, UV index and water temperature.
“If you do get a warning showing up on your phone, or if you’re checking the radar, definitely pay attention to that,” Davis said. “I know sometimes you get a lot of [notifications] and it’s easy to disregard it, but definitely try to pay attention to all of them. Just because it’s a little bit inconvenient, doesn’t mean you should ignore it.”
Another tip that may seem obvious: If you hear thunder or see lightning, it’s time to get off the beach. Often lifeguards will blow their whistles and warn people to get out of the water if they spot a storm from their higher perch, too.
To avoid the strong winds that can come with any thunderstorm, Davis said people should find shelter and not return to the beach until it’s been 30 minutes since the last thunder clap or lightning bolt.
While injuries from flying umbrellas may not be everyday occurrences, they can be dangerous, and it doesn’t take a lot of wind to get beach umbrellas flying into the air.
In 2018, Ocean City, Maryland, reported an incident when winds reached 17 mph and a beach umbrella flew out of the sand and impaled a woman in the chest.
Lifeguard captains remind beachgoers to set up their umbrellas properly and put them down momentarily if the wind is too strong. In a previous interview about beach safety, Ocean City Beach Patrol Captain Butch Arbin said it’s important to keep an eye on your umbrella and take it down if you plan to leave it unattended.
Emily Lytle covers Sussex County from the inland towns to the beaches, with a focus on health-related issues. Got a story she should tell? Contact her at elytle@delmarvanow.com or 302-332-0370. Follow her on Twitter at @emily3lytle. | https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2022/08/09/delaware-beaches-storms-how-to-stay-safe-flying-umbrellas-bethany/65395247007/ | 2022-08-09T11:14:08 | 1 | https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2022/08/09/delaware-beaches-storms-how-to-stay-safe-flying-umbrellas-bethany/65395247007/ |
'Next Generation' of Dunkin' restaurants opens on Kirkwood Highway in Elsmere
Starting Tuesday, a new Dunkin' store and drive-thru will be open in Elsmere. The new location will resemble certain features of the “Next Generation” Dunkin' restaurant that will offer a glimpse into the chain’s future.
Located at 1112 Kirkwood Highway, the 1,400-square-foot Next Gen restaurant comes equipped with modern interior design and energy-efficiency measures that abide by the franchise’s green initiatives.
More Development:Delaware has become a prime destination for warehouse development. What's coming next
This location will be able to conserve around 25% of the energy used in other Dunkin' stores by enforcing regulations outlined in the chain’s Green Achievement such as installing LED light fixtures, water-saving plumbing fixtures, indoor air quality management systems and zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints.
The Dunkin’s interior will also feature the chain’s newer and more modern design including a front-facing bakery and complimentary Wi-Fi for customers. | https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2022/08/09/dunkin-take-a-sneak-peek-at-next-generation-store-in-elsmere/65395570007/ | 2022-08-09T11:14:20 | 1 | https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2022/08/09/dunkin-take-a-sneak-peek-at-next-generation-store-in-elsmere/65395570007/ |
A pair of Fairborn companies are claiming new defense contract wins.
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has been awarded a $33,770,042 contract for medical research and research into cognitive health, the Department of Defense recently said.
This contract provides for research, development and field-testing related to the optimization of the warfighter cognitive and physiologic performance. Work will be performed in Fairborn, and is expected to be completed Aug. 4, 2025.
The contract came from Air Force Research Laboratory, based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
And a Fairborn startup will help the Air Force teach pilots how to fly Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, otherwise known as “flying cars” or “air taxis.”
Aptima, Inc., has been awarded a contract by the Air Force to assist the Air Education and Training Command’s Detachment 62 to determine pilot proficiencies and training needed for eVTOL operators.
Det 62 supports the AFWERX Agility Prime program — the Air Force program exploring the potential of the new aircraft —and is responsible for developing curriculum and certification for eVTOL pilots.
Using simulators of various eVTOL prototypes, Aptima will assess and identify pilot competencies needed for proficient flight.
A spokesman for the company said that work will be performed in Texas.
This work is funded by the Air Force via the General Services Administration. No value was given for the contract.
About the Author | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/new-details-fairborn-companies-claim-new-defense-contracts/WKESK4LMCVBB7IRMVFB7WL53KQ/ | 2022-08-09T11:22:26 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/new-details-fairborn-companies-claim-new-defense-contracts/WKESK4LMCVBB7IRMVFB7WL53KQ/ |
Turnover woes grow for Manatee County with public safety director's mysterious departure
Mystery surrounds the employment status of Manatee County Public Safety Director Jacob Saur, who seems to have been terminated just months before he is supposed to testify in an ethics case against Commissioner Vanessa Baugh.
Questions swirled about Saur's employment status with the county after Deputy County Administrator Robert Reinshuttle sent an email to county commissioners and top administrative brass on July 26 indicating Saur had been let go, insinuating the county would not be replacing him.
"This email is to let you know that Mr. Saur has been let go as Director of Public Safety," Reinshuttle wrote. "We have two strong deputies at the department, and I will be working much more closely with both of them moving forward. If you have any questions Dr. Hopes or myself will be happy to speak with you individually."
In case you missed it:Manatee County Scott Hopes scores another raise, CFO Jan Brewer resigns amid turmoil
And:Manatee County clerk criticizes County Administrator Scott Hopes in letter to commission
Despite Reinshuttle's email, Manatee County has remained silent on the situation and has refused to confirm Saur's departure.
When the Herald-Tribune asked for public records, county staff simply responded with "no records exist regarding termination paperwork."
Jacob Saur's mysterious departure
Saur is the latest of many high-profile employees who have parted ways with Manatee County since County Administrator Scott Hopes was hired in April 2021.
Heavy turnover has also ravaged Manatee County's staff under Hope's leadership. As of May 20, 593 employees have separated from the county for various reasons since he was hired, including six deaths.
Last week, the county announced the retirement of Utilities Director Mike Gore and has also parted ways with Code Enhancement Chief Jeff Bowman.
In May, Chief Financial Officer Jan Brewer also resigned at the start of budget planning season amid a scandal at the top ranks of Hope's administration.
Longtime Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore confirmed Saur is no longer working for Manatee County, but told the Herald-Tribune she is perplexed by the situation.
Whitmore first caught wind of Saur's departure during a county commission meeting on July 26, and Reinshuttle's email was sent soon after. She said Saur has attained legal counsel, and that County Attorney Bill Clague advised officials to remain silent on the situation.
"We got an email within an hour saying he is no longer with us. Then we were told that wasn't accurate. Now we are being told that it is accurate," she said. "But really, even as a county commissioner, I don't know."
Connections to Baugh's ethics case
Saur has served as the County's Public Safety Director since January 2020, and soon after went on to lead the county through its COVID-19 response, the incident at Piney Point, and several hurricane seasons. He has worked at the county since 2001 and previously served as the county's emergency communications chief.
He is also a key witness in an ethics case against Baugh over her role in coordinating a controversial pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic that served only residents of Lakewood Ranch.
Baugh also created a "VIP list" of 5 residents, including herself, who would be given pre-arranged access to the vaccine. She emailed that list directly to Saur.
Neither Baugh, Hopes nor Chairman Kevin Van Ostenbridge returned requests for comment on this story.
Several other county sources indicated Saur has indeed parted ways with Manatee County and has found employment elsewhere. They believe strife over Saur's testimony could be the root of the situation. | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/manatee/2022/08/09/mystery-surrounds-manatee-county-public-safety-directors-departure/10264293002/ | 2022-08-09T11:27:13 | 0 | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/manatee/2022/08/09/mystery-surrounds-manatee-county-public-safety-directors-departure/10264293002/ |
CARBONDALE, Pa. — A man was shot and killed late Monday night in Lackawanna County.
The shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. in the parking lot at a housing complex on Fallbrook Street in Carbondale.
Police say the suspect drove away in their vehicle, but there's no description of either the suspect or the vehicle.
We do know the victim is a man, and he was found dead at the Fallbrook Street Apartments in Carbondale.
This shooting is under investigation.
There's no word on a possible motive or the victim's name.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/man-shot-and-killed-carbondale-housing-complex-lackawanna-county/523-93af8e97-1cd2-4d2c-91d7-437bf13577ec | 2022-08-09T11:33:48 | 0 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/man-shot-and-killed-carbondale-housing-complex-lackawanna-county/523-93af8e97-1cd2-4d2c-91d7-437bf13577ec |
DALLAS, Pa. — Police swarmed a home late Monday night in Luzerne County.
Newswatch 16 found officers blocking off Harris Street in Dallas Township around 11 p.m.
Officers wouldn't say much, only that updates could come as soon as this morning.
Newswatch 16 will provide more details as it becomes available.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/police-swarm-home-luzerne-county-dallas-township/523-aaef8432-4b9c-4004-b07d-dd69bdc6be83 | 2022-08-09T11:33:49 | 0 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/police-swarm-home-luzerne-county-dallas-township/523-aaef8432-4b9c-4004-b07d-dd69bdc6be83 |
Dave Manuchia may not be a household name, but he has played a big role in the restaurant industry for the past 40 years.
Among his many accomplishments, Manuchia was one of the founders of the Olive Garden franchise.
“(I) got a degree in business, got an MBA and ended up working for General Mills — General Mills restaurants back then — here in Orlando, when I moved to Orlando in 1981,” Manuchia said. “So we were doing accounting, and all of a sudden, this guy came through my department and sat there for two days. (He) left. Two months later, he called. He goes, ‘Hey, remember me?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He goes, ‘We’re starting this new Italian chain. I’m the first employee. I have one other employee, and I’d like to bring you on the team.’ And he said, ‘You know, if it doesn’t work, we’re probably all going to get fired, and I can’t give you a raise,’ and I say, ‘Oh, man, let’s go. Let’s try it.’”
[ADD YOUR BUSINESS TO THE FLORIDA FOODIE DIRECTORY]
What followed was a flurry of 120 work weeks for the small team working to create a new restaurant chain.
“We each had our own booth to sleep in and our wives didn’t see us,” he said. “They’d have to show up at 11 o’clock at night to say ‘hi.’”
Manuchia said everyone involved played multiple roles in making the chain a success.
“I was the CFO, administrative guy, policy guy, taste tester, dishwasher, you know, whatever it took back then,” he said. “I was the Ringo Starr of the group. I was in the back, just keeping the beat and made sure all the paychecks went out, and bills got paid and all that kind of stuff.”
Manuchia ended up staying with the company, which would eventually become Darden Restaurants, for 11 years before striking out on his own.
Check out the Florida Foodie podcast. You can find every episode in the media player below:
In 1992, he started Restaurant Partners, Inc. The company operates and manages restaurants around the country. It also provides consultation and support services for chefs and other restauranteurs.
“One of the things that I learned at Darden is you have to have an infrastructure to support a restaurant business,” Manichia said. “You can’t just be a chef and have a great spaghetti recipe. That’s fine, but what about paying the bills? What about the rent, what about all those things — taxes and all? So we set about to set up what we call a ‘chassis.’ Our chassis has marketing operations, policies and procedures, purchasing, accounting, HR — that chassis is now available to all our clients and all our managed properties, as well as our own properties.”
The businessman said his company’s structure supports several one-off businesses, but it has also helped restaurants expand their footprints and grow into chains.
“We can’t guarantee success, but what we can guarantee is the foundation that you can worry about doing what you do best and let us take care of everything else,” Manuchia said. “And that’s worked out really well for a lot of folks.”
On the latest episode of Florida Foodie, Manuchia talks about the changes in the restaurant industry over his career. He also talks about how his restaurants are weathering ongoing inflation and supply chain issues.
Please follow our Florida Foodie hosts on social media. You can find Candace Campos on Twitter and Facebook. Lisa Bell is also on Facebook and Twitter and you can check out her children’s book, “Norman the Watchful Gnome.”
Florida Foodie is a bi-weekly podcast from WKMG and Graham Media that takes a closer look at what we eat, how we eat it and the impact that has on us here in Florida and for everyone, everywhere. Find new episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you download your favorite podcasts. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/09/florida-foodie-dave-manuchia-1-of-olive-gardens-founders-dishes-on-his-40-year-career/ | 2022-08-09T11:44:00 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/09/florida-foodie-dave-manuchia-1-of-olive-gardens-founders-dishes-on-his-40-year-career/ |
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — From drag racing to donuts, and now a deadly shooting, Birmingham Police said exhibition driving is what led to an incident that left one woman dead and four others hurt.
Prosecutors have charged Ronald White, 23, with the weekend murder of 19-year-old Ja’Kia Winston.
Winston was killed early Sunday morning in a parking lot on 2nd Avenue North. After an investigation, police said several people were in that lot performing “exhibition driving.” They say two cars collided, then shots rang out. Two other women and two men were also hurt.
Now, the city is calling on state lawmakers to create tougher laws to end exhibition driving. Right now, the maximum penalty is a ticket for reckless driving.
“This is definitely not the conversation I want to be having,” Birmingham City Councilor Darrell O’Quinn said.
O’Quinn oversees District 5. He calls this weekend’s violence both tragic and unfortunate.
“If we could use that video evidence for that purpose that would be fantastic,” O’Quinn said.
He said right now Birmingham Police cannot use video on social media to make an arrest.
“Allowing the video to be utilized as an enforcement tool I think would be particularly effective because in many instances the people who are doing it are doing it because they want to be seen,” O’Quinn said.
Mayor Randall Woodfin released a statement Sunday saying exhibition driving is out of control and will not be tolerated.
Lili Trujillo Puckett lost her daughter in 2014 to the crime and is now a national advocate for safe and responsible mentoring diversion. She launched a nonprofit called “Street Racing Kills.”
“It could be maybe a fun night, or it could be maybe a night that you just don’t get out of alive,” Trujillo Puckett said. “When you find out as a parent or just as a family member how it happened, why it happened, you are blown away because it is something that is 100 percent preventable, and it shouldn’t have happened.”
City leaders are calling state legislature to help give them the tools to create tougher fines to impound vehicles, have a license suspended if you are caught exhibition driving, and rewards to people who provide video evidence to police.
Trujillo Puckett said she has seen this work across the country.
O’Quinn said he understands that the city asked for tougher legislation during the 2022 legislative session, but the chair of the Jefferson County Delegation would not allow it for discussion.
O’Quinn suggests temporary traffic calming measures to make streets “less attractive” to that type of activity like temporary speed cushions on Friday afternoon and picking them up Sunday night. It’s something he said city center residents would see positively as a step in the right direction. He said it is also important to have more police present, which will come with being a more competitive employer. | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/birmingham-city-leaders-work-to-put-brakes-on-exhibition-driving/ | 2022-08-09T11:44:05 | 1 | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/birmingham-city-leaders-work-to-put-brakes-on-exhibition-driving/ |
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A man was arrested on murder charges early Tuesday after a passerby found another man stabbed to death on the ground in Daytona Beach, police said.
The Daytona Beach Police Department said Durian T. Atwaters, 38, faces a felony count of murder in the stabbing death of Rickey Shelhorse, 34, of Daytona Beach.
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According to police, a passerby called 911 at 1:41 a.m. and reported seeing a man stabbed to death on the ground. Officers discovered Shelhorse’s body, and he was pronounced dead at the scene minutes later by paramedics with the Daytona Beach Fire Department, police said.
Atwater was taken into custody around 2:20 a.m. near South Ridgewood Avenue and Shady Place, a few blocks from where the fatal stabbing took place, according to police.
Detectives are working to determine the motive in the stabbing.
No other details have been released.
Police in @DaytonaBchPD say a 34 yr old man was stabbed to death early this morning near S. Ridgewood Ave & Shady Place. Police arrested 38yrold Durian Atwaters. They say a passerby found Rickey Shelhorse laying on ground, stabbed to death. @news6wkmg
— Molly Reed (@Mollyreednews) August 9, 2022 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/09/passerby-finds-man-stabbed-to-death-in-daytona-beach-police-say/ | 2022-08-09T11:44:06 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/09/passerby-finds-man-stabbed-to-death-in-daytona-beach-police-say/ |
WMO Leaderboard Day 1
Bigeye tuna were the highlight of the first day of the 2022 White Marlin Open with three massive fish taking the top of the leaderboard in that division.
There were no leaders in the Ocean City tournament's signature white marlin division or in blue marlin or the new swordfish categories.
The leaders after Day 1 of White Marlin Open (Weight, boat, angler, prize money)
White marlin
No leader
Blue marlin
No leader
Tuna
213.5 lbs; Reel Tight, Ocean City; Brian Steward, Shady Side, Md.; $1,300,000
198.5 lbs; MJ's, Cape May, N.J.; Donte Soriente, Beach Haven, N.J.; $100,000
189.5 lbs; RightBite, Brick, N.J.; Adam Maziarz, Narragansett, R.I.; $38000
Wahoo
51.5 lbs; Irish Twin; Patrick Brown; Miami, Fla.; $18,000
Dolphin
29lbs; 10-4 Joker, Chincoteague, Va.; Vernon Merritt Jr., Chincoteague, Va.; $91,000
26.5 lbs; C-Student, Southside Place, Texas; Keeley Megarity, Houston, Texas; $3,000
More from White Marlin Open 2022
LIVE BLOG: Huge tuna, first wahoo add thrills to White Marlin Open day 1
White Marlin Open: Scenes from the scales on Day 1
White Marlin Open 2022: What you need to know about the Ocean City fishing tournament | https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/2022/08/09/leaders-oc-md-white-marlin-open-fishing-tournament-maryland/65390053007/ | 2022-08-09T11:45:00 | 1 | https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/2022/08/09/leaders-oc-md-white-marlin-open-fishing-tournament-maryland/65390053007/ |
Ocean City crime had lower-key summer start, as police keep high-visibility
Ocean City police had a less busy start to the summer, Police Chief Ross Buzzuro told the Town Council, noting a dip in patrol officers.
During the July 18 council meeting, Buzzuro reported there were 5,182 officer calls for service in June 2022 as compared to the 6,144 during the same month last year. Citizens calls for service in 2022 were 2,739, lower than the 2021 total of 3,141.
Most of the top 25 calls for service showed a decrease in 2022, according to the presentation. Among them were:
- Town ordinance violations totaling 1,441, down from 1,685 in 2021.
- Traffic stops 1,133, with a slight increase from the 1,002 in 2021.
"We had a very high visibility between our full-time officers, public safety aides and our seasonal police officers," said Ashley Miller, deputy communications manager for the department. "When we saw a spike in 2020 and 2021, we reallocated all our officers to those hot spots where we saw those crimes. This year, we knew we're going to hit the ground running in June with high visibility of our officers throughout (the town)."
June 2022:Man charged with multiple counts of attempted murder in Ocean City stabbings
Other calls such as citizen assistance, disorderly, noise and collisions had significant decreases.
He also noted that a reduction of 70 to 80 fewer vehicle collisions that allowed officers to deal with other incidents as well as bolster public safety. June enforcement data included:
- 510 custodial arrests.
- 21 criminal citations.
- 48 drug arrests.
- 142 drug citations (marijuana).
- 41 DUI arrests.
- 79 weapon arrests.
Not specifically addressed, were a stabbing incident and the unrelated pedestrian fatality of a firefighter during the state firemen's convention. Three stabbing victims were taken to hospitals June 20; a juvenile was charged with affray and a 23-year-old man was charged with attempted murder related to the incident, according to police press releases.
FATALITY:22-year-old firefighter killed in pedestrian crash in Ocean City in 2022
Buzzuro said the implementation of body-worn cameras by the department seems to be working "seamlessly" and the town is utilizing the City Watch camera system with even more in-depth recordings.
The City Watch cameras were used to aid in the identification of three suspects in the armed robbery of a person June 15 at 16th Street and Philadelphia Avenue, according to a police news release.
Capt. Elton Harmon of the Patrol Division confirmed the department continues to monitor traffic enforcement near 142nd Street and is slowing down traffic.
The H20 under 21 nightclub has been the source of some issues, but police said they have been working with the owner and increasing a police presence at certain times of the evening.
"Certain nights we were seeing things on the side streets, so we would reallocate officers there. We made sure we had a presence there because we saw much more visitation there and wanted to make sure everyone going in and out was safe," Miller said.
According to Miller, a closer look at the data was key to having the flexibility that was required to get numbers trending downward.
Attention-grabbing incidents from past summers
In 2021, three videos of two incidents, which occurred on separate June weekends on the Boardwalk, brought national attention.
One of the videos connected to the June 12, 2021, incident shows an officer using his knee to repeatedly strike a 19-year-old who is being restrained on the ground as an officer demands that he give them his hands.
At least four 19-year-olds were arrested in that incident and additional footage captured by bystanders shows a Taser being used on one of them.
The June 6, 2021, video of the other incident depicts officers using a Taser on an 18-year-old.
VIRAL VIDEOSOcean City Boardwalk viral video arrests: What happened next
In 2021, Part I crime dropped 10% when compared to the five-year average, with increases in forcible rape and simple assault, according to the department's annual report.
However, in 2020, Ocean City Police Department reported a 21% increase in Part 1 crime, which includes rape, robbery, assault and other types of crime. Crime in the resort, especially violent crime, spiked in that year for the first time in five years, according to statistics released from the department.
Assaults on police officers also had its largest increase in 2020, according to that year's annual report.
"June is our busiest month with our officer going call to call, whether it's them being called or them being proactive to where we feel it's a nonstop month," Miller said of the 2022 season.
Despite the smaller crowds during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ocean City experienced several notable violent incidents in June 2020 on the Boardwalk including multiple assaults and stabbings along with a large brawl that left the public and business owners uneasy about safety.
PUBLIC SAFETY:'It was craziness': What happened in Ocean City Boardwalk fights in 2020
The fight was one of several incidents that year on the Boardwalk and throughout town that earned the ire of residents, town officials and even the governor, who committed to ramping up state police support in the town.
The Boardwalk brawl in particular sparked outrage from the public and a response from Ocean City. The incident also led to the Ocean City Police Department to ask the public to help them identify multiple individuals in a string of recent violent crimes that happened along the Boardwalk.
Encouraging data in light of the past two years is spurring more of the same tactics by the department. Even the use of social media to inform the public and by the public itself has helped reduce crime. Officers even getting to know many of the business owners is a simple, but effective tool for them.
June has traditionally been a very busy month for the department given the influx of tourists in the summer months. While many pointed to Senior Week visitors for the uptick, a Delmarva Now analysis at the time showed people age 20 and older accounted for a majority of the arrests.
The department reports more than 61% of last year's crime in 2020 occurred during the summer months, with approximately 27% taking place in June alone.
"Each year we've been seeing a decline in interest within our seasonal (officer) program. We try to recruit at colleges, but that didn't work for a time due to COVID. Now we're working with apps and trying to reach candidates, but we still have rigorous requirements full background checks, a polygraph and psychological examination to be a provisional officer," Miller said of 2022 recruitment. | https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2022/08/09/ocean-city-md-june-crime-numbers-dip-2022/65390894007/ | 2022-08-09T11:45:06 | 0 | https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2022/08/09/ocean-city-md-june-crime-numbers-dip-2022/65390894007/ |
Osprey, shark encounter goes viral after moment caught by Lewes photographer
Stephanie Faust was in the right place at the right time.
The seasoned photographer stood at a lookout point near the Delaware Bay on Aug. 2, her camera and attention focused on the Delaware Breakwater East End Lighthouse, stark red against the cotton candy pink and blue sky.
Suddenly, Faust, who was aiming her lens over a family sitting nearby, heard a shout: “Oh wow, I think he has a shark!”
She turned her head to the sky, caught a glimpse of an osprey soaring through the clouds and snapped two photos before it disappeared over the dunes.
What Faust did not realize, in that moment, was that she had captured much more than just an osprey. Later, as she zoomed in on the “sea hawk” with its long, narrow wings outstretched, she noticed something quite large clutched in its talons – a dogfish shark, dinner for the bird of prey.
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Initially, Faust was displeased with the photos. In a perfect world, she would have better positioned herself for the action shot. The Lewes native almost refused to share the images online. But, later that night, she reconsidered.
“Haha, wish I was in the right camera setting. I was focused on one last capture of the lighthouse, looked up and he was over my head," wrote Faust. She included a hashtag for shark week and clicked "post."
The photo immediately went viral.
All of Delmarva's eyes were on Faust. People, left and right, began to reach out to the photographer, praising her for her work and asking where a print, sticker or t-shirt of the photo could be purchased. Today, she is pleased to share that the photo will be available for purchase soon.
“It was pure luck,” said Faust, 50. “In the many years I’ve been chasing osprey, I’ve never captured a shark and osprey. But it was low tide, so there were sand bars out there, and I think [the bird] was able to snatch one up.”
Faust has been a photographer for about 10 years, but it wasn’t until the pandemic hit that she began to focus more on nature and wildlife. From the very first moment she picked up a camera, her part-time hobby has become one of her greatest passions.
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Most of her work can be found at Shore Market Place in Lewes, where she shares a space with more than 40 different local artisans. Additionally, she always makes sure to share her work and an accompanying story online with her ever-growing number of followers.
“I can’t help but tell the story that led up to the picture,” said Faust. “My stories have touched so many people. Honest to goodness, when I meet people, they almost want to shed a tear because they remember some exact pictures and stories that I’ve shared.”
Through her photography, Faust wishes for others to enjoy a slice of the coastal life that she is lucky enough to witness each and every day.
“When you spend time out with nature, you just never know what you’re going to see.”
Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com. | https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2022/08/09/osprey-shark-encounter-goes-viral-after-caught-by-lewes-photographer/65395476007/ | 2022-08-09T11:45:12 | 1 | https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2022/08/09/osprey-shark-encounter-goes-viral-after-caught-by-lewes-photographer/65395476007/ |
100 years ago
Aug. 9, 1922: C.D. McGrew, formerly of Carlock, is a member of a class of 107 students, 52 men and 55 women, who will graduate from the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago on Aug. 10. The graduation address will be given by the Rev. John Roach Straton, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in New York City. These students represent 24 states and six foreign countries. They have completed a two years' course in the Bible and related subjects.
75 years ago
Aug. 9, 1947: Plans for a celebration commemorating the 90th anniversary of the dedication of the First Methodist Church in Pontiac and the dedication 80 years ago of the church at the present site have been outlined by the committee in charge of the event from Nov. 16 to 23. The Rev. Charles B. Wagner, pastor, will give the anniversary sermon Nov. 16. A reception for members of other Pontiac churches is planned for the afternoon.
50 years ago
Aug. 9, 1972: The Rev. Carl Newswanger will be installed Sunday as pastor of Bloomington Mennonite Church, 1101 N. Roosevelt. He is a native of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and graduate of Eastern Mennonite College and Goshen Biblical Seminary. He has been pastor of the Mennonite Church in Pueblo, Colorado, for three years. He and his wife Louise have a 19-month-old child, Jon. They will live at 417 Warren, Normal.
25 years ago
Aug. 9, 1997: Residents anticipating next week's opening of the new Wal-Mart in Normal should be aware their shopping habits may have to change. Manager Russ Johnson, who has opened four other supercenters, says cold grocery items will grow warm if customers get distracted by other shopping. A pair of customer service representatives on skates will be available to zip back to the grocery department and exchange the melting item.
Compiled by Pantagraph staff | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/history/75-years-ago-pontiac-to-celebrate-first-methodist-church-anniversary/article_1d9cf9b4-0bb1-11ed-971e-336fea8eebb7.html | 2022-08-09T12:01:41 | 0 | https://pantagraph.com/news/local/history/75-years-ago-pontiac-to-celebrate-first-methodist-church-anniversary/article_1d9cf9b4-0bb1-11ed-971e-336fea8eebb7.html |
SUMNER COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW) — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued a boil water advisory for the Prairie Schooner Mobile Home Court public water supply system located in Sumner County.
The KDHE says customers should observe the following precautions until further notice:
- Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water.
- Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic ice-maker.
- If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.
- Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
- Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.
The advisory will remain in effect until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved.
According to the KDHE, officials issued the advisory because of a loss of pressure in the distribution system. Failure to maintain adequate pressure may lead to a loss of chlorine residuals and result in bacterial contamination.
Regardless of whether the public water supplier or the KDHE announced a boil water advisory, only KDHE can issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.
For consumer questions, the KDHE asks you to please contact the water system at 620-735-4252, or KDHE at 785-296-5514. For consumer information, visit KDHE’s PWS Consumer Information webpage.
Restaurants and other food establishments that have questions about the impact of the boil water advisory on their business can contact the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s food safety & lodging program at kda.fsl@ks.gov or call 785-564-6767. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/boil-water-advisory-issued-for-part-of-sumner-county/ | 2022-08-09T12:15:13 | 1 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/boil-water-advisory-issued-for-part-of-sumner-county/ |
HESSTON, Kan. (KSNW) – Two smaller communities in Kansas. Both with a big volunteer problem.
“Yes, there’s a huge need for volunteers. We need to keep this going,” said Chief Jon RobertS, Burrton Fire/EMS.
“Both fire and EMS are challenged with having enough volunteers,” said Russ Buller, Hesston fire and EMS.
They both need staff. Burrton has one full-time employee.
Buller has four people on paid staff in Hesston.
“We’ve had and continue to have great community support,” said Buller. “But we just need to get more people to dedicate their time.”
Both Buller and Roberts say it’s getting to be a bigger ask to bring on volunteers.
“We have a lot of dedicated people to make sure that every day every call is staffed,” said Buller. “Mutual aid is keeping all our heads afloat right now to make sure calls are covered.”
“I don’t know how to get more volunteers,” said Roberts. “It’s just time. Everybody’s stretched thin. They’ve got their careers. Kids.”
Roberts says he wants people in the Burrton area to call.
“Give them my cell,” said Roberts. “Call me. Volunteer. “
Roberts’ cell number, by the way, is 620-899-3703. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/fire-ems-volunteer-desperate-need-in-some-kansas-towns/ | 2022-08-09T12:15:19 | 1 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/fire-ems-volunteer-desperate-need-in-some-kansas-towns/ |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Many parents are forced to decide: Go to work or watch their children as child care costs go up, that’s if there are even available spots?
The nonprofit Child Start helps parents find affordable and high-quality child care that fits their needs.
Over the past five years, open slots for kids have gone down as the need for child care stays steady, according to Child Start.
“It’s just kind of been hard to find something that fits that budget and something that I am comfortable with, too,” said new parent Moniqua Markham.
Markham just had a 2-month-old baby boy. She works at Child Start, and they are allowing her to work mostly remotely while she looks for care for her son.
But not all employers can provide that accommodation.
“People want a safe, secure environment. They want somewhere they can drop off their kids and be trusted,” said Edna Lopez, Kreative Kids Faith Academy teacher assistant.
To find that high-quality care can be pricey.
In Sedgwick County, it can cost anywhere from $300 to $900 a month depending on full-time or part-time care and the age of your child, according to ChildCare Aware of Kansas.
Kreative Kids Faith Academy receives a lot of calls to see if spots are open.
“It is hard to know where to send them if all the child care centers are full,” said Kimberly Stringer, Kreative Kids Faith Academy owner.
Kreative Kids Faith Academy is a nonprofit and got a building in February.
Stringer hopes to eventually make all their services free with enough donations.
“The more donations that we can get in to get this building paid off, the quicker they get to go for free,” said Stringer.
Those at Child Start said the child care industry is becoming unsustainable for parents and providers.
“It’s not just in the child care anymore now. It is in the larger labor market,” said Teresa Rupp, Child Start executive director.
“We try to empower employers to support their employees when it comes to child care and utilizes the resources and tools that are available right now that they probably aren’t aware of,” said Tanya Bulluck, Child Start Early Childhood Connections program director.
If parents are unable to find child care, it could lead to their child being put in an unsafe situation with a person who is not qualified or prepared, according to Child Start.
“Which is when we see a rise in cases of child abuse neglect and unfortunately death which we are trying to prevent,” said Bulluck.
There are some solutions. Child Start helps families find financial assistance for child care, housing, food, and more. You can learn more here. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/the-struggle-to-find-child-care-and-solutions-to-help/ | 2022-08-09T12:15:25 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/the-struggle-to-find-child-care-and-solutions-to-help/ |
CLEWISTON, Fla. — The Furry Friends of Jupiter said they just helped with one of the biggest rescues so far this year in Florida, and it happened out of Clewiston.
Over 65 dogs were surrendered from a Montura property off of South Mayoral.
“There’s mostly large dogs,” the Executive Director of Furry Friends of Jupiter, Jason Gluck, said. “There’s shepherds, there’s malawas, there’s hounds.”
Gluck is talking about just some of the dogs they just rescued.
“It’s a really unfortunate situation,” he said. “60 dogs and deplorable conditions.”
The Furry Friends of Jupiter drove here in their rescue bus as soon as they got the call. In total, about 65 dogs were taken.
But for one neighbor who wanted to stay anonymous, she could hear these dogs from blocks away.
“I’m sure that these animals were not taken care of to the best of their ability,” they said. “I am a neighbor, and I’ve constantly at night time hear numerous dogs screeching and roaring, and I’m just not sure exactly where it was coming from.”
While they were loading these dogs onto the rescue bus to take to the animal shelter, many were found roaming the street.
“This was a very unique situation where the animals were all over the place,” Gluck said. “And it was not easy, and I can credit the City of Clewiston and their ACOs who spent months on this case.”
Furry Friends will be taking about 10 of the dogs and puppies back home with them.
“It is a shame, and the person that was responsible for this was in the wrong, but we need to make it easy for people to give their animals up,” Gluck said.
The remaining 55 dogs will stay at the Clewiston Animal Shelter from now before transferring many to surrounding shelters in the area.
The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office first got a call about this possible animal hoarding case on Sunday.
It’s still under investigation, and they said no arrests have been made. | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/08/09/more-than-65-dogs-rescued-from-property-in-clewiston/ | 2022-08-09T12:25:27 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/08/09/more-than-65-dogs-rescued-from-property-in-clewiston/ |
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Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/1-dies-2-hurt-as-46-shots-are-fired-outside-philly-fast-food-joint/3329792/ | 2022-08-09T12:26:23 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/1-dies-2-hurt-as-46-shots-are-fired-outside-philly-fast-food-joint/3329792/ |
Gunfire erupted outside of a North Philadelphia Popeyes restaurant just around closing time Monday night, leaving a young man dead and two other people hurt.
The incident occurred in the parking lot area outside the North 4th Street and West Lehigh Avenue fast-food joint just after 11 p.m., Philadelphia police said.
At least 46 shots were fired, police said. A 19-year-old man died, while another man and a woman were left hospitalized.
One of the gunshot victims is believed to be an employee at the Popeyes restaurant, police said.
A car struck multiple times by bullets was found nearby. Investigators said it appeared to be driving away, but didn't make it far.
Police had yet to reveal any further details as of Tuesday morning.
As of Tuesday morning, at least 337 people had been killed in Philadelphia so far in 2022. According to police, that's about 4% ahead of the same date last year, which wound up being the deadliest on record.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/fast-food-shooting-north-philly/3329785/ | 2022-08-09T12:26:30 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/fast-food-shooting-north-philly/3329785/ |
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Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/man-in-nasa-sweatshirt-follows-women-sexually-assaults-them-police-say/3329790/ | 2022-08-09T12:26:36 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/man-in-nasa-sweatshirt-follows-women-sexually-assaults-them-police-say/3329790/ |
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Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/toys-r-us-starts-opening-outposts-in-macys-stores-find-out-where-in-nj/3329813/ | 2022-08-09T12:26:42 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/toys-r-us-starts-opening-outposts-in-macys-stores-find-out-where-in-nj/3329813/ |
State police in Fort Wayne are investigating a two-vehicle crash that sent 10 children and two adults to the hospital Monday night.
Officers said a 65-year-old Hoagland man was eastbound on Hoagland Road about 7:15 p.m. when his Dodge Dakota pickup failed to yield to a Ford passenger van headed north on U.S. 27. The van slammed into the side of the truck at the intersection.
The crash's impact split the pickup in half, police said.
Emergency responders had to rescue several of the van's occupants and some of the youths – ages 6 months to 15 – suffered minor injuries in the crash that left the vehicles in a nearby ditch.
The van's driver, 41-year-old Holly Mohr of Auburn, and her children were wearing seatbelts, officers said.
Alcohol is a suspected factor in the crash. | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/indiana/10-children-involved-in-allen-county-crash/article_6eb681be-17cb-11ed-8b61-771cec74f38d.html | 2022-08-09T12:28:22 | 0 | https://www.journalgazette.net/local/indiana/10-children-involved-in-allen-county-crash/article_6eb681be-17cb-11ed-8b61-771cec74f38d.html |
Last Thursday night, “Crazy Woke Asians” took the stage in San Francisco for the first time ever, performing at Cobb’s Comedy Club in North Beach. But, what is a crazy woke Asian?
In the words of Thursday’s host, Tony Shriller, that title goes to comedians “who are crazy enough and woke enough to be doing stuff like this that our parents don't know about — yet.” And after a night full of jokes about San Francisco’s housing prices, homelessness issues and, of course, Asian stereotypes, the truth behind the title became glaringly clear.
Founded and headlined by Kiki Yeung, “Crazy Woke Asians” has been providing Asian comics a platform around the country for four years now. Showcasing a shuffled slate of both local and bigger-named Asian American comedians in each show, “Crazy Woke Asians” hit San Francisco after stops in New York, Los Angeles and San Diego earlier this year.
Being the show’s first time in San Francisco, performers had a lot to say about the city.
One such person was San Francisco-based comedian Dan Guan, whose recent move to the area inspired him to talk about the palpable tech presence and rent prices.
“I recently just moved to San Francisco, had to actually get out of a bad roommate situation. Anyone live here with roommates?” Guan asked the crowd. A paltry cheer came from one side of the club. “Alright this half of the room, yes. The other half of the room are all like tech CEOs that can afford living here.”
Living expenses and tech were a common theme, even for comics new to the city. Shriller joked about his newfound love for San Francisco, a “city where too many people wear Patagonia vests and I can't tell if somebody's a millionaire or homeless guy.”
Another performer from San Francisco alluded to the city’s expensive rent and subsequent homeless issue — in a light manner, of course.
“I am a multiracial comic living in SF, which means I am half-Asian and half-broke,” said Robert Hudson, who performed third in the lineup. “It is expensive to live here. Especially for how much s—t is on the ground. … Do any of you guys walk around San Francisco and you see a pile of s—t and you're like, ‘God damn, that looks a lot better than mine.’”
For Danny Plom, a comedian living in LA, his visit to the bay brought a surprise.
“This is pretty diverse,” Plom said. “Everyone was like, ‘Asian-town!’ Bro, we got like a college pamphlet in here.”
Even for a show devoted to Asian comics, “Crazy Woke Asians” filled Cobb’s Comedy Club with people of completely different demographics — a testament to San Francisco’s diverse population and the fact that comedy is not exclusive to a certain group. While the target audience of Asian Americans, myself included, was certainly in attendance and the performers understood that, they made sure not to exclusively cater to that.
Jokes alluding to Asian culture’s parental pressure and physical stereotypes were not absent from the show, but every comic made a statement with their set, showing that their comedy is not confined to their cultural background. Comedians performed sets covering all sorts of topics, making jokes that were exclusive to none but entertaining for all.
“Crazy Woke Asians” is meant to provide Asian comics a platform to be seen, helping build representation in the comedy space, a place that tends to lack diversity on its biggest stages. Rather than depending on cultural stereotypes and experiences for content, last Thursday’s show sought to prove that Asian comedians are just as capable and entertaining as the rest of the comedy world — and it was successful in doing just that. | https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/crazy-woke-asians-san-francisco-17359429.php | 2022-08-09T12:41:47 | 0 | https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/crazy-woke-asians-san-francisco-17359429.php |
Pizza in Rhode Island is often topped with this favorite unpopular in the rest of the U.S.
Here's a real brain teaser for you:
What's the most popular pizza topping in Rhode Island?
Need a hint?
It begins with pepper- and ends with -oni.
OK, well, that's pretty obvious. Pepperoni is not only Rhode Island's favorite, it's also the most popular pizza topping in the United States, according to YouGov, a market-research firm based in London that surveyed more than 6,000 U.S. adults last year.
Local businesses:Staffing isn't the biggest issue facing restaurants in RI in 2022... It's reservations?
Beer in Rhode Island:What's on Tap in Rhode Island: New beers, collaborations and events
Rhode Island Pizza survey
Top 5 pizza toppings in the US
1. Pepperoni
2. Sausage
3. Mushrooms
4. Bacon
5. Onions
Where is RI's list different?
The state and national Top 3 are the same, though in a different order.
But No. 4 sets the Ocean State apart, with an ingredient that didn't even hit the Top 5 nationally. (You just knew that Rhode Islanders would find a way to be different, didn't you?)
Why Westerly RI is worth the drive:Great seafood, delicious cocktails and waterfront views
How the RI pizza-topping rankings were determined
The Providence Journal on Thursday conducted an exhaustive but unscientific survey of pizza shop owners from every corner of the state, and places in between, from Burrillville to Little Compton, Westerly to Cumberland, and even out to Block Island. Big cities, like Providence, and small towns, like Exeter, were included, along with suburbs.
In all, 16 pizzerias participated.
Two things were excluded from the pizza-topping survey: plain cheese pizza, because most people would consider that a necessary ingredient, not a topping, and plain pizza, with no cheese, just sauce, because there's definitely no topping there.
Summer food:Here are the 15 best ice cream spots in RI. Did your favorite make the list?
Providence Pizza Week:Francesco's Pizzeria wins 'Most Delicious'
Each pizzeria was asked to rank its five most popular toppings, according to how often customers order them.
First place at each pizzeria got five points, and on down the scale to one point for fifth place.
Pepperoni was so popular it was ranked first by all 16 pizzerias, earning a perfect score of 80.
Rhode Island Pizza survey
{"name":"Rhode Island Pizza survey", "url":"https://www.poll-maker.com/QK0R5FJJT","txt":"What topping would you NEVER eat on a pizza?","img":"https://www.poll-maker.com/3012/images/ogquiz.png"} | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2022/08/09/pizza-topping-regional-favorite-rhode-island-poll/10240417002/ | 2022-08-09T12:44:34 | 0 | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2022/08/09/pizza-topping-regional-favorite-rhode-island-poll/10240417002/ |
The heat wave should break Wednesday; thunderstorms, heavy rain is possible Tuesday
The heat wave should finally break after one more day of "oppressive heat and humidity" today, according to forecasters.
The temperature in Providence today should reach 94 degrees with heat index values as high as 105, the National Weather Service says. Showers and thunderstorms could accompany that heat. "Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain," the Weather Service says.
A heat advisory is in effect until 8 p.m. "Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances," the Weather Service says.
How hot is it?: Providence's treeless neighborhoods magnify summer heat
If the temperature in Providence does reach 90 or higher today, it will mark day six of the heat wave, defined as three or more consecutive days with temperatures at 90 or higher. It should also mark the last day of the heat wave. The Weather Service is forecasting a high of just 81 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday.
Throwing no shade:We created scorching 'heat islands' in East Coast cities. Now they're becoming unlivable
"A cold front brings the risk for isolated strong to severe storms this afternoon into evening, especially along and south of the Mass Pike," the Weather Service says. "The main threats are damaging winds and locally heavy downpours. Then a backdoor cold front brings in much cooler temperatures on Wednesday but humidity will remain elevated."
Tips to stay safe:Here comes the heat. Guidance on how Rhode Islanders can stay healthy and safe.
AccuWeather says a "southward dip in the jet stream will play a significant role in pulling cooler and less humid air" into the Northeast by Thursday and Friday.
A cold front could bring showers Tuesday through Thursday, and the humidity will likely linger until the front clears coastal waters Thursday night into Friday, the Weather Service says.
Expect a "pleasant stretch of weather from Friday through Monday, with comfortable humidity levels, seasonable temperatures and dry weather.
The arrival of the heat:Providence went 320 days without reaching 90 degrees. That's about to change
jperry@providencejournal.com
(401) 277-7614
On Twitter: @jgregoryperry
Be the first to know. | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2022/08/09/rhode-island-weahter-forecast-hot-humid-before-rain-thunderstorms/10274116002/ | 2022-08-09T12:44:38 | 0 | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2022/08/09/rhode-island-weahter-forecast-hot-humid-before-rain-thunderstorms/10274116002/ |
Metazoa Brewing pulls out of deal for pub on Allisonville Road in Fishers
Plans for a Metazoa brewpub in Fishers have been eighty-sixed.
The Indianapolis craft brewer has dropped plans to construct the dog-friendly business at 116th Street and Allisonville Road, citing soaring construction costs. Metazoa Brewing signed an economic development agreement in January to buy land from Fishers for $800,000 on the southeast corner and build a 10,000-square-foot brewery with three dog parks.
Fishers spokeswoman Ashley Elrod said rising building costs forced Metazoa to skirt the plan in July. The brewery would have been obligated to finish construction by September 2023, and the city would have offered economic incentives, according to the EDA.
“Since we first found out about the land being available in November, the costs have just about doubled," said Dave Worthington, Metazoa owner.
Last year, Worthington estimated it could build the brewery for under $3 million but the price now would be at least $5 million, he said.
So it’s back to the drawing board for both the city and the brewery.
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Fishers bought the land for $1.6 million in 2020 because it needs some of the busy intersection for scheduled intersection improvements in 2023 but wants to recoup a chunk of the cost by selling the rest of the lot to a business. Fishers is considering whether to put out a request for business proposals or seek a new buyer, Elrod said.
Worthington said he has not given up on Fishers and will search for existing buildings to move into rather than bear the expense of construction.
“But that was a great location,” he said of Allisonville Road. “I called it the corner of Main Street and Main Street.”
The search in Fishers won’t restart for at least another six months, though: Metazoa first plans to launch out-of-state distribution in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky this year. In preparation, the company opened a production plant on Indianapolis’ west side, at 202 Miley Ave., with five times as much brewing capacity as its College Avenue site.
An animal lover, Worthington opened Metazoa in 2016, at 140 S. College Ave., partly as a way to support animal welfare organizations, with 5% of profits going toward them. The Fishers location would have had two outdoor dog parks, for large and small dogs, as well as an indoor park.
It’s the second time Metazoa dropped plans to build a brewery north of their flagship spot. In 2019, the company nixed a proposal for Broad Ripple brewery near the Fresh Thyme grocery store. Worthington said the approval process left too little time for construction and the site was too small for what Metazoa had designed.
The intersection work at 116th and Allisonville, with right and left turns added, will be the first of several improvements on Allisonville. In April, the Board of Public Works and Safety approved a $85,000 study by HWC Engineering to recommend upgrades between 106th Street and 126th Street.
Worthington said the impending construction did not factor into his decision.
“Not at all, the city invited me to be on the steering committee,” he said.
Contact IndyStar reporter John Tuohy at 317 444-6418 and john.tuohy@indystar.com. Follow on Twitter @john_tuohy. | https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/hamilton-county/fishers/2022/08/09/fishers-indiana-metazoa-brewing-scraps-deal-for-pub-on-allisonville-road/65395249007/ | 2022-08-09T12:46:28 | 0 | https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/hamilton-county/fishers/2022/08/09/fishers-indiana-metazoa-brewing-scraps-deal-for-pub-on-allisonville-road/65395249007/ |
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Police department said one person is dead following a crash involving a car and pedestrian.
It happened Tuesday morning in the area of Hillsborough and Armenia avenues. As of 8 a.m., police say the scene has cleared and the area has reopened to traffic.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing.
You can always get up-to-date traffic information below or by clicking here. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/tampa-deadly-pedestrian-crash-hillsborough-armenia-avenues/67-0283dc65-d900-44e9-8753-d0698be5e2d0 | 2022-08-09T12:54:31 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/tampa-deadly-pedestrian-crash-hillsborough-armenia-avenues/67-0283dc65-d900-44e9-8753-d0698be5e2d0 |
TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa city leaders are celebrating the grand opening of a new fire and rescue station, which aims to cut down on response times and help support one of the country’s busiest fire stations.
Fire Station 25, in the city’s Sulpher Springs neighborhood, will house two new rescue units, responding to medical calls and other emergencies and alleviating some of the burden facing nearby Fire Station 13.
The staff based at the new station will respond to medical calls and other emergencies, which make up roughly 90% of the calls in the area.
"For too long the men and women of Fire Station 13 have carried a disproportionately heavy burden of service calls," Tampa City Councilor Luis Viera said. "This station will go a long way to providing much-needed relief to the firefighters working in North Tampa and the residents they serve. I thank Mayor Castor and Chief Tripp for their collaboration and leadership in making these critical improvements in public safety."
The station sits at the site of the old Fire Station 11 and cost roughly $3.4 million to transform. The project was paid in part with federal COVID relief funds made available through the American Rescue Plan.
"We are excited for the opening of Station 25, a much-needed addition for our citizens," Tampa Fire Rescue Chief Barbara Tripp said. "To ensure Tampa has America's best fire rescue department, we are improving service to meet our community's needs." | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/tampa-new-fire-rescue-station-busiest-us/67-dfe57c5c-3af5-40f6-a4e1-990b43ae8b70 | 2022-08-09T12:54:37 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/tampa-new-fire-rescue-station-busiest-us/67-dfe57c5c-3af5-40f6-a4e1-990b43ae8b70 |
The fish at Wagon Train Lake won’t be biting after Wednesday.
They’ll be floating, then decomposing.
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission plans what it calls a chemical renovation of Wagon Train — treating the lake with hundreds of gallons of pesticide to eliminate a trio of undesirable species that are threatening water quality and crowding out game species.
But rotenone doesn’t discriminate. “It’s not selective,” said Jeff Jackson, aquatic habitat program manager for G&P. “It will affect any gilled breathing organism.”
And that means the desirable species — channel catfish, crappie, bluegill and bass — will perish, too, and require restocking.
The move is an offshoot of a broader improvement plan for the lake, including boat ramp and dock improvements, creating habitat structures and cleaning out an upstream sediment dam.
“At the same time, we were starting to realize our fisheries are in a pretty steep decline, and we've got a lot of fish in that system that we didn't want in there. And they've pretty much taken over.”
Specifically, the commission is trying to rid the lake of common carp, an invasive species whose feeding habits can muddy the water and lead to the decline of the sport fish population, Jackson said.
It’s also targeting gizzard shad and the invasive white perch, whose quick-growing populations can dominate a lake at the expense of other species.
The commission has used the pesticide in hundreds of Nebraska lakes, Jackson said, including Conestoga, just west of Lincoln. It had the same problems — carp, white perch and gizzard shad — but now it has what he called an outstanding fishery.
Still, it’s not always a popular move, and the commission takes criticism when it kills off an entire lake’s population.
“Every time,” he said. “It’s just one of those things. It’s like going to the dentist’s office. If you have a cavity, there’s only one way to fix it, that we know. It requires a little pain up front.”
So Wednesday, Game and Parks crews in boats and on shore will spray 600 to 700 gallons of rotenone into Wagon Train’s waters. The chemical is safe for other creatures in the lake — turtles, beaver and muskrat — but fast-acting on fish.
Most should be dead within an hour or two.
And many will float to the surface and wash to shore, but it’s not practical for the state to pick them up and dispose of them, he said. “We’re talking thousands of tons of fish.”
They decompose quickly, he said. But not pleasantly.
The state is closing Wagon Train’s beach and day-use areas — but not the campground on the lake’s east side — during the pesticide application, and it’s not clear when they’ll reopen.
Or when they’ll be inviting.
“It'll smell pretty bad there for a while. So that may not be where you want to be when it’s 94 (degrees) out and you've got dead fish. It’s probably not a great place to bring your family to go to the beach.”
The rotenone stays in the system for only about a week, allowing the commission to begin restocking the lake with hundreds of thousands of fish.
It will start with bass and bluegill and later add channel cats, saugeye and muskellunge. It typically stocks 1,000 bluegill per acre, which means 300,000 fingerlings for the 300-acre lake. And it plans to add about 30,000 bass.
But most will be small. The bluegill, for instance, won’t measure much longer than an inch. The bass might max out at 2. The catfish will be larger, 8 to 10 inches.
So it could be two to three years before Wagon Train starts producing any keepers, Jackson said.
“It's usually not in your best interest to fish the year after we get done doing these projects. The fishing just isn’t going to be as good as it can be a couple of years down the road.” | https://journalstar.com/news/local/itll-smell-pretty-bad-state-to-chemically-kill-wagon-train-fish-to-eliminate-unwanted-species/article_88c2765f-f737-550b-9890-bd66c54caaad.html | 2022-08-09T12:56:43 | 0 | https://journalstar.com/news/local/itll-smell-pretty-bad-state-to-chemically-kill-wagon-train-fish-to-eliminate-unwanted-species/article_88c2765f-f737-550b-9890-bd66c54caaad.html |
Today is Wisconsin’s primary election day, which will determine which candidates will be facing off during the general election in November for state and local positions ranging from governor to Kenosha County Clerk of Circuit Court.
Also on the ballot for city residents is a referendum to fund additional police officers and firefighters.
Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Residents can find their local polling location and additional information on the election at myvote.wi.gov.
Some local officials are expecting a higher-than-normal turnout for this year’s election, with the number of candidates vying for county sheriff as David Beth, the longest-serving sheriff in county history, steps down.
The candidates include four Republicans Tyler Cochran, the Kenosha Police Department’s Officer Friendly; Albert Gonzales, a former Kenosha police officer; David Zoerner, a Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department sergeant; and Ray Rowe, the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department’s Deputy Friendly.
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Running on the Democrat side is James Simmons, a Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy. After the primary, one of the GOP candidates will face Simmons on Nov. 8.
Two Republican candidates are running for State Senate District 21, incumbent Van Wanggaard and Jay Stone, who has repeatedly pushed claims of voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
Mike Honold, a business owner in the Town of Brighton, and Amanda Nedweski, who was elected to the Kenosha County Board of Supervisors in the spring, are vying for the Republican Party bid for District 61 state representative, Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman’s former position.
Democrat Max Winkels, the sergeant of arms for the Kenosha County Democratic Party, is unopposed in the primary for Kerkman’s former seat.
Incumbent Democrats Tip McGuire and Tod Ohnstad are running unopposed in their primaries for state assembly districts 64 and 65, respectively, and will face Republicans Ed Hibsch (District 64) and Frank Petrick (District 65) in the general election.
Democrat incumbent Rebecca Matoska-Mentink and Republican Zach Rodriguez are both running unopposed in their primaries for Kenosha County Clerk of Circuit Courts.
State races
The Republican matchup in the Wisconsin governor’s race on Tuesday features competing candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump and his estranged vice president, Mike Pence. Democrats are picking a candidate to face two-term GOP Sen. Ron Johnson for control of the closely divided chamber.
Construction company co-owner Tim Michels has Trump’s endorsement in the governor’s race and has been spending millions of his own money, touting both the former president’s backing and his years working to build his family’s business into Wisconsin’s largest construction company. Michels casts himself as an outsider, although he previously lost a campaign to oust then-U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold in 2004 and has long been a prominent GOP donor.
Establishment Republicans including Pence and former Gov. Scott Walker have endorsed former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who along with Walker, survived a 2012 recall effort. She argues she has the experience and knowledge to pursue conservative priorities, including dismantling the bipartisan commission that runs elections.
With U.S. Senate control at stake, Democrats will also make their pick to take on Johnson. Democratic support coalesced around Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes late in the race, when his three top rivals dropped out and threw their support to him. He would become the state’s first Black senator if elected.
Several lesser-known candidates remain in the primary, but Johnson and Republicans have treated Barnes as the nominee, casting him as too liberal for Wisconsin, a state Trump won in 2016 but lost in 2020.
Four Democrats are also running in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, a seat that opened up with the retirement of veteran Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Kind. The district has been trending Republican, and Derrick Van Orden — who narrowly lost to Kind in 2020 and has Trump’s endorsement — is running unopposed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/today-is-primary-election-day-in-wisconsin-and-features-several-key-races/article_2d36f924-1750-11ed-ac78-97e122c09f24.html | 2022-08-09T12:58:54 | 0 | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/today-is-primary-election-day-in-wisconsin-and-features-several-key-races/article_2d36f924-1750-11ed-ac78-97e122c09f24.html |
Our motto is “Live every day like it’s Book Lovers Day,” but the ACTUAL Book Lovers Day is today. To celebrate, curl up with a good book (a new one, like Emily Henry’s novel “Book Lovers,” or an old favorite), visit an area library or head to Kenosha’s Blue House Books. The independent bookstore is located at 5915 Sixth Ave. A. For more information about the shop and events like its Sunday storytimes, go to blue-house-books.com
The free concert series “Tuesdays at the Shell” (meaning the band shell in Pennoyer Park, at 35th Street and Seventh Avenue) is back tonight. Today’s concert, starting at 6 p.m., features Vinyl Remix. Benches are provided, or you can bring your own lawn chair. Concessions are available for purchase. For more details, search “Tuesdays at the Shell in Pennoyer Park” on Facebook.
Twilight Jazz continues its 2022 season of free concerts at the Anderson Arts Center grounds, 6603 Third Ave., with a performance tonight by Yesterday’s Children. The Kenosha band is a horn-driven group that performs classic tunes — think bands like Chicago, Blood Sweat & Tears, The Buckinghams — and sometimes even Frank Sinatra. Grounds open at 6 p.m.; the concert is 7 to 9 p.m. Concert-goers should bring lawn chairs and/or blankets. No seating is provided. Food and drinks are available for purchase. No carry-ins of alcohol are allowed. For more details, log on at andersonartscenter.com.
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Kenosha’s historic Velodrome in Washington Park, 1901 Washington Road, hosts Tuesday Night Bike Racing. The races are 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays. Spectators can cheer on their favorite racers from “the hill.” Admission is free. kenoshavelodromeracing.com.
Prost! The Petrifying Springs Biergarten is welcoming summer patrons. The Biergarten is open from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 8 p.m. Sundays. The Biergarten is located near the Highway JR entrance on the south end of Petrifying Springs Park, 5555 Seventh St., in Somers.
The Milwaukee County Zoo is offering a new attraction this summer: “Dragon Kingdom” is open through Sept. 5. Zoo visitors will “enter an enchanting mythical world to encounter more than 15 awesome animatronic creatures found in cultures throughout the world.” The dragons include an “ice” dragon from the Arctic, a Chinese dragon who brings good fortune and a dragon from Persian mythology, with a lion’s body — and rows of sharp teeth! The cost is $3 per person in addition to regular zoo admission. milwaukeezoo.org. | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/todays-events-for-tuesday-aug-9/article_e24f043a-172f-11ed-8f6c-c7cb805bb12d.html | 2022-08-09T12:59:00 | 1 | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/todays-events-for-tuesday-aug-9/article_e24f043a-172f-11ed-8f6c-c7cb805bb12d.html |
Average daily flows
Snake River at Heise 10,370 cfs
Snake River at Blackfoot 4,604 cfs
Snake River at American Falls 11,654 cfs
Snake River at Milner 1,500 cfs
Little Wood River near Carey 147 cfs
Jackson Lake is 39% full.
Palisades Reservoir is 48% full.
American Falls Reservoir is 20% full.
Upper Snake River system is at 37% of capacity.
As of August 8. | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/average-daily-streamflows/article_c0180428-173b-11ed-86a0-ff1e80d9ed19.html | 2022-08-09T13:11:59 | 1 | https://magicvalley.com/news/local/average-daily-streamflows/article_c0180428-173b-11ed-86a0-ff1e80d9ed19.html |
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – After pleading guilty to a manslaughter charge, a man who fatally shot a suspected diaper thief outside of a Walmart in February 2017 will be sentenced on Tuesday.
Lonnie Leonard took a plea deal on Friday, according to court records.
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Leonard was arrested in April 2017 months after shooting Arthur Adams, 19, who was one of four people suspected of trying to steal shopping carts full of baby items, including diapers.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Leonard initially told deputies he chased the shoplifters out to an SUV in the parking lot. He told deputies he believed they had a weapon and according to a report, “they were posturing and reaching in their waistband and under the car seats.”
However, the sheriff’s office said surveillance video did not match what Leonard initially reported and showed he started pulling his gun while running out of the store before he said he saw the shoplifters get to their car.
Leonard will be sentenced during a hearing at 3 p.m. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/09/man-who-fatally-shot-suspected-diaper-thief-outside-walmart-in-orange-county-to-be-sentenced/ | 2022-08-09T13:17:06 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/09/man-who-fatally-shot-suspected-diaper-thief-outside-walmart-in-orange-county-to-be-sentenced/ |
ORLANDO, Fla – Orlando firefighters are looking to reunite a puppy found and rescued in the middle of the intersection by the Lake Underhill and Conway Road area on Friday with its owner.
The puppy, nicknamed “Ocho” by the firefighters of Station 8, is temporarily staying at the firehouse until she can be reunited with her family, according to a news release.
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The Orlando Fire Department said they are requesting the community’s help to find Ocho’s owner.
If someone knows the owner of Ocho, please email ofdpublicrelations@orlando.gov.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/09/orlando-firefighters-look-to-reunite-rescued-puppy-with-owner/ | 2022-08-09T13:17:13 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/09/orlando-firefighters-look-to-reunite-rescued-puppy-with-owner/ |
LOW MOOR, Va. – On July 1, Covington City Schools, Alleghany County Public Schools, and the Jackson River Technical Center merged administratively, paving the way for a new era of education in the area.
Now, the schools are offering their students something a lot of people will be grateful for: free lunches.
On Monday, the Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division announced that all students enrolled in the system for the 2022-2023 school year will receive free breakfast and free lunch, thanks to the federal Community Eligibility Provision.
According to their release, the Community Eligibility Provision allows schools participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture meals program to offer free breakfast and lunch.
The provision was made available to eligible schools nationwide in 2014 as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the release said.
Eligibility for the provision is based on the overall income level of students’ households as a group, and after the administrative merger, all schools in the division now qualify, according to the release.
“This is great news for our community because CEP eligibility will enable us to provide nutritious breakfasts and lunches to all of our students free of charge,” said Debra Buckner, division cafeteria manager for Alleghany Highlands Public Schools. “We know that many families are struggling with the economy, and CEP eligibility will help put a little extra money in their pockets. Plus, we get the added benefit of knowing our students will be fueled up by these nutritious meals and ready to learn,”
AHPS said they will send out letters to inform parents about the free meals, and that the households are no longer required to fill out forms for school meals.
“We are very pleased that our school nutrition staff is able to offer this opportunity to our students. Not every school division in the Commonwealth is qualified for this program, and we are thankful for our nutrition staff for their hard work in planning for and preparing the meals,” said school division leaders Kim Halterman and Melinda Snead-Johnson in a joint statement.
Students enrolled in Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division will head back to the halls on August 17. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/alleghany-highlands-schools-to-give-all-students-free-lunches/ | 2022-08-09T13:24:06 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/alleghany-highlands-schools-to-give-all-students-free-lunches/ |
AMHERST COUNTY, Va. – Amherst County Public Schools welcomed teachers back Monday for the 2022-2023 school year with an active shooter training.
After the tragedy in Uvalde, a lot of school leaders reflected on their policies and procedures, and Superintendent Dr. William Wells said he knew he needed to do something.
“Hopefully, we never use any of this,” said Wells. “The likelihood is low, but if something does happen you need to have a plan in place and be able to execute it.”
“The bad thing is when I read that report I said, ‘Well, we have the same protocols in place,’ and we need to make our teachers understand it wasn’t the protocols that failed, it was human error,” said Wells. “Also, we’ve been in a COVID state the last two years, so our focus has been on getting schools open and getting kids in the building. I think some of our safety measures took a backseat to our COVID response.”
Avoiding danger, denying the shooter access, and defending yourself at all costs were the focuses of the training. Trainers also discussed suspicious behaviors to be aware of, as well as police response during a worst-case scenario.
The school’s administration put other practices and policies in place but requested that those remain private.
Amherst County students will return to the classroom on August 17. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/amherst-school-officials-hold-active-shooter-training-update-policies/ | 2022-08-09T13:24:12 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/amherst-school-officials-hold-active-shooter-training-update-policies/ |
ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – UPDATE
As of 3:35 p.m., the only closure that remains is the southbound right shoulder of I-81 near mile marker 138.
Traffic is backed up for about two miles, according to VDOT.
ORIGINAL STORY
A crash has closed I-81 South in Roanoke County, according to VDOT.
Officials said the multi-vehicle accident happened near mile marker 138.
As of 2 p.m., traffic is backed up for about 2 miles.
Stick with 10 News as this breaking news story develops. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/crash-closes-i-81-south-in-roanoke-county/ | 2022-08-09T13:24:19 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/crash-closes-i-81-south-in-roanoke-county/ |
GALAX, Va. – The music makers are back to celebrate at the Galax Old Fiddlers Convention.
Nearly 2,500 folk musicians are playing to their heart’s desire in Felts Park, like Oscar Hall, who said every pick of a string makes him smile.
For 57 years, Hall has helped organize the event that attracts thousands from around the world.
And despite some health challenges he faced last year, 94-year-old Hall did not want to sit still. After a knee replacement, he was ready to come back.
“I just feel like I need to be out here,” Hall said. “Something tells me that. But I’m not old enough to know my days are numbered.”
Three days before the event, people set out their chairs to secure the best seat in the house – up to 800 chairs can fill the venue.
And the convention is a classic, but a few new fresh faces are competing this year.
12-year-old Owen and 13-year-old Ayden live miles apart, but their love for folk music is bringing them together.
“That’s amazing,” Owen said. “I don’t really see banjo players in the Ohio area. I just love this because I get to meet more people and it’s a lot of fun.”
Four years ago was the first time Ayden heard the sound of the banjo in South Carolina, and then, he was hooked.
“One of them picked up the banjo and started playing it and I was like that’s the one,” Ayden said. “I’m playing that one.”
It was a no-brainer for Owen to also slip on some picks and give it a go.
“It’s really interesting music and it needs to be kept,” he said. “It’s great because I’m one of the only people playing it in my area so I can try to encourage others to play the music and learn it.”
“It feels great to see them young kids coming on ‘cause that’s the future,” Hall said.
The youth competition was set to kick off on Monday night, and the convention will wrap up on Friday. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/folk-tunes-return-to-galax-for-old-fiddlers-convention/ | 2022-08-09T13:24:25 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/folk-tunes-return-to-galax-for-old-fiddlers-convention/ |
Spotted lanternflies are continuing to migrate across the region, despite quarantine efforts in select areas.
10 News initially reported on the lanternflies in early July when the lanternflies had made their way into Carroll County, Rockbridge County, Wythe County, Buena Vista, Lexington, and Lynchburg.
Now, the lanternflies have been spotted in Bedford County, according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
These insects are exotic and invasive with no natural enemies in the nation, VDACS said, and while they prefer to feed on the Tree of Heaven, they aren’t picky – VDACS said they’ll host on over 100 other plant species, including apple trees, peach trees, cherry trees, and grape vines.
Since the insects were discovered initially in Virginia in 2018, the VDACS said they’ve set forth quarantine guidelines in many different Virginia areas, including Lynchburg.
The quarantine requires businesses to check all items before they leave the designated area, and businesses also had to obtain a permit, according to the VDACS.
While the lanternflies have been seen in Bedford County, the area is not under quarantine, VDACS said, and they will study the areas to gain more knowledge about their spread.
If you see a spotted lanternfly, VDACS said you could do these things to help stop the spread:
- Kill any life stage of spotted lanternfly
- Inspect and kill spotted lanternfly before moving any items that are stored outdoors
- Manage Tree of Heaven on your property
- Keep windows and doors shut
- Don’t park or store items near trees and shrubs
You can read our previous article on the spotted lanternfly here, and read the Virginia Cooperative Extensions’ page on the spotted lanternfly here. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/invasive-spotted-lanternflies-seen-in-bedford-county/ | 2022-08-09T13:24:31 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/invasive-spotted-lanternflies-seen-in-bedford-county/ |
VINTON, Va. – A popular restaurant in Vinton has closed its doors unexpectedly.
Joe Goodpies off of East Washington Street in Vinton has closed its doors.
Customers were met with a sign on the door that said August 6 was their last day of business.
The sign on the door also said that they would not reopen for business.
10 News reached out to the owners but unfortunately could not get a response.
Their reasons for closing the food joint are still unclear. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/joe-goodpies-in-vinton-unexpectedly-shuts-down/ | 2022-08-09T13:24:38 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/joe-goodpies-in-vinton-unexpectedly-shuts-down/ |
ROANOKE, Va. – The Senate just passed the largest climate investment bill in US history called the Inflation Reduction Act, but some critics think the name is misleading.
According to 10 News Political Analyst Edward Lynch, inflation relief for the average person because of this bill won’t be coming anytime soon.
“If this bill is going to have any impact at all. It’s going to be long term,” said Lynch.
There are three pillars of the bill: healthcare, energy and tax reform.
Part of the tax reform is a minimum corporate tax of 15% on all companies that generate one billion dollars or more in income.
“People think that big companies pay these tax increases, but what the companies have to do is pass on those increases to the consumers,” said Lynch.
The bill would also hire more IRS agents to regulate these tax changes.
Congressman Bob Good for Virginia’s fifth district said he is against the additional bill.
“There is almost 100 billion to hire 90,000 more IRS agents. I have never had anyone in the fifth district tell me, ‘Boy, I wish we had more IRS agents.’ The purpose of these IRS agents is to go after middle income Americans from an enforcement provisions to do a million more audits annually,” said Good.
Other Virginia Congressman representing Southwest Virginia, like Ben Cline and Morgan Griffith released these statements regarding the bill.
“The wrongly-named $740 billion “Inflation Reduction Act” will do nothing to actually bring down spiking prices that are hurting working families or reduce the ballooning federal deficit. This bill raises taxes on small businesses and families, spends over $350 billion on failed Green New Deal initiatives that will drive gas prices up even higher, and funds billions to double the size of the IRS to ramp up audits and spy on the working class. I will not in good conscience vote for this ill-conceived, disastrous bill.”
Congressman Ben Cline
“I will vote no on the Democrat reconciliation bill. Despite its title, it has nothing to do with inflation reduction. The Green New Deal-style policies it contains would make our current energy crisis worse. The bill’s price controls on prescription drugs are unconstitutional and would hinder medical innovation. Tax increases and IRS expansion would hit taxpayers at all income levels and limit economic growth... Instead of inflation reduction, Democrats aim to pass a liberal wish list that pursues their priorities at the expense of the average citizen.”
Congressman H. Morgan Griffith
Also in the bill – adjustments to Medicare negotiations and investments in solar panels and wind turbines.
Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine voted in favor of the bill, and Kaine took to the floor to voice his support for a section that would affect Southwest Virginian miners and their families.
“It will have a fully funded black lung benefit program that will help the many miners, 1 in 5 in central Appalachia whose day in and day out job exposes them to a horrible pulmonary disease,” said Kaine.
The Inflation Reduction Act will now move to the House for another vote.
Experts said it will pass, but it could take some time. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/potential-impact-of-inflation-reduction-act/ | 2022-08-09T13:24:44 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/potential-impact-of-inflation-reduction-act/ |
ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – UPDATE 6:40 p.m.:
The tractor-trailer crash has been cleared, according to VDOT.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A tractor-trailer crash is causing delays on both directions of I-81 in Roanoke County, according to VDOT.
Authorities said the accident happened near mile marker 144.
As of 4:30 p.m., drivers can expect delays of 3 miles on I-81 South and 4 miles on I-81 North. The northbound left shoulder and left lane are closed, and the southbound left shoulder and left lane are closed.
Stick with 10 News as this breaking news story develops. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/tractor-trailer-crash-causes-backups-on-both-directions-of-i-81-in-roanoke-county/ | 2022-08-09T13:24:50 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/tractor-trailer-crash-causes-backups-on-both-directions-of-i-81-in-roanoke-county/ |
ROANOKE, Va. – Kids will be heading back to classrooms soon, and the Virginia Department of Health is reminding parents about the immunization requirements for students.
Virginia state law requires specific immunizations that students, depending on their age group, must have to enroll in school. Unless there is a religious exemption, getting immunizations and making sure they are up to date are the first steps of a child’s early education. Though the vaccination requirements of young adults may not be as obvious a step, they are equally as important.
“You think about getting immunizations as a baby, and that’s certainly the longest list of immunizations. But there are staggered doses that you continue to get as you get older,” said Christie Wills, communications officer for Roanoke City and Allegheny health districts.
Experts say vaccinations are necessary to prevent serious diseases, like measles and whooping cough.
“All of our health department offices in all our jurisdictions offer back-to-school vaccines. You just check in, give them a call, and they can schedule you for an appointment,” said Wills.
Last year, there was a change in urgency when VDH added several new vaccination requirements for students going into kindergarten, 7th grade, and 12th grade.
You can see those new requirements below:
- Kindergarten: Two two “properly spaced” doses of the Hepatitis A vaccine
- 7th grade: Proof of their first dose of the HPV vaccine, one tetanus booster, diphtheria and pertussis vaccine, and their first dose of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine
- 12th grade: Booster dose of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine
Wills explained that going to the doctor’s office for casual check-ups was not as much of a focus during the height of the pandemic. Now that normality, in some sense, is back, prerequisites to school enrollment are too.
There will be a Back-to-School Extravaganza at William Fleming High School on Saturday, Aug. 20 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. where the health department will be providing Back-to-School immunizations while supplies last.
Immunizations are also available at your local health department or from your family pediatrician. You can find more information here. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/virginia-health-officials-remind-parents-to-get-students-vaccinated/ | 2022-08-09T13:24:56 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/08/virginia-health-officials-remind-parents-to-get-students-vaccinated/ |
FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. – Franklin County Public Schools will be back in the classroom on Wednesday and students can expect some new faces in the halls.
The Franklin County’s Board of Supervisors unanimously approved funding to add six additional school resource officer positions.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office is in charge of filling the positions and they already have the officers ready to get to work on Wednesday.
Sheriff Bill Overton said he believes his team has been ready for this change.
“I’m excited. I’m grateful for the decision that they made. We had planned for this, thinking that this would be their decision so we’re ready to move to meet what we need to do on Wednesday as school starts,” Overton said.
Ronnie Thompson, Chairman of the Franklin County Board of Supervisors, also said he believed this decision was a long time coming.
“I’m tickled … it’s something that’s long overdue for our kids, for the safety of our children,” Thompson said.
Franklin County applied for a grant that would allocate $560,970 to school resource officer positions. The grant would cover the funds fully in year one. However, in years two through four, the county would pick up 40% of the fund, which is about $224,000. In year five, the locality would have to fund the total cost.
Supervisor Lorie Smith expressed her concern about the ability to fund the projects in the later years, and Chairman Thompson said he knows his team has a lot to consider in future budgets to help continue funding the positions.
“At the end, it’s going to be a tremendous bill that the county will have to … will assume. And we’ll have to figure out ways to do that,” Thompson said.
The chairman did say he believes the taxpayers will appreciate their money going to keeping kids safe in schools.
Another concern of the board was staffing issues already within the Sheriff’s Department.
Currently, the office is expecting to be short four positions later this year.
Five of the staff currently would be put into these school resource officer positions. The department hired one employee specifically for the position to make six total resource officers.
The department said despite staffing issues, both the county and the schools will be served.
“I think that was a great question … to express to the citizens of Franklin County, we would not be doing anything we think would jeopardize the safety of our citizens. We believe we can do this, can accomplish it,” Overton said. “It’s going to be some challenges. But we think we can work through them and our personnel is ready because they know this is very important for us.”
Starting Wednesday, there will be two county resource officers at Franklin County High School, one county resource officer at Franklin County Middle School, and the six additional officers will look over the 12 elementary schools in the area.
The county hopes to eventually have an officer in each of the schools, including one supervising position, totaling 15 total school resource officers. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/09/franklin-county-leaders-approve-more-school-resource-officer-positions/ | 2022-08-09T13:25:02 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/09/franklin-county-leaders-approve-more-school-resource-officer-positions/ |
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Lynchburg City School leaders addressed their staffing shortage and new hires Monday, days after 10 News reported they were sidestepping questions.
As of Monday, LCS said that out of their 687 total teaching positions, they are facing 35 vacancies: 14 in elementary school, 8 in middle school, 9 in high school, 2 at the Fort Hill Community School, and 2 in the LAUREL Regional Program.
Dr. Reid Wodicka, deputy superintendent of operations & strategic planning, said they’re also looking for 14 more bus drivers, but they have all of the routes covered.
“Our bus routes have drivers, but we’re seeking some additional bus drivers in order to provide some flexibility, in case a driver is sick and that sort of thing,” said Wodicka.
Superintendent Dr. Crystal Edwards said “it’s all hands on deck” to fill positions and they’re hiring people “almost 24 hours a day.”
LCS said that they hired 97 new teachers for the 2022-2023 academic year as of Monday.
The online hiring portal has been updated since the last time 10 News reported and now reflects an accurate count of all open positions.
“If you go to our website, you’ll actually see the most-updated numbers of all of the open full-time, part-time, substitute, and extracurricular athletic positions that are available,” said Edwards.
On Monday morning, that number was 145 total positions.
Edwards said they’re offering incentives, including hiring bonuses and paying educators who teach extra classes instead of using their preparation periods.
They may also need to collapse or combine some classes – what happens when school ‘A’ has a grade level that’s approaching capacity, but school ‘B’ still has room?
“We may be able to have those children enrolled in school ‘B,’ where there is room. Class sizes may not be as high, and that’s a more efficient and productive way to use our resources,” said Edwards.
Leaders said they’re encouraging families to enroll early online, but they expect to have a better idea of class sizes once they host Enrollment Day on Wednesday.
Students return to the classrooms on August 16. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/09/lynchburg-city-schools-gives-update-on-staffing-shortage-has-35-teaching-vacancies/ | 2022-08-09T13:25:08 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/09/lynchburg-city-schools-gives-update-on-staffing-shortage-has-35-teaching-vacancies/ |
ROANOKE, Va. – This is one precious pup.
Boss is one shy guy, and he might need some help getting over his fear of people, but once he warms up to his new environment, he’s the biggest sweetie pie you’ll ever meet.
This 52-pound, six-year-old boy is up-to-date on all of his vaccines, microchipped, and neutered, shelter staff said. And he absolutely loves to give kisses, play, and go for walks.
The RVSPCA has been working for a long time to get Boss to his forever home – they’ve been searching for over two years now.
”He’s been here for two years, I believe it’s the longest pet we have ever had here,” Julie Rickmond with the RVSPCA said. “He just has a fear of meeting new people so he needs the right person who is very very patient with him who wants to come in and meet him time after time so they can even make progress.”
At the shelter, Boss has learned many tricks, including sit, stay, and give paw.
If you’re ready to have a new furry friend in your home, you can learn more about Boss here. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/09/meet-boss-the-big-shy-sweetie-pie/ | 2022-08-09T13:25:14 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/09/meet-boss-the-big-shy-sweetie-pie/ |
LYNCHBURG, Va. – One Lynchburg family is writing the next chapter of their book-selling business by transforming an old warehouse into a new store.
Neverland Books by the Pound is where you can buy books for $2.99 per pound.
Co-owner Monica Coombes said they have about one million books and they purchase them by the truckload from across the United States. The bins at the warehouse are sorted by genre and restocked daily.
The Coombes family started selling books online years ago and wanted “a destination bookstore that’s fun for the whole community.”
“We are a big family of readers, and we couldn’t handle the fact that these [books] would have to go to the dump to just go back to the earth. Somebody else should be able to love them, too,” said Coombes.
In August, they’re offering a 25% discount to teachers and are also giving them special bookmarks to give to their students so they can get a free book. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/09/new-lynchburg-bookstore-sells-books-by-the-pound/ | 2022-08-09T13:25:20 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/09/new-lynchburg-bookstore-sells-books-by-the-pound/ |
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Thousands of college students will be moving in and making new homes in dorms on Virginia Tech’s campus for the 2022 school year. But in a time of high economic uncertainty and high inflation, it leaves parents and students to pick up the extra costs.
Prices of gas, houses, and everyday items have been rising by the day.
The price increase affects everyone across the U.S. and college students are no exception.
“It’s certainly gotten more expensive over the years,” Salaiz, a student said.
Inflation has impacted more than just tuition for college students. All on-campus residents are required to get dining plans, which had price increases of 9% last fall.
“Dining plans, housing, generally just an increase in payments and stuff like that,” Salaiz said.
Some students already struggle to pay for college, and for students like Addison Midkiff, there is now added pressure.
“So, I’m a first-generation college student, I come from a very low-income family. So even coming in last year was extremely difficult,” Midkiff said.
From food to rent, the price hikes place more barriers between students and education.
“Which is really detrimental on me, since I didn’t get as many scholarships as my senior year, so it was a little bit of an adjustment this year,” Midkiff said.
Schools like Virginia Tech try to offer scholarships to ease the financial burden, but it’s often not enough.
“They’ve certainly been pushing out more scholarships and more grants, but tuition, in general, has been going up, so students who aren’t getting those scholarships are having to pay for that,” Salaiz said.
Scholarships are essential to offset the cost of college, but when more people are in need, the less funds there are to go around.
“Scholarships have also become more competitive due to the increase in tuition, and everyone wants to fight for those scholarships. And that on top of grants - you only get so much,” Midkiff said.
Virginia Tech is one of many Virginia schools to comply with Governor Younkin’s request to freeze tuition costs for the upcoming school year. The order was made in hopes to take a little bit of the pressure off of those preparing to head back to school. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/09/students-feel-the-pressure-of-inflation-as-the-school-year-approaches/ | 2022-08-09T13:25:27 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/09/students-feel-the-pressure-of-inflation-as-the-school-year-approaches/ |
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The COVID-19 pandemic’s negative impact on education will linger for years, according to some experts. Educators say combatting pandemic learning loss will be the primary objective of the coming school year.
The pandemic forced schools to close early in the spring of 2020. Even when some schools reopened that fall, they continued to deal with rolling school closures, student and staff quarantines, severe staffing shortages, and lost instructional time.
Those factors have affected students socially, emotionally, and academically, and the deficits are starting to show.
Nationally, standardized test scores dropped significantly from 2019 to 2021, according to a Brookings Institution study, with an even larger drop at high-poverty schools.
In Pennsylvania, test scores in English fell between 3.5 and 7%, depending on grade level. Math scores dropped between 7% and 11%, though the Pennsylvania Department of Education pointed out in its data that fewer students took the PSSA in 2019, so comparison may be less accurate.
“The isolation issues of the pandemic really did cause several social and emotional problems and that affects learning,” Mark DiRocco, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA) said. “That is going to take time and it’s going to take resources to help the children get back to the developmental stage they should be in.”
Schools are in a better place than this time last year. They are not as bogged down with major health decisions, like whether to require masks and when to temporarily shut down in the face of outbreaks. Rather, they will be able to take stock of the learning lost in the last two school years and begin the process of catching up. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/schools-attempt-to-rectify-pandemic-learning-loss/521-d81fd079-55ae-4a0b-b0cc-8e06573fb629 | 2022-08-09T13:30:48 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/schools-attempt-to-rectify-pandemic-learning-loss/521-d81fd079-55ae-4a0b-b0cc-8e06573fb629 |
TUPELO • At $191, Tupelo’s Beth Anne Ellzey said her power bill this month is — by far — the highest she’s ever received.
“It was $10 short of doubling,” she said, comparing her Tupelo Water & Light bill from 2022 to the one from the same period the year before.
On average, Ellzey estimates she pays around $100 a month for water and power to her one-room apartment, where she’s lived for eight years. Her previous watermark bill was $135.
Without help, she said the sudden jump in the monthly expense could have been devastating.
“My sisters had to help me pay (the bill), so I am blessed I had family to turn to,” she said. “If not, that was my grocery money.”
Ellzey isn’t alone in her sticker shock. Tupelo residents can expect higher power bills for the next few months, local officials warn, noting the cost of natural gas and recent extreme weather will affect utility bills exponentially. Some residents, like Ellzey, are reporting their monthly power bills more than doubling from the same time last year.
Tupelo Water and Light Director Johnny Timmons said every resident can expect price increases in their next few bills, if they haven’t already. He noted the spikes in Tupelo residents’ bills result from a “perfect storm” of factors that affect utilities rates, including an increase in natural gas costs globally and a sweltering summer.
“It has been a terrible summer for power costs,” Timmons said.
Tupelo Water and Light buys its power wholesale from Tennessee Valley Authority, which generates its power primarily through natural gas turbines and nuclear power. Timmons said there was planned maintenance on one of TVA’s nuclear power plants, which caused the company to compensate with more gas-powered turbines.
According to Scott Brooks with TVA, the money TVA spends on natural gas is passed on to the customer through regular fuel cost adjustments, which fluctuate depending on how much natural gas the company has to purchase.
In the past two months, Brooks said, the cost of natural gas has more than doubled, jumping from 2 cents per cubic foot per minute to 4.6 cents.
“Basically, the cost of natural gas has gone up by more than 140% in the last year, and coal prices have risen as well,” Brooks said.
He added that Tupelo customers aren’t alone in facing this increase. Nationwide, people are opening their mail to find far higher power bills.
“This is not isolated to one power company,” he said. “We are all facing the same issues.”
It’s not just the rate people pay that has caused the spike in power bills. Usage is also up.
Brooks said the cost of gas and usage are the two major influences affecting a person’s power bill; June, July and August are peak usage months in summer, and usage was up significantly this year, which can largely be attributed to the summer’s extended heatwave.
According to data provided by Tupelo Light and Water, usage rates increased steadily from the end of May to 54 million kilowatts per hour to almost 68 million kilowatts per hour in July. These are up from last year’s usages by an average of about 5 million kilowatts per hour for each month.
Timmons also chalked the increased usage up to it being hotter this summer than last year. Timmons said in June and July, there were 14 days that clocked in over 100 degrees and 30 days that were more than 90 degrees at its hottest. He said the more power used, the more spent in natural gas to provide that power, which translates to higher bills.
When asked why natural gas prices have risen exponentially, Brooks said there were many factors putting pressure on the global economy. Although he couldn’t pinpoint when bills would be back to normal, prices are trending down.
“The price of gas is the variable that is least certain,” he said. “We do expect to see natural gas start coming down at some point."
Timmons said residents should expect similarly hefty bills in September.
For Ellzey, bracing for another high power bill means watching her spending closely and saving what she can.
“You have to take the punch,” she said. “Everybody needs electricity.”
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Error! There was an error processing your request. | https://www.djournal.com/news/local/natural-gas-rates-heatwave-cause-power-bills-to-spike/article_699a58df-3d33-5126-a8ad-c549ad2cf13f.html | 2022-08-09T13:35:09 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/news/local/natural-gas-rates-heatwave-cause-power-bills-to-spike/article_699a58df-3d33-5126-a8ad-c549ad2cf13f.html |
Crown Point officials joined representatives of UChicago Medicine last week at a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new micro-hospital near Interstate 65 and 109th Avenue. Illinois health care providers have grown facilities and services in Northwest Indiana in recent years.
Molly DeVore
Mayor Pete Land, right, welcomes Tom Jackiewicz, president of the University of Chicago Medical Center, to the podium during groundbreaking ceremony last week for UChicago's micro-hospital.
Some of Chicago's biggest and best-known hospitals have been making an increased push into the Northwest Indiana market.
Rush University System for Health opened the Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush Physical Therapy clinic in Munster, does thoracic surgery at Franciscan Health hospitals in Northwest Indiana, plans to provide telestroke services at Franciscan hospitals and is in the process of building a new Rush Munster Outpatient Center at 9200 Calumet Ave. that's expected to open soon.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago neonatologists will start providing medical care this fall at Franciscan Health Crown Point, where the two hospitals will partner on creating a "regional center of excellence" for neonatology in Northwest Indiana.
And UChicago Medicine broke ground last week on a $121 million, two-story, 130,000-square foot micro-hospital at Interstate 65 and 109th Avenue in Crown Point, which will be its first freestanding medical facility in Indiana and largest facility outside of its home base in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood.
"These health care providers are expanding into the area to meet demand, particularly for specialized medicine," Indiana University Northwest associate professor of economics Micah Pollak said. "Indiana, including Northwest Indiana, has an aging population, and we often rank near the bottom of U.S. states in many health measures. While health care is already one of the largest industry employers in Northwest Indiana, we lack strong coverage of many specialized areas."
UChicago Medicine, which already had specialty medical offices in Schererville, Munster, Merrillville and Calumet City, found roughly 15% of Northwest Indiana residents go to Chicago for health care.
"Residents of Northwest Indiana often travel to Chicago for access to specialists, and the expansion of health care providers to the Region will help bring those specialists closer and improve access," Pollak said. "While existing health care providers likely won’t compete directly with these new providers, if greater expansion follows, we will likely see the health care industry in Northwest Indiana become more competitive. Ultimately, greater access to specialists and increased competition will benefit Northwest Indiana residents and help improve overall public health."
The Chicago hospitals making incursions into the Northwest Indiana market will compete with major players in the Calumet Region health care sector like Franciscan Health, Community Healthcare System, Northwest Health Indiana and Methodist Hospitals.
Northwest Indiana health care providers also have been pursuing upgrades, such as new Franciscan Hospitals in Michigan City and Crown Point. Community Healthcare System opened the new Community Stroke and Rehabilitation Center specialty hospital in Crown Point. Lakeshore Bone and Joint Institute opened a new 40,000-square-foot facility in the Beacon Hill development at the northeast corner of 109th Avenue and Delaware Street just off of Interstate 65. The doctor-owned NW Indiana ER & Hospital also recently opened off the Borman Expressway in Hammond.
"Health care is a competitive business," Purdue University Northwest clinical associate professor of finance and economic development Anthony B. Sindone said. "To keep up with increased competition, current providers are innovating by using technology to provide better outcomes for patients. This should result in improvements in public health."
Public health has been a persistent concern in Indiana, which lags behind other states in many health metrics, Sindone said.
"Indiana ranks relatively low in health care outcomes. We rank approximately 32nd in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report; 23rd in Health Care Access, 27th in Health Care Quality, and 40th in Public Health," he said. "It follows, therefore, that there is a market for improving and expanding health care supply to meet the health care demands of the people of Indiana and Northwest Indiana."
The area's economic growth also is attracting new health care providers.
"Demand for health care is rising steadily due to increasing and aging population we observe here in Northwest Indiana," Sindone said. "According to the U.S. Census Bureau, our population has grown by more than 2000 people since the pandemic. We are projecting a more than 10% increase in our state’s population by 2050. Illinois, in contrast, is losing population to Indiana. It makes sense, then, that there are opportunities for health care providers to move to where their patients are or projected to be."
Methodist Hospitals President and CEO Matt Doyle said the Calumet Region's established health care systems were used to the competition in what was already a competitive market.
"Chicago hospitals looking for patients in Northwest Indiana is nothing new — it has been going on for decades," he said. "Methodist Hospitals has always worked to provide high-level services to our community so they don't need to turn to Chicago hospitals. However, we have created partnerships with Chicago academic medical centers when it benefits our patients and serves our mission. A recent example is our partnership with the University of Chicago to provide telestroke and complex cardiovascular surgical services to our patients."
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Lucy's BBQ, Nekter Juice Bar and The Original Steaks & Hoagies opening
Joseph S. Pete is a Lisagor Award-winning business reporter who covers steel, industry, unions, the ports, retail, banking and more. The Indiana University grad has been with The Times since 2013 and blogs about craft beer, culture and the military.
Over the next two years, the vacant field that sits near I-65 and 109th Avenue in Crown Point will be transformed into UChicago Medicine's largest off-site facility.
Crown Point officials joined representatives of UChicago Medicine last week at a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new micro-hospital near Interstate 65 and 109th Avenue. Illinois health care providers have grown facilities and services in Northwest Indiana in recent years.
Mayor Pete Land, right, welcomes Tom Jackiewicz, president of the University of Chicago Medical Center, to the podium during groundbreaking ceremony last week for UChicago's micro-hospital. | https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/chicago-hospitals-making-push-into-northwest-indiana/article_b6e8b73e-53cf-5840-9dbb-36e730f6e59b.html | 2022-08-09T13:37:52 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/chicago-hospitals-making-push-into-northwest-indiana/article_b6e8b73e-53cf-5840-9dbb-36e730f6e59b.html |
UNION TOWNSHIP — Porter County police say a 62-year-old Illinois woman, who drove her vehicle into a pond, was nearly four times the legal limit for drinking alcohol and driving.
The county officer said was called out shortly before 6 p.m. Monday and arrived at the pond in the area of 300 W. County Road 100 North to find a Jeep Liberty partially submerged in the water and the driver, identified as Michele Mau, on the land.
Mau said she was not injured, but the officer reported finding her impaired and smelling of alcohol.
Mau reportedly told police she was on her way to Westville from her home in Mokena, Illinois, when became lost. She denied consuming any alcohol or drugs, police said.
Porter/LaPorte County Courts and Social Justice Reporter
Bob is a 23-year veteran of The Times. He covers county government and courts in Porter County, federal courts, police news and regional issues. He also created the Vegan in the Region blog, is an Indiana University grad and lifelong region resident.
While officers were en route, the woman told dispatchers the man had broken out a window and she discharged her firearm but was unsure if she shot him, police said.
A 20-year-old man who is accused of having sexual contact with a minor in Lake County was sentenced to jail time and mental-health counseling for the same type of offense in Porter County.
The man previously was arrested in Porter County in September 2018 after leading a sheriff's officer on a pursuit in a maroon 1993 Chevrolet Camaro, court records show.
"When asked about the concealed items by a store employee, the females fled the store, making no attempts to pay for the concealed merchandise," according to police.
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. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/driver-with-vehicle-in-pond-nearly-4-times-the-legal-limit-porter-county-police-say/article_4c69a887-7913-5297-a3c4-dc1413def347.html | 2022-08-09T13:37:59 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/driver-with-vehicle-in-pond-nearly-4-times-the-legal-limit-porter-county-police-say/article_4c69a887-7913-5297-a3c4-dc1413def347.html |
EAST CHICAGO — The families of two men last seen leaving the Robert A. Pastrick Marina nearly two weeks ago on a 30-foot boat were continuing to seek answers Monday in their disappearances.
Curtis Herron and Dexter Sain, both 36 and of Chicago, left the marina about 8:30 a.m. July 27 with a dog aboard and headed toward Illinois, East Chicago Police Chief Jose Rivera said.
Marina staff told police Herron arrived July 26 with paperwork showing he was the new owner of a boat in storage, he said.
Employees helped Herron launch the boat about 3 p.m. July 26, he said.
Herron's sister, Tatiana Herron, said the boat was a 30-foot white Bayliner named Cindy Ann.
Surveillance video from the marina showed Herron tied the boat off at Pier D for a couple of hours and then moved it to a fuel dock, where he remained overnight, Rivera said. The men were later seen leaving the marina on the boat.
Family members began contacting authorities several days later, after losing contact with both men, he said.
The U.S. Coast Guard has been searching for Herron's boat but has not found any clues, Rivera said.
Video from the marina didn't show any signs of foul play, Rivera said.
Officials with the East Chicago Police Department, Lake County Sheriff's Department, Indiana Department of Natural Resources conservation police and U.S. Coast Guard planned to meet Tuesday to discuss next steps in their investigation.
Anyone who may have seen Herron's boat or has information about Herron or Sain's whereabouts is asked to call East Chicago police at 219-391-8500.
Gallery: Recent arrests booked into Lake County Jail
Samuel Hill
Age : 26
Residence: Crown Point, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206626
Arrest Date: July 29, 2022
Offense Description: OWI; BATTERY - SIMPLE - TOUCH W/NO INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanors
Armaun McKenzie
Age : 33
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206525
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - MODERATE BODILY INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
John Ciserella
Age : 34
Residence: Dyer, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206650
Arrest Date: July 30, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Kenyon McNeil
Age : 47
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206687
Arrest Date: July 31, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Dale Rollins
Age : 61
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206707
Arrest Date: Aug. 1, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - METHAMPHETAMINE; SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION VIOLATION
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Andre Ruff
Age : 27
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206664
Arrest Date: July 31, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Nicholas Aubuchon
Age : 26
Residence: Hobart, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206592
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: NEGLECT OF DEPENDANT/CHILD VIOLATIONS
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Colin Westbrooks
Age : 32
Residence: Lowell, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206624
Arrest Date: July 29, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE - PRESENCE OF CHILD < 16 YEARS OLD
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Gregory Swiontek II
Age : 26
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206590
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Mitchell Pritchard
Age : 42
Residence: Crown Point, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206747
Arrest Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Dakar Brown
Age : 19
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206741
Arrest Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Offense Description: SEXUAL MISCONDUCT WITH MINOR/FONDLING
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Louise Dagnillo
Age : 59
Residence: St. John, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206669
Arrest Date: July 31, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
David Fandl
Age : 33
Residence: Schererville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206539
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: OPERATING A VEHICLE AFTER DRIVING PRIVILEGES ARE SUSPENDED
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Alijah Williams
Age : 19
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206562
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Maurishia Brown
Age : 28
Residence: Calumet City, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206521
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: FRAUD - FORGERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Leroy Blackwell
Age : 32
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206619
Arrest Date: July 29, 2022
Offense Description: CHILD MOLESTATION - STATUTORY RAPE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Devon Dunbar
Age : 22
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206714
Arrest Date: Aug. 1, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - USING A DEADLY WEAPON
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Edward Fair
Age : 57
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206657
Arrest Date: July 30, 2022
Offense Description: RESISTING LAW ENFORCEMENT - VEHICLE; OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony; Misdemeanor
Allen Pick II
Age : 47
Residence: Dyer, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206673
Arrest Date: July 31, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Javyon George-Boatman
Age : 27
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206595
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: SEXUAL MISCONDUCT WITH MINOR/FONDLING
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Joseph Hollis
Age : 46
Residence: Whiting, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206713
Arrest Date: Aug. 1, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Michael Nichols II
Age : 38
Residence: Griffith, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206545
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE - DEALING - SCHEDULE IV
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Brooke Elrod
Age : 29
Residence: N/A
Booking Number(s): 2206654
Arrest Date: July 30, 2022
Offense Description: RESISTING - ESCAPE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Angelos Lujano
Age : 21
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206731
Arrest Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Offense Description: INTIMIDATION - STALKING VIOLATIONS; RESISTING LAW ENFORCEMENT; ROBBERY; CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE - DEALING - SCHEDULE I, II, OR III
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Renee Rodriguez
Age : 26
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206556
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Laron Hudson
Age : 34
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206608
Arrest Date: July 29, 2022
Offense Description: DEALING - MARIJUANA
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jeffery Gawlinski
Age : 53
Residence: Valparaiso, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206512
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - W/MODERATE BODILY INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Devante Winters
Age : 27
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206614
Arrest Date: July 29, 2022
Offense Description: RESISTING
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Frederic Dellenbach
Age : 64
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206686
Arrest Date: July 31, 2022
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - POCKET-PICKING - W/PRIOR CONVICTION
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Amador Santos
Age : 49
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206696
Arrest Date: Aug. 1, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Jose Rios
Age : 37
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206752
Arrest Date: Aug. 3, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Jerry Boyd
Age : 23
Residence: Schererville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206570
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Lilia Hernandez-Cervantes Beltran
Age : 33
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206695
Arrest Date: Aug. 1, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Anthony Freeman
Age : 47
Residence: Hobart, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206710
Arrest Date: Aug. 1, 2022
Offense Description: INTIMIDATION
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Duane Jackson
Age : 53
Residence: Wheatfield, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206698
Arrest Date: Aug. 1, 2022
Offense Description: HABITUAL TRAFFIC VIOLATOR - LIFETIME
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Kenyata Williams
Age : 32
Residence: Fort Wayne, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206247
Arrest Date: July 19, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Juan Aguilar-Tapia
Age : 26
Residence: Lafayette, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206573
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: DEALING - MARIJUANA
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Michal Skrzyniarz
Age : 37
Residence: St. John, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206685
Arrest Date: July 31, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Aaron Collins
Age : 28
Residence: Indianapolis, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206629
Arrest Date: July 30, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - METHAMPHETAMINE; RESISTING - ESCAPE
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Francesca Brown
Age : 40
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206746
Arrest Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - SIMPLE - TOUCH W/NO INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Steven Galecki
Age : 52
Residence: Lowell, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206653
Arrest Date: July 30, 2022
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - POCKET-PICKING - < $750
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Michael Russell III
Age : 21
Residence: Crown Point, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206661
Arrest Date: July 31, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG; POSSESSION - COUNTERFEITED SUBSTANCES
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Raynold Gore
Age : 32
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206551
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: DEALING - MARIJUANA
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Ivan Torres
Age : 35
Residence: South Holland, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206723
Arrest Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - FIREARM - BY A FELON
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Genardo Diaz
Age : 35
Residence: Whiting, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206667
Arrest Date: July 31, 2022
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - POSSESSION - STOLEN PROPERTY; OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony; Misdemeanor
Christopher Swan
Age : 48
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206697
Arrest Date: Aug. 1, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Brandt Guzman
Age : 23
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206706
Arrest Date: Aug. 1, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - FIREARM - BY A SERIOUS VIOLENT FELON; CONFINEMENT; CRIMINAL RECKLESSNESS
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Charles Roy Sr.
Age : 33
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206563
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Denise Johnson
Age : 38
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206582
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Bianca Dominguez
Age : 32
Residence: Munster, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206625
Arrest Date: July 29, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Juan Gutierrez Delgado
Age : 30
Residence: Greenfield, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206655
Arrest Date: July 30, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG; OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony; Misdemeanor
Austin Click
Age : 23
Residence: Highland, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206568
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Otis Marshall
Age : 34
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Booking Number(s): 2206745
Arrest Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Christopher Kirincic
Age : 40
Residence: Crown Point, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206630
Arrest Date: July 30, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Deidra Merritt
Age : 31
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206726
Arrest Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Melissa Carraway
Age : 37
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206724
Arrest Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Offense Description: FRAUD - DECEPTION - IDENTITY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Anthony Guzman
Age : 26
Residence: Whiting, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206538
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - SERIOUS BODILY INJURY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Lakeisha Walker
Age : 32
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206754
Arrest Date: Aug. 3, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Tony Vitaniemi Jr.
Age : 29
Residence: Valparaiso, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206712
Arrest Date: Aug. 1, 2022
Offense Description: COMMON NUISANCE - MAINTAINING - LEGEND DRUGS
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Anthony Alexander
Age : 37
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206577
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Jack Fiorio
Age : 19
Residence: St. John, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206670
Arrest Date: July 31, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Edgar Murphy Jr.
Age : 63
Residence: Hobart, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206579
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SHOPLIFTING - < $750
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Darlene King
Age : 49
Residence: Country Club Hills, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206704
Arrest Date: Aug. 1, 2022
Offense Description: FRAUD - DECEPTION - IDENTITY; COUNTERFEITING AND APPLICATION FRAUD
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Leonard Johnson
Age : 31
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206578
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - USING A DEADLY WEAPON
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Gloria Blue
Age : 51
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206709
Arrest Date: Aug. 1, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Timothy Featherston
Age : 43
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206609
Arrest Date: July 29, 2022
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - POCKET-PICKING - < $750
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Dana Stevens
Age : 41
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206507
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Mark Coleman
Age : 38
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206569
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - W/PERMANENT INJURY OR DISFIGUREMENT
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Michael Andres
Age : 19
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206662
Arrest Date: July 31, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Veela Morris
Age : 52
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206611
Arrest Date: July 29, 2022
Offense Description: FRAUD - DECEPTION - IDENTITY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Famous McKenny
Age : 45
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206647
Arrest Date: July 30, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Emmett Williams Jr.
Age : 46
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206739
Arrest Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Offense Description: CRIMINAL RECKLESSNESS
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Safa Alrub
Age : 36
Residence: Orland Park, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206564
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG; OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony; Misdemeanor
Darrick Royal
Age : 47
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206601
Arrest Date: July 29, 2022
Offense Description: FRAUD - OBTAINING PROPERTY - BY CREDIT CARD
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Demarco Gillis
Age : 25
Residence: Indianapolis, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206622
Arrest Date: July 29, 2022
Offense Description: RESISTING
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Robert Goodpaster Jr.
Age : 19
Residence: Hobart, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206721
Arrest Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Offense Description: BURGLARY - PROPERTY - RESIDENTIAL ENTRY - BREAKING AND ENTERING
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jourdan Castellanos
Age : 36
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206529
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SHOPLIFTING - $750 TO $50,000
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Junice Stewart
Age : 64
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206516
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: FRAUD - FORGERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jonathan Igras
Age : 20
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206543
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGGRAVATED - STRANGULATION; INTIMIDATION
Highest Offense Class: Felonies
Ulysses Perry
Age : 41
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206627
Arrest Date: July 29, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Cedric Higdon Jr.
Age : 25
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206692
Arrest Date: Aug. 1, 2022
Offense Description: FRAUD - DECEPTION - IDENTITY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Nicholas Cruz-Lopez
Age : 31
Residence: Crown Point, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206580
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Luis Rangel Sanchez
Age : 28
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206693
Arrest Date: Aug. 1, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Rodney Youngblood
Age : 32
Residence: Calumet City, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206742
Arrest Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Offense Description: RESISTING
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Bradley Badovinac
Age : 26
Residence: Lowell, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206640
Arrest Date: July 30, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Kamari Stephens
Age : 29
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206591
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: CONFINEMENT
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Amanda Stoddard
Age : 38
Residence: Cedar Lake, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206523
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: FRAUD - DECEPTION - IDENTITY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Gerald Bogard
Age : 47
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206555
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Johnny Peluyera
Age : 41
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206524
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: CRIMINAL RECKLESSNESS (AGGRESSIVE DRIVING/SERIOUS BODILY INJURY)
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Hailee Newell
Age : 29
Residence: Lansing, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206588
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Donald Collins Jr.
Age : 55
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206520
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: ROBBERY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Joseph Porter Jr.
Age : 39
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206638
Arrest Date: July 30, 2022
Offense Description: RESISTING
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Idubis Nash
Age : 43
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206743
Arrest Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Offense Description: BURGLARY - PROPERTY - RESIDENTIAL ENTRY - BREAKING AND ENTERING
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Tywoun Nixon
Age : 26
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206530
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: INTIMIDATION
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Tyrone Dabney
Age : 59
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206576
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: THEFT - PROPERTY - SHOPLIFTING - W/PRIOR CONVICTION
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Vernell Hemphill Jr.
Age : 19
Residence: St. John, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206631
Arrest Date: July 30, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Marta Rodriguez
Age : 43
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206711
Arrest Date: Aug. 1, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE - PRESENCE OF CHILD < 16 YEARS OLD
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Joseph Rodriguez
Age : 75
Residence: Munster, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206641
Arrest Date: July 30, 2022
Offense Description: POSSESSION - COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG; OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony; Misdemeanor
Wardell Sanders
Age : 20
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206651
Arrest Date: July 30, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
William Lipsey
Age : 58
Residence: East Chicago, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206535
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: INTIMIDATION
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Carl Hopkins Jr.
Age : 41
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206668
Arrest Date: July 31, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Sade Boyd
Age : 36
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206644
Arrest Date: July 30, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Jacob Stewart
Age : 36
Residence: Lake Station, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206602
Arrest Date: July 29, 2022
Offense Description: DOMESTIC BATTERY - SIMPLE
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Shaun Brame
Age : 51
Residence: Hammond, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206561
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION VIOLATION
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Kori Arguelles
Age : 26
Residence: Crown Point, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206603
Arrest Date: July 29, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Jimmie Lee
Age : 33
Residence: Gary, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206733
Arrest Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Ria Swelfer
Age : 31
Residence: Merrillville, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206617
Arrest Date: July 29, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Jesse Duque
Age : 29
Residence: Hobart, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206506
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Rick Thang Ngo
Age : 26
Residence: Key Largo, FL
Booking Number(s): 2206722
Arrest Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Offense Description: FRAUD - COUNTERFEITING AND APPLICATION FRAUD
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Keith Price
Age : 51
Residence: Portage, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206552
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: OWI
Highest Offense Class: Misdemeanor
Leobardo Costilla
Age : 22
Residence: Shelby, IN
Booking Number(s): 2206674
Arrest Date: July 31, 2022
Offense Description: FAMILY OFFENSE- INVASION OF PRIVACY
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Timothy Vasquez
Age : 25
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206528
Arrest Date: July 27, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL
Highest Offense Class: Felony
Leon Elliott Jr.
Age : 50
Residence: Chicago, IL
Booking Number(s): 2206575
Arrest Date: July 28, 2022
Offense Description: BATTERY - AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIAL
Highest Offense Class: Felony
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Get local news delivered to your inbox! | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/illinois/families-seek-answers-after-2-boaters-go-missing/article_7cc3d99d-2cd3-58ef-bc81-c4706ecbcbd5.html | 2022-08-09T13:38:05 | 0 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/illinois/families-seek-answers-after-2-boaters-go-missing/article_7cc3d99d-2cd3-58ef-bc81-c4706ecbcbd5.html |
A defense attorney who used to work as a county prosecutor targeted vulnerable clients for sex, exploiting four women in exchange for legal work he did for them or their family members, the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office said Monday.
Corey J. Kolcharno, 47, is charged with four counts of promoting prostitution after an investigation found he took advantage of his clients' legal and financial troubles, tethering "his performance as their counsel to a demand for sexual services from them or in exchange for payment," police wrote in an affidavit.
Kolcharno — a former Lackawanna County prosecutor — was arraigned Monday and released on $20,000 unsecured bail. His attorney said Kolcharno will plead guilty. Kolcharno told reporters he intended to give up his law license.
According to state police, Kolcharno targeted women who struggled with addiction, had been sexually abused or had financial problems. At first he requested nude photos or worn underwear, then escalated his predatory behavior into a demand for sex in exchange for legal services, authorities said. He paid his clients as much as $500 or knocked that amount off their bills, police said.
Victims said they were ashamed but felt they had no choice but to give in, authorities said.
Kolcharno “picked these victims because they had limited choices, because he thought they would be easy to silence, and less likely to be believed if they ever came forward,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a written statement.
Investigators said they found hundreds of nude and sexually explicit images of Kolcharno's clients on his cellphone.
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Kolcharno's attorney, Paul Walker, said his client intends to plead guilty.
“We met with the attorney general’s office, made a decision to accept complete responsibility, acknowledge his mistakes that he has made professionally,” Walker said. “His biggest worry is to move forward for not only himself but he's got two young kids. He wants to forward for his family.”
It wasn't clear how Kolcharno's conduct came to light, but police said it went on for several years, between 2018 and 2022, while Kolcharno was a partner in the Fanucci & Kolcharno law firm outside Scranton.
Firm records showed Kolcharno’s staff knocked hundreds of dollars off one client’s bill, noting the discount was “per CJK,” police wrote in an affidavit. The woman complained about the arrangement to her boyfriend, but said she felt she had no choice because she couldn’t afford to pay otherwise, authorities said.
A message was left for Kolcharno’a law partner.
Before re-entering private practice, Kolcharno was an assistant district attorney in Lackawanna County from 2005-2011. A spokesperson for Shapiro declined to comment on whether authorities are looking at Kolcharno's time as a prosecutor.
Lackawanna County District Attorney Mark Powell, who took office in 2018, well after Kolcharno had left, did not respond to a question about whether his office is conducting an internal investigation. Powell said he referred the state police probe to the attorney general's office in August 2021 because of a conflict of interest. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/ag-pennsylvania-defense-attorney-pressured-clients-into-sex/3329119/ | 2022-08-09T13:40:03 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/ag-pennsylvania-defense-attorney-pressured-clients-into-sex/3329119/ |
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Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/local-summer-camp-opens-doors-for-ukrainian-refugees-2/3329697/ | 2022-08-09T13:40:09 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/local-summer-camp-opens-doors-for-ukrainian-refugees-2/3329697/ |
SAN ANTONIO — When a young boy ran from a south-side retail restroom, crying because he had just been attacked, his parents started screaming for help.
Tyrone Turner answered the call.
"Everyone started screaming and yelling and we all thought it was an active shooter," Turner said. "Everyone was hiding behind tables, hiding behind walls."
But Turner quickly realized it was a different kind of threat.
"I saw a young boy holding his face with his mom screaming. His parents were around him, and everyone around said, 'Go get him!'"
Turner said at first he didn't know what had happened to the boy in the bathroom. But when people pointed out the man responsible, he took action.
The parents said that in a store crowded with shoppers, Turner was the only one who jumped to chase the suspect out the door and down the street.
"I ran outside and he was across the street, so I bolted across the street and I just chased him down because I felt like I needed to go after him. I felt like I needed to stop him for what he did," Turner said. "It was assault. It was on a child."
The chase, which saw both men dodging cars as the suspect ran across busy Southwest Military Drive, happened early Saturday afternoon.
With eyewitnesses calling police all along the route, Turner said the suspect ran into two different businesses trying to get away, but he refused to give up.
Turner said when police finally caught up with the pair, they were at least one mile down the road.
"He tried to jump off of a bridge. He was trying to tell me that the kid was trying to sexually assault him! Nothing that he said made any sense, so I just kept throwing him down, throwing him against the wall," Turner said.
Turner said as a black man chasing another man down a crowded street, he was aware that things could go badly for him. So he called police while he ran and explained what was going on.
Turner said he also shot a short video clip in case the man got away, so that he would have some evidence. He said he felt confident that with so many witnesses following along and calling police, he wasn't in danger.
"I mean, he was jumping across in traffic, zig-zagging, and I'm pretty sure people were calling in. So I didn't feel like I was in a situation where I was going to be hurt. I was in a situation where I wanted to protect a kid."
Turner said as police closed in, the suspect – out of breath – gave up.
"He said, 'You got me, you got me. I give up. Stop chasing me.' But he wouldn't stop, so I didn't stop. But he felt defeated, and he knew what he did. He was crying. But at that point? No, that's not OK," Turner said.
With the suspect safely in police custody, Turner said he returned to the store to reassure the boy.
"We already feel that in this country we can't go anywhere or do much of anything because people are getting attacked, especially our children. So I just wanted to make sure that he felt OK and he knew the guy was found," Turner said.
Turner said meeting the family was an awesome experience.
"My son's 9 years old, so when I saw him he gave me this big hug and I was like, 'It's OK,'" Turner said. "I don't want the boy to think he can do that to someone else, you know? That was my only mission, to make sure that he was OK."
As for the parents, who were shopping on tax-free weekend, the father said he was right outside the bathroom with another child when he heard the commotion. The boy's mother said she was nearby helping her other children.
To protect the family from further harm, we are not identifying them by name.
"I heard a loud bang coming from the restroom and I heard my son yelling, 'Dad, he hit me!'" the boy's father said.
The dad said that, with his son crying, he chose to look after his boy and urged bystanders to give chase.
"There were a lot of people looking and I yelled, 'Get him! He hurt my son!'" the dad said. "Tyrone saw what was happening and he took off and ran after him."
"I took off running, but I didn't know who I was running to or for," the mother said. "So when I saw the man being chased way down the street, I ran back to the store."
Overcome with emotion, the mom said that while the chase continued outside, "a family was praying for us. I closed my eyes and I felt calm and then the firefighters and paramedics and SAPD got there and everybody was freaking out."
"It happened so very, very fast," she added. "They examined my son. They said, 'Put ice on the injury on the back of his head.'"
The mom said it took a while for word to filter back that a man had been arrested.
"If it wasn't for Tyrone risking his life, he could have escaped. I mean, he hit a boy in the restroom. He grabbed him. My son said, 'What are you doing?' and then the man pushed him really, really hard and he hit his head."
The mom said that, at first, investigators told her they didn't want the family talking with Turner. But they eventually got their chance.
"I just wanted to tell him thank you from the bottom of my heart, to thank him because he didn't have to do that," the mom said, adding Turner was humble and grateful. "He said, 'All that matters is that your son is OK.' But what would have come of this if he hadn't risked his life?"
Police said 27-year-old Marcus Zapata is the man arrested in connection with the incident. He is charged with injury to a child with bodily injury.
The charge is a third-degree felony and bond has been set at $20,000.
We reached out to the store to learn more about their investigation into the incident and received the following statement:
“At Target, the safety of our guests and team members is our top priority. We are partnering with the San Antonio Police Department on their investigation into this incident. Since this is an active investigation, please contact law enforcement with further questions.”
"This is San Antonio you know, and we look out for family and we look out for kids," added Turner, who has lived in the Alamo City for 10 years. "This is our community and we came together at the end."
--- | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/san-antonio-good-samaritan-foot-chase-suspect-police/273-2dab050e-18a8-492b-ac5a-b943b7623c38 | 2022-08-09T13:47:51 | 0 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/san-antonio-good-samaritan-foot-chase-suspect-police/273-2dab050e-18a8-492b-ac5a-b943b7623c38 |
LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — Golfing, charity, and an old friend – that's what played out at Elmhurst Country Club near Moscow on Monday.
Golfers hit the course all to raise money for the North Pocono Public Library.
There was a guy there, dressed in yellow, who you may recognize.
It's retired Newswatch 16 Sports Director Jim Coles.
The tournament supports a cause he loves, it took place in his backyard, and Jim used to caddy at the course near Moscow.
He said Monday's outing is just part of his next career venture.
"I'm waiting for the super senior tour, so if I can get really good by the age of 75, or maybe if I live to about 135, I can break my age and beat my score there."
This was the second year for the golf tournament in Lackawanna County. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/golfing-with-an-old-friend-lackawanna-county-roaring-brook-township-elmhurst-country-club/523-e23448b0-e708-4c3c-b243-99e0afab62d5 | 2022-08-09T13:53:12 | 0 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/golfing-with-an-old-friend-lackawanna-county-roaring-brook-township-elmhurst-country-club/523-e23448b0-e708-4c3c-b243-99e0afab62d5 |
YORK, Pa. — The new school year is just a few weeks away, and with that comes concerns from parents about what they can expect for their kids.
School officials are saying parents and students can expect a better school year.
“Almost every school leader that I know and have talked with wants their kids and their staff back in school, getting back into a normal routine, and I think parents can expect that too," said Mark D. DiRocco, the executive director at the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators.
However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be measures in place to ensure the safety of students, staff, and faculty.
“Students who get sick with COVID-19 are going to stay home, if we do have a significant outbreak in the building, we might have to shut that building down for a few days, but we’re much better equipped to do online learning for a few days," said DiRocco.
Health experts, on the other hand, say it’s likely the commonwealth will see another surge in COVID-19 cases in the fall.
“Kids are back in school, they spread respiratory viruses, they often take it home to the parents, parents then take it to the grandparents, so we’re likely to see a surge in cases," said Dr. John D. Goldman, an infectious disease expert with UPMC.
Experts don’t believe the case surge will cause school closures, or for schools to do remote learning though.
“Although we’ll see cases, I expect them to be mild, and I expect them not to overwhelm our medical system. I think that we’re going to see what’s the equivalent of a bad flu season when school starts again," said Dr. Goldman. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/new-school-year-what-can-parents-expect-covid-19-officials-coronavirus-health/521-c7b854a5-9f76-4095-bd27-899a851e9d7f | 2022-08-09T13:53:18 | 1 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/new-school-year-what-can-parents-expect-covid-19-officials-coronavirus-health/521-c7b854a5-9f76-4095-bd27-899a851e9d7f |
The injury to New York Jets offensive tackle Mekhi Becton's surgically repaired right knee is more serious than initially believed after he left early in practice Monday.
A person with direct knowledge of the injury told The Associated Press that Becton will continue to have tests on the knee, and it is unrelated to the one that sidelined him for almost all of last season. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team did not announce details on the injury.
NFL Network first reported that the injury to Becton was more concerning than the team originally thought.
The 6-foot-7 Becton, entering his third NFL season, was run-blocking at right tackle on the second play of team drills when he went down on the grass and immediately grabbed at his knee. The 2020 first-round draft pick was down for a few moments before trying to get up, and needed assistance from trainers to walk off the field.
He took off his pads and eventually walked very gingerly on his own to the locker room with a noticeable limp.
Coach Robert Saleh wasn't overly concerned shortly after practice because initial reports appeared to indicate Becton avoided a serious injury.
“The only thing I got is that it's stable and it seems fine," coach Robert Saleh said. "That's preliminary, obviously. We're just going to get it checked for precautionary reasons. But as of now, it doesn't seem like it's a big deal, but knock on wood, hopefully that stays the case.”
An MRI on the knee later in the afternoon apparently revealed otherwise.
If Becton is forced to miss any significant time, it would be a major setback for a player in the middle of adjusting to a position change. Becton entered his first two NFL seasons as the starter on the left side, but suffered a dislocated right kneecap and cartilage damage in the opening game last year at Carolina. He missed the rest of the season and was replaced by George Fant, who slid over from right tackle and played well in Becton's place.
Entering training camp, Saleh announced Fant would retain the starting spot at left tackle and Becton would move to the right side. Becton appeared to be making strides at right tackle in recent practices, but began wearing a brace on his right knee late last week. He was also on what Saleh called a “pitch count” during the team's scrimmage at MetLife Stadium on Saturday night, and was taken out before practice was over.
During positional drills Monday, Becton was seen limping a bit and adjusting the brace on his knee before participating in team drills.
Becton, whose weight has also been a hot topic during his brief NFL career, has played in just 15 games for the Jets. ESPN reported he ballooned to around 400 pounds last season, but Becton reported for camp noticeably slimmer than he was in minicamp in June.
The Jets' depth at offensive tackle was already a question mark before Becton's latest injury, especially after backup Conor McDermott went down with a lower ankle injury in the scrimmage. Saleh said McDermott should be sidelined a week or two, but the Jets have shown interest in free agent offensive tackle Duane Brown.
The former Seahawks and Texans veteran, a five-time Pro Bowl pick who turns 37 on Aug. 30, met with the Jets over the weekend and attended the team's scrimmage. Still, Saleh insisted the Jets still like their depth chart at tackle and aren't necessarily desperate to add a veteran as a backup.
Chuma Edoga has filled in at times at left tackle this summer for Fant, and the Jets also have Derrick Kelly, Grant Hermanns and Max Mitchell, a fourth-rounder in April, at the offensive tackle spots. NFL Network also reported New York is expected to sign free agent Caleb Benenoch, who has experience at tackle and guard.
“Getting a guy like Duane Brown is kind of like getting spoiled, in a sense,” Saleh said. "Just having such great talent, I guess, at one position. But we do have faith in our backup offensive linemen. Any time you get hurt and you've got to test your depth, it does become scary waters. But at the same time, that's why we put in all this work and do our best to try to prepare these guys to take those spots.
“So, it doesn't create panic at all, in my mind.”
NOTES: CB D.J. Reed, RB Ty Johnson and DE Vinny Curry all were held out of practice with hamstring ailments. ... Saleh said he expects the starters on offense and defense to play about one quarter in New York's preseason opener Friday night at Philadelphia. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/jets-ot-bectons-knee-injury-more-serious-than-first-thought/3815257/ | 2022-08-09T14:00:04 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/jets-ot-bectons-knee-injury-more-serious-than-first-thought/3815257/ |
A 72-inch water main break is wreaking havoc in New Jersey's largest city and nearby communities Tuesday, with hospitals forced to divert some high-risk patients and the Newark Board of Education declaring a citywide water emergency as crews respond to a vehicle submerged in a sinkhole, according to officials.
The pipe broke in Branch Brook Park on the border of Newark and neighboring Belleville around 8 a.m., Anthony Iacono, Belleville township manager, said. That led to some initial confusion about the origin of the break. By 9:15 a.m., it still wasn't clear how many separate water lines could be affected or how many breaks there might be.
It appeared there were two -- the primary problem in Branch Brook Park on Mill Street and a secondary break on Joralemon Street, also in Belleville, fire officials said. Fire officials were working to supply pressure.
The entirety of Belleville was without water or had low pressure and most of Newark -- specifically the North, West, South and Central Wards, grappled similarly, according to officials. A boil water advisory is in effect for both communities, and Newark says it will go door-to-door handing out water. Multiple hospitals are affected. Some were diverting patients or water or both.
Footage provided by Belleville's mayor showed a vehicle tire sticking out of muddy water. It wasn't clear if it was occupied at the time of the flood or whether the person had to be rescued.
"Under an abundance of caution, we are advising residents impacted by the water main break to boil their tap water until further notice. See previous posts for additional information," Belleville officials wrote on Facebook.
Both Belleville and Newark water departments are working to contain the problem, officials said. The Newark Office of Emergency Management is asking neighboring cities for help to supply water tankers while repairs are being made.
With a vast majority of the area out of water completely or enduring low pressure, the Newark Board of Education declared a "citywide water emergency" and canceled all after-summer-school programs for the day.
Chopper 4 showed pooling water by a bridge on Branch Brook Park Drive as vehicle backups began to develop around 8:15 a.m. A river does run alongside the road, but it's not supposed to look like it did on Tuesday. Water was seen gushing from what appeared to be a gaping hole in the middle of the road.
A short aerial trip away, people were seen standing in more than ankle-high water in Belleville by Mill Street, where the break happened. Low-to-no water pressure was reported in northwest, south and central parts of Newark.
It wasn't clear when officials expected to have a timeline for full restoration or even whether they had isolated and contained the problem by 9 a.m.
Newark is served by two upstream reservoirs, though it's not clear if they serve the city by separate water mains.
The investigation is ongoing.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nightmare-nj-water-main-break-cancels-after-school-programs-newark-district-declares-citywide-emergency/3816380/ | 2022-08-09T14:00:11 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nightmare-nj-water-main-break-cancels-after-school-programs-newark-district-declares-citywide-emergency/3816380/ |
AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin City Council recently approved an audit for the Animal Services Office, which runs the Austin Animal Center.
In late July, the council approved a resolution calling for the Office of the City Auditor to report on the shelter's effectiveness and to bring in an expert on no-kill shelter policies to try to find solutions.
The resolution comes as the Austin Animal Center continues to deal with a large influx of animals and critical understaffing issues.
Since 2011, the shelter has been no-kill, meaning it is able to find adoptive homes for more than 90% of the animals in its care. However, recent overcrowding has put a strain on the facility.
"Despite the laudable efforts of Animal Services department staff, animal advocacy groups and volunteers to alleviate the strain, the Animal Services Office has released multiple media advisories and memos reporting on a severe shelter space crisis, and in one case in 2021, warned of the possible use of euthanasia," the resolution reads in part.
The resolution also notes that the last audit that the city auditor conducted on the shelter in 2015 identified state compliance issues and ongoing challenges such as insufficient facilities and resources.
The Austin Monitor reports that Craig Nazor, the chair of the Animal Advisory Commission, spoke at the council's July 28 meeting in support of the resolution. He said he believes the audit will help "keep our shelter the most humane and forward-looking shelter in the nation."
However, the Austin Monitor also reported that some citizens expressed concern about who the no-kill policy expert will be, saying it would be unfair if the expert had ties to Austin Pets Alive!.
The resolution directs the city auditor to provide details on progress and a timeline for the project by Sept. 21.
Britny Eubank on social media: Twitter
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/austin-animal-center-audit-approved/269-e0bde1e4-cef5-459d-a56a-61b14c4f55d8 | 2022-08-09T14:00:17 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/austin-animal-center-audit-approved/269-e0bde1e4-cef5-459d-a56a-61b14c4f55d8 |
One of New York City's top litigators, a Harvard and Oxford graduate with decades of government experience, will join the NYC Department of Correction as its general counsel.
Paul Schechtman will join the DOC as deputy commissioner of legal matters, the city's jail system said Tuesday.
Schechtman is a former chief of appeals and chief of the criminal division for the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office. He also served as counsel to the Manhattan DA's office and spent two years as the state's director of criminal justice in the Pataki administration. He was chair of the State Ethics Commission and is a member of the New York Sentencing Commission.
Earlier in his career, Schechtman was a clerk to Chief Justice Warren Burger, and most recently, he has been in private practice and lecturing at Columbia Law School. City & State ranked him 33rd on their 2022 "Law Power 100" list.
"“He has dedicated his career to public service, especially in the field of criminal justice and I look forward to utilizing his decades of experience as we work to transform this department," DOC Commissioner Louis Molina said in a statement.
Schechtman joins the DOC at a time of intense legal challenges for the department, with the threat of a federal takeover of Rikers looming unless reforms can be implemented. The department is also under fire for an incessant stream of inmate deaths in custody -- 11 so far this year after 15 last year. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/top-nyc-attorney-joins-dept-of-correction-as-general-counsel/3816462/ | 2022-08-09T14:00:17 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/top-nyc-attorney-joins-dept-of-correction-as-general-counsel/3816462/ |
After a months-long search, a new superintendent is about to take the helm in Richardson ISD, just in time for the new school year.
A meeting will be held on Tuesday night to approve the employment contract for Tabitha Branum.
She served as the interim superintendent since the search began in December. Branum has worked for RISD for 8 years as assistant superintendent of secondary schools and most recently as deputy superintendent. She has 25 years of educator experience in Texas including service as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, technology leader, and curriculum leader prior to joining RISD. Click here to see Branum’s bio.
She will become RISD’s 10th superintendent since J.J. Pearce was named in 1946.
“I am honored and humbled to continue my service to RISD as superintendent,” Branum said in a statement. “I’m grateful for the trust that our Board has placed in me, and I accept this responsibility with great excitement for the future of Richardson ISD, our students, our staff, and our community. As an RISD parent, resident, and taxpayer, I’m fully invested in the success of our schools and am committed to providing the very best educational opportunities for all students.”
The search for a new RISD superintendent began at the end of last year, when previous superintendent, Jeanne Stone, resigned from her post following backlash over mask policies during the pandemic.
Branum already has a big proposal in the works that will be discussed at the school board meeting in just two days.
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It involves updating the student cellphone policy for junior high and high schools by purchasing special pouches and requiring students to lock up their phones during the school day.
“Cellphone use among RISD secondary students during the school day has become a major issue, especially in recent years,” Branum said in a statement posted on the district website. “Phone use among students, and the ongoing classroom distractions and disciplinary issues that accompany it, are causing more and more school districts to re-evaluate student cellphone use during the school day. In RISD, our teachers, principals, and other employees who work directly with our older students have seen the ongoing distraction and lack of engagement among many students during instructional time due to phones. We’ve also experienced a wide variety of disciplinary issues that are the product of student smartphone use during the school day, including student altercations, cyberbullying, prohibited activity, photos and videos in violation of other student’s privacy rights, and social media posts or texts that result in safety concerns on campuses.”
The district says school principals studied ideas over the summer and came up with a plan to purchase magnet-locked cellphone bags from a company called Yondr. The company also works with concert and comedy venues to create cell-phone free environments. The pouches have been used in schools since 2014.
In the proposed plan:
Every RISD secondary student with a cellphone will be issued a Yondr Pouch.
If a student has a phone, every day when entering school, students turn it off and place it in the Yondr Pouch, which prevents it from being used.
At dismissal each day, students can unlock the Yondr Pouch at numerous unlocking stations throughout the school and begin using the phone.
RISD posted data on the success rates and other details on their website.
“Our teachers, principals, and school staff have been asking for the district to take action, as classroom distraction from phone use is a daily occurrence. Student cellphone use was the number one problem RISD secondary teachers cited in our end-of-year teacher survey, and was also cited as problematic both in the RISD parent survey and in the community feedback provided during the recent superintendent search process,” said Branum in a statement.
This is something some districts around the country and have actually been doing for years but it has sparked some debate over safety concerns.
"We know one reason many parents provide cell phones to their children is to be able to connect with them in the event of an emergency. I want that with my high schooler as well. As part of the implementation of this updated policy, parents should know that in the event of a school lockdown, our staff will have the ability to unlock the Yondr pouch as soon as it is safe so students can contact their parents to let them know that they are OK," Branum said in a video posted to the district YouTube page.
The district said if parents need to reach their child, they can use district-issued Chromebooks to communicate through email.
Parents can leave feedback and comments on the proposal on the RISD website.
If approved, middle schools and high schools would implement Yondr over the first weeks of this school year.
RISD's first day of school will be on Tuesday, August 16. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/richardson-isd-expected-to-finalize-contract-for-new-superintendent/3043652/ | 2022-08-09T14:00:33 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/richardson-isd-expected-to-finalize-contract-for-new-superintendent/3043652/ |
Dallas vegan restaurant Spiral Diner is closing in August 2022 in Oak Cliff.
“People are going to think we’re totally crazy,” says owner Amy McNutt, who opened the meat-free and dairy-free restaurant nearly 15 years ago in Dallas. Spiral Diner sold comforting vegan food long before most of her present-day competitors caught up.
She’s been doing it even longer in so-called Cowtown: Spiral Diner in Fort Worth opened 20 years ago this month and remains in operation.
McNutt says the aging building on N. Beckley Avenue in Dallas “needs more love than we can afford to give it.”
For more on this story, visit our partner the Dallas Morning News. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/spiral-diner-a-local-vegan-restaurant-is-closing-its-oak-cliff-location/3043264/ | 2022-08-09T14:00:39 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/spiral-diner-a-local-vegan-restaurant-is-closing-its-oak-cliff-location/3043264/ |
Fort Worth ISD is set to expand a specialized Early Reading Program after the pilot saw success in the 2021-2022 school year. Students were thrusts into stories about topics they actually enjoy, increasing their motivation to read.
“It’s not an accident that that worked,” Robert Rogers, President of the Reading League Texas said. “There are some strategies for teaching reading that are highly effective and there are some strategies that are not.”
Reading League Texas is the regional chapter for the national organization. Their mission is to ensure all teachers understand the best evidence-based methods to teach literacy.
“To read, you have to understand that letters represent sounds. So, you must understand the connection. That’s like learning phonics,” Rogers said.
The concept seems straight forward, but not for some students. That’s why Rogers said teaching kids for their way of learning is so important.
“Having books around for the early readers. Those books are called decodable books. Specifically for kids who are early learners in reading and words that are easy to sound out,” Rogers said. “Mixing books up is key as well. We don’t want kids to guess at words, just because that’s what they see in the pictures. We don’t want them to read books over and over again, because those children are memorizing the phrases.”
In the STAAR testing for the 2021-2022 school year, Texas students rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in reading. The test showed 52-percent of students met grade-level expectations in elementary and middle school reading exams. While the news is promising in Texas, students in the Lone Star State still lag behind most states on national reading assessments over the last decade.
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The increase in reading scores is credited in part to the state mandated Reading Academies for educators, where they study the science behind how students learn to decode languages. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-educators-teaching-through-the-science-behind-reading/3037666/ | 2022-08-09T14:00:45 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-educators-teaching-through-the-science-behind-reading/3037666/ |
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News from around the state of Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/the-push-for-a-permanent-air-tanker-base-in-texas/3043537/ | 2022-08-09T14:00:51 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/the-push-for-a-permanent-air-tanker-base-in-texas/3043537/ |
What to Know
- Yaser Abdel Said, 65, is accused of killing his teenage daughters in 2008 in what prosecutors have called an "honor killing."
- Said spent six years on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List before he was arrested in Justin in August 2020.
- The death penalty is not an option in this case. If convicted of capital murder, Said would automatically be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The trial of Yaser Abdel Said for the purported "honor killing" of his daughters enters its sixth day on Tuesday. The 65-year-old cab driver from Lewisville is accused of murdering his two teenage daughters in 2008.
On Monday, after the defense rested its case, the judge said the jury would be given instructions and closing arguments would be delivered Tuesday morning.
Jurors were told to pack a bag. They will be sequestered in a hotel if deliberations continue for more than a day.
Defendant Yaser Abdel Said took the stand as the only defense witness Monday. The father said he loved his daughters and is not to blame for their killing.
Speaking through an interpreter in his native Arabic, Said testified someone else is responsible for the crime, but investigators never found that person because they only pursued him.
"If the FBI did their work, they would know, but they were looking for Yaser Said and they did not do what they have to do," he said.
Defense lawyers unsuccessfully tried to limit the scope of cross-examination. The judge warned Said that prosecutors would be allowed to raise any issue from the trial with him but he said he wanted to talk anyway.
The father told the courtroom that he only wanted to take his two daughters to dinner on New Year's Day 2008 but on the road in his taxi, he said he saw someone following them.
He said he assumed that he was the target and so he claimed he got out of the car at an Irving Transit Center where he assumed the girls would be safe.
"I told them the car is yours. You do whatever you want since you know how to drive. I left the car for them," he said.
Later, Said added he heard about an accident and learned that his girls had been murdered. He said he regrets leaving them alone and denied killing them.
A prosecutor picked at Said's story and asked why he was on the run for 12 years if he was not guilty despite seeing media reports that he was wanted.
"Because I believed behind this coverage there was a secret agenda. And I feel the media was against me in a certain direction, that I would not get a fair trial," Said said.
The defense rested after the defendant's testimony.
JURY SHOWN BULLET-RIDDLED CLOSING, FORENSIC PHOTOS ON DAY 4 of SAID TRIAL
On Friday, graphic crime scene evidence was shown to the jury, including bullet-riddled clothing worn by the girls on the night of the murders.
The cause of death for both victims was listed as multiple gunshot wounds and homicide as the manner of death.
Said refused to look up as two medical examiners who conducted the victims’ autopsies took the stand and described photographs of each victim’s examination displayed in the courtroom. Each girl, they said, had been shot multiple times.
Amina suffered two gunshot wounds, including a fatal wound to the chest. The medical examiner found 1,500 milliliters of blood in Amina’s right chest cavity, the equivalent of three water bottles.
Sarah suffered nine gunshot wounds, mostly to her abdomen, according to the medical examiner. Her chilling 911 call was played before the jury on Wednesday where she was heard saying her father shot her and that she was dying.
FBI AGENT RECALLS HUNTING 'MOST WANTED' MAN
FBI agent Daniel Gimenez, who led the federal government’s effort to track down Said, took the stand Friday afternoon.
Gimenez detailed the local and global search for Said who was on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitive list before his 2020 arrest at a home in Justin.
“Upon the SWAT team’s notice and knock announced, the defendant came out and surrendered,” said Gimenez. “We took him into custody without incident.”
WAS IT AN HONOR KILLING?
Whether the girls were victims of an honor killing for allegedly bringing dishonor to their family has been widely speculated by loved ones and media since their murder in 2008.
On Friday, that phrase took center stage.
"I do not have first-hand knowledge of what an honor killing is. There's no such thing as an honor killing, you kill somebody there's no honor to it. It's a murder," Irving Police Detective Joe Henning said.
A film made about the murders, "The Price of Honor," alleges the girls were killed by their father as an "honor killing," a cultural practice where someone is killed after bringing shame on their family. The film furthers speculation the girls' father objected to his daughters living an "American lifestyle."
Dr. Brasheer Ahmed, with the Muslim Community Center in North Richland Hills, told NBC 5 in 2020, following Said's arrest, that murder was against Islamic principal.
"Under no way, this is honor killing. This is just killing. This is murder. And this is not acceptable," Ahmed said.
TEEN'S MOTHER TESTIFIES ON DAY 3 OF YASER SAID'S TRIAL
On Thursday, the mother of Amina and Sarah Said took the stand. Patrica Owens, Yaser Said's ex-wife, testified before the jury Thursday morning and said why she fled her home with her daughters only to return days before they were killed.
Owens, who visibly had trouble on the stand and has been diagnosed with PTSD and is on medication, said she met Said when she was 14 and he was 29. She said she married him at the age of 15, with the permission of her parents after dating for three weeks and had three children with him over the next three years.
She said she and her two daughters returned to her husband because he was abusive and she was scared of getting hurt if they didn't.
She said she urged Amina to return home on the day of the murders even though the teen said she feared for her life. Owens said on the day her daughter returned Yaser appeared happy and he kissed her on the forehead and shed a tear.
When asked to identify her ex-husband in court, Owens raised her arm, pointed at Said and said, “That devil there.” She told jurors she and her husband had not spoken since the night their daughters were killed.
Prosecutors asked Owens if she had any idea what might have happened to her daughters when they left to eat with their father and she said, “Part of me did. Part of me didn’t" before saying, "I'm sorry."
Owens said her ex-husband was abusive and controlling and would look over the girls' phone records and would call numbers to see if they belonged to a boy or a girl. Prosecutors said Said was angry the girls were dating out of their culture and that they had recently ran away to be with their boyfriends.
Prosecutors claim Said's daughters made an outcry that he'd sexually abused them and had touched them inappropriately.
Said's defense argued Owens' story had changed so much over the years that she was close to becoming a suspect herself and also claimed police were fixated on blaming a Muslim man for the killings instead of looking at other potential suspects. The defense is also expected to try to discredit Sarah's chilling 911 call, played before the jury on Wednesday, where she said her father shot her.
The girls' bodies were found in their father's taxi cab outside the Omni hotel in Irving, both of them had been shot multiple times. Said disappeared and had not been seen for 12 years until his arrest in Justin by the FBI in August 2020.
Said entered a not guilty plea Tuesday and faces an automatic life sentence if convicted.
911 CALL TAKES CENTER STAGE DURING DAY 2 OF YASER SAID TRIAL
Silence filled Dallas County District Court 7 Wednesday as prosecutors prepared to present the chilling 911 call made by a dying Sarah Said on New Year 2008.
“My dad shot me! I’m dying! I’m dying,” yelled a frantic woman identified as Sarah.
Yaser Said sat emotionless, holding a finger to his ear to listen to the disturbing audio.
The potential key piece of evidence was admitted on day two of testimony, despite objections by the defense who previously cautioned jurors their expert will later testify that the 17-year-old victim may have been ‘hallucinating’ after being shot nine times when she named her father as her shooter.
Jurors also saw the orange taxi cab where she and her 18-year-old sister, Amina, were found shot to death.
Hotel employee Nathan Watson testified about the moment a taxi cab driver reported seeing two injured people in the cab lane of the hotel.
YASER SAID TRIAL DAY 2
“I could see a young lady who had her eyes fixed open and there was stuff coming out of her nose,” said Watson.
Police allege these were ‘honor killings’ committed by an abusive, controlling and possessive father who was angry his daughters dated outside their culture and had left home recently.
Said’s three public defenders argue this was a botched police investigation fixated on a Muslim man in a post-9/11 world full of Islamophobia.
Day two of testimony ended with a former crime scene investigator who wheeled in a cart full of evidence including the bullet-riddled cab seats, shell casings and projectiles found throughout the car and photographs showing a shell casing found on Amina’s shoulder.
Former Irving police officer Steven Hazard testified he believed the girls were not shot at the location they were found.
He also told evidence on Sarah’s body indicated she was shot at very close range.
OPENING STATEMENTS ON DAY 1 OF YASER SAID CAPITAL MURDER TRIAL
During opening statements Tuesday morning, prosecutor Lauren Black said Said was "obsessed with possession and control."
About a week before the sisters were killed, they and their mother fled their home in Lewisville to Oklahoma to get away from their dad, who worked as a taxi driver, Black said. The sisters had become "very scared for their lives," and the decision to leave was made after Said "put a gun to Amina's head and threatened to kill her," the prosecutor said.
But, Black said, in another act of "control" and "manipulation" by Said, he told them he had changed and convinced them to return home. The evening the sisters were shot, their father wanted to take just the two of them to a restaurant, she said.
The girls' aunt, Connie Moggio, broke down on the stand as she identified autopsy photos of her nieces. She told jurors about a conversation she had with a frantic Amina the day of the murders. "She didn't want to go back home, she would rather be dead than ever go back there," Moggio testified.
In a letter written to the judge overseeing the case, Said said he was not happy with his kids' "dating activity" but denied killing his daughters. Defense attorney Joseph Patton said in opening statements that the evidence would not support a conviction, that police were too quick to focus on Said, who was born in Egypt, and suggested that anti-Muslim sentiment played into that focus.
"It is wrong for the government to generalize an entire culture, criminalize an entire culture, to fit their narrative, and to fit their objective. The state wants to convict Yaser for being Muslim in 2008," said Patton.
His defense said no one will testify they saw Said at the crime scene, adding police should have investigated the girls' mother or Amina's boyfriend. "They were the last people to see Amina and Sarah alive," he said.
Amina's boyfriend testified he and his father indeed saw Said and both girls in his cab shortly before the shooting and that they briefly followed them out of concern. "Her look was in fear, she didn't look like she wanted to be there," said Amina's boyfriend Edgar Ruiz.
YASER SAID TRIAL DAY 1
The girls, who were both students at Lewisville High School, were reportedly shot multiple times by their father. Their bodies were later discovered inside his cab, parked outside of an Omni hotel.
Before she died, Sarah was able to call 911 and told the operator, "Help, my dad shot me! I'm dying, I'm dying!"
Black said Sarah Said was shot nine times and Amina Said was shot twice.
In moments of extreme trauma, like being shot multiple times, people can have hallucinations, Patton said.
Black said the sisters, both high school students in Lewisville, dreamed of becoming doctors, and that Yaser Said grew "angrier" as they grew up and became more educated and independent.
"When they had more independence, that was less control for him," Black said.
Sarah's boyfriend testified about why she kept their relationship a secret. "Something would happen to me or something would happen to her," Erik Panameno told jurors.
Prosecutors presented an email Amina reportedly sent her Lewisville teacher days before her death, confiding that her father was arraigning her marriage so she and her sister were going to run away. "He will kill us," Amina wrote.
More than 58 people are expected to be called to testify, including the girls' mother as well as local and federal investigators and experts on Muslim culture.
The judge is also allowing prosecutors to tell jurors about allegations that Said sexually abused his own daughters, who later recanted.
YASER SAID TRIAL
A film made about the murders, "The Price of Honor," alleged the girls were killed by their father as an "honor killing," a cultural practice where someone is killed after bringing shame on their family. The film furthers speculation the girls' father objected to his daughters living an "American lifestyle."
Yaser Said, who had been sought on a capital murder warrant since the slayings, was placed on the FBI's most-wanted list. In August 2020 Said was arrested in Justin and two relatives were arrested in Euless. The relatives were identified by the Dallas FBI as Said's brother Yassein and his son Islam.
Both men were charged with harboring a known fugitive and are now serving time in federal prison.
The death penalty is not an option in Yaser Said's case. If convicted of capital murder, he would automatically be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/watch-live-closing-arguments-to-be-delivered-on-day-6-of-yaser-said-trial/3043692/ | 2022-08-09T14:00:58 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/watch-live-closing-arguments-to-be-delivered-on-day-6-of-yaser-said-trial/3043692/ |
Flagstaff High School student Amelia Stout will be spending her junior year in Germany as part of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program (CBYX).
“It’s coming up quicker than I thought it was going to be,” she said. “I’m definitely very excited, but I’m nervous for it.”
She will spend the next 10 months in Germany, living with a host family and attending school. The program also includes language and culture training, meetings with German and American government officials and a variety of excursions throughout the country.
Stout is one of 250 high schoolers across the United States to be awarded the CBYX scholarship for the 2022-2023 school year. The scholars will be heading to Hedersleben in Germany next week for a month of language camp, where they will get to know the other participants and Germany’s language and culture.
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After, they will be taking train rides to places across the country where their host families are based and attend high school primarily in German.
Stout said she thinks the experience will be “awesome.”
“I’m excited to finish learning the language and make friends. I’m more in this for the social aspect of it than anything else,” she said. She also said she hopes to learn more about German culture and traditions.
Her nerves come mostly from the newness of the experience. While she has been to a number of places in the United States, this will be Stout’s first time leaving the country.
“I’m worried because I've never really been apart from my family, especially not for that long,” she said. “So I'm just leaving all my family and friends behind and starting a new beginning where I've never been or I don't know people.”
Stout described the application process as “rigorous,” with about five essay questions and several interviews. She said she wanted to attend the program, since she’d been learning German for about two years.
“I was already learning the language and I was thinking I want to go to Germany for college or maybe something like that,” she said. She saw a program flier in the school hallway and decided to apply.
The program was started in 1983 and has included more than 27,000 students so far. It is jointly funded by the U.S. Congress and German Bundestag and “was created to foster mutual understanding and strengthen ties between Germany and the U.S. through citizen diplomacy,” according to a press release. It also includes German students, who travel to live and study in the U.S.
“I just think this is a really awesome program and I really admire the fact that they’re working so hard to get German students in the U.S. and American students in Germany,” Stout said. “I just think it's awesome how they’re forming this bond between everyone.”
More information about CBYX can be found at exchanges.state.gov/cbyx. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/education/fhs-junior-headed-to-germany-as-part-of-international-exhange-program/article_b97b0f36-0f9b-11ed-a236-0bdc678fb57c.html | 2022-08-09T14:02:25 | 0 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/education/fhs-junior-headed-to-germany-as-part-of-international-exhange-program/article_b97b0f36-0f9b-11ed-a236-0bdc678fb57c.html |
CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – A crash involving a KRT bus and several other vehicles caused some traffic delays Tuesday morning.
The incident happened around 6:30 a.m. near the eastbound Charleston split on I-64. No one was injured, and no passengers were on the KRT bus. The interstate was shut down to one lane for about an hour, but the lanes have since re-opened.
No word on what caused the crash. | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/i-64-back-open-after-crash-involving-krt-bus/ | 2022-08-09T14:03:06 | 1 | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/i-64-back-open-after-crash-involving-krt-bus/ |
ARIZONA, USA — Arizona first responders came together to comfort a 6-year-old boy after both of his parents and his brother were killed in a car crash west of Flagstaff last month.
On July 26, the Stone family was driving through Arizona on their way to California after attending a family reunion in Colorado when their sedan crossed the median, rolled, and collided head-on with a tractor-trailer traveling east on Interstate 40, the Arizona Department of Transportation said.
Parents Brian and Alison and 8-year-old Oliver died on the scene. Six-year-old Alex was taken to a hospital with severe injuries.
“It was a devastating scene,” said Laurie Granger, an EMT volunteer with Kaibab Estates West Volunteer Fire Department, who was called out to assist at the scene. “I was pretty amazed there was a survivor.”
Alex injured all four limbs, which included a dislocated arm, broken hip, ankle, and leg, his grandmother Cindy Mason said.
Operation: ‘Cookie’
The wreck caused debris to go all over the highway. Crews cleaned most of it and recovered a teddy bear that belonged to Oliver.
Alex found comfort in his brother's stuffed animal, his grandmother said.
“When we told him about the accident, and his mommy and daddy and Oliver were in heaven, he grieved with Teddy, but he still constantly asked for Cookie,” Mason said.
The grandmother said Cookie is Alex’s beloved teddy bear, which has been with him since birth.
But Cookie was lost in the wreckage.
Nurses who were caring for Alex called the towing company, troopers, and firefighters in search of Cookie.
About four days after the crash, Jessica Puisis, a volunteer firefighter, got a call.
“Somebody contacted me and said that [Alex] was asking for a specific stuffed animal and wanted to know if any of us had seen anything or where it might be,” Puisis said. “It just kind of registered that I remembered that specific stuffed animal up on the hillside.”
She and other members of the Kaibab Estates West Volunteer Fire Department went back to the scene and found Cookie.
That same day Puisis and Tracy Zinn, a volunteer firefighter who assisted in the extrication of Alex and cradled him holding him until Lifeline arrived, personally delivered Cookie.
“He was super excited. He wouldn’t let it go,” Puisis said. “He would smile for a picture, but he wasn’t going to hold [Cookie] up. It was just on his chest, and that’s where it was staying.”
A simple act of kindness that did not go unnoticed
“In times like these, that’s what helps you feel supported,” said Patrick Mason, Alex’s uncle. “It’s comforting, it takes a weight out of your shoulders, and that really makes a difference.”
Alex is back in Bakersfield with his grandmother, where he has a long road to recovery, but thankful to have his beloved friend by his side.
“The day Cookie was delivered, Alex was sedated, so the next day, I asked him if he remembered the firefighters that dropped him off,” his grandmother said. “So sweet, he said, ‘I will always remember when something so special happens with Cookie'… What these firefighters did, that impact, he will never forget that.”
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Alex and cover funeral costs. If you'd like to donate, you can do so here.
Up to Speed
Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. Subscribe today. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/6-year-old-survives-crash-in-arizonathat-killed-other-family-members/75-aaed93b4-8afb-4932-9790-2ec5338714ff | 2022-08-09T14:08:37 | 0 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/6-year-old-survives-crash-in-arizonathat-killed-other-family-members/75-aaed93b4-8afb-4932-9790-2ec5338714ff |
Sheriff Carmine Marceno and Lee County School District Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier are scheduled to hold a press conference Tuesday on school safety.
It is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m.
WATCH LIVE:
Sheriff Carmine Marceno and Lee County School District Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier are scheduled to hold a press conference Tuesday on school safety.
It is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m.
WATCH LIVE:
According to officials, the men pictured were involved in a physical altercation with an employee at Stoneybrook Golf Club on...
Read more | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/08/09/lcso-lee-county-schools-hold-press-conference-on-school-safety/ | 2022-08-09T14:28:04 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/08/09/lcso-lee-county-schools-hold-press-conference-on-school-safety/ |
Jan. 6 defendant from Polk City fights prosecutors' attempts to limit defense
Prosecutors and a lawyer representing a Polk City man have submitted dueling court filings over charges that he participated in the U.S. Capitol attack.
Joshua Doolin, 24, is one of six current or former Polk County residents charged in relation to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. He is scheduled to go on trial next month in Washington, D.C.
Doolin was originally indicted in July 2021 on misdemeanor charges, including disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds. Federal prosecutors released a superseding indictment in July that added a felony charge, obstructing, impeding or interfering with a law-enforcement officer.
Doolin’s lawyer, Allen Orenberg of Potomac, Maryland, filed a motion in late July asking U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols to dismiss the felony charge. Orenberg presented a detailed argument, suggesting that the law on which the charge rests is unconstitutionally vague and criminalizes protected speech.
In a response filed Friday, prosecutors opposed Doolin’s motion. The 16-page filing, signed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benet Kearney and Matthew Moeder, argued that several courts have written recent opinions rejecting the challenges raised in Doolin’s motion.
The prosecutors’ filing cited numerous previous federal rulings in seeking to demonstrate that Doolin’s challenge lacked merit. The prosecutors disputed Doolin’s claim that the charge depended upon laws that are vague or overly broad
Orenberg filed three motions Friday in response to prosecutors’ motions seeking to introduce video evidence and to limit defense arguments in Doolin’s trial.
Prosecutors submitted a motion on July 23 seeking to allow the use of video evidence taken from YouTube. In a response, Orenberg warned of the proliferation of “deepfakes” on the internet, arguing that prosecutors should be required to verify the authenticity of the video.
READ MORE ABOUT THE JAN. 6 DEFENDANTS WITH POLK TIES:
- Jan. 6 defendants with Polk ties enter pleas of not guilty
- Jan. 6 defendant from Polk City wants new charge - a felony - dismissed
- Charges added for Polk County Jan. 6 defendants
- Report: Daughter of Publix founder paid $60,000 for Jan. 6 speech to Trump Jr.'s fiancee
- One year later, Jan. 6 suspect Jonathan Pollock from Polk County hasn’t been caught
Orenberg also challenged a government motion to preclude certain defense arguments. Prosecutors have asked Nichols to block Doolin from arguing “entrapment by Estoppel,” the concept of receiving permission from a government official to commit an illegal act.
The government motion seeks to prevent Doolin from claiming that former President Donald Trump gave him and other supporters permission to enter the U.S. Capitol grounds through his repeated calls to stop certification of the 2020 election results. Orenberg, citing the case of U.S. v. Chrestman, wrote that Doolin likely would have a viable defense on the grounds that he did not believe he was trespassing at the Capitol that day.
Orenberg challenged prosecutors’ attempts to limit other defense arguments. Prosecutors have asked Nichols to preclude character evidence based on Doolin’s background as an emergency medical technician and arguments that showed “good conduct” on Jan. 6 by allegedly helping to protect an injured police officer.
Doolin’s lawyer also argued against a motion seeking to preclude any defense that would encourage jury nullification, an acquittal despite jurors’ belief that a defendant is actually guilty.
Finally, Orenberg responded to prosecutors’ motions to restrict details about Secret Service activities and the locations of surveillance cameras at the Capitol. The government has sought to limit the defense’s questioning of Secret Service officers on where protected officials are taken at the Capitol during emergencies and about the specific locations of cameras.
Orenberg wrote that prosecutors must be required to establish that a person protected by the Secret Service — presumably former Vice President Mike Pence — was present at the Capitol, thus making it a restricted building. Doolin’s lawyer also wrote that the judge should allow questions about the locations of cameras as a way to evaluate the credibility of witness testimony.
Prosecutors claim that Doolin traveled to Washington, D.C., with relatives and friends and moved together with them near the Capitol building on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021. He was indicted along with his cousins, Jonathan Pollock and Olivia Pollock of Lakeland; and friends Joseph Hutchinson III, formerly of Lakeland and now of Georgia; and Steven Perkins of Plant City.
Orenberg successfully motioned to have Doolin’s case severed from the others'.
Olivia Pollock, Hutchinson and Perkins were scheduled for trial in January, but a judge has delayed that until March. Jonathan Pollock has remained a fugitive since his indictment more than a year ago.
Two other Lakeland residents, Corinne Montoni and Brian Boele, were separately indicted in connection with the U.S. Capitol attack.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13. | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2022/08/09/jan-6-capitol-riot-defendant-joshua-doolin-fights-prosecutors-limits-defense/10267348002/ | 2022-08-09T14:44:33 | 1 | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2022/08/09/jan-6-capitol-riot-defendant-joshua-doolin-fights-prosecutors-limits-defense/10267348002/ |
Lakeland lawyer seeks records on 'Zuck Bucks'
Complaint centers on Hillsborough voter-education contract in 2020
A Lakeland lawyer has accused Hillsborough County’s elections office of potentially partisan activity favoring Democrats in the weeks before the 2020 election.
Hardam H. Tripathi is the plaintiff in a civil complaint filed in May seeking to force a contractor to provide records related to a $2.6 million contract for a voter-education campaign it received from the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections office. The legal action centers on “Zuck Bucks,” money provided to elections offices nationwide through a nonprofit largely funded by Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook’s parent company, and his wife.
More election news:Polk School Board District 6: Newcomers Sara Jones and Justin Sharpless vie for open seat
Also:Polk County School Board District 7 race: Lisa Miller faces 2 challengers, in bid for 2nd term
In a 173-page initial complaint, Tripathi detailed his efforts to gather records of the contract the elections office signed with Vistra Communications, a Hillsborough County company. He claimed that both the Supervisor of Elections office and Vistra have failed to provide detailed information, asserting that the responses violate Florida’s public-records laws.
Tripathi’s three lawyers — Seldon Childers of Gainesville, Charles Hardage of Lakeland and Rachel Rodriguez of West Palm Beach — filed the complaint with the Circuit Court of the 13th Judicial Circuit, based in Tampa. It names Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer and Vistra Communications as defendants.
Tripathi seeks a judgment declaring that Vistra has failed to provide requested records within a reasonable time. He also asked the court to direct Vistra to produce all the requested documents and to pay “reasonable costs of enforcement” of the action, including his attorney fees.
Latimer strongly rejected the accusation of partisan favoritism, and a lawyer representing his office has asked to have the complaint dismissed.
Circuit Court Judge Melissa Polo, in an order issued July 21, granted a motion by Vistra to have Tripathi file an amended motion within 10 days. Tripathi entered the motion on Wednesday, deleting the 17-paragraph introduction in which he provided a summary of the elections office’s contract with Vistra and offered such judgments as, “The public interest calls for a full accounting of these events.”
Wary of private funds
In the complaint, Tripathi described the Hillsborough elections office as first saying publicly it would seek the private funds and then hastily submitting an application without documenting the details of the process. The lawyer argues that the office appeared to forge an agreement with Vistra to provide services before the $3 million grant had been approved.
Tripathi questioned by a public department would accept private funds to carry out its constitutionally assigned duties. And he said that records indicate the elections office offered a misleading description for the project, calling it a voter-education campaign when it was actually a “get out the vote” campaign targeting groups more likely to vote for Democrats.
Hardage is president of the Republican Club of Lakeland and Tripathi serves as secretary. Latimer is a Democrat now serving in his third term after being reelected without opposition in 2020.
Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, donated $350 million to the Center for Tech and Civic Life in the months before the 2020 general election, according to Ballotpedia. Zuckerberg said the funds would be used to provide election infrastructure, such as voting equipment, the hiring of additional staff and protective supplies for poll workers.
The nonprofit parlayed the funds into grants made to nearly 2,500 jurisdictions nationwide in the 2020 election cycle, Ballotpedia reported, with more than $16 million going to offices in Florida. The grants came at a time when many elections offices faced challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as changing voting procedures or expanding mail voting.
Other contests:US Rep. Scott Franklin faces 4 newcomers in Republican primary for the 18th district
Polk County Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards said her office did not accept any private funds for use with the 2020 election.
The CTCL, founded in 2015 and based in Chicago, describes its mission as helping Americans remain civically engaged and helping to “ensure that our elections are more professional, inclusive and secure.” Critics accused the center of giving a disproportionate share of grants to Democratic-leaning counties, a charge that the CTCL’s leaders have denied.
Some political observers warned more generally about the infusion of private money into elections carried out by public agencies. Florida and more than 20 other states have since passed laws barring elections offices from accepting private funds.
In the complaint, Tripathi said that the $3 million grant equated to one-fifth of the annual budget for the Hillsborough elections office.
Tripathi cited a report from Florida Politics from Sept. 2, 2020, in which a spokesperson for the Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections dismissed the possibility of seeking a grant from the CTCL. A week later, Latimer’s Chief of Staff, Peg Reese, sent an email indicating the office would pursue the funding, according to the complaint.
Emails suggest the elections office initially planned to seek a modest grant to cover the costs of signs and additional early-voting sites, the complaint says.
Tripathi wrote that Reese soon corresponded with a David Horwich, who used a personal email account that didn’t indicate his connection to the CTCL. Horwich instructed Reese on how to apply for a grant, the complaint says, directing her to a template with much of the required information already entered.
The following day, Reese sent an email to Latimer and Kramer with a completed draft of a “Safe Voting Plan” template, the complaint says. The draft listed the grant amount at nearly $2.8 million and said that most of that amount would go toward voter education, outreach and communication “in a pandemic environment,” Tripathi wrote.
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The first written communication between the elections office and Vistra occurred three days later, the complaint says, when Kramer received an email from Vistra CEO Brian Butler that included a table labeled “Campaign Concept.”
“Although the SOE’s grant request had not yet been approved, the email and letter from Mr. Butler seemed to assume that the SOE and Vistra had already agreed that Vistra would be receiving the entirety of the $2.6 million the SOE had requested for ‘voter education, outreach, and communication,’” Tripathi wrote.
Reese received an email from the CTCL four days later saying the elections office had been approved for a grant of nearly $3 million, Tripathi wrote. Latimer’s office signed a contract with Vistra the next day, the complaint says.
Tripathi questioned when the agreement was reached and whether Vistra was involved with the grant application.
Records indicate the entire grant amount was spent in a six-week period from Sept. 22 to Election Day on Nov. 6, the complaint says.
The contract called for Vistra to implement a voter-education campaign. Tripathi asserts that the operation actually sought to boost participation by groups likely to favor Democratic candidates.
The complaint cites a document in the Vistra contract that lists “audiences” for the voter-education campaign as “youth,” “Black/African-American,” “Hispanic/Latnix” and “Mainstream.”
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“These emails strongly suggest that the Campaign was in fact a get-out-the-vote drive that the SOE preferred to characterize as a voter education effort,” Tripathi wrote. “Even more troubling — as described below — the Campaign’s get-out-the-vote drive appears to have been designed in partisan terms to benefit the Democrat Party.”
The complaint describes Tripathi’s repeated requests beginning in November 2021 for documents related to the grant application process and discussions with Vistra. Instead, the lawyer wrote, the records provided to him mainly consist of brief emails and basic documents such as contracts and the grant application.
“It is as if the SOE intentionally left behind a publicly reviewable record that would defeat the intentions of any voter seeking to use Florida’s broad public records laws to shine light on the events of September to November of 2020,” the complaint says.
The complaint contains 149 pages of exhibits, such as copies of emails, the Vistra contract and records requests submitted by Tripathi and Hardage.
Rejecting accusations
Both the Hillsborough elections office and Vistra Communications have filed motions to dismiss the complaint. In a motion from June, Robert Brazel, Hillsborough County’s Chief Assistant Attorney, argued that the claims for relief do not involve the Supervisor of Elections office and only make allegations against Vistra. The document says that the complaint contains no requested relief against Latimer.
The Hillsborough elections office sent The Ledger a written statement from Latimer. In the 458-world statement, Latimer said he faced two unique challenges in the 2020 election, “a pandemic and a proliferation of misinformation related to elections and voting.”
Latimer wrote that Tripathi’s original complaint, and to a lesser degree the amended complaint, were “replete with pages upon pages of innuendo and supposition far afield of factual elements of a public records dispute.”
Latimer wrote that he anticipates a resolution with Tripathi.
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“However, the complaint alleged that a change in a communications campaign title from ‘Get Out The Vote’ to ‘Voter Education’ was an attempt to disguise a partisan outreach effort,” Latimer wrote. “That baseless attack on my integrity is something I will not let stand.”
Addressing the contract with Vistra, Latimer wrote that his office used most of the CTCL grant on voter education. He wrote that Vistra promoted details about the election on TV, radio, billboards, ride-share vehicles, gas pumps, movie screens, airport displays and print news publications.
Vistra CEO Brian Butler emailed a statement to The Ledger.
“In September 2020, Vistra Communications entered into a contract with the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office to implement a Voter Education Campaign, which included developing strategy, planning, executing and managing the campaign through creating, placing and buying a broad range of advertisements,” the statement said. “Our team created a campaign to reach all Hillsborough County residents in a very short period of time, and we did that exceptionally well through print, radio, broadcast, billboards, digital and other media outlets. We believe we have provided all required documentation related to this highly successful campaign to The Supervisor of Elections Office.”
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13. | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2022/08/09/lakeland-lawyer-probes-use-zuck-bucks-hillsborough-election-florida/10233845002/ | 2022-08-09T14:44:33 | 0 | https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2022/08/09/lakeland-lawyer-probes-use-zuck-bucks-hillsborough-election-florida/10233845002/ |
BALTIMORE — Two medics were injured while responding to a call in south Baltimore on Monday night, when a driver fired an air pellet gun at them then struck one medic with the car while fleeing, officials said.
Both medics were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation of their injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening, officials said in a news release.
Other fire department personnel responded to the initial emergency call.
Baltimore Police are investigating the incident, Clark said. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/driver-shoots-1-medic-with-air-pellet-hits-another-with-car/2022/08/09/05d29766-17f1-11ed-b998-b2ab68f58468_story.html | 2022-08-09T14:50:49 | 1 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/driver-shoots-1-medic-with-air-pellet-hits-another-with-car/2022/08/09/05d29766-17f1-11ed-b998-b2ab68f58468_story.html |
PARRISH, Fla. — Two men have been arrested in connection to Monday's armed robbery and bomb threat at a Manatee County bank, deputies said.
The sheriff's office said 55-year-old Robert Frascella threatened to blow up the Fifth Third Bank in Parrish. Around 2:40 p.m. Frascella walked into the bank and walked straight to the counter, the sheriff's office said.
He then dropped a package on the counter along with a note demanding cash, deputies said.
According to the agency, the teller handed over an undisclosed amount of cash before the man walked out of the bank. Detectives said he left a blue backpack behind.
The sheriff's office said its bomb squad was able to take a "suspicious" box from the backpack and found only glassware inside. No explosives were found, deputies said.
Detectives said they learned 31-year-old Thomas Harris acted as the driver of the getaway car and helped Frascella plan the robbery.
Both men were later found and arrested, detectives said. Both are charged with armed robbery and false threat of an explosive device.
Detectives said "several pieces" of evidence were found with both men at the time of their arrest. And, the sheriff's office said some of the stolen money was found.
According to the agency, the FBI is also investigating the case. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/manateecounty/parrish-fifth-third-bank-robbery-bomb-threat-arrest/67-8b939902-3847-40ab-9e9d-ea975da8b5e5 | 2022-08-09T14:54:26 | 0 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/manateecounty/parrish-fifth-third-bank-robbery-bomb-threat-arrest/67-8b939902-3847-40ab-9e9d-ea975da8b5e5 |
TAMPA, Fla. — Beloved actress and singer Olivia Newton-John was admired across the world but held a particularly special place in the hearts of those at Tampa’s Moffitt Cancer Center.
Upon learning the news of the "Grease" star's passing on Monday, the center posted a heartfelt message sharing the work she did to promote cancer research and prevention right here in the Bay area.
“Olivia was an incredible friend of the cancer center, a friend to me, an international figure in the fight against cancer, and a treasure and inspiration to her many fans all over the world,” H. Lee Moffitt, founder of Moffitt Cancer Center, wrote in the post.
Newton-John had served on Moffitt’s national Board of Advisors since 2009. For more than a decade, she spoke on behalf of the cancer center, advocating for research, early detection and prevention of the disease, the center wrote.
The British-Australian entertainer publicly battled cancer more than once. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 and beat it. Doctors found cancer in her shoulder after a 2013 car accident. Then in 2017, she learned her breast cancer returned and had spread to her back, resulting in a tumor at the base of her spine.
The cancer reached stage 4, and Newton-John revealed to "60 Minutes Australia" that she didn't want to know how much time she had.
“We were blessed to have had Olivia as a friend and colleague,” Moffitt said. “She was one of a kind and an extraordinary individual. The Moffitt family is deeply saddened by her passing. We send our heartfelt condolences to her husband, John, and daughter, Chloe.”
TEGNA contributed to this report. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/olivia-newton-john-tampa-moffitt-cancer-center/67-8c9f39f1-22c7-49bc-b182-a8d6789ecde5 | 2022-08-09T14:54:29 | 1 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/olivia-newton-john-tampa-moffitt-cancer-center/67-8c9f39f1-22c7-49bc-b182-a8d6789ecde5 |
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