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Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/family-jesse-jackson-to-meet-sesame-place-leadership-amid-discrimination-claims/3332298/ | 2022-08-11T12:10:41 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/family-jesse-jackson-to-meet-sesame-place-leadership-amid-discrimination-claims/3332298/ |
What to Know
- A judge has reinstated third-degree murder charges against a woman in a crash on a Philadelphia interstate that claimed the lives of two Pennsylvania troopers and a civilian earlier this year.
- The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Common Pleas Court Judge Lillian Ransom’s decision Wednesday comes more than a month after a municipal court judge dismissed the charges against 22-year-old Jayana Tanae Webb of Eagleville.
- Police said Troopers Martin Mack III and Branden Sisca were trying to get a man off the interstate early on March 21 and a vehicle struck and killed all three. Webb's attorney said he will seek reconsideration of the ruling.
A judge has reinstated third-degree murder charges against a woman in a crash on a Philadelphia interstate that claimed the lives of two Pennsylvania troopers and a civilian earlier this year.
Common Pleas Court Judge Lillian Ransom’s decision Wednesday comes more than a month after a municipal court judge dismissed the charges against 22-year-old Jayana Tanae Webb of Eagleville, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Ransom cited previous witness testimony and tweets Webb is alleged to have sent that night along with video footage played in a previous hearing of the time-frame of the early morning crash on March 21 on Interstate 95.
Police said Troopers Martin Mack III and Branden Sisca were trying to get a man to safety after he was reported walking in the southbound lanes of I-95 near the sports stadiums in south Philadelphia. Police said a vehicle “traveling at a high rate of speed” struck all three, and all died at the scene. Mack enlisted in 2014 and Sisca did so last year. The other victim was identified as 28-year-old Reyes Rivera Oliveras of Allentown.
Defense attorney Michael Walker said he would seek reconsideration of the ruling, which he said had “deeply saddened" his client's family.
Webb is also charged with vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide while driving under the influence. The judge denied a motion by prosecutors to revoke bail for the defendant, which was set at $600,000 at a June hearing.
Correction (Aug. 11, 2022, 6:37 a.m.): This story has been updated to properly reflect that the troopers worked for Pennsylvania State Police. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/murder-charges-reinstated-i-95-crash-hilly/3331823/ | 2022-08-11T12:10:42 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/murder-charges-reinstated-i-95-crash-hilly/3331823/ |
Man arrested after stealing truck, hitting owner with it before crash in Detroit
An 18-year-old man is in custody after allegedly stealing a pickup truck in Westland and using it to hit its owner before crashing in Detroit, Michigan State Police said.
Officials said they learned at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday that Westland police were tracking a stolen white 2021 Ford F-150.
Police said the truck's owner had confronted the thief. As the man fled from the scene in the pickup, he struck the truck's owner with the vehicle, they said.
State police troopers located the truck on eastbound Davison near Livernois in Detroit.
Before they could turn on their sirens, the driver fled. As troopers began to pursue, the pickup drove through a red light and was hit by another pickup.
Police said the driver of the second truck drove away. They said the driver of the stolen truck exited the vehicle and ran.
Troopers chased the man and took him into custody. He was turned over to Westland police.
No injuries were reported, officials said. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2022/08/11/man-arrested-after-stealing-truck-hitting-owner-before-crash-detroit/10295247002/ | 2022-08-11T12:15:13 | 0 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2022/08/11/man-arrested-after-stealing-truck-hitting-owner-before-crash-detroit/10295247002/ |
Eastpointe man charged after 5-year-old shoots himself in foot
Eastpointe — A man has been charged in connection with a shooting that wounded a 5-year-old boy he was babysitting, officials said.
Laron Genta Alston, 42, of Eastpointe was arraigned Wednesday in 38th District Court on a charge of second-degree child abuse, a 10-year felony.
A judge set his bond at $15,000. He also ordered him not to have any contact with the victim or possess a handgun if he posts bond. Alston is scheduled to appear in court for a probable cause conference on Aug. 23.
Police said officers were called at about 4:50 p.m. Tuesday to a home in the 16000 block of Juliana near Eight Mile and Kelly for a report of a shooting.
They found a 5-year-old boy who was bleeding from his left foot from an apparent gunshot wound.
Medics took the child to a hospital and he is expected to recover, police said.
Investigators learned the boy was at the home with his uncle, later identified as Alston, who was babysitting him.
They said Alston did not have access to a gun safe and decided to hide his .40 Sig Sauer inside the cushion of a recliner for safekeeping.
At some point, the boy found the gun and shot himself, authorities said.
During their investigation, detectives found a second firearm and removed it from the home. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2022/08/11/eastpointe-man-charged-after-5-year-old-shoots-himself-foot/10295200002/ | 2022-08-11T12:15:13 | 0 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/macomb-county/2022/08/11/eastpointe-man-charged-after-5-year-old-shoots-himself-foot/10295200002/ |
Detectives investigating fight between workers at GM's Orion plant
Charles E. Ramirez
The Detroit News
Lake Orion — Detectives with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office are at General Motors Corps' Orion Assembly Plant and investigating an altercation between two workers.
Officials said deputies were called to the factory at about 1:40 a.m. One person was killed, according to reports, and police say there is no danger to the larger community.
In a statement, General Motors says production at the Giddings Road plant, which builds Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles, is canceled for the day. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2022/08/11/detectives-investigating-fight-between-workers-gms-orion-plant/10295090002/ | 2022-08-11T12:15:19 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2022/08/11/detectives-investigating-fight-between-workers-gms-orion-plant/10295090002/ |
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Emergency crews are responding to an explosion involving at least one house that reverberated across a neighborhood in Evansville, killing three people, according to media reports.
The Vanderburgh County Coroner's Office told WFIE-TV three people died in the explosion that occurred in the 1000 block of North Weinbach Avenue at about 1 p.m. CDT Wednesday.
Evansville Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Anna Gray said at least one other injury was reported and that victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
“Debris is strewn over a 100-foot radius," including “typical construction materials” such as wooden boards, window glass and insulation, Evansville Fire Chief Mike Connelly told the Courier-Press.
The cause of the explosion has not been determined, but the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was investigating. A phone message seeking comment was left at the Evansville field office of the ATF.
A security camera at nearby ABK Tracking captured the explosion on video and shared it with WFIE.
A total of 39 houses were damaged in the explosion, firefighters said, including four which were destroyed. Fire officials told WFIE-TV in Evansville most of the houses in the surrounding area were unoccupied, except for pets, at the time of the explosion.
Aerial video posted on social media shows damage strewn in a residential neighborhood with numerous police and fire vehicles on the scene.
CenterPoint Energy, the local gas utility, was last called to the home in January 2018, Connelly said. CenterPoint issued a statement saying it “worked with first responders to secure the area.”
“CenterPoint Energy is working closely with the Evansville Fire Department, State Fire Marshal and other agencies as the investigation of this incident continues,” the utility said.
Jacki Baumgart, an office manager at Award World Trophies about 2 1/2 blocks from the site of the explosion, said she and other employees in their building panicked when they heard the blast.
“It was loud,” Baumgart said. “There was huge smoke.”
“We thought a tree fell on the building or a car ran into the place,” she said. “Debris from the ceiling came down."
She continued: "Everybody here immediately ran out of the building. We thought the building was going to come down.”
It was the second house explosion in the area in just over five years. A house explosion on June 27, 2017, killed two people and injured three others.
Wednesday's explosion also brought to mind a massive blast in 2012 that destroyed or damaged more than 80 homes in the Richmond Hill neighborhood on Indianapolis’ south side and killed two people. A man was convicted of tampering with a natural gas line at his then-girlfriend’s home in an attempt to commit insurance fraud, with the explosion killing two next-door neighbors. That man, his half-brother and girlfriend all received long prison sentences. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/house-explosion-in-evansville-injures-at-least-2-indiana/531-5f243a16-770d-4707-a187-c7abdea5ef12 | 2022-08-11T12:21:52 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/house-explosion-in-evansville-injures-at-least-2-indiana/531-5f243a16-770d-4707-a187-c7abdea5ef12 |
SAN ANTONIO — Police are trying to figure out if a man shot on the west side early Thursday morning was the intended target or just a victim caught in a spray of gunfire.
They don't have much to go on when it comes to the shooter, except more than 30 bullet casings at the scene of this crime.
The victim got shot in the jaw in the 700 block of South San Bernardo, not far from South General McMullen.
Police say gunfire woke the man up just before three Thursday morning.
He was sleeping in some kind of homemade wooden structure in an empty lot.
Investigators say the 42-year-old woke up to a gunshot wound in the jaw.
Police treated the victim until EMS took him to a local hospital. He told investigators he did not see the shooters.
Police say they discovered at least 33 bullet casings at the scene.
This was so alarming that officers went door-to-door at nearby homes to make sure that no one else got shot.
It's unclear if this man was the intended victim, or if he caught the heat for the actual target.
Either way, the shooters will face criminal charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Learn more about KENS 5:
Since going on the air in 1950, KENS 5 has strived to be the best, most trusted news and entertainment source for generations of San Antonians.
KENS 5 has brought numerous firsts to South Texas television, including being the first local station with a helicopter, the first with its own Doppler radar and the first to air a local morning news program.
Over the years, KENS 5 has worked to transform local news. Our cameras have been the lens bringing history into local viewers' homes. We're proud of our legacy as we serve San Antonians today.
Today, KENS 5 continues to set the standard in local broadcasting and is recognized by its peers for excellence and innovation. The KENS 5 News team focuses on stories that really matter to our community.
You can find KENS 5 in more places than ever before, including KENS5.com, the KENS 5 app, the KENS 5 YouTube channel, KENS 5's Roku and Fire TV apps, and across social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more!
Want to get in touch with someone at KENS 5? You can send a message using our Contacts page or email one of our team members. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/man-shot-in-jaw-while-sleeping-in-what-police-describe-as-shack-on-empty-lot-on-west-side-san-antonio-texas-shooting-gun-weapon/273-a733dbc5-ec20-4b27-af24-f81a77c0c14a | 2022-08-11T12:21:58 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/man-shot-in-jaw-while-sleeping-in-what-police-describe-as-shack-on-empty-lot-on-west-side-san-antonio-texas-shooting-gun-weapon/273-a733dbc5-ec20-4b27-af24-f81a77c0c14a |
FRIDLEY, Minn. — A Coon Rapids woman is suing Walmart over a 2019 fire in the parking lot of the company's Fridley store that took the life of her 6-year-old daughter.
Essie McKenzie alleges that Walmart's policy to allow RVs and other vehicles camp in their store parking lots led a California couple to stay overnight in August of 2019, and eventually use a hotplate that started McKenzie's van on fire with her two children sleeping inside. The lawsuit alleges wrongful death, and says by allowing people to camp with no supervision, permit requirements or sanitation, Walmart has maintained dangerous conditions on store grounds.
"These unregulated, unlicensed, and unmonitored campgrounds pose a threat of illness, injury, noise, and crime to a considerable number of members of the public," the court documents read.
The suit seeks damages in excess of $75,000.
First responders were called to the Walmart Superstore at 8450 University Avenue in Fridley around 7:15 a.m. the morning of Aug. 6, on reports that a van had caught fire and jumped to multiple vehicles parked nearby. One of those vehicles belonged to Essie McKenzie and inside were her children, who were napping while she shopped for groceries. McKenzie said the children were tired after being awakened quite early that morning so she could take relatives to the airport.
McKenzie's 6-year-old daughter Ty-rah sustained injuries that would prove fatal, and her eldest daughter Taraji, who was nine at the time of the incident, suffered severe injuries that the lawsuit claims will leave her physically and emotionally scarred for life.
Investigators discovered that the origin of the fire was a hot plate being used by Robert Lino Hipolito, who was camping in the Walmart parking lot with his wife in their minivan. The 72-year-old Hipolito was charged with second degree manslaughter, but eventually pled guilty to two felony counts of negligent fire. He was sentenced to 120 days in jail and three years probation.
“She (her daughter Taraji White) watched her six-year-old sister (Ty'rah) lose everything in the palm of her hand,” said McKenzie at the time of the sentencing. Taraji White survived the fire but was left with severe burns and lung damage.
“I wished that this never happened, and I wish I could do something to fix it, but I can do nothing,” Hipolito told the court.
The lawsuit says Walmart allows overnight camping in its parking lots with the expectation those campers will then purchase goods from the store. It alleges Walmart failed to monitor the activities of overnight campers, specifically the Hipolitos, though having the capability to do so.
While McKenzie's attorney did not respond to inquiries Wednesday, Walmart sent a statement saying, "Our sympathies remain with the friends and family impacted by this tragic event three years ago. We plan to defend the company and will respond in Court to the Complaint as appropriate."
In 2020, a Hennepin County judge approved a separate, $130,000 settlement in a civil case filed on behalf of McKenzie's surviving daughter against the California man.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist: | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/mother-sues-walmart-after-childs-death-in-parking-lot/89-4b156476-0e93-44fc-a586-728b45b5a553 | 2022-08-11T12:22:04 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/mother-sues-walmart-after-childs-death-in-parking-lot/89-4b156476-0e93-44fc-a586-728b45b5a553 |
DALLAS — There are some incredible moments in life we never forget. For 16-year-old Roderick, one of those moments happened last week.
The Dallas Mavericks invited WFAA to tape his Wednesday's Child segment with them. It was definitely a moment in time. WFAA hopes it leads Roderick to his forever home.
Sometimes life doesn't deal you the best cards. Roderick said you cannot choose what you get, but you can certainly choose how you play them.
"I can't focus on the negativity. I gotta [sic] focus on the positive in my life. I play with the cards I'm dealt with," he said.
They are words of wisdom from a young man with a slam dunk attitude.
"I'm smart. I like to draw. I want to become an architect when I get older. I want to go to college at Texas Tech, and I want to be very successful in life. When I do, I want to help other kids just like me," said Roderick.
He has been in foster care five years. He described what it’s been like moving from placement to placement. Sometimes, he says, there’s been no place to live.
"Hectic. Hard to find placements. It's hectic."
Roderick got a shot to help him find a forever family when the Dallas Mavs invited him to tape his Wednesday’s Child story with them. Roderick has mad skills on the basketball court.
He had fun showing Mavs CEO Cynt Marshall how to make a basket. He also got to shoot some hoops with new Mavs center Christian Wood. Wood was impressed with Roderick’s height. The 16-year-old is 5'11".
“Wow, you're tall man. Wish I was that tall when I was your age," commented Wood.
"It feel like a dream. I can't believe I'm here. I'm so excited. I'm nervous. I haven't smiled this much in a while," said Roderick.
The Mavs gave Roderick a taste of what home could feel like. Wood offered Roderick words of encouragement, opening up about his own troubled childhood and how he never knew his father.
Roderick absorbed all of it. He heard things he doesn't hear often.
"My favorite part was when you said you see God in me, that really brightened me up," said Roderick, after WFAA's Cynthia Izaguirre told him she saw God in his heart.
No child should be starved of love and kindness, especially not someone as loving as Roderick.
"All I want is someone to care for me," he said about the kind of family he wants to adopt him.
If you think Roderick smiled a lot today, just wait until the day his advocates help score his forever family.
For more information on how to adopt Roderick, please send all approved home studies to LaQueena Warren at LaQueena.Warren@dfps.texas.gov. Please remember to include Roderick’s names within the subject line.
If you're not licensed, please visit adoptchildren.org to find out more information on how to become licensed to foster and/or adopt or contact LaQueena Warren at 817-304-1272. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/outreach/wfaa-wednesdays-child-16-year-old-roderick-in-foster-care-needs-adopted/287-8f306207-a38b-4593-8e67-4b8d6e5a4b17 | 2022-08-11T12:22:10 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/outreach/wfaa-wednesdays-child-16-year-old-roderick-in-foster-care-needs-adopted/287-8f306207-a38b-4593-8e67-4b8d6e5a4b17 |
SAN ANTONIO — The Southside ISD is getting ready to welcome thousands of kids back to campus Thursday morning.
The district says students have a lot to look forward to this year.
Southside ISD says they’re making significant academic progress.
At Heritage Elementary, they’re expecting an a rating based on STAAR test scores, but back in 2019, they made an ‘F’ rating.
The district as a whole is expected to receive a "B" rating from the TEA, up from a "C" in previous years.
Southside ISD also says while many districts are losing kids, their district is getting bigger.
They’re close to having more than 6,000 students in the district.
As far as safety goes, the district has officers at all campuses.
The district requires that all doors stay locked at all times, and they check doors regularly.
They’ve also started a dress code, requiring students to wear red, black or white shirts and they can only carry mesh or clear backpacks.
Finally, the district says they’re now the highest paying district out of all 17 districts in San Antonio.
Starting teachers can expect $59,000 on top of a $3,000 bonus.
The first bell rings at 7:15 a.m.
Learn more about KENS 5:
Since going on the air in 1950, KENS 5 has strived to be the best, most trusted news and entertainment source for generations of San Antonians.
KENS 5 has brought numerous firsts to South Texas television, including being the first local station with a helicopter, the first with its own Doppler radar and the first to air a local morning news program.
Over the years, KENS 5 has worked to transform local news. Our cameras have been the lens bringing history into local viewers' homes. We're proud of our legacy as we serve San Antonians today.
Today, KENS 5 continues to set the standard in local broadcasting and is recognized by its peers for excellence and innovation. The KENS 5 News team focuses on stories that really matter to our community.
You can find KENS 5 in more places than ever before, including KENS5.com, the KENS 5 app, the KENS 5 YouTube channel, KENS 5's Roku and Fire TV apps, and across social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more!
Want to get in touch with someone at KENS 5? You can send a message using our Contacts page or email one of our team members. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/southside-isd-welcomes-students-back-thursday-school-san-antonio-texas-classes/273-605f2a4f-aad7-4fa6-80e1-5a3f556e6ce6 | 2022-08-11T12:22:16 | 0 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/southside-isd-welcomes-students-back-thursday-school-san-antonio-texas-classes/273-605f2a4f-aad7-4fa6-80e1-5a3f556e6ce6 |
Six women to be honored at Muncie's Women's Equality Day celebration
MUNCIE, Ind. — The Coalition of Women’s Organizations will host its 30th annual Women’s Equality Day program at 5 p.m. Aug. 25 in the Muncie City Hall auditorium. The event will honor the achievements of women who fought for the right to vote and the successes of today's community leaders.
Women’s Equality Day celebrates the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
The Muncie celebration will honor six local women who have made significant contributions to the broader community.
The event will pay special tribute to Vivian V. Conley, who was a civil rights activist in Muncie at the forefront of many community issues relating to education, civil and elderly rights. The women honored at the Equality Day program will be awarded a Vivian V. Conley Recognition Certificate.
In her 60s, Conley enrolled at Ball State University and attended classes at the same time as her daughter and three of her grandsons. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in gerontology from Ball State. She was the founder of the Non-Traditional Student Association and was credited with directing more than 150 young people and adults into college programs.
Conley was an activist until her death in 1993 at the age of 71. Then-Indiana Gov. Evan Bayh named her a Sagamore of the Wabash.
Honorees for the Coalition of Women’s Organizations 2022 Women's Equality Day celebration include:
- Bria Zolman, Distinction in Education
- Courtney Jarrett, Distinction in Civic Engagement and Inclusion
- Suzanne Clem, Distinction in Public Health and Community Engagement
- LaTasha Mardis, Distinction in Community Service
- Krista Garrett, Distinction in Protection of Children
- Janet Stratton, Distinction in Arts and Culture
Rhonda Ward, Director of Diversity for Muncie Community Schools, and a 2021 Conley award recipient, will be the keynote speaker for this year's event.
The coalition is made up of the local branches of the American Association of University Women, League of Women Voters, National Organization for Women, Indiana Women of Achievement, Friends of Conley and the Coalition of 100 Black Women.
This year is the 102nd anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment. Former President Richard Nixon was the first president to declare Aug. 26 National Women's Equality Day, and since then, every U.S. president has issued the same proclamation.
The local event is free and open to the public. Information: womensequalitydaymuncie@gmail.com.
More:2 Muncie authors shortlisted for Indiana Authors Awards | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2022/08/11/6-women-to-be-honored-at-muncies-womens-equality-day-celebration/65397297007/ | 2022-08-11T12:23:16 | 1 | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2022/08/11/6-women-to-be-honored-at-muncies-womens-equality-day-celebration/65397297007/ |
Skatepark and upgrades planned for Westside Park
MUNCIE, Ind. − The City of Muncie will invest about $600,000 in upgrades to Westside Park that will include a skatepark that the public is invited to help design.
The city has issued a survey seeking public input for elements of the new skatepark. The skateboard amenity will be in addition to basketball courts, the playground, and other features toward the west end of the park, in a spot formerly used as a model aviation area and now largely unused green space, according to a release from the city administration.
The city awarded the design of planned changes to Rundell Ernstberger Associates (REA) and Hunger Skateparks following a request for proposals.
The administration is covering $300,000 of the cost with American Rescue Plan funding and intends to use $220,000 from the recently approved $3.5 million Muncie Redevelopment Commission bond issue. The remaining funds, about $80,000, are to be raised privately in the community.
Money for parks: Muncie City Council OKs $3.5 million bond issue by MRC as discussion shifts to park needs
“It’s exciting to see the project take shape,” Mayor Dan Ridenour said in a statement. “A dedicated skatepark means beginners have a safe place to learn, and will give Ball State students a great introduction to our City Parks.”
Ridenour said the people organizing the fundraising are confident they can reach their goal.
Muncie City Council member Ro Selvey has spearheaded the fundraising campaign and says it's good for the park to have community actively contribute.
“This skatepark will represent efforts and partnership between the skateboarding coalition, the city, and the Parks Department…. These efforts will ensure that the skateboarding community has been consulted.” Selvey said.
The fundraising campaign is scheduled to be launched soon.
Major improvement at McCulloch: McCulloch Park baseball diamond gets an upgrade - and a new name
Hunger Skateparks has developed a short survey to collect information about public wants for the project. The survey, which will be posted live for two weeks, asks for skaters and members of the community to describe what they want to see in a skatepark, including beginner’s features, and amenities for non-skaters, such as seating and structures for shade. The survey responses are due by Aug. 24.
According to the release, construction is expected to begin in 2023, contingent on successful completion of the fundraising campaign. | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2022/08/11/muncies-westside-park-to-get-skatepark-upgrades/65399247007/ | 2022-08-11T12:23:28 | 1 | https://www.thestarpress.com/story/news/local/2022/08/11/muncies-westside-park-to-get-skatepark-upgrades/65399247007/ |
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) advised customers on Wednesday that several major electric generating utilities will raise prices on Sep. 1.
The commission recommends that residents should explore ways to manage their utility expenses, including utilizing energy efficiency and conservation measures, closely monitoring electric bills, reviewing supplier contracts, and discussing affordability programs with their utilities.
According to PUC, half of Pennsylvania's major electric distribution companies (EDCs) reset their energy prices on a quarterly basis. These companies include PECO Energy and the state's four FirstEnergy companies- Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power, and West Penn Power.
Sep. 1 is the next date for the quarterly adjustments to the “Price to Compare” (PTCs) for non-shopping customers served by those EDCs. The utilities are reporting the following changes for residential customers:
- Met-Ed: up from 7.936 cents to 9.397 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) (18.4%)
- PECO: up from 7.637 cents to 8.508 cents per kWh (11.4%)
- Penelec: up from 8.443 cents to 10.021 cents per kWh (18.7%)
- Penn Power: up from 8.694 cents to 10.348 cents per kWh (19%)
- West Penn Power: up from 8.198 cents to 8.306 cents per kWh (1.3%)
The PTC accounts for an average of 40% to 60% of customers' total utility bills, but this percentage does vary by utility and the level of individual customer usage.
More information on pricing for electric generation supply, including product offerings from competitive electric generation suppliers, can be found here.
Energy usage is a key factor in the size of summer energy bills, tips to save energy include:
- Pay attention to the thermostat – Every degree you raise or lower the temperature could impact energy costs by up to 3%. Also, consider a programmable thermostat to automatically raise temperatures while you are away from home.
- Have your air conditioner serviced – Regular air conditioner maintenance along with clean air filters help ensure efficient operation of your cooling system.
- Insulate and seal leaks around your home – Adding insulation, installing storm windows and doors, and sealing cracks and air leaks can help you stay cooler and use less energy.
- Install or repair ceiling fans in high-trafficked rooms – Use ceiling fans to circulate the air, keeping the room and your cooler.
- Protect windows to reduce heat buildup – Smart landscaping and exterior window coverings are just two ways that you can better protect windows and reduce the impact of heat buildup in your home.
The Commission continues to emphasize the importance of direct conversations between struggling customers and utilities. Calling utilities directly continues to be the “first step” in addressing outstanding bill balances and discussing utility assistance programs.
Public utilities are the first and most direct mechanisms to link struggling households facing past-due balances with much-needed assistance and affordability options.
Utilities also can help enroll consumers in assistance programs, guide them to other available resources and discuss new payment plan options to address overdue balances and help consumers move forward. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/pennsylvanias-puc-warns-of-increases-in-electric-energy-pricing-meted-peco-penn-power/521-00c3f860-5b8d-4aa7-95a1-d4664a56b2ea | 2022-08-11T12:29:15 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/pennsylvanias-puc-warns-of-increases-in-electric-energy-pricing-meted-peco-penn-power/521-00c3f860-5b8d-4aa7-95a1-d4664a56b2ea |
YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Editors note: The above video is from July 25.
The three Hopewell Township, York County township supervisors voted unanimously not to recommend the reopening of a former landfill site. However this does not mean that the issue is settled.
Community members gathered to hear more about the York County Solid Waste Authority’s (YCSWA) plans to reuse a landfill that has not been used in more than a quarter century.
Hundreds packed inside Stewartstown fire hall, with many not able to attend do to capacity limits.
The general consensus is the people of Hopewell Township do not want this.
“How is this a win for the people in this room?” one resident said to the Waste Authority representatives.
The public meeting aimed to bring more light to their proposal to reuse the York County Sanitary Landfill and its impact on the community.
“It could provide more recreational opportunities and could provide revenues for Hopewell township," YCSWA David Vollero said.
The proposal would use some existing infrastructure. And, unfavorably to the public, the new high point would sit 80 feet above its current elevation.
The Waste Authority addressed questions they’ve already seen, including traffic and property value concerns.
“In the range of 20 to 50 trucks [per day]" Vollero said.
Many residents voiced their concerns about the proposal during public comment.
“I understand some of the systems you’re suggesting Mr. Vollero," one resident said. "They do fail, and they do so somewhat regularly, as we are now seeing possibly in lower Windsor township.”
“My children’s price health does not have a price tag.”
Many fear a repeat of the past.
“This facility would contaminate the air, the groundwater, and poison neighbors wells for decades again," a man said, referring to when the EPA shut down the York Sanitary Landfill in 1997 due to contamination.
Others focused on the future.
“We’re seeing amazing growth in our community," one resident added. "I feel like this project is really going to stall that.”
And many reiterated the same sentiment.
“We strongly oppose the opening of this or any landfill project”
“I know trash has to go somewhere but my backyard isn't it"
“I’m letting you know we’re not going away until you do.”
The YCSWA said they would make their presentation available on their website, so those who could not attend could see. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/waste-authority-holding-public-meeting-reopening-landfill/521-bb71c4c4-2c19-44dc-98c9-476078f22b49 | 2022-08-11T12:29:21 | 0 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/waste-authority-holding-public-meeting-reopening-landfill/521-bb71c4c4-2c19-44dc-98c9-476078f22b49 |
FRIDLEY, Minn. — A Coon Rapids woman is suing Walmart over a 2019 fire in the parking lot of the company's Fridley store that took the life of her 6-year-old daughter.
Essie McKenzie alleges that Walmart's policy to allow RVs and other vehicles camp in their store parking lots led a California couple to stay overnight in August of 2019, and eventually use a hotplate that started McKenzie's van on fire with her two children sleeping inside. The lawsuit alleges wrongful death, and says by allowing people to camp with no supervision, permit requirements or sanitation, Walmart has maintained dangerous conditions on store grounds.
"These unregulated, unlicensed, and unmonitored campgrounds pose a threat of illness, injury, noise, and crime to a considerable number of members of the public," the court documents read.
The suit seeks damages in excess of $75,000.
First responders were called to the Walmart Superstore at 8450 University Avenue in Fridley around 7:15 a.m. the morning of Aug. 6, on reports that a van had caught fire and jumped to multiple vehicles parked nearby. One of those vehicles belonged to Essie McKenzie and inside were her children, who were napping while she shopped for groceries. McKenzie said the children were tired after being awakened quite early that morning so she could take relatives to the airport.
McKenzie's 6-year-old daughter Ty-rah sustained injuries that would prove fatal, and her eldest daughter Taraji, who was nine at the time of the incident, suffered severe injuries that the lawsuit claims will leave her physically and emotionally scarred for life.
Investigators discovered that the origin of the fire was a hot plate being used by Robert Lino Hipolito, who was camping in the Walmart parking lot with his wife in their minivan. The 72-year-old Hipolito was charged with second degree manslaughter, but eventually pled guilty to two felony counts of negligent fire. He was sentenced to 120 days in jail and three years probation.
“She (her daughter Taraji White) watched her six-year-old sister (Ty'rah) lose everything in the palm of her hand,” said McKenzie at the time of the sentencing. Taraji White survived the fire but was left with severe burns and lung damage.
“I wished that this never happened, and I wish I could do something to fix it, but I can do nothing,” Hipolito told the court.
The lawsuit says Walmart allows overnight camping in its parking lots with the expectation those campers will then purchase goods from the store. It alleges Walmart failed to monitor the activities of overnight campers, specifically the Hipolitos, though having the capability to do so.
While McKenzie's attorney did not respond to inquiries Wednesday, Walmart sent a statement saying, "Our sympathies remain with the friends and family impacted by this tragic event three years ago. We plan to defend the company and will respond in Court to the Complaint as appropriate."
In 2020, a Hennepin County judge approved a separate, $130,000 settlement in a civil case filed on behalf of McKenzie's surviving daughter against the California man.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist: | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/mother-sues-walmart-after-childs-death-in-parking-lot/89-4b156476-0e93-44fc-a586-728b45b5a553 | 2022-08-11T12:29:48 | 1 | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/mother-sues-walmart-after-childs-death-in-parking-lot/89-4b156476-0e93-44fc-a586-728b45b5a553 |
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – In what could be a boon to Brevard County, a South Korean professional baseball team is looking into coming to the Space Coast for spring training in 2023, potentially at the USSSA Space Coast Complex in Viera, according to News 6 partner Florida Today.
A Fort Lauderdale-based representative of the Kia Tigers submitted a request to the Brevard County Tourist Development Council for a $20,000 county sports grant to help cover some of the marketing, public relations, promotions and other costs of the Tigers playing here.
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Under the proposal, the Tigers — a member of the 10-team KBO League, South Korea’s top-level baseball league — would be in Brevard from Feb. 1 to March 10 for spring training. The Tigers are based in Gwangju, in southwest South Korea.
The Tigers’ minor-league team also would come here, potentially playing at the Launch Pad Sports Complex, which formerly was known as the Cocoa Expo.
In addition to training here, the plan calls for the teams to play exhibition games against U.S. college and minor-league teams.
Both the Space Coast Complex — when it was known as Space Coast Stadium — and the Cocoa Expo in the past have been home to U.S. major-league baseball spring training.
The Tourist Development Council’s Sports Committee on Tuesday considered the Kia Tigers’ grant request, but took no action. Committee members said they want more details, including assurance that the baseball team has firm contracts to use the stadiums and a firm schedule of exhibition games.
When it comes to the grant applications, “you shouldn’t be scoring on ‘if’s’ " said Sports Committee member Paul O’Leary, a sports marketing and media specialist who is vice president operations for the media company WhereBy.Us.
Committee members agreed to reconsider the request at their Oct. 13 meeting.
Money for the grant would come from Brevard County’s 5% tourist development tax on hotel rooms and other short-term rentals.
The grant application indicated that the Tigers expect to generate 3,575 nights of hotel room rentals during their stay on the Space Coast. Office of Tourism officials estimate a $5.90 million economic impact for the area if the Tigers came here for spring training.
The team previously has held spring training in Fort Myers and Bradenton.
The Tigers are considered the most successful team in Korean baseball history, having won the Korean Series championship 11 times.
Grants for new events
The Sports Committee on Tuesday unanimously approved grants for three events new to the Space Coast. These grants must be approved by the Tourist Development Council and the Brevard County Commission.
- The Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler running event at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with a health and fitness expo, was approved for an $18,660 grant for its Dec. 9-10 event dates. The event would generate an estimated 2,000 room nights and a $2.48 million economic impact.
- The Prep Baseball Report Spring Training Showcase for Canadian youth baseball teams and individual players ages 14 and up was approved for a $14,660 grant for its March 11-19, 2023, event dates. The event would generate an estimated 1,800 room nights and a $7.82 million economic impact. The Launch Pad Sports Complex is a potential venue for the event.
- American Junior Golf Association Moon Golf Junior All-Star at Duran Golf Club in Viera was approved for a $5,910 grant for its April 20-23, 2023, event dates. The event is a 54-hole junior golf championship for boys and girls ages 12 to 15. The event would generate an estimated 350 room nights and a $608,755 economic impact.
Grant amounts were based on a formula that took into account room night projections and the scores of the Sports Committee members rating the applications. The maximum grant amount is $20,000.
Two other new events failed to get the minimum average score of 70 out of 100 in the committee’s scoring, so they did not qualify for a grant. They were:
- The Sunshine State Games International Beach Games, presented by the Florida Sports Foundation, at Pelican Beach Park in Satellite Beach, Sept. 24-26, with a projected room night total of 200 and a projected economic impact of $702,702. The event includes surfing, stand-up paddleboarding, open-water swimming, beach volleyball, teqball and yoga.
- The National Association of Basketball Coaches Basketball Clinic at Florida Institute of Technology, Oct. 14-16, with a projected room night total of 250 and a projected economic impact of $1.36 million.
Sports Committee member Ruby Daniel, general manager of Cape Crossing Resort & Marina on Merritt Island, emphasized that “just because they didn’t get money from us doesn’t mean the event doesn’t happen. We’re not going to stop them from having the event.”
Grants for returning events
Four sports events that are returning to the Space Coast were recommended for grants in unanimous Sports Committee votes, encompassing events in the second half of the 2022-23 budget year, from April 1 to Sept. 30, 2023.
- Space Coast Clash Soccer Tournament at Wickham Park in Melbourne and Viera Regional Park, with divisions for 8- to 15-year-old boys and girls; April 1-3, 2023; $15,000 grant; 800 projected room nights; $2.49 million estimated economic impact.
- Cocoa Beach Triathlon and Duathlon, and the Shuttleversary 5K; April 16, 2023; $11,500 grant; 800 projected room nights; $264,494 estimated economic impact. The running potion of the event will be at Cocoa Beach Golf Course, the bicycling portion will be along State Road A1A and the swimming portion will be in the Banana River.
- Eastern Surfing Association 2023 Southeast Regional Surfing Championship at Paradise Beach Park in Melbourne Beach; April 21-23, 2023; $17,760 grant; 1,000 projected room nights; $1.43 million estimated economic impact.
- National Kidney Foundation Rick Salick Surf Fest at the Westgate Cocoa Beach Resort; Sept. 2-4, 2023; $12,000 grant; 700 projected room nights; $1.20 million estimated economic impact.
The county previously approved nine sports grants for the events in the first half of the 2022-23 budget year, running from Oct. 1, 2022, through March 31, 2023. Those grants totaled $94,252.
Seeking additional events
Terry Parks, tourism sports coordinator for the Space Coast Office of Tourism, said he and other Office of Tourism staff members are actively pursuing other sports events for Brevard County.
For example, Parks told Sports Committee members he is working with Eastern Florida State College to bring the 2024 junior college men’s and women’s basketball tournaments to EFSC.
Other events Parks and Office of Tourism Executive Director Peter Cranis said they are seeking include amateur golf tournaments, lacrosse tournaments, dance and cheer competitions, beach soccer and beach volleyball, as well as esports competitions and drone racing.
Rule changes may be coming
Sports Committee members plan to hold a workshop to consider changes to the grant guidelines.
“We’ve got to clean up the language a little bit” in the grant applications, said committee member Jaime Teijeiro, general manager of the Best Western Cocoa Beach Hotel & Suites and the Days Inn Cocoa Beach-Port Canaveral.
The changes committee members mentioned could include such things as:
- Raising the minimum number of room night rentals required to qualify for a grant.
- Beefing up the required budget information required of applicants.
- Having a better system of tracking room nights rented.
- Reducing maximum grant amounts applicants are eligible for if they are longtime events that have received a number of grants over the years, in order to have more money available for grants to new events.
Currently, $50,000 is set aside in the Space Coast Office of Tourism budget for new events, and the three grants the Sports Committee approved Tuesday used $39,230 that amount.
Daniel said the county “is giving money away for events we love,” and, in some cases, the events are so established that the sports grants are not crucial for the events’ continued success.
Teijeiro said newer events can be riskier for the organizers, but may be worth an investment of a county sports grant because of the event’s potential.
Sports Committee member Fred Poppe, Palm Bay’s director of parks and recreation, said it also might be a good idea to encourage grant applicants to make in-person or video presentations to the committee, to supplement their written applications for grants.
“It you can’t sell it to us here, how successful is the event going to be?” Poppe said. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/11/south-korean-professional-baseball-team-wants-to-hold-spring-training-in-brevard-county/ | 2022-08-11T12:35:05 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/11/south-korean-professional-baseball-team-wants-to-hold-spring-training-in-brevard-county/ |
As Saline County Jail moves closer to completion, recruiting and retaining staff is a major concern
After a lengthy and passionate discussion, the Saline County Commission approved a wage increase and incentives bonus for new and existing correctional officers – a measure aimed at hiring and maintaining enough staff to operate the new county jail after its completion.
The measure passed in a 3 to 2 vote, with commissioners Robert Vidricksen II and James Weese in the minority.
Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan and Human Resources Director Marilyn Leamer presented the measure Aug. 9 to the commission, describing the current state of need for employees.
“We haven’t hired one position of the ones that you guys approved this year, and as we all know, there’s a new facility going up; I need to have these staff on board to staff that facility,” Soldan said.
More:80 new lofts plus commercial units coming to downtown Salina
Recruiting issues at the jail
For several years, the county has faced recruiting challenges regarding corrections officers. As of Aug. 9, there were three vacancies for those positions in the county.
In January 2022, 14 new corrections officer positions were approved for county facilities, but the hiring process hasn’t begun for those positions due to current vacancies. If approved in the 2023 budget process, there will be an additional 10 corrections officer positions that will need to be filled.
The problem, though, isn’t unique to Saline county. Riley County is facing a similar issue. Recruitment and retention issues have led to competitive wages for the same correctional facility jobs an hour down the road. When Riley was $14-15 an hour, Saline was $14-16 an hour, Soldan said.
More:Slim Chickens opens new location in McPherson. Where will it open restaurants next?
The struggle to hire and keep local corrections officers mirrors nationwide trends – nearly one-third of federal corrections officer jobs in the U.S. are vacant.
“The last thing I want to do is open up a new jail that I can’t staff,” Soldan said.
Possible increase of pay at Saline County Jail
The proposal will increase correctional officer pay by $3.05 per hour, from $16 per hour to $19 – much closer to the market standard, which was determined by a county study earlier this year.
It will include an additional increased hiring incentive for the remainder of 2022, also it will become closer to the market standard wage and provide an additional incentive to attract talent for the jail.
A $1,500 hiring incentive already exists for corrections officer jobs. Under the new proposal, a temporary change will adjust the rate from $1,500, to $5,000 to continue through December 2022.
“One of the things to note… we’ve discussed, and we agree that we should probably include the people that already work here,” Soldan said. “Sixteen of these people that are working in the jail now, we’ve hired in the last year in a half.”
All existing staff in the jail division of the sheriff’s office will receive a $5,000 retention incentive in recognition and support for employees continuing to work in the jail.
There are currently 73 eligible staff for this incentive, creating a total expense of $365,000. Due to current staff shortages, the proposal plans to use existing salary dollars, which are available in the amount of $379,000, to fund the hiring and retention incentive.
County staff plans to construct a system for the most efficient payroll process given the new incentives, for example, a per-pay-period or monthly installment disbursements for the remainder of 2022.
The payment of these incentives is planned to begin September and lasting through December 2022.
More:With population aging, another Salina senior living community is slated to open in 2023
Alternative options for incentive and retention
At the Aug. 9 meeting, Soldan and Leamer provided alternate options for the county commission beyond approving the incentives as requested:
The first option would be to deny the request as is and provide an alternative increase and an incentive for retention.
Directing staff to propose a different option, was the second option.
The commission eventually voted in favor of the incentive as constructed but not without debate from its members.
Vidricksen said he was in favor of the $5,000 bonus to rehire, but incentives like this could set precedent down the line for other departments to expect similar benefits.
“I’ve heard over and over again… the situation that if one department gets a raise and the other department doesn’t, that morale becomes an issue,” he said. “I’m just not in favor of doing (the proposed incentives) all the way there.”
Vidricksen pointed out that if an officer worked in the corrections department one month or 25 years, they were both going to get a $5,000 bonus.
The commission also discussed possible rules for incentives to hire, like how long teach officer must be employed before being paid the incentive, but they did not decide on such a provision prior to the vote.
District 1 Commissioner Monte Shadwick said he was mostly in favor of the measure because of the severity of the situation, but was nervous about what precedent may be set from reallocating leftover salary money for incentives.
“This is a little bit different; crisis maybe isn’t the right word but urgency, probably, tends me to lean toward okaying this,” Shadwick said.
Shadwick eventually did go along with the incentives; alongside commissioners Rodger Sparks and Michael White.
More:Salina's Prickly Pear will feature Tex-Mex food, cold beer and live music. Here's when it opens.
Jail construction update
Sept. 25, 2023 remains the target date for when employees and inmates can occupy the the new Saline County Jail.
There have been no major concerns with the construction process, but a few challenges have come in the form of supply chain issues and a slight increased cost for products. However, the approximate 400-bed project remains within budget.
“They’ve largely dealt with that by trying to order things as far in advance as possible,” County Administrator Phillip Smith-Hanes said. “We’ve got a really good construction team in place and this is not their first rodeo, so to speak. They’ve got a really good schedule mapped out.”
The latest progress includes wall construction, finalizing the stormwater easements with the city and beginning site utilities. County staff has already talked about preordering interior signage and furniture. | https://www.salina.com/story/news/local/2022/08/11/saline-county-examines-ways-increase-wages-bonus-corrections-officer-jobs-jail/10284867002/ | 2022-08-11T12:39:34 | 1 | https://www.salina.com/story/news/local/2022/08/11/saline-county-examines-ways-increase-wages-bonus-corrections-officer-jobs-jail/10284867002/ |
Souls to the Polls event set for Sunday at Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office
Some soul power will be coming to Gainesville this weekend in an effort to motivate people to vote early in the upcoming midterm elections.
Paris Winningham of NBC's "The Voice" fame is scheduled to perform at the Souls to the Polls event set for Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office, 515 N. Main St., behind the Josiah T. Walls building.
Winningham, who finished in the top three of last season's competition, sings a variety of adult contemporary, R&B, country and gospel music.
Also scheduled to perform are the Florida Fellowship Super Choir and local hip-hop artists. The event also includes free food, bounce houses, face painting and more.
"Souls to Polls is a cultural event that is designed to encourage parishioners to go vote, and vote early," said Karl Anderson, senior pastor at Upper Room Ministries. "This event also gives them the opportunity to be an informed voter as candidates are invited to come and pass out information and also to speak concerning their vision and platform."
Mayor's race:Crowded, diverse field of 9 hope to become Gainesville's next mayor
County races:Candidates for Alachua County commission set as 8 hopefuls vie for 3 seats
School board:Have you met your Alachua County school board candidates yet? Here's who is running
Federal races in the upcoming election cycle include those for U.S. Senate and U.S. House District 3. State races include governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, agriculture commissioner and Florida House District 22.
Local races include Gainesville mayor, Alachua County Commission District 2, School Board Districts 1, 2, 3 and 5, Gainesville City Commission Districts 2, 3 and 4, and circuit judge for the Eighth Judicial Circuit Group 12.
The church that brings the most parishioners out to vote will receive $500, Anderson said.
"We're looking for a great turnout. We're trying to break records here," Anderson said. "To encourage early voting, particularly in the urban community."
The Primary Election is Aug. 23, with early voting beginning Saturday and running through Aug. 20. The following early voting sites are open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Gainesville unless otherwise noted.
- Supervisor of Elections Office: 515 N. Main St,
- Millhopper Branch Library: 3145 NW 43rd St.
- Tower Road Branch Library: 3020 SW 75th St.
- Orange Heights Baptist Church: 16700 FL-26, Hawthorne.
- Legacy Park Multipurpose Center: 15400 Peggy Road, Alachua.
- J. Wayne Reitz Union: 655 Reitz Union Drive, UF Campus.
- Alachua County Agriculture and Equestrian Center: 23100 W Newberry Road, Newberry.
The General Election will be held on Nov. 8. Early voting dates, times and locations have yet to be announced. | https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/local/2022/08/10/gainesville-souls-polls-event-alachua-county-elections-office-feature-candidates-live-music/10275749002/ | 2022-08-11T12:43:58 | 0 | https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/local/2022/08/10/gainesville-souls-polls-event-alachua-county-elections-office-feature-candidates-live-music/10275749002/ |
EDWARDSVILLE, Pa. — The crash occurred around 12:30 Thursday am. An SUV and bicycle collided at the intersection of Woodward Hills Road and Route 11, near the Old K-Mart in Edwardsville. Shawn Hudock of Plymouth has died from his injuries. There is no word on how the crash happened.
See news happening? Call our newstip hotline. | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/fatal-bicycle-crash-accident-luzerne-county/523-c5f22c84-438f-470d-845b-af454848b551 | 2022-08-11T12:45:20 | 1 | https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/fatal-bicycle-crash-accident-luzerne-county/523-c5f22c84-438f-470d-845b-af454848b551 |
Dallas police are searching for the person who shot a 10-year-old boy in an alleged road rage incident.
It happened at about 1 p.m. Wednesday at US 175, the C.F. Hawn Freeway, near South Belt Line Road in Southeast Dallas.
Investigators say a driver in a red vehicle shot at the father and son. The boy's father said three shots were fired and one hit the child in the foot.
"He was scared to death," said the boy's father who did not want to be identified. "Fortunately, the bullet went in and came right out, and hopefully he's OK."
The father said he has no idea why the other driver opened fire.
No other information was available. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/10-year-old-was-wounded-in-drive-by-shooting-dallas-police-search-for-gunman/3045768/ | 2022-08-11T12:53:31 | 0 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/10-year-old-was-wounded-in-drive-by-shooting-dallas-police-search-for-gunman/3045768/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-school-board-considers-canceling-classes-on-election-day/3045808/ | 2022-08-11T12:53:38 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/dallas-school-board-considers-canceling-classes-on-election-day/3045808/ |
The first week of school is always busy, from parents and students getting into a new routine to districts making sure the school bus routes run smoothly.
But staffing shortages and other challenges in transportation are an issue school districts across the entire state are dealing with right now.
The Garland Independent School District, one of the first districts to go back to the classroom in North Texas, is also one of the first to report widespread bus route delays since Monday.
Garland ISD has been posting updates for parents on its transportation department Twitter page, @gisdbuses. Each day, they've posted about multiple routes with delays, some as long as two hours on Tuesday and an hour on Wednesday. The district also tweeted about combining bus routes for several schools.
The district told parents to expect bus delays in the coming days as they get back on their routine and thanked them for their patience.
The district soon after posted a job flyer offering a $500 sign-on bonus for bus drivers.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
NBC 5 has reached out to Garland ISD to find out if a bus driver shortage is causing these delays like it has for so many other districts, but has not gotten a response back yet.
Garland certainly isn't alone in the dilemma, as school districts across North Texas, the state and the country struggle with staffing shortages for bus drivers and other key transportation positions.
Plano ISD posted this message on its website, warning parents of significant delays across several morning and afternoon bus routes this week. It specifically cited a critical shortage of bus drivers happening nationwide.
"I think that's been one of the challenges. It's been tough the past couple of years for education and the workforce altogether,” Plano ISD superintendent Theresa Williams told NBC 5 on the district’s first day of school on Wednesday.
Plano ISD is posting bus route updates for parents on a special page on the district's website.
NBC 5 reached out to several other North Texas school districts about their experience.
Forney ISD goes back to school on Aug. 11 and said they've brought on everyone who can drive a bus, including transportation employees who have a commercial driver's license, to help cover bus routes.
“Being a fast growth district and the start of a new year with new routines always creates traffic challenges. We’re projected to grow by 2,400 students this year alone. Usually, after the first week or two, everyone settles into their new school routines, and it improves,” said district spokesperson Kristin Zastoupil in an email.
She added they have every available driver ready to roll out, in addition to the help from support staff drivers.
“They do an incredible job making sure we get every bus route out, students safely home, and back in each day. We appreciate our Forney family’s patience as we settle into the new school year,” she said.
Red Oak ISD returns to school on Monday, Aug. 15. A district spokesperson said they are hiring for its last bus driver positions. The district also has plans to utilize other staff such as coaches and administrators with a CDL to assist and assign monitors for the first week until they are no longer needed.
Fort Worth ISD has spoken to NBC 5 about bus drivers shortages last semester, as well as the push to hire more drivers and offer competitive incentives.
According to a report released last month by TransitCenter, a public transportation advocacy group, drivers across the industry are retiring in large numbers. This has exacerbated the strain from the labor shortage brought about by the pandemic.
The report suggests that the industry needs to cultivate a new generation of drivers in order to fight the shortage.
Bottom line parents in any school district should be prepared for delays and make sure they follow their district's social media pages or website for more details. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/ongoing-bus-driver-shortage-presents-challenges-for-local-school-districts/3045743/ | 2022-08-11T12:53:46 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/ongoing-bus-driver-shortage-presents-challenges-for-local-school-districts/3045743/ |
KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) — Starting at 4 p.m. Thursday, the United Way of Greater Kingsport (UWGK) will host a community kickoff event at High Voltage.
The event aims to familiarize the community with all the nonprofit organization does and give the community resources to donate to the cause.
Guess speakers at the event include UWGK Campaign Chair Greg Perdue, board member and Kingsport City Alderman Paul Montgomery, board member and PEAK president Cody Woods and vision council leader Laurie Paulonis.
An ice cream truck will serve free treats during the event. High Voltage is located at 101 Cherokee St. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/united-way-of-greater-kingsport-hosting-campaign-kickoff/ | 2022-08-11T12:56:57 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/united-way-of-greater-kingsport-hosting-campaign-kickoff/ |
CEDAR FALLS — During a rare public hearing of the City Council, the governing body upheld a decision by Acting Police Chief Mark Howard to euthanize an allegedly dangerous dog.
Five councilors convened as a committee Wednesday afternoon to hear opening and closing remarks, as well as 1-1/2 hours of testimony, related to two city citations given to Lawrence Russell Miller.
He allegedly permitted a dog to run at-large and then attack a Yorkie being walked by its owner along West Eighth Street in the area of Lincoln Elementary School on May 22.
Miller was taking care of the light brown pit bull for Nicholas Thorne Wireman, who has been serving time in prison and was appealing the decision of Howard.
After the May shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Acting Police Chief Mark Howard felt his department had to do what it could to play a role in changing the script.
The smaller dog, owned by Sharon Geltz, was deemed in critical condition after the attack. Because of that, she decided to have the Yorkie euthanized.
Wireman’s pit bull was eventually impounded in late June. Another incident involving the dog reportedly took place along Big Woods Road in February.
“Both my parents have died … the dog is all I have left,” said Wireman. “I’m in prison right now and I’ll be released in about three months, and that’s the only thing I have left. I can guarantee you this won’t happen again. If it does, I will take full responsibility for everything.”
The council’s decision can be appealed in district court.
Supporters contend the new facility will have multiple benefits, from allowing more local kids to be adequately taught how to swim safely, to being capable of hosting larger competitions.
“Going through this procedure is fair to everybody, both the victim and the owner,” said Howard. “Requiring the (pitbull’s humane) destruction gives the chance for appeal and then gives the chance for the administration committee, as the ordinance provides, to at least review the case, and gives both parties the chance to have the case reviewed, instead of it being a unilateral decision made by me.”
In the last decade, Public Safety Director Craig Berte estimates the city has on four occasions dealt with a vicious dog that either had to be impounded or euthanized, but rarely – if ever – has it reached the appeal stage.
The only other time the council will convene in a similar manner is in dealing with employee grievances.
I've covered city government for The Courier since August 2021. I'm a Chatham, NJ native who graduated from Gettysburg College in 2018 and previously worked for publications in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Waterloo submitted two traffic grants to help with safety at the East Shaulis Road and Hammond Avenue and the Mullan Avenue and Sycamore Street intersections.
The Waterloo City Council this week approved purchasing rights for Charles City-based Cause-Related Opportunity Zone Fund LLC on the parking lot north of the Sportsplex. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/cedar-falls-council-holds-rare-hearing-backs-decision-to-euthanize-vicious-dog/article_726f91d1-6dc0-5923-aff9-dd87871a8b1f.html | 2022-08-11T12:57:01 | 1 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/cedar-falls-council-holds-rare-hearing-backs-decision-to-euthanize-vicious-dog/article_726f91d1-6dc0-5923-aff9-dd87871a8b1f.html |
WAVERLY — The Iowa Department of Transportation is replacing the Bremer Avenue bridge that passes over the Cedar River in the downtown.
For about year, the new infrastructure could be under construction.
An informational meeting has been scheduled for Monday from 5 to 6:30 pm at Waverly City Hall, 200 First St. N.E.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, the bridge, carrying the road also known as Iowa Highway 3, was built in 1950 and its condition is rated “fair” rather than "good" or "poor."
However, Pete Hjelmstad, a DOT field services coordinator, said the bridge is “near the end of its useful life,” and it would be most “cost effective” to replace it, rather than make the needed repairs.
“There are no safety concerns at this time,” he said Wednesday. “Or else, we would have closed it.”
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The $5.8 million project was approved by the Iowa Transportation Commission as part of the state’s Five-Year Transportation Improvement Program, said Hjelmstad.
Even Friday afternoon when she was celebrating being honored with the Leading Life Award from LeadingAge Iowa, she was collecting soda can tabs to donate to the Ronald McDonald House.
According to Hjelmstad, bid letting is scheduled for October 2023.
Construction could start before the end of that year or the beginning of 2024. The hope is the new bridge would open by the end of 2024.
At this point in time, the project is set to go forward, and would only be delayed by an unforeseen circumstance such as bids coming in higher than the DOT’s estimate.
“Nothing’s ever 100% certain,” Hjelmstad said.
He said the steel beam bridge will be replaced with a 352-foot long by 74-foot wide concrete beam bridge.
Hjelmstad said the only noticeable difference might be four new “pedestrian overlook” areas, two on each side. Additionally, he said the size of the pedestrian walkway on the north side will become 10 feet rather than eight feet.
The City Council unanimously approved the $55,002 package Monday in response to a master plan funded by the Chamber of Commerce.
At the informational meeting, Iowa DOT staff will be present to discuss the proposed bridge replacement with renderings and images related to the project.
But no formal presentation will be made. Questions and comments will be accepted by staff. Any input would play into DOT staff's decision on bridge design or aesthetics, according to Hjelmstad.
For general information regarding the public meeting, contact Hjelmstad at the Iowa DOT District 2 Office, 428 43rd St. S.W., Mason City, Iowa 50401. He can be reached by phone at (641) 423-7584 or (800) 477-4368 and by email at pete.hjelmstad@iowadot.us.
A virtual presentation will first become available at noon Monday. To get access it, go online to www.iowadot.gov/pim and click “IA 3 Bridge Replacement.” | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/dot-to-replace-waverly-bremer-avenue-bridge/article_46c38baa-6b45-5941-8fbd-1c6ebcce5af0.html | 2022-08-11T12:57:07 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/dot-to-replace-waverly-bremer-avenue-bridge/article_46c38baa-6b45-5941-8fbd-1c6ebcce5af0.html |
LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — Fire crews battled two car fires early Thursday morning in Lehigh Acres.
Crews responded just after 5:00 a.m. at W 3615 17th Street after receiving a report of two cars on fire in the driveway.
Both cars were fully engulfed in flames as fire crews arrived.
The fire started in the dash area (electrical in nature) of the first car, the second car caught fire due to exposure to the fire, according to a tweet from the Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District.
Crews quickly extinguished the fire. No one was injured.
Count on NBC2 to bring you the latest information once it becomes available. | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/08/11/investigation-underway-after-two-cars-catch-fire-in-lehigh-acres/ | 2022-08-11T12:59:48 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/08/11/investigation-underway-after-two-cars-catch-fire-in-lehigh-acres/ |
NAPLES, Fla. — A house erupted in flames early Thursday morning on Holly Avenue in Naples, officials said.
Local American Red Cross volunteer members of the Disaster Action Team helped coordinate emergency aid to one person impacted by the blaze.
The Red Cross also provided emergency financial assistance as well as health and mental health services.
Collier County deputies responded to the fire as well. No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire is not yet known.
No further information was immediately available. | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/08/11/red-cross-helps-1-person-after-home-catches-fire-in-naples/ | 2022-08-11T12:59:54 | 1 | https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/08/11/red-cross-helps-1-person-after-home-catches-fire-in-naples/ |
With the advent of Big Data, it’s now easier than ever to quantify what people like around the globe. And when it comes to food, Americans seem to have specific opinions. American dining brands have a long and storied history, and whether they’re fast food, fast-casual, high-end, or super cheap, U.S. restaurants offer something for almost everyone.
What’s clear about U.S. dining habits is that people love options. Restaurants across America are chock-full of variety, mixing ethnicities, food regions, and cultures into steaming melting pots of (often) fried deliciousness.
Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants in Sherman using rankings from Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor rankings factor in the average rating and number of reviews. Some restaurants on the list may have recently closed. These restaurants range from fast food powerhouses to local hot spots.
Locals reading the list will surely see some favorite eateries and classic go-to restaurants. Keep reading to see if your favorite restaurant made the list—and to see which spots you haven’t been to yet.
Tripadvisor
#28. LaMesa Mexican Restaurante & Cantina
– Rating: 3.5 / 5 (81 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (3.5/5), Service (4.0/5), Value (3.5/5), Atmosphere (3.5/5)
– Type of cuisine: Mexican
– Price: $
– Address: 2124 Texoma Pkwy, Sherman, TX 75090-2622
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#27. Chipotle Mexican Grill
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (11 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: not available
– Type of cuisine: Mexican
– Price: $
– Address: 875 E North Creek Dr, Sherman, TX 75090
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#26. Arroyos Mexican Restaurant
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (10 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: not available
– Type of cuisine: Spanish
– Price: not available
– Address: 814 E Lamar St, Sherman, TX 75090-6031
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#25. Lupe’s Tamales
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (24 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.5/5)
– Type of cuisine: Mexican, Spanish
– Price: $
– Address: 129 E Wall St, Sherman, TX 75090-5930
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#24. Cowboy Chicken
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (24 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.0/5)
– Type of cuisine: American
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 3811 N US Highway 75 # 300 #300, Sherman, TX 75090-2580
– Read more on Tripadvisor
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Tripadvisor
#23. Braum’s
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (26 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.0/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.0/5)
– Type of cuisine: American, Fast Food
– Price: $
– Address: 2506 N US Highway 75, Sherman, TX 75090-2876
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#22. Mariposa Cuban Cuisine
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (11 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: not available
– Type of cuisine: Latin, Cuban
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 213 E Houston St, Sherman, TX 75090-5934
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#21. Crazy Thai
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (22 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (5.0/5), Service (5.0/5), Value (5.0/5)
– Type of cuisine: Asian, Thai
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 1707 Texoma Pkwy, Sherman, TX 75090-2613
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#20. IHOP
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (44 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (3.5/5), Service (3.5/5), Value (3.5/5)
– Type of cuisine: American
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 2617 N US Highway 75, Sherman, TX 75090-0501
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#19. Teriyaki Jar
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (21 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.0/5), Service (5.0/5), Value (4.0/5)
– Type of cuisine: Asian, Japanese
– Price: $
– Address: 114 S Woods St, Sherman, TX 75092-7324
– Read more on Tripadvisor
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Tripadvisor
#18. Red Lobster
– Rating: 3.5 / 5 (82 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (3.5/5), Service (4.0/5), Value (3.5/5), Atmosphere (3.5/5)
– Type of cuisine: American, Seafood
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 3600 N US Highway 75, Sherman, TX 75090
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#17. Italian Affair Pizza
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (34 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.0/5), Service (4.0/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (3.0/5)
– Type of cuisine: Pizza, Italian
– Price: $
– Address: 104 N Woods St, Sherman, TX 75090
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#16. Gourmet China
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (30 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (5.0/5), Atmosphere (4.0/5)
– Type of cuisine: Chinese, Asian
– Price: $
– Address: 4909 Texoma Pkwy Ste 101, Sherman, TX 75090-2099
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#15. Olive Garden Italian Restaurant
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (36 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (5.0/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.5/5)
– Type of cuisine: Italian
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 3701 US Hwy 75 North, Sherman, TX 75090
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#14. Catrina’s Cocina & Tequila Bar
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (42 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.5/5)
– Type of cuisine: Mexican, Bar
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 306 East Highway 82 near intersection of US Hwys 82 and 75, Sherman, TX 75092
– Read more on Tripadvisor
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Tripadvisor
#13. Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (131 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.0/5), Service (4.0/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (3.5/5)
– Type of cuisine: American
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 3300 N US Highway 75, Sherman, TX 75090-2524
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#12. RibCrib BBQ
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (63 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.0/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (4.5/5)
– Type of cuisine: American, Barbecue
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 3205 N. Hwy 75, Sherman, TX 75090
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#11. Mariachi’s Fine Mexican Food
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (49 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.5/5)
– Type of cuisine: Mexican, Southwestern
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 1909 Texoma Pkwy Ste 103, Sherman, TX 75090-2668
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#10. Old Iron Post
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (162 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (3.5/5), Service (4.0/5), Value (3.5/5)
– Type of cuisine: American, Bar
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 101 N Travis St, Sherman, TX 75090-5920
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#9. Tracks Restaurant
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (77 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.0/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.5/5)
– Type of cuisine: American
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 109 N Woods St, Sherman, TX 75092-5616
– Read more on Tripadvisor
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Tripadvisor
#8. La Placita
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (50 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.5/5), Atmosphere (3.5/5)
– Type of cuisine: Latin, Central American
– Price: $
– Address: 1015 W Houston St, Sherman, TX 75092-7313
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#7. Cellarman’s Pub & Brewery
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (120 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.5/5), Atmosphere (4.0/5)
– Type of cuisine: American, Brew Pub
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 2130 Texoma Pkwy, Sherman, TX 75090-2622
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#6. The Library Bar & Grill
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (104 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (4.0/5)
– Type of cuisine: American
– Price: $$$$
– Address: 5147 N Travis St Knollwood, Texas 75092, Sherman, TX 75092-4159
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#5. Sage Cafe
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (57 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (5.0/5), Value (4.0/5)
– Type of cuisine: American, Cafe
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 210 W Houston St, Sherman, TX 75090-5814
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#4. Texas Roadhouse
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (193 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (4.0/5)
– Type of cuisine: American, Steakhouse
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 2773 N US Highway 75, Sherman, TX 75090-2567
– Read more on Tripadvisor
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Tripadvisor
#3. Camino Viejo Mexican Restaurant
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (158 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.5/5), Atmosphere (4.0/5)
– Type of cuisine: Mexican, Latin
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 110 E Houston St, Sherman, TX 75090-5908
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#2. City Limits
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (187 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.5/5), Atmosphere (4.5/5)
– Type of cuisine: American, Bar
– Price: $$ – $$$
– Address: 4521 Texoma Pkwy, Sherman, TX 75090-1929
– Read more on Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor
#1. Fulbelli’s Restaurant
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (253 reviews)
– Detailed ratings: Food (5.0/5), Service (5.0/5), Value (4.5/5), Atmosphere (4.5/5)
– Type of cuisine: American, International
– Price: $$$$
– Address: 115 S Travis St Ste B5, Sherman, TX 75090-5990
– Read more on Tripadvisor | https://cw33.com/news/local/highest-rated-restaurants-in-sherman-according-to-tripadvisor-2/ | 2022-08-11T13:00:12 | 0 | https://cw33.com/news/local/highest-rated-restaurants-in-sherman-according-to-tripadvisor-2/ |
BOISE — Kari Fratusco has been a school resource officer for 17 years, the last 10 of which have come at Lowell Scott Middle School in Boise.
The majority of her time, she said, is spent reaching out to all the kids and building relationships with them. She was inspired to be a police officer because of her school resource officer in junior high.
“He just was awesome. Always out, engaging with the students. Awesome personality,” she said. “Just a great guy.”
Preparing for an active shooter on school grounds was not something she would have imagined when she started the job, she said. Now, it’s part and parcel with what she does.
“Honestly, no. Not really. It’s sad that this is something that we’re having to prepare for. But, it’s unfortunately a reality,” she said. “We have to make sure that we as officers are prepared and we have to make sure that the staff in the schools and the students are also prepared.”
Fratusco was one of about 20 Boise school resource officers who were at the Boise Police Department's Training Facility on Wednesday with the 2022-23 school year on the horizon.
Training activities included breaching locked and barricaded doors, and running through a simulated active shooting episode in a replica hallway with side rooms attached.
Capt. Spencer Fomby, who oversees BPD’s training, education and development division, said that other physical skills the department was trying to hone include identifying which subjects are in fact active threats, making sure law enforcement personnel has access to the right equipment and medical kits, and ensuring officers in those situations can process information quickly.
“The officers have to understand the principles of active shooter response. Some of that requires classroom training. But the real nuts and bolts are that they have to get out and understand the physical skills,” Fomby said. “The only way to really perfect that is to get out and physically do all the tasks we expect them to do.”
Fomby said there has been an emphasis on active shooter response in schools since 1999, following the tragic shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado that left 15 dead and 24 wounded.
Such instances have increased over the years. The most recent high-profile one took place in Uvalde, Texas, in late May, when a gunman fatally shot 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. Seventeen others were wounded.
Fomby said that points of emphasis on school shooter response have shifted over the years and now there is additional focus on school resource officers who are typically first on scene.
“We recognize that that’s a really daunting situation where they may have to make decisions and go and try to engage that shooter by themselves,” Fomby said. “So we’re really focused on making sure that they have an understanding of the skills they need and they can perform those skills under stress. To go in, identify the potential threat and then mitigate it.”
All Boise police officers have annual active shooter training, Fomby said. He added that FEMA sent an active shooter management course to the department this year and law enforcement from throughout the region attended. Over a three-day period the group ran through scenarios to try and perfect the management of an active shooter event, Fomby said.
“What this does is try to prepare us for the worst situation possible,” Tyjuan Lynn, an SRO at Timberline High School, said following Wednesday’s training. “I don’t think there’s a right answer for how we can be prepared for everything. But as long as we train and we do it regularly, I think that it will give us the best chance to handle any situation that is thrown at us.”
Lynn concurred with Fratusco – job duties can vary day-to-day, but often he is building relationships with students by interacting with them, helping them in sports, or assisting with classroom work.
“I try my best to not necessarily present myself as a police officer all the time,” he said. “Just to interact as a person.”
Both Fratusco and Lynn said they feel prepared if an active shooter situation arose at their particular schools.
At the tail end of his interview, Lynn said issues have changed since he was a student.
“Back when I went to high school, I think the hardest thing we did was fire drills. Getting people lined up, try to get outside to a patch of grass,” he said. “Now today, it’s an unfortunate thought that you have to go to school to prepare for active shooters.”
Fratusco pointed out that all police officers face this reality. She said it’s something they all think about in every situation, whether they’re on the clock or not.
“You hope that day never comes," she said. "But you gotta be prepared if it does.” | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/boise-police-prepare-school-resource-officers-for-active-shooter-scenario/article_a957f19e-38af-5ea0-8984-b9c0771f12c0.html | 2022-08-11T13:02:28 | 0 | https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/boise-police-prepare-school-resource-officers-for-active-shooter-scenario/article_a957f19e-38af-5ea0-8984-b9c0771f12c0.html |
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Emergency crews are responding to an explosion involving at least one house that reverberated across a neighborhood in Evansville, killing three people, according to media reports.
The Vanderburgh County Coroner's Office told WFIE-TV three people died in the explosion that occurred in the 1000 block of North Weinbach Avenue at about 1 p.m. CDT Wednesday.
Evansville Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Anna Gray said at least one other injury was reported and that victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
“Debris is strewn over a 100-foot radius," including “typical construction materials” such as wooden boards, window glass and insulation, Evansville Fire Chief Mike Connelly told the Courier-Press.
The cause of the explosion has not been determined, but the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was investigating. A phone message seeking comment was left at the Evansville field office of the ATF.
A security camera at nearby ABK Tracking captured the explosion on video and shared it with WFIE.
A total of 39 houses were damaged in the explosion, firefighters said, including four which were destroyed. Fire officials told WFIE-TV in Evansville most of the houses in the surrounding area were unoccupied, except for pets, at the time of the explosion.
Aerial video posted on social media shows damage strewn in a residential neighborhood with numerous police and fire vehicles on the scene.
CenterPoint Energy, the local gas utility, was last called to the home in January 2018, Connelly said. CenterPoint issued a statement saying it “worked with first responders to secure the area.”
“CenterPoint Energy is working closely with the Evansville Fire Department, State Fire Marshal and other agencies as the investigation of this incident continues,” the utility said.
Jacki Baumgart, an office manager at Award World Trophies about 2 1/2 blocks from the site of the explosion, said she and other employees in their building panicked when they heard the blast.
“It was loud,” Baumgart said. “There was huge smoke.”
“We thought a tree fell on the building or a car ran into the place,” she said. “Debris from the ceiling came down."
She continued: "Everybody here immediately ran out of the building. We thought the building was going to come down.”
It was the second house explosion in the area in just over five years. A house explosion on June 27, 2017, killed two people and injured three others.
Wednesday's explosion also brought to mind a massive blast in 2012 that destroyed or damaged more than 80 homes in the Richmond Hill neighborhood on Indianapolis’ south side and killed two people. A man was convicted of tampering with a natural gas line at his then-girlfriend’s home in an attempt to commit insurance fraud, with the explosion killing two next-door neighbors. That man, his half-brother and girlfriend all received long prison sentences. | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/house-explosion-in-evansville-injures-at-least-2-indiana/531-5f243a16-770d-4707-a187-c7abdea5ef12 | 2022-08-11T13:02:35 | 0 | https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/house-explosion-in-evansville-injures-at-least-2-indiana/531-5f243a16-770d-4707-a187-c7abdea5ef12 |
INDIANAPOLIS — Beech Grove boys basketball coach and teacher Mike Renfro has been suspended by the district after he was arrested for possession and dealing of cocaine.
Court records indicate Renfro faces charges of possession of cocaine, dealing cocaine, operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, and public intoxication after being arrested on Monday, Aug. 8.
In a statement sent to students and staff at Beech Grove City Schools on Wednesday, superintendent Dr. Laura Hammack said she was informed that Renfro was arrested by the Henry County Sheriff's Department and has been suspended pending further investigation.
"Like you, I am deeply troubled by these allegations," Hammack said in the statement. "The district intends to fully cooperate with law enforcement officers as they conduct their investigation. Because this is an ongoing investigation, there is little else we can share now."
Renfro bonded out of jail and is scheduled for a initial hearing on the charges on Aug. 30, court records indicate.
Renfro led the Beech Grove boys basketball team to its first state championship in school history in March.
Hammock's full statement to Beech Grove City Schools students and staff:
August 10, 2022
Dear Families and Staff:
I am writing with some very troubling news. Earlier this evening, I was informed that a Beech Grove High School teacher and coach, Mr. Mike Renfro, was arrested by the Henry County Sheriff’s Department on numerous charges, including possessing and dealing drugs.
Like you, I am deeply troubled by these allegations. Mr. Renfro has been suspended pending further investigation. The district intends to fully cooperate with law enforcement officers as they conduct their investigation. Because this is an ongoing investigation, there is little else we can share now. However, we know that when events like this happen, the entire school and district are impacted. We want to ensure that you have the appropriate support during this difficult time. School officials and district counselors will be available to answer students' questions during the next several days.
Some in our community may understandably question the district’s hiring practices and how something like this could happen. Please know that the individual in question passed all criminal and other background checks required during the hiring process. However, as a district, we will review our human resources practices and address any potential areas of concern.
While we will share more details regarding this investigation when we can do so, our focus now will continue to be on our students and their physical and social-emotional wellbeing.
Sincerely,
Dr. Laura Hammack, Superintendent
Beech Grove City Schools | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/beech-grove-basketball-coach-charged-with-possessing-and-dealing-cocaine-suspended-by-district/531-79bd05a1-279a-4c64-8aac-18de93e8fb98 | 2022-08-11T13:09:33 | 0 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/beech-grove-basketball-coach-charged-with-possessing-and-dealing-cocaine-suspended-by-district/531-79bd05a1-279a-4c64-8aac-18de93e8fb98 |
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — With more than 100 coaches banned from USA Swimming by the US Center for SAFESPORT, the need for safe and easy reporting of abuse is clear. Many of the coaches banned from the sport are banned because they were accused of sexually abusing minors.
Colorado Springs-based USA Swimming is currently being sued by former athletes who claim they weren't protected.
"I think there's just been a lot more light shed on the issues in the athlete experience," said Abby Howard, USA Swimming's senior director of legal and membership affairs.
Howard won't comment on pending litigation, but she hoped their latest deal with RealResponse will make their 350,000 athletes from kids to Olympians, feel safer.
"For us, it's important that everybody knows if they send information to USA Swimming that we will do what we are required to do with the information that's given," said Howard.
Howard said USA Swimming has always allowed people to report abuse anonymously, but their previous technology didn't allow for anyone to ask questions back to the anonymous reporter.
RealResponse changes that.
"This way we will be able to hopefully act more nimbly on reports that we get, whereas previously if we didn't have enough information we might have to close a case or not be able to report it on further because we wouldn't have the information necessary to do so," said Howard.
She added all members of USA Swimming are able to use the new reporting tool on Sept. 1.
USA Gymnastics and USA Track and Field already use RealResponse. It's also the reporting tool used by the Denver Broncos.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Next with Kyle Clark | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/usa-swimming-abuse-reporting-tool-realresponse/73-cbc9deb1-7116-4645-8bb4-bc50c1848f49 | 2022-08-11T13:09:39 | 1 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/usa-swimming-abuse-reporting-tool-realresponse/73-cbc9deb1-7116-4645-8bb4-bc50c1848f49 |
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) – The Nick’s Kids Foundation donated a house in honor of the 2021 SEC Championship.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom Habitat home was built primarily with the help of volunteers. The University of Alabama football coaches’ wives, including Terry Saban and Carolyn Golding, did landscape work Wednesday at the house located on Ash Street.
Terry Saban says she’s proud of the projects funded for the community by Nick’s Kids.
“It makes me feel incredible. When I travel with Nick, I am so proud when people wave. They don’t always say thanks for the victories but they often say thank you for all you do in the community. And that gratitude goes to all the people who donate to Nick’s Kids and all the people who help build these homes,” she said.
The home will belong to Kanika Cotton, her 5-year-old daughter Kailey and her 3-year-old son Braydon. Terry Saban says it is all about giving back to the Tuscaloosa community.
“Well it’s always been a part of who we are to give back to the community,” Terry Saban said. “We preach to our players is that very thing, to use your platform to help other people, and certainly we have lots of blessings we should share with others.”
Kanika Cotton tells CBS 42 that she is so excited that so many are helping her family get a new place to call home.
“To be honest, it’s a blessing to [be able to] have our new house built from the ground up,” Cotton said. “Before this, my kids were sharing a room together and for them to have their own room is truly a blessing.”
This year, the Saban family decided to break the rules and honor the 2021 team’s accomplishments with a Habitat home build. The SEC Championship House, or “House 18.5″ as it is affectionately known, was fully funded by a donation from the Nick’s Kids Foundation. The home will be dedicated Thursday morning. | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/nicks-kids-donate-habitat-house-to-help-tuscaloosa-family/ | 2022-08-11T13:09:45 | 0 | https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/nicks-kids-donate-habitat-house-to-help-tuscaloosa-family/ |
The Ohio Department of Health will discuss the COVID-19 pandemic as well as monkeypox in a press conference this morning.
ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, Akron Children’s Hospital Chief Academic Officer Dr. Michael Forbes and OhioHealth Medical Director of Infectious Diseases Dr. Joe Gastaldo are scheduled to speak at 11 a.m. today.
The public can watch the press conference live on YouTube. This story will be updated throughout the press conference.
While coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths are far from what the state saw during its previous peaks, ODH reported slow, but steady increases in recent weeks. Last week every county in the Miami Valley was at a “high” COVID community level, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On Monday, Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County announced the county had confirmed its first case of monkeypox. While risk to the public is low at this time, the virus can be spread through direct contact with the rash, scabs or body fluids, according to Public Health.
Symptoms include flu-like symptoms, swollen lymph nodes and a rash. Other cases identified across the country were less likely to start with flu-like symptoms and swollen lymph nodes, according to Public Health. The rash, which can look like pimples or blisters, may also stay in area of the body.
People who do not have symptoms cannot spread the virus.
About the Author | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/ohio-department-of-health-to-address-monkeypox-covid-today/2J7UPFZ77BEZHHFCAYFEJJQK5A/ | 2022-08-11T13:17:36 | 1 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/ohio-department-of-health-to-address-monkeypox-covid-today/2J7UPFZ77BEZHHFCAYFEJJQK5A/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/back-to-school-bus-delays-reported-in-several-north-texas-school-districts/3045814/ | 2022-08-11T13:28:41 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/back-to-school-bus-delays-reported-in-several-north-texas-school-districts/3045814/ |
Every morning, NBC 5 Today is dedicated to delivering you positive local stories of people doing good, giving back and making a real change in our community. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/something-good/dallas-students-crowned-national-championship-mock-trial-team/3045805/ | 2022-08-11T13:28:48 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/something-good/dallas-students-crowned-national-championship-mock-trial-team/3045805/ |
From hiring new police officers to rebuilding the police academy to establishing a crisis response program, Allentown could use an influx of federal relief dollars to address public safety.
It’s a priority for a council concerned about addressing both violence — the city has seen at least five homicides in 2022 — and building trust between law enforcement and the community, members have said.
The city received $57 million in American Rescue Plan dollars last year, and has around half of the money remaining.
At a committee meeting Wednesday, council brought in several public safety experts in policing to make their case for how the city could spend its remaining American Rescue Plan funds. Members made no formal decisions or recommendations for how the money should be spent.
Holona Ochs, a political science professor at Lehigh University, urged the city to invest in a co-responder program, which pairs police officers with mental health professionals to respond to behavioral health crisis calls.
Ochs said many police officers feel ill-equipped to respond to behavioral health crisis issues, so police responses to those crises sometimes lead to unnecessary violence. But, according to Ochs, co-responder programs can help alleviate that problem. Co-responder programs can lead to lower arrest rates, reduced violence and improved access to mental health care care, Ochs said.
“We can also anticipate or hypothesize that there’s likely to be an enhancement in trust as well,” Ochs said. “Co-responder models show the greatest gains for low income communities of color, while making everyone else safer as well.”
Council member Ce-Ce Gerlach has advocated for the city to put ARPA dollars toward a one-year long pilot crisis response program, which would send trained mental health professionals instead of police to mental health-related calls.
“Cops can only do so much,” Gerlach said in March.
Ochs said research for community response programs, which eliminates police from the crisis response entirely, is more limited because not much data exists on results.
Dennis Febo, director of the New Jersey credible messenger movement, said the city should invest in a credible messenger program to keep vulnerable youth out of the juvenile justice system.
Credible Messengers are paid youth mentors who have been incarcerated or on probation but have since turned their lives around. Messengers work with local courts to pair with young people in the juvenile justice system to build bonds, share their stories and help steer young people away from gangs, crime and drugs.
What’s crucial about credible messengers, Febo said, is their cultural competency: a messenger can understand an Allentown kid’s upbringing and life more thoroughly than a police officer, social worker or therapist could.
“Their message is going to get a lot further than if I just brought regular Joe Schmoe from the system claiming they’re going to conduct a mental health service,” Febo said.
Febo encouraged the city to partner with Lehigh County and invest ARPA dollars in a similar program in Allentown.
City officials said the police department needs more support to address crime and mental health issues.
The city has funding for 245 police department staff including 180 patrol officers, according to the 2022 final budget. That’s around 80 officers short compared to other mid-size cities, according to FBI statistics.
[ Allentown’s police chief wants more officers. Will he have the city’s support? ]
Roca is not advocating for a major hiring spree — he wants to be mindful of the city’s budget limits, he said — but adding at least ten more officers would help free up time for officers proactively patrol and build neighborhood connections.
The city’s police training academy is also due for a revamp, officials said. Mayor Matt Tuerk said the building is falling apart and it would cost between $10 million to $12 million to replace it.
“Right now what is presented to any prospective employee of the Allentown Police Department is a crumbling academy,” Tuerk said. “It looks like we’re not invested in our city.”
Council has not made any decisions on how the rest of the money should be spent since late last year, when it approved a slew of capital expenditures including storm sewer improvements, water main replacements and funding for a backup data center.
Morning Call reporter Lindsay Weber can be reached at 610-820-6681 and liweber@mcall.com. | https://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-nws-allentown-arpa-public-safety-city-council-police-department-20220811-rb7cgs3anvfuncreeflq3fenbq-story.html | 2022-08-11T13:32:08 | 0 | https://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-nws-allentown-arpa-public-safety-city-council-police-department-20220811-rb7cgs3anvfuncreeflq3fenbq-story.html |
AUSTIN, Texas — A local political action group has submitted a petition in support of the "Police Oversight Act."
Equity Action said Tuesday that it has collected more than 33,000 signatures on its petition. The group delivered the signatures to the city clerk on Monday.
If at least 20,000 of those signatures are validated, Austin voters could see the act on their November ballot.
Equity Action said Councilmember Ann Kitchen (District 5) is among the signatures. Kitchen told the group she signed because "the public needs a say - petition to put on the ballot strengthening independent and transparent police oversight."
If passed, the act would create a local law governing the City of Austin's Office of Police Oversight and Community Police Review Commission, removing them from contract negotiations with the police union.
Equity Action said on Twitter that the act would be the "biggest expansion of police oversight in Austin's history."
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/equity-austin-petition-police-oversight-act/269-2e1a91a2-1b5c-40ff-a2a8-06e5fa7287e6 | 2022-08-11T13:38:10 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/equity-austin-petition-police-oversight-act/269-2e1a91a2-1b5c-40ff-a2a8-06e5fa7287e6 |
Who is running in the Sarasota County Commission District 4 primary? Republicans share their views
Former Venice City Council member Joe Neunder and home remodeling contractor Mark Hawkins are vying for the Republican nomination for the Sarasota County Commission District 4 seat.
The victor of the Aug. 23 primary will face Democrat Daniel Kuether in the general election for the District 4 seat held by Commissioner Alan Maio, who is precluded by term limits from running again.
Neunder served on the City Council from November 2019 until June, when he resigned from the post. He said he wanted to avoid a potential conflict between the two elected offices, since state statute forbids a public official from holding two offices at once.
Aside from his work on the council, Neunder operates a solo chiropractic practice in Vamo called Sarasota Spinal Mechanics. A graduate of Pine View School, he lives in North Venice with his wife and three sons.
Hawkins owns Hawk's Nest Construction in Sarasota. He has two children and seven grandchildren and lives on Phillippi Creek.
Background:Home remodeling contractor Mark Hawkins running for Sarasota County Commission
Related:Venice City Council member Joe Neunder running for open Sarasota County Commission seat
Meet the candidates:Who is running for local, state and federal offices in the Sarasota-Manatee area?
Hawkins ran for the County Commission in 2010 as a Democrat, losing to former commissioner Nora Patterson. He switched to the Republican Party and won a seat on the county Charter Review Board two years later.
Hawkins and Neunder have also both served on the Sarasota County Planning Commission.
Neunder has far outraised Hawkins, as his campaign has received, as of July 29, $124,620 in donations, $10,000 of which he loaned himself. Hawkins has raised $12,570. He has also given $20,000 of his own money to his campaign.
In recent interviews with the Herald-Tribune, the two candidates shared their views on Siesta Key hotel projects, affordable housing and several other topics. Their opinions on a few issues are provided below.
Siesta Key hotels
The County Commission approved two highly controversial hotel projects last year, one in Siesta Key Village and the other on Old Stickney Point Road. The commissioners also removed the cap on the number of hotel rooms that can be built on an acre of land in Sarasota County.
Hawkins said he is opposed to large, luxury hotels on Siesta Key.
“It’s not the nature of the place,” he said. “The nature of the place is a village.”
Hawkins disapproves of the decision to remove the cap on the number of hotel rooms. He noted that the the island doesn't have the capacity to handle the increased traffic that large hotels would bring.
Asked how he would approach future Siesta Key hotel projects seeking approval by the commission, Neunder emphasized the importance of public input. He said that when he considers development projects, he looks at their density, intensity and compatibility. He also considers whether the projects are “safe for the health and wellness of your community and citizens.”
As to whether he approves of the commission’s decision to eliminate the hotel room cap, Neunder said that he doesn’t have all the information on the matter.
“I don’t have all the public testimony, the emails, to give you a really straightforward, honest answer,” he said, adding that he didn’t want to say something that is not well-researched.
Affordable housing crisis
Hawkins said workforce housing will be one of his main priorities as a commissioner.
“I’m not going to wait five years and kick the stone down the road a little bit,” he said.
He said that as soon as he is sworn into the post, he would set up meetings with the county administrator and with local experts on affordable housing.
Hawkins approves of the idea of giving developers incentives, such as density bonuses, when they build affordable housing.
Neunder said all the stakeholders in affordable housing – such as developers and the county’s major employers – need to come together and come up with solutions to the housing crisis.
He said that he has built relationships with various community leaders over the years, and he would capitalize on those relationships as he tries to bring more affordable housing to the county.
Neunder also said he is interested in the concept of inclusionary zoning, which is when developers are required to set aside some units in a building or complex as affordable units when they build in certain areas. The developer would be given incentives for providing these units.
Proposed secured treatment facility for inmates
Sarasota County officials have, for a few years, been edging toward a proposal to address overcrowding at the county jail.
Officials from the Sheriff's Office and Sarasota County Department of Human Services are proposing a secured annex building that would focus on reentry, mental health and substance abuse programming.
Wayne Applebee, senior manager of Human Services, told the Herald-Tribune that officials are aiming to present a proposal to county commissioners by September. Even if the proposal is presented this fall, Applebee said it would take years before the project would come to fruition.
The expected cost to build the new facility is also expected to surpass the county's current bonding limit of $25.8 million, meaning the county would need to hold a voter referendum on it.
When asked if he would support getting the wheels in motion on the project, Hawkins said he would support the annex plan “100%.” He noted that when people are struggling with several different addictions, their family members aren’t able to help them.
“If you had this annex where people could go and they could get some help – what a great idea,” he stated.
Neunder said that as a commissioner, when tasked with any issue involving law enforcement or jails, his first call would be to Sheriff Kurt Hoffman.
“I’m all in favor of supporting the sheriff and trying to give him every resource possible to make our community healthier and safer,” he said.
Neunder said the annex proposal “in theory, sounds really good,” but he noted that the county’s citizens would have ultimate authority on it, as they would vote on the matter in a referendum.
Anne Snabes covers city and county government for the Herald-Tribune. You can contact her at asnabes@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @a_snabes. | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/politics/elections/local/2022/08/11/joe-neunder-mark-hawkins-face-off-sarasota-county-commission-district-4-republican-primary/10130673002/ | 2022-08-11T13:41:00 | 0 | https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/politics/elections/local/2022/08/11/joe-neunder-mark-hawkins-face-off-sarasota-county-commission-district-4-republican-primary/10130673002/ |
What to Know
- Philadelphia's first Director of Night Time Economy and Development Raheem Manning is tasked with making Philadelphia a 24-hour city.
- Manning says he envisions the city becoming a 24-hour destination that is friendly, inviting and fun for those who call Philadelphia home.
- “As we emerge from the pandemic, I am excited to contribute to these efforts in my hometown of Philadelphia for our city to be a welcoming and globally competitive hub for art, culture and nightlife.” Manning said.
The City of Philadelphia has appointed their first Night Time Economy Director in an attempt to make Philly a 24-hour city.
"The 'Night Mayor', as one might say, is someone who advocates for all business and activity after five," the new Director of Night Time Economy and Development Raheem Manning tells NBC10 about his new position.
Manning says he envisions the city becoming a 24-hour destination that is friendly, inviting and fun for those who call Philadelphia home. He says he also hopes to make the city globally competitive, especially when compared to others along the East Coast.
This new role comes as part of Philly's effort to rebound after the COVID pandemic's effects.
Center City District President and CEO Paul Levy says 82% of Center City businesses have reopened since the pandemic. Retail sales are up to 95% of pre-pandemic levels and restaurant sales at 85%.
Foot traffic around the city streets is up to 84%.
West Philly native Manning believes his roots in the city provide him with insight on what residents, businesses and visitors are concerned about in the city at later hours.
"Raheem’s background and experience are well-suited to lead strategies that promote Philadelphia as a 24-hour city that is a dynamic driver of tourism, hospitality, world-class arts, and cultural assets,” Philadelphia Department of Commerce Director Anne Nadol said. “I am confident that Raheem is the right person to convene ecosystem partnerships for the night-time economy that will make it easier to operate a successful business in Philadelphia while enhancing our city as a thriving, diverse destination for all.”
Manning explains that he plans to hold listening sessions in the fall.
“As we emerge from the pandemic, I am excited to contribute to these efforts in my hometown of Philadelphia for our city to be a welcoming and globally competitive hub for art, culture and nightlife.” Manning said in the release.
Fore more information on Manning and the new position, see the City of Philadelphia's website. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/first-ever-night-mayor-appointed-to-help-make-philly-a-24-hour-city/3331273/ | 2022-08-11T13:41:56 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/first-ever-night-mayor-appointed-to-help-make-philly-a-24-hour-city/3331273/ |
Otsego County Animal Shelter warns of mysterious illness affecting dogs in the area
GAYLORD — Over 20 dogs in Otsego County in the last two months have been affected by a disease that could be related to Parvo.
Melissa FitzGerald, director of the county animal shelter, said the dogs have developed symptoms like bloody stool, vomiting and appear lethargic. All of those symptoms are typically associated with Parvo.
"When they are taken to a veterinarian the test for Parvo is negative, so they don't know what to treat (the animal) for," FitzGerald said. "Some still treat it for Parvo and within a couple of days the dogs continue to deteriorate and eventually die."
Parvo or canine parvovirus is a highly contagious virus that can affect all dogs, but unvaccinated dogs and puppies younger than four months old are the most at risk from the disease, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
The virus affects dogs' gastrointestinal tracts and is spread by direct dog-to-dog contact and contact with contaminated feces (stool), environments, or people, the AVMA said.
More:Charlevoix dog park grand opening set for May 21
The affected dogs are not from any specific area of Otsego County.
"We have had reports from Vanderbilt, the City of Gaylord, west of Gaylord and south of Gaylord," said FitzGerald.
FitzGerald said the outbreak is also not confined to a particular breed.
"Usually the dogs are under two years of age and they are not fully vaccinated. There is a vaccine for Parvo and it is usually administered to puppies," she said.
"If you aren't sure your dog has been vaccinated or you aren't sure about the vaccination history, go in and see a veterinarian," FitzGerald added. "We don't know exactly what it is or how it is spreading. The best guess is that this is a strain of Parvo."
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The animal shelter has been in contact with local veterinarians as well as vets in Traverse City, Grayling, Mancelona and Indian River.
"We have also talked with the state veterinarian, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and a necropsy was done at Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Lansing," FitzGerald said. | https://www.petoskeynews.com/story/news/local/gaylord/2022/08/11/otsego-county-animal-shelter-warns-mysterious-illness-affecting-dogs/10288320002/ | 2022-08-11T13:42:11 | 1 | https://www.petoskeynews.com/story/news/local/gaylord/2022/08/11/otsego-county-animal-shelter-warns-mysterious-illness-affecting-dogs/10288320002/ |
ASK THE CANDIDATES: Incumbent Huff faces Zackery in District 3 Board of Education race
Incumbent Z. André Huff faces Fred Zackery of WMGJ Radio in the election for District 3 representative on the Gadsden City Board of Education on Aug. 23.
The Times asked each candidate for his short-term goals and long-term objectives should he be elected; the responses are published as submitted, subject to minor editing.
Z. André Huff
Platform Overview: As Gadsden City Schools board member for District 3, I will continue to work wholeheartedly to ensure our school system provides a quality education that includes equitable, inclusive, diverse and a safe academic environment that allow our students to prosper after high school.
Short-Term Goals:
Advocate additional funding to assist with paying full-time resource officers at every Gadsden City school.
Ensure all middle school students have an equal opportunity to educational resources, funding stability, more course offerings and enhanced programs.
Continue being instrumental in hiring qualified and diverse employees.
Encourage implementing a system for tracking all students, K4 through 12th grade, to manage their career development, which helps to ensure students are exposed to different career paths and courses, providing each with the ability to succeed in life.
Establish meaningful ways to work more effectively with city leaders to gain support for funding of school programs.
Develop a specific program for improving parent participation in their child’s educational learning experience and career development.
Long-Term Objectives:
Accountability: Create a culture of accountability within the Board of Education and administration that will ensure decisions will have a positive impact for all students and staff.
Ensure success for all students: As Gadsden City Schools board member for District 3, I will work diligently to ensure all students have access to an equal and diverse learning environment by providing all students with high-quality teaching and learning driven by a curriculum for post-secondary success; suitable assessments that provide accurate measurements of student performance; counselor assistance focused on every student having a career-driven educational plan; and provide teachers with strong professional development opportunities.
Provide resources for all students: As Gadsden City Schools board member for District 3, I will continue to ensure all students are provided the necessary resources that will allow them the ability to reach their maximum educational potential, and develop policies and practices to overcome the barriers that students face.
Fred Zackery
My goal is to promote community reading programs with an emphasis on children developing reading skills by the age of 3. I want to establish community reading rooms, baseline needs with appropriate tools, provide the specialists and resources needed to meet the desired goal or goals, set evaluation benchmarks and evaluate | https://www.gadsdentimes.com/story/news/politics/elections/local/2022/08/11/gadsden-district-3-board-education-2022-meet-candidates-q-a/10149122002/ | 2022-08-11T13:50:19 | 1 | https://www.gadsdentimes.com/story/news/politics/elections/local/2022/08/11/gadsden-district-3-board-education-2022-meet-candidates-q-a/10149122002/ |
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Family and friends remembered a life taken too soon after a single-car crash killed two teens over the weekend.
"I wanted a candlelight vigil for people to know that my child was someone. He had goals. He had aspirations," said Alfrieda Lewis, the mother of the 18-year-old who was killed.
Her son, Brice Lewis, was just eight minutes from home early Sunday morning when the car he was in crashed. He and 14-year-old Shaariyah Brown were killed. The 17-year-old driver survived.
"I want people to know, the safety," Alfrieda Lewis said. "Safety is needed behind these vehicles. My child got into a senseless accident that was not necessary."
Despite her heartache, she's honoring her son. The moments to talk to family and friends are a part of her healing process.
"My child is not coming back, but if we can save another life that's what we're doing to do," Alfrieda Lewis said.
Brice was a role model and inspiration to many. Wednesday would've been the start of his senior year at St. Petersburg High School. He was enrolled in Pinellas Technical College at the same time.
"My son was wonderful and everybody knew it," Alfrieda Lewis said. "He was Mr. Wonderful from the day we met him 18 years ago. I thank God for him."
The balloons and candles held during the vigil for Brice didn't just honor him, but anyone in the community taken too soon.
His funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Aug. 20 at Bethel Community Baptist Church in St. Petersburg. | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/brice-lewis-st-petersburg-deadly-car-crash/67-799df57a-85cd-4cb8-855e-7e0bb9b9982b | 2022-08-11T13:50:29 | 1 | https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/brice-lewis-st-petersburg-deadly-car-crash/67-799df57a-85cd-4cb8-855e-7e0bb9b9982b |
What: Racine Concert Band’s 1,510th free performance
When: 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 14
Where: Racine Zoo, 2131 N. Main St.
Admission: Free
Note: The zoo's gates at Walton Avenue and Augusta Street open at 6:30 p.m. for free admission to the concert site, the Kiwanis Amphitheater on the east side of the zoo grounds. A courtesy cart, for audience members who need assistance in getting to the concert site, is available before and after the concert.
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RACINE — As the Racine Concert Band continues to celebrate its landmark 100th season, the band welcomes guest vocalist Darlene Kelsey and flute soloist Beth Kapralian.
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The band’s principal flutist, Kapralian has been a Racine Concert Band member since 1994 and is a part-time elementary music teacher for Racine Unified Schools. She will perform "Rhapsody for Flute" by Stephen Bulla during the Sunday night program.
She purchased this piece for the band and previously performed it as a soloist in 2016.
"I really like the way it sounds," Kapralian said.
Kelsey — making her second appearance as a guest artist with the band — is a graduate of the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and has performed with the Florentine Opera in Milwaukee, the Chicago Symphony Chorus, the Grant Park Chorus and as a recitalist at the University of Chicago. She has a master's degree in Voice after earning a performance degree in oboe.
She teaches at Forrestal Elementary School in North Chicago, Ill.
She will sing four pieces Sunday night: "The Kiss," a vocal waltz by Italian composer Luigi Arditi; the "Kringleville Polka" by Sverre Elsmo; "I Feel a Song Comin' On" by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields; and the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein classic "Getting to Know You" from the 1951 Broadway hit "The King & I."
''Kringleville Polka'' was composed in 1957 by Elsmo, a Racine resident, honoring the city's signature treat.
100 years strong
Mark Eichner -- who received an honor from the band at its Aug. 7 concert in celebration of his 20th season as the music director -- will conduct the program.
This is the band's final 2022 Sunday night outdoor concert, and Eichner said the group has a lot to be proud as it marks its centennial year.
"The group is not just surviving but is thriving in a difficult and vastly changed environment," he said. "I'm struck by the many ways the band has evolved over the last 20 years. If we had continued to conduct ourselves as we did in 2002, we would have been bankrupted and wiped off the map long ago.
"Instead, we're well-positioned to take a long-term view of what the Racine Concert Band can be in its second century."
Mozart and Sousa
Sunday night's program also includes:
- "The King's March" by Richard Strauss.
- Overture to "Les Petits Riens" by W.A. Mozart.
- "The Fantastic Toy Shop," a ballet suite that debuted in London in 1919. Ottorino Respighi wrote the music based on piano pieces by Gioachino Rossini.
- "El Albanico" by Alfredo Javaloyes.
- "Spiritual" by Don Gillis.
- "Rollo Takes a Walk" by David Maslanka. The piece is described as "a tongue-in-cheek favorite" and was inspired by Rollo, a character created by composer Charles Ives to represent ultra-conservative musical tastes.
- Highlights from the Broadway musical "My Fair Lady" by Alan Lerner and Freerick Loewe.
- "The Thunderer" march by John Philip Sousa.
Don Rosen, a professional radio broadcaster for 50 years, is the master of ceremonies for the concert.
Looking ahead
Though the band's summer season ends Sunday night, the 100th anniversary celebration continues with a Nov. 1 concert at Racine's Washington Park High School.
"I'm super-stoked about the final concert of the centennial," Eichner said.
The program continues the band's "Rooted in Racine" concerts.
"Our newest tradition features a guest artist soloist who developed their musical skills in our area," Eichner explained. "Bill Nelson, a Washington Park and UW-Parkside alumnus, will be the soloist in a performance of the 'Tenor Saxophone Concerto' by American Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Ward.
"It will be a great pleasure to collaborate will Bill again and also to conduct the only band work by composer Robert Ward not previously performed by the band."
The November program also features the Racine Concert Band's third premiere of the year: A band version of "Melodia" from Daron Hagen's "Concerto for Brass Quintet."
A native of Brookfield, Hagen "moved to New York before I moved to Wisconsin," Eichner said. "Still, our musical paths have crossed many times, and Daron authorized me to make the band version and conduct the premiere."
"Although I've made many arrangements for the band," Eichner added, "I've never before arranged music by a living composer, who will undoubtedly take an interest in the outcome of the project." | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/racine-concert-band-welcomes-vocalist-flute-soloist/article_1ab8d0f8-1762-11ed-8e4d-a33e9d01b31e.html | 2022-08-11T13:54:36 | 1 | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/racine-concert-band-welcomes-vocalist-flute-soloist/article_1ab8d0f8-1762-11ed-8e4d-a33e9d01b31e.html |
It’s Play in the Sand Day, meaning it’s a great time to head to a local beach. Just don’t drag any of that sand in into the house!
Batter up! The Kenosha Kingfish are hosting the Traverse City Pit Spitters today at Simmons Field. The 6:35 p.m. game is also Fan Appreciation Night AND the final home game of the 2022 season! To purchase tickets, call 262-653-0900, log on at kingfishbaseball.com or go to the ticket office at Simmons Field.
The 20th season of Peanut Butter and Jam concerts continues today with performances by Rosie & The Rivets. The weekly performances take place in Veterans Memorial Park, located at 54th Street and Sixth Avenue on Kenosha’s harbor. The free concerts are twice every Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. For more details, see the story in today’s Get Out & About entertainment section.
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The free Bristol Woodstock concert series continues its 2022 season today. The concert takes place 6 to 8 p.m. in Bristol Woods County Park, 9800 160th Ave. For more details, see the story in today’s Get Out & About entertainment section.
The new season of “Music & More” concerts also continues today. The free concerts are noon to 1 p.m. Thursdays in Racine at First Presbyterian Church, 716 College Ave. For more details, see the story in today’s Get Out & About entertainment section.
It’s time for cream puffs, fried foods on sticks and that giant yellow slide! The Wisconsin State Fair continues its 2022 season in West Allis. For more details, see the story in today’s Get Out & About entertainment section. | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/todays-events-for-thursday-aug-11/article_785358fa-1852-11ed-8c63-ff310d02e886.html | 2022-08-11T13:54:38 | 0 | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/todays-events-for-thursday-aug-11/article_785358fa-1852-11ed-8c63-ff310d02e886.html |
CLIFTON FORGE, Va. – The author of the best-selling book turned Emmy-nominated Hulu series “Dopesick,” filmed in parts of the Highlands, is returning to familiar grounds.
Beth Macy is launching a new book called “Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America’s Overdose Crisis.”
Macy told 10 News that the book is intended to show that addiction shouldn’t be stigmatized.
“A lot of communities are up to speed on the best ways to turn this crisis around. I thought let me go give attention to these creative, gritty, on-the-ground folks who are really doing the lord’s work because they inspired me, and hopefully, by telling their stories they can inspire some of these gatekeepers who will decide what to do with the money and how best to spend it,” Macy said.
The book will hit store shelves on August 16.
Insiders can watch the full Q&A with Beth Macy on Friday. To become an Insider, sign up here. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/11/author-of-dopesick-to-release-new-book/ | 2022-08-11T13:55:11 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/11/author-of-dopesick-to-release-new-book/ |
ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – UPDATE - 7:54 a.m.
We’re learning more about a police chase that ended near Penn Forest Elementary School in Roanoke County Thursday morning.
At about 5:30 a.m., authorities were called to the area of Woodthrush Drive for the report of two men, about 5′6″ to 5′8″ tall and dressed in all black, looking into vehicles with flashlights and trying door handles, according to Capt. Pascoe with the Roanoke County Police Department.
Authorities say the two suspects fled the scene in a white pickup truck, which led to a brief chase and foot pursuit.
At this time, police have a juvenile in custody with the two males still at large.
Police say this is not a school-related incident. School officials added to this, saying it will not impact the first day of school for students.
“We don’t anticipate that it will affect school operations this morning at all. We look forward to kids coming back and starting an exciting school year,” said Chuck Lionberger with Roanoke County Public Schools.
Students are expected to return to the classroom at 7:45 a.m.
ORIGINAL STORY - 6:25 a.m.
There is a large police presence near Penn Forest Elementary School in Cave Spring.
Aug. 11 is the first day of school for students at the elementary school, with students expected to return to the classroom at 7:45 a.m.
We spoke with Chuck Lionberger, director of community relations for Roanoke County Public Schools, who said the incident is not going to impact the first day as of right now.
School officials said parents should continue to drop their kids off as normal and said buses will operate as usual.
The school is currently preparing a message that will be sent out to parents and guardians regarding the incident.
We currently have a crew on scene working for you to learn more.
Stay with 10 News as this breaking news story develops | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/11/heavy-police-presence-near-roanoke-county-elementary-school/ | 2022-08-11T13:55:17 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/11/heavy-police-presence-near-roanoke-county-elementary-school/ |
BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. – A Botetourt man was arrested on Monday, accused of stalking and sexually assaulting a female mail carrier in connection with an incident that happened on August 2, 10 News reported.
A person with close ties to the female mail carrier learned more about the allegations and shared what he learned from her with 10 News.
Everything the person shared with 10 News is what the female mail carrier shared with him, and he wished to remain anonymous.
She first told him how the incident started: after leaving the property, the suspect continued to follow her down the street while she delivered to more houses.
“At one intersection he pulled and blocked her vehicle where she couldn’t move her postal van,” the person said. “He reached in the window and started grabbing her.”
She told him that another woman driving down the road eventually confronted the suspect for blocking the road.
“What finally got him to leave … an elderly lady that lived on that street pulled up in a van and his car was blocking the road, so he went to move the car and she took off,” the person said.
He told 10 News that, according to the victim, the harassment didn’t stop.
“He continued to follow her down the road, driving up beside her and blowing her kisses. I guess he got tired of it and at one intersection he took off and turned one way and she turned the other,” the person said.
The person told 10 News that the victim alerted her boss and eventually authorities about the situation.
On Monday, the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office arrested a suspect in the case, who was charged with abduction, stalking, simple assault, and sexual assault. He is being held in the Botetourt County Jail with no bond.
The investigation is still ongoing.
10 News has reached out to both USPS for a statement but has not yet received a response.
Stay with 10 News as this story develops. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/11/man-with-close-ties-to-female-mail-carrier-involved-in-botetourt-co-incident-speaks-to-wsls-10/ | 2022-08-11T13:55:23 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/11/man-with-close-ties-to-female-mail-carrier-involved-in-botetourt-co-incident-speaks-to-wsls-10/ |
ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke Police Department is investigating a shooting that sent one man to the hospital in southwest Roanoke Wednesday evening.
At approximately 7:17 p.m. on Wednesday, Roanoke Police said they responded to an E-911 call for a person with a gunshot wound in the 800 block of Marshall Avenue SW.
When the officer arrived, they located a man lying in the front yard of a residence with what appeared to be non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, according to police.
Police said the man was transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial hospital to be treated.
No suspects were located at the scene and no arrests have been made, police said, and the incident is still under investigation.
If you have information about the incident, police are asking you to call (540)344-8500 to share what you know. You can also text police at 274637; they say to begin the text with “RoanokePD” to ensure it’s properly sent. Both calls and texts can remain anonymous. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/11/one-hurt-after-shooting-in-southwest-roanoke/ | 2022-08-11T13:55:29 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/11/one-hurt-after-shooting-in-southwest-roanoke/ |
PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. – A pedestrian is dead after being hit by a car on Route 29 in Pittsylvania County, according to Virginia State Police.
Authorities say it happened on Wednesday at about 10:25 p.m. and have identified the victim as 40-year-old James Patrick Donnelly, of Warsaw, Montana.
We’re told a 1998 Jaguar was driving north on Route 29 near Dry Bridge Road when it hit Donnelly as he was walking in the right-hand lane of the road.
Donnelly died at the scene, Virginia State Police reports.
At this time, no charges are pending and the crash remains under investigation. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/11/pedestrian-killed-after-being-hit-by-car-in-pittsylvania-county/ | 2022-08-11T13:55:35 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/11/pedestrian-killed-after-being-hit-by-car-in-pittsylvania-county/ |
On Thursday at 9:30 a.m., Caesars Virginia is set to have a groundbreaking ceremony for the $650 million casino that’s headed to Danville.
After the future casino’s groundbreaking, local and state officials are expected to speak.
On Thursday at 9:30 a.m., Caesars Virginia is set to have a groundbreaking ceremony for the $650 million casino that’s headed to Danville.
After the future casino’s groundbreaking, local and state officials are expected to speak.
Copyright 2022 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved. | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/11/watch-live-groundbreaking-ceremony-to-be-held-for-new-danville-casino/ | 2022-08-11T13:55:41 | 1 | https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2022/08/11/watch-live-groundbreaking-ceremony-to-be-held-for-new-danville-casino/ |
A deal two decades in the making, Dayton’s Bonbright Distributors is merging with Springfield’s Bobby Fisher Distributing, Brock Anderson III, chairman and chief executive of Bonbright, said Thursday.
“We’ve done a few big deals in our company’s history, but this is the biggest,” Anderson said Thursday.
The transaction makes Bonbright the third largest beer distributor in Ohio.
With this deal, Bonbright is projected to distribute more than 10 million cases of beverages companywide in 2023, he said. For perspective, when Anderson’s father, Brock Anderson Jr., bought the business in 1983, it then distributed less than two million cases on an annualized basis.
Bonbright stands as the only locally owned beverage distributor in the Dayton area, Anderson said. (Brock Anderson Jr. died in early 2020.)
Anderson is shying away from the word “acquisition” here. He said Fisher will continue to use its name and serve its traditional territory in Clark, Auglaize, Shelby counties and beyond. Owner Maria Fisher will continue to be involved with the business, he said.
“It was a long time in the making,” Anderson said of the deal. The two families tried to make it happen but were not able to come to terms until now.
He declined to put a monetary value on the transaction.
The overall Bonbright business dates back to 1934. The Anderson family bought the company in 1983, and most of its expansions since then have happened around Dayton, but the company does have an operation in Northwestern Pennsylvania.
When the Anderson family acquired Bonbright in the early 1980s, there were 14 locally owned beer distributors in the Dayton-Springfield area. After this deal, Bonbright will be the last locally owned distributorship — “Which I think is pretty cool,” Anderson said.
While this transaction doubles the company’s non-alcohol business, more than 90% of what Bonbright distributes is still beer.
“I never thought I’d be selling as much water and stuff,” Anderson said with a laugh.
“It took us a while to really get into a growth trajectory,” he added. “When you’re a Dayton company I think you have to fight and claw for every inch you get over the years. This is a culmination of the hard work we’ve put in.”
Some of the suppliers involved include Corona, Boston Beer, Heineken and others, he said.
Bonbright has about 125 employees in Dayton, and more than 80 in Pennsylvania. Fisher has about 70 employees.
About the Author | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/just-in-bonbright-to-merge-with-springfield-area-beverage-distributor/NRUA7I5S2VCBLB7QDHQA5PJNQU/ | 2022-08-11T13:58:04 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/just-in-bonbright-to-merge-with-springfield-area-beverage-distributor/NRUA7I5S2VCBLB7QDHQA5PJNQU/ |
ELK GROVE, Calif. — A fire broke out early Thursday morning between two homes in Elk Grove.
Firefighters with the Cosumnes Fire Department responded to reports of a fire around 2:30 a.m. on Seasons Drive. Deputy Fire Chief Dan Quiggle said a gas meter on the side of the house was impacting the size of the fire.
"Some of the gas coming from that gas meter was making the fire larger and causing greater risk so they called for a second alarm," Quiggle said.
Additional units responded to the fire to help put it out. Seven people in total have been impacted by the fire, but no one was injured.
"The residents of both homes did exactly what we want them to do. They quickly got out of the home, they called 911, they made sure that all their family members were safe and they told us when we got to the scene that they were safe and all out of the house. That allows us to quickly go to work to put out the fire knowing that the occupants are safe," Quiggle said.
Yolanda Henderson has lived in her home in Elk Grove for almost 30 years.
"Well, my first instinct was just to get out and get to our neighbors as soon as possible because it started at my neighbor's home. And so my husband began to run down the stairs to just go and wake up the neighbors. I called 911 and then I immediately reached our neighbors on the other side because they're deaf and I wanted to make sure if the fire kept going that they would at least have time to get out," Henderson said.
Henderson said she's grateful everyone got out safe and will now start dealing with the aftermath of the fire.
"I think most people, at some point, you rehearse it in your mind — what you will do and who you'll call and what things you want to grab, but honestly when it happened I just went into auto mode and my whole idea was just to get out of the house as quickly as possible," Henderson said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/elk-grove/elk-grove-house-fire/103-2cbc1ae6-4dd2-4d32-a579-4cabd9d42aba | 2022-08-11T14:03:24 | 1 | https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/elk-grove/elk-grove-house-fire/103-2cbc1ae6-4dd2-4d32-a579-4cabd9d42aba |
A father and his 2-year-old daughter on Sunday were removed from a Frontier Airlines flight traveling from Orlando, Florida, to Atlanta, Georgia, according to news reports.
In a post on his Instagram page, Chrisean Rose said that the flight staff removed his daughter and him from the flight because she wanted to sit on his lap.
“My daughter sat in my lap crying while the flight attendant insisted that she sit in her own seat or they will turn around and remove us,” the post said.
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This footage uploaded to Instagram shows Rose speaking with a flight attendant, who warns that he will be arrested if he does not disembark. Rose’s daughter can be heard in the background.
According to local news reports, Frontier Airlines said, “it is an FAA requirement that all passengers over the age of 24 months must be buckled into their own seat for takeoff and landing. The parent refused to comply and therefore was asked to exit the aircraft with the child.” The girl is 25 months old, according to reports.
Rose had to buy tickets from Delta to return to Atlanta, reports said. He told Storyful that Frontier Airlines reached out to him about a refund.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/11/they-will-arrest-you-dad-toddler-removed-from-flight-in-orlando/ | 2022-08-11T14:06:21 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/11/they-will-arrest-you-dad-toddler-removed-from-flight-in-orlando/ |
The Florida Highway Patrol’s cruiser looks great, but is it the best looking in the United States?
The American Association of State Troopers has launched a “Best Looking Cruiser Contest” to help determine which state’s cruiser will take the crown.
Before casting your vote, you can scroll through beauty shots of cruisers from each state.
VOTE NOW: Florida Highway Patrol is representing Florida in a nationwide "Best Looking Cruiser" Contest. A vote for FHP is a vote for Florida! 🐊🌞https://t.co/srRGm3eB3T pic.twitter.com/4mwVE0gp4h
— FLHSMV (@FLHSMV) August 8, 2022 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/11/vote-is-florida-highway-patrols-cruiser-the-best-in-the-us/ | 2022-08-11T14:06:27 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/11/vote-is-florida-highway-patrols-cruiser-the-best-in-the-us/ |
The Crown Point Republican seeking to represent Northwest Indiana in Congress would vote in favor of a nationwide policy similar to Indiana's new, near-total abortion ban if she's elected Nov. 8 to the U.S. House.
Jennifer-Ruth Green describes herself on her campaign website as "unashamedly and unapologetically pro-life" and a person who believes "life begins at conception" and "a child in the womb is a distinct, developing, whole human being."
When asked by The Times for her reaction to the new abortion restrictions approved last week by Indiana's Republican-controlled General Assembly, which prohibit all abortions from the moment of conception with limited exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest, or to prevent permanent physical impairment or the death of a pregnant woman, Green's campaign expressed support for the statute.
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"Jennifer-Ruth is pro-life and believes there is an acceptable middle ground, compassionate toward both women and unborn children. In order to save as many lives as possible, she will always support exceptions to save the mother’s life, and would support exceptions for rape and incest to advance federal legislation to stop brutal late-term abortions when babies can feel pain, prohibit taxpayer-funding for abortions, and stop abortions for underage daughters without parental consent," said Ashleigh Presnar, Green's campaign manager.
Green personally said, "Good people can disagree on this issue, but most Americans recognize that abortion isn’t a good thing. It's a symptom of bigger problems in our society, and it’s a tragedy."
"The vast majority of women who have abortions — especially black and Hispanic women — do so for economic reasons. They feel like they have no other choice. Women deserve better. As a country, we need to provide a stronger safety net for moms so they can choose life, and if they can’t raise a child, make it easier to put their child up for adoption by a loving family," Green said.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Frank J. Mrvan, D-Highland, said if he wins a second two-year term representing Lake, Porter and northwest LaPorte counties in Congress, he's committed to legislatively restoring the abortion rights of American women as they were before June 24 when a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court repealed the high court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
"I support the precedent of Roe v. Wade and have voted for legislation that protects the right to abortion services. I also have voted for legislation that establishes a statutory right for individuals to obtain contraceptives," Mrvan said.
"Make no mistake, in the upcoming election, the Republican nominee will advocate to implement a federal ban on women’s freedom to access safe reproductive care, while I will advocate to codify Roe v. Wade for all women of this nation, including my two daughters," he added.
Mrvan said the Supreme Court's decision to roll back nearly 50 years of abortion rights precedents "reflects the very real consequences of our elections," since the justices who overturned Roe all were appointed by Republican presidents and all but one confirmed by a Republican-controlled Senate.
"There is an obvious choice in this election on this important women's rights issue — I have a record of supporting a woman’s freedom to access safe reproductive care, and the Republican nominee who states on her website that she supports federal legislation to ban abortions from conception with no exceptions, which would supersede any state law," Mrvan said.
Presnar countered that Green's position on abortion is a "reasonable middle ground," and she claimed Mrvan favors "extreme, barbaric policies that would coerce every state into legalizing abortion on demand up to the day of birth at taxpayer expense."
According to the Indiana Department of Health, "abortion on demand" is not available because the state requires pregnant women considering abortion, even under the new law, receive extensive informed consent advisories, including multiple ultrasounds at multiple hospitals or surgical center visits.
Records show that of the 8,414 Indiana abortions completed in 2021, all but 105 terminations (98.8%) occurred prior to 14 weeks gestation. Approximately 68% of Indiana abortions were completed within the first eight weeks of pregnancy. Just one abortion occurred after 21 weeks.
Pregnancy typically lasts about 40 weeks. A fetus generally is not considered viable, or capable of surviving outside the womb, until 23 or 24 weeks.
Mrvan said he's also concerned extreme anti-abortion policies will negatively impact the economy since several large Hoosier employers already have said they'll focus their expansion plans elsewhere because of Indiana's new abortion law.
He said the same thing could happen with international businesses eyeing expansion to America if Congress enacts a similar, near-total abortion ban.
"Businesses are taking note of our nation’s abortion policies when they decide where to invest in new jobs, technology and innovation. Legislative policies that take away women’s rights will have a negative and lasting impact on our economy," Mrvan said. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/sharp-differences-on-abortion-distinguish-northwest-indiana-congressional-candidates/article_c235f928-3645-522a-b394-346c2da1269a.html | 2022-08-11T14:07:48 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/sharp-differences-on-abortion-distinguish-northwest-indiana-congressional-candidates/article_c235f928-3645-522a-b394-346c2da1269a.html |
MERRILLVILLE — After two years of homeschooling, Mason Cuevas, 4, and Bella Cuevas, 7, will head to the classroom Sept. 6.
"I am really nervous about sending them to school, but I've heard nothing but great things about Aquinas," their mom, Lina Cuevas said. "I really honestly do feel like my kids will be safe here."
The Cuevas family, like many others, is new to Aquinas Catholic Community School.
Since 2017, the Merrillville school has grown by 37%. However with only eight classrooms, 10 grades and over 200 students, "we literally cannot fit the kids in the building," Principal Lisa Gutierrez said.
Soon, the school will be able to accept some 50 to 100 more students thanks to a $3 million expansion.
Children in dark green uniforms greeted friends after a summer apart, and parents chatted with teachers before the Wednesday morning groundbreaking. Aquinas worked with the Big Shoulders Fund, the Catholic Diocese of Gary and the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation to make the expansion a reality.
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The Dean and Barbara White Foundation donated $1.95 million to the project, which is slated to be completed in the first few months of 2023. The project will add 5,500 square feet to the current 20,000 square-foot school building and another 1,700 square feet will be renovated. Two classrooms, a teacher's lounge, a nurse's office and a secure triple door entryway will be added.
"Our Catholic schools provide an exceptional opportunity for our young people to grow in faith and knowledge and virtue ... in a compassionate, loving, caring, safe and holy environment," said Bishop Robert McClory of the Catholic Diocese of Gary.
Gutierrez recalled talking about expansion plans back in 2016 when she first started. Even then, when the school only had 136 students, space was tight. Over the years, parts of the rectory and the back of the church have even served as classrooms.
Even with the space constraints, Marisa Hurst said the staff has created a positive atmosphere at the school for her 10-year-old son, Nicholas. Hurst said all the Aquinas families are very involved, regularly volunteering at the school and attending meetings with teachers and staff.
Though not quite old enough to be a student, Hurst's 8-month-old son Ezra already had an Aquinas onesie.
"I love seeing all the new families," Hurst said. "That is always a good sign."
The Big Shoulders Fund has worked with low-income Catholic schools in Chicago for 36 years. However, in 2019, a donation from the Dean and Barbara White Foundation helped the organization spread to Northwest Indiana. Aquinas was one of the first schools Big Shoulders visited when the organization expanded to Northwest Indiana. Going forward, Big Shoulders plans on working with more schools in Hammond, Gary and East Chicago.
Dan Kozlowski, managing director for Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana, said Aquinas' "growth is thanks in large part to the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program." Under the controversial school choices scholarship program, also known as the school voucher program, private school tuition costs are offset for eligible families. Public schools across Northwest Indiana have opposed the program in the past as it diverts state funding away from public schools.
"(This expansion) tells children, 'We believe in you, you matter, your right to a high-quality Catholic education matters,'" Gutierrez said. | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/merrillville/watch-now-catholic-school-in-merrillville-celebrates-groundbreaking-of-3-million-expansion/article_2b9c5767-5a6a-5b22-98d0-1bd2b85e1f6a.html | 2022-08-11T14:07:54 | 1 | https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/merrillville/watch-now-catholic-school-in-merrillville-celebrates-groundbreaking-of-3-million-expansion/article_2b9c5767-5a6a-5b22-98d0-1bd2b85e1f6a.html |
As home prices remain stuck on high and homebuilder activity slows, the demand for rental properties is soaring, along with rents.
Developers in the Tucson-area are eagerly building more communities of houses — not apartments — that are exclusively for renters.
Aerie Development, one of the early pioneers locally of the concept known as Built to Rent (BTR), has broken ground on its latest community in Oro Valley.
Linda Vista Luxury Homes will have 64 homes in a gated community at 375 W. Linda Vista Blvd.
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The homes range in size from 781 square feet to 1,098 square feet and pre-leasing will begin next month for December delivery.
"With our ever-changing world, we are constantly revisiting how we do everything in our homes," said Scott Rathbun, president of Aerie. "We specialize in peaceful, luxury living without the maintenance and stress of a mortgage."
Aerie has 10 communities in the Tucson area, both BTR and luxury apartments.
Two more BTR projects are in the works, a 190-homesite on Catalina Highway and a 157-homesite in Gladden Farms.
Rental prices for the new developments have not yet been set but the rent for Aerie's existing communities ranges from around $1,300 to $2,100 a month.
Of the top 20 metro areas with the most BTR homes, Tucson ranks 16th with 1,320. Phoenix takes the top spot in the country with 6,420 such homes.
Couples, with and without children, are driving the demand.
For some it's necessity because home prices are high and mortgage rates are rising but others enjoy the low-maintenance lifestyle of renting.
"The trend combines the financial and leasing flexibility of a rental with the amenities and convenience of a professionally-managed property, all while living a single-family home lifestyle," according to an analysis by RentCafe, a national search site for renters.
"Single-family rentals are not a new concept … although they proliferated in the aftermath of the 2008 housing crisis, this time it’s different," the analysis says. "The pandemic created an unprecedented demand among renters for space and privacy, which houses can address much better than apartments."
The number of BTR homes under construction across the country jumped to 13,910 this year, compared to 6,740 in 2021 — a 106% increase and the year isn't over yet.
"Currently, there are about 90,000 existing single-family homes in the United States in nearly 720 such communities designed specifically for renting," RentCafe data shows. "They include single-family detached houses, townhomes, duplexes, and even quadruplexes that come with a backyard or a garage — or sometimes both."
Contact reporter Gabriela Rico at grico@tucson.com | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/new-home-communities-in-the-tucson-area-open-to-renters-only/article_38186b62-1731-11ed-84e5-d7e7eeb86777.html | 2022-08-11T14:11:38 | 1 | https://tucson.com/news/local/subscriber/new-home-communities-in-the-tucson-area-open-to-renters-only/article_38186b62-1731-11ed-84e5-d7e7eeb86777.html |
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
In 1789, American citizens celebrated the ballot-box tally for our first elected leader, George Washington. Eleven score and 10-plus years have passed since that defining moment when voters (albeit, white male landowners) chose the person they respected as the consummate leader best able to hold the reins of the dynamic, democratic experiment unfolding before their eyes.
Looking back, what criteria were critically important for those very first citizens to vote for POTUS 1 (President of the United States). Luckily, one only has to read Mason Locke (Parson) Weems’ 1809 biography “The Life of Washington” to get a sense of the nation’s zeitgeist at the time. Weems made it abundantly clear that George’s elders knew that being truthful and having integrity were vital qualities for a boy to embody and foster into adulthood in order to marshal mutual peer reverence and respect.
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Cut to 2020. POTUS 45 lost his re-election bid to President Biden. During his first term, Trump spewed on average 15 gross exaggerations every day — now well over 30,000 lies in total.
At the time, should we the citizens of our democratic republic have continued to look the other way despite our constant disgust and shock of the indecent actions coming from the Oval Office? Should our elected leaders be allowed to openly and directly lie to the American people? Should we have laws against such actions?
Let’s step back and ask what would George Washington think? If you read Weems, one gets the sense that POTUS 1 would probably call POTUS 45 the most shameful, buffle-headed person (a slang word popular in the late 1700s that meant “idiot.”) to hold office. Trump’s habitual lying is the main argument to profess his actions as being tantamount to sedition, especially now after learning of Trump’s refusal to stop his planned insurrection.
Trump’s daily intentional lying and volley of threats to the American people are juvenile, despicable, and grandiloquent nonsense – not to mention a window into Trump’s dark-triad soul. For the first time in our brief history, descriptions like habitual liar, racist, misogynist, and bigot regularly accompany the descriptive narrative of our nation’s highest officer. At what point will Congress stand with “We The People” and hold POTUS 45 accountable for his habitual lying and divisive verbiage?
Simply put, President Trump has failed the POTUS 1 litmus test: Trump cannot open his mouth without lying and spreading fear and hate like a tyrant, hence, he cannot be trusted to hold any public office. After 230 years of growing pains, our democratic experiment struggles once again, but this time it is Lincoln’s worst fear that comes to fruition — partisan politics suffocating our governance from the inside out.
Trump’s daily trolling for accolades is unrelenting. Here in 2022, Trump continues to cry out his “big lie” about a stolen election. The division Trump verbally stitches into our nation’s multicultural fabric is leading to a stroppy end of our three separate but equal governing bodies. America teeters on the edge of a major political, civil, and moral paradigm shift because of Trump.
Here is where the rubber hits the road locally. His big lie has hoodwinked Arizona’s Goldwater Republicans. Now, he demands everyone take a loyalty oath to his person — not the Constitution. As a veteran, I will never forget him calling Sen. John McCain a loser for being a POW. Now, gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has swallowed Trump’s Kool-Aid and vociferously spreads his corrosive nonsense in order to get herself elected.
Voting is the sharpest instrument in our country’s democratic toolshed — the only tool designed to excise retrograde partisan pestilence. If they move forward, their divisive posture sadistically promotes an unobstructed lane for those willing to hate. The clock ticks. Actions are necessary. We the people need to stand unified in defiance to their lies, their hate, their immorality, and their desire to end our democratic experiment.
Kenneth Mowbray is a Tucson native, a U.S. Navy veteran, and has a doctorate in anthropology from Rutgers University. | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/local-opinion-what-would-washington-think-of-trump/article_b4502096-18d3-11ed-9cf4-8b234571ec6e.html | 2022-08-11T14:11:56 | 0 | https://tucson.com/opinion/local/local-opinion-what-would-washington-think-of-trump/article_b4502096-18d3-11ed-9cf4-8b234571ec6e.html |
ATLANTIC CITY — Former NFL running-back Frank Gore allegedly dragged a 28-year-old woman across a casino hallway by her hair while she was naked, according to a report by TMZ.
Gore, 39, was charged with simple assault following the domestic incident at Tropicana Atlantic City last month. He's set to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 17 in Atlantic City Municipal Court.
TMZ, citing court documents, reported that Gore "violently dragging her nude person along the floor of the 59th hallway" of the resort's Havana Tower.
City police were called to the casino at 8:11 a.m. July 31 for the reported domestic dispute.
Officers found the 28-year-old Miami woman speaking with hotel security.
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Given she showed no signs of injury, Gore was not arrested or charged at the time, police said on Tuesday.
Charges were later handed down through a subsequent investigation, and the former NFL star was issued a summons.
Gore, who is the NFL's third all-time leader in rushing yards, retired from football in June following a 16-year career which he spent most of with the San Francisco 49ers. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/report-ex-nfl-player-frank-gore-dragged-woman-by-her-hair-at-atlantic-city-casino/article_5c47038c-1979-11ed-9346-733331430d74.html | 2022-08-11T14:15:34 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/report-ex-nfl-player-frank-gore-dragged-woman-by-her-hair-at-atlantic-city-casino/article_5c47038c-1979-11ed-9346-733331430d74.html |
WILDWOOD — A summer of beachfront events continue in Wildwood this weekend, with baseball, wrestling and Festival Playero, a celebration of Latin music and food expected to draw thousands to the beach on Friday and Saturday.
Every shore town has beach events, but Wildwood appears to have more than any other community in New Jersey. In June, country music returned for a second year, with plans to be back and barefoot on the sand in 2023, while the Jeeps arrived in July, with thousands of vehicles on the beach for the New Jersey Jeep Beach Invasion.
To close out September, the Race of Gentlemen returns with drag racing on the beach, and in between there are soccer, Frisbee and wrestling tournaments, monster truck rides and the long-running marbles tournament every year.
Mayor Pete Byron wants to ensure those events can continue. He suggests one reason Wildwood has so many beach events is that the city has so very much beach, with more than 1,000 feet from the Boardwalk steps to the tide line.
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“We don’t want the beach to be nothing more than just and ocean and sand,” Byron said in a recent interview about the ongoing talks with the state Department of Environmental Protection over a proposed federal beach project for the barrier island that includes Wildwood, North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest.
While most beach towns struggle with erosion, Wildwood and Wildwood Crest have added sand, building up to a beach so wide that many complain about the long walk to the water. North Wildwood used to have a wide beach as well, but now sees heavy erosion in the north end of that community.
North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello has called for a federal beach project to protect his community, like the kind of beach projects that have added sand to almost every other barrier island in New Jersey.
There is a plan on the drawing board, but first the state Department of Environmental Protection needs to secure agreements with communities and easements from property owners throughout the project area. In addition to adding sand to North Wildwood, the plan calls for the creation of a line of sand dunes stretching the length of the island.
So far, the DEP has not reached an agreement with Wildwood on the project.
Asked about the ongoing negotiations this month, Byron said the future of events on the beach was one of the sticking points.
“We can’t afford to lose these big events that generate hundreds of thousands of dollars to the taxpayers,” Byron said, when asked about the DEP. “They’re trying to limit what the beach can and can’t be used for.”
Meanwhile the size and number of events continue to grow, and the city has come to rely on the revenue, including from allowing parking on the beach, Byron said.
Officials with the Army Corps of Engineers have said the state DEP is entirely responsible for working out the local agreements. The DEP is not saying much.
“Productive discussions about the referenced activities and structures on Wildwood's beaches are ongoing between DEP and the city of Wildwood as each party works together to address remaining concerns,” reads a statement Wednesday from Caryn Shinske, a DEP spokesperson. “As such, the DEP is unable to comment further at this time.”
Contacted Wednesday for more specifics, Byron cooled the rhetoric.
“I don’t want to make a war with the DEP. We’re working together with them,” he said. Like other communities, Wildwood presents a beach maintenance plan to the state, outlines activities that will take place on the beach.
According to Byron, the city is now three years into a five-year plan, while the state is taking a closer look at beach events throughout New Jersey.
Wildwood may have the biggest beach and the most events, but it is certainly not alone in hosting events on the beach, from Easter egg hunts and yoga to the massive Phish shows in Atlantic City last weekend.
“They’re just taking a little bit of a look at some of this stuff. It’s statewide,” said Byron.
He said health and safety have been the primary concern for Wildwood in creating its beach maintenance plan, and described the DEP on Wednesday as being “very nice to deal with” in the ongoing discussions.
“We want to be sure that the dune project isn’t going to interfere with the tremendous revenue generator that we call the beach,” Byron said Wednesday. | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/wildwood-seeks-to-preserve-beach-events-in-discussions-with-state/article_a47b95b4-18f2-11ed-8fdd-a7e9d6056133.html | 2022-08-11T14:15:41 | 1 | https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/wildwood-seeks-to-preserve-beach-events-in-discussions-with-state/article_a47b95b4-18f2-11ed-8fdd-a7e9d6056133.html |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — This week, Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple has presented businesses with checks from the second round of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) fund, totaling over $3.6 million.
ARPA was passed in March of 2021 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The act provides emergency grants, lending, and investment to hard-hit small businesses to help change the course of the pandemic and deliver relief for American workers.
In May of 2021, the City of Wichita was awarded $72.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
In December of 2021, the Wichita City Council authorized an allocation of up to $10 million for Workforce Development and Small Business/Entrepreneurial Development.
In the first round, the City Council approved 15 grant agreements totaling $6,360,428. In round two of the Workforce and Small Business Development Grant process, the City allocated up to $3,639,572, which was approved.
On Monday, Aug. 8, Wichita State University (WSU) was presented with a $1,013,414 check for its Small Business Digital Transformation program, which helps small businesses understand what options in technology are available to them.
“The ARPA money needs to all be spent by 2023. This program should last forever, and it will allow small business to be smarter, more efficient, more up to the current standards and times and especially help with the customer experience, and that’s what we’re shooting for,” said Troy Tabor, the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at WSU.
This program has not started yet, but the goal is to give out $600,000 to 60 businesses. Qualifying businesses must have fewer than 500 employees and have been in business during the pandemic.
On Tuesday, Aug. 9, the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas was presented with a $577,881 check. This money will allow them to work with small businesses to hire veterans as well as train employees.
“The other thing we’ll be doing is looking to where Kansans are serving in the military across the country and reaching out to them and talk to them about the great jobs we have here in the Wichita area and see if we can attract them to come back home to Kansas and to take on some of these jobs that we just need workers for right now,” said Keith Lawing, President and CEO of Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas.
On Wednesday, Aug. 10, Empower Evergreen, Envision Inc., and the Kansas Non-Profit Chamber were all presented with separate checks.
Envision was presented with a $441,000 check. Mark Eaton, the CFO of Envision, says that the money will go toward testing productions for the visually impaired and help prepare clients to work and live independently.
“It is about training companies about how they welcome their employees with disabilities, particularly the visually impaired. And make sure the tools are accessible,” said Eaton.
Congratulations to Empower Evergreen for earning $1 million in ARPA Small Business Development Grant from the City of Wichita- Government. We love what you’re doing in the North End and look forward to your continued success. #ILoveWichita
Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple on Facebook
On Monday, Aug. 15, Old Town Association and The Garage at Cleveland Corner will be presented with checks. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/mayor-brandon-whipple-presents-second-round-of-arpa-funding-checks/ | 2022-08-11T14:16:38 | 0 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/mayor-brandon-whipple-presents-second-round-of-arpa-funding-checks/ |
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act into law. This will help millions of veterans access new care and benefits for more than 20 toxic exposure-related conditions.
“It really just began in Wichita, Kansas, with a Vietnam veteran meeting that captured my attention,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan.
That was about 10 years ago.
Sen. Moran has heard countless stories over the years on how veterans are impacted by toxic exposure conditions.
“Veterans of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan not only faced dangers of battle, they were breathing toxic smoke from burn pits,” said Biden.
“It creates presumptions for 23 conditions that veterans have had to fight their way through with the VA (Veterans Affairs) to try and get their healthcare benefits,” said Moran.
Moran said veterans have dealt with issues for years with the Department of VA, trying to get help after being exposed to toxic conditions when serving.
Now that the PACT Act is law, there is still work to do, according to Moran. He wants to make sure this bill is implemented properly.
“That it is helpful that it is not just a piece of paper and not just another law but something that actually makes a difference in the lives who serve,” said Moran.
Moran and Biden praised Congress for working together to help those who put their lives at risk for their country.
“It matters a great deal because these conditions have already taken such a toll on so many vets and their families,” said President Biden.
All these benefits are now available.
To learn more information about the PACT Act, click here. | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/pact-act-signed-into-law-helping-veterans-get-access-to-new-healthcare-for-toxic-exposure-conditions/ | 2022-08-11T14:16:44 | 1 | https://www.ksn.com/news/local/pact-act-signed-into-law-helping-veterans-get-access-to-new-healthcare-for-toxic-exposure-conditions/ |
MINERAL WELLS, Texas — ***Warning: This item contains profanity that has been bleeped.***
Beto O'Rourke was seen on video shutting down a heckler during a campaign event Wednesday in Mineral Wells, Texas.
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate responded to a person in the crowd who laughed as O'Rourke talked about the Uvalde school shooting incident.
"19 kids and their two teachers shot to death with a weapon originally designed for used in combat, legally purchased, by an 18-year-old, who did not try to obtain one when he was 16 or 17, but followed the law that is on the books, ladies and gentlemen," O'Rourke said in the video. "That says you can buy not one, you can buy two or more if you want to, A-R 15s, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and take that weapon that was originally designed for use in the battlefields in Vietnam to penetrate an enemy soldier's helmet at 500 feet and knock him down dead up against kids at five feet. It may be funny for you, (bleeping) but it's not funny to me, OK?"
O'Rourke has consistently called for tougher gun laws.
He's facing incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott in November.
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Today, KENS 5 continues to set the standard in local broadcasting and is recognized by its peers for excellence and innovation. The KENS 5 News team focuses on stories that really matter to our community.
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Want to get in touch with someone at KENS 5? You can send a message using our Contacts page or email one of our team members. | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/beto-orourke-slams-heckler-over-uvalde-shooting-mass-shooting-robb-elementary-gun-control/273-430da5ad-8325-443c-84bb-b4c39ef7dc9d | 2022-08-11T14:23:54 | 1 | https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/beto-orourke-slams-heckler-over-uvalde-shooting-mass-shooting-robb-elementary-gun-control/273-430da5ad-8325-443c-84bb-b4c39ef7dc9d |
CAMP HILL, Pa. — The start of the new school year is approaching—as usual, alarmingly fast. For families anxious about how they’re going to pay for new school supplies, a donation drive in Cumberland County is collecting everything from backpacks to binders.
Capital City Mall in Camp Hill is partnering with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Capital Region (BBBSCR), which serves 700 to 1,000 children in the area. Their largest program partners young people with caring, positive, adult role models.
The donated supplies will go to kids in the program.
“It’s one less thing they have to worry about for their kid," Amanda Dunn, BBBSCR vice president of programming said. "We want to give kids all the opportunities that they can have. Being prepared in the smallest way possible, having supplies, takes them so much further in their ability to sit in class and concentrate and learn and have the tools they need.”
The drive is collecting only new school supplies.
“A lot of these kids may have multiple siblings within the family and hand-me-down supplies are very common, so having brand new supplies that they can call their own can really brighten their day and get them excited about school," BBBSCR Marketing and Communications Manager Krystina Shultz told FOX43. "It makes a huge impact for kids."
Suggested items include:
- Backpacks
- Lunchboxes
- Pens and pencils, highlighters, colored pencils, crayons, and markers
- Glue sticks
- Folders, notebooks, and loose-leaf paper
Families are especially encouraged to bring donations to the Back to School Get Together event happening at Capital City Mall on Aug. 20 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“A lot of children in the community need school supplies," Katie Heimbach, Capital City Mall marketing manager said. "If you give kids school supplies, it will empower them to be more independent and focus on their goals."
Items can be dropped off in the donation bin within Capital City Mall’s Center Court, near Macy’s. The drive runs through Sept. 6.
Those supplies will then be combined with other donations and distributed at BBBSCR’s Back to School Block Party, happening Sept. 10 at 1519 North 3rd Street in Harrisburg. | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/back-to-school-supplies-drive-cumberland-county/521-31e47850-30d3-4a77-ba5b-2ff21cecf73a | 2022-08-11T14:24:00 | 1 | https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/back-to-school-supplies-drive-cumberland-county/521-31e47850-30d3-4a77-ba5b-2ff21cecf73a |
Man running across the Lodge Freeway in Detroit hit by pickup
Charles E. Ramirez
The Detroit News
Detroit — An 18-year-old man is in critical condition after he was hit by a pickup truck as he ran across a Metro Detroit freeway Wednesday, state police said.
Troopers were called at about 11 p.m. to respond to a report of a person running across the southbound lanes of the Lodge Freeway near McNichols.
While en route to the scene, dispatchers told troopers they received calls the pedestrian had been struck by a vehicle in the left lane of the freeway's northbound side.
The pedestrian was taken to a hospital.
Troopers interviewed the driver of the Dodge Ram pickup that struck him.
The investigation is ongoing. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2022/08/11/man-running-across-lodge-freeway-detroit-hit-pickup/10295331002/ | 2022-08-11T14:25:50 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2022/08/11/man-running-across-lodge-freeway-detroit-hit-pickup/10295331002/ |
Over 6,800 Michigan auto crash patients discharged since fee cut, survey says
A survey released Thursday argues the toll of a key change to Michigan's no-fault auto insurance reform has been the elimination of at least 4,082 health care worker jobs and the discharge of 6,857 patients.
The study also found 10 businesses had closed and 14 are considering doing so over the next year — a fallout medical providers attribute to the historic 2019 reform meant to address Michigan's highest-in-the-nation auto insurance costs.
The survey of 209 medical providers, commissioned by an industry association, was conducted between March 9 and May 15 and tracked losses since a 45% fee cut for medical providers — a key part of the 2019 auto insurance reform package — went into place in July 2021.
The Brain Injury Association of Michigan paid the nonprofit Michigan Public Health Institute to conduct the survey after legislative leaders called for more data supporting claims that the law's fee cut was unworkable. The results of the survey, said the association's president and CEO Tom Constand, are "morally reprehensible."
"This report should be required reading for all of Michigan’s leaders," he said.
The study was the second of two surveys commissioned by the group. Another survey distributed between Sept. 29 and Oct. 20 showed at the time medical providers had discharged more than 1,500 patients and eliminated about 3,000 jobs.
The report released Thursday found 73 of the organizations that responded to the survey, and had data available on revenue loss, reported a combined $81.4 million in losses over 12 months. About 109 of the responding organizations said their losses averaged to about 41% over the last year.
The total of 6,857 patients discharged was tallied by comparing the patients served prior to July 2021 among 144 of the responding organizations to the same organizations' current numbers, according to the survey. The total of 4,082 job eliminations was based on the number of employees eliminated by 154 responding organizations since July 2021.
Medical providers and individuals with lifelong injuries sustained in catastrophic crashes have spent the past year lobbying state lawmakers to reverse the 45% fee cut that took effect in July 2021 as part of the 2019 no-fault auto insurance law. Under the cut, medical providers were required to cut their fees to 55% of their January 2019 rate of 200% of Medicare rates for Medicare-reimbursable services.
Proponents of the law have argued there isn't enough data or time to judge the effect on medical care or the potential for the market to balance out. They've instead touted some savings on auto insurance rates, a $400 rebate distributed earlier this year, more insurance companies entering Michigan's marketplace and more individuals securing auto insurance.
The Michigan Legislature last year set aside $25 million for a relief fund that medical providers could tap if they were suffering the effects of the 45% fee cut. The program would provide up to $500,000 to each approved applicant and provide data to state leaders regarding what changes, if any, would be warranted to the fee cut..
But none of the nearly two dozen medical providers who applied have been granted access to the fund since it was created. The state Department of Insurance and Financial Services has argued companies either aren't providing enough information or can't show proof of a systemic deficit meriting a grant from the fund.
Thursday's survey also reported issues with navigating the insurance department's channels for complaints or challenges to insurance reimbursements.
Of 140 organizations with data on reimbursement, seven said they had not received any reimbursement since July 2021.
About 84 organizations with data on denied services said about 28% of their patients had been denied services since July 2021 under the utilization review process, a third party system facilitated by the Department of Insurance and Financial Services that reviews the necessity of a certain treatment.
About 48 organizations filed 1,284 complaints with the Department of Insurance and Financial Services and found about 176 of those complaints were resolved in their favor, according to the survey.
eleblanc@detroitnews.com | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/08/11/6800-auto-crash-patients-discharged-since-service-fee-cut-survey-says/10295376002/ | 2022-08-11T14:25:56 | 0 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2022/08/11/6800-auto-crash-patients-discharged-since-service-fee-cut-survey-says/10295376002/ |
1 dead, 1 in custody after fight between workers at GM's Orion plant
Lake Orion — One person is dead and one is in custody after a fight between custodial workers at GM's Orion plant, according to the Oakland County sheriff.
Officials said deputies were called to the factory at about 1:40 a.m. There is no threat to the larger community, Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.
Deputies found the victim unconscious and bleeding, according to authorities. They rendered aid to the man but were not able to revive him and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
They also found the suspect in the man's death standing in a dock area of the plant and not far from the victim’s body.
Officials said deputies also recovered the item believed to have been used in the slaying.
Police continue to investigate what led to the incident.
Officials said the man in custody is 48 years old and the victim is his co-worker at the plant. They said he is being held at the Oakland County Jail and detectives plan to present their findings to prosecutors to file possible homicide charges on Friday.
Investigators said the victim was a 49-year-old Pontiac man who had worked at the plant for about seven months. They said an autopsy is scheduled to be performed Thursday.
Both men worked for a cleaning service contracted by the carmaker and were not GM employees, they said. It's not clear how long the suspect worked for the cleaning service.
In a statement, General Motors says production at the Giddings Road plant, which builds Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles, is canceled for the day. | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2022/08/11/detectives-investigating-fight-death-workers-gm-orion-plant/10295090002/ | 2022-08-11T14:26:02 | 1 | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2022/08/11/detectives-investigating-fight-death-workers-gm-orion-plant/10295090002/ |
Full Moon Glow Paddle fundraiser Aug. 12
PERRY TWP. − Stark County Ski Club with Friends of Stark Parks will hold a Full Moon Glow Paddle on Aug. 12 as a fundraiser to help buy and install an ADA adaptive kayak launch at Sippo Lake.
Registration for the event opens at 6 p.m. at Sippo Lake Marina, 5300 Tyner St. NW. Splash-in is set for 8:30 p.m., with all boats out of the water by 10:30 pm.
Most of the boats will be lit up with Christmas-style lights, as boaters decorate their own watercraft. There will also be a basket raffle with the grand prize of a new Pelican Mustang 100X Kayak and Paddle. The prize baskets are themed around kayaking, camping, bicycling, skiing. Tickets are $5 each, with all proceeds going to Stark Parks.
Kayak rentals will be from Ernie’s Bicycle Ship in Massillon, and all proceeds from rentals will go to the fundraiser. Contact Stark County Ski Club Kayaking to reserve rentals at jdstephan5858@gmail.com or President@starkcountyskiclub.org | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2022/08/11/full-moon-glow-paddle-kayaking-fundraiser-aug-12-at-sippo-lake/65391968007/ | 2022-08-11T14:27:16 | 0 | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2022/08/11/full-moon-glow-paddle-kayaking-fundraiser-aug-12-at-sippo-lake/65391968007/ |
Carnation Festival: Days in the Park is a community reunion
ALLIANCE − Eat, drink and reunite the community at Silver Park.
Those are the goals for Days in the Park − one of the most popular events of the Greater Alliance Carnation Festival.
"It is an opportunity to showcase the best of Alliance and the heart of Alliance," Caitie Scott, a YWCA of Alliance board member, said while at one of the food booths.
Gallery: Carnation Festival YWCA Golf Outing
"It's really all of us coming together to serve the community and create an opportunity where we can laugh, we can bond over food," Scott added.
Days in the Park, which kicked off Wednesday, will run through Saturday. It runs 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 1 to 10 p.m. Saturday.
There is food, live music, crafts and other activities and plenty of opportunity to catch up with old friends. or make new ones.
Most of the food vendors are churches or non-profit agencies, such as the YWCA, which raises money for its programming during the event.
For example:
"This is one of our big fundraisers," said Kim Anthony, president of the Quota Club of Alliance. "I think people come out for the food and the music ... and just to get out, especially after COVID."
Another group with a food booth is Washington Ruritan Club, a community service organization in Washington Township. The group has 34 members and 12 associate members, said past president Jim Egert.
Like its Rising Senior program, Egert said Days in the Park allows the group to connect with a younger generation. The Rising Senior program offers selected high school seniors college scholarships for community service.
"We've got an older membership," he said. "(Days in the Park) is a great way to interface with young people."
A final nod to summer
Egert said Days in the Park acts as a final "summer fling" before school starts.
"I like watching my son enjoy it," said Chelsea Shar, who attended with 5-year-old Isaac.
A former Alliance Review staff writer, Shar said she used to cover the event for the newspaper. Now Shar teaches media arts at Alliance High School. "Seeing this stuff through the kids' eyes is more fun," than reporting on it, Shar said.
It offers a good vibe
Diamond Colbert, 22, of Alliance, Samiyah Rowe, 13, of Alliance and Stacia Jones, 13, of Canton, worked the food booth for Tabernacle Baptist Church in Alliance, which sold pulled pork and fried fish sandwiches.
Colbert said Days in the Park is the one of the best festival events because of "all the food, all the people and the vibe."
That vibe, she said, is "very homey."
Queen, court visit Mabel Hartzell Home
Jones said the event is "good experience, just getting to see people." Added Rowe: "It gives kids opportunities to help and feel good."
Days in the Park runs through Saturday night at Silver Park. On Friday in the Jaycee Shelter will be the annual Pet Show. Fireworks are scheduled for dusk Saturday. Rain dates are set for both events − Saturday for the Pet Show; Sunday for the fireworks. Check the Carnation Festival's Facebook page for more information in the event of rain. | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/alliance/2022/08/11/carnation-festivals-days-in-the-park-family-service/65398142007/ | 2022-08-11T14:27:22 | 1 | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/alliance/2022/08/11/carnation-festivals-days-in-the-park-family-service/65398142007/ |
Sebring benefit raises $7,000 for Kent couple burned in fire, explosion
SEBRING − A benefit dinner in July raised more than $7,000 for a Kent couple recovering from a camper fire and propane explosion on Mother's Day.
Kris Pierce, 53, and Ralph Held, 57, suffered second- and third-degree burns, requiring multiple surgeries, after the May 8 incident at McDermont Lakefront Campground in North Benton.
On July 17, a benefit pasta dinner was held at Almost Home Event Center in Sebring for the couple. The event was organized by Tonya Dean, a friend, of Dean's Funeral Home.
Sebring benefit to aid Kent couple burned in fire, explosion
Fire victims get boost from Sebring fundraiser
Pierce is a longtime respiratory therapist at Aultman Alliance Hospital. Held works in masonry. Their injuries have kept them out of work.
Through the benefit, Pierce and Held received a check for $7,005 to help with their expenses.
"We are so grateful for all who helped make this possible," Dean said. "The community's generosity shined throughout the day as people gathered in fellowship to support Kris and Ralph." | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/alliance/2022/08/11/sebring-benefit-kent-camper-fire-explosion-ohio/65393940007/ | 2022-08-11T14:27:28 | 1 | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/alliance/2022/08/11/sebring-benefit-kent-camper-fire-explosion-ohio/65393940007/ |
Louisville Eagles cancer fundraiser is Saturday
The Repository
LOUISVILLE − The Louisville Eagles will partner with the James Cancer Center Hospital of the Ohio State University for a cancer benefit from 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of the Louisville Eagles, 306 W. Main St. The public is welcome.
Dr. Ashley Rosko, associate professor and medical director of the oncogeriatric program at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, will be in attendance to answer questions.
There will be a silent auction, 50/50, food and beverages, including a beer tent. A DJ will play music from 2 to 4 p.m., followed by the Never Too Late band playing rock classics from the '60s through the '90s. Sign up at 1 p.m. for a cornhole tournament. | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/louisville/2022/08/11/louisville-eagles-cancer-fundraiser-is-saturday/65398331007/ | 2022-08-11T14:27:34 | 1 | https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/louisville/2022/08/11/louisville-eagles-cancer-fundraiser-is-saturday/65398331007/ |
CEDAR FALLS — Two Cedar Valley boys are among the 12 current and former University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital patients who will be this year’s Kid Captains for University of Iowa Hawkeye football games.
Tate Manahl, age 8, of Cedar Falls and Dylan McGivern, age 10, of Dysart will each kick off one of the Hawkeye home football games. All Kid Captains and their families are invited to Kids Day at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday for a behind-the-scenes tour. During the football season, each child’s story will be highlighted.
In 2017, Tate excitedly ran up to his dad, who was mowing the lawn. Neither parent saw the child as the lawn mower was being put into reverse. The mower ran over Tate’s legs and lower abdomen. He was flown to Stead Family Children’s hospital to repair and save his organs. Since then, he has had more than 30 surgeries in five years to help save his legs and allow him to walk.
Dylan will be Kid Captain at the game against the University of Nebraska on Nov. 25.
Doctors said Dylan wasn’t meeting developmental milestones for his age and was referred to Iowa City. After doctors there discovered both Dylan and his younger brother had higher than normal levels of creatine kinase, they were both diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The condition causes progressive muscle degeneration.
The hospital said Dylan loves sports but is no longer able to play. His family participates in clinical trials to aid in the research of the condition.
Investigators have released information on one of the weapons a Nebraska man used to kill three members of a Cedar Falls family in July at Maquoketa Caves State Park.
Officers responded to a shots fired call at 7:22 p.m. and found one spent shell casing. It was the second of two calls that evening in which evidence of gunfire was found.
Iowa fans wave to children in the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital at the end of the first quarter of a football game in 2017 against North Texas in Iowa City. | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/two-cedar-valley-boys-named-kid-captains-at-hawkeye-games/article_a14f1fff-8b5a-5f23-acba-a96934fa762a.html | 2022-08-11T14:28:41 | 0 | https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/two-cedar-valley-boys-named-kid-captains-at-hawkeye-games/article_a14f1fff-8b5a-5f23-acba-a96934fa762a.html |
In my continuing saga retracing the history of camels on the Beale Wagon Road, pal Eric Souders and I unloaded his camels at the historic Beale monument on the northwest edge of Government Prairie and set out on a three-hour tour.
In this same area, on April 17, 1859, Edward Fitzgerald Beale journaled, “ ... passing out into the forest in a mile and a half, we came to a beautiful prairie five miles in breadth, and three times that in length … numbers of deer and antelope bounding over its green turf make it peculiarly attractive, while the magnificent San Francisco Mountain capped with its eternal snow, renders the landscape perfect ... .”
Forest management of this area prohibits off-road motorized travel, so intact sections of Beale's original road are still visible. The Kaibab National Forest has also regularly implemented prescribed fires to maintain the health of the prairie, so that the grasslands here have changed remarkably little since Beale’s day.
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In contrast, Beale’s journal upon returning eastbound on July 15, 1859, described the nearby north side of Sitgreaves Mountain as “a cluster of seven or eight springs breaking out in a pine forest with luxuriant grass all through it.” Today, this area is an overly dense forest with up to 600 trees per acre, just like the forest surrounding Flagstaff. Photographs from the 1870s and early timber surveyors' notes demonstrate that this once fire-adapted ecosystem generally had 10 to 20 trees per acre, just like Beale encountered.
A perfect storm of historic events has shaped today’s overly dense forests. First, by the early 20th century, overgrazing by sheep and cattle of native grasses stopped groundfires from spreading. At the same time, railroad logging methods removed the largest of the ponderosas that once provided cover for a diverse understory.
After the infamous 1910 "Big Burn”' in Idaho and Montana that destroyed towns, denuded 3 million forested acres and took 86 lives, Forest Service policy centered on suppressing all fires. The nail in the coffin was the historic 1918-19 “seed crop” when two very wet years caused ponderosas across the Southwest to produce a heavy seed crop that created a carpet of saplings that grew like weeds, no longer thinned out by lightning-caused fires.
According to my friend and the director of Northern Arizona University's Ecological Restoration Institute, Andrew J. Sanchez-Meadow, tree ring records indicate that prior to the late 19th century, fires thinned out the forest every three to five years.Today’s overloaded tree biomass lowers the groundwater levels resulting in dry springs that no longer flow as Beale recorded.
Fortunately, in December 2011, Kaibab National Forest contractors mechanically harvested overly dense ponderosas in this area now known as Elk Springs. In 2017, a Hopi Ancestral Lands crew restored the spring’s natural flow by removing a pipe that once diverted its free-flowing water into a cement trough for cattle and wildlife.
Completing our adventure, we camped at the historic Laws Spring interpretive site where, on Sept. 13, 1857, Beale journaled, “At 4, we found abundant water in a cañon to our right, which was bordered by fine trees. It was a succession of large pools, it was sufficient for one or two thousand head of animals ... .”
A little more than a decade after Beale first visited Laws Spring, the Union Pacific Railroad Western Division survey crew camped there accompanied by famed Civil War photographer Alexander Gardner. Holding an 1868 photograph that Gardner snapped at Laws Spring, Eric and I were astounded at how the junipers have encroached upon the once open grassland.
To learn more details and experience the wonders of the Beale Road, visit the Kaibab National Forest webpage Beale Wagon Road Historic Trail No. 61.
Finally, this column was a teaser for a Willow Bend Environmental Center fundraiser in 2023, when Eric and I plan to take Gamal and Rakuda out with visitors interested in retracing the historic Beale Wagon Road, camping out with a dutch oven dinner and evening presentation at Laws Spring, followed by a breakfast and hike around Laws Spring. Become a member of Willow Bend Environmental Center, and you will be among the first to be able to hear about and get a registration discount.
Neil Weintraub served as an archaeologist on the Kaibab National Forest for 30 years before he retired in 2020. He oversees 50 volunteer Williams, Grand Canyon and Flagstaff site stewards who monitor fragile archaeological sites, including Laws Spring along the Beale Wagon Road.
The NPS/USFS Roving Rangers volunteer through a unique agreement between the Flagstaff-area national monuments and the Coconino National Forest to provide interpretive ranger walks and talks in the area each summer.
Submit questions for the Ask a Ranger weekly column to askaranger@gmail.com. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/ask-a-ranger-the-great-camel-experiment-revisited-part-2/article_9c309db0-1905-11ed-a4a9-bb6d6dc16c0e.html | 2022-08-11T14:33:53 | 0 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/ask-a-ranger-the-great-camel-experiment-revisited-part-2/article_9c309db0-1905-11ed-a4a9-bb6d6dc16c0e.html |
Roberta Gorman welcomes a class of second-grade students to her immersive Diné class Wednesday morning at Puente de Hózhó Elementary School on the first day of the new school year. For an online photo gallery of school starting, visit azdailysun.com.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
Students listen to a story Wednesday morning in the library at Puente de Hózhó Elementary School during the first day of the new school year.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
Totsohnii Yazzie, 13, left, maps out where little brother Eli, 11, will find his classes inside Mount Elden Middle School Wednesday morning on the first day of the new school year. Totsohnii, who is starting his last year at middle school, was making sure Eli was comfortable in his new school on his first day of sixth grade.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
Tammy Nelson, principal of Mount Elden Middle School, conducts the first school assembly of the new school year Wednesday morning.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
Principal Tammy Nelson makes a schoolwide announcement from her office on the first day of the new school year Wednesday morning at Mount Elden Middle School.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
Angel Gonzalez, right, waits for a copy of his class schedule Wednesday morning in the dome at Mount Elden Middle School on the first day of the new school year.
School started again for students across Flagstaff this week, looking a little more like pre-pandemic years.
Traffic filled Fourth Street on Wednesday morning as families lined up to drop off students at Mount Elden Middle School (MEMS) and Puente de Hózhó Elementary School, while others walked from nearby areas to begin the 2022-23 school year.
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Language and Culture Learning
Roberta Gorman welcomes a class of second-grade students to her immersive Diné class Wednesday morning at Puente de Hózhó Elementary School on the first day of the new school year. For an online photo gallery of school starting, visit azdailysun.com.
A class of kindergarten students explore their new school Wednesday morning on the first day of the new school year at Puente de Hózhó Elementary School.
Totsohnii Yazzie, 13, left, maps out where little brother Eli, 11, will find his classes inside Mount Elden Middle School Wednesday morning on the first day of the new school year. Totsohnii, who is starting his last year at middle school, was making sure Eli was comfortable in his new school on his first day of sixth grade.
Students listen to expectations for gym class Wednesday morning in the gymnasium at Mount Elden Middle School during the first day of the new school year.
Principal Tammy Nelson makes a schoolwide announcement from her office on the first day of the new school year Wednesday morning at Mount Elden Middle School.
With palpable nervous excitement, students walk through the front door of Mount Elden Middle School on the first day of the new school year Wednesday morning.
Angel Gonzalez, right, waits for a copy of his class schedule Wednesday morning in the dome at Mount Elden Middle School on the first day of the new school year.
Roberta Gorman welcomes a class of second-grade students to her immersive Diné class Wednesday morning at Puente de Hózhó Elementary School on the first day of the new school year. For an online photo gallery of school starting, visit azdailysun.com.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
Exploring On The First Day
A class of kindergarten students explore their new school Wednesday morning on the first day of the new school year at Puente de Hózhó Elementary School.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
First Day of School
Students listen to a story Wednesday morning in the library at Puente de Hózhó Elementary School during the first day of the new school year.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
Helping Out Little Brother
Totsohnii Yazzie, 13, left, maps out where little brother Eli, 11, will find his classes inside Mount Elden Middle School Wednesday morning on the first day of the new school year. Totsohnii, who is starting his last year at middle school, was making sure Eli was comfortable in his new school on his first day of sixth grade.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
Singing in the New School Year
First-grade teacher Susan Spizzirri leads her class in a song Wednesday morning on the first day of school at Puente de Hózhó Elementary School.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
First Day Assembly
Boden Kazlo, 12, listens to a school assembly Wednesday morning at Mount Elden Middle School on the first day of school.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
School Assembly
Tammy Nelson, principal of Mount Elden Middle School, conducts the first school assembly of the new school year Wednesday morning.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
First Day of School
Students listen to expectations for gym class Wednesday morning in the gymnasium at Mount Elden Middle School during the first day of the new school year.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
Welcome Back
Principal Tammy Nelson makes a schoolwide announcement from her office on the first day of the new school year Wednesday morning at Mount Elden Middle School.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
Welcome Back
With palpable nervous excitement, students walk through the front door of Mount Elden Middle School on the first day of the new school year Wednesday morning.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
First Day of School
Angel Gonzalez, right, waits for a copy of his class schedule Wednesday morning in the dome at Mount Elden Middle School on the first day of the new school year.
Jake Bacon, Arizona Daily Sun
MEMS student Everest Aslan was carrying a trombone as he walked to his first day of seventh grade. He said he’d gotten school supplies for the start of the year, including a new backpack, and that band was his favorite class.
“Yes and no,” he said when asked if he was excited for the first day. “I’m nervous, but I’m excited to see my friends and get back in.”
Just up the hill at Puente de Hózhó, families were gathering outside the school for their kids' first day, taking photos and making last-minute adjustments. School staff greeted them outside the entrance, while others helped escort students from the car dropoff circle.
This is music teacher Joe Rauschenbach’s first year at the school following a six-year stint teaching at Knoles Elementary.
He said he was “overjoyed” for the first day of school.
“It’s just so great to see everybody ready for a new school year,” he said. “ ... I’m looking forward to making some good music and having a fantastic year.”
Becky Gewald dropped her child off for the first day of fourth grade. She said they had been coming to the school since preschool and that the start of this year was going well so far. She said they hadn't needed to do much to get ready this school year: the family had “just relaxed” and “had a good summer.”
“We’re a die-hard Puente family, so we’re dialed in,” Gewald said.
They had chosen the school because they live nearby as well as for its Spanish program.
“We want our children to be immersed in culture and a second language,” she said.
Jerrica Johnson also said she chose the school for its language program. She was waiting outside the entrance with her daughter Josephine, a kindergartner.
“They offer Navajo classes here and Spanish classes, so she could learn her language,” she said of her reason for choosing Puente.
Johnson said she was nervous for the first day and that her daughter was excited. When asked about her unicorn backpack, Josephine unzipped it to show off a hot-pink pencil box filled with school supplies.
“She’s excited. She woke up really early,” Johnson said, laughing.
Josephine attended KinderCamp earlier in the summer to get ready for the school year and “loved it," she said.
Puente's principal, Mark Culbertson, greeted families outside the school Wednesday morning. He said he was “super excited” for the first day.
“We’re excited to start the year; hopefully [the first day] feels a little bit normal for first time in a couple years,” he said.
This year is the district's second year of fully in-person learning since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and Puente will be following Flagstaff Unified School District’s mitigation plan.
Culbertson said COVID was still was still something the school deals with -- but hopefully less than in the past few years overall. He mentioned a family that had called earlier to say their kindergartner had COVID and wouldn’t be able to be there for the first day.
“I’m always concerned that we’ve had people affected by it,” he said.
He added: “That's a bummer that he's gonna miss his first day of kindergarten for it. But I feel like we saw a decrease in our cases last year and saw that the effect of it seemed to have decreased, so we’re hoping that continues this year."
One of Culbertson’s priorities for this school year was Puente’s International Baccalaureate (IB) program. It is the school’s first year being accredited as an IB school after a “five-year journey.”
FUSD has one IB school at every level: Puente for elementary students and Sinagua Middle School and Coconino High School for older learners.
“IB is inquiry-based learning, and very focused on incorporating our cultures and our languages focus that we already have here, so it's a natural fit for us,” Culbertson said. “We’re just excited to finally be accredited.”
Rauschenbach said he was enjoying the first day at Puente.
“It’s always nice to welcome them on the first day, everybody’s excited," he said. " ...It’s been a turbulent few years and it’s always nice to start again. It’s the fresh start that makes it special.”
Roberta Gorman welcomes a class of second-grade students to her immersive Diné class Wednesday morning at Puente de Hózhó Elementary School on the first day of the new school year. For an online photo gallery of school starting, visit azdailysun.com.
A class of kindergarten students explore their new school Wednesday morning on the first day of the new school year at Puente de Hózhó Elementary School.
Totsohnii Yazzie, 13, left, maps out where little brother Eli, 11, will find his classes inside Mount Elden Middle School Wednesday morning on the first day of the new school year. Totsohnii, who is starting his last year at middle school, was making sure Eli was comfortable in his new school on his first day of sixth grade.
Students listen to expectations for gym class Wednesday morning in the gymnasium at Mount Elden Middle School during the first day of the new school year.
Principal Tammy Nelson makes a schoolwide announcement from her office on the first day of the new school year Wednesday morning at Mount Elden Middle School.
With palpable nervous excitement, students walk through the front door of Mount Elden Middle School on the first day of the new school year Wednesday morning.
Angel Gonzalez, right, waits for a copy of his class schedule Wednesday morning in the dome at Mount Elden Middle School on the first day of the new school year. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/education/new-school-year-starts-in-flagstaff/article_5a7c261c-18d5-11ed-8987-971c42467038.html | 2022-08-11T14:33:59 | 0 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/education/new-school-year-starts-in-flagstaff/article_5a7c261c-18d5-11ed-8987-971c42467038.html |
Flagstaff residents impacted by severe post-fire flooding in the Pipeline West area sent two separate open letters to city and county offices Wednesday, imploring local leadership to expand how they address immediate needs in the impacted neighborhoods.
The needs detailed in the letters include topics from infrastructural improvements to expert guidance, as repeated flooding continues to hammer the area. City and county officials report that their immediate efforts are at a maximum and that long-term improvements are being pursued.
A high likelihood of precipitation remains in the forecast, with the National Weather Service reporting a 40-90% chance of rain every day through Tuesday.
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“Do better for us,” reads one of the letters submitted and signed by 32 residents in the Coconino Estates neighborhood, where floodwaters have steadily encroached during the monsoon season. “Feelings of frustration, disappointment, anger, hurt, and fear are mounting as increased property damage and personal danger are impending.”
The Coconino Estates letter makes some specific requests — such as the placement of “experienced professionals with legitimate flood mitigation experience” within the neighborhoods to advise residents — as well as traffic management, volunteer coordination, abridgment of mitigation construction timelines, enhanced communication and weekly updates. It also expresses the concern that current sandbagging mitigation placed by residents could be “dangerous, yet well intended.”
“We need professionals to work with our neighbors to better strategize protecting their personal property and minimizing downstream impacts,” the letter reads.
More advice and engagement is key, said Allie Stender, a Coconino Estates resident who submitted the letter to elected officials.
“We need the actual technical expertise to inform how we do mitigation in our yards,” Stender said. “We need to have conversations with representatives from the city to feel supported and feel heard. To do a good job serving the public, you have to engage in the midst of the crisis. And that level of engagement isn't happening.”
The other letter, submitted and signed by 29 residents on Stevanna Way, is focused more on recognizing that the current flooding, while exacerbated by watershed damage incurred from the Pipeline Fire, is also the result of “a series of poor engineering decisions, compromises and inaction.”
“A fundamental cause of this series of five floods (so far) can be traced to under-capable and poorly designed culvert structures,” the Stevanna letter reads. “The coupled Stevanna and Coconino Estates situation is outrageous and unsustainable.”
The Stevanna letter references the emergency mitigation conducted by residents in order to drain “Lake Stevanna” — the routine pooling of water that has accompanied each flood event. According to this letter, this mitigation was necessary to convey water away from Stevanna and a nearby apartment complex into the Rio de Flag.
“Our mitigation efforts on Stevanna were voluntary and, arguably, honorable; but they shouldn't have been necessary,” the letter reads.
It advocates for the exploration of other solutions, such as the emergency construction of conveyances “through or under open areas upstream of the North Woods Apartments and Stevanna Way.”
The Stevanna letter joins the Coconino Estates letter in pleading for more short- and long-term response from local government.
“The city needs to act with focus and urgency,” it reads. “The west side has now joined the east side in facing the gruesome reality of rapid environmental changes, poor planning, underperforming infrastructure, and their ensuing havoc.”
'Stretched thin'
The Coconino Estates letter also contends that the Pipeline West area is receiving a “disparate” response compared to previous emergencies, alleging a lack of interagency coordination between city and county government.
“This disparity is unnecessary, inappropriate and quite possibly unethical,” the letter reads. “City staff and residents deserve the same level of interagency coordination regardless of which jurisdiction is taking the lead on the response.”
According to city public works director Scott Overton, who is also serving as the city incident commander for the Pipeline West incident management team, there have been “no issues” with interagency coordination between the city and county.
“It’s just everybody is really stretched thin,” he said.
The county has been additionally taxed, Overton said, by having to respond to flooding in the Pipeline East area, which is entirely under county jurisdiction and thus not subject to support from city resources.
The county is providing every resource available to the Pipeline West response, said Lucinda Andreani, director of the county flood control district. Efforts include the tens of thousands of sandbags that are currently protecting Pipeline West homes.
“Upwards of 95% of those sandbags have all come through the district sandbagging operation,” Andreani said.
She also reported that engineering consultation for immediate and long-term mitigation in the Schultz Creek Watershed has been funded at a “substantial” cost to the county flood control district.
Nonetheless, Andreani recognized that people are “frustrated” by what seems to be a difference in response among the various flood events in the county. Some differences can be accounted for by the unique situation in Pipeline West — one that combines the residential density of the Museum Fire flood area and the topographical tendency toward “pooling” as seen in the Pipeline East, Doney Park flood area.
“That’s really complicating the dynamics there,” Andreani said, adding that resisting the urge to use mitigation to protect yards and landscaping — and instead only sandbagging houses and structures -- could help in the area.
“We understand [protecting yards],” Andreani said. “That’s what everybody wants to do. But if the water actually spreads out there, it could dissipate through the neighborhood and have a lot less impact.”
There has been a “big effort” to support and educate residents in the area, Andreani said, including patrols of engineers who have walked the area to “get out information about how people should mitigate,” production of flood preparedness guides and the creation of a hotline to request individual assessments from an engineer.
That hotline, in Overton's opinion, has been “very responsive."
“There's not been a backlog of engineering requests,” he said.
Money motion
The city and county also arranged a community meeting a week ago. During the meeting, Coconino County District 1 Supervisor Patrice Horstman reiterated that the city and county are “working closely together” to do “everything we can.” But she recognized that their ability to address the crisis in the short term “won’t be enough.”
“This is beyond the capabilities of the city, beyond the capabilities of the county,” Horstman said. “We need federal money.”
On this front, there has been some motion.
The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) recently “confirmed” that they would be providing $2.4 million toward the construction of a 16-acre detention basin to reduce flood impacts in the Pipeline West area, Overton said.
A statement from the City of Flagstaff noted that “although the basins will not eliminate the threat of flooding, they will significantly mitigate it. It is notable that this project is slated to be completed this fall -- only six months after the Pipeline Fire event. This is stated not to sidestep residents' concerns, but rather to highlight the importance and urgency that has been attributed to this situation by the City and its partners.”
The pace of the project evidences how governmental response to fire and flooding has actually improved in recent years, said Rep. Tom O’Halleran. He said this is in part due to legislative efforts to expand available funding for fire and flood responses, and improve coordination between agencies such as the NRCS and the U.S. Forest Service.
“If you look back at the history of the Schultz Fire, you'll see that it took a long time even to get to a point where we could have the money for the engineering process to move forward,” O’Halleran said.
Still, he recognizes there is more that can be done, and lauded the efforts of Sens. Mark Kelly and Krysten Sinema in their pursuit of funding to support proactive forest management.
“We have to be proactive,” O’Halleran said. “The days of sitting around and waiting for disaster to happen should be long gone.”
But while six months may be an improved pace for government, it’s still woefully slow for residents that are facing floodwaters every few days.
“We have another month of monsoons ahead,” the Coconino Estates letter reads. “We refuse to wait until October for relief.”
More information on the Pipeline West mitigation and resources can be found at www.coconino.az.gov/2944/Pipeline-West-Flood-Area and www.flagstaff.az.gov/4767/Pipeline-Fire-West-Flood-Area.
The city hotline to request an engineering assessment is (928-213-2102) and will be answered Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. People can also call this number to request a damage assessment if you experience interior or exterior flooding on your property. | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/we-need-more-flooded-flagstaff-residents-plead-for-help-from-local-government/article_50158112-18f5-11ed-b511-333f0a2a9bb5.html | 2022-08-11T14:34:05 | 1 | https://azdailysun.com/news/local/we-need-more-flooded-flagstaff-residents-plead-for-help-from-local-government/article_50158112-18f5-11ed-b511-333f0a2a9bb5.html |
A 14-year-old boy was shot dead in a Bronx building lobby overnight, officials say, marking the latest in a series of escalating violent gun crimes claiming the lives of young people across New York City.
Police responding to a call about a male shot on East 194th Street and Briggs Avenue in Fordham shortly after 1 a.m. found the teenager, later identified as Jacob Borbin of Radcliff Avenue, with a bullet wound in his chest, authorities say.
Borbin was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The preliminary investigation found he had been shot in a building lobby on East 194th Street.
No arrests have been made. Police say their investigation is ongoing.
Among other questions, they're looking into where the gunfire came from and who fired the weapon. Borbin's address suggested he did not live at the location where he was shot. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/14-year-old-boy-shot-dead-in-nyc-building-lobby/3820440/ | 2022-08-11T14:42:52 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/14-year-old-boy-shot-dead-in-nyc-building-lobby/3820440/ |
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The latest news from around North Texas. | https://www.nbcdfw.com/local/watch-woman-rescued-from-car-trapped-in-el-paso-sinkhole/3045802/ | 2022-08-11T14:46:43 | 1 | https://www.nbcdfw.com/local/watch-woman-rescued-from-car-trapped-in-el-paso-sinkhole/3045802/ |
Amazon employees can pursue a college degree at Wright State University through a new partnership between the retailer and Wright State.
Under the program, Amazon will pay the tuition of full- and part-time employees who enroll in one of Wright State’s 146 undergraduate academic programs. The program supports Amazon employees who want to earn certificates, associate degrees or bachelor’s degrees. The Amazon Career Choice program assists employees as they learn new skills to advance their careers at Amazon or elsewhere.
The partnership between Wright State and Amazon fits the university’s commitment to supporting students’ academic and career goals and helping meet the region’s workforce needs, said Wright State President Sue Edwards.
“Wright State University is thrilled to be selected by Amazon as a Career Choice education partner,” Edwards said in a statement. “Wright State is committed to transforming the lives of our students and the communities we serve. We are dedicated to expanding access to higher education, and we are thankful that partners such as Amazon recognize the importance of higher education in meeting their current and future workforce needs.”
Amazon operates a delivery station in Kettering and is building a warehouse facility and fulfillment center near the Dayton International Airport. Amazon could employ more than 1,800 people in the Miami Valley when the new facilities open, which would make it one of Montgomery County’s largest private employers.
Amazon has 13 delivery stations and 10 fulfillment and sorting centers in Ohio.
About the Author | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/wright-state-selected-as-amazon-career-choice-education-partner/JPH4GG4UBND5ZOTW4SMU7FOYJ4/ | 2022-08-11T14:48:35 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/local/wright-state-selected-as-amazon-career-choice-education-partner/JPH4GG4UBND5ZOTW4SMU7FOYJ4/ |
BOISE, Idaho — Idaho's Farmers' Markets are important for many reasons.
"Farmers’ Markets contribute so much to the quality of life in Idaho. Not just health and wellness but building communities and supporting local economy,” said Dawn Larzelier, marketing specialist for the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.
Gov. Brad Little has proclaimed August 7-13 Idaho Farmer's Market Week, and Larzelier says Idaho has a lot to celebrate.
Farmers’ Markets are a great source for getting the freshest produce at its peak. This week gives the community a chance to meet the people and companies growing their food.
Garret Ranches Shed manager Angie Garrett Swallow says, "My family and I are in the trenches everyday growing in the orchards and in the garden. When I get to share that with people, I think there is a deeper connection with our customers and them being able to come straight to their source of their food.”
Swallow says it’s important to keep supporting local vendors so future generations can keep the tradition going.
"My grandpa, my dad, and now me and then my kids are the 5th generation. We have been growing orchids fruits for 5 generations. For about 2 or 3 years we have been growing 2-acre truck garden with all sorts of veggies,” she said.
Larzelier says Idaho’s Farmers’ Market are a great source of income for farmers, as they are "selling direct to consumers and bypassing any middlemen.”
The yummy food and friendly farmers aren’t the only things that make farmers markets what they are today.
"You have live entertainment; food trucks and you get to sample wine. You can also buy plants and flowers. All the wonderful things that make our farmers markets so great,” Larzelier said.
The Idaho Department of Agriculture released an interactive map with all the farmers markets in the Gem State. So, find your local Farmers Market this week and enjoy supporting your community.
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See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist:
Download the KTVB mobile app to get breaking news, weather and important stories at your fingertips. | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/farmers-market-idaho-fresh-produce-local-economy-quality-of-life/277-096a1e17-8c7d-4abe-8b4c-442498644082 | 2022-08-11T15:04:17 | 0 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/farmers-market-idaho-fresh-produce-local-economy-quality-of-life/277-096a1e17-8c7d-4abe-8b4c-442498644082 |
Chesterfield's Little League All-Star softball team is ready for its turn in the national spotlight. Again.
The team is in the winner's bracket at the Little League Softball World Series this week in Greenville, N.C., and defeated a team from Los Angeles 6-1 on Wednesday night.
The team, made up of 11- and 12-year-old girls, will face a team from Waco, Texas on Friday night, with the winning team advancing to Sunday's semifinal round. Friday night's game will start at 7 p.m. and be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
It's an impressive encore performance for the county. Last year's team also reached the Little League Softball World Series, though last year no international teams participated due to COVID. This year the event has returned to its traditional format.
Four of the team's players were a part of both World Series appearances.
Coach Steve Myers said he coached the players as a travel team and saw that something special was brewing earlier this year.
"I was like, man, we've got a really good shot to do this again," he said. "For the most part, all the girls have been playing together since T-ball."
Still, Wednesday night's victory was particularly impressive as it came against one of the tournament's top teams.
Chesterfield had a strong pitching performance from Kaylee Hodges, who hit 60 mph on the radar gun as she struck out 11 batters.
At the plate, Aaliyah Myers had three hits and Gigi Caranante had two. Kammie Walter scored twice for the Chesterfield team, as did Myers, with the other runs coming from Caranante Amelia McCovick.
The win gives the team a day off, and Steve Myers said everybody has been loving their time at the event.
"They are rock stars down here," he said. "Little League treats them so well.
"They've met pro softball players, we had a day of photo sessions and interviews with ESPN, Adidas and Easton gave them bats, gloves and cleats. They're just loving every minute of it."
The community has shown up to support the team as well.
About 100 friends and family showed up for Wednesday night's game, a number Myers expects to be even higher this weekend as more people are able to travel.
PHOTOS: Chesterfield Little League softball team celebration | https://richmond.com/sports/local/chesterfield-little-league-team-wins-first-game-at-softball-world-series-will-play-on-espnu/article_5951619e-c117-5422-80cc-e54847eb2689.html | 2022-08-11T15:04:37 | 0 | https://richmond.com/sports/local/chesterfield-little-league-team-wins-first-game-at-softball-world-series-will-play-on-espnu/article_5951619e-c117-5422-80cc-e54847eb2689.html |
Lee esta historia en español aquí.
A fight over a woman may have prompted a shooting outside a Philadelphia Popeye’s restaurant that left a young man dead and two others injured, police sources told NBC10 sister station Telemundo 62.
The 19-year-old victim, who was also an employee at the restaurant, was sitting in a car with a woman and another man outside the business when a gunman fired at least 46 shots at them Monday night, the Philadelphia Police Department said.
The 19-year-old was struck multiple times in the head and later died, while the other two were wounded, the PPD said. While police sources said a fight over a woman may have prompted the shooting, they did not specify how the victims may have been involved.
At a vigil for the 19-year-old Wednesday night, fellow Popeye’s employees remembered him as a patient worker who got along with everyone and had big dreams for his future.
“He was a good friend and had good dreams for the future. He wanted to buy a car like in two weeks,” the store’s manager said, breaking down in tears.
The shooting on North 4th Street and West Lehigh Avenue in the Fairhill neighborhood happened around 11:15 p.m., just after the restaurant had closed, police said.
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Popeye’s employee Fransico Amaya said he and other workers fear for their life when working at night due to the crime in the area.
“Right now, all the workers are getting scared of working at night, going out at night because it’s dangerous. It’s all dangerous,” Amaya said.
Popeye’s issued a statement saying it is “devastated” by the shooting. The chain said that employee safety is a priority that it is working with the franchisee “to ensure that everyone impacted has the support they need.”
Authorities have not identified the 19-year-old, and no arrests have been made.
The city had recorded at least 338 killings as of Aug. 10, according to PPD crime statistics. Currently, that’s on pace to exceed the number of killings in 2021, which had the highest homicide count since Philadelphia first began keeping record.
As of Aug. 9, at least 303 of this year’s homicide victims were killed in shootings, according to the city controller’s office.
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/fight-over-woman-may-be-cause-of-deadly-shooting-outside-philly-popeyes-cops-say/3332509/ | 2022-08-11T15:13:25 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/fight-over-woman-may-be-cause-of-deadly-shooting-outside-philly-popeyes-cops-say/3332509/ |
What to Know
- A strong rotten eggs-like smell wafted across parts of South Jersey and South Philadelphia Wednesday into Thursday.
- The smell came from multiple release of a chemical from a trailer at the TA Travel Center truck stop on Berkley Road in Paulsboro Tuesday.
- The chemical released was Lubrizol-1389 (Zinc alkyldithiophosphate), officials said.
The chemical leak that caused a rotten smell to stink up parts of South Jersey and Philly downwind from a truck stop off Interstate 295 has been contained, authorities said Thursday. But it is unclear how much longer you'll have to hold your nose.
Emergency officials said they received "hundreds" of calls Wednesday afternoon from residents in Gloucester and Camden counties reporting a strong chemical odor outside. People even reported overnight that the bad smell had wafted across the Delaware River into South Philadelphia.
It lingered into Thursday morning, but Camden County officials said shortly after 10 a.m. that the chemical leak from a tractor trailer was finally contained. HAZMAT crews had surrounded the truck since Wednesday afternoon and at least two controlled releases of a chemical identified as a fuel additive occurred, officials said.
The incident occurred at the TA Travel Center in Paulsboro off I-295. Officials said air quality testing showed, that while it may stink, the smell was not unsafe.
"The chemical, Lubrizol-1389 (Zinc alkyldithiophosphate), expels a nuisance odor that may linger for some time," officials in nearby Camden County said in a press release Thursday. "However, Haz-Mat Technicians have monitored and tested the air quality of the immediate incident scene as well as all surrounding areas that have experienced the odor. The results of the testing have confirmed that there is no risk to the public."
Emergency officials said the smell was coming from a trailer "venting off large amounts of gas."
Lubrizol-1389 can cause eye and skin irritation, officials said.
"We've identified the chemical as Lubrizol, Lubrizol is a fuel additive, and so what happens in this tanker vessel -- and it's doing exactly what it should do -- is that when the temperature rises to a certain level, the vessel itself will expel fumes," East Greenwich Police Chief Matthew Brenner said.
Officials told NBC10 that the fumes release a strong "rotten egg" smell. The tanker truck was carrying 7,000 pounds of the chemical. It is still unknown who owns the tanker.
"Numerous resources are currently on location monitoring and attempting to mitigate the venting along with
the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection," Gloucester County officials said.
The county OEM described the smell as "nuisance" as they continued to monitor the air quality.
"The results of the testing have confirmed that there is no risk to the public," county OEM said on Facebook, while noting air monitoring would continue.
Authorities recommended "everyone remain inside their homes and limit outdoor activity," but lifted that shelter-in-place order as of 1:30 a.m. Thursday after a second release of the chemical shortly before midnight.
In the areas around the truck stop, the smell was still ever present Thursday morning, as far as 10 miles away. It was strongest closest to the truck stop.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/gas-leak-in-nj-that-stunk-up-south-jersey-and-part-of-philly-has-been-contained-officials-say/3332493/ | 2022-08-11T15:13:28 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/gas-leak-in-nj-that-stunk-up-south-jersey-and-part-of-philly-has-been-contained-officials-say/3332493/ |
NBC10 is one of more than 20 news organizations collaboratively reporting on solutions to poverty and Philadelphia’s push towards economic mobility.
The Jersey Shore is a popular vacation destination for families in our region during the summer months, but you don’t have to break the bank for an unforgettable visit.
From musical performances and fireworks displays to movies on the beach and a giant elephant, there are plenty of options for the whole family to have a great time without mortgaging the house.
Check out our list below, and if you're willing to splurge on summertime fun at the Shore, check out this list.
Free or Cheap Things To Do at the Jersey Shore
Check out our list of fun things to do for free or at a low cost at the beaches:
Cape May: Cape May County Park & Zoo
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The Cape May County Park and Zoo is free for families to attend and remains open year-round.
The zoo offers attendees of all ages the opportunity to catch a glimpse into the lives of various animals like lions, bald eagles and cheetahs. There are also exciting free events including yoga and a concert series throughout the summer.
For more information on the free fun, visit the zoo’s website.
Lavallette, Seaside Heights: The Music Man
If you will be spending time in Lavallette, Seaside Heights or Point Pleasant this summer, be sure to make a trip out to The Music Man Singing Ice Cream Shoppe.
This unique experience allows families to reserve a table for the show, where they can enjoy both an interactive, laugh-filled performance and delicious ice cream. The shop has been entertaining audiences since it opened in Lavallette in 2003.
You can grab a show-only ticket and enjoy the entertainment for $12 or reserve a table and order an ice cream dessert inside (ice cream prices vary by order).
Point Pleasant: Jenkinson's Boardwalk Events
Jenkinson's Boardwalk in Point Pleasant offers several free events for the kids throughout the summer.
Enjoy Kiddie Beach Shows on Monday nights, Movies on the beach on Tuesdays and Princess story-times on Fridays -- all for free to entertain the kids. The Big Joe Jersey Talent Show takes place on Sunday nights through September, and you can register your talented up-and-comers for free here.
To see a complete list of all of Jenkinson's events, both free and low-cost, click here.
Atlantic City: Climb the Absecon Lighthouse
There’s little that will tire the kids out quicker -- and get your steps in, too -- than a trip to the Absecon Lighthouse in Atlantic City.
You can climb up the lighthouse and visit the informational museum for free. The 228-step journey gets you to the top, where you can catch a great view of the city skyline and the beach.
Click here for more information.
Margate: Lucy the Elephant
Find some big family fun in Margate with 141-year-old landmark Lucy the Elephant.
Step inside the six-story high elephant made of wood and tin sheeting and learn about its history with a guided tour. General admission tickets for the tour are $8.50 for those 14 and older. Kids' tickets between the ages of 3 and 12 are $4, and children under 3 get in for free.
Note that it is free to visit the gift shop and check out the park, but the park surrounding the attraction is currently closed due to an ongoing restoration project. For more information and to reserve tickets for the tour, visit the website.
Ocean City: Longport Dog Beach
Just a seven-minute drive away from Ocean City is Longport Dog Beach, an off-leash dog park where pups get to have a beach day of their own.
The beach is free to visit and unguarded -- meaning there are no lifeguards -- so be sure to keep your pups and kids close to the shore for safety.
Wildwood: Concert Series & Fireworks
Wildwood offers many free events throughout the summer, including a free concert series and fireworks displays.
Kick off your weekends in Wildwood with Friday night fireworks on the boardwalk. The fireworks will light up the Jersey Shore sky beginning at 9 p.m. on Fridays through Sept. 2.
Starting at 7 p.m. on select Sunday nights throughout the summer, families can enjoy free music at Fox Park. Bands throughout the remainder of August include Sensational Soul Crushers, Purple Reign, Chicago 9 and Big Bleu Band.
View the complete Wildwood events calendar here.
Get updates on what's happening in Philadelphia and the region in your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/more-bang-for-your-buck-budget-friendly-family-fun-at-the-jersey-shore/3327430/ | 2022-08-11T15:13:29 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/more-bang-for-your-buck-budget-friendly-family-fun-at-the-jersey-shore/3327430/ |
Summer fun and the Jersey Shore go hand in hand like Bruce Springsteen and Asbury Park.
Maybe you enjoy simply sitting on the sand and soaking up the rays, but the popular vacation destination also offers options for those looking to add a little something extra to the family trip.
From pirate adventures to sunset cruises with dolphins, we've compiled a list of unique summer activities that the Jersey Shore has to offer for those able to spend a little extra.
Check out our list below (and if you're balling on a budget, check out these free and low-cost options):
Atlantic City: Go-Kart at the Showboat
The indoor racetrack at the new Raceway at Lucky Snake Arcade is equipped with electric go-karts that can reach speeds of up to 50 mph. Located inside the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, the track provides what the company calls a “Las Vegas-feel.”
After you cross the finish line and complete your ride, enjoy glow golf, bowling, ax-throwing and rock climbing, all offered inside the Lucky Snake Arcade.
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One go-kart race costs $25, or you can take advantage of the raceway's deal of three races for $65.
Ocean City: Totally Tubular Aqua Park
Beat the heat and add some thrills at Totally Tubular Aqua Park in Ocean City.
For $35, you get 45 minutes on 5,000 square feet of inflatable toys, including slides and obstacle course-style features. The company also offers group rates for larger families and friends, though little ones are encouraged to stay home as the park is designed for people aged 6 and older.
Families can try wakeboarding, tubing or riding on banana boats (at a separate cost) with Totally Tubular's watersports next to the Aqua Park.
Cape May: Sunset Dolphin Cruise
After a beachfront dinner, enjoy a Dolphin Watch and Sunset Cruise around Cape Island.
Included with a ticket is parking at the marina, pizza and hot dogs, plus sunset views over the Jersey Shore throughout the two-hour tour. The company guarantees passengers will see marine mammals -- whales, dolphins, or porpoises -- and if you don't, it issues passengers a free pass for a future tour.
Tickets are $40 for adults, $25 for children ages 7 to 12 years old, and just a penny for kids 6 years old and younger. Use code "NEW10" for 10% off your ticket purchase.
Brick: Jersey Shore Pirates
Set sail on this 90-minute pirate adventure with the Jersey Shore Pirates.
Kids and families can enjoy this action-packed ride that incorporates treasure hunts, face painting and an opportunity to learn some pirate lingo. The ship sets sail from Brick, New Jersey and travels around Barnegat Bay.
The Jersey Shore Pirates also offer non-narrated sunset cruises for families that want to kick back and relax in relative quiet.
Pirate Adventure tickets are $28 per person for everyone over the age of 2. Tickets for those 2 years old and under are $14.
Be sure to reserve your tickets online prior to heading to the pier.
Wildwood: Breakfast in the Sky
A unique breakfast experience with a uniquely New Jersey view awaits at Morey's Pier in Wildwood.
Breakfast in the Sky serves families of up to four people the most important meal of the day from above the Wildwood Boardwalk. Tables are set on the Ferris wheel, complete with a tablecloth, cloth napkins, flowers, and -- of course -- good grub.
See the website for more details on making a reservation for your family.
Get updates on what's happening in Philadelphia and the region in your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/splurge-on-family-fun-at-the-shore-here-are-5-summer-activities/3327140/ | 2022-08-11T15:13:35 | 1 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/splurge-on-family-fun-at-the-shore-here-are-5-summer-activities/3327140/ |
DES MOINES, Iowa — One of the biggest draws of the Iowa State Fair is the new foods and experiences. However, some of the best things about the fair have been around for years — 47 years, to be exact.
McConnell Concessions first appeared at the Iowa State Fair in 1975. Now, three different family members have their own booths at the fair.
Larry McConnell, founder of the McConnell Concessions legacy and patriarch of the McConnell family, operates 11 concessions stands including a vintage soda fountain.
His son, James McConnell, was born during the Iowa State Fair in 1993. Now, he operates two concession stands, one in Thrill Ville and the other on the east side of the Anne and Bill Riley Stage.
"We've had a lot of good times out here eating food, trying everyone else's food and making our own creations," James said.
Larry's daughter, Anna Lamoureux, also got in on the family business: She's in her second year of operating Georgie's Concessions, just west of the Varied Industries building.
Anna began working at the Iowa State Fair in high school, when all of her friends helped to staff the stands. Her love of the state fair parallels the passion Larry brings to the concessions business every year.
"I love all the people from Iowa, all around the state, that we get to see here and celebrate," Anna said.
Local 5 and CW Iowa 23 are bringing exciting 2022 Iowa State Fair experiences to you, from live newscasts to an interactive Local 5 Weather Lab experience. Come see us in front of the Administration Building (Grand Concourse) each day between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/state-fair/iowa-state-fair/mcconnell-concessions-iowa-state-fair/524-2a63cd90-9253-4acf-a581-0110edb3067d | 2022-08-11T15:15:02 | 0 | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/state-fair/iowa-state-fair/mcconnell-concessions-iowa-state-fair/524-2a63cd90-9253-4acf-a581-0110edb3067d |
NICHOLAS COUNTY, WV (WOWK)—A man is in custody in Nicholas County after allegedly abducting a 14-year-old girl.
A press release from the Nicholas County Sheriff’s Office said that 47-year-old Thomas Edward Grossman III was traveling back to Florida when deputies found his vehicle in the Summersville area. They say a juvenile female was in the vehicle.
Grossman was arrested and charged with abduction. He is being held in the Central Regional Jail on a $500,000 cash-only bond. | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/florida-man-arrested-in-west-virginia-for-abducting-14-year-old/ | 2022-08-11T15:23:28 | 0 | https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/florida-man-arrested-in-west-virginia-for-abducting-14-year-old/ |
FRIDLEY, Minn. — A Coon Rapids woman is suing Walmart over a 2019 fire in the parking lot of the company's Fridley store that took the life of her 6-year-old daughter.
Essie McKenzie alleges that Walmart's policy to allow RVs and other vehicles camp in their store parking lots led a California couple to stay overnight in August of 2019, and eventually use a hotplate that started McKenzie's van on fire with her two children sleeping inside. The lawsuit alleges wrongful death, and says by allowing people to camp with no supervision, permit requirements or sanitation, Walmart has maintained dangerous conditions on store grounds.
"These unregulated, unlicensed, and unmonitored campgrounds pose a threat of illness, injury, noise, and crime to a considerable number of members of the public," the court documents read.
The suit seeks damages in excess of $75,000.
First responders were called to the Walmart Superstore at 8450 University Avenue in Fridley around 7:15 a.m. the morning of Aug. 6, on reports that a van had caught fire and jumped to multiple vehicles parked nearby. One of those vehicles belonged to Essie McKenzie and inside were her children, who were napping while she shopped for groceries. McKenzie said the children were tired after being awakened quite early that morning so she could take relatives to the airport.
McKenzie's 6-year-old daughter Ty-rah sustained injuries that would prove fatal, and her eldest daughter Taraji, who was nine at the time of the incident, suffered severe injuries that the lawsuit claims will leave her physically and emotionally scarred for life.
Investigators discovered that the origin of the fire was a hot plate being used by Robert Lino Hipolito, who was camping in the Walmart parking lot with his wife in their minivan. The 72-year-old Hipolito was charged with second degree manslaughter, but eventually pled guilty to two felony counts of negligent fire. He was sentenced to 120 days in jail and three years probation.
“She (her daughter Taraji White) watched her six-year-old sister (Ty'rah) lose everything in the palm of her hand,” said McKenzie at the time of the sentencing. Taraji White survived the fire but was left with severe burns and lung damage.
“I wished that this never happened, and I wish I could do something to fix it, but I can do nothing,” Hipolito told the court.
The lawsuit says Walmart allows overnight camping in its parking lots with the expectation those campers will then purchase goods from the store. It alleges Walmart failed to monitor the activities of overnight campers, specifically the Hipolitos, though having the capability to do so.
While McKenzie's attorney did not respond to inquiries Wednesday, Walmart sent a statement saying, "Our sympathies remain with the friends and family impacted by this tragic event three years ago. We plan to defend the company and will respond in Court to the Complaint as appropriate."
In 2020, a Hennepin County judge approved a separate, $130,000 settlement in a civil case filed on behalf of McKenzie's surviving daughter against the California man.
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'Modern day slavery': Lawmakers, advocates react to Arizona prison labor investigation
Reacting to an investigation by The Arizona Republic and KJZZ, lawmakers and advocates are calling for a review of the state’s use of prison labor.
“Forced prison labor is nothing more than modern day slavery, and our state's growing reliance on this workforce is irresponsible, immoral and inexcusable,” said state Sen. Martin Quezada, D-Glendale. “Any public official with the duty to protect taxpayer dollars should be rethinking the way we appropriate money and the accountability standards that are in place.”
After 15 months of gathering and analyzing more than 11,000 documents and building a computer program that downloaded tens of thousands of public profiles about prisoners that the Arizona Department of Corrections refused to provide, reporters at The Arizona Republic and KJZZ News found that prison labor — during the past 20 years — has become ubiquitous across the state.
Republic special investigation: The prison sell: Putting profits first | High rate of return | The cost of dignity | What prisoners build | Prison city | Database | How we did it
By law, Arizona forces men and women incarcerated in its public and privately operated prisons to work. While the vast majority work inside the prison making 10 to 35 cents an hour, there is also an elite force of about 2,000 prisoners who work for Arizona Correctional Industries, which sells their cheap labor to private companies.
The Republic and KJZZ’s five-part series revealed the detrimental effects of what happens when a state exploits some of its poorest people.
The investigation also challenged some of the Department of Corrections’ core statements about prison labor in the state, including how the jobs it offers through ACI work programs are the state’s best tools to reduce recidivism.
Raúl Grijalva, a congressman representing Arizona's 3rd District, said the investigation showed the state prison system was working against its own mission.
“Their focus is to keep recidivism rates high and maintain the mass incarceration crisis that disproportionately impacts communities of color and immigrants to meet prison bed quotas,” Grijalva said. “This egregiously inhumane system must be completely overhauled. Instead of giving corporations taxpayer dollars to push mass incarceration, we should be investing these funds in education, job training and community programs that reduce recidivism.”
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said the reporting showed that prison system had become “profit driven.”
“We must acknowledge it and remain focused on our goal of providing opportunities for the rehabilitated, not the corporations,” Conover said. “This kind of reporting sheds light on the challenges we face.”
The Arizona Republic reached out to several Republican legislators for reactions, including House Speaker Rusty Bowers and Senate President Karen Fann. The newspaper tried to contact other Republican lawmakers with prisons in their districts, and state Rep. Walt Blackman, who has been a critic of the Arizona prison system, and sponsored bills that would provide greater oversight of the Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry. None of them responded.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell also did not respond to requests for comment. Nor did the Rand Corporation, Goldwater Institute or the Cato Institute.
While the scope of Arizona’s reliance on prison labor was not news to Jessica MacTurk, she said the investigation validated what incarcerated people have known for years.
"I spent 7 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry,” MacTurk said in an email. “During that time, I witnessed firsthand the exploitation, degradation, and abuse of prisoners working for Arizona Correctional Industries. I can attest that many prisoners are lured by the opportunity to earn more than $0.50/hour, and are willing to put up with the mental and physical cost of the jobs in order to be able to buy the bare necessities.”
MacTurk said she knew prisoners who were permanently disfigured at their prison jobs, leaving them to navigate a medical system recently found to provide an unconstitutionally inadequate level of care.
Now working as policy coordinator for Arizonans for Transparency and Accountability in Corrections, MacTurk is calling for independent oversight of the prison system.
“The lack of independent, external oversight had led directly to the exploitation and inhumane treatment of prisoners exposed in this investigation,” she said.
Molly Gill, vice president of policy for FAMM, a criminal justice reform advocacy group that challenges mandatory minimum laws, echoed MacTurk’s call for greater oversight. “This prison system lacks transparency and accountability,” she said. “An audit here or there is not enough to make sure the state’s prisons are keeping people safe, both in and outside of prison.”
Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee organizer Courtney Montoya likened the system operated by Arizona Correctional Industries to convict leasing.
“This goes beyond exploitation into the realm of cruel and unusual punishment,” she said. “The Arizona Republic has found that training and rehabilitation are difficult to obtain and that incarcerated workers are punished for not participating in jobs that are often dangerous.”
Montoya noted that prisoners employed by ACI were not found to have significantly lower recidivism rates than incarcerated people who were not part of the program.
“And with dangerous working conditions paired with systemic medical neglect and abuse seen in U.S. prisons and jails all over the country, participation comes at a hefty cost,” she said. “We stand against the exploitation of our communities and demand that incarcerated workers be provided adequate pay, adequate health care, vocational training, resources to help place them into jobs and housing, medical and mental health services, and basic human dignity.”
After reading the investigation, the state Senate Democratic leader, Sen. Rebecca Rios, D-Phoenix, said the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry was not living up to its name.
“The focus here seems to be not on investing in a true ‘rehabilitation and reentry’ system that helps Arizonans so they can return to their communities and families and successfully reintegrate after their incarceration,” Rios said. She cited “limited opportunities for substance abuse treatment” as an example of the department’s flawed priorities.
Just Communities Arizona Executive Director Caroline Issacs said the investigation's findings are “further proof that incarceration in Arizona is not really designed or intended for rehabilitation.”
“What's more concerning is that it appears to be the opposite — that recidivism is actually incentivized,” Isaacs said. “Companies, institutions, and even small towns are dependent on this cheap labor source. This raises the frightening notion that the state's proclivity for long sentences for relatively minor offenses may be motivated in part by sheer greed. At the very least, it may explain why the state is so resistant to the sensible sentencing reform efforts that have been adopted in many other states, including those with conservative leadership.
“The blatant commodification of human beings revealed in this investigation is deeply disturbing,” she said. “This report reveals another shift in the perception of incarcerated people from human being to 'profit generator' or even a 'product' themselves, to be traded or leased out to the highest bidder.”
Isaacs joined the calls for greater oversight of the Arizona prison labor system from state lawmakers.
“The fact that journalists had to go to such lengths to uncover the truth about these practices makes it clear that state leadership is asleep at the wheel,” she said. “The misuse of tax dollars, possible violation of state and federal laws and regulations, and abuse of human rights laid bare through this investigation is an indictment of the callous and irresponsible attitudes at the executive and legislative levels and should be corrected immediately.”
American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona Legal Director Jared Keenan said the reporting confirmed that Arizona Correctional Industries "exploits individuals and communities."
"The Arizona Department of Corrections has continued its long and troubling history of mistreatment of persons in prison from failing to provide constitutionally adequate medical and mental health care to its unnecessary and abusive use of solitary confinement," Keenan said. "While Arizona continues to be a leader in mass incarceration, this exploitative system will continue to reap profits for private industry at the expense of everyday workers and those incarcerated and powerless to push back."
State Rep. Domingo DeGrazia, D-Tucson, said the reporting substantiated his skepticism of the Arizona prison system.
"Our prison population is declining, but the costs are going up,” he said. “The only way that makes sense is that there are folks making money off our prison system.
“And now to know that inmate labor is actually an industry to itself is incredibly offensive,” DeGrazia said. “After reading this reporting, it is clear that slavery and indentured servitude is alive and well in Arizona.”
Have a news tip on Arizona prisons? Reach the reporter at jjenkins@arizonarepublic.com or at 812-243-5582. Follow him on Twitter @JimmyJenkins.
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Cochise County's 'killer bee guy' Reed Booth sees recent uptick after slow summer
After a relatively quiet summer for Africanized “killer” bee attacks in Cochise County, recent days have seen around half a dozen major bee sting incidents that resulted in one hospitalization and the death of a dog.
Reed Booth, aka Killer Bee Guy, a well-known figure in Cochise County was called upon to remove a beehive full of bees that stung three Douglas residents on Saturday, one of which was sent to a hospital for treatment. The resident was stabilized and survived the attack.
A few days later, Booth was called to another incident in Naco, a border town 32 miles west of Douglas. A man who had been using a weed trimmer was stung 35 times and his dog was stung to death, according to the Naco Fire District.
Later that week, Booth was called about a bee attack at Bisbee High School and another attack where a man was mowing his lawn and was stung 50 times.
He said he does not know why there has been a recent uptick in aggressive bee activity.
Booth has conducted innumerable bee removal operations throughout the years, and although he knows how to handle the bees, he never goes to a removal without his bee suit.
“In my bee suit I’m superman; without it, I’m a little girl,” he said, noting his vulnerability and the seemingly interminable aggression Africanized bees can present when stressed.
“I feel like I got run over by a Mack truck”
Chris Crucilla and his sons used a weed whacker in front of his mother-in-law’s house Saturday morning, when he started feeling bees stinging him on his neck.
“I left the weed eater. I guess there was a swarm following me,” Crucilla said. He ran into his mother-in-law’s house.
His blue shirt had turned brown as hundreds of bees descended on him.
“I ripped my shirt off and we just started stomping,” Crucilla said. Soon after, the bees began jumping from Chris to his adult son, Josh, who is allergic to bee stings.
Josh said he first felt numb and then felt stabbing pain before experiencing a seizure and falling unconscious. Within 10 minutes, his brother had called 911 and Josh was rushed to the hospital. He was given medicine and his condition stabilized.
Just two days after the attack, Booth drove down to the Douglas residence in his small, red fire truck filled to the brim with tools. He was accompanied by his assistant Yehoshua "Hosh" Sedan.
He spoke with the victims of the bee attack.
“Still not feeling right,” Josh said. “I feel like I got run over by a Mack truck.”
Booth said Josh was lucky to be alive after such an attack.
“There are many that don’t (survive). Every week in this county, they (the bees) kill a dog, a horse or a goat.”
Hosh and Booth were dressed in white bee suits and wearing three-layers of disposable gloves with their wrists and ankles wrapped in duct tape to close any opening in sleeves and pant legs.
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The hive was located under the house nextto Chris' mother-in-law's house.
Booth found the entrance to the hive, what he called “the bee’s front door,” and sealed it shut with expanding foam to prevent the bees from pouring out of the hole and attacking the neighborhood.
After, Hosh and Booth locked themselves in the small, one-story house to remove the hive.
They went to work in the 100-degree heat, drilling exploratory holes in the wooden floors, and eventually finding and removing the beehive located in the back corner of the closet under the floorboards.
“Oh yeah, they don’t like us at all. The bomb is about to go off, if anyone gets stung let me know,” he said before he began removing the floorboards.
The beehive was a typical size of about 40,000 to 50,000 bees.
During the removal, bees buzzed around the room, most rushing to the windows since bees are attracted to light.
“When you get trapped in a room with bees, they are no longer a threat to us. A nuisance, yes, a threat, no,” Booth said, explaining how bees are attracted to light bulbs at night and uncovered windows during the day.
Naco man encounters bees
After Booth returned home that night, exhausted, the Naco Fire District called him out to a residence where a man was attacked after he startled a colony of bees in his shed while using a weed trimmer.
Fire Chief Jesus Morales said there were thousands of bees, and the victim was lucky to be alive. The man saved himself by running to his mother-in-law’s house. He was stung 35 times, along with his dog who did not survive the attack.
Booth said horses, cattle and dogs die every summer because of Africanized honey bee attacks.
He explained that Africanized honey bees are more vicious and stay mad longer than the more docile and weaker European honey bee. Additionally, their territory can stretch for up to three miles from their hive.
Booth said colonies of bees can be calm for years and then something triggers their alarm response and “all hell breaks loose.”
“They can be fine for one minute, one year, 10 years, but they are a bomb waiting to go off,” he said. “You don’t know why. It can be the color of your shirt 100 yards away, it could be weed whackers, smells. They hate everything.”
Shujuan “Lucy” Li, a Phoenix-based public health integrated pest management entomologist with the University of Arizona said the bee's aggressive behavior is how they protect themselves when they sense danger.
According to the publication produced by the university, foraging honey bees are generally not a cause for concern, unless someone is allergic, but groups of honey bees can be alarming.
The publication also stated wild honey bees in Arizona are a hybrid of the western honey bee, the East African lowland honey bee and other bee subspecies.
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Li said they look the same as their more peaceful counterpart, the European honey bee, but their behavior is much more aggressive. They swarm and attack in large numbers, which is how they have become known as “killer” bees.
Li said Africanized honey bee venom is not any different than that of other honey bees. However, due to the large number of bees that attack at once they are more lethal than their docile counterpart.
She said it is safe to assume that all wild honey bees in Arizona are Africanized. By 1997, just four years after Africanized bees first appeared in Arizona, about 90% of the state’s honey bees had been Africanized.
According to experts, the Africanized honey bee colony was first spotted in South America and quickly made its way to the U.S., first reaching Texas in 1990.
How Booth became a beloved bee removal expert in Cochise County
Booth has had a long career in dealing with Africanized honey bees dating back 30 years when he kept his own beehives. In 1996, he opened a store in Bisbee and another in Tombstone in 2010 called Killer Bee Guy, where he sells honey, honey butter and honey mustard, among other products.
In the early 1990s, once Africanized bees began taking over European beehives in southern Arizona, his hives were Africanized and his once docile bees became aggressive.
Booth, who said he was a survivalist, lives on 32 acres of land that stretches from Mule Pass Tunnel to the entrance of Bisbee.
“I used to watch clouds of my bees chase cars down Highway 80 when they came through the tunnel. Isn’t that awesome?” he said with a gleeful laugh.
Then on a more serious note, he said he had to remove his bees.
“I had to kill them; they became Africanized,” he said. "They were evil, honeymoon is over. Romance is done.”
He started getting calls from ranchers about bees stinging their horses and cows. Bee aggression became progressively worse, he said.
In 1998 in Bisbee, Booth witnessed one of the worst killer bee attacks recorded in history. More than a dozen people were stung and half of them went to the hospital. A detective called Booth to help remove the beehive. What he saw was like an apocalyptic scene in a movie.
“Cars parked every which direction, lights on, doors open, no one around, idling,” he said. Purses, socks and blouses were strewn in the street “because people went nuts when they got attacked like that.”
Within 30 minutes, he had removed the beehive.
After three decades of removing hives, Booth has observed how the frequency of aggressive bee activity tends to be cyclic, where every several years activity increases dramatically, then in subsequent years bee activity slows before it begins increasing again.
“I was like oh my god, if it’s always this busy I’ll be rich, or dead, or both,” Booth said about the first high-activity year he remembers experiencing.
“All of a sudden, they are stinging everybody, vicious as hell, they are everywhere,” Booth said, adding that happened in 2020, one of the worst years for killer bee activity he has experienced.
However, the years following a high-activity year, like 2014 and 2020, tended to be a lot slower.
This year has been a slow year for bee removals, that is, until last week.
During the years of high aggressive bee activity, Booth said he might get 10 to 15 calls a day, although not all of them end up in needing beehives removed.
As Cochise County continues to be a hot bed for bee activity, Booth is the go-to bee removal expert for residents and agencies around southern Arizona.
Booth reiterated that Cochise County bees are the "meanest," most aggressive Africanized bees in the country. He said he has seen them become so aggressive they attack tires on trucks, telephone poles and birds in the sky.
Li, the entomologist, said she has not seen scientific data to support that theory, but noted there could be other reasons why residents in the county are seeing more bee attacks.
Li noted the Africanized bee was created in a lab in South America to make more honey and survive in hotter temperatures, which is why they have done so well in southern Arizona, where the winters are dryer and hotter than areas in the northern part of the state.
“Bees stay year-round and are more active year-round,” she said about honey bees in Cochise County. Li also said in more rural areas where there is livestock, trees and outdoor activities, there could be more encounters between people and their animals and wild bees.
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From beehive removals, a TikTok star is born
In recent years, Booth has leveraged his job and experience to become a bee removal influencer online.
His theatrical presence and love of the spotlight, as well as popular content has made his TikTok account, Killer Bee Guy 1, boom in recent years. He has amassed 25,000 followers.
Along with his fans, who he calls “killer bee nation,” he has also amassed some hate.
“I am basically Satan. Bee huggers hate me. I used to be a bee hugger,” he said, referring to people who want him to relocate their aggressive bees.
When people ask him to relocate their bees, his answer is simple and direct — no.
“It would be like taking a landmine from your yard and taking it to someone else’s yard,” he said.
Despite the aggression Africanized honey bees present when they sense danger, they are still an important part of the ecosystem, Li said.
She said while beehives should be removed if on people’s properties, honey bees should not be harmed if they are seen in nature and not aggressive.
“Honey bees are crucial pollinators,” she said. “They are still a very important part of the ecosystem. They have their own purpose; we cannot kill them if they are not bothering us… they are still beneficial insects.”
Despite being allergic to bee stings, Li loves watching honey bees in nature. She grew up in a beekeeping family in China.
“It’s really fun to see if they are pollinating orange trees and citrus trees. It is fun watching them enjoy nature,” she said.
To prevent bees from nesting on people’s properties, Li advises homeowners to inspect their land, as bees often nest in walls, or enclosed spaces like an overturned flowerpot or in a shed.
What should I do if I encounter bees?
Li suggests that if the general public sees a beehive on their property they should call a beekeeper and not try to move the hive themselves.
According to the University of Arizona fact sheet, if someone is being attacked by Africanized honey bees they should run and get to the shelter of a house or car as quickly as possible.
Because bees target the head and eyes, someone being attacked should try to cover their head while running to shelter, the fact sheet stated.
It also advised not flailing nor attempting to swat the bees. If an attack victim is far from shelter, experts advise them to run through tall brush. This action will confuse and slow them.
If members of the public see someone being attacked by bees, they should encourage the victim to run away or seek shelter and avoid attempting to rescue them themselves. They should also seek emergency help.
Coverage of southern Arizona on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is funded by the nonprofit Report for America in association with The Republic.
Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com.
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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — When Brad Jones was tapped as interim CEO of the nonprofit that runs the state’s power grid following the deadly February 2021 winter storm that left most of Texas without power for days, he said he would help stabilize the grid and get it through the summer. Jones was clear that he wasn’t interested in keeping the job long term.
Now, 15 months after Jones became interim CEO — and more than a month after the June target date when Jones had told colleagues and conference crowds that he wanted to step down — the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ new board of directors still has not selected his successor, according to a report by the Texas Tribune.
Eight sources from across the power industry who spoke to The Texas Tribune say Gov. Greg Abbott — who has no formal role in the process — has put a stranglehold on the CEO search.
The board of directors, installed by a group of three people who are appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker, and a contracted search firm have presented CEO candidates to Abbott for final say, according to three sources who spoke to the Tribune on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issues.
The governor has already vetoed Steve Berberich, a Texan who was vice president of Irving-based TXU Energy and later became CEO of California’s power grid operator and who appeared to have strong support from both the power industry and ERCOT’s board of directors, two people familiar with the matter said.
“The only explanation we got was because he came from California,” said a power industry source familiar with the discussions about Berberich. “Obviously California has its share of problems, but you can’t argue with his qualifications.”
Berberich declined to comment for this story.
This level of involvement by the governor in ERCOT’s hiring process — and in its public communications — is extraordinary in the nonprofit’s 52-year history, numerous sources told the Tribune.
“He has total veto power,” one of the sources familiar with the process said of Abbott.
Abbott’s office controls ERCOT’s public statements
By the time Jones took over ERCOT two months after the catastrophe, Abbott’s office had begun dictating what — and whether — information about the power grid was released to the public by ERCOT, an unprecedented move by a Texas governor, according to current and former energy company directors, power grid employees, longtime energy analysts and consultants who spoke to The Texas Tribune.
After the storm, ERCOT’s public messaging quickly dwindled even as public anxiety about the grid’s reliability soared: Jones has held few press conferences — and when he has, they have almost always been alongside his boss, Public Utility Commission Chair Peter Lake, whom Abbott appointed to replace another leader who left in the post-winter-storm purge.
“The governor is not just reviewing and editing [ERCOT’s public statements]. He’s telling ERCOT whether or not they can release grid information at all,” said a former senior ERCOT employee who spoke candidly about the matter on the condition of anonymity. The source said “it means information is potentially not getting where it needs to go, and that means Texans aren’t hearing what they need to hear.”
At times since the winter freeze, the governor’s office examined press releases and other communications ERCOT had prepared to put out to the public and made changes “if they were uncomfortable with the language,” the former employee said. Before the freeze, the governor’s office was barely involved at all in ERCOT’s public communications, four people familiar with the process said.
ERCOT’s social media posts have also dwindled: In the four months before February 2021, ERCOT posted 41 times on Facebook, a mix of regular grid updates, job postings and statements from its executives about the grid. In the 17 months after, ERCOT has posted only 31 times on Facebook; the same trend has played out on ERCOT’s Twitter account.
“The National Weather Service is on Twitter every day or in the newspaper or on Facebook — there are a thousand ways to reach people where they are,” said Alison Silverstein, a former senior adviser at the Public Utility Commission of Texas, which regulates ERCOT. “The point is to provide so much information that people stop thinking you’re hiding stuff and they stop looking behind every lamp post and stop being suspicious about what you’re not telling them.”
Silverstein, who also used to work for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said grid operators routinely give U.S. governors’ offices a heads up before they release grid information to the public. But governors don’t usually dictate what information is released, Silverstein and other former Texas grid officials said.
Before the winter freeze, that was the case with ERCOT, too, according to numerous sources familiar with the process: The grid operator typically sent press releases and grid update announcements to the PUC, which typically shared them with the governor’s office, a day or two before release as a heads up, and they were rarely questioned or told to substantially change the content.
Abbott, who is up for reelection in November, has almost entirely avoided discussing the grid publicly this summer, even as Texans have been repeatedly asked to conserve electricity and many have seen their home electric bills skyrocket. Abbott’s opponent, Democrat Beto O’Rourke, has made the grid’s problems a big part of his campaign and has criticized Abbott over his handling of the grid during and after last year’s tragedy.
A spokesperson for Abbott did not answer detailed questions about the governor’s involvement in the grid, but said Texas has taken “unprecedented steps” to protect the state’s power system following the 2021 winter storm — including mandating that power generators and natural gas producers better prepare their facilities for extreme weather. | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/he-has-total-power/503-54d7d78d-562b-426a-9a77-33bc6ab51b42 | 2022-08-11T15:34:43 | 0 | https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/texas/he-has-total-power/503-54d7d78d-562b-426a-9a77-33bc6ab51b42 |
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — A man was killed Wednesday when a tree branch fell on his car as severe weather passed through Williamsburg, officials said.
The National Weather Service reported high winds and lightning in the area at the time. The felled tree branch is likely weather-related, but the incident remains under investigation, officials said. | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/officals-driver-killed-when-tree-branch-falls-on-car/2022/08/11/96a0d772-1985-11ed-b998-b2ab68f58468_story.html | 2022-08-11T15:35:43 | 0 | https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/officals-driver-killed-when-tree-branch-falls-on-car/2022/08/11/96a0d772-1985-11ed-b998-b2ab68f58468_story.html |
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Health announced a new partnership with The Milk Bank to host milk drives in order to provide donor milk to Hoosier babies.
NOTE: The above video is from a May report on The Milk Bank.
The Every Ounce Counts initiative, a statewide collaborative effort, will work to increase immediate and long-term milk donations, with the goal of providing convenient opportunities for milk donors to help improve infant health and save lives, the health department said.
The milk drives will allow interested donors to complete their blood draw and make their first donation during one event after pre-registering online.
Future milk drives will be held at these times and locations:
- Aug. 13 in Monroe County with IU Health Bloomington Hospital
- Aug. 23 in Lake County with the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana
- Sept. 8 in Clark County with Clark Memorial Health
- Sept. (date TBD) in Allen County with Dupont Hospital
- Oct. 7 in Marion County for a final celebration at Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana
Anyone who wants to register for the August events or express interest in the additional dates and locations can visit this link. Interested donors who can't attend a milk drive can learn more here, while those in need of milk can call 317-536-1670 or complete an application at this link.
The clinics will also have information on safe options to donate during the current formula shortage and beyond.
“In the absence of a mother’s own milk, pasteurized donor human milk offers optimal nutrition, easy digestibility and immunologic protection against diseases," Indiana State Health Commissioner Kris Box said in a statement. "Since every ounce counts, we have launched six milk drives around the state to ensure that there is enough donor milk for every infant in need.”
Every Once Counts launched July 26 with a milk drive at Franciscan Community Center hosted by Franciscan Health Lafayette, where 4,100 ounces of milk were collected, which is enough for over 12,000 feedings for NICU babies.
“More than 1,000 milk donors step forward every year to make sure all babies have their best chance to survive and thrive," said Freedom Kolb, executive director of The Milk Bank. "Over the last month, we’ve seen an 89% surge in demand and more than 200% increase in medical relief requests. We are grateful to the Indiana Department of Health and our philanthropic partners for helping us ensure that no baby goes hungry and the ability to pay does not dictate health outcomes. Truly every ounce does count.” | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/idoh-partners-the-milk-bank-to-provide-donor-milk-to-hoosier-babies/531-3bdf04d6-5622-45cd-8680-1379860e4d07 | 2022-08-11T15:37:22 | 1 | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/idoh-partners-the-milk-bank-to-provide-donor-milk-to-hoosier-babies/531-3bdf04d6-5622-45cd-8680-1379860e4d07 |
PALM COAST, Fla. – A California man wanted for failing to appear in Texas court was booked in Flagler County on Tuesday after deputies responding to a call regarding his “aggressive” door-to-door sales tactics in Palm Coast discovered an out-of-state warrant in his name, officials said.
Deputies responded to Ryecrest Lane around 1:15 p.m., where dispatchers were told a man — later identified as Khristopher Kiwanuka, 39 — was attempting to sell someone a home security system and “was being aggressive about it,” according to a news release.
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Deputies located and interviewed Kiwanuka nearby on the same street, where they later discovered the warrant. According to the sheriff’s office, Kiwanuka was wanted for failure to appear in Texas court on charges of marijuana possession above 2 ounces, theft of a firearm and unlawful carrying of a weapon.
On body-worn camera video, a Flagler deputy can be seen explaining to Kiwanuka that, while an issue such as writing a traffic citation is often left up to the deputy’s discretion, they had no choice but to bring Kiwanuka in.
Kiwanuka was booked at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility within the hour, where he’s being held on no bond as he awaits extradition to Texas, officials said.
See the body-worn camera video in the player below:
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/11/man-arrested-when-flagler-deputies-responding-to-aggressive-door-to-door-sales-tactics-uncover-texas-warrant/ | 2022-08-11T15:37:35 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/11/man-arrested-when-flagler-deputies-responding-to-aggressive-door-to-door-sales-tactics-uncover-texas-warrant/ |
ORLANDO, Fla – To celebrate Black Business Month, News 6 had the opportunity to visit a Black and women-owned business that offers its customers a refreshing experience.
Miscellaneous is a neighborhood shop located in Ivanhoe Village that started when a sister duo saw the lack of local stores selling curated gifts and products.
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Dede Cowart, 29, and Landrea Cowart, 24, are two young entrepreneurs who are Orlando natives and gift lovers.
The sisters said they opened the store four years ago when their mother gave them her blessing to start the business.
Miscellaneous grew from the desire to offer a place to the community where people could find a curated selection of gifts, decor and aesthetic products perfect for any occasion.
“We’re big on gift giving, Christmas time is always our favorite holiday of the year and so when we would go out and try to find like little knick-knacks or things that were very personable, that’s where we would find it very difficult,” Landrea Cowart said. “So I think that’s what keeps it going, keeps it flowing for us, is to be able to allow you to get gifts for any occasion, any age, for any demographic in your neighborhood.”
The sisters call Miscellaneous a shopping experience because people can touch, feel and see the products in real life without worrying about delays, not looking like the picture, or being the right dimensions.
The name of the store came from wanting to offer a little bit of everything to the community, hence why they called it Miscellaneous.
Landrea Cowart said they usually light a candle before they open to make sure the store smells delicious all day and play music from all genres and types to make customers feel the positive vibes they are trying to transmit.
“I feel like Miscellaneous is really relatable, there’s a sense of either nostalgia or just, it feels like someone you know,” Dede Cowart said. “And then it’s also very kind of modern and sophisticated.”
The idea for the shop started when their mom, the owner of RW Events started mentioning to them how she wished there was a store for wedding and bridal gifts.
The sisters, who have always loved gift giving, thought the idea was genius and started reshaping it into a more generalized concept where they could sell all types of gifts, housewares, candles and other products.
As the idea took form, the sisters looked for inventory and decided to open the store.
“With us loving gifting as a family and feeling like we were very limited here on those options, we kind of started researching and seeing what there was and wanting to provide that, we wanted it to feel like a neighborhood shop,” Dede Cowart said. “So luckily, we did find this space where we are a part of a neighborhood, essentially, in a community.”
Now, the Cowart girls not only do inventory, restocking and social media for their business, but they are also the ones greeting and taking care of the customers the moment they walk through their front door.
“It’s allowed us to actually build a sense of community, have our regulars, know people on a first-name basis and I think it’s helped us with how we’ve developed as buyers because we have that firsthand insight, we’re seeing what people need,” Dede Cowart said.
Because the business is family-owned, the sister said that they always try to put boundaries and be intentional about the things they do to avoid burnout.
“So I think we have our strengths, we have our weaknesses, and we played into those. So it’s like, there are certain things that she’s just going to be better at doing, there are certain things that I’m going to be better at doing,” Dede Cowart said. “We kind of naturally know that and it helps us to facilitate our day-to-day operations and we are kind of like a tight-knit unit. But it’s been a learning process, too. So every day is something new, and we’re figuring it out as we go.”
Even though Miscellaneous is currently a brick-and-mortar store, the sisters’ goal is to expand their business into e-commerce, giving people the chance to purchase their products anywhere in the U.S.
“I think the brand could just open up to the masses because we’re only a brick and mortar. We’re cool being the neighborhood shop but it’s like, we have really cool stuff, the way we curate everything,” Landrea Cowart said. “We just want that even though you’re not in Orlando, you can be able to still get the same vibe, the same flow, and all the good energy that we try to push out, that’s the goal.”
The Cowart sisters also said that some of their struggles have been more in the business aspect, when sometimes people do not take them seriously for being young and women of color.
“Navigating like the wholesale sphere, going into some of the markets and things we feel that maybe there’s some prejudice, or maybe we’re not taken seriously,” Dede Cowart said. “Sometimes we’re not taken as seriously because maybe we’re Black, and maybe we’re young. And sometimes we’re in spaces where we are the only Black people. So I think people aren’t accustomed to that.”
The sisters said, sometimes sellers underestimate them or get intimidated by them, but they said that they love who they are and they are proud of their business.
“We operate this business, people know it’s Black-owned, we’re in here, and we’re proud that it is, we’re not going to hide that,” Dede Cowart said.
The Cowart sisters wanted to advise other Black entrepreneurs to follow their dreams and passions when opening a business.
“If you’re very passionate about it, and you love what you’re doing, keep it going don’t allow others to take away the joy of what you’re doing. Why watch what everyone else is doing and compare yourself to everyone else?” Landrea Cowart said. “Because everyone’s time is different, everyone’s audience is different, you don’t have to do the same thing. I feel like it’s better to not conform to what everyone else is doing and set yourself apart because that’s what’s going to keep you on the radar.”
The sisters also said their store offers many products from local Florida vendors such as Naked Bar Soap Company, Pretty Peacock Paperie, Hellcats, Sunny K Products and others.
“What we pride ourselves in are things that you can’t find everywhere,” Landrea Cowart said. “So, it’s like every time you come in you hopefully find something you’ve never seen, something unique, something different and that’s what I think makes it such a great shopping experience.” | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/11/meet-the-sister-duo-who-owns-miscellaneous-a-curated-gifting-experience/ | 2022-08-11T15:37:41 | 1 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/11/meet-the-sister-duo-who-owns-miscellaneous-a-curated-gifting-experience/ |
ORLANDO, Fla. – As school starts up again in Central Florida, we want to hear all about your experiences. You can share photos and videos with a short description on our Pins page. Your photos and videos may end up on air during our newscasts.
Don’t know how to use Pins? Here’s a PinIt tutorial video.
On the Pins page, you can view other submissions, comment and like photos. Even our News 6 talent are posting throwback school pictures.
ezzy
Ezzy Castro’s Kindergarten throwback!
From staffing shortages to low pay to a raft of new requirements and rules, the upcoming school year is starting with various challenges.
[WHY I TEACH: View videos in this story]
For the past couple of weeks, we’ve asked our local teachers, “Why do you teach?” Now, News 6 is sharing their stories.
Many said they teach because they are passionate about educating the next generation -- and they love their students.
Watch the videos therein to see all the reasons why teachers choose to educate your children. You can also see more “why I teach” statements from teachers around Central Florida by going to the gallery HERE. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/11/parents-students-share-back-to-school-photos/ | 2022-08-11T15:37:47 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/11/parents-students-share-back-to-school-photos/ |
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A woman carrying a baby and with another child was robbed at gunpoint in Orange County, video released by the sheriff’s office shows.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office posted video on social media Wednesday of the robbery that happened the day prior around 9:30 a.m. along South Orange Blossom Trail near Holden Avenue.
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The video shows the woman holding a baby while her other child was standing next to her when a man grabbed her purse and an iPad the child was holding.
The sheriff’s office said the suspects, 22-year-old Corahn Myrie and 18-year-old Joshua Davila, were located hours later and arrested.
On Aug. 9 at 9:30 a.m., a woman was robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight while standing with her young child & holding her infant. Within hours, these brazen robbers were in custody, and now Corahn Myrie and Joshua Davila are in jail. pic.twitter.com/gnhFnAX9i8
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) August 10, 2022
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/11/video-shows-woman-carrying-baby-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-orange-county/ | 2022-08-11T15:37:54 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/08/11/video-shows-woman-carrying-baby-robbed-at-gunpoint-in-orange-county/ |
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The fitness trend "Hot Girl Walk" started during the pandemic and nationwide women started walking together in groups. The organizer for Wednesday's walk in Fayetteville got inspired and wanted to bring a sense of harmony to the area.
“I just wanted to get a strong community of women together and kind of see where we can take things,” said walk organizer Katarina Derrick.
Derrick was a gymnast at the University of Arkansas and during her career, she had three knee surgeries and struggled to find ways to exercise.
“So, I figured now would be a great time to combine walking, which I love and starting a new community of girls who are either new to college or just looking for a group of friends to kind of help out with,” Derrick said.
She says the group that gathered on Aug. 10 just so happened to be young women, but her goal for the walking group is to have women of all ages come together.
“Like you said, I want it to be all-inclusive and I want everyone to feel like they can come by themselves or bring friends,” Derrick said.
Those who took part in the walk say it’s a way to have an outlet with women in the community and improve your overall mental and physical health.
“But, mentally I think that it’ll definitely push everyone to get outside and even surrounding yourself with people is really good for mental health,” said walk participant Hailey Garner.
The event has already made an impact on women and organizers say it will continue to grow.
“It definitely takes a toll on my life…like getting to know people and meeting new people so I hope that it does the same for everybody else,” Garner said.
Additionally, Fayetteville Health Officer Dr. Marti Sharkey says walking has several benefits for both physical and mental health.
"The increased blood flow and circulation boost your mood by calming your nervous system and decreasing stress," Dr. Sharkey said. "A consistent walking routine can reduce cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health. Any increased movement can aid in weight loss.”
Derrick says going forward she plans to take walks with the group bi-weekly.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com. | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/hot-girls-walk-fayetteville/527-35863be1-4d8d-4828-aa8e-cc49f124f01a | 2022-08-11T15:39:04 | 1 | https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/hot-girls-walk-fayetteville/527-35863be1-4d8d-4828-aa8e-cc49f124f01a |
BANGOR, Maine — When one piece of equipment needed for patient care was on backorder, a doctor at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center came up with a creative solution for a particular problem.
Dr. William Bassett is one of the only pediatric orthopedic surgeons in the state. Earlier this year, he came across a patient whose baby was diagnosed with infant scoliosis, or curvature of the spine.
To treat this, similar to casting a broken arm, a Mehta table is used to wrap the spine to straighten it.
Bassett knew the patient would have to travel to Boston for treatment. When that wasn't an option for the parent, he and his team instead decided to take matters into their own hands.
Soon, his team began planning, modeling their project to other Mehta tables, and consulted with the hospital's clinical engineering department to ensure the table was safe.
"We took it upon ourselves whenever we had a small moment of free time. I took some of it home here as well to make it happen," Bassett said. "And then hospital management and other aspects of the team here at the hospital kind of came together, and we made it happen."
After receiving a real Mehta table, the team disassembled the remaining parts and now uses them for other treatments. | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/bangor/northern-light-doctor-perseveres-for-patient-bangor/97-5cf0833a-af6e-4711-8f6e-f300ef0998ad | 2022-08-11T15:40:19 | 0 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/bangor/northern-light-doctor-perseveres-for-patient-bangor/97-5cf0833a-af6e-4711-8f6e-f300ef0998ad |
MCALLEN, Texas — Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Tony, Grammy and Pulitizer Prize-winning creator of "Hamilton" shared his first public reaction to a Texas church's unlicensed production of the hit musical on Wednesday.
In a tweet, Miranda condemned the production as "illegal, unauthorized" and thanked fans for making him aware of The Door McAllen's actions.
Miranda tweeted, "Now lawyers do their work."
The Door McAllen could face legal penalties for copyright infringement by producing the show without permission and making significant changes to the musical's script to include religious references.
The church posted a full-length video to YouTube after their Aug. 5 performance. Clips from the unauthorized production captured the attention of theatre fans on social media.
A spokesperson for "Hamilton" said a cease-and-desist letter was sent to the church on Saturday demanding all videos and pictures relating to the production be removed from online platforms.
After responding to the letter, The Door was allowed to continue with its Aug. 6 performance under the conditions that it wasn't live-streamed or recorded, and that no photos or videos be posted online, according to the spokesperson.
The Dramatists Guild, a union representing playwrights, composers, librettists, and lyricists writing for the stage, issued a statement Tuesday also condemning The Door's homemade "Hamilton."
"We hold up the Door McAllen Church's brazen infringement to shine a light on the problematic pattern of some theatrical organizations performing authors' work without a license and rewriting the text with authorial consent," a statement said.
"No organization, professional, amateur, or religious, is exempt from these laws," the statement continued.
In his tweet Wednesday, Miranda closed by saying, "And always grateful to the Dramatists Guild, who have the backs of writers everywhere, be it your first play or your fiftieth."
The Door changed several lyrics in "Hamilton" to reference religious beliefs.
In one modified song, according to videos posted online, the character Eliza Hamilton sang to the character of Alexander:
"My hope is in Jesus.
If you could just give him a chance today...
That would be enough."
After its Aug. 5 performance, a sermon included a pastor's comments comparing homosexuality to addiction and encouraged people "struggling" with homosexuality to seek guidance from God.
Pastor Roman Gutierrez previously told the Dallas Morning News that "all are welcome" and the church is not anti-LGBTQ.
During his Sunday sermon, Gutierrez thanked the "Hamilton" team for "giving [the church] license to perform [their] version of "Hamilton," which the "Hamilton" team unequivocally denied.
"'Hamilton' does not grant amateur or professional licenses for any stage productions and did not grant one to The Door Church." | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/lin-manuel-miranda-condemns-hamilton-production-by-texas-church/287-077c5f85-4616-4389-8a69-01afb158b4cb | 2022-08-11T15:41:00 | 1 | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/lin-manuel-miranda-condemns-hamilton-production-by-texas-church/287-077c5f85-4616-4389-8a69-01afb158b4cb |
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