text
string | url
string | crawl_date
timestamp[ms] | label
int64 | id
string |
|---|---|---|---|---|
OWYHEE COUNTY, Idaho — Idaho State Police is investigating a car crash on State Highway 51 in Owyhee County, Monday morning.
A 39-year-old female from Owyhee County Nevada, was traveling northbound on SH51 in a Dodge Dakota. According to police, the pickup appears to have rolled off the left side of the road, partially ejecting the driver from the vehicle.
She was not wearing a seatbelt and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The accident occurred around 8:20 a.m. near milepost 3, just north of the Nevada Border, in Owyhee County, ID.
This incident remains under investigation by the Idaho State Police.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist:
|
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/car-crash-in-owyhee-county-claims-one-person/277-030a5ebe-a8b4-44d9-bd70-e773644cb4be
| 2022-05-24T00:36:39
| 0
|
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/car-crash-in-owyhee-county-claims-one-person/277-030a5ebe-a8b4-44d9-bd70-e773644cb4be
|
ISLAND PARK, Idaho —
Idaho Fish and Game (IDFG), in cooperation with the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, euthanized a grizzly sow and a yearling male cub on Saturday, May 21 in Island Park.
IDFG said that the two began frequenting residential neighborhoods where they became habituated to human food after acquiring food from porches, unsecured garbage cans, and vehicles.
The sow was initially captured and relocated in 2020 after multiple food-related incidents. In 2021, the sow and cub were involved in several more food-related conflicts. Then, this spring, the two continued similar behavior, according to IDFG. IDFG said that the two were captured and euthanized on Saturday in the interest of human safety.
IDFG said that because Island Park is home to grizzly and black bears, visitors and residents are encouraged to store all garbage containers inside a garage or locked shed, and that garbage containers should only be put out the morning of pick-up, not the night before.
IDFG went on to say that bears are highly adaptable and can quickly associate people with food. The presence of: garbage bins, birdseed, dog food, beehives, domestic poultry, and fruit trees; are well-documented sources of human and bear conflicts. Food conditioned bears can lose their fear of humans, leading to bears approaching people, putting both humans and bears at risk.
Grizzly bears in Idaho are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act and management actions are therefore done in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, according to IDFG.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist:
|
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/grizzly-cub-euthanized-becoming-food-conditioned-eastern-idaho/277-b30565c7-7ea7-4f3a-9e5a-88dcf2db4c3c
| 2022-05-24T00:36:45
| 0
|
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/grizzly-cub-euthanized-becoming-food-conditioned-eastern-idaho/277-b30565c7-7ea7-4f3a-9e5a-88dcf2db4c3c
|
BRISTOL, Tenn./Va. (WJHL) — In about five weeks, camping on public property in Tennessee will become a felony.
Right now it’s a felony to camp on state property. But a bill passed by the General Assembly and made into law without the governor’s signature expands it to any public land.
A federal agency that tracks the homeless population says as of January 2020, over 7,200 people in the Volunteer State are homeless. And some nonprofits are seeing an increase locally.
Earlier this month, the Johnson City Salvation Army told us it has seen more homeless come in for help this year compared to last.
Now, community members and leaders are joining forces to help the homeless.
“We can get into arguments of whether they’re coming from outside or if they’re just only local people but they’re homeless and the homeless is a community problem,” said Bristol, Tennessee Police Chief Matt Austin. “How we solve that is right here in this room.”
Today, a homeless coalition of more than 100 people met in Bristol, Tennessee to find ways to target and solve these issues for both Tennessee and Virginia.
“We want people to have the services they need and are willing to take and also protect a lot of personal investments in this community that we know visitors love when they come here – the warm, friendly welcoming hospitality that we’re known for and that it continues to allow us to prosper and grow,” said Bristol Chamber CEO and President Beth Rhinehart. “It’s addressing it from a compassionate and resource side but also being protective of business economy and our visitor experience that we know people love.”
It was hosted by the United Way of Bristol Tennessee and Virginia and the Bristol Chamber of Commerce. The audience included government leaders, business owners, churches, non-profits law enforcement, and more.
“Sometimes, we’re the first place people call when they’re homeless and need services,” said Lisa Coffer, the Executive Director of United Way of Bristol Tennessee and Virginia. “we have seen a huge increase in the number of homeless in our community that are reaching out to us.
Not only did they debate ways to solve homelessness, but they also heard about how it’s impacting local businesses.
“Your customers that have older children that come in….they don’t come to your place. A lot of the downtown businesses have had people come to them and say ‘Hey, I’d like to come but I’m a little worried to come at this time…or people that come later, eat late downtown, and have to park a street back,” Allen Hurley explained from the crowd.
The workshop was facilitated by the vice president of the United Way of Blount County which dealt with similar issues.
“It’s very easy to say, ‘Here are the issues for homelessness and that’s the direction we’re going’….but there’s a lot of little steps between here and there,” said Wendy Wand after leading the session. “Identifying what those steps are and how to really make tangible goals towards that work is really the direction we started today.”
The top need identified: a day center for the homeless, which is already in the works.
“It does give a place of refuge and when we have that place to be,” said Margaret Feierabend with Family Promise of Bristol, Tennessee. “Then there’s opportunity to build relationships and help people move to the next step, if can they find housing or can they be eligible to stabilize their lives.”
A place to be will be a day center that not only provides a safe space but services and resources as well. It’s a collaboration between Proverbs 3:27, Family Promise of Bristol, and the Salvation Army where it will be housed.
“We need to just get the data, is what we’re seeing actually homelessness are there other issues,” said Maj. Brooks Gilliam with the Salvation Army of Bristol. “And then what obstacles are there to folks recovering or moving from experiencing homelessness into permanent housing or jobs or into other care that they might need.”
The center is expected to start up sometime this summer. Those in charge Monday say it was a coincidence that this was held so close to the start of Tennessee’s upcoming law penalizing people for camping.
“This hurts anyone that is homeless, about to be homeless or that is working with our homeless,” Wand said. “This bill is inhumane and causes people to become figures instead of actual people. The reality is that being homeless is not illegal. There are a lot of things that cause people to become homeless and if somebody that has not experienced homelessness is not at the table for changing policy or voicing about policy then we’re going to make decisions that are negatively impacting people. So, a bill like this is going to do nothing but negatively impact not only our homeless population but the rest of our community because more resources are going to be spent to criminalize people. More people are going to be put into our jails. More people are going to be keeping people from succeeding.”
They do expect resources to be more heavily used when it begins.
“I think it’s not really a good idea,” Gilliam said. “We hope that means more folks will be in but the truth is that there are some folks that just prefer to be outdoors and it’s very unfortunate that we’re going to criminalize that instead of seeking to find a way to better the situation.”
The Chamber of Commerce and United Way plan to host more coalition meetings in the future and will set the dates and times based on feedback from today.
|
https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/bristol-leaders-discuss-homelessness-in-twin-cities/
| 2022-05-24T00:40:27
| 0
|
https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/bristol-leaders-discuss-homelessness-in-twin-cities/
|
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Tennessee’s top executive visited Boones Creek Elementary on Monday by virtual means.
Gov. Bill Lee spoke with Carla Shoemaker’s 3rd-grade class after the students reached out to him. According to Shoemaker, she encouraged her students to write letters to Lee after she found out they did not know who the governor actually was.
“I found that my students did not even know who our governor was, and they did not know what his name was or what he did,” Shoemaker said. “And I thought ‘whoa, why don’t we write to him?’ and they were so excited. So they wrote to Gov. Lee, and then he responded.”
Shoemaker told News Channel 11 that her students had plenty of questions prepared for him.
“They wanted to know did they have to go to college to be a politician or a governor, just like him, and they were very interested in did he have to learn his multiplication facts in third grade, because that’s something they’ve accomplished this year,” Shoemaker said.
The students were also curious as to whether Lee stayed at the governor’s mansion throughout the year or if he still stayed at his own home and farm.
|
https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/gov-lee-pays-virtual-visit-to-boones-creek-elem-class/
| 2022-05-24T00:40:33
| 0
|
https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/gov-lee-pays-virtual-visit-to-boones-creek-elem-class/
|
FLOWER MOUND, Texas — As baby formula arrives from overseas, the immediate supply won't appear on store shelves. At least 75,000 pounds is being distributed across the country to hospitals and doctors who can give it to babies who need special formula.
Meanwhile, families are leaning on others to find baby formula. A Flower Mound mother, Jennifer Walton, created an online community to do just that.
Walton's daughter is 6 months old. She's had a hard time finding the baby formula her child needs.
"I got really, really mad. And I said, well, I'm going to do what I can to fix it."
She created a Facebook group called "Formula Fed Babies". In less than two weeks, Walton's page gained more than 2,400 members. While most of the members are from North Texas, Walton said it's open to anyone.
"We've got people in Louisiana, Nebraska, Colorado. I'm shipping some formula to a lady in South Carolina today that she needed, and so it's definitely reached nationwide," she said.
She encourages more people to join the group during this baby formula crisis, not just those who need formula.
Anyone who goes to the grocery store can take a few extra minutes by looking in the baby formula aisle, take a photo of what's left, and post it on the page with a time stamp to help families locate where to go.
"People are uploading pictures with a time stamp and a location, because our WIC parents that are needing to buy formula with their vouchers can't pay a person back. We're definitely trying to serve a wide range of individuals," said Walton.
Each day, this mother makes two posts that people can comment on. One is an "In Search Of" formula thread, and the other is an "Available Formula" thread.
Walton is hopeful that the formula shortage will get better, but said it never should have gotten to this point. While families wait for improvement in supply, she is focused on meeting immediate needs.
This Flower Mound mom built a community she hopes will fall apart soon.
She said, "I want this group to be completely defunct and unnecessary."
WFAA has reached out to see if our hospitals will get any of the overseas formula shipments. At the time of publication, Parkland Health said it will not be receiving the overseas baby formula shipment. Cook Children's won't either; they work with Mother's Milk Bank of North Texas.
|
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/baby-formula-shortage-flower-mound-mom-creates-group-to-help-families/287-93be47fc-268b-4313-86d7-0955010f98bc
| 2022-05-24T00:51:54
| 1
|
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/baby-formula-shortage-flower-mound-mom-creates-group-to-help-families/287-93be47fc-268b-4313-86d7-0955010f98bc
|
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — We've all felt the pinch in our own grocery bill, but imagine what it feels like for schools buying in bulk.
Inflation on food prices is causing some Arkansas districts to have to make some changes this fall and it could be hitting your kids meal prices.
According to the Pulaski County Special School District's Student Nutrition Director, Regena English, the district is paying about $30 more for a case of fruit, which is why families will feel the impact this fall.
"It is something that we have to do in these times," she said.
Behind the lunch counter at College Station Elementary School, English said everything is coming at a higher price.
"Inflation food cost has just doubled," she said.
English said knowing the families within the district are feeling the pinch too and the district was hoping it wouldn't come to this.
"We are going to have to raise prices this school term, just enough to cover the food cost and not put too much of a burden on the parents that are having to pay," she said.
That burden will be about a quarter to two for full paid students, according to English, but students on the free and reduced lunch program will stay the same.
"We've been adjusting and trying to do as much as we can with our commodities and that kind of stuff to make the hit just a little less, but it is something we have to do as a district," she said.
It's not just something impacting PCSSD though, the Lonoke School District is having to make similar changes, according to Child Nutrition Director Elen Smith.
"Anytime you have prices going up on food in the grocery stores, it's gonna go up for everybody," she said.
Smith said they aren't sure how much meals will go up in the fall yet, but they just know they'll have to do it.
"It's just the way of it all right now," she said.
That's not the only problem facing the district though. According to Smith, random things like lunch trays and mandarin oranges are hard to find.
"It's a hopeful thought for things to be in stock, but you know, with the unemployment and all of that and people not working, you have hard time getting things," she said.
While it's not what either district wants to do, their main priority stays the same.
"We will make sure the students are fed," English said.
Both districts encourage families to apply for the Free and Reduced Meal Program. That application will open on July 1.
|
https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/school-districts-raising-student-meal-prices-inflation/91-85eb5735-050d-448e-8b76-a85b344548be
| 2022-05-24T00:55:03
| 0
|
https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/school-districts-raising-student-meal-prices-inflation/91-85eb5735-050d-448e-8b76-a85b344548be
|
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The primary election in Arkansas is set for Tuesday, but issues not on the ballot will be on full display outside many polling places.
It all stems from Russellville and Pope County, where arguments over a proposed casino are heating up.
"In 2018, the people voted to allow four casinos in the state," David Couch, co-chair of the Arkansas Tourism Alliance, said.
While there's two sides to every coin, those conversations in Pope County are more like two sides to the same poker chip.
"Allowing the state to vote to remove Pope County from the constitution as an authorized site for a casino location," Anna Stiritz with Fair Play for Arkansas said.
While it's not even on the primary ballot – or any ballot – it's already a major topic in Pope County.
Advertisements from the Arkansas Tourism Alliance are already airing, encouraging people to not sign that petition.
Couch said Arkansans voted on this once before. So why do it again?
"So it's a little bit of sour grapes," he said. "They're kind of mad that they didn't get it."
On the flip side, Stiritz said the casino would bring more negatives than positives. She said money from the casino wouldn't stay in Pope County, but would instead be siphoned out to Oklahoma where the owners of the casino, Cherokee Nation Businesses, live.
"There's been multiple opportunities where voters who have been able to go to the polls in Pope County, have consistently expressed that they don't want a casino here," she said.
Couch disagreed, saying that money will stay in the county. He also said they've got data to back up that the casino is supported in the county.
"You know, did you vote for it in 2018, do you support it now?" Couch said. "And so the overwhelming majority of people have support the casino now."
That data, conducted by a research company that the Arkansas Tourism Alliance contracted, showed that 54% of voters in Pope County support this.
Ask Stiritz though, and it's a different story.
"Look and see what voters have said with their votes, not what they're saying on Facebook, not what they're saying to people who call them or text them on their cell phone and say, 'Hey, wanna casino? Yes or no?'" Stiritz said.
Even though this isn't even on the ballot yet, you can expect to see people out asking at the polls Tuesday – from both sides.
"So I think it's important that, you know, people hear from both sides," Couch said. "And I think that it's really important that you hear from accurate information."
Fair Play for Arkansas is required to submit close to 90,000 signatures to get this on the ballot.
|
https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/voters-see-canvassers-at-primary-election/91-e319694a-87c9-4796-8e21-1a95c8bc0ffc
| 2022-05-24T00:55:09
| 1
|
https://www.thv11.com/article/news/local/voters-see-canvassers-at-primary-election/91-e319694a-87c9-4796-8e21-1a95c8bc0ffc
|
January 28, 1941 – May 15, 2022
Gene D. Parrish, passed away in Eugene, Oregon on May 15, 2022. He was 81 years old. Gene was the son of Phillip and Iva (Gilbert) Parrish and grew up in Coquille. Oregon. Gene was born in Heber Springs, Arkansas and came to Oregon when he was five years old on the train with his family. Gene was a 4.0 student and Yell King at Coquille High School. He graduated and went on to attend college at SOC taking the highest-level mathematics courses in Calculus and computing and continued receiving a 4.0 in all his courses. He was into his second year at college when he met Betty Roth, also of Coquille, at the Coos County fair in 1960. They married March 18, 1961 and were married for 61 years.
Gene was an avid sportsman and was always hunting or fishing during his time off. His favorite place was drifting and casting a line along the many rivers of Oregon. Throughout his life he kept his entire family and friends supplied with fish, especially his favorites, steelhead, and salmon. Gene was frequently featured in newspapers with his record fish. When Gene wasn’t fishing, he was still outdoors camping, photographing, or traveling across Oregon.
Gene worked for US Bank and was the District Loan Manager. He approved many corporate loans such as Chinook Winds Casino and McDonalds, along with other businesses and people in the community. Using his knowledge and skills he helped people throughout his lifetime and was well known and loved by each community he lived and worked in. During the 70’s Gene received a letter from J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI for helping to apprehend two criminals who were dealing in bad bonds through various banks. Gene retired after 42 years in banking.
Gene was so gifted in mathematics that he was asked to teach financial courses at a couple of colleges including OIT. He was heavily involved in his community and was a member of the Jaycee’s, Rotary and Lions Club. He also volunteered for the Veteran’s Administration and helped Veterans who were going through medical issues.
Gene leaves the legacy of a life well lived, filled with fun and adventures. His family and friends will deeply miss his company and many gifts. He was preceded in death by his wife, Betty Parrish; parents, Phillip and Ida (Gilbert) Parrish; and grandson, Cody Parrish. He is survived by his daughter, Angela Parrish of Coquille, Oregon; son, Michael Parrish of Clatskanie, Oregon; daughter-in-law, Katherine (Parrish) Bode of Warrenton, Oregon; son, Daniel Parrish of Coquille, Oregon; daughter, Karen and husband, George Daskalakis of Forest Grove, Oregon; along with his brothers, Loys Parrish and Gary Parrish; and a sister, Phyllis Carlock, of Myrtle Point, Oregon. He is also survived by grandchildren, Alex Crockett of Toledo, Oregon, Ashton Crockett of Coquille, Oregon, Christopher Parrish of Bend, Oregon, Haley Doney of Warrenton, Oregon, Camilla Moran of Fort Mitchell, Alabama, Sarah Daskalakis of Portland, Oregon, Nikolas Daskalakis of Boston, Massachusetts, Ariana Bender of Rock Creek, Oregon, and Jacob Daskalakis of Forest Grove, Oregon; also eleven great-grandchildren, soon to be 13.
|
https://theworldlink.com/news/local/obituaries/gene-d-parrish/article_29fea7bc-daf0-11ec-ad2b-cbd570fef34b.html
| 2022-05-24T01:01:47
| 1
|
https://theworldlink.com/news/local/obituaries/gene-d-parrish/article_29fea7bc-daf0-11ec-ad2b-cbd570fef34b.html
|
After another outdoor championship title sweep, Northern Arizona's Drew Bosley, Alyssa Colbert and Mike Smith have earned Big Sky Conference accolades.
Bosley and Colbert were named the freshmen of the year. Smith was named coach of the year.
Bolsey, the two-time cross country NCAA Championship title team member and two-time All-American, is a recognizable name for Lumberjacks fans who follow the program during the fall, however, this is Bosley's first year competing on the track.
At outdoor championships two weeks ago, Bosley championed the men's 5,000-meter race and earned silver in the 10,000m to earn 18 points for Northern Arizona University.
Colbert is also quickly becoming a household name for fans. She was named the indoor freshman of the year in February. This year, Colbert has broken two Northern Arizona women's records (indoor 60m; outdoor 100m), and most recently set the Big Sky all-time and Big Sky title meet 100m records at the 2022 outdoor championships.
People are also reading…
Her record 100m time earned gold in the event, and she also was the victor in the 200m. She was a leg of the women's third-place 4x100m crew, contributing a total of 20 points toward the women's all-time Big Sky record of 244 points.
Smith led the Lumberjacks to their second consecutive outdoor sweep, their sixth historical outdoor sweep, and their 24th and 13th respective all-time outdoor team titles. With this award, he claims his fourth women's coach of the year title and his third on the men's side.
|
https://azdailysun.com/sports/local/nau-roundup-bosley-colbert-smith-earn-big-sky-accolades/article_17462d1a-dae7-11ec-b06f-0b5550850972.html
| 2022-05-24T01:17:20
| 1
|
https://azdailysun.com/sports/local/nau-roundup-bosley-colbert-smith-earn-big-sky-accolades/article_17462d1a-dae7-11ec-b06f-0b5550850972.html
|
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — AAA will offer free towing to help keep impaired drivers off the roads over Memorial Day weekend.
The automotive group announced its Tow to Go service will be active from 6 p.m. Friday, May 27 through 6 a.m. Tuesday, May 31.
Tow to Go offers a ride for the person and their vehicle to a safe location within a 10-mile radius.
The service will be available in select areas, including Tennessee, and will be free to AAA members and non-members.
“Driving impaired is not worth the risk. It endangers you and the lives of everyone else on the roadway,” Megan Cooper, spokeswoman for AAA said in a release. “AAA urges people to identify a safe ride home before they party, but know that Tow to Go is available as a last resort.”
While the service is free, AAA asks that it only be treated as a backup plan.
To request Tow to Go, call (855) 2-TOW-2-GO or (855) 286-9246.
|
https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/aaa-activates-tow-to-go-service-for-memorial-day-weekend/
| 2022-05-24T01:27:56
| 1
|
https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/aaa-activates-tow-to-go-service-for-memorial-day-weekend/
|
MANHEIM, Pa. — Officials are investigating a death in Lancaster County.
Manheim Police say they're investigating after a death at the Lancaster Country Club in Manheim Township.
According the the Lancaster County Coroner's office, a man in his 20's from the Media area, died after a construction accident.
Officials say there will be an examination of the body on Tuesday.
FOX43 will continue to update this article as more information becomes available.
|
https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/lancaster-county/police-investigating-death-lancaster-country-club-manheim-township/521-164aa96e-8e77-43f9-a000-0846c3668606
| 2022-05-24T01:32:49
| 0
|
https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/lancaster-county/police-investigating-death-lancaster-country-club-manheim-township/521-164aa96e-8e77-43f9-a000-0846c3668606
|
SEATTLE — The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says it has support from Executive Dow Constantine to fund two new full-time positions that will be dedicated to the prosecution of hate crimes.
The proposal would add one deputy prosecuting attorney and one victim's advocate.
In recent years, the office has seen an increase in reported cases. The new positions would focus on prosecution, working with victims, and doing outreach to make sure the community knows how to report a hate crime.
A robbery victim allegedly targeted because of her race and a customer reportedly using racial slurs and making threats against a store clerk are just two recent examples of the growing caseload of alleged hate crimes at the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, according to Leesa Manion.
"I think that we see this crime is on the rise. We see the tremendous impact that this has. We also know that when hate goes unaddressed it escalates," said Manion.
Data from the U.S. Department of Justice shows that Washington had more than 500 cases in 2018. Only three other states reported more crimes motivated by hate.
As for King County, from 2018 until today, there have been 229 hate crimes filed, according to the prosecuting attorney's office. So far there is clear data for 185 of those cases.
"We know that 16 of those cases filed were involving anti-Asian hate and at least 63 filed involved anti-Black hate,” said Manion.
The reported crimes are most commonly against someone's race or ethnicity, the second most common are against someone's sexual orientation.
"You have to prove that hate was actually at the heart of the motivation for the crime,” said Manion.
It takes that kind of proof before a hate crime can be charged. In Washington, lawmakers have designated a hate crime as a Class C Felony, the lowest level. The prosecuting attorney’s office would like that to change to a higher level of felony.
As for the county’s two new positions, there’s already support for the additions, but King County Council needs to approve it. The council is expected to vote in late June or early July.
|
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/new-prosecutor-hate-crimes-king-county/281-57d697e2-a2d7-4196-be8a-0c0aba90fab0
| 2022-05-24T01:35:35
| 0
|
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/new-prosecutor-hate-crimes-king-county/281-57d697e2-a2d7-4196-be8a-0c0aba90fab0
|
SEATTLE — Seattle Pacific University's (SPU) Board of Trustees decided Monday to keep employee conduct expectations that ban employees from same-sex sexual activity, extramarital sexual activity and cohabitating before marriage.
The board came to the decision after "thorough and prayerful deliberation," said Board Chair Cedric Davis. The board chose to have SPU remain in "communion" with the Free Methodist Church USA, which defines "Marriage, between one man and one woman" as "the only proper setting for sexual intimacy."
In a statement, the Board of Trustees admitted "sober acknowledgment of how this news will be received."
"The board acknowledges that there is disagreement among faithful Christians on the topic of sexuality and identity," the statement read.
SPU's current employment policy requires that faculty and staff "affirm SPU's Statement of Faith" and abide by conduct standards in the employee handbook, which includes employee lifestyle expectations.
While employees are asked to refrain from same-sex sexual activity, the school said it is "committed to diversity, equity and inclusion for all undergraduate students, welcoming and supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students in all academic pursuits, faith practices and life together in community," according to an FAQ about the school's decision.
Students protested after the school's board voted to uphold its employment policy relating to human sexuality in 2021. The protests were inspired in part by a lawsuit brought against the school by a former nursing instructor, Jéaux Rinedahl, who alleged he was denied a full-time position at the school because he is gay.
The school settled its lawsuit with Rinedahl out of court on May 4.
|
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/seattle-pacific-university-lifestyle-same-sex-marriage-employees/281-55847fe9-1210-4cf2-916f-640476ba5442
| 2022-05-24T01:35:41
| 0
|
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/seattle-pacific-university-lifestyle-same-sex-marriage-employees/281-55847fe9-1210-4cf2-916f-640476ba5442
|
DAVIS, Calif. — "The Growing Groves Plant Shop," an eight-week-old plant store in Davis, had a break-in at their store on Friday, May 20, resulting in a rare and expensive plant being stolen.
The plant taken was a monstera Thai constellation plant worth $2,000, and co-owners Ricky Barosa and Larry Groves were horrified at the aftermath.
"We were on our way to the store when we got a call from the landlord," Groves said. "He said that there was a small hole in one of our windows, so we weren't expecting anything too crazy but when we got closer, we noticed the whole plant was gone. That's when it like really hit us, because we never expected something like this to happen."
The co-owners were able to capture the two suspected thieves scoping out the area and eventually running off with the rare plant from their store's security cameras.
They also filed a police report, but have not received any updates. ABC10 also reached out to the Davis Police Department, but the inquiry was not immediately returned.
Due to the store being LGBTQ-owned, Barosa initially thought this robbery could have been a hate crime. However, there has been nothing but love from the local community as well as the plant community across the country.
Groves grew up in Dixon but would sometimes escape to Davis just to explore, so he felt safe starting a plant shop in a small environment like Davis.
Now, since the robbery, Groves said the city of Davis as well as the plant community across the county has shown a lot of support for their store.
The co-owners are now utilizing social media platforms and warning others to keep their eyes out for potential listings of this rare and expensive monstera Thai constellation plant.
"The end goal is to not let this happen to anyone else, whether that be plant shops in Sacramento and in the Bay Area or other stores in Davis, we just don't want anyone else to have to experience this," Groves said.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: Midtown restaurant vandalized, estimated damage $70,000
|
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/rare-expensive-plant-stolen-davis-store/103-d4edcd8c-7b30-47be-ae41-0cc3678ecb68
| 2022-05-24T01:35:57
| 0
|
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/rare-expensive-plant-stolen-davis-store/103-d4edcd8c-7b30-47be-ae41-0cc3678ecb68
|
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Much of the Sacramento region will remain under a Red Flag Warning through Wednesday morning as high winds, high temps and low humidity sets in.
Sacramento area fire and park officials are warning residents across the area to take precautions in the event of a fire.
Captain Parker Wilbourn, with Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, says a simple spark from a chain could cause a devastating and destructive fire on fire warning days like this.
“It’s kind of the trifecta, right? So we’ve got a high heat, decreased relative humidity and and winds," Wilbourn said.
Similar conditions led to an explosive fire that destroyed an outbuilding and damaged several homes in Rio Linda Friday. The cause is still being investigated.
In Sacramento County, numerous communities near sprawling fields make the risk of fire even greater, especially when weather conditions match those expected through Wednesday.
While firefighters often stress defensible space, they are urging everyone to avoid the use of motorized equipment or any outdoor activities that use an open flame.
Sacramento County Regional Parks experienced around 170 fires in 2021, said Ken Casparis, a spokesperson for the department. Officials with the parks are urging caution and want everyone to follow all rules while in the parks to prevent fires.
Camp fires are not allowed anywhere in the parks, including on beaches, Casparis said. Barbecuing is allowed, but only in designated picnic areas with established pits.
WATCH ALSO:
|
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/wildfire/sacramento-fire-officials-fire-danger/103-48313610-1f17-45f9-85c6-a8ec4ce0b067
| 2022-05-24T01:36:03
| 0
|
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/wildfire/sacramento-fire-officials-fire-danger/103-48313610-1f17-45f9-85c6-a8ec4ce0b067
|
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines city council had a full agenda for their May 23 meeting. One of those things was deciding whether or not to approve a new private security contract for city buildings.
Just having private security at city buildings isn't new; that started in early 2020. The vote ended service with Per Mar Security and awarded the contract, worth approximately $500,000, to a different company, Signal of Des Moines.
The new proposal would put armed private security personnel inside Des Moines City Hall, the Argonne Armory, Municipal Service Centers, as well as various special meetings as needed. According to the city, personnel will be handling sign-in procedures, getting security badges for visitors, and operating metal detectors and security screenings.
They say these changes first started to be considered in 2019, following a mass shooting at a city building in Virginia Beach. But some residents are concerned that the additional security may be keeping residents from speaking up at meetings.
"They know more people want to come out to their meetings. And this is a restriction that if you want to come to their meetings, you have to comply with these airport TSA restriction rules, which people obviously don't like and make a lot of people uncomfortable," said Adam Callanan, an organizer with the Des Moines People's Town Hall.
Another concern raised by some residents—the new contract was on the city council's consent agenda. That meant that the security contract passed automatically since no city council member asked to have a separate discussion. For those with complaints, that can be frustrating.
"If they do have legitimate reasons for hiring the security, and taking these actions, they can discuss that publicly and let public comment. They haven't done that, which just does not allow us to put in a good faith into what they're doing, because they can't even explain it themselves," Callanan said.
With the contract approved, the transition to Signal is expected to occur in early July 2022.
|
https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/des-moines-city-council-approves-new-private-security-contract-for-city-buildings-armed-guard-personnel/524-2d828512-4a3a-4096-acde-f269541e0e1a
| 2022-05-24T01:36:44
| 1
|
https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/des-moines-city-council-approves-new-private-security-contract-for-city-buildings-armed-guard-personnel/524-2d828512-4a3a-4096-acde-f269541e0e1a
|
Man arrested, suspected of shooting and killing ex-wife's boyfriend
Police arrested a man Friday in connection to the fatal shooting of his ex-wife's boyfriend.
The incident occurred at a residence near 91st and Campbell avenues in Phoenix, according to arrest documents from the Maricopa County Supreme Court.
The suspect was identified as Robert Segobia, 39.
The victim, who was previously identified by police as Héctor Antillón Acosta, was inside the residence with his girlfriend when Segobia broke into the house, court records stated.
According to court documents, Segobia had called his ex-wife's phone before unlawfully entering the residence, but she didn't answer.
The report alleges that Segobia entered the bedroom where Antillón and his girlfriend were lying on a bed and pointed a handgun at the woman who got off the bed and tried to stop him.
Segobia pushed her away and proceeded to shoot Antillón several times, according to court documents.
The woman, whose name was not released, told police that Segobia then pointed his gun at her again and said "I told you."
The woman hid in a bathroom and called 911. When she came back into the room, she found Antillón unresponsive, court documents state.
The woman told police she and Segobia had decided to get a divorce about a year ago but were still living in the same house.
The woman told police Segobia was jealous of her new relationship. She said he had reviewed her call logs and was tracking her location, but she didn't know how.
She also told police she and Segobia had an argument around five days before the shooting in which he threatened to post photos of her on social media and left the house, taking a handgun with him.
The woman told police she believed it was the same handgun he used to kill Antillón.
After watching video surveillance from a neighbor's residence, police identified Segobia as the suspect.
Police also learned Segobia called his mother and told her he had done "something stupid" and that he was planning to turn himself in but first wanted to say goodbye to her and his children.
Police found Segobia's vehicle parked at the CVS at Buren Street and Avondale Boulevard, which is near a sports complex where Segobia briefly met with his mother and children, court records indicate.
Police found Segobia at the sports complex and saw him get into a vehicle with another man who drove him to the Maricopa County Sheriff Substation located near Van Buren Street and Dysart Road.
Segobia turned himself in but declined to be interviewed. He was booked into jail on one count of first-degree premeditated murder, one count of burglary, and one count of aggravated assault.
Segobia is scheduled to appear in court on May 31. He was released on a $1 million bond.
Reach breaking news reporter Laura Daniella Sepulveda at lsepulveda@lavozarizona.com or on Twitter @lauradNews.
Support local journalism.Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
|
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2022/05/23/man-arrested-suspected-killing-ex-wifes-boyfriend/9900784002/
| 2022-05-24T01:54:09
| 1
|
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2022/05/23/man-arrested-suspected-killing-ex-wifes-boyfriend/9900784002/
|
Arizona violates journalists' rights to witness executions, attorney says
The Arizona Republic is demanding the Arizona Department of Corrections follow their own protocols and give the press its legally mandated access to serve as witnesses to executions.
The Department of Corrections violated the law and its own policies by denying The Republic access to the execution of Clarence Dixon, and for failing to allow other witnesses who were granted access to see the entirety of the execution, attorney David Bodney said in a letter sent Monday to Arizona Department of Corrections Director David Shinn and Gov. Doug Ducey.
Bodney represents Phoenix Newspapers, Inc., which publishes The Republic and azcentral.com.
While the state’s guidelines allow Corrections director David Shinn to invite up to five members of the media, only three reporters were given access to the May 11 execution of Clarence Dixon, the first execution in Arizona in 14 years.
Shinn is “allowed by Arizona law to select ‘at least twelve reputable citizens ... to be present at the execution [of an inmate],’” Bodney wrote, citing Department protocols. The protocols also state: “In addition ... up to five members of the media may be present for executions as members of the press pool.”
The procedures define those five official media witnesses as “representatives, from
media-print, television/cable, radio, and the local market where the crime occurred.” Reporters selected to be a part of the press pool are asked to relay what they saw to other media in a press briefing conducted at the prison after the execution.
“It merits note that The Arizona Republic, which is printed in Maricopa County and is the largest daily-circulation newspaper in Arizona, has been denied access to be present at the State’s most recent executions – one, administered this month, the other scheduled for next – as a member of the press pool,” Bodney wrote.
Nationally, courts have ruled media witnesses are central to the legal protocols governments must follow to conduct executions.
In Dixon’s case, media witnesses described how the execution team struggled to insert IVs into Dixon’s body, eventually resorting to making an incision into his femoral vein.
They took notes on what Dixon said, and provided important details on the length of time it took to put him to death.
They also reported that, in violation of protocols, witnesses found it hard to hear or see all aspects of the execution.
Paul Davenport, a veteran reporter with the Associated Press who witnessed Dixon's execution and has witnessed previous executions, said the audio feed was not crystal clear. “I had a hard time making out his voice,” he said of Dixon.
There were screens on two sides of the witness room, Davenport said, but the execution was hard to follow on those closed-circuit monitors.
“You had the same image of the - looking down on him shot - as it were,” he said. “And then in the middle, you had one screen that has a tight close up of the sets of injection drugs. And that's all you saw. You occasionally saw some hands - blue gloved hands reached down and manipulated one or two of them at a time. I had a hard time actually discerning what was happening and in what order.”
Several media witnesses reported that Dixon asked the execution team if they were doctors and they appeared to answer him, however, witnesses could not hear the replies. Dixon seemed to indicate they had responded in the affirmative because he then asked them if they were violating their Hippocratic oath.
Dixon’s attorneys reported it took 40 minutes and an incision in Dixon’s groin to get the IVs into his body, during which time he grimaced in pain and struggled against the restraints. It is unclear whether this was due to a lack of medical experience of the execution team, but the public would have known if reporters could clearly hear what was said in the room.
Additionally, Dixon’s attorney, federal assistant public defender Amanda Bass, stated in a declaration that her first view of Dixon was after he had been restrained to a gurney in the execution chamber.
“I entered the viewing room at 9:27 AM,” Bass wrote. “At 9:32 AM the curtains to the execution chamber opened. Clarence was strapped to the gurney.”
But the right of press access “extends from the moment the condemned person enters the execution chamber,” Bodney wrote, citing a 2016 ruling from U.S. District Chief Judge G. Murray Snow.
“In fact, the U.S. District Court entered a permanent injunction against ADOC requiring that it ‘allow execution witnesses to view the entirety of the execution, including each administration of drugs,’” Bodney wrote. “Based on the evidence at hand, PNI believes ADOC violated the Permanent Injunction, legal precedent on point and its own policies during the course of the Dixon execution.”
Death row:Arizona prisoner Frank Atwood requests execution using nitrogen instead of cyanide gas
The Republic was one of several news outlets that were denied requests to serve as media witnesses for the Dixon execution. Reporters from The Phoenix New Times and KOLD in Tucson confirmed to The Republic their requests to serve as media pool witnesses were denied.
“This is about more than just access for the Republic,” said Republic Executive Editor Greg Burton. “This is about having as many members of the press as possible conduct oversight on behalf of the public of the ultimate act of any government; taking someone's life. There is no undoing a mistake."
After the Department of Corrections denied the Republic's request just days before the Dixon execution, Burton said he contacted the Governor’s office to express concern about the process.
“I reached out to Gov. Ducey to let him know that his agency is playing games with a process that could not be more grave – and legally prescribed," Burton said. "His chief of staff, Daniel Ruiz, just scoffed."
Burton said Ruiz told him if The Republic did not print “false information,” the news organization might be treated differently.
In the demand letter, The Republic calls upon the Department of Corrections “to ensure that the forthcoming execution of Mr. [Frank] Atwood comports with the clear mandates outlined by the courts, ADOC’s own policies and the rights secured by the Federal and Arizona Constitutions.”
In the letter, Bodney asks the Department to grant The Republic access to Atwood’s execution, scheduled for June 8, as a member of the media pool “to erase the appearance of impropriety and enhance the public’s right to observe the entirety of the capital punishment process in Arizona.”
Anticipating the Department of Corrections would again limit full media access, a Republic reporter asked Atwood’s attorney to attend the execution as a witness for his client. But department protocols are ambiguous as to whether witnesses for the prisoner receive the same access as media pool witnesses.
“The Department’s refusal to permit a journalist from Arizona’s largest-circulation newspaper to witness the execution as a media representative raises serious concerns,” Bodney wrote. “It is imperative that a full complement of five media witnesses be permitted to attend all executions, and that a reporter for The Republic be among them so the public can have full confidence in the State’s administration of justice.”
Have a news tip on Arizona prisons? Reach the reporter at jjenkins@arizonarepublic.com or at 812-243-5582. Follow him on Twitter @JimmyJenkins.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
|
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/05/23/attorney-arizona-violates-journalists-rights-witness-executions/9900645002/
| 2022-05-24T01:54:15
| 1
|
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/05/23/attorney-arizona-violates-journalists-rights-witness-executions/9900645002/
|
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
Midland County is not ready to sell a downtown asset – at least not yet.
Commissioners tabled an item that would have sold a piece of county-owned property – parking lot E - to the city of Midland. The property is located just to the west of the Midland Police Department, along Colorado Street and north of Michigan Avenue.
MPD Chief Seth Herman said the police department currently leases the lot for “spillover vehicles” and now wants to purchase the land. He said the appraised value of the lot is $220,000. Having the extra property downtown also will help MPD if there is a need for expansion or extra offices, Herman said.
County Commissioner Scott Ramsey said the lot is a “valuable county asset” and needed inventory for the county, especially as Midland expands.
County Judge Terry Johnson said it is not in the best interest of the taxpayer to hold on to valuable property and the selling of the property would help support local law enforcement.
Restaurant owner Chip Hight, whose restaurants include Mr. Chips Kitchen, which is set to open in the former Basin Burger location, asked county leaders for consideration of renting 10 to 15 spaces for his customers. Mr. Chips Kitchen is located just north to the property county parking lot.
Pat McDaniel said during a time for public comment that he opposes such a sale because it is much cheaper to own a piece of property than have to buy property later on.
County Attorney Russell Malm reminded the court that since the sale is to another government entity that the county does not have to go out for bid.
Commissioners Luis Sanchez, Robin Donnelly and Randy Prude were not ready to decide on the sale of the parking lot on Monday and each supported taking more time.
|
https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/Commissioners-undecided-on-selling-property-to-MPD-17193174.php
| 2022-05-24T01:59:18
| 1
|
https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/Commissioners-undecided-on-selling-property-to-MPD-17193174.php
|
Where does the Midland County Commissioners’ Court stand on its law enforcement complex rebuild and how to pay for it?
That answer is not known yet, but the Commissioners’ Court had a discussion about it at Monday’s meeting.
Leaders seemed to be unanimous on the need to complete construction plans for a new jail. When that comes before the court for a vote, it is likely to cost $6 million to $7 million, according to the discussion Monday. That cost could increase if that includes the participation of a construction manager. It wasn’t determined as to how leaders plan to pay for it.
Commissioner Scott Ramsey wanted to have the discussion, so leaders could start deliberations on where commissioners stood on jail expansion, the building of a new justice of the peace/constable center and the Culver youth detention center.
The conversation also included a decision about how to pay for the projects, which included mentions of a bond, certificates of obligation (debt that doesn’t require voter-approval) and the approval of a county assistance district, which would increase the sales tax rate in the county to be comparable to the sales tax inside the city.
More than 65 percent of county voters opposed a county assistance district in November, but both Precinct 4 Commissioner Randy Prude and County Judge Terry Johnson said that voters could be convinced to support an assistance district. Prude mentioned proper explanation and the formation of a political action committee would go a long way in winning an election in the future.
Johnson previously mentioned that the tax could raise as much as $80 million a year.
“This tax district will pay for everything we need for the next 100 years,” Prude said. He added that passage of a county assistance tax is win-win for the taxpayer and would mean the county would never need another property tax rate increase. He added its passage would be the most important thing the court has ever done.
Officials heard around $127 million will be needed for a new jail. Other potential expenditures included $16 million to $20 million for a new justice of the peace/constable building (with offices and courtrooms), $20 million for a remodeled sheriff’s office building and $36 million for the first phase of remodeled Culver building (at the current site). Officials said the total project cost of an upgraded youth detention facility at the current site at Hogan Park could climb to $115 million.
But a main purpose of the discussion was to see what could be done now, and it seemed that commissioners agreed getting construction plans for a new jail put together – a potential 16-month process – was a priority.
|
https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/County-leaders-talk-jail-how-to-pay-for-it-17193160.php
| 2022-05-24T01:59:24
| 1
|
https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/County-leaders-talk-jail-how-to-pay-for-it-17193160.php
|
The following was sent out Monday from the Midland Christian board of trustees about the resignation of its superintendent Jared Lee.
--
With genuine sadness, the board of trustees at Midland Christian School has received and accepted Jared Lee’s letter of resignation as superintendent of Midland Christian, effective immediately.
Jared has been a part of Midland Christian School for as long as we can remember. He started as a student here and came back to serve as a teacher, academic dean, and finally as superintendent. Together with his father, the Lees have been at the helm of MCS for almost 40 years, guiding the school through many ups and downs, and making us better at each step along the way.
This latest storm has tested the entire Midland Christian family, and we are not surprised Jared has chosen a path he believes to be best for MCS and for his family moving forward. Despite all that has transpired, he leaves us with record enrollment, solid financial footing and a track record of success in academics, fine arts and athletics. We continue to stand behind Jared, acknowledging that his leadership will be welcomed in a new environment and hope that he will be given every chance from others to utilize the talents God has blessed him with. He will be missed and our prayers are with Jared and his family as they begin a new chapter in their lives.
The board will appoint a search committee this week to begin the process of finding and hiring a new superintendent. I know that change is hard, but change also brings new opportunities – for growth, for even greater achievement, and for faithfulness to the mission of Midland Christian School. Please join me in praying for the Lees as they begin this new chapter, and for every member of the MCS family as together we work to lead, build, and equip young men and women for Christian service in this community and beyond.
On Behalf of the Board of Trustees,
Jason Stockstill, Board President
|
https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/MCS-statement-Jared-Lee-resigns-as-superintendent-17193579.php
| 2022-05-24T01:59:30
| 1
|
https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/MCS-statement-Jared-Lee-resigns-as-superintendent-17193579.php
|
When the Nampa School Board ordered 22 books banned from its school libraries “forever” earlier this month out of concerns about “pornography,” three of them were options on the recommended reading list for AP English classes in the Nampa School District. They won’t be any more.
The three: “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer, and “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison.
“My son just finished AP English,” said a stunned Bruce DeLaney, co-owner of Rediscovered Bookshop, which has been organizing widely supported efforts to give away the banned books to local students at a June 8 event in Nampa. “You’re not looking at a 5-year-old reading ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ You’re talking about a senior who is taking AP English. My son is 18 years old. He had to sign up for the draft.”
Kathleen Tuck, Nampa School District community relations director and spokesperson, said, “None of these were required reading.”
“AP creates a list of books that are recommended reading, and then the district pulls from that list to create our own list,” she said. “Basically, students had a choice of several books that they could read, and then parents, of course, have the option of not having them read specific books.”
“Next year they will not be on that recommended list,” she said.
“The Handmaid’s Tale” is Atwood’s 1985 dystopian novel about a puritanical theocracy that subjugates women; the winner of the 1986 Booker Prize, among other honors, it was made into a popular television series in 2017.
The Safran Foer book, a novel published in 2005, is about a 9-year-old boy who lost his father in the 9/11 attacks. Amazon.com’s description says, “With humor, tenderness, and awe, Jonathan Safran Foer confronts the traumas of our country’s difficult history.” Barnes and Noble rates it as appropriate for ages 14-18 and calls it, “A funny, uplifting novel about a boy’s journey through New York in the aftermath of September 11th from one of today’s most celebrated writers.”
“The Bluest Eye,” published in 1970, is Morrison’s first novel; set in the 1940s, it focuses on controversial themes including racism, incest and sexual assault, making it a frequent target for book bans. Morrison won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.
Lance McGrath, founder of the Nampa Banned Books Fan Club and an academic librarian at the College of Idaho, said, “I hope they will reconsider.”
“AP English? I think that should be challenging material,” he said. “We want those brightest minds to be engaging with those voices that tell about hard things and learning about those, and thinking about how they can build their reserves of empathy and understanding, so that they can be successful leaders in the 21st Century. You don’t learn things by sticking your head in the sand. Stick your head in a book.”
DeLaney said, “There were many of these books that were just kind of head-scratchers.” He noted that one of the 22 banned books, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” is a 1999 coming-of-age novel that was made into a popular movie starring Emma Watson in 2012. Two others are single selections from trilogies by young adult fiction author Cassandra Clare. The Kite Runner, Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini’s first novel, was a No. 1 best seller.
John Green’s novel “Looking for Alaska,” a coming-of-age novel published in 2005, won the American Library Association’s 2006 Printz Award, which recognizes the best book of the year written for teens, based on literary merit. “We can’t keep it in stock – it flies off the shelves,” DeLaney said.
“Many of these books have been in school libraries and curriculum for decades,” he said.
Now, DeLaney said, “A small group is saying no teenagers in Nampa should have access to these award-winning books. That’s where we’re at. How can we fight back against this form of censorship and ignorance? The best way we can do it is get books in people’s hands.”
After the Nampa School Board voted 3-2 on May 10 to ban all 22 of the books permanently, cutting off a review of the books that had been in process by committees of parents and teachers and ordering them all removed, Delaney said, “We sat down with our staff and said, ‘What are we going to do?’”
The answer: A donation drive to purchase copies of the books and give them away to Nampa students for free. In a single week, donations covered the purchase of more than 1,250 books, and the bookshop had to cut off the drive – that’s three pallets of books, the maximum amount they could order, store and give out.
Rediscovered Bookshop, which has locations in Boise and Caldwell, will distribute the books June 8 at Flying M Coffee Garage, 1314 2nd Street South in Nampa, from 6-8 p.m. Anyone with a Nampa student ID will have their pick of any three of the books, for free. Local teachers, staff and parents also can get a free book.
“We figure in two hours, we should be able to give away 1,500 books,” DeLaney said.
Separately, on June 13 at 6 p.m., the Nampa Banned Books Fan Club is planning another event, a “Banned Books Read-In” on the lawn outside the Nampa School District office, 619 S. Canyon St. Participants will bring blankets, picnics and their “favorite banned book,” and hold a “peaceful read-in protest.” It’s already drawn interest from more than 110 participants on Facebook.
“We’ll be encouraging people to read those banned books or others that they would choose,” McGrath said. “There’s something in a banned book for everyone.”
McGrath said he started the Banned Books Fan Club to encourage others to “embrace their freedom to read … because that’s how we keep our freedoms, is by exercising them.”
The club’s Facebook page says, “We are Nampans who reject the suppression of free speech, restricted access to information, and the smothering of independent thought in our diverse community. Freedom of thought is American. We treasure it. We exercise it. We read banned books.”
“My take on the school board decision is I do believe it was made in haste, with good intentions,” McGrath said. “But it was not fully informed, and I do believe that there’s a good chance it violated their own policy.” The district’s policy for challenged materials includes a committee review process, he noted. “They chose to take action before the final report was submitted. I hope that they will reconsider.”
DeLaney, who ran a high-energy physics lab at Micron Technology before he and wife Laura, a former elementary school music teacher, opened their first bookstore in 2006, said the bookshop supports “more people reading more books.”
“As an educated and free society, we need to … trust our teenagers and our teachers and our librarians to make good decisions about what they’re reading,” he said.
Clearly, he said, no one supports giving pornography to children; and just as clearly, that’s not what the books on the list are.
“Teenagers are smart, teenagers are engaged readers,” DeLaney said. “They’re trying to figure out their world and their place in it.”
Many of the books the district banned, like Spokane author Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian,” explore “the same questions we all had when we were teenagers,” he said, “Who am I? What is my place in the world? Do I have to pretend to be somebody I’m not in order to be accepted by society?”
DeLaney said he worries that the Nampa board’s decision to remove the books is “taking away that next generation of students’ ability to find them in the school libraries and to have them impact their lives and make them more empathetic people.”
But he also said he’d expect any smart, reading-oriented 17-year-old to treat the list of 22 banned books as a summer reading list – and read everything that someone tells them they shouldn’t. “No one tries to ban books that no one is reading,” he said. “If a book is not worth reading, it never gets challenged, it never gets banned.”
Before any of this came up, Rediscovered Bookshop already was sponsoring the “Read Freely Project,” which is in its second year in partnership with The Cabin, a literary arts nonprofit in Boise. Last year, the Read Freely Project gave away 750 books from authors of varying perspectives and backgrounds, with each recipient receiving 10 copies of the same book — on the condition that they then physically give each one to someone with a recommendation that they read it.
The Read Freely books address challenging topics, from immigration to slavery to the LGBT community. The idea is to spark conversations and empathy, DeLaney said. “We think it’s a worthy goal, and our customers agree with us.” This summer, the project is planning to give away 1,000 books.
Tuck, with the Nampa School District, said the district has been receiving calls from residents who are “not very happy,” including many wanting to buy the books that are being removed from school libraries. She estimated that roughly 600 have been removed, boxed up, and placed in a district warehouse so far, with dozens more still being collected and counted.
During the May 10 school board meeting, district Superintendent Gregg Russell said the books could be disposed of the way the district disposes of old textbooks: Throwing them in the garbage.
But Tuck said the district has decided against destroying the books. “What they’ve decided is they just want them left in the warehouse until any further decisions are made,” she said. “That could be soon, that could be years from now.”
DeLaney said that reminds him of the final scene from “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” the 1981 movie in which the intrepid adventurer Indiana Jones finds the long-lost Ark of the Covenant, rescues it from the Nazis, and brings it back home to turn over to the United States government, which says it will be moved to an “undisclosed location” for study. But instead, the prized and powerful artifact is transferred, crated up, into a large warehouse and stored there, indefinitely, among countless other crates.
|
https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/nampa-districts-book-ban-to-affect-ap-english-classes-along-with-school-libraries/article_311c1871-79bd-5adb-b5d0-e75f1b1de970.html
| 2022-05-24T02:00:51
| 0
|
https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/nampa-districts-book-ban-to-affect-ap-english-classes-along-with-school-libraries/article_311c1871-79bd-5adb-b5d0-e75f1b1de970.html
|
NAMPA — This Saturday, the Idaho Alliance for Ukrainian Immigrants and Refugees, through partnership with the Boise Rescue Mission and the Lakeview Church of the Nazarene, will open its Ukrainian Welcome Center in Nampa.
“This can be a place that represents some sense of stability and normalcy in their life,” said Tina Polishchuk, director of outreach for Idaho Alliance for Ukrainian Immigrants and Refugees, “something that they haven’t seen since the war started.”
Currently, Ukrainians being admitted to the United States are allowed into the country on humanitarian parole. Humanitarian parolees do not have access to refugee resources and benefits from state department-funded resettlement agencies like the Agency for New Americans and the International Rescue Committee, according to Slobodanka Hodzic, program director for the Agency for New Americans. This means they can’t get help from these agencies for things like housing, transportation or education.
The goal of the Idaho Alliance for Ukrainian Immigrants and Refugees is to organize local resources for these parolees, essentially filling the gap in resources for those who have had to leave their war-torn homes since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly three months ago.
“About six weeks ago, we started to put together efforts, started having conversations with people saying, you know, ‘What is this going to look like when they’re here? And how do we make sure that they have access and support in areas of documentation, education, transportation, housing? And how can we rally a larger community who wants to step up to help?’” Polishchuk said.
There are currently an estimated 200 Ukrainian people in Idaho, according to Polishchuk. The alliance is working with 36 cases which range from small families to families with six children.
According to the alliance’s director of operations Vlad Goretoy, the welcome center, once opened, will help the alliance carry out its five-pillar strategy: Documentation, housing, transportation, education, and donations and volunteers.
The welcome center will offer temporary housing to those who need it. Polishchuk said capacity will depend on the amount of volunteers the welcome center gets, but the plan is to have eight studio apartments — three large ones and five small units.
The center is also partnering with College of Western Idaho to host English language classes, according to Polishchuk. Additionally, this summer it will host English immersion summer camps. Polishchuk said the welcome center also has a goal to offer drivers education.
Some of the other services the center will provide include daycare, documentation consultation, care packages and a clothing closet. More information on these services can be found at idahoforukraine.org.
As previously reported by the Idaho Press, the welcome center was formerly the Lighthouse Rescue Mission before it closed in March due to a lack of residents.
According to Boise Rescue Mission CEO Bill Roscoe, once the shelter closed, the Boise Rescue Mission board began to pray about what to do with its newly empty building.
“And then after that happened, and as we were wondering, the phone rang,” Roscoe said. “And as we learn more about the need and as we all were so distressed over watching what was happening in Ukraine, we saw an opportunity to partner and come alongside of the alliance and come alongside of the Ukrainian people being displaced who were coming to Idaho.”
The public is invited to the grand opening celebration on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the welcome center, located at 304 16th Ave N in Nampa. There will be Ukrainian food, jump houses, activities and an information center.
Starting June 1, the public is also invited to attend the center’s weekly Ukrainian Community Dinner. The dinners happen each Wednesday from 5-7:30 p.m. and are $10 for adults, $6 for kids 12 and under. Dinner is free for Ukrainian parolees and there will also be a take-out option.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the alliance's full and correct name.
|
https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/some-sense-of-stability-and-normalcy-ukrainian-welcome-center-set-to-open-in-nampa/article_eb62578f-a597-5d6f-94e3-86b7767a2881.html
| 2022-05-24T02:00:51
| 1
|
https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/some-sense-of-stability-and-normalcy-ukrainian-welcome-center-set-to-open-in-nampa/article_eb62578f-a597-5d6f-94e3-86b7767a2881.html
|
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — A Golden Gate family says someone stole their son’s skateboard ramp and they’ve got video to prove it.
It happened last Thursday when someone in a pick-up with a trailer attached pulled up to the home on 28th Place Southwest, stopped, picked up the ramp and drove off.
“How dare you travel around my neighborhood and see something of value and go on someone’s property, pull over with your trailer, and take it who do you think you are,” said Lee Froloff.
The ramp belongs to Lee and Lizette’s children. Their 12-year-old son Lee Jr and his friend use it after school for biking and skating.
“They are always out there and they were out there before this happened. Their bikes and stuff were in the yard too but yeah when they got back inside it was gone,” said Lizette Froloff.
This keeps them from having to go up the road to the park each day to play and that’s where we found Braxton Tice Monday taking pictures.
“I longboard and have been for years, but that’s ridiculous. I can’t believe someone did that to a kid,” said Tice.
We asked the Froloffs if they believe that perhaps the man in the truck thought their ramp was scrap that needed to be picked up which they replied to saying, “No if that was the case why wouldn’t he take the bikes laying in the yard too,” said Lee Froloff.
The family said they don’t have any intentions to file a police report they just want their ramp brought back to their son, “First of all we would really like it back and second of all I think that was wrong you don’t go around picking stuff up out of peoples’ yards,” said Lizette Froloff.
“I would like five minutes with this person or five minutes of their time to talk about how wrong that was,” said Lee Froloff.
|
https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/05/23/driver-swipes-skateboard-ramp-from-collier-county-familys-home/
| 2022-05-24T02:05:36
| 0
|
https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/05/23/driver-swipes-skateboard-ramp-from-collier-county-familys-home/
|
It’s like something out of a bad knock knock joke, except this was Janie Ingels’ reality on Saturday morning.
“I was just sitting on the couch having a cup of coffee and I heard this thump thump,” says Ingels.
The thump was coming from the front door at her home in Northwest Cape Coral.
“I got up and I looked out the window and I saw a gator staring back at me,” says Ingels. “It was very unusual for the Saturday morning wake-me-up.”
Ingels called the Cape Coral Police department and she says they were able to safely remove the 4-foot gator, placing him back in the canal.
“Everybody should be aware of their surroundings because it is mating season for the gators so we just want everybody to be safe especially with small pets,” says Ingels.
|
https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/05/23/woman-finds-4-foot-gator-at-the-front-door-of-her-cape-coral-home/
| 2022-05-24T02:05:43
| 1
|
https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/05/23/woman-finds-4-foot-gator-at-the-front-door-of-her-cape-coral-home/
|
KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) — One person was taken to the hospital after a vehicle crashed into a power pole on Childress Road in Alum Creek.
Metro 911 officials say this happened at around 7:45 p.m.
They say they do not know the extent of any injuries or if any roads are closed down.
The Alum Creek Volunteer Fire Department, Davis Creek VFD, Kanawha County EMS and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office all responded to the crash.
|
https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/one-taken-to-hospital-after-vehicle-crashes-into-power-pole-in-kanawha-county/
| 2022-05-24T02:06:12
| 0
|
https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/one-taken-to-hospital-after-vehicle-crashes-into-power-pole-in-kanawha-county/
|
CHARLESTON, WV (AP) — A congressional watchdog has determined that Rep. Alex Mooney likely broke House rules when he accepted a trip to Aruba allegedly paid for by a campaign client and family friend.
The latest allegations are included in a statement released Monday by the House Ethics Committee.
The committee says it’s extending the review of an Office of Congressional Ethics report sent in December.
The report says HSP Direct allegedly paid for a trip for Mooney’s family to Aruba in March 2021.
Mooney’s office issued a statement saying he’s fully reimbursed the company.
Mooney will face Democrat Barry Wendell in November’s general election.
|
https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/watchdog-mooney-likely-broke-rules-with-aruba-trip/
| 2022-05-24T02:06:18
| 0
|
https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/watchdog-mooney-likely-broke-rules-with-aruba-trip/
|
Nebraska Wesleyan University's governing board will move forward on a plan to raze Olin Lecture Hall, the former home of the liberal arts college's science and math programs.
Earlier this month, the NWU Board of Governors approved a resolution to tear down the three-story facility at the corner of 50th Street and Madison Avenue in northeast Lincoln.
The total cost of the demolition project is $1.8 million, according to minutes kept at the meeting, but no timeline for removal has been decided.
The private university has not yet applied for a demolition permit from the City of Lincoln.
Nebraska Wesleyan moved most of the academic programs housed in Olin Hall to the Duane W. Acklie Hall of Science, which opened in early 2019.
The $29 million facility, which features 15 labs and six classrooms spread across 80,000 square feet, the first academic building opened at NWU since 1981, is now home to the biology, chemistry and psychology programs.
Olin Lecture Hall was a state-of-the-art science education facility when it opened in the winter of 1968 as one of 77 similar facilities funded through the Olin Foundation in the mid-1960s.
The philanthropic organization, started by Franklin W. Olin, gave NWU a $2.3 million grant in 1966 to build and furnish the hall, which at the time was the largest foundation grant made to a Nebraska college or university for a specific purpose, The Lincoln Star reported.
Prior to the Olin Foundation grant, the largest gift was a $1.5 million grant from the Kellogg Foundation to the University of Nebraska to build the Nebraska Center.
Spokesman Hunter Reeves said as the discussion over removing Olin Hall continues, NWU is looking at ways to improve space utilization and collaboration among departments at its other facilities.
"Many STEM students have walked the halls of Olin since its construction in the late 1960s," he said. "It has been an important academic building for over 60 years of NWU's history."
Top Journal Star photos for May
Yuliia Iziumova (left) hugs her mother Oksana Iziumova Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at the Lincoln Airport. It was the first time they'd been together in more than three years. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
JAIDEN TRIPI Journal Star
Lincoln High's Javon Leuty celebrates his win in the Class A boys 110-meter hurdles Thursday, May 19, 2022, at Omaha Burke Stadium. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Fans run to catch a foul ball during a baseball game between Nebraska and Michigan State on Thursday, May 19, 2022, at Haymarket Park. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
JAIDEN TRIPI Journal Star
Lincoln High's Landon Kruse competes in the wheelchair Class A boys 800-meter race at the state track and field meet Thursday, May 19, 2022, at Omaha Burke Stadium. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
GWYNETH ROBERTS Journal Star
Elkhorn North celebrates on the field after defeating Waverly in the Class B baseball championship game Friday, May 20, 2022, at Tal Anderson Field in Omaha. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Autumn LaDeaux-Baxter (left) ties poles together while saying a prayer as leaders of the Niskíthe prayer group work to assemble a tipi during a protest outside City Hall on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. The group wants legal protections of a Native sweat lodge, which is on about 2 acres of private land surrounded by Wilderness Park and across the street from the planned Wilderness Crossing development near First Street and Pioneers Boulevard. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Fremont's Braden Taylor celebrates winning the Class A boys 3,200-meter relay at the state track and field meet Wednesday, May 18, 202, at Omaha Burke Stadium. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
GWYNETH ROBERTS Journal Star
Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent Steve Joel plays a game of spike ball with eighth graders Hayden Tenopir (left) and Drew Van Dyke on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at Mickle Middle School. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Nebraska’s Jackson Brockett pitches against a Michigan State batter Thursday, May 19, 2022, at Haymarket Park. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
JAIDEN TRIPI Journal Star
Josh Vinson Jr. runs with a pool noodle during the second annual Josh Fight Saturday, May 21, 2022, at Bowling Lake Park. Vinson Jr. remains the reigning champion, winning the crown for a second year. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
JAIDEN TRIPI Journal Star
Lincoln Southwest's Jaida Rowe carries the team trophy after Southwest won the Class A girls team race at the state track and field meet Thursday, May 19, 2022, at Omaha Burke Stadium. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Millard West's Dylan Driessen collides into Millard South's Camden Kozeal while stealing second base in the first inning during the Class A championship, Thursday, May 19, 2022, at Tal Anderson Field in Omaha. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Bloomfield's Alexandra Eisenhauer (left) reacts after finishing ahead of North Platte's Hayley Miles in the Class D girls 100-meter dash at the state track and field meet on Saturday, May 21, 2022, at Omaha Burke Stadium. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Teacher Maria Ramos pours milk as children aged 18 months to 3 years eat lunch at The Children's Place child care center Tuesday, May 17, 2022. According to a report from the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, 87% of providers received some kind of COVID-19 relief funding in the last year. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
GWYNETH ROBERTS Journal Star
Lincoln East's Garrett Springer celebrates after hitting a double against Millard West during a Class A state baseball game Thursday, May 19, 2022, at Tal Anderson Field in Omaha. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Photographer Michael Farrell gets ready to take a group photo as members prepare to tear down the Niskíthe Prayer Camp on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Lincoln East's Belinda Rademacher reacts after defeating Lincoln Southeast's Camilla Ibrahimova (not pictured) in the No. 1 singles championship at the Class A girls state tennis meet Friday, May 20, 2022, at Koch Tennis Center in Omaha. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
The boys Class B 3,200-meter race enters its third lap at the state track and field meet Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at Omaha Burke Stadium. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Bishop Neumann's Kamdyn Swartz reacts after winning the Class C boys 300-meter hurdles during the state track and field meet, Saturday, May 21, 2022, at Omaha Burke Stadium. Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Axtell's Calvin Johnson (left) looks as he passes Falls City Sacred Heart's Jakob Jordan to win the Class D boys 3,200-meter relay at the state track and field meet Friday, May 20, 2022, at Omaha Burke Stadium. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Part of Reception and Treatment Center's expansion project includes 384 new beds seen on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Lincoln Southeast’s Corynne Olsen (2) (from left) Maggie Hayes (0) and Sidney Wettlaufer (21) hold each other after placing second in the girls Class A state championship game Monday, May 16, 2022, between Lincoln Southeast and Gretna at Morrison Stadium. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
JAIDEN TRIPI Journal Star
Omaha Skutt Catholic celebrates their state championship win over Norris in the girls class B state championship game on Monday, May 16, 2022, at Morrison Stadium. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
JAIDEN TRIPI Journal Star
Nebraska softball players take a selfie during the Nebraska women’s softball watch party of the NCAA tournament selection show on Sunday, May 15, 2022, at Bowlin Stadium. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
JAIDEN TRIPI Journal Star
Lincoln’s Hunter Clanin (14) misses the diving catch during a game on Sunday, May 15, 2022, between Sioux Falls and Lincoln Saltdogs at Haymarket Park. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
JAIDEN TRIPI Journal Star
Omaha Skutt Catholic's Dylan Toth (right) reacts to a Skutt goal as Waverly’s Austin Neddenriep watches the ball hit the back of the net during the Class B boys state soccer semifinals game on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at Morrison Stadium. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
JAIDEN TRIPI Journal Star
Waverly's Eli Russell (second right) and Wyatt Fanning (second right) leap on to pitcher Payton Engle (first left) as they celebrate with their team after an upset win over Norris during a boys Class B first-round game at Warner Park on Saturday, May 14, 2022, in Papillion. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Norris base runner Kale Fountain celebrates as he reaches home plate to score in the fourth inning against Waverly during a boys Class B first-round game at Warner Park on Saturday, May 14, 2022, in Papillion. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Soon-to-be graduates walk through Creighton's campus outside of a girls class A semifinal game at Morrison Stadium on Friday, May 13, 2022, in Omaha. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
A bicyclist rides toward downtown on the 13th Street bike lane on Friday, May 13, 2022. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Goldenrod Pastries owner Angela Garbacz (left) talks with Molly Ebbers of Lincoln on Thursday, May 12, 2022. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Dee and Ronald Baddorf (from left) scratch Lucy, their mini-pig, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. The Baddorfs are hoping the Lincoln City Council will approve a waiver so they can keep Lucy at their Lincoln home. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Lincoln Southwest’s Alex Kosmicki (23) dribbles to the goal as Papillion-La Vista South’s Jenasy Schultz (1) goes for the save during the girls A-4 district championship game Tuesday, May 3, 2022, at Seacrest Field. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
JAIDEN TRIPI Journal Star
The Husker dugout erupts in cheers as Sydney Gray (bottom) reaches home plate after scoring the second solo home run of the fifth inning against Indiana, Sunday, May 8, 2022, at Bowlin Stadium. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Exterior of a Ford TRIPI-Motor 5-AT, seen on Thursday, May 5, 2022. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
JAIDEN TRIPI Journal Star
The Omaha Bryan boys soccer team celebrates its District A-7 boys championship win over Lincoln Southeast, Thursday, May 5, 2022, at Omaha Bryan High School. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
JAIDEN TRIPI Journal Star
Runners make their way through the final stretch of the 2022 Lincoln Marathon Sunday, May 1, 2022. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
JAIDEN TRIPI Journal Star
Lincoln Southwest players celebrate the goal by Jillian Lane (third from left) with Lincoln East's Page Monson reacting in the background during the second half of a Class A girls state soccer first-round match, Monday, May 9, 2022, at Morrison Stadium in Omaha. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Lincoln East's Jesse Chartier (left) embraces with teammate Kayma Carpenter after losing to Lincoln Southwest in a Class A girls state soccer first-round match, Monday, May 9, 2022, at Morrison Stadium in Omaha.
JUSTIN WAN Journal Star
Supporters of Donald Trump blow kisses, give cheers and vie for position as Trump takes the stage during a Trump rally for Charles Herbster at the I-80 Speedway on Sunday, May 1, 2022, near Greenwood. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Lincoln Southeast's Lilly Talley (left) and doubles partner Lily Rippeteau celebrate a point in the No. 2 doubles finals of the Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, at Woods Tennis Center. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
GWYNETH ROBERTS Journal Star
Lincoln East's Elijah Jobst (8) blocks a shot by Lincoln Southwest's Lane Kruse (16) during a Class A boys state soccer first-round match Tuesday, May 10, 2022, at Morrison Stadium in Omaha. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
GWYNETH ROBERTS Journal Star
Juju Tyner (center, in green) holds a sign in support of Roe vs. Wade as she joined others in a pro-abortion rights rally on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, on the north steps of the Capitol. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
GWYNETH ROBERTS Journal Star
Midland’s Matt Ross dives but misses the ball hit by a Doane hitter during a GPAC Tournament game Friday, May 6, 2022, in Crete. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
JAIDEN TRIPI Journal Star
A crowd of supporters cheer on Jim Pillen as he takes the stage during an election night party at the Embassy Suites, Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Lincoln. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Tim Brox fills out his voting ballot at the Redeemer Lutheran Church offices, Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in Lincoln. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Lincoln East players celebrate as they see the district championship plaque after defeating Omaha Westside during the District A-4 baseball final at Den Hartog Field, Saturday, May 7, 2022. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Lincoln East’s Paige Poppe (13) and Columbus’ Liberty Larsen battle to head the ball during the girls A-5 district championship game, Tuesday, May 3, 2022, at Seacrest Field. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
JAIDEN TRIPI Journal Star
Crete players celebrate after a goal in the 20th minute by Osvin Garcia Velasquez (second from left) during the B-5 district championship Saturday, May 7, 2022, in Waverly. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
KENNETH FERRIERA Journal Star
Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or cdunker@journalstar.com .
On Twitter @ChrisDunkerLJS
Want to see more like this?
Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox.
|
https://journalstar.com/news/local/education/nwu-planning-to-tear-down-olin-hall-after-more-than-a-half-century-of-use/article_d8b33589-d69d-58d2-8242-e0abe82bfff6.html
| 2022-05-24T02:10:19
| 0
|
https://journalstar.com/news/local/education/nwu-planning-to-tear-down-olin-hall-after-more-than-a-half-century-of-use/article_d8b33589-d69d-58d2-8242-e0abe82bfff6.html
|
VANCOUVER, Wash. — A much-needed lifeline has been taken away from restaurants nationwide after the U.S. Senate rejected a second round of federal aid meant to help businesses in the hospitality industry pay off debts from the pandemic.
“It was definitely very disappointing,” said Michael Ruhland, owner of Valo-Massalto.
The boutique winery on Vancouver’s waterfront was just one of nearly 4,000 restaurants affected in Washington. Valo-Massalto has only been open for two years, which meant the business didn't have enough revenue to qualify for any federal grants.
“We are like many businesses that just fell through the cracks with everything across the board," he said.
The winery did qualify for the second round of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which would have provided $48 billion dollars in emergency money for restaurants and bars affected by the pandemic.
Valo-Massalto was expecting to receive about $500,000.
“That would just help with staying stable and growth and being able to build the name, build the brand,” Ruhland said. “I think its unfair from the federal government side of things.”
The average restaurant in Washington incurred about $160,000 of debt during the pandemic, which is more than three times their annual profit, according to the Washington Hospitality Association.
“Now that it’s clear there’s no more relief coming from the federal government, they’re going to have to figure out how to deal with this," said association president Anthony Anton. "There’s going to be a lot of hard decisions ahead."
The association is now urging customers, landlords and suppliers to be patient with the restaurants that are still in debt.
“I think the next several months are going to be the indicator," Anton said. "The good news is the consumer traffic is back outside of the urban areas."
“You keep on pushing and you don’t stop until you get where you need to be,” Ruhland added.
The Senate decision is a blow for restaurants on the other side of the Columbia River as well. The head of a trade group for the hospitality industry in Oregon said local restaurants that didn’t receive the second round of federal aid are now left to compete against those that did, and called the process inequitable and unfair.
|
https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/vancouver/senate-rejects-aid-hospitality-businesses-debt/283-2f7e8aea-0893-49f7-b58c-afb291b0091c
| 2022-05-24T02:22:33
| 1
|
https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/vancouver/senate-rejects-aid-hospitality-businesses-debt/283-2f7e8aea-0893-49f7-b58c-afb291b0091c
|
CHILDERSBURG, Ala. (WIAT) – A Childersburg pastor was arrested after watering his neighbors flowers over the weekend and he believes it was a misunderstanding that should have been handled much differently.
Michael Jennings is the preacher at Vision of Abundant Life Ministries in Sylacauga and has been in ministry for more than 30 years.
He’s also a good neighbor in the town of Childersburg.
“My neighbor goes out of town a lot and they wanted me to watch their house and keep their flowers watered,” said Jennings.
Sunday after church services, Jennings went over to his neighbor’s house to water the roses. Another neighbor did not recognize who he was and called police to report a suspicious person on the property.
Officers responded and made contact with Jennings, who did not have his identification on his person. Jennings said he did tell the officers who he was and why he was there.
“He said, ‘Give me some ID’, I said ‘No, I don’t have to give no ID because there ain’t no crime been committed, I said but what I will do is I’ll tell you I am Pastor Jennings and I live right across the street right there and I said you can go ask my wife,” said Jennings.
Jennings said when he continued to water the plants, he was detained. A third officer, identified as a sergeant, arrived on scene, and that’s when the pastor said tensions escalated.
“He got out of the car. He’s already fired up. I’m telling them, ‘You’re making a mistake, this is wrong what y’all are doing,’” Jennings recalled. He said the sergeant yelled back “’Shut up and listen. You talk too much.’ I said ‘You don’t tell me to shut up boy. I’m a grown man,’ ‘You going to jail, that’s it. Lock him up.’”
According to the police incident report, officers claimed Jennings was belligerent and walking away from police and threatened a lawsuit for racial profiling. The longtime clergy leader admitted he was not happy, but said none of his actions warranted an arrest.
“I think it was profiling and because I did not talk to them the way they wanted me to talk to them, it made them angry and they decided we are going to arrest him,” said Jennings.
The original neighbor who called police told officers that she made a mistake and begged them not to arrest Jennings once she realized it was her friend and neighbor. The woman’s account is detailed in the incident report, but Jennings was still charged with obstructing governmental operations.
Incident report Incident report
He was booked into the Talladega County jail and later released.
“Last I checked, watering roses ain’t no crime,” said Jennings.
Childersburg Police Chief Rick McClelland declined an interview with CBS 42 because he said he was just getting caught up to speed on some of the details. He promised a full investigation and said he would take whatever action was necessary after looking into the matter.
When asked if there was any reason that Jennings would have been required to show identification, McClelland said it would have depended on the circumstances.
Jennings said he continues to pray for the officers involved and police who put their lives on the line. He believes the officers involved need more training, but hopes his name will be cleared in the long run.
“You see all the people, blacks being arrested for some of the most silly stuff, but being arrested for watering flowers? It was embarrassing. In the middle of the neighborhood with all the disrespect I got, being handcuffed and took off, neighbors down there was coming out they house,” said Jennings.
Chief McClelland said he would share updates on the probe when more information was available.
Stay with CBS 42 for updates.
|
https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/childersburg-pastor-arrested-after-watering-neighbors-plants/
| 2022-05-24T02:40:55
| 0
|
https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/childersburg-pastor-arrested-after-watering-neighbors-plants/
|
Heroes Honor Festival offers thanks to Vietnam vets with Toby Keith, Ann-Margret and more
DAYTONA BEACH — With a list of performers and guest speakers that range from Toby Keith and Ann-Margret to Lt. Col. Oliver North and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, organizer Ben Peterson’s idea for a long-overdue celebration of Vietnam veterans is about to be transformed from vision to reality.
The two-day Heroes Honor Festival is slated to unfold over Memorial Day weekend, May 27 and 28, at Daytona International Speedway.
Memorial Day 2021:Huge Memorial Day weekend crowds swamp Daytona, shut down bridges
Although the event isn’t expected to reach the 100,000-attendance figure that had been the initial goal, some 20,000 tickets already have been reserved, said Peterson, a U.S. Army veteran who served from 2004 until 2012, with a stint in Iraq in 2008 and 2009.
Peterson's nonprofit, Engage Your Destiny, is organizing what he has touted as the "largest celebration of Vietnam vets ever assembled." Since announcing the event in the fall, Peterson and a core group of volunteers have blanketed veterans’ organizations statewide to spread the word.
“One person at a time said, ‘Yes,’ so we’re incredibly grateful,” said Peterson, 35, from his home in Tennessee. “We’re at about 20,000 right now, so we think we’ll have a minimum of 30,000 and it could go anywhere up from there. We have a solid base, and we’ll build on that.”
Festival to include flyovers, words by authors, Vietnam vets
In addition to the aforementioned participants, the event will feature music by country stars Justin Moore and Craig Morgan, as well as messages from entertainer Chris Noel, known for her work on the Armed Forces Network; Vietnam veteran Medal of Honor winner Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady; U.S. Army Delta Force member Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin; and author and military consultant Mark "Oz" Geist (“13 Hours”).
The celebration also will include military flyovers, a patriot parachute team, veteran reunions, a veterans resource expo, lifetime legacy awards for veterans, a vigil for those killed in action and a Sunday Ride for Freedom.
In case you missed it:Daytona International Speedway to host 'biggest, baddest,' welcome home for Vietnam vets
All veterans, active military members and their spouses can register for free tickets at the event’s website, heroeshonorfestival.com. Children 12 and under are also free. For others, two-day general admission tickets are available for $79, with VIP packages available for $199.
In his travels to promote the event, Peterson has been overwhelmed by the positive reaction of veterans to the event.
“I was just speaking to a bunch of Vietnam veterans at an event in Melbourne,” he said. “They told me, ‘At first, we waited to see if it was actually too good to be true.’ Now, they are telling me, ‘Wow, this is the real deal.’
“They were stunned that something so outstanding was being done for them. When I was working the phones, I talked to a veteran in Indiana who told me, ‘I haven’t gone to anything veteran-related, much less Vietnam-related since I came back from the war and was spit on and called a baby killer.’ He told me that he looked at his wife and told her, ‘It’s time. we have to go.’ So he’s driving down from Indiana to be a part of this.”
A big part of building interest in the event was a series of visits to VFW halls and American Legion posts throughout Florida, Peterson said. That grassroots effort was spearheaded by a team of less than two dozen Engage Your Destiny volunteers, all military veterans.
“We just tried to connect with every person we could in the community and we built relationships,” Peterson said. “It took time because trust is earned not given. As we built the event, we built more and more trust. The folks who were with us a year and half ago became greater and greater champions as the vision came to life.”
Event founder inspired to military service by 9/11 attacks
For Peterson, the military devotion that became the seed for the event was planted when he witnessed the 9/11 terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, as a 13-year-old in Minnesota. He was immediately eager to join the fight.
9/11 memories:MaryAnne Pendola: 'I would never feel totally safe again'
By 17, he was set to join Special Forces, but he lost that opportunity due to colorblindness. He was steered, instead, into an Army job as a chaplain's assistant, serving as a bodyguard (chaplains don't carry weapons) and helping talk to troops struggling with marriages or grief or post-traumatic stress disorder.
“This is a need,” he said of appreciation gestures for veterans, especially of the Vietnam Era. “We’re all honored as younger veterans to put it on for the guys who have led the way.”
In Daytona Beach, that list includes Sam McCloud, a Marine who served in Vietnam in 1971 and 1972, who is now the commandant of the Marine Corps League Daytona. McCloud, 69, was among those who initially had doubts about whether the Heroes event at the Speedway would become a reality.
“I was probably the most skeptical one in the fall,” he said. “But I’m a believer now. They listened to the veterans and hopefully this will be the first of many events they do around the country. It really has caught on among the Vietnam veterans around the state and around the country. I’m looking forward to being a part of it. I’m looking forward to seeing Ollie North, to tell the truth.”
North is among a slate of performers and speakers that were handpicked because of their dedication to veterans’ issues, Peterson said.
'Humble, genuine':Colin Powell's Daytona visit: Locals remember late Secretary of State as 'humble, genuine'
“We wanted to pick folks have earned the right to be there,” Peterson said. “Toby Keith has gone to combat zones numerous times to play for troops, as has Justin Moore. Craig Morgan is a former combat veteran. Gov DeSantis was a lieutenant commander in the Navy.
“These folks have really given their time," Peterson said. "They have served, so this resonates with them. It means something to them, and I know it will mean a lot to the folks in attendance.”
Daytona Beach vet: Vietnam story 'needs to be told'
The appreciation event will be especially meaningful for Vietnam veteran Bob Adkins, president of the Vietnam Veterans of America Daytona Beach Chapter 1048. Members of the organization will present the colors at the opening ceremony on both days of the event.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Adkins enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a sergeant with the First Air Cavalry Division in South Vietnam, a tour of duty that included participation in the Tet offensive. When he returned from duty in December 1968, he was stunned by the reception.
“When I left, they basically asked me to wear civilian clothes because I would probably be hassled at the airport when I was trying to fly home from Fort Lewis, Washington,” he said.
“I felt that I had just served my country at war for a year. I was very proud of what I did and proud of myself. Not knowing what was going on in the country when I came home, I could not believe that this country would shun me. We had people spitting at us.”
Now, at age 73, Adkins joins other veterans to present programs on Vietnam history at area schools. He still copes with the psychological effects of his war experiences, he said.
“I am living history, which is something you can’t go to the library to get,” he said. “A Vietnam veteran’s story needs to be told and it needs to be told over and over. The memories should never ever be forgotten. That is so important.”
From 2017: 'I lived it:' Volusia vet tells his story in Ken Burns' Vietnam documentary
For Peterson, the goal of reaching as many veterans with a message of gratitude continues as the Heroes Honor Festival approaches.
“Our anthem is ‘How can we reach one more veteran?’” he said. “How can we honor one more? We’re not going to quit fighting for that until the event is over. That is our battle cry, so the word goes far and wide. We’re working really hard so we can reach one more.”
WHAT: Heroes Honor Festival, event to honor Vietnam veterans with appearances by Toby Keith, Ann-Margret, Lt. Col. Oliver North, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and others
WHEN: 6-9 p.m. May 27; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. May 28
WHERE: Daytona International Speedway, 1801 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach
COST: All veterans, active military members and spouses can register for free tickets; children 12 and under are also free; For others, two-day general admission tickets are available for $79, with VIP packages available for $199.
ONLINE: heroeshonorfestival.com
|
https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/2022/05/23/heroes-honor-festival-vietnam-toby-keith-ann-margret-oliver-north-memorial-day-daytona-beach-florida/9796290002/
| 2022-05-24T02:45:40
| 1
|
https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/2022/05/23/heroes-honor-festival-vietnam-toby-keith-ann-margret-oliver-north-memorial-day-daytona-beach-florida/9796290002/
|
After graduating from Coconino High School (CHS) this week, senior Hannah Cody will be heading to the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island, on her way to commissioning with the Marine Corps hopefully.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” she said about going to the program, which starts in July. “I’m a little bit nervous, but that’s expected. It will definitely be a different experience there.”
She added that she’s looking forward to being more independent.
Cody is not the only CHS senior headed to the Naval Academy this year. Jaime Shroufe has accepted an appointment to the Naval Academy in Maryland after receiving appointment offers from all three U.S. military academies.
Cody received a full scholarship to the 10-month prep school and, after graduating, will have the opportunity to attend the four-year Naval Academy in Maryland.
She said she was inspired by her father, Mel Cody, who served in the Marine Corps. She remembered being excited to watch the National Memorial Day Concert every year.
People are also reading…
“He was a paratrooper, so he jumped out of planes a lot, and I thought that was the coolest thing as a kid,” she said. “Just to be up in the air, going so fast and taking a leap of faith and jumping out.”
Cody’s hopes for her future also include planes.
While her main goal at the moment is to commission into the Marine Corps, she said she hopes to one day join the Navy Blue Angels Flight Team, which does flight demonstrations across the country.
Her father said they hadn’t encouraged Cody or her older sister to follow a specific career path, instead supporting them on the ones they’d chosen.
“Early on, she selected to go this route and never gave up on that dream,” he said. “Followed it and did everything she possibly could to not just have that dream and talk about it, but put yourself in the position to actually achieve it."
He added: "We just couldn’t be more proud as parents. …We know she’s going to succeed in all her endeavors because the way she approaches it and the way she handles those types of situations, positions herself to reach her goals.”
The application process took four to five months, including academic and physical requirements, and securing a nomination from Congressman Tom O’Halleran. For the class of 2025, the Naval Academy offered appointments to 1,374 applicants out of 16,265 nationwide.
In her class, Cody is one of fewer than 20 to be accepted across Arizona.
Her acceptance came a few days later than the date she’d expected a response, and she was sure she’d have to go with her backup plan -- studying engineering with an Arizona State University scholarship.
“I was checking my email every day, maybe 10, 20 times a day. I’d refresh it every 20 minutes while I’m in class,” she said. “…It was so much. My stress levels peaked and I was so sad when I didn’t get a notification by the 15th. The whole time, my mind was wandering, like, ‘I probably didn’t get in.'…Then Tuesday morning rolls around. Of course, the first thing I did, I checked my email and right at the top of the list it says Office of Admission and the first line I read was 'Congratulations.' I was in awe. I was starstruck. …I was just thinking I made it, I did it.”
Stress turned to joy.
“I was so happy. I couldn’t stop crying. I forgot about school for a second; I was so in the moment. That’s a great way to start off a Tuesday,” she said.
Cody has spent a lot of time in sports throughout school so far, starting volleyball in sixth grade and basketball in eighth. She is now on CHS’s varsity team for both sports and plays both indoor and sand volleyball.
“I fell in love with the team dynamic and being able to rely on other people that come from different, diverse backgrounds,” she said of her athletic involvement. “It showed me that people are different and you can really make friends with anybody.”
She participated in the Coconino Institute of Technology (CIT) for three years, taking science and engineering classes, and completing a capstone her junior year on livestock tanks and water waste.
She also attended a Native American science and engineering program at the University of Arizona, a yearlong remote enrichment program for high school upperclassmen. She said one takeaway from the program was being able to meet kids from different states.
“Just being able to gain knowledge that there’s different tribes out there and that they have their own traditions and cultures. It’s nice to actually learn about them,” she said.
Despite all her time in STEM, Cody said her favorite class in high school was probably English, as she enjoys writing essays and reading, with her favorite genre being mystery and crime novels.
She said the friendships she’s made have been the most valuable part of her high school experience.
“Be willing to open up and experience new things,” she gave as advice for younger students. “It definitely opens your eyes to different perspectives of the world and seeing different sides of people.”
Cody said she wanted to thank everyone who’d helped her through the process and showed support.
“I’m excited to go over and not only represent myself and my family, but the Navajo Nation,” she said.
|
https://azdailysun.com/news/local/education/high-school-graduate-spotlight-hannah-cody-ready-to-take-her-own-leap-of-faith/article_7cdefea0-dae6-11ec-8c0a-6b3f6d4f83dc.html
| 2022-05-24T03:06:04
| 1
|
https://azdailysun.com/news/local/education/high-school-graduate-spotlight-hannah-cody-ready-to-take-her-own-leap-of-faith/article_7cdefea0-dae6-11ec-8c0a-6b3f6d4f83dc.html
|
JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) — Washington County commissioners appointed Ben Carder to the open commission seat previously held by Mike Ford, who died of COVID-19 in December.
Carder won the Republican Primary for the District 15 seat by 40% back in May and will run in the county general election this August to keep the seat.
Commissioners also hoped to fill an open constable seat in District 1 but there were no nominees.
Tennessee county general elections will be held on August 4.
|
https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/ben-carder-appointed-to-washington-county-commission-seat/
| 2022-05-24T03:18:16
| 0
|
https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/ben-carder-appointed-to-washington-county-commission-seat/
|
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Business activity isn’t the only thing growing in downtown Johnson City — so are the cost of running the Johnson City Development Authority (JCDA) and the expenses associated with its biggest project ever, the John Sevier Center.
The JCDA will ask Johnson City commissioners to approve a budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 that includes 50% more for its operating budget (to half a million dollars) and $1 million for costs associated with its purchase and ownership of the John Sevier.
For JCDA Board of Commissioners Chairman Hank Carr both sides of that expense equation are part of investing for downtown and Johnson City’s future.
“There are some staff increases which have been long needed,” Carr told News Channel 11 of personnel expenses that rise from about $171,000 the current fiscal year (ending June 30) to $286,000 next year (if approved). “There’s the basic cost to run the organization as it’s changed. Both of those are justifiable and we certainly are prepared to make our case to the City Commission that none of it is frivolous.”
Carr and at least one city commissioner say they support budget recommendations made by new JCDA Executive Director Tish Oldham and her staff. Those include a proposed organizational budget hike of about $167,000 higher and the John Sevier Center (JSC) requests.
“It’s important to have people who have the experience and knowledge of a vast array of business acumen,” City Commissioner John Hunter said. “JCDA has developed into a very complex organization that’s dealing in everything from event planning to property management. That creates a level of sophistication…that’s needed in that organization.”
Carr said since Oldham took the reins in February, she has assessed needs and come up with a budget that meets those. Her written executive briefing from April 22 suggests she found much needed to be shored up and delivered a proposed organizational chart “based upon the current and expected tasks” along with anticipated goals and priorities.
“Having experienced the flow of the organization for the past two months, recommendations were based upon direct day-to-day activities and how often the organization was in a reactionary position,” Oldham wrote.
JCDA manages a complicated tax increment financing (TIF) program that has provided incentives to numerous large-scale downtown redevelopment projects dating back to around 2009. It’s also the lead organization in many of the large public events and small business development that take place in the downtown area.
“Their operations and mission has expanded and quite honestly, JCDA’s overall mission is much greater than just downtown,” Hunter said.
“To expect one or two people to be able to handle those things would be unrealistic, and so if we really want to see a successful Johnson City as a whole, JCDA being appropriately funded and staffed is a key piece to that.”
Carr said he’s confident Oldham can take a higher-funded JCDA and appropriately manage the current portfolio of tax increment financing projects while helping lead additional investment downtown. Beyond that, he said he’s excited about Oldham’s background in planning and community development.
“She has her eye on other areas in the marketplace, in the community, where the JCDA can begin to make a difference,” Carr said. “So could it grow in other areas? Absolutely. But right now we still have a very large project in front of us.”
What of the John Sevier?
That project, the John Sevier, is taking longer, bringing in less revenue and costing more than bargained for when the JCDA announced with much fanfare its purchase of the historic former hotel in September 2019. The long-term plan is to find new housing for the high-rise’s low-income residents and then sell the building to a commercial developer for what will likely be a multi-use project that could include retail, commercial, residential or even some hotel space.
Board members estimated 32 months ago it would take “at least two years to select the developer, transfer residents and begin construction at the John Sevier Center,” News Channel 11 reported at the time. Now that timeline appears to be about six years, with developer LHP Capital projecting a December 2025 completion date for new apartments off of South Roan Street.
JCDA leaders also hoped that when a developer for the new housing came on the scene, it would pay JCDA for the transfer of the so-called “HAP contract.” That contract permits the Sevier Center’s owner to receive federal income-based rental assistance payments for tenants, basically guaranteeing market-based income for each of the center’s 150 units that are occupied.
That expected windfall was built into the payment schedule for the John Sevier, with $700,000 due next March to HomeTrust Bank, the lender on the project. It eventually became clear no premium to the JCDA would be forthcoming when the deal went through.
“There isn’t going to be any revenue back to the JCDA in the short term related to the redevelopment of the John Sevier or the new housing for the residents of the John Sevier,” Carr said. “There was some anticipation that the JCDA could participate in that development process, but because of delays, because of rising costs, because of all the things that have made that project complicated, that opportunity was not realized.”
Carr said it’s possible the bank will push that due date back, but if not the JCDA will owe the money and won’t have it available without a subsidy from the city.
On top of the delays and how those are affecting the project’s financial numbers, the John Sevier was in very poor condition when the JCDA purchased it. Because the JCDA “has made a promise to put the residents’ needs first,” the organization has steadily drawn down on its reserves addressing structural and security problems.
As a result, the coming fiscal year request includes $300,000 for a camera system, roofing and elevator repairs.
“It isn’t going to end anytime soon,” Carr said. “We have four years before the new housing is done and we will have to carry that, which is part of the budget request to the city – a pretty substantial ask for some additional funds.”
Hunter said he supports the decision the JCDA made several years ago to purchase the John Sevier and doesn’t believe it was oversold.
“The opportunity to acquire it was made available and it’s a key piece of downtown’s success,” Hunter said. “The cost in my opinion is worth what needed to be done in order to ensure that that property can be maintained and put into a higher and better use while also making sure that the people that live there now can be provided with housing that’s really something that they’re worthy of having.”
In Hunter’s mind, the time is also right for increased investments in operations. He said the city’s tax revenues are strong and the budget allows for the recurring increase — and he believes it will benefit taxpayers.
“The things that JCDA is involved in have a return on the investment that’s provided them,” he said. “They are a conduit to create opportunities for residents and businesses alike to grow and to succeed in our town.”
|
https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/jcda-asking-city-to-more-than-double-budget-allocation-seeks-extra-1-million-for-john-sevier/
| 2022-05-24T03:18:22
| 1
|
https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/jcda-asking-city-to-more-than-double-budget-allocation-seeks-extra-1-million-for-john-sevier/
|
BOONES CREEK, Tenn. (WJHL) — Rain didn’t stop some Tri-Cities elementary school students from enjoying their new playground.
The ribbon was cut Monday on the new playground at Boones Creek Elementary School.
A new place for children to play has been in the works since moving into the new school building three years ago.
There are actually two new playgrounds: one for kindergartners and first-graders and another for second through fourth-graders.
The project was a joint effort, as the parent-teacher organization started the fundraising but then the school board pitched in.
“It’s been a source of excitement not only that we’re getting a playground, but you know the kids walk by and view the construction every day and it’s just been a big buzz around the school; teachers, parents, students a lot of excitement around the playground and it’s going to be a big blessing for our student body for sure,” Assistant Principal Aaron Christian said.
The playground will be open to the public after school hours, on weekends, and over the summer.
|
https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/ribbon-cut-on-new-boones-creek-elementary-playground/
| 2022-05-24T03:18:28
| 0
|
https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/ribbon-cut-on-new-boones-creek-elementary-playground/
|
BLOOMINGTON — The Bloomington City Council unanimously approved an agreement with the owner of Red Raccoon Games intended to bring added retail business to the downtown area.
“We're excited and I know that word gets used a lot, about bring you this project especially because it’s the second major downtown project that we’ve brought before you in the last several weeks that are going to completely redefine vacant spaces in our downtown,” said Deputy City Manager Billy Tyus.
The agreement will allow Red Raccoon Games owner Jamie Mathy to remodel and move into the Main Plaza building at 301 N. Main St., which is next to the store’s current location at 309 N. Main St. The project will allow the shop’s retail space to grow from about 2,000 square feet to 3,200 and the in-store game play area to go from 1,200 square feet to 3.500.
Two 2,500-square-foot retail spaces also will become available as part of the remodel.
Mathy previously told The Pantagraph the building has been empty for 13 years and it’s been even longer since it has been remodeled. The renovation also will update the sprinkler system and the elevator, making the 8,500-square-foot basement accessible for disabled people.
Mathy stepped down as Ward 1 alderman in March, the same day he was notified that the project could be a conflict of interest under Illinois law, according to a news release from the council.
Red Raccoon is expected to invest almost $1.6 million in the Main Plaza property, city documents said.
To make the project financially feasible, the incentive package will provide municipal sales and city property tax reimbursements and 12 parking passes at no cost for the Market Street parking garage.
Through the rebate, 50% of the municipal sales tax generated by Red Raccoon Games over six years will be reimbursed to Mathy’s LLCs, Forgetful Friends and Bowties and Fezzes, with the other 50% going to the city.
As for the two other retail spaces, 100% of the municipal sales tax generated by new businesses in those spaces would be reimbursed to Red Raccoon over six years, but that is “contingent on those two new businesses being new to the city,” according to council documents.
Economic & Community Development Director Melissa Hon said the tax incentive payments will be made until Mathy's business has received $196,900 or until the agreement ends on March 31, 2029.
All of the city's portion of the property tax for the Main Plaza property will be abated for six years.
The other two businesses also would be issued four of the parking spaces — two each — as part of the agreement.
Mathy also will be permitted to apply for up to $25,000 from the Harriett Fuller Rust façade grant program.
Ward 2 Alderwoman Donna Boelen voted for the agreement but said she was not comfortable with the 100% rebate incentive. Before the vote she asked if Mathy would be OK with a graduated tax rebate over the given period of time.
Hon said she could not speak for the developer but clarified that the incentive requires the developer to lease the two additional spaces and fulfill the requirements of the agreement to receive the money.
“It allows the developer the opportunity to bring in new retail and maybe earn that incentive faster,” Hon said. “Maybe it will occur in a three-year span or a five-year span or four-year span as opposed to a six-year span.”
“Or they may determine not to lease those spaces at all, but it allows the developer that opportunity to increase or shorten that term if they so choose,” she said.
Mathy previously said he is working with Catalyst Construction with the goal of moving into Main Plaza by late January or early February 2023.
Former Mennonite Hospital
In other business, the council unanimously approved a new marketing and redevelopment agreement between the city and Illinois Wesleyan University for 807 N. Main St., the vacant lot that once was the site of Mennonite Hospital and later the Electrolux offices.
The new agreement terminates a previous listing agreement with Coldwell Banker Commercial Devonshire Realty signed on July 9, 2018. Efforts to market and redevelop the site were hampered by “multiple macroeconomic factors” that impacted the commercial real estate market, both nationally and locally, according to council documents.
The city staff and representatives from IWU determined it would be prudent for both parties to terminate the Coldwell agreement and let the city handle marketing the site to private developers.
Details about the site and its marketing efforts are at bnbiz.org.
The site has sat vacant since the city purchased it in 2016 for $1.4 million.
A 4.8-acre tax increment financing district was created along on the north side of Chestnut Street at North Main Street to use property tax money generated by improvements on the site to foster economic development. It included three adjacent parcels owned by IWU and a former gas station.
Laborers Local 362
In another matter, the council also approved a new labor contract for four parking enforcement employees represented by Laborers Local 362. They will receive wage increases of 3% a year for three years, retroactive to May 1, 2022.
The increase will total about $3,500 in 2023.
The contract also reflects an adjustment for the parking crew leader to $20 an hour, which was agreed upon in 2021 by both the city and the union.
Other details include:
Updating the date for eligibility of longevity percentage versus a lump-sum payment.
Increasing the clothing allowance to $500 annually.
Clarifying language for overtime.
Allowing assignments to 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. shifts.
|
https://pantagraph.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/bloomington-oks-red-raccoon-games-expansion-incentives/article_30116f92-dada-11ec-bd05-2fc990b8324a.html
| 2022-05-24T03:18:58
| 0
|
https://pantagraph.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/bloomington-oks-red-raccoon-games-expansion-incentives/article_30116f92-dada-11ec-bd05-2fc990b8324a.html
|
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California could soon hold social media companies responsible for harming children who have become addicted to their products, permitting parents to sue platforms like Instagram and TikTok for up to $25,000 per violation under a bill that passed the state Assembly on Monday.
The bill defines “addiction” as kids under 18 who are both harmed — either physically, mentally, emotionally, developmentally or materially — and who want to stop or reduce how much time they spend on social media but they can't because they are preoccupied or obsessed with it.
Business groups have warned that if the bill passes, social media companies would most likely cease operations for children in California rather than face the legal risk.
The proposal would only apply to social media companies that had at least $100 million in gross revenue in the past year, appearing to take aim at social media giants like Facebook and others that dominate the marketplace.
It would not apply to streaming services like Netflix and Hulu or to companies that only offer email and text messaging services.
“The era of unfettered social experimentation on children is over and we will protect kids,” said Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham, a Republican from San Luis Obispo County and author of the bill.
Monday's vote is a key — but not final — step for the legislation. The bill now heads to the state Senate, where it will undergo weeks of hearings and negotiations among lawmakers and advocates. But Monday's vote keeps the bill alive this year.
The bill gives social media companies two paths to escape liability in the courts. If the bill becomes law, it would take effect on Jan. 1. Companies that remove features deemed addictive to children by April 1 would not be responsible for damages.
Also, companies that conduct regular audits of their practices to identify and remove features that could be addictive to children would be immune from lawsuits.
Despite those provisions, business groups have opposed the bill. TechNet, a bipartisan network of technology CEOs and senior executives, wrote in a letter to lawmakers that if the bill becomes law “social media companies and online web services would have no choice but to cease operations for kids under 18 and would implement stringent age-verification in order to ensure that adolescents did not use their sites."
“There is no social media company let alone any business that could tolerate that legal risk,” the group wrote.
Lawmakers appeared willing to change the part of the bill that allows parents to sue social media companies, but none offered a detailed alternative. Instead, supporters urged their colleagues to pass the bill on Monday to continue the conversation about the issue in the state Capitol.
Assemblymember Ken Cooley, a Democrat from Rancho Cordova, said as a lawyer he normally opposes bills that create more opportunities for lawsuits. But he said lawmakers must “change the dynamics of what is surrounding us, surrounding our kids.”
“We have to do something,” he said. “If it doesn't turn out right we can modify as we go along.”
|
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/california-parents-could-soon-sue-social-media-platforms/103-25d77678-8166-464e-9e10-d88e0a6b41b9
| 2022-05-24T03:33:02
| 1
|
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/california-parents-could-soon-sue-social-media-platforms/103-25d77678-8166-464e-9e10-d88e0a6b41b9
|
STOCKTON, Calif. — Gospel Center Rescue Mission in Stockton recently hired a new CEO, David Midura, after the nonprofit ministry focused on services to homeless residents ran under the leadership of Wayne Richardson for six years.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Midura is currently president and CEO of the Stockton real estate and property management company NCS Development.
He graduated from the private Christian liberal arts college Point Loma Nazarene University in 1991 with a degree in religious studies and worked in property management throughout California.
Mission leaders say Midura will be leading the ministry at a time when development and building projects are ready to continue fundraising efforts and construction plans.
“I am excited to continue the successful work that was put in place by Wayne Richardson. There has been so much growth and accomplishment over the past six years under his watch, and I am honored to keep the plans moving forward,” Midura said.
Involved in the Gospel Center Rescue Mission for more than twenty years, he first served as a volunteer and eventually as a member of the Board of Directors.
Midura will begin this new position as CEO on May 31.
|
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/stockton/stocktons-gospel-center-rescue-mission-new-ceo/103-3bfec637-eb5d-4c63-9c37-4a0db6d0af4b
| 2022-05-24T03:33:05
| 0
|
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/stockton/stocktons-gospel-center-rescue-mission-new-ceo/103-3bfec637-eb5d-4c63-9c37-4a0db6d0af4b
|
EVERETT, Wash. — It can happen quickly and quietly: A curious toddler climbs up on some furniture and falls out a window.
Everett Firefighter Rachael Doniger has heard of it happening far too often.
"I know one story where the family was cooking dinner and the food had burned so they opened the window just for a second to let the smoke out of the house and the child fell out of the window that quickly," she said.
A record 22 falls occurred in Snohomish County alone last year. Officials believe that number is probably higher because less serious falls are often not reported.
Nationwide, about 5,000 children fall out of windows every year. About a dozen die.
To keep your kids safe firefighters say don't rely on screens. They're actually designed to come out easily in case of a fire. Move furniture, including beds, away from windows.
Don't open your windows more than 4 inches and install window locks. The locks are simple to install, cost as little as $5 and are available at most hardware stores. Right now, the Everett Fire Department is giving them away for free at their headquarters at 2801 Oakes Avenue.
Firefighters say the four falls so far this year have them especially worried.
"Concern goes through our minds that four have already happened this year and we haven't had warm weather," said Doniger. "With the warm weather we expect that number to climb and we would like to prevent children from falling out of windows."
With that warmer weather fast approaching firefighters are urging parents not to wait to get window locks. They say a simple lock will provide protection and peace of mind.
"We want to educate parents, caregivers, and grandparents of young children that there's a tool out there they can use to prevent children from falling out of windows," said Doniger. "It's just so simple."
|
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/everett/snohomish-county-children-window-incidents/281-9fd1d7ca-77a1-4c06-b681-5b06bec2699a
| 2022-05-24T03:39:13
| 0
|
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/everett/snohomish-county-children-window-incidents/281-9fd1d7ca-77a1-4c06-b681-5b06bec2699a
|
TACOMA, Wash. — A temporary anti-harassment protection order has been filed against Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer by the attorney representing a Black newspaper carrier suing the county and the sheriff.
The order, filed by attorney Vonda Sargent, went into effect Monday. Sargent alleges that Troyer followed Sedrick Altheimer on several occasions while he was driving his paper route, flashing his lights at him.
The order requests that Troyer is restrained from contacting Altheimer, following him, or being within 500 feet of his home or workplace, which includes his vehicle.
Troyer’s attorney, John Sheeran, provided KING 5 with a statement after the anti-harassment order was issued which read, in part:
"Sheriff Troyer has not done anything to warrant the court entering an anti-harassment order."
Altheimer filed a legal claim last year seeking at least $5 million in damages following an incident on Jan. 27, 2021. On that day, Troyer called a department line used by law enforcement to gather routine information and requests and said that he “caught” Sedrick Altheimer in his driveway and “he just threatened to kill me,” according to probable cause documents.
Troyer faces one charge of false reporting and one charge of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant. Troyer pleaded not guilty to the charges in October 2021. He was formally charged by the Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson's office following a months-long investigation. Troyer’s trial begins July 11.
A separate hearing is scheduled for June 6 in Pierce County when a judge will determine if the anti-harassment order should be extended for a year or more or be tossed out.
|
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/anti-harassment-order-sheriff-ed-troyer/281-c33f95fa-8f76-46ed-ac1e-38b92f130209
| 2022-05-24T03:39:19
| 1
|
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/tacoma/anti-harassment-order-sheriff-ed-troyer/281-c33f95fa-8f76-46ed-ac1e-38b92f130209
|
Arizona lottery numbers, May 23
Associated Press
These Arizona lotteries were drawn Monday:
Pick 3
5-3-6
Fantasy 5
08-09-10-11-14
The Pick
01-13-22-25-38-44
Triple Twist
02-18-26-34-36-40
Estimated jackpot: $290,000
Mega Millions
Estimated jackpot: 143,000,000
Powerball
Estimated jackpot: 125,000,000
|
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/05/23/arizona-lottery-numbers-may-23/9903419002/
| 2022-05-24T03:42:55
| 0
|
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/05/23/arizona-lottery-numbers-may-23/9903419002/
|
14-year-old boy dead after 'accidental' shooting involving 15-year-old boy
Haleigh Kochanski
Arizona Republic
Phoenix Police Department says a 14-year-old boy is dead after an "accidental" shooting on May 17.
Officers were called to a hospital in the area of 11th Street and McDowell Road where they learned that Emir Rivas, 14, was riding in a car when he was shot by a 15-year-old boy who was playing with a firearm.
According to Phoenix Police, evidence at the scene suggests the shooting was accidental and the 15-year-old boy has been booked into jail.
An investigation is ongoing.
Reach breaking news reporter Haleigh Kochanski at hkochanski@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @HaleighKochans.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
|
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-breaking/2022/05/23/14-year-old-dead-after-accidental-shooting-involving-15-year-old/9901026002/
| 2022-05-24T03:43:01
| 0
|
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-breaking/2022/05/23/14-year-old-dead-after-accidental-shooting-involving-15-year-old/9901026002/
|
Full-priced lunches dished up in Lincoln Public Schools cafeterias next year would cost a nickel more under proposed changes to the district's meal prices.
The district's Nutrition Services Department is recommending raising the prices of lunches by 5 cents to compensate for higher food costs and inflation.
Under the proposal, full-priced lunches would cost $2.45 at the elementary school level, $2.70 for middle school students and $2.80 in high school.
The cost of a reduced-price lunch — set by the federal government under the National School Lunch Program — will stay at 40 cents for students who qualify. Breakfast prices will not change.
For the past two years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which operates the National School Lunch Program, granted waivers to make meals free indefinitely for all students, but those are set to expire this summer.
Before the pandemic, the federal government reimbursed districts based on the three-tiered federal free- and reduced-lunch program in which families pay full price, a reduced cost or nothing at all for school meals.
Not accounting for the temporary waivers, the current reimbursement rate to LPS for fully paid meals is 35 cents, $3.26 for reduced-price meals and $3.66 for free meals.
School districts must annually review their paid lunch revenue to determine prices. When the average price of a fully paid lunch — weighted by the amount sold at each grade level — is less than the difference between the reimbursement for free and paid meals, districts must either increase their prices or tap into other nonfederal revenue streams.
Districts use a federal formula to determine how much to increase their prices, which is how LPS decided on the 5-cent hike.
It's been a while since LPS has increased prices, said Andrew Ashelford, director of nutrition services, but current economic conditions forced his department's hand.
"We kind of needed to get caught back up, especially with the rising cost of food," Ashelford said.
The food service department is planning for a 10%-15% increase in food costs, Ashelford said in April.
With the free-meal waivers set to expire, Ashelford said there is a lot of uncertainty heading into next school year. Many students who ate at school during the pandemic may revert to bringing their meals from home, Ashelford said, while others may have found that they liked the convenience.
Congress could still step in before the free-meal program expires June 30, but an extension is looking increasingly less likely as the deadline approaches.
"It would be a blessing if they do, but we have to plan that (the waivers) won't be around," Ashelford said.
The proposal is set to go before the Lincoln Board of Education for first reading Tuesday.
Zach Hammack, a 2018 UNL graduate, has always called Lincoln home. He previously worked as a copy editor at the Journal Star and was a reporting intern in 2017. Now, he covers students, teachers and schools as the newspaper’s K-12 reporter.
In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court on Monday, Thomas claimed a no-trespass order handed down to him from the district in September prevented him from experiencing his first grader's school year.
The mission to show Tom Cruise a good time as he prepared to film "Top Gun" in 1985 fell to Lt. Walter E. Carter, Jr., known to his fellow naval aviators as Slapshot, and to the Cornhusker state as University of Nebraska President Ted Carter.
The Nebraska native has spent her whole life working hard, and it's all about to pay off in June when she receives her degree from Stanford University.
“Everything I’m doing right now, I’m treating it (like) it's the last time I’m doing it,” LPS Superintendent Steve Joel said. “I try to get there a little bit early, try to stay a little bit late, try to talk to as many people as I can talk to.”
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has identified welding as one of the fastest growing job areas in America, with Southeast Nebraska being deemed a "hot spot" in local demand for skilled welders.
Out of the more than 750 providers surveyed by the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, two-thirds said they are experiencing staff turnover, with 69% reporting staff leaving the early childhood field entirely.
|
https://journalstar.com/news/local/education/lps-proposes-raising-lunch-prices-by-a-nickel-as-food-costs-soar/article_b4a7db2e-c795-52eb-a3ee-40d2caacb029.html
| 2022-05-24T03:43:54
| 0
|
https://journalstar.com/news/local/education/lps-proposes-raising-lunch-prices-by-a-nickel-as-food-costs-soar/article_b4a7db2e-c795-52eb-a3ee-40d2caacb029.html
|
FLOYD COUNTY, KY (WOWK) — Floyd County Certified and Classified Kentucky Education Association groups joined forces to rally for a raise before the school board.
The school board was set to vote on raises. However, no vote was cast tonight, instead the board tabled it and plans to vote in July.
Union leaders say they’re pushing for a vote that gives raises to every school employee.
The district received more than $17 million from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund last year and has more than $12 million in cash on hand.
School employees believe some of that should be reflected in their pay.
|
https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/floyd-county-teachers-rallying-for-raise/
| 2022-05-24T04:00:18
| 0
|
https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/floyd-county-teachers-rallying-for-raise/
|
HUNTINGTON, WV (WOWK) — Huntington residents say they’re excited to have their recycling picked up outside their homes.
During the City Council meeting Monday night, the Council voted to approve a curbside pickup program through the city and Rumpke Waste Management Services.
In the past, anyone who wanted to recycle products had to find the nearest location to drop them off.
Now, people can request a 95-gallon container to be picked up.
910 customers have to be signed up before the program can be launched.
The containers will also be “single-stream recycling”, meaning any product that can be recycled can be placed inside.
The program is expected to be launched in October.
|
https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/huntington-residents-could-soon-have-recycling-picked-up-at-home/
| 2022-05-24T04:00:24
| 1
|
https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/huntington-residents-could-soon-have-recycling-picked-up-at-home/
|
CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — One person was taken to the hospital after being struck by a vehicle in Charleston, according to Metro 911 officials.
They say this happened around 9:30 p.m. in the 800 block of Central Avenue.
There is no word on the extent of the injuries.
The Charleston Police Department, the Charleston Fire Department, and medics were on the scene.
|
https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/one-taken-to-hospital-after-being-hit-by-vehicle-in-charleston/
| 2022-05-24T04:00:30
| 0
|
https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/one-taken-to-hospital-after-being-hit-by-vehicle-in-charleston/
|
CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — Details for the 2022 Juneteenth Festival in Charleston have been announced.
According to Charleston’s Parks and Recreation, the festival will happen on Saturday, June 18 from noon to 5 p.m. at the North Charleston Community Center.
They say there will be inflatables, a gaming truck, “fun fitness”, vendors, art, services, and crafts.
Special guest speakers include Pastor William Lipscomb, Pastor Damon Hamby, and Pastor Shannon Robinson.
They say there will be performances by the RedLine Band, Xinos, W3 Precise Steppers, Kingston Price, SWANK, NeNe Incognita and Linked Up.
If you want to be a vendor or participate, they say to call 304-348-6884 or email Corey.Lowery@cityofcharleston.org.
|
https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/performances-and-guest-speakers-at-the-2022-juneteenth-festival-in-charleston/
| 2022-05-24T04:00:36
| 0
|
https://www.wowktv.com/news/local/performances-and-guest-speakers-at-the-2022-juneteenth-festival-in-charleston/
|
Skip to content
Main Navigation
Search
Search for:
Weather
Local
Sports
Entertainment
Investigators
Videos
Newsletters
Live TV
Share
Close
Trending
Decision 2022 Primary Coverage
Mail-in Ballots
Primary Candidates
How to Help Ukraine
Expand
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
|
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/gunman-shoots-3-students-near-philly-high-school/3248889/
| 2022-05-24T04:10:31
| 0
|
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/gunman-shoots-3-students-near-philly-high-school/3248889/
|
Skip to content
Main Navigation
Search
Search for:
Weather
Local
Sports
Entertainment
Investigators
Videos
Newsletters
Live TV
Share
Close
Trending
Decision 2022 Primary Coverage
Mail-in Ballots
Primary Candidates
How to Help Ukraine
Expand
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
|
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/radnor-twp-commissioners-approve-ordinance-preventing-police-from-stopping-abortions/3248893/
| 2022-05-24T04:10:38
| 1
|
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/radnor-twp-commissioners-approve-ordinance-preventing-police-from-stopping-abortions/3248893/
|
Alluvion Health to break ground on Rocky Mountain Building restoration, federal investigation ongoing
David Smith of Sletten Construction led a group including local officials, staff from local nonprofit Alluvion Health and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester through a chain fence and inside the Rocky Mountain Building in downtown Great Falls on Monday.
Alluvion Health is officially starting to break ground on the project starting Tuesday, planning to revamp the building into a treatment hub, with Alluvion CEO Trista Besich saying they will offer services from mental health to dental care.
“This is a part of that mission statement in terms of getting the revitalization of downtown Great Falls,” Smith said. “I think this is going to be just one piece of the puzzle to start the movement in the right direction.”
However, Alluvion is still not out of the woods in terms of the federal investigation into their handling of billing services up at the Detention Center first reported by the Tribune last fall.
Besich said Tuesday that the last they heard the feds received all of the information that they were waiting for.
“They didn't anticipate it would take very long and we'd have our final letter from them, so we're hoping to have that back soon,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday that they “neither confirm, deny, nor discuss ongoing investigations.”
In April, Alluvion exited their contract to provide medical services at the Detention Center, as first reported by the Electric.
Besich cited the termination clause in the contract with the county which allowed 120 days notice for withdrawal, which she said they provided. She said Alluvion still provides care at the facility, submissions for proposals for potential new contractors are due June 24.
“I thoroughly believe in a continuum of care and I recognize the demand on the need for services at the jail. We were covering that contract up there by pulling out of our main clinic, which was just really significantly impacting access to care at the main clinic,” Besich said. “My main focus and objective is to ensure access for our overall community.”
Besich said that 38% of healthcare workers have exited the field nationally, a strain felt in Great Falls as well.
“When you lose 40% of your workforce, it is very challenging to meet need. And as those demands have increased, it's just really important for me to ensure that our community continues to have access,” Besich said. “So as much as I value my relationship with the county and recognize the need for those services, my first commitment is to the community.”
Besich chose not to comment when asked about complaints surrounding the work culture at Alluvion. One resignation letter obtained by the Tribune last fall cited an “abhorrent culture” at Alluvion as a reason why they chose to leave.
Besich said she hopes the county finds an agency with larger capacity to be able to support the medical contract at the facility.
Chief Strategic Officer for Alluvion and former Minority Leader for the Montana House of Representatives Casey Schreiner spoke at the event Monday, touting the jobs this project will bring to this part of town and the potential money they will spend on local business.
“We're looking at 50 to 100 high wage jobs, everybody from a clinical lab scientist to a front desk attendant to potentially occupational speech therapy and physical therapy, not to mention the doctors that will work here helping the folks in downtown Great Falls,” he said.
Schreiner is running for state senate as a Democrat and is uncontested in the June 7 primary. When asked if he believed the federal investigation into Alluvion would impact his campaign, Shreiner said no.
Tester was at the event to promote $2.8 million in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownsfields grant funding to the Great Falls Development Authority. This is part of $15 million in Brownsfields grants being distributed to projects across the state intended to clean up pollution and spur economic development.
The funding for these grants comes as part of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with Tester being the sole member of the Montana congressional delegation to vote in favor.
Read more:Nearly $10M in EPA funding to go to environmentally contaminated sites in Montana
Alluvion received $100,000 in Brownsfields funds for the cleanup of the Rocky Mountain Building downtown last fall. Tester said the funding for the GFDA is intended to replenish their Brownsfield fund for future projects.
“They've got a great track record of getting things done and spending the money wisely,” Tester said of GFDA Monday.
“We're excited with these new resources that we have to do many more projects,” GFDA President and CEO Brett Doney said Monday. “We can put these funds to work to help clients like AIluvion to make things happen.”
When asked about any reservations Tester may have about Alluvion considering the federal investigation, he said he was unaware of the investigation but said it would likely be sorted before the project in the building is completed.
Besich said the timeline for the building’s renovation is 18 months, with the abatement for the project completed. An Alluvion press release last week said this will be a $29 million capital infusion project.
The ground breaking ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday morning.
|
https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2022/05/23/alluvion-health-to-break-ground-on-rocky-mountain-building-restoration/65357254007/
| 2022-05-24T04:13:30
| 0
|
https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2022/05/23/alluvion-health-to-break-ground-on-rocky-mountain-building-restoration/65357254007/
|
Tribune among Cascade County historical preservation awardees to be honored at reception
The Great Falls-Cascade County Historic Preservation Advisory Commission (HPAC) will be honoring four projects at a Preservation Awards Reception.
The event will be held Thursday, May 26, from 5:30-7:30 PM in the Missouri Room of the Civic Center. The Great Falls Civic Center is located at 2 Park Dr. South in downtown Great Falls.
The reception is an annual event to acknowledge the people and organizations who over the last year have contributed most to preserving the historic record of life in Cascade County. Thursday’s HPAC reception will acknowledge the contributions of Warren Kukay, Nancy and Ian Davidson, the Great Falls Tribune, Owen Robinson and Joe Aline.
The following is a description of each of the honorees’ contributions:
- For the last 20 years, Warren Kukay has been a driving force in the effort to preserve the Vinegar Jones Cabin, which stands today in Gibson Park. The cabin was the first documented residence in Great Falls and belonged to Kukay’s great-grandfather, W. G. Jones. From helping with the original move, to maintaining the old logs, to storytelling on summer evenings, Kukay has contributed countless hours toward this priceless slice of Great Falls history.
- The restoration of the Great Falls High School Auditorium was made possible by a donation from Nancy and Ian Davidson and brought to life by 45 Architecture and Sletten Construction Company. The rehabilitation included audio, staging, lighting and seating improvements while preserving the architectural integrity of the beautiful historic auditorium.
- When the Great Falls Tribune building was sold, there was not a plan for the future of the paper’s historical research files and original photos. Owen Robinson understood the importance of these resources and recruited the help of Grady Higgins and several other former Tribune reporters to gather the materials and donate them to the History Museum, which in turn jumped into action to sort out the logistics of accepting the large collection. The records will be incorporated into the archives and, after extensive processing, made available to the public.
- The Montana Historical Society has received about 500 volumes of records from the former Rainbow Powerhouse building, including detailed work/task and environmental data from daily operations, thanks to contractor Joe Aline, who discovered the papers at the Great Falls Landfill. Thankfully, Aline recognized their historic importance and took the initiative to rescue these valuable files.
The Preservation Awards Reception is held annually as part of National Historic Preservation Month. The national theme for 2022 is “People Saving Places.” This reception will recognize the people who have put in the work of saving our special places in Cascade County. The event is free, includes a soup and dessert bar, and the public is welcome.
For more information about the reception and the award recipients, contact Samantha Long, Historic Preservation Officer at 455-8550.
|
https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2022/05/23/history-preservation-of-cascade-county-to-be-honored-at-reception-civic-center/65357210007/
| 2022-05-24T04:13:36
| 1
|
https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2022/05/23/history-preservation-of-cascade-county-to-be-honored-at-reception-civic-center/65357210007/
|
Nearly $10M in EPA funding to go to environmentally contaminated sites in Montana
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced that five central Montana community development organizations will receive a combined total of $9.7 million in federal funding to redevelop environmentally contaminated sites across 20 northcentral Montana counties.
The windfall comes as $21 billion in funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act begin to become available. The money is earmarked to address legacy pollution in the United States, allocated to clean up Superfund and Brownfield sites, reclaim abandoned mine land and cap orphaned oil and gas wells.
During a time of political division, the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is one of only a handful of Congressional initiatives to pass with bipartisan support. The bill's successful passage was due in large part to the work of the ‘G10’, an even split of Republican and Democratic senators that backed the bill, including Montana Senator Jon Tester, D-Montana.
“When industries change and communities develop, Montana’s towns and cities are often left to foot the bill on cleanup efforts,” Tester said in a recent news release. “By working across the aisle with five Republicans and four other Democrats, we were able to secure critical funding to repurpose old or abandoned properties in the Treasure State and create good paying Montana jobs in the process.”
Near the top of the list of revitalization packages are plans to clean up the Crowley Block, a century-old storefront property on Main Street in Lewistown.
“It was a former J.C. Penney kind of variety store,” explained Snowy Mountain Development Corporation Director Cathy Barta. “As part of the construction materials there’s layers upon layers of asbestos flooring, the roof had asbestos in it. A lot of the joint compounds in the wall contained asbestos. There’s lead-based paint throughout on the tin ceilings.”
'Polluted' babies, millions dead:Scientists sound alarm on global pollution
With assistance from the Snowy Mountain Development Corporation (SMDC), the buyers of the once vacant Crowley Block were able to leverage revolving loan funds to clean up the toxins with $4.5 million in state, local and federal resources. The Crowley Block will soon be home to a new downtown community health center and 16 newly renovated upper story apartments.
Key to completion of the Crowley Block project is funding from the EPA’s Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund program. The program provides grants and low-interest loans to local governments, redevelopment agencies and tribes to help carry out cleanup projects at contaminated sites. When loans are repaid, the loan amount is returned into the fund and re-lent to other borrowers, providing an ongoing source of capital within a community.
“One of the benefits of this Brownfields program is … as part of the clean-up, half of the cost will be sub-granted to them, meaning they don’t have to pay that back,” Barta explained. “The other half will be loaned to them which they will pay back at a 0% interest rate, so it’s a pretty ideal situation for an organization to utilize these funds to help with their renovation plans.”
Other projects benefiting from the Brownsfields revolving loan fund program will help to clean up legacy contamination, provide affordable housing and eldercare and stimulate economic development in the towns of Hilger, Winnett, Roundup, Fergus and Lewistown.
“The six-county area of Central Montana that SMDC serves is rich with the evidence of our past industrial revolution within the state,” Barta noted. “Vacant and abandoned railyards, gas stations, and former commercial properties add a blighted look to our otherwise beautiful historic downtowns and communities.”
“We are extremely grateful and appreciative of the EPA funds we have received over the last 10 years that have helped our communities begin to address these challenges,” she added.
In Cascade County, the Great Falls Development Authority (GFDA) plans to use supplemental funding under the Brownfields program to provide cleanup loans and grants at multiple properties.
A priority site for the funding is the Baatz Building, a historic vacant downtown building planned for a multiuse development with permanent, affordable housing.
Alluvion Health will clean up and begin a complete restoration and remodel of the Rocky Mountain building. Built in 1914, the Rocky Mountain Building was previously the home of Rocky Mountain Fire Insurance Company, the Pantages Theater, and Public Drug. In 2009, a fire swept through several floors of the building compromising their structural integrity. The Rocky Mountain building has remained vacant ever since.
Alluvion Health has already begun remodeling the building, with plans to convert it into a four-story healthcare facility with medical, dental, behavioral health services, administration offices, conference areas, and retail space for lease. Assisted by an additional $424,000 subgrant from the Brownsfields program, the project is set for completion sometime in 2024.
“These funds will enable us to continue to help make important redevelopment projects happen that otherwise would not, especially in our target downtown, riverfront and rural target areas,” said Brett Doney, CEO and president of GFDA. “Our EPA Brownfields partnership has proven to be a very effective way to spur investment in long-vacant and underutilized properties. We will put these funds to work to help create much needed housing, essential community services, and entrepreneurial businesses to speed our pandemic economic recovery.”
On Montana’s Hi-line the Bear Paw Development Corporation plans to use supplemental funding under the Brownfields RLF program to continue to provide cleanup loans and grants throughout the five counties in their Economic Development District.
Upcoming projects include the Bullhook Community Health Center in Havre, where Brownfields RLF funds will assist in cleaning up several properties so that the facility can expand healthcare services, especially to low- and moderate-income families and vulnerable communities.
Bear Paw Development’s Brownfields RLF program also plans on assisting a former car dealership and fueling station in Chester to clean up petroleum contamination so that the site can be utilized by a local agricultural grain merchandiser and contribute to the commercial landscape in the rural community.
“Kate’s Department Store in Big Sandy is a prime example of how underused and abandoned sites can be safely cleaned up in order to be repurposed and contribute to the community,” said Sara Strissel, Director of Community Planning for Bear Paw Development Corporation. “The cleanup of this abandoned site led to the construction of a new library facility for the small community of Big Sandy. Without the assistance of the loan and subgrant opportunities through the Brownfields RLF grant, these small rural communities would not have the resources to undertake such arduous and financially burdensome cleanup projects.”
“We are elated that the EPA is again investing in Bear Paw Development’s Brownfields program. These funds will be used throughout our five-county Economic Development District to clean up contaminated properties and put them back into productive use,” said Bear Paw Development Corporation Executive Director Paul Tuss.
“This investment will revitalize neighborhoods and communities that otherwise would continue to be impacted by the negative effects of environmental contamination.”
|
https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2022/05/23/nearly-10m-in-epa-funding-to-go-to-environmentally-contaminated-sites-in-north-central-montana/65356401007/
| 2022-05-24T04:13:42
| 1
|
https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2022/05/23/nearly-10m-in-epa-funding-to-go-to-environmentally-contaminated-sites-in-north-central-montana/65356401007/
|
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
Midland Christian Superintendent Jared Lee has resigned his position at the school.
The announcement from the school went to family members on Monday and effectively ends 40 years of leadership by either Jared or his father Eddie Lee.
“Jared has been a part of Midland Christian School for as long as we can remember,” according to the statement from Jason Stockstill, president of the school’s board of trustees. “He started as a student here and came back to serve as a teacher, academic dean and finally as superintendent. Together with his father, the Lees have been at the helm of MCS for almost 40 years, guiding the school through many ups and downs, and making us better at each step along the way.”
Lee was one of five school officials that Midland police arrested in February for failure to report with intent to conceal neglect or abuse. Last week, a grand jury in Midland decided not to indict the five. After the decision, Midland Christian School leaders stated the five would “remain on paid administrative leave through the end of the 2021-2022 school year.”
The last day of school at Midland Christian was Thursday. Graduation ceremonies took place Friday.
“This latest storm has tested the entire Midland Christian family, and we are not surprised Jared has chosen a path he believes to be best for MCS and for his family moving forward,” the statement said. “Despite all that has transpired, he leaves us with record enrollment, solid financial footing, and a track record of success in academics, fine arts, and athletics. We continue to stand behind Jared, acknowledging that his leadership will be welcomed in a new environment and hope that he will be given every chance from others to utilize the talents God has blessed him with. He will be missed, and our prayers are with Jared and his family as they begin a new chapter in their lives.”
Lee is the second of the five to resign a position, joining Greg McClendon, the former head football coach and athletic director.
In its statement, Midland Christian announced it would appoint a search committee to begin the process of finding and hiring a new superintendent. In the letter, trustees stated “change is hard, but change also brings new opportunities – for growth, for even greater achievement, and for faithfulness to the mission of Midland Christian School.”
“Please join me in praying for the Lees as they begin this new chapter, and for every member of the MCS family as together we work to lead, build, and equip young men and women for Christian service in this community and beyond,” Stockstill wrote.
--
The following was sent out Monday from the Midland Christian board of trustees about the resignation of its superintendent Jared Lee.
With genuine sadness, the Board of Trustees at Midland Christian School has received and accepted Jared Lee’s letter of resignation as Superintendent of Midland Christian, effective immediately. You can read his letter to the MCS family below and/or attached to this message.
Jared has been a part of Midland Christian School for as long as we can remember. He started as a student here and came back to serve as a teacher, academic dean, and finally as superintendent. Together with his father, the Lees have been at the helm of MCS for almost 40 years, guiding the school through many ups and downs, and making us better at each step along the way.
This latest storm has tested the entire Midland Christian family, and we are not surprised Jared has chosen a path he believes to be best for MCS and for his family moving forward. Despite all that has transpired, he leaves us with record enrollment, solid financial footing, and a track record of success in academics, fine arts, and athletics. We continue to stand behind Jared, acknowledging that his leadership will be welcomed in a new environment and hope that he will be given every chance from others to utilize the talents God has blessed him with. He will be missed and our prayers are with Jared and his family as they begin a new chapter in their lives.
The Board will appoint a search committee this week to begin the process of finding and hiring a new superintendent. I know that change is hard, but change also brings new opportunities – for growth, for even greater achievement, and for faithfulness to the mission of Midland Christian School. Please join me in praying for the Lees as they begin this new chapter, and for every member of the MCS family as together we work to lead, build, and equip young men and women for Christian service in this community and beyond.
On Behalf of the Board of Trustees,
Jason Stockstill, Board President
|
https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/MCS-Superintendent-Jared-Lee-resigns-17193762.php
| 2022-05-24T04:23:21
| 0
|
https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/MCS-Superintendent-Jared-Lee-resigns-17193762.php
|
CONCEPCION, Texas — The power of miracles makes Americans believe.
A survey from the Pew Forum showed 80% believe in divine intervention, and that has people traveling from across the country to pray at a tree in South Texas, near Concepcion, that they believe has the power to heal.
Hope grows near a remote intersection in South Texas, behind a fence, draped in rosaries and crosses that sway in the breeze.
Hundreds of people come here to pray and touch this tree for God's healing power.
"My knees were bad, my back was bad and I came here and I got healed," says Jose Zamora.
As word spread, this became known as the Miracle Tree.
Estela Garcia Cantu's mother planted the tree with a single purpose, telling her daughter:
"I asked the Lord for a tree that would heal people, especially people with difficult illnesses," Cantu said.
A small chapel bears witness to what people believe are miraculous healings. Religious statues and photographs sent with notes of thanks and praise. Other letters addressed to the Miracle Tree ask for help.
Estella Garcia Cantu now manages the chapel and visitors. It is free.
"Thousands of people have been given miracles after praying here. You can see it in the chapel," says Cantu.
The tree reached a height of more than 40 feet before the February freeze of 2021 appeared to have killed it.
But after it was cut in half, it came back, and so did the faithful.
"Ramon had a stroke and they didn't give his wife any hope they said he wasn't going to make it," said Janie
"Doctors said that he was going to stay a vegetable, not walk, nothing," said Ramon's wife Marie Gomez.
Five months ago, Marie Gomez brought her husband Ramon in a wheelchair to the tree.
"After that I started seeing improvement. In just a month he started talking and moving his limbs. He went from a wheelchair to a walker and now he can walk with a cane," said Marie Gomez
"I give credit to the Lord, to the miracle tree and prayer," said Ramon Gomez.
Even medical professionals have seen the power of prayer.
"There's a lot of things that happen sometimes that just don't make medical sense," said emergency room Dr. Eddie Wright, who operates Prestige Emergency Care.
Wright says after doctors do all they can, he's seen prayer make a difference.
"I think sometimes faith steps in and closes that gap for us and again, in ways that we just can't explain. I see it all the time and I think it's there," said Wright.
That hope brought the De LaPaz family to the Miracle tree from 400 miles away.
"I prayed for my father. He has cancer, liver cancer and they've given him six months. So that's why we traveled the distance to the miracle tree. We came here for a miracle," said Rosanna Dominguez.
Some who've prayed here say they can hear water flowing inside the tree.
"It's like a running water Maybe like like a waterfall or a rain stick," said Estela Garcia Cantu.
The De LaPaz family join thousands who have journey here in faith - to see signs of wonder - healing through hope.
"Your chances are always going to be better when you have hope," said Wright.
|
https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/pilgrimage-miracle-tree-healing-power-texas/273-dc981d4a-3606-4127-8945-5728338bd622
| 2022-05-24T04:29:33
| 1
|
https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local/pilgrimage-miracle-tree-healing-power-texas/273-dc981d4a-3606-4127-8945-5728338bd622
|
FORT HOOD, Texas — A document from the Texas Department of Public Safety that was filed in federal court reveals the motive behind why Fort Hood Spc. Vanessa Guillen was murdered in 2020 by fellow soldier Spc. Aaron Robinson.
The document, filed on May 19 this year, describes an interview with Cecily Aguilar, the only person charged in Guillen's murder. At one point, authorities asked Aguilar why her boyfriend, Robinson, would want to kill Guillen. She told authorities he did it because Guillen saw a photo of Aguilar on Robinson's phone, the document states.
"Guillen saw Robinson's cell phone lock screen, which contained a picture of Aguilar," the document states. "He told her he was worried about getting in trouble for violating the Army's fraternization rules since Aguilar was still married to another soldier and he hit Guillen in the head with a hammer."
Aguilar, who was indicted with 11 counts by a grand jury last July, was dating Robinson, despite being married to another soldier, Keon Aguilar.
Guillen was killed on April 22, 2020 on post by Robinson, according to a FBI criminal complaint. Robinson, with the help of Aguilar, later dismembered Guillen's body and buried her remains near the Leon River in Bell County, the complaint alleges.
Guillen's remains were later found on June, 30, 2020. The next day, Robinson shot and killed himself, which left people wondering why he murdered her if they didn't have any connection to each other.
"Robinson would go into moods in which he would not be his normal self and have a 'tic,'" Aguilar said, according to the document.
Authorities later interviewed a Bell County Jail inmate who Aguilar spoke to about Guillen's murder, the document states. Per the document, the inmate said Aguilar told her that "[Robinson] snapped, that he had an image in his head. He saw himself [kill Guillen] and wanted to do it."
The Texas DPS document reveals interviews authorities had with Aguilar, Robinson and others, as well as details aspects about Aguilar's statements. These details can be found below:
Aguilar's 'confession'
Prior to revealing the motive behind Guillen's murder, Aguilar spoke to authorities multiple times during the search, according to the document. Throughout, she claimed she was at home the night Guillen disappeared and that Robinson was with her, the document states. However, the day Guillen's body was found, Aguilar told authorities a different story, according to the document.
She explained that she and Robinson had an argument around midnight the night Guillen disappeared, per the document. As a way to cope, Robinson drove her around and stopped multiple places throughout the night before they returned to her apartment at 5 a.m., the document adds.
"One of her supposed coping mechanisms was to drive around and star gaze," the document states. "She claimed she did not want to be looked at differently for having a mental illness issue and therefore did not admit to the drive originally."
However, at that point, authorities told her that they could tell she was lying and "pointed out the smell in the [interview] room ... was that of human remains" from when they found Guillen's body earlier that day, the document states.
"I asked Aguilar to start the story over and tell the truth this time. She then asked if I would like her to write it down or tell it to me, to which I told her to tell me what happened," the detective says in the document.
Aguilar told authorities "Robinson killed the girl," the document states. She proceeded to tell authorities how Robinson took her out to the Leon River and "showed me her," the document adds.
She also claimed she didn't know Robinson was taking her to the Leon River and that he held a gun to her head to help him dispose of Guillen's body while there, the document states. Authorities said she was lying about that detail, per the document:
"Aguilar further explained she bought two bags for $10 after querying 'concrete for sale' on Facebook marketplace. She got the idea to buy the concrete that way from watching the show CSI/Criminal Minds and believed she would not leave a 'paper trail.' ... During the conversation about the concrete, Aguilar said they used the concrete both nights. I realized this contradicted her claim of not knowing why she was going to the Leon River the first night and asked her to clarify. Aguilar then said they only used the concrete on the second night. I later learned Aguilar bought the concrete the first night, prior to even going to the Leon River, thus she lied about Robinson forcing her at gunpoint while at the location."
Aguilar told authorities she then removed Guillen's body from the government-owned tote Robinson carried her in because "Robinson didn't want to," the document states. She told them how she then dismembered Guillen's body and burned her remains, along with Guillen's clothes and the government tote, per the documents.
She told authorities they returned to the location a second night to finish dismembering Guillen's body, as well as burying her bones in the ground and covering it with concrete, the document states.
"Aguilar and Robinson placed the bones in three or four holes and thought they would not be discovered for a couple of years," the document states.
Robinson escapes military custody, kills self
While Aguilar told authorities the events that happened the night Guillen disappeared, Robinson was under surveillance by authorities on Fort Hood, per the documents.
While Aguilar was with authorities, she was asked "to get Robinson to see if he will talk about the murder by telling him that she was scared and wanted to turn herself in," the document adds.
"Robinson eventually began to admit culpability after Aguilar asked, 'What are we going to do if we get caught?' Robinson replied, 'I don't know,' Aguilar then said, 'I'm going to tell them the truth. I can't keep doing this,' to which he said, 'okay.' Robinson went on to say he was in a conference room and he did not want Aguilar to abandon him," the document states.
Around 10:10 p.m. on June 30, 2020, authorities were notified that Robinson managed to elude authorities and get off post, the document states.
While in custody, Aguilar also continued to talk to Robinson as authorities searched for him, the document adds.
"The two discussed turning themselves in together and Robinson said that he would if she would meet with him first," the document states. "They also discussed news reports from that day saying officers had recovered human remains near the Leon River in Belton, to which Robinson said, 'baby they found pieces... they found pieces!'"
Authorities eventually found Robinson in the area of 5705 E. Rancier Ave. in Killeen after midnight, the document states. When officers with the Killeen Police Department approached him, Robinson pulled out a pistol and shot himself in the head, the document adds.
'I'm sorry,' Aguilar says to the Guillen family
Aguilar went with authorities to the Leon River shortly after Robinson killed himself, the document states. She accompanied them to help locate all of Guillen's remains, the document adds.
While helping find her remains, authorities asked what Aguilar would like to tell Guillen's family. She replied, "That I'm sorry, sorry I didn't speak up, sorry they lost their daughter too soon," the document states.
Authorities searched the armory room a little over two months after Guillen disappeared
Robinson was the last person to see Guillen. Per an interview with Robinson, they were both working at the armory room on Fort Hood the day she disappeared, the DPS document states.
The document makes no mention of anyone searching the armory room until July 9, 2020, which is a little over two months since Guillen disappeared and days after her body was found.
When they did, they found traces of blood in the room Robinson worked in, as well as a toolkit that was missing a hammer, the document states. This launched a secondary search by the Army CID.
Aguilar's husband told his Army supervisors about Robinson killing Guillen before her body was found
On July 10 authorities interviewed Keon Aguilar, the estranged-husband of Cecily Aguilar. Keon Aguilar told authorities that he spoke with his wife regarding Robinson being a suspect in Guillen's disappearance. He also said he talked about her involvement before June 30, 2020.
"That was actually the day that she told me that Robinson had took her to bury a body after he had cut it up or something like that," Keon Aguilar told authorities, according to the document.
When asked what day that was, he said he believed his wife told him Robinson dismembered Guillen's body on May 8, 2020.
"Keon stated he told one of his supervisors... Robinson had killed Guillen, and 'they' had cut up her body," the document states. "This was after 05/08/2020, but before Keon's discharge from the Military." It's unclear when Keon was discharged.
Robinson had a 'hit list' and played 'hide and seek' with a weapon
During an interview with Robinson on May 19, 2020, authorities asked him about a firearm he had, according to the document. More particularly, stories the Army CID heard about Robinson having a firearm.
"When asked, Robinson said he owned a weapon that he used to play hide and seek with [Aguilar's husband]," the document states. "He used the 'cleared' weapon to find PFC Aguilar. When he found PFC Aguilar's hiding spot, he stated, 'Ha, I found you' and point the weapon at him."
The document also reveals Robinson had a "hit list."
"Robinson also spoke of a 'hit list' he had, but claimed never to have threatened to kill someone," the document states. "Robinson further said he did not hate any Non-Commissioned Officers or any other soldiers he worked with."
Texas DPS didn't provide any names on the hit list in the document, including whether or not Guillen was on it.
|
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/motive-behind-vanessa-guillens-murder/500-2ac2d2bf-85ab-4228-af13-d7b13db038d3
| 2022-05-24T04:37:23
| 1
|
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/motive-behind-vanessa-guillens-murder/500-2ac2d2bf-85ab-4228-af13-d7b13db038d3
|
DALLAS — Detective Ryan Dalby is a Dallas police missing persons detective. Every day he alone gets five to six new cases a day.
Those include both runaways and adults who are missing.
As soon as they are assigned a case, they begin putting the person's picture out to national databases and sometimes they share the information on the Ring camera app.
"We can figure out which direction they left. Did they go north, south, east or west. Did they get on a bus and we can look at cameras," said Dalby.
On average, DPD gets 5,000 missing persons cases a year and 2,000 cases involving runaways.
Recently there were two high profile cases involving teenage girls who Dallas police say were initially reported as runaways and then ended up possibly in the hands of sex traffickers.
Police say detectives treat the cases as runaway cases until they interview family and friends and gather evidence that would elevate the case.
But the teens' pictures and information are also entered into the National Crime Information Center, so if they come in contact with law enforcement, they will know they've been reported as a runaway.
“Every case that comes in is investigated the same but if there is a case that has more to it and more of an emergency to try to find that person and believe they are in specific dangers we will bring in other units to help us out,” Police Lt. Glen Hurst
Dallas PD says parents can also help by having their teens' phone information so they can access phone records, otherwise police have to get a warrant and that takes time. Also, they say parents should be monitoring what their kids are doing on phones and social media.
“Parents need to be checking their kids phone. They need access to them. They need to look who they are talking to what they are sending out. If they are sending pics of themselves or posting pics of themselves. They need to look at that,” said Hurst.
Police say they also offer classes to parents and kids who have run away from home so they can give them direction to make better decisions so they don’t end up back on the streets.
|
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/thousands-missing-persons-cases-a-year-dallas-police/287-4591218f-c6bb-4415-9f5e-c182964a0cea
| 2022-05-24T04:37:29
| 1
|
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/thousands-missing-persons-cases-a-year-dallas-police/287-4591218f-c6bb-4415-9f5e-c182964a0cea
|
JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) – The Ashe Street Courthouse, an important piece of the West Walnut Street re-development project, is now one step closer to having a new owner.
Washington County owns the property currently, but county commissioners voted Monday night to establish a special committee to transfer ownership to Johnson City.
The Ashe Street Courthouse Project Special Committee consists of three Johnson City representatives and two Washington County representatives.
City Manager Cathy Ball, Assistant City Manager Randy Trivette, and Mayor Joe Wise will represent Johnson City on the committee. County Commissioner Jodi Jones and Mayor Joe Grandy will represent Washington County.
Those five will decide the terms of the transfer from the county to the city over the next month.
Ball said the old courthouse will become the business hub for the re-developed West Walnut Street. She said it will be a place to cultivate businesses along that stretch.
“Creating really a location where we would have a space for people to come and get advice on something they were working on, a project, or a business that they wanted to start,” Ball said.
Grandy said the county is ready to move forward with the long-awaited transfer. Even if the county is no longer involved with the courthouse, he said the county can still benefit from the renovation.
“You don’t need two governments trying to figure exactly what to do to it or utilization of space,” Grandy said. “It’s going to benefit every citizen in Washington County. And that type of growth and that type of economic stimulus is what’ll help keep our taxes low here in Washington County and Johnson City.
Ball said some preliminary work has been done with asbestos abatement and interior demolition to prepare the courthouse for the full renovation, but there is still plenty of work to do inside and outside the building.
A $5 million grant from the state will pay for those renovations.
“It’s in need of a lot of care in terms of demolition and rebuilding, so it will take the full $5 million to be able to create the interior the way that it needs to be done as well as create the outside area so it becomes very iconic for the community,” Ball said.
Ball said the courthouse will become the anchor of the downtown end of the West Walnut Street project with a pedestrian-only space in front of the building.
After the transfer is complete, Johnson City’s next step is sending a request for proposals to find a tenant to create the business incubator.
The committee will have its first meeting on Friday to work on the terms of the transfer.
Washington County commissioners will vote on approving the terms at a meeting next month.
|
https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/committee-established-to-oversee-ashe-st-courthouse-transfer/
| 2022-05-24T05:18:18
| 0
|
https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/committee-established-to-oversee-ashe-st-courthouse-transfer/
|
The Nebraska State Patrol and Omaha Police Department conducted the first of several speed enforcement operations over the weekend, leading to four arrests.
The operation took place on Friday and Saturday and was done to address excessive speeding in the Omaha metro area.
Three of the four people arrested were driving motorcycles, while the fourth was in a Dodge Challenger.
Troopers attempted traffic stops after observing each vehicle drive over 100 mph. All four drivers fled, but troopers were able to track the vehicles with the aid of air troops and in one case, stop sticks.
Additional operations will be held throughout the course of the summer.
Reach the writer at 402-473-2657 or jebbers@journalstar.com
|
https://journalstar.com/news/local/state-patrol-arrests-four-people-during-speed-enforcement-effort/article_9b507e38-6fc0-52ab-b033-d431569d1a57.html
| 2022-05-24T05:19:49
| 0
|
https://journalstar.com/news/local/state-patrol-arrests-four-people-during-speed-enforcement-effort/article_9b507e38-6fc0-52ab-b033-d431569d1a57.html
|
Eden woman charged in kidnapping of 1-year-old; child found safe, police say
A reported kidnapping Saturday in Eden ended with Maryland State Police safely recovering a 1-year-old and arresting a suspect after a brief chase.
Kristina Marie Owens, 24, of Eden faces charges of kidnapping of a child under 16, theft — $1,500 to under $25,000, and assault, among other charges, according to a state police news release.
At about 3:45 p.m. Saturday, a 911 call by a female resident of the 24000 block of Rivermere Drive reported the theft of a vehicle with her child inside, according to the press release. The mother reported she had gone to check on Owens prior to Owens taking her keys and driving in an unknown direction, police said.
Troopers from the Salisbury Barrack were dispatched to the area and searched for the 2012 Volkswagen Passat.
CRIME:Princess Anne man arrested after 3 pipe bombs, 4 homemade hand grenades found: Police
POLICE:An Ocean City shooting leaves police seeking public help to find the suspect
Fruitland Police observed the vehicle traveling on Camden Avenue in the Fruitland area and attempted an unsuccessful traffic stop. Owens fled from police, but the vehicle was later stopped in the area of Camden and College avenues in Salisbury without incident, police said.
The 1-year-old was located unharmed inside of the vehicle and was reunited with the mother at the Maryland State Police Salisbury Barrack, the report states.
Owens was taken into custody by Maryland State Police and transported to the Salisbury Barrack for processing. Owens was held at Wicomico County Detention Center.
Owens faces charges of second-degree assault, aggravated assault, aggravated injury, unauthorized removal of a motor vehicle, kidnapping, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, second-degree assault of an officer, reckless endangerment, theft over $1,500 to under $25,000, and kidnapping — child under 16 years old, according to police.
|
https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2022/05/23/child-kidnapping-ends-arrest-eden-woman-car-theft/9894988002/
| 2022-05-24T05:48:40
| 1
|
https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2022/05/23/child-kidnapping-ends-arrest-eden-woman-car-theft/9894988002/
|
Crisfield player strikes it rich in Maryland Lottery, wins $100,000 in Big Cash Riches
A Crisfield player is $100,000 richer thanks to Maryland Lottery.
Two other Eastern Shore players — from Ocean City and Salisbury — won $10,000 each, Maryland Lottery said in a release.
The Big Cash Riches ticket worth $100,000 was purchased at Crisfield Oceanic at 55 Richardson Ave. in Crisfield.
It was one of two tickets worth $100,000 sold in the past week. The other ticket was sold in Upper Marlboro.
An Ocean City player won $10,000 on a Blazing Hot Cash ticket sold at Royal Farms #107 at 12826 Ocean Gateway.
In Salisbury, the $10,000-winning Ravens X5 ticket was sold at Express Mart at 617 N. Salisbury Blvd.
In all, 51 tickets worth $10,000 or more were sold or redeemed in the seven days ending May 22, and the Lottery paid a total of more than $32.5 million in prizes during that span.
Winners of prizes larger than $25,000 must redeem their tickets at the Maryland Lottery Customer Resource Center in Baltimore, which is open by appointment only.
More information is available on the How To Claim page of mdlottery.com.
More: Dave Matthews, the Lumineers, Alanis and more in Ocean City? Yes, in Oceans Calling lineup
More: 'American Idol' star Jay Copeland to perform at Salisbury party. Here's where and when.
|
https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2022/05/23/crisfield-player-strikes-rich-maryland-lottery-big-cash-riches/9894705002/
| 2022-05-24T05:48:46
| 1
|
https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2022/05/23/crisfield-player-strikes-rich-maryland-lottery-big-cash-riches/9894705002/
|
An Ocean City shooting leaves police seeking public help to find the suspect
Ocean City Police are asking for the public's help as they investigate an early Sunday morning shooting that left one man injured.
At about 1:10 a.m. Sunday, May, 22, Ocean City police officers responded to the 10 block of Talbot Street for a report of a shooting. There, officers located an 18-year-old male suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, according to a police press release Sunday.
The man was treated by Ocean City EMS and transported to TidalHealth Peninsula Regional, the release states.
CRIME:Princess Anne man arrested after 3 pipe bombs, 4 homemade hand grenades found: Police
Ocean City Forensic Services Unit responded to the scene to assist.
This investigation is ongoing. Police ask anyone who was in the area during this time and has information to contact the crime tip line by calling 410-520-5136 and reference CC# 2022-00-1140. Anonymous tips can also be left at https://oceancitymd.gov/oc/departments/police/crime-tips/
|
https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2022/05/23/man-hurt-shooting-talbot-street-ocean-city-police-claim/9893332002/
| 2022-05-24T05:48:52
| 1
|
https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2022/05/23/man-hurt-shooting-talbot-street-ocean-city-police-claim/9893332002/
|
Police are searching for a hatchet-wielding man who was seen on video allegedly attacking a teen on a bicycle with the weapon in a Manhattan neighborhood.
The video, from just before 10 a.m. Monday, shows the victim riding on what appears to be some type of powered bike near West 26th Street and Sixth Avenue in Flatiron. The suspect appears to come from behind the victim, and starts using the hatchet to whack at the rider's legs.
The victim gets off the bicycle and confronts the suspect, who brandishes the weapon, the video shows, before walking away.
Police said that the victim was hit in the leg and foot, and was taken to the hospital where he will survive. The suspect fled north on a moped, according to police.
An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
|
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/hatchet-wielding-man-attacks-teen-on-bicycle-in-flatiron-nypd/3702105/
| 2022-05-24T05:54:29
| 0
|
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/hatchet-wielding-man-attacks-teen-on-bicycle-in-flatiron-nypd/3702105/
|
NAMPA, Idaho — Ostara Clure, a newborn from Nampa, was hospitalized with severe COVID-19 at seven weeks old back in January.
Today, she is still hooked up to oxygen, but she is making huge strides. Her mother, Carli, said she found her voice, is rolling around, and is at a healthy weight again.
“She's just this beautiful little soul that just got a bad entrance into the world and she's just a fighter,” said Carli Valentine, Ostara’s mother.
After a rollercoaster, both physically and emotionally, in a Salt Lake City hospital, Ostara was discharged at the end of February and came back home to Idaho. Since then, at-home therapies and ensuring Ostara stays healthy have consumed the family's lives.
Valentine said her daughter had a very severe case of covid-19 and after running multiple tests and scans doctors did not find any underlying health issues that made it worse.
“She is doing outstanding. She is working on getting off oxygen, should be off the beginning of August,” Valentine said. “She's off the feeding tube so that is outstanding and taking bottles like a vulture now. She's doing great in every single way. She's growing, she's doing pt and doing better with body muscle. If she could get through that, I truly believe she could get through anything in life.”
Valentine’s message for other parents is to protect your little ones at all costs during this pandemic. She thanked everyone who reached out, prayed, and donated to their go fund me. She said she is really grateful for the support.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist:
|
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/nampa-newborn-road-recovery-after-battle-covid/277-60678b9e-8bd6-4513-a02a-7c8d9c2a3c17
| 2022-05-24T06:02:31
| 0
|
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/nampa-newborn-road-recovery-after-battle-covid/277-60678b9e-8bd6-4513-a02a-7c8d9c2a3c17
|
BOISE, Idaho — An army veteran from Star, Idaho is embarking on the road to recovery after a car crash sent him to the ICU.
According to the Ada County Sheriff’s Department, the crash occurred on May 17th, just before 8 am. Both a driver of a vehicle and a motorcycle were involved and transported to the hospital. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Kevin Wallett, said he was on his way to take his final exam for his EMT certification. His life came to a screeching halt at the intersection of Cherry Lane and McDermott Road in Meridian.
“I remember feeling, like, this isn't real,” Wallet said.
According to Wallet, a handful of people rushed over to help when they witnessed the crash.
“First, I saw one car up on the road with someone standing by it and she was extremely upset, and then I saw the motorcycle down the road kind of off towards the ditch,” said Jenn Skeesic, who was driving her kids to school when the crash occurred.
“Kevin was on his back and he was kind of just kind of rocking back and forth and crying out, I won’t ever lose those images in my head,” Skeesic said.
Wallett's fiancé, Brittany Zeman said she was getting her son ready for school when she received word of the crash.
“I got the text that nobody wants it was like there's been an accident, please go to Saint Alphonsus,” Zeman said. “On the way to the hospital I ran into the crash site and it was just really hard.”
Wallett survived the crash but his life will be forever changed. Not long after the crash, Wallett was told he needed to have half of his shin and entire foot amputated.
“I looked down and I saw no foot and I was like oh my god this isn't real and then everyone came to help and I was like, this is real,” Wallett said.
The couple is trying to stay positive, but they admit that it's not easy.
Wallett was in the army for ten years, serving as a medevac crew chief and is currently training to get him EMT certification, all skills that he says helped save his life.
“I made the choice to mentally be conscious because I thought I was going to die if I didn't,” Wallett said. “I have accepted that I don't have a foot and I will walk again so I am happy about that and I feel fortunate but it’s been hard.”
After six emotional days in the hospital and two major surgeries, the couple is glad to finally be home. However, Wallett says he will have to say goodbye to his passion for riding motorcycles.
“I will never ride again because I do not want to put anybody through the thought of something is going to happen again,” he said.
Wallet and Zeman say they are grateful for all of the citizens who stepped in to help out and save his life.
“It feels like there's some sort of purpose in this and the people that were placed there, there are so many synchronicities coming through our main focus is to look forward,” Zeman said.
The couple has created a GoFundMe to help pay off medical bills and equipment needed for their home.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist:
|
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/star-army-veterans-life-forever-changed-motorcycle-crash/277-bcebab03-a5a3-4476-bf4f-06c98c42566c
| 2022-05-24T06:02:37
| 0
|
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/star-army-veterans-life-forever-changed-motorcycle-crash/277-bcebab03-a5a3-4476-bf4f-06c98c42566c
|
Canton City Council sets earlier curfew for juveniles
CANTON – Taking aim at the recent spike in teen violence, City Council on Monday approved an earlier 11 p.m. weekend curfew for anyone under 18.
The law will take effect in 30 days.
Until then, Canton Police Chief John Gabbard said increased enforcement would start this week for the current curfew — 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 12:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights. Exceptions remain for minors who are with their parents or guardians, out for work or attending a school event.
Gabbard cited juvenile arrests that are about double the previous two-year average and an 8 percentage point increase in juveniles arrested for firearm charges so far this year.
More:Canton's biggest crime problem: Teens with guns
More:As teen violence rises, Canton nonprofit to teach youths how to treat gunshot wounds
"We want to set the tone for the summer," he said during his presentation to a council committee before the regular meeting.
Members decided to add the ordinance to the evening's agenda and vote on it the same night since ordinance changes can be subject to a referendum and can't take effect for 30 days. Councilman Greg Hawk, D-1, was the only council member absent, and the 11 members in attendance voted in favor of the measure.
Most of the discussion occurred during the committee meeting. Councilman Kevin D. Hall, D-6, asked if the curfew would be enforced and noted that killings have occurred before 8 p.m. He also suggested the city consider some sort of non-uniformed youth liaison.
"In my opinion, a youth development person would help the city immensely," he said.
Law Director Kristen Bates Aylward said a curfew violation would be an "unruly child" charge, which is not a criminal offense for juveniles. However, their parents could potentially face minor misdemeanor charges.
Gabbard said five to six special investigation unit detectives will enforce the curfew. He said the goal is to "inconvenience mom and dad" by making them pick up their children at the Police Department.
Asked what would happen if their parents could not be reached, Gabbard said he would consider the child's inability to reach any relative or guardian as a sign they need additional resources.
"I would call CPS (Child Protective Services)," he said.
Kimberly Bell and Skylark Bruce, city residents who have repeatedly spoken before the council about the fatal police shooting of James William, criticized the curfew change during a public comment period. Bell said it wouldn't make a difference, and Bruce said it's potentially another form of "racist violence" unless there's reform within the department.
Senior sidewalk repair program
The city also set aside $300,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funding to cover the cost of replacing sidewalks for low-income seniors.
Council on Monday unanimously approved an ordinance creating the temporary program while funds last, ending by Dec. 31, 2024.
City residents are responsible for maintaining the sidewalks on their property, and the city currently has a sidewalk and curb replacement program to cover up to half the cost. The new program will cover the total cost for eligible residents.
"Eligible households would be owner-occupied, single-family homes or duplexes in Canton that have at least one titled property owner 65 years of age or older and who meets the (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) income guidelines for very low-income households, currently no more than $26,950 for a household of one and $30,800 for a household of two," according to a memo signed by all council members.
Public Service Director John Highman said the program will be administered similarly to the current one and on a "first come, first served" basis. He said more information about the program will be shared on the city's website and social media accounts.
|
https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/canton/2022/05/23/canton-city-council-sets-earlier-curfew-juveniles/9841442002/
| 2022-05-24T06:07:04
| 0
|
https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/canton/2022/05/23/canton-city-council-sets-earlier-curfew-juveniles/9841442002/
|
Christopher Hardesty hired as economic development director
CANTON – Christopher J. Hardesty, who previously worked in Mayor Thomas Bernabei's office, will be the city's next economic development director.
Bernabei announced Hardesty's hiring in a memo to City Council last week and asked members to vote on an ordinance to waive the residency requirement for the position.
The council also gave Hardesty credit for his time as a city employee from 2017 to 2021, which allows him to have three weeks of vacation after his fifth year of employment with Canton.
Hardesty's first day will be June 13. He has been the community development administrator for Green since last summer.
Mayor Thomas Bernabei, describing Hardesty's qualifications to the council, said "he manages all economic development related activities" in Green. He said Hardesty's knowledge and enthusiasm impressed him during several interviews.
Hardesty succeeds Eugene Norris, who worked about six weeks before resigning in April. Norris took over from Fonda Williams, who served as the city's economic development director for about eight years.
Williams left in January to become the senior vice president of government affairs and economic development at the Economic and Community Development Institute Inc. (ECDI)
Other than elected officials, the city's service and safety directors and community development and economic development directors are required to live in the city, Bernabei said.
Before voting, Councilman Kevin D. Hall, D-6, said he wouldn't want to remove the residency requirement for everyone but understood the difficulty in finding a candidate for this position.
Bernabei agreed, saying such residency waivers are made on a "case by case" basis.
|
https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/canton/2022/05/23/christopher-hardesty-hired-cantons-economic-development-director/9896863002/
| 2022-05-24T06:07:11
| 1
|
https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/canton/2022/05/23/christopher-hardesty-hired-cantons-economic-development-director/9896863002/
|
PORTLAND, Oregon — A woman was rushed to the hospital after an employee at a Southeast Portland car wash found her severely beaten in the business's parking lot Monday morning, Portland police said.
An employee discovered the victim at around 7:30 a.m. in the back parking area of Eco Car Wash on Southeast 82nd Avenue near Holgate Boulevard. According to PPB, she'd been "severely assaulted." Medics rushed the woman to the hospital. Officials said she was in critical condition and characterized her injuries as extremely serious.
“I just can't believe anyone would do that to a woman, you know?” said Cindy, a neighbor who asked to only be identified by her first name. “It hit me hard, I felt really bad and I just couldn't believe it. I just thought it was a little too close.”
A car wash employee told KGW the business's number one priority is customers’ safety, and they did not believe what happened would impact that. There were, however, concerns over activity in the area outside business hours, specifically with trespassers who rummage through dumpsters and leave trash in the back parking area where the victim was found.
“I hope she makes it,” said Cindy. “I hope whoever did this, they find."
Investigators have not publicly identified a suspect. Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Portland Police Bureau.
|
https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/woman-assaulted-southeast-portland-car-wash/283-ce797510-07af-44e4-9e22-7ea0aa4a98d2
| 2022-05-24T06:25:55
| 0
|
https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/woman-assaulted-southeast-portland-car-wash/283-ce797510-07af-44e4-9e22-7ea0aa4a98d2
|
ALABASTER, Ala. (WIAT)–The Thompson High School Class of 2022 is already a stand out class.
Having earned $28 million in scholarships, Alabaster City Schools Board President Adam Moseley says “the Class of 2022 has taken academics and extra curriculars to new heights for Thompson High School.”
Kylen Thompson is one of many stand out students graduating Tuesday. He is among 181 valedictorians and salutatorians representing the class of 2022, the first THS student to earn a Gates Foundation Scholarship, and the first THS recipient of the Ron Brown Scholarship. He has a 4.6 GPA and scored a 31 on the ACT.
Kylen is attending Columbia University in the fall, where he plans to major in Psychology and Human Rights on a pre-law track, according to his family.
His aunt DeAnna Mitchell said, “while he has a busy schedule, he is an active member of his church and attests that his relationship with God has kept him grounded. He is ready to conquer the world and fulfill his purpose.”
|
https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/thompson-senior-to-attend-columbia-after-receiving-several-prestigious-scholarships/
| 2022-05-24T06:26:33
| 1
|
https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/thompson-senior-to-attend-columbia-after-receiving-several-prestigious-scholarships/
|
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – There’s a stench that’s swallowing one Charlotte County community. The smell is so bad that some people that live in Port Charlotte don’t even want to go outside.
“It smells like sewer,” said Shelly Lochli.
“S–t. Like, trash, all the time,” added Michael Valdez.
If you’re wondering what it smells like near Loveland Boulevard and Midway Boulevard, you probably don’t want to. On a scale of 1-10, Lochli said it’s maxed out.
“Ten. It smells like straight septic sewer,” she said.
It’s not the neighbor’s trash or even this Port-A-John that’s emitting the ever-so-potent essence.
It’s actually sewage buried under the street, traveling in a brand new pipe.
“That’s not good at all,” Lochli said.
All of the sewage from the area comes to the East Port treatment plant. The smells are supposed to follow.
The new pipeline transporting the waste uses gravity. It’s a little bit slower and that gives gas the time to escape.
“Can we get rid of this,” Valdez said.
It’s a great question and the answer is yes. However, it’s going to cost taxpayers.
There’s no need to tear up the pipeline that was just put into service in 2021. Instead, the count plans to inject chemicals into the sewage line to help reduce the smell.
“If it could’ve been built better and avoided all of this, that would’ve been great,” Valdez said.
Charlotte County Commissioners will vote to buy the chemicals at Tuesday’s meeting.
In the meantime, until the process starts, the struggle continues along Midway Boulevard.
“We’re not going to open the windows if that’s what we’re going to smell all day,” Lochli said.
|
https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/05/23/stench-swallows-port-charlotte-neighborhood-county-tasked-to-fix-the-smell/
| 2022-05-24T06:27:59
| 1
|
https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/05/23/stench-swallows-port-charlotte-neighborhood-county-tasked-to-fix-the-smell/
|
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Iowa — Willard Miller's legal team want his trial moved out of Jefferson County.
Miller is one of two teenagers accused of first-degree murder in the death of Fairfield Spanish teacher Nohema Graber.
According to court filings Tuesday, Miller's attorneys cite prejudice in Jefferson and a court case that says a trial may moved if "'a fair and impartial trial cannot be preserved with a jury'" from Jefferson.
The filing says all of Miller's hearings have had extensive media coverage and comments on social media posts.
A judge has not yet ruled on Miller's team's motion to change venue.
|
https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/attorneys-for-teenager-accused-of-killing-fairfield-teacher-want-trial-moved-to-different-county/524-eb009157-3fe4-4856-a055-8ed344d3e31b
| 2022-05-24T07:07:56
| 1
|
https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/attorneys-for-teenager-accused-of-killing-fairfield-teacher-want-trial-moved-to-different-county/524-eb009157-3fe4-4856-a055-8ed344d3e31b
|
DES MOINES, Iowa — The hunt for baby formula is on in the Des Moines metro area as many parents like Kaylie Johansen are desperate to find formula for their babies.
"Last week, the week before I went to seven stores in one day, and I still didn't find a single thing," said Kaylie Johansen.
When asked about Johansen's hopes for her child's daily routine she explains one step she believes is nonnegotiable.
"'Fed is best' is what I always like to say, formula makes the world go round as well. Of course, as a parent, that's very scary, you never want to have to worry about how you're going to feed your child. and, you know, it kind of fills you with some guilt, unfortunately," Johansen said.
Abbey Hall is a Doula, while helping coach young parents through the birthing process she found a way to help local parents through the national formula shortage, too.
"I started a formula splatting group. It's called DSM formula spotters, I just saw a lot of different groups, people weren't posting that they were either looking for formula, or they had found it in different places," Hall said.
Hall sees the page as a way to minimize the time in a situation that doesn't allow for much of it.
"I wanted to have a singular place where families can go where they're looking, or people that are out shopping, can just snap a picture and you know, show what the current aisle looks like," she said.
The response from the page grows every day helping moms like Johansen secure formula, giving them a little relief in this trying situation.
"That formula finder has been really helpful as well. That way you don't have to drive to, you know, seven stores in a day or, you know, call and harass multiple stores," Johansen said.
If you are a parent in the Des Moines metro and are a struggling member of the search party for formula, Abbey encourages you to join the Facebook page. If you are not a parent, and just went to send pictures of store shelf updates, she encourages you to join and help out, too.
|
https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/local-doula-formula-spotting-group-des-moines-metro-parents/524-4a487205-851c-4044-853d-07f78a759339
| 2022-05-24T07:08:02
| 1
|
https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/local/local-doula-formula-spotting-group-des-moines-metro-parents/524-4a487205-851c-4044-853d-07f78a759339
|
"Be Prepared" may be the motto for the Boy Scouts, but a 12-year-old from New York was anything but prepared for the encounter he had while on a recent camping trip, which resulted in his leg in the jaws of a black bear.
The unwanted visitor was peaking around a campsite late at night at Harriman State Park in Rockland and Orange counties, in search of some human food, when it stumbled on a group of Boy Scouts from Cooperstown.
"It moved my friend John, and then it moved me — but instead of grabbing my sleeping bag it grabbed my leg and it bit me," said Henry Ayers.
The 12-year-old was sleeping under the stars with his buddies when the bear jolted everyone awake.
"It was absolutely crazy!" said Henry. "I mainly sat up and I screamed! There was a giant bear leaning right over me. I screamed and I kicked at it and it wandered back a little."
Fortunately, Henry wasn’t seriously injured, save for a few scratches on his leg. The group headed over to a nearby shelter to sleep the rest of the night — but the bear wasn’t done. It came back hours later, still going for some food, even though the Scouts made sure to hang it all out of reach.
"A little after 4 in the morning was the final time it came and I thought to take out my phone and take a video of it and I was trying to reach," said Scout Master Diana Nicols. "It was very close to reaching another hiker’s bear bag."
News
The group went on their scheduled hike the next day. Park officials later found the bear, and as per state rules, they they had to euthanize it.
"I wish they didn’t euthanize it," Henry said. "It associated us with food. But we know that was our fault not the bear’s fault. It was just you know, being a bear."
Meanwhile, Henry has a story he’ll never forget — an important lesson about how humans should protect wildlife. He said he plans on going camping again very soon, at Boy Scout camp this summer.
"I am not scared of camping anymore! And I’m not scared of bears, its completely OK," he said.
|
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/boy-scout-is-awoken-by-black-bear-biting-his-leg-while-camping-with-troop-in-new-york/3702155/
| 2022-05-24T07:27:20
| 1
|
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/boy-scout-is-awoken-by-black-bear-biting-his-leg-while-camping-with-troop-in-new-york/3702155/
|
TACOMA, Wash. — The Pierce County Sheriff's Department is investigating the death of an 11-year-old Ford Middle School student.
The sheriff's department said it is waiting to hear from the medical examiner's office about the cause of death.
Paramedics were called to the girl's home on Wednesday and she was taken to the hospital. The next day, her family told the school that she had been in a fight just days before, on Monday.
Right now, detectives don't know whether the fight is connected to the girl's death.
"They've obtained video from the school about the alleged fight that occurred on Monday, and now we are waiting for the medical examiner to tell us what the manner and cause of death was in this case," said Sgt. Darren Moss with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.
The Franklin Pierce School District says it is offering support to the family, friends and staff members as they grieve the loss of a cherished member of their community.
|
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/death-investigation-ford-middle-school-student/281-e55055f1-68f7-4f01-a883-f5fb16ab5fc0
| 2022-05-24T07:35:30
| 1
|
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/death-investigation-ford-middle-school-student/281-e55055f1-68f7-4f01-a883-f5fb16ab5fc0
|
A major New York pension fund that has invested in both Facebook's corporate parent and Twitter believes it's time to shake up the companies' boards of directors because of their inability to keep violent content off their influential social media services.
The New York State Common Retirement Fund outlined its grievances with Facebook owner Meta Platforms and Twitter in separate May 19 letters that were filed Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission in advance of the companies' annual shareholder meetings.
The letters from New York Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli chastised Facebook and Twitter for failing to prevent the distribution of a video clips and screen shootings of the mass killings that occurred May 14 in a Buffalo, New York, supermarket. The shooting spree was livestreamed by the self-described white supremacist accused of killing 10 people on Twitch, a video gaming service owned by Amazon, which said it blocked the video within two minutes.
But the disturbing scenes from that video have continued to crop up on Facebook and Twitter, prompting DiNapoli to lash out at the companies' for their failure to “control the dissemination of hate speech and content that incites violence."
In protest, DeNapoli said the pension funds would vote against the Meta and Twitter directors who are seeking to be re-elected to the companies' respective board meetings Wednesday and will urge other investors to dissent, too.
Nine Meta directors, including company CEO and controlling shareholder Mark Zuckerberg, are up for re-election. Only two of Twitter's nine continuing directors need to be re-elected at this year's annual meeting. The terms of the seven other Twitter directors either expire next year or 2024. By then, they could be gone if Tesla CEO Elon Musk completes a proposed $44 billion purchase of Twitter that is currently in limbo.
Both Meta and Twitter declined to comment on DeNapoli's letter but defended their content controls, including their efforts to prevent the images of the Buffalo shooting from reappearing.
The New York pension fund's opposition to the boards of Meta and Twitter seems unlikely to result in a change since it doesn't rank among the 15 largest shareholders at either company, according to FactSet Research.
As of March 31, the pension fund said it owned Meta stock valued at $1.1 billion, which translated into roughly 4.9 million shares at that time. By comparison, Meta's largest stockholder, The Vanguard Group, currently owns more than 171 million shares, or a 7.4% stake, according to FactSet.
The New York pension fund owned $34.6 million of Twitter stock as of March 31, translating into roughly 894,000 shares at that juncture. The Vanguard Group is also Twitter's largest stockholder with more than 79 million shares, or a 10.4% stake, according to FactSet.
|
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/major-ny-pension-fund-goes-after-boards-for-facebook-twitter-over-violence-on-sites/3702199/
| 2022-05-24T08:18:12
| 0
|
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/major-ny-pension-fund-goes-after-boards-for-facebook-twitter-over-violence-on-sites/3702199/
|
The New York attorney general’s office said Monday it subpoenaed Donald Trump’s longtime executive assistant and plans to question her under oath next week as part of its civil investigation into the former president's business dealings.
The subpoena for Rhona Graff was disclosed by a lawyer for Attorney General Letitia James’ office in court papers opposing Trump's latest bid to rid himself of a contempt of court order for being slow to respond to a subpoena for documents and other evidence.
Graff's deposition is scheduled for May 31, special litigation counsel Andrew Amer said in the court filing.
Amer said James’ office plans to ask Graff about a variety of issues, including Trump's involvement in the preparation of annual financial statements that have been a focus of the attorney general's investigation.
Graff left Trump's company, the Trump Organization, in April 2021, but was among several people involved in keeping his records who provided affidavits to Trump's lawyers late Friday as they sought to have his contempt order lifted.
Graff, who started working for Trump in 1987, has been described as his gatekeeper and right hand. Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, wrote in his book that she had her own Trump Tower office with a large filing cabinet containing folders on various issues pertaining to Trump.
Amer said James’ office wants to question Graff under oath, in part, because her affidavit only described the company’s retention and preservation practices for some of Trump's records, and lacked detail about how his financial statements were handled.
“Did (Trump) ever review the statement in draft form before he signed the final version each year?” Amer wrote, listing questions left unanswered by Graff’s affidavit.
“Did he annotate any drafts with comments and/or questions?" Amer continued. "If so, what happened to those drafts? In what form was the final version of the statement presented for Mr. Trump’s approval in each year? How did he make his approval clear? Ms. Graff’s affidavit does not say.”
A message seeking comment was left with a lawyer who represented Graff in past legal matters.
James, a Democrat, has said her three-year probe uncovered evidence the Trump Organization misstated the value of assets like skyscrapers and golf courses on financial statements for more than a decade.
Trump, a Republican, denies the allegations. He has called James’ investigation “racist” and a politically motivated “witch hunt.” James is Black. Trump’s lawyers have accused her of selective prosecution.
Trump’s lawyers contend James is using her civil investigation to gain access to information that could then be used against him in a criminal probe being conducted by the Manhattan district attorney, a Democrat.
Trump is also suing James in federal court, seeking to shut down her investigation.
Judge Arthur Engoron declared Trump in contempt on April 25 and fined him $10,000 per day for failing to turn over subpoenaed documents by a March 31 deadline.
Engoron said he would lift the order if Trump met certain conditions by Friday.
Trump has met most of the conditions, including paying $110,000 in fines and submitting affidavits detailing efforts to search for subpoenaed records.
Amer acknowledged that Trump and his lawyers have made strides in meeting Engoron's conditions, but said the contempt order should remain in effect until Graff's deposition.
Engoron has yet to rule.
In the meantime, Amer said Trump's lawyers could take other steps to shed light on his records retention practices. He suggested they provide a detailed affidavit from another Trump executive and an affidavit detailing their efforts to contact each of Trump's 12 former executive assistants.
|
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/trumps-longtime-assistant-subpoenaed-by-ny-attorney-general/3702198/
| 2022-05-24T08:18:19
| 0
|
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/trumps-longtime-assistant-subpoenaed-by-ny-attorney-general/3702198/
|
Police are investigating after unrelated crashes left two women dead on Monday night.
The first happened around 10:15 p.m. when a car traveling east on Motor Parkway hit another vehicle and veered off the road, striking a woman standing on the sidewalk. The car then fled eastbound on the Motor Parkway. The woman was pronounced dead by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s office and was identified by authorities as 28-year-old Cherokee Fletcher, of Commack.
The second incident happened around 10:30 p.m. when a car traveling west on Montauk Highway in West Islip hit and killed a woman in the roadway. The car then fled westbound. The woman was pronounced dead by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s office.
The two incidents are not related.
Detectives are asking anyone with information on either of these two crashes to call the Major Case Unit at 631-852-6555 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
|
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/2-woman-killed-in-separate-hit-and-runs-overnight-on-long-island/3702181/
| 2022-05-24T09:02:27
| 0
|
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/2-woman-killed-in-separate-hit-and-runs-overnight-on-long-island/3702181/
|
LANCASTER, Pa. — The Friends of Lancaster Public Library have been holding their big book sale for 67 years and this year, they're hoping to break records.
With 150,000 square feet of the former Bon Ton building at Park City Center, customers can find plenty of room to browse the 250,000 books available, as well as the thousands of records, sheet music, CDs, and DVDs.
The event kicked off with a line of over 300 people on Monday, according to a spokesperson for the sale, all waiting to get their hands on paper and hard covers at bargain prices. So many people, in fact, it prevented early tallies of sales for the day.
"It makes me very happy," Chair of the Lancaster Public Library Big Book Sale Ron Adams said. "I have a Kindle, I confess, but there's something about holding an actual book in my hands that just feels right. So, I'm excited people do come out. We've got lots of kids books. It's been fun to watch the kids go through with their choices."
The Friends of Lancaster Public Library raised nearly $200,000 annually, all directly benefiting the Lancaster Public Library and its patrons.
Prices start at 50 cents for paperbacks and $2 for hardback books.
The book sale continues on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
|
https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/big-book-sale-returns-lancaster-public-library/521-f748a68d-7273-4bf7-a215-83a8ec043877
| 2022-05-24T09:09:07
| 1
|
https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/big-book-sale-returns-lancaster-public-library/521-f748a68d-7273-4bf7-a215-83a8ec043877
|
MANHEIM, Pa. — Officials are investigating a death in Lancaster County.
Manheim Police say they're investigating after a death at the Lancaster Country Club in Manheim Township.
According the the Lancaster County Coroner's office, a man in his 20's from the Media area, died after a construction accident.
Officials say there will be an examination of the body on Tuesday.
FOX43 will continue to update this article as more information becomes available.
|
https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/police-investigating-death-lancaster-country-club-manheim-township/521-164aa96e-8e77-43f9-a000-0846c3668606
| 2022-05-24T09:09:13
| 1
|
https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/police-investigating-death-lancaster-country-club-manheim-township/521-164aa96e-8e77-43f9-a000-0846c3668606
|
STARKVILLE • On Mississippi State University's campus stands an out-of-this-world tree — a sycamore grown from a seed that ventured further into space than most Mississippians ever will. All the way to the moon.
The tree, known as the "moon sycamore," was planted by astronaut Stuart Roosa upon his return to Earth from the Apollo 14 mission in the 1970s. It stands in the Junction, near the southwest corner of David Wade Stadium, and is marked by a plaque.
The tree, part of MSU's campus tree trail, stands out as a treasure at a university known for a rich history of agriculture programs.
Planting a seed in Starkville
Roosa fought fires as a U.S. Forest Service smokejumper and joined the U.S. Air Force prior to being selected as one of 19 new NASA astronauts in 1966.
In 1971, from Jan. 31 to Feb. 9, Roosa served as Command Module Pilot for the Apollo 14 mission. While his fellow crew members Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell spent 33 hours on the surface of the moon, Roosa remained in lunar orbit aboard the command module "Kitty Hawk." During that time, he conducted a variety of photographic and visual observations, according to NASA.
When he was selected for the mission, NASA allowed Roosa to carry approximately 500 tree seeds with him into space. The species of seeds selected included loblolly pine, sycamore, sweet gum, redwood and Douglas fir trees.
After the flight, the seeds were germinated, and some were planted alongside their earthbound counterparts to compare their growth. After years of observation, the Forest Service determined there was no discernible difference between the trees whose seeds had been in space and those that had not.
Many of these so-called moon trees were given to state forestry organizations to be planted as part of the nation's bicentennial celebration in 1976. MSU was the proud recipient of a sycamore moon tree, planted on the campus by Roosa himself in 1975.
Caring for the moon tree
Bart Prather, associate director of campus landscape, has worked at MSU for 23 years, where his department maintains just shy of 1,500 acres of land, caring for grass, shrubs and trees on campus — including the moon sycamore.
"It's nice to have something this historic," Prather said. "It's got a good story."
Over the years, the tree has overlooked thousands of students coming and going. Through college football tailgating and the mighty winds of a hurricane, the moon sycamore has continued to stand tall.
That's not to say it hasn't had a close call or two over the past nearly five decades. In 2005, the moon sycamore was damaged when Hurricane Katrina tore through Mississippi.
Starkville’s moon tree did not escape the storm unscathed, not that most people admiring its beauty would ever notice.
"We lost the top out of it," Prather said. "If you look at it, you really don't see that. It recovered well, and it's come back."
Today, the tree that has been from the moon to Mississippi still stands strong.
"It’s a healthy tree,” Prather said. “Hopefully, we'll get a lot more years out of it.”
|
https://www.djournal.com/news/local/mississippi-state-university-is-home-to-an-out-of-this-world-tree/article_4ab16332-d787-587f-8d64-ef942abfa87a.html
| 2022-05-24T09:30:33
| 0
|
https://www.djournal.com/news/local/mississippi-state-university-is-home-to-an-out-of-this-world-tree/article_4ab16332-d787-587f-8d64-ef942abfa87a.html
|
TUPELO • As paving projects in Tupelo and Lee County continue, officials are looking to stretch their budgets as far as they can amid record-high fuel costs.
With gas prices and the cost of asphalt deeply intertwined, county and city officials are all but certain the rising price of petroleum will lead to a stunted summer paving season.
“Gas is 99% of (the cost),” Lee County Road Manager Tim Allred said. “That has curtailed a lot of things. It doesn’t take long to spend a $400,000 budget.”
Even before the state’s average gas prices reached record highs this month, Allred created a comprehensive list of county roads that needed maintenance. The price of asphalt by the barrel, he said, went from $73 a ton last year to $123 this summer.
Despite the increase in cost, Allred believes the county will still complete about 80% of its road work this summer. As of Monday, the county had paved about a dozen streets, including County Road 1400, County Road 1551, Pine Tree Drive, East Main Street, Burton Lane, Jumper Street, Desert Cove, Jim Warren Cove, Little John Drive and Alley Way.
The next step, Allred said, is to wait for Micro-Seal work.
Because asphalt is a byproduct of oil, the cost of oil per barrel touches just about every element of roadwork. The cost of asphalt and other petroleum products is affected, of course, but the price of diesel fuel and gas also dictates the cost of running the equipment needed to do roadwork.
“They rely on petroleum,” Tupelo Public Works Director Chuck Williams said of the city’s equipment. “The manpower is the same. About all it can be is fuel prices. It is the cost of doing business, unfortunately.”
Like Allred, Williams also created a list of roads to prioritize repaving this summer, but since bids for the project came in higher than expected, he said the city had to make some cuts.
In early May, the council approved spending up to $4.3 million with Murphree Paving for mill and overlay of city streets, more than a $1 million higher than the $3.1 million the city planned to spend paving this summer.
Williams said the work is split into two rounds of paving throughout the summer. The first round has an estimated price tag of $1.4 million; the second round’s list is incomplete.
“We are still going to try to pave as much as we can out of this,” he said. “We will put all we can on city streets.”
Williams said the list was fluid, adding streets like Plantation Circle, which has needed repaving for years, take priority. Since paving began earlier this spring, Coonewah Trail, Wooten Curve, Starling Curve, Wright Curve, Coonewah Drive, Lackey Lane, Wade Curve, Roswell Drive and Sterling Curve.
As of Monday, roads in progress include White Chapel Lane, Craigmont Circle, Montclair Drive and Monterey Drive. Streets that are on the list for mill and overlay include Moore Drive, Bellwood Curve, Plantation Circle, West Plantation Circle, Bentwood Circle, Exchange Street and Bella Vista Street.
Meanwhile, the Major Thoroughfare Committee also kicked off its summer paving program. The committee received council approval for a $1.1 million bid from APAC Mississippi for its mill and overlay project during a meeting on March 15.
Streets paved include Thomas Street, North Spring Street, Lawndale Drive and Front Street. The last two streets awaiting milling and overlaying from the committee's list are Holly Hill Drive and Airpark Road.
“Major Thoroughfare (Committee) does fewer streets overall, but longer streets,” Williams said.
|
https://www.djournal.com/news/local/tupelo-lee-county-move-forward-with-summer-road-maintenance/article_48545970-aa3d-559a-8aa2-89d3fd09f5a6.html
| 2022-05-24T09:30:39
| 1
|
https://www.djournal.com/news/local/tupelo-lee-county-move-forward-with-summer-road-maintenance/article_48545970-aa3d-559a-8aa2-89d3fd09f5a6.html
|
Christine R. Atwell
August 14, 1968-May 21, 2022
GARNER-Christine R. Atwell, 53, of Garner passed away Saturday, May 21, 2022, at MercyOne North Iowa Hospice Unit in Mason City
Funeral services will be held 10:30 a.m., Friday, May 27, 2022, at The Dock, 500 Main Ave., Clear Lake with Rev. Jason Miller officiating. Burial will be at Concord Township Cemetery in Garner.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m., Thursday at The Dock in Clear Lake. Cataldo Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. www.cataldofuneralhome.com
|
https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/christine-r-atwell/article_24c65f24-ec3d-5cd2-86bd-e32fe1854114.html
| 2022-05-24T09:33:01
| 1
|
https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/christine-r-atwell/article_24c65f24-ec3d-5cd2-86bd-e32fe1854114.html
|
Percy E. Brady, 80, of Belmond, died Sunday, May 22, 2022 at the Iowa Specialty Hospital of Belmond. Arrangements: Ewing Funeral Home in Belmond.
Michael L. Florence, 70, died at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center, Mason City. Arrangements: Hogan-Bremer-Moore Colonial Chapel.
Earl Mason, 93, of Mason City, died Saturday, May 21, 2022 at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown. Arrangements: Hogan-Bremer-Moore Colonial Chapel.
Bryon M. Sletten, 56, of Clear Lake, died Sunday, May 22, 2022 at his home. Arrangements: Hogan-Bremer-Moore Colonial Chapel.
|
https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/death-notices/globe-death-notices/article_c73a2e63-a277-5cb6-b1d3-4d26ee7ce6dd.html
| 2022-05-24T09:33:07
| 0
|
https://globegazette.com/news/local/obituaries/death-notices/globe-death-notices/article_c73a2e63-a277-5cb6-b1d3-4d26ee7ce6dd.html
|
Chilton motorcyclist dies in two-vehicle Fond du Lac County crash
Fond du Lac Reporter
FOND DU LAC - A 67-year-old Chilton man died Monday in a two-vehicle crash on County G in the town of Forest, the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office said.
The sheriff's office got a call on the crash about 11 a.m. Its preliminary investigation shows that a dump truck on northbound County G was attempting to turn left onto Chickadee Drive when a motorcycle driven by the Chilton man, also on northbound County G, tried to pass the truck on the left and struck its rear driver's-side tires. The truck driver was uninjured.
|
https://www.fdlreporter.com/story/news/local/2022/05/23/chilton-man-dies-fond-du-lac-county-crash-town-forest-dump-truck/9899504002/
| 2022-05-24T10:07:15
| 1
|
https://www.fdlreporter.com/story/news/local/2022/05/23/chilton-man-dies-fond-du-lac-county-crash-town-forest-dump-truck/9899504002/
|
A fight reportedly between a former NFL player and a worker at Newark Liberty International Airport was captured on cellphone video by witnesses, showing the bloodied employee knocked down multiple times.
The incident took place on Thursday just after 11 a.m., according to Port Authority Police. Video shows the worker for United Ground Express, a subsidiary of United Airlines, confronting the other man near a baggage check-in area at the New Jersey airport.
The passenger was said to be improperly using a wheelchair to move his luggage around. The worker confronted the man, identified by Port Authority as Brendan Langley — who according to TMZ is a former NFL cornerback who most recently played wide receiver for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.
While it is not clear what occurred immediately before the brawl, video recorded on a cellphone by a witness showed the worker appearing to smack Langley in the head. Langley then smacks the worker right back, and the two trade words.
The worker dodges a few blows from Langley, the video shows, before he's hit and shoved back. The worker continues to try and fight, even hitting Langley again in the face.
After asking a witness, "You see that s--t?" Langley goes after the worker, punching him in the head multiple times. The man, now bleeding above his left eye, falls back into the luggage area, the video shows.
The employee gets back up and starts to walk over to Langley, before two other employees intervene and prevent the fight from going any further.
News
In a statement, United Airlines said that the company "does not tolerate violence of any kind at our airports or on board our planes and we are working with local authorities in their investigation of this matter," before referring all additional questions to law enforcement.
The airline later said that the worker, who has not been identified, was terminated by United Ground Express.
Langley was removed from the airport by police, according to United. He was charged with assault, Port Authority Police said. Langley was released without entering a plea, court records show, with a virtual court appearance scheduled for July 20.
|
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/video-shows-ex-nfl-player-fight-united-employee-at-newark-airport/3702251/
| 2022-05-24T10:17:42
| 1
|
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/video-shows-ex-nfl-player-fight-united-employee-at-newark-airport/3702251/
|
Skip to content
Main Navigation
Search
Search for:
Weather
Local
Sports
Entertainment
Investigators
Videos
Newsletters
Live TV
Share
Close
Trending
Decision 2022 Primary Coverage
Mail-in Ballots
Primary Candidates
How to Help Ukraine
Expand
Seeking Peace in Philly
Searching for solutions to Philadelphia's gun violence crisis
|
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/seeking-peace-in-philly/philly-wants-to-make-ending-shootings-one-call-away-as-part-of-anti-violence-efforts/3249040/
| 2022-05-24T10:25:11
| 0
|
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/seeking-peace-in-philly/philly-wants-to-make-ending-shootings-one-call-away-as-part-of-anti-violence-efforts/3249040/
|
Two new Canton sites receive provisional cannabis dispensary licenses
CANTON – Two new cannabis dispensaries are coming to Canton as part of a state expansion to improve patient access.
The Ohio Board of Pharmacy, which regulates dispensaries, awarded provisional licenses to Citizen Real Estate LLC at 401 Cherry Ave. NE, and The Green Goat Dispensary LLC at Greentree Avenue SW. Canton currently has two dispensaries — Zen Leaf at 3224 Cleveland Ave. NW and The Botanist at 3840 Greentree Ave. SW, just north of the new dispensary site.
State officials approved a slate of provisional licenses last week that will more than double the number of dispensaries. About 230 different entities submitted nearly 1,500 applications.
The 70 new licenses were awarded via lottery with a certain number allocated for each dispensary district containing a county or group of counties.
Citizen Real Estate LLC, an Akron-based cultivator and processor doing business as Klutch Cannabis, received its first dispensary licenses in the lottery for sites in Canton and Lorain. The company submitted 73 dispensary applications — the most submissions from a single company — and each required a $5,000 application fee.
CEO Adam Thomarios said he expects to close on the Cherry Avenue NE property in the coming weeks and then begin interior and security renovations for the dispensary.
"We're hopeful that we can get it open by the end of the year," he said.
The Canton dispensary will be called The Citizen by Klutch, said Pete Nischt, vice president of compliance and communications. It will sell the company's own products as well as California-based Kiva Confections and other brands.
"Because of the way advertising regulations are set up here in Ohio, really the best and only way that we can interact directly with patients and have control over how our products are marketed and sold is to have a retail presence," Nischt said. "So we're ecstatic that we're finally going to get the chance to do that in the state."
The Pride 821 club, which opened last summer at 401 Cherry Ave. NE, closed a few weeks ago because of the property owner's pending sale to the dispensary, club owner Kim Jackson said.
A representative for The Green Goat Dispensary LLC could not be reached for comment.
Canton is part of the northeast district made up of Stark, Tuscarawas, Carroll and Columbiana counties. Ratio Cannabis LLC in New Philadelphia received the third new dispensary license in the district, bringing the total number of district dispensaries to six.
The Board of Pharmacy conducted the drawing earlier this year and reviewed applications to determine whether they met business, security and patient care requirements. Dispensaries also can't be within 500 feet of schools, churches, libraries and other facilities.
The board announced last year that it would conduct a lottery for 73 more marijuana licenses, bringing the total statewide to 131. Officials are still reviewing applications for the remaining three licenses.
The board used a lottery process in the hope of curbing lawsuits from unsuccessful applicants who disputed the previous, merit-based system. Officials also argued the drawing would level the playing field and ensure small and minority-owned businesses can compete against big players.
Black lawmakers and business owners say this alone won't encourage equity in the industry and have advocated for requiring licensees to commit to diverse hiring practices or spend a certain amount on minority vendors.
Ohio currently has 58 licensed dispensaries. The pharmacy board in 2017 set an initial limit of 60 based on an estimated patient count of between 12,000 and 24,000 over two years.
Over 261,000 patients are currently registered under the program, and nearly 138,000 had an active recommendation from a physician. Many have complained about high prices and needing to drive long distances to find deals or certain products.
Where are the new dispensaries?
One-third of the new licenses went to dispensaries in Franklin, Hamilton and Cuyahoga counties, with nine going to businesses in Columbus. Eight of the licenses were awarded to dispensaries in Cincinnati.
Among the locations are vacant Family Video stores in Coshocton, Columbus, Tiffin, Delphos and Dayton.
Dispensaries in smaller cities like Lima, Athens and Piqua also received licenses. Three districts in western Ohio that did not previously have any dispensaries will each have at least one.
See where the dispensaries are located on the map below:
USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau reporter Jessie Balmert contributed.
Haley BeMiller is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
|
https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/canton/2022/05/24/two-new-canton-sites-receive-provisional-cannabis-dispensary-licenses-klutch-green-goat/9841547002/
| 2022-05-24T10:28:22
| 1
|
https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/canton/2022/05/24/two-new-canton-sites-receive-provisional-cannabis-dispensary-licenses-klutch-green-goat/9841547002/
|
NEW YORK (AP) — The folks who hand out Tony Awards believe five is not enough for Angela Lansbury.
The Tony Awards Administration Committee announced Monday that the legendary actor will receive a 2022 special Tony for lifetime achievement in the theater, making it her sixth.
Lansbury made her Broadway debut in 1957 in “Hotel Paradiso” and won Tonys for “Mame” in 1966, “Dear World” in 1969, “Gypsy” in 1974, “Sweeney Todd” in 1979 and “Blithe Spirit” in 2009. Other Broadway credits include “A Little Night Music,” “Gore Vidal’s The Best Man” and “Anyone Can Whistle.”
“Angela Lansbury’s contributions to the stage are insurmountable,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League and Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, said in a statement.
The “Murder, She Wrote” star has six Golden Globes and 18 Emmy nominations as well as an honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in Motion Pictures. Lansbury also has a National Medal of Arts and a Kennedy Center Honor.
Ariana DeBose will host the Tonys on June 12.
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/actor-angela-lansbury-to-receive-a-special-tony-award/
| 2022-05-24T10:47:34
| 1
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/actor-angela-lansbury-to-receive-a-special-tony-award/
|
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A Florida law intended to punish social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter is an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment, a federal appeals court ruled Monday, dealing a major victory to companies who had been accused by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis of discriminating against conservative thought.
A three-judge panel of the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously concluded that it was overreach for DeSantis and the Republican-led Florida Legislature to tell the social media companies how to conduct their work under the Constitution’s free speech guarantee.
“Put simply, with minor exceptions, the government can’t tell a private person or entity what to say or how to say it,” said Circuit Judge Kevin Newsom, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, in the opinion. “We hold that it is substantially likely that social media companies — even the biggest ones — are private actors whose rights the First Amendment protects.”
The ruling upholds a similar decision by a Florida federal district judge on the law, which was signed by DeSantis in 2021. It was part of an overall conservative effort to portray social media companies as generally liberal in outlook and hostile to ideas outside of that viewpoint, especially from the political right.
“Some of these massive, massive companies in Silicon Valley are exerting a power over our population that really has no precedent in American history,” DeSantis said during a May 2021 bill-signing ceremony. “One of their major missions seems to be suppressing ideas.”
However, the appeals panel ruled that the tech companies’ actions were protected, with Judge Newsom writing that Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and others are “engaged in constitutionally protected expressive activity when they moderate and curate the content that they disseminate on their platforms.”
There was no immediate response to emails Monday afternoon from DeSantis’ press secretary or communications director on the ruling. DeSantis is running for reelection this year and eyeing a potential run for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. He was the first governor to sign a bill like this into law, although similar ones have been proposed in other states.
One of those, in Texas, was allowed to go into effect by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the tech companies involved there are asking for emergency U.S. Supreme Court review on whether to block it. No decision on that was immediately released.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association, a nonprofit group representing tech and communications companies, said the ruling represents victory for Internet users and free speech in general — especially as it relates to potentially offensive content.
“When a digital service takes action against problematic content on its own site — whether extremism, Russian propaganda, or racism and abuse — it is exercising its own right to free expression,” said CCIA President Matt Schruers in a statement.
As enacted, the law would give Florida’s attorney general authority to sue companies under the state’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. It would also allow individual Floridians to sue social media companies for up to $100,000 if they feel they’ve been treated unfairly.
The bill targeted social media platforms that have more than 100 million monthly users, which include online giants as Twitter and Facebook. But lawmakers carved out an exception for the Walt Disney Co. and their apps by including that theme park owners wouldn’t be subject to the law.
The law would require large social media companies to publish standards on how it decides to “censor, deplatform, and shadow ban.”
But the appeals court rejected nearly all of the law’s mandates, save for a few lesser provisions in the law.
“Social media platforms exercise editorial judgment that is inherently expressive. When platforms choose to remove users or posts, deprioritize content in viewers’ feeds or search results, or sanction breaches of their community standards, they engage in First-Amendment-protected activity,” Newsom wrote for the court.
_____
Associated Press writers Mark Sherman in Washington and Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee contributed to this story.
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/appeals-court-florida-law-on-social-media-unconstitutional/
| 2022-05-24T10:47:41
| 1
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/appeals-court-florida-law-on-social-media-unconstitutional/
|
NEW YORK (AP) — The Boss is hitting the road again, and the E Street Band band is coming with him.
The rockers announced Monday that they will begin an arena tour in February in the United States, followed by stadium shows beginning in April in Europe.
Details on the cities the rockers will visit in the U.S. will be announced later, but it’ll be the first time the group has toured since wrapping The River Tour in Australia in February 2017.
“After six years, I’m looking forward to seeing our great and loyal fans next year,” Springsteen said in a statement.
The European concerts will begin April 28th in Barcelona, the announcement said. Other stops in Europe will include Dublin, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Copenhagen with the last European show announced so far happening July 25 in Monza, Italy. Concerts in Britain and Belgium will also be announced later.
The North American dates will be split into two segments, with a second leg beginning in August.
The group’s last release was the 2020 album “Letter to You.”
___
Online: brucespringsteen.net.
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/bruce-springsteen-and-e-street-band-to-tour-in-us-europe-2/
| 2022-05-24T10:47:48
| 0
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/bruce-springsteen-and-e-street-band-to-tour-in-us-europe-2/
|
NEW YORK (AP) — The Boss is hitting the road again, and the band is coming with him.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band announced Monday that they will begin an arena tour in February in the United States, followed by stadium shows beginning in April in Europe.
Few details about cities the rockers will visit were announced, but it’ll be the first time the group has toured since wrapping The River Tour in Australia in February 2017.
“After six years, I’m looking forward to seeing our great and loyal fans next year,” Springsteen said in a statement.
The European concerts will begin April 28th in Barcelona. Other stops in Europe will include Dublin, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam and Copenhagen. The tour plans several shows in Britain, but exact cities weren’t announced.
No details on which U.S. cities the tour will travel to were announced, but North American dates will be split into two segments. The second leg of that tour will begin in August.
The group’s last release was the 2020 album “Letter to You.”
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/bruce-springsteen-and-e-street-band-to-tour-in-us-europe/
| 2022-05-24T10:47:55
| 0
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/bruce-springsteen-and-e-street-band-to-tour-in-us-europe/
|
NEW YORK (AP) — Margaret Atwood has imagined apocalyptic disaster, Dystopian government and an author faking her own death. But until recently she had spared herself the nightmare of trying to burn one of her own books.
With a flamethrower, no less.
She failed, and that was the point.
On Monday night, timed for PEN America’s annual gala, Atwood and Penguin Random House announced that a one-off, unburnable edition of “The Handmaid’s Tale” would be auctioned through Sotheby’s New York. They launched the initiative with a brief video that shows Atwood attempting in vain to incinerate her classic novel about a totalitarian patriarchy, the Republic of Gilead. Proceeds will be donated to PEN, which advocates for free expression around the world.
“In the category of things you never expected, this is one of them,” she said in a telephone interview.
“To see her classic novel about the dangers of oppression reborn in this innovative, unburnable edition is a timely reminder of what’s at stake in the battle against censorship,” Markus Dohle, CEO of Penguin Random House, said in a statement.
The fireproof narrative is a joint project among PEN, Atwood, Penguin Random House and two companies based in Toronto, where Atwood is a longtime resident: the Rethink creative agency and The Gas Company Inc., a graphic arts and bookbinding specialty studio.
Rethink’s Robbie Percy said that he and fellow creative director Caroline Friesen came up with the idea. Late last year, they had heard about a Texas legislator who listed hundreds of works for potential banning from school libraries: Percy and Friesen wondered if it were possible to make a book protected from the most harrowing censorship. They soon agreed on “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which came out in the 1980s and has had renewed attention over the past few years, beginning with the political rise and unexpected presidency of Donald Trump and continuing with the current surge of book bannings.
“We thought an unburnable copy of ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ could serve as a symbol,” he said.
Percy and Friesen spoke with Atwood’s publishers in Canada and the U.S. — both divisions of Penguin Random House — and got in touch with the author. They then contacted Gaslight, which has worked on numerous commissioned texts, including some for PEN.
The Gas Company’s principal owner, Doug Laxdal, told the AP that instead of paper, he and his colleagues used Cinefoil, a specially treated aluminum product. The 384-page text, which can be read like an ordinary novel, took more than two months to complete. The Gas Company needed days just to print out the manuscript; the Cinefoil sheets were so thin that some would fall through cracks in the printer and become damaged beyond repair. The manuscript was then sewed together by hand, using nickel copper wire.
“The only way you could destroy that book is with a shredder,” Laxdal says. “Otherwise, it will last for a very long time.”
Atwood told the AP that she was was immediately interested in the special edition, and in making the video. She was a teenager in the 1950s, when Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” was published, and holds vivid memories of the novel’s futuristic setting, in which books are reduced to ashes.
“The Handmaid’s Tale” has never been burned, as far as Atwood knows, but has often been subjected to bans or attempted bans. Atwood remembers a 2006 effort in one Texas high school district, when the superintendent called her book “sexually explicit and offensive to Christians,” that ended when students successfully fought back. In 2021, “The Handmaid’s Tale” was pulled by schools in Texas and Kansas.
The novel has sold millions of copies and its impact is not just through words, but images, amplified by the award-winning Hulu adaptation starring Elisabeth Moss. Advocates worldwide for women’s rights have dressed in the puritanical caped robes Atwood devised for her story. Most recently, some women in handmaid outfits marched to protest the Supreme Court’s expected overturning this year of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
“It’s an unforgettable visual metaphor,” Atwood said. “That’s why people in the middle ages put coats of arms on their armor, and had recognizable flags. That way you can visualize them and know who’s standing for what.”
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/burn-proof-edition-of-the-handmaids-tale-up-for-auction/
| 2022-05-24T10:48:02
| 0
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/burn-proof-edition-of-the-handmaids-tale-up-for-auction/
|
NEW YORK (AP) — A former London and Miami art dealer who pleaded guilty to defrauding art buyers and others of over $86 million was sentenced Monday to seven years in prison.
Inigo Philbrick, 34, a U.S. citizen who previously lived in London, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by Judge Sidney H. Stein. He also was ordered to forfeit $86 million.
Philbrick pleaded guilty last November to a single count of wire fraud for conducting a multiyear scheme to defraud individuals and entities in order to finance his art business. Prosecutors said he carried out the scheme by misrepresenting the ownership of certain artworks and by sometimes selling more than 100% ownership to multiple individuals and entities without their knowledge.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a release that Philbrick’s success as an art dealer came only after he collateralized and resold fractional shares in high-value contemporary art.
“Unfortunately, his success was built on brazen lies, including concealed ownership interests, fake documents, and even an invented art collector,” Williams said. “When the house of cards fell apart, Philbrick fled for a remote island in the Pacific, leaving many of his victims without recourse. For his extensive fraud, Philbrick is now sentenced to a substantial prison term.”
Artworks used in the scheme included, among others, a 1982 painting by the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat titled “Humidity,” a 2010 untitled painting by the artist Christopher Wool, and an untitled 2012 painting by the artist Rudolf Stingel depicting the artist Pablo Picasso, authorities said.
The scheme unraveled as jilted art buyers filed civil lawsuits, a lender notified him that he was in default of a $14 million loan and he stopped responding to legal processes, prosecutors said.
In 2019, his art galleries in Miami and London closed and Philbrick fled the U.S. before being arrested in June 2020 in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu, where he’d been living since October 2019, prosecutors said.
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/former-london-miami-art-dealer-gets-7-years-for-fraud/
| 2022-05-24T10:48:09
| 1
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/former-london-miami-art-dealer-gets-7-years-for-fraud/
|
CANNES, France (AP) — The Cannes Film Festival, yet again, belongs to Léa Seydoux.
The French actress has already shared in a Palme d’Or at the festival, in 2013 for “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” which made her and Adèle Exarchopoulos the first actors to ever win Cannes’ top prize, which they shared with director Abdellatif Kechiche.
Last year, she had four films at the festival, but missed all of them because she tested positive for COVID-19. But this year, Seydoux gives two of the best performance of her career in a pair of films unveiled at Cannes: Mia Hansen-Love’s “One Fine Morning” and David Cronenberg’s “Crimes of the Future.” Together, they have only reinforced the view that Seydoux is the premier French actress of her generation.
On a recent afternoon a few blocks from Cannes’ Palais des Festivals, Seydoux greeted a reporter cheerfully. How was she? “Great!” she answered. “Should I not be great?”
The 36-year-old Seydoux has already made a major mark in Hollywood, most notably by taking the once stereotypical role of “Bond Girl” and stretching the character — a “Bond Woman” she redefined — across several films, adding a new dimension of depth to the franchise. Seydoux was so good that even James Bond wanted to settle down.
But it’s especially clear at this year’s Cannes that Hollywood was only one stop of many in the fast-evolving, exceptionally varied career of Seydoux, who has managed to be one of Europe’s most famous faces while still exuding a mysterious melancholy on screen. She’s ubiquitous and elusive at the same time.
“I carry a sadness,” Seydoux says, tracing it to a shy childhood. “Cinema for me is something playful. It’s a real consolation because, in a way, I transformed my sadness into an object of beauty. Or I tried to, anyway. It’s not like it works every time.”
“If I didn’t have cinema, I would have been very sad,” she adds. “That’s why I work all the time. It’s a way to be connected.”
In “One Fine Morning,” one of the standouts of Cannes, Seydoux plays a young widow raising a daughter in Paris while tending to her elderly father, whose memory is slipping. After reconnecting with an old friend, a passionate affair follows. “One Fine Morning,” a semi-autobiographical movie Hansen-Love wrote shortly before her own father died of COVID-19, throbs with the irreconcilable coexistence of grief and love, death and rebirth, and life’s vexing impermanence. Hansen-Love, the “Bergman Island” filmmaker, wrote it with Seydoux in mind.
“She was maybe my favorite actress for this generation,” explains Hansen-Love. “She’s enigmatic in a way that very few actresses are. She’s not trying to show things. She’s not affected.”
“There’s a sadness and melancholy about her that contrasts with her status as a superstar that moves me,” adds the writer-director. “On the one hand, she’s a very glamorous figure in the landscape of cinema. She’s very sexy. She’s in films where she’s seen from the viewpoint of a masculine fantasy, and she enjoys that a lot, I think. But there’s an innocence and simplicity about her that gives me the same feeling when I film unknown actors.”
Sony Pictures Classics acquired the film Monday for U.S. theatrical distribution, citing it as Seydoux’s “finest performance to date.”
Leading up to this moment, Seydoux has experienced some of the worst sides of the movie business. In 2017 she said Harvey Weinstein once forcibly tried to kiss her in a hotel room in a meeting that was ostensibly about a potential role. The filming technique of the lesbian romance “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” in which Kechiche would shoot up to 100 takes of a single shot, has also been questioned.
But Seydoux, who recently signed up to adapt the erotic novel “Emmanuelle” with “Happening” filmmaker Audrey Diwan, says she’s never hesitated to express her sexuality on screen. “One Fine Morning,” with the benefit of Hansen-Love’s perspective, is one of the most sensual films at Cannes.
“I felt that this movie was about passion,” says Seydoux. “I don’t have problems with nudity. It’s something I like to see as a spectator, as a viewer. I think it’s beautiful. I love sex scenes in films.”
In Cronenberg’s “Crimes of the Future,” which opens June 3 in theaters, Seydoux stars alongside Viggo Mortensen in a film yet more focused on the body. In a future where humans and plastics have drawn closer, she plays a surgeon who performs operations to remove tumors and organs with the flare of an artist.
“To be honest, I didn’t understand everything about the film,” Seydoux says, smiling. “For me, it’s like a metaphor about what it is to be an artist.”
“Crimes of the Future” may present an usual science-fiction world but Seydoux is remarkably grounded in it. Eager for more open-ended cinematic adventures, Seydoux says doing a variety of films “is how I feel free. I don’t want to be stuck in one place.”
“I’m not crazy about films that are ‘entertaining,’” says Seydoux. “I don’t think that I go to the cinema to be entertained. I know it’s a big thing in America. I like to ask myself questions more. I don’t like to be given answers. I don’t want to stop thinking. I think certain films are just to feed you with images.”
“I love to feel that I’ve touched something truthful,” Seydoux adds. “In this world we’re living in today, Instagram and all that, is just lies. I feel that with cinema we can touch a certain truth. And there are many truths. I love to be touched. I feel alive.”
___
Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
___
For more Cannes Film Festival coverage, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/cannes-film-festival
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/lea-seydoux-once-again-rules-the-cannes-film-festival/
| 2022-05-24T10:48:17
| 0
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/lea-seydoux-once-again-rules-the-cannes-film-festival/
|
OAK BLUFFS, Mass. (AP) — A man who as a child had a brief but key role in “Jaws” has been named police chief on the Massachusetts island on which the 1975 movie was partially filmed.
Jonathan Searle was offered the job of police chief in Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard last week.
“I’m clearly elated and and I’m humbled and honored to have been offered the position,” Searle, currently a sergeant with Edgartown police, told the Vineyard Gazette, which first reported the appointment.
The movie centers on the efforts of a police chief in a fictional resort town trying to rid the local waters of a killer shark. Scenes were filmed in various locations on Martha’s Vineyard.
In the movie, Searle played one of two boys who send beachgoers into a panic by swimming around with a fake shark’s fin.
Searle, whose father was police chief in Edgartown, takes over in Oak Bluffs next month.
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/life-imitates-art-jaws-extra-named-police-chief/
| 2022-05-24T10:48:24
| 0
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/life-imitates-art-jaws-extra-named-police-chief/
|
Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.
MOVIES
— In the satirical comedy “Emergency,” college seniors Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) and Sean (RJ Cyler) set out for an epic night of partying only to return home to a shocking scene: Their door is ajar and a woman is passed out on their floor. The men are Black and the woman is white and they know that calling the police is not a straightforward proposition. The film, directed by Carey Williams and written by KD Dávila, was one of the breakouts of the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year for its penetrating look at racial dynamics in a heightened, comedic setting. It’s currently playing in theaters for a limited time before streaming on Amazon Prime Video starting Friday.
— “Navalny,” the riveting documentary about Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been making the rounds in theaters and on CNN, but starting Thursday it’ll be available on HBO Max as well. Taut and suspenseful, Daniel Roher’s film plays more like a John le Carré thriller than a true story. It has taken on even greater significance since the Russian war on Ukraine, too, according to many of the people involved. “It gives so much context to what’s happening now in Ukraine,” Maria Pevchikh, head of the investigative unit for Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation and an executive producer on the film, told the AP.
— While we sit and wait to see what the big breakouts will be at the Cannes Film Festival this year, the film streaming platform MUBI has one of the festival’s all-timers coming on Friday: David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive,” which won Lynch the directing prize at the festival in 2001 (shared with Joel Coen for “The Man Who Wasn’t There”). And when you’re done wandering around the fringes of Hollywood with Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harding, MUBI has an entire Cannes takeover section to explore with films like Andrea Arnold’s “Fish Tank,” Joachim Trier’s “Oslo, August 31st” (for new Trier fans thanks to “The Worst Person in the World”), as well as Ruben Östlund’s “The Square” and “Force Majeure.”
— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
MUSIC
— Def Leppard get back to basics with “Diamond Star Halos,” their 12th studio album and first work since 2015. The first single, “Kick,” is less hair metal and more classic arena rock. “You never quit” go the lyrics and that sounds apt for the band, too. Def Leppard recorded in three different countries, with singer Joe Elliott in Ireland, bassist Rick Savage in England, and guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, as well as drummer Rick Allen, in the United States. The album nods to the members’ earliest collective influences, like David Bowie, T. Rex, and Mott the Hoople, among others, and the title comes from T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get It On).”
— The weekend’s big movie is also a place for new music. The soundtrack from “Top Gun: Maverick” features the singles “Hold My Hand” by Lady Gaga and “I Ain’t Worried” by OneRepublic. There’s the return of “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins, while Miles Teller, who plays Goose’s son, recorded a live rendition of “Great Balls of Fire.” The album also features original tracks by the movie’s composers but there’s no reprise of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” — perhaps that would have been a step too far into the danger zone.
— AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy
TELEVISION
— The good old days for dinosaurs concluded some 60 million years ago, when they owned the ancient Earth in all its glory. That’s where “Prehistoric Planet” is set, using a mix of wildlife filmmaking, paleontology findings and visual effects for a promised “one-of-a-kind immersive experience.” Among the stars: the Mongolian Titan and the frightfully clawed Therizinosaurus, who along with other dinos are introduced in their respective land, sea and air habitats. The five-part Apple TV+ series, out Monday through Friday, May 23-27, boasts narrator David Attenborough and music by Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer.
— Martin Freeman keeps proving he can play anything. The “Sherlock” and “Breeders” actor stars as a deeply troubled English police officer in “The Responder,” debuting Tuesday, on the Britbox streaming service. Demoted from inspector, Chris Carson is patrolling the streets of his Liverpool, England, hometown, confronting crime and his own angst. He’s also reluctant partner to a rookie, played by Adelayo Adedayo, and his marriage is at risk. The series, inspired by the experiences of its creator and producer, Tony Schumacher, unfolds over a week of night shifts as Chris tries to rescue a young addict from deadly jeopardy.
— “Keeping Company with Sondheim” follows the creation of Broadway’s reimagined, gender-swapping version of the Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical “Company.” The documentary, filmed over a two-year period during the pandemic, also looks back at the original production’s debut during a bleak time for New York City. Marianne Elliott, director of the new production, and members of the original 1970 cast were among those interviewed for the film airing Friday as part of PBS’ “Great Performances.” So was Sondheim, the theater giant who died last November at age 91.
— AP Television Writer Lynn Elber
___
Catch up on AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/apf-entertainment.
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/new-this-week-dinosaurs-def-leppard-and-the-responder/
| 2022-05-24T10:48:32
| 1
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/new-this-week-dinosaurs-def-leppard-and-the-responder/
|
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City has agreed to pay $7 million to a man who spent 23 years behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit, Comptroller Brad Lander said Monday.
Grant Williams was exonerated last July in the 1996 shooting of Shdell Lewis outside a Staten Island public housing complex.
Williams, 51, had been paroled in 2019. After being cleared last year, he filed a notice of claim, a first step toward suing the city. The comptroller’s office has the authority to settle such claims without court action and occasionally does so, including in the 2014 police chokehold death of Eric Garner.
Williams’ lawyer, Irving Cohen, said the city “did the right thing” by settling quickly.
“This will assist him in going forward and trying to get back on his feet,” and finally putting the ordeal behind him, Cohen said.
He said the state recently settled a separate claim from Williams for $5 million. A message inquiring about the matter was left for state officials.
Lander, a Democrat, said he was pleased that the city was “able to move quickly to a fair and early resolution of this claim.”
The case against Williams had rested largely on the testimony of a couple of eyewitnesses. One was a police officer who chased the gunman — and initially gave a description that didn’t match Williams.
Prosecutors at his trial also sought to suggest a connection between Williams and a baseball cap that the shooter dropped at the scene, though the hat was never tested for DNA that could have pointed to its wearer. It was emblazoned with the logo of Wu-Tang Clan. Williams had worked at the multiplatinum-selling rap group’s Staten Island studio, but his lawyer notes that there was no telling how many hometown fans might have had Wu-Tang Clan hats at the time.
No physical, forensic or digital evidence tied Williams to the crime, and some witnesses testified that he wasn’t the gunman.
Another eyewitness, a friend of the victim’s, had also told investigators that Williams wasn’t the gunman. But police didn’t tell prosecutors about it until after he was indicted, and that witness didn’t testify at the trial.
Williams unsuccessfully appealed his conviction for years before Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon’s office agreed to review it. Prosecutors ultimately joined Williams in seeking the dismissal of his conviction, saying they now believe he’s innocent.
Williams told reporters at the time that he never lost faith that he would be exonerated and used to tell other inmates they’d see it on the news someday.
“And today is that day,” he said with relatives, supporters and friends including Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah by his side.
Since then, Williams has been adjusting to restarting his life, Cohen said. He said his client, who earned an associate’s degree behind bars, hopes to help other wrongfully convicted people and help people steer clear of crime.
“He’s very resilient,” Cohen said.
___
Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak contributed.
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/nyc-to-pay-7m-to-man-wrongfully-convicted-in-1996-killing/
| 2022-05-24T10:48:39
| 0
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/nyc-to-pay-7m-to-man-wrongfully-convicted-in-1996-killing/
|
NEW YORK (AP) — From an imprisoned Ukranian journalist to a high school activist in Florida, PEN America paid tribute Monday night to democracy and free expression and warned about the dangers faced in the U.S. and abroad.
“Instead of being able focus on menial responsibilities such as school work, my generation has been forced to rapidly mobilize and fight for our future,” Florida teenager Jack Petocz, a prominent opponent of the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, said Monday. “If our collective voice couldn’t make a difference, then they wouldn’t be trying so hard to silence it.”
Marking its 100th year, the literary and human rights organization held its annual fundraising dinner gala, as some 650 authors, publishers, editors and others gathered at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. Petocz was given the PEN/Benenson Courage Award, author Zadie Smith the literary service award and Audible.com founder Donald Katz the award for being a business visionary. Actor—comedian-commentator Faith Salie hosted.
Ukrainian journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko, currently serving a six-year sentence in a Russian labor camp for his reporting in Russian-occupied Crimea, was presented in absentia the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award, given to political prisoners. Yesypenko’s wife Kateryna, introduced by actor Michael Douglas, spoke on his behalf.
“He believes people deserve to know what’s going, to know what the truth is,” she said, speaking in Ukrainian, her words translated by a PEN official. “My husband believes this so deeply he is prepared to risk his life. I share his commitment.”
Some presenters cited personal affinities with the honorees. Douglas noted that he had ancestors from Eastern Europe. Katz was introduced by Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who recalled that when he was mayor of Newark a decade ago Katz made the city his base for his audio book producer and distributor.
“Audible was the first major company that moved to Newark when I was mayor,” Booker said. “People had given up on Newark. People ignored our city. People had declared our city dead.”
Smith, the British author known for such novels as “White Teeth” and “On Beauty,” wondered why she was receiving an award for literary service. As she acknowledged Monday night, she has largely confined her “service” to writing books, having “headed no committees, avoided literally every board I could, ducked out of the way of open letters and literary petitions as if they were lobbed hand grenades.”
She contrasted herself with such author-activists as Simone Weil and Albert Camus and James Baldwin, expressing her “awe and respect” for them, while calling her work its own kind of contribution, stating that “thought, too, is a form of action.”
“I know what I am. I am a novelist. I sit in my room. I write. I read. Sometimes when my children come in to ask me to do something, they will say, ‘You’re literally doing nothing!’” she said. “To you I want to confess I consider it my vocation to put whatever linguistic gifts I have at the service of language itself.”
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/pen-america-honors-activists-artists-and-dissidents/
| 2022-05-24T10:48:46
| 0
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/pen-america-honors-activists-artists-and-dissidents/
|
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A hand surgeon testified Monday that Johnny Depp could not have lost the tip of his middle finger the way he told jurors it happened in his civil lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard.
The finger injury, which occurred in a March 2015 fight in Australia between Depp and Heard, has been one of several key points of dispute in the lawsuit. Depp says he was injured when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him. Heard has said she never saw specifically how it happened, but that it occurred on a night when an enraged Depp sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle.
Depp is suing Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court over a December 2018 op-ed she wrote in The Washington Post describing herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” His lawyers say he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name.
Depp has denied he ever struck Heard, and says she was the abuser in the relationship. Heard has testified about more than a dozen separate instances of physical abuse she says she suffered at Depp’s hands.
In testimony Monday, surgeon Richard Moore testified about the severed finger as jurors saw gruesome photos of the injury. He said that Depp described that his palm was down on a bar when it was struck by the bottle.
Moore, who did not treat Depp, testified that Depp’s description is unlikely, in large part because his fingernail remained intact. Moore said the fingernail was exposed, as Depp described the placement of his hand, and would have been damaged. Moore also said there would have been other cuts on the rest of his hand from the glass that shattered on impact.
While Depp told the jury that Heard severed the finger by throwing a vodka bottle, at the time of the accident he told people and sent text messages saying he’d done it to himself. At one point he said the finger had been pinched between solid accordion doors.
Depp now says he lied to protect Heard. Moore testified that getting the finger pinched in accordion doors would be consistent with the injury.
The trial is now in its sixth week. Monday’s testimony was relatively mundane in a trial that has provided an ugly glimpse into the couple’s toxic relationship. There had been an expectation that Heard’s lawyers were going to call Depp to the stand Monday, but that did not occur. Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, said at the end of the day Monday that they are still discussing whether to call him.
Jurors had already heard from both Depp and Heard extensively — each was on the stand for four days, undergoing grueling cross-examinations.
Also Monday, a psychiatrist testified that Depp’s behavior fits the pattern of a person whose drug and alcohol abuse contributes to domestic violence.
Depp lawyer Wayne Dennison questioned the ethics and credibility of the psychiatrist’s opinions, given that he never conducted an examination of Depp.
Later Monday, Dennison extensively questioned another Heard witness, entertainment expert Kathryn Arnold, about her assertion that Heard lost out on a potential $40 million to $50 million when another Depp lawyer called Heard’s claims of abuse a “hoax.” Heard has filed a counterclaim against Depp based on those statements.
Arnold said she measured Heard’s career against “comparable” stars like Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa and Zendaya to show where Heard’s career would have gone if Depp attorney Adam Waldman had not defamed her.
Dennison, in his questioning, scoffed at the notion that Heard was in the same league as those stars. He was also dismissive of Heard’s role as Mera in the “Aquaman” superhero film franchise, saying that the to-be-released “Aquaman” sequel is more like a “buddy comedy” than a film that will feature Heard as a romantic lead.
Heard “was on the precipice of a great career,” Arnold insisted.
The trial has drawn increasing public attention over its length. People camped out overnight and squabbled over places in line as they sought to get one of the 100 seats in the courtroom allocated to the public. During a morning break, one woman professed her love for Depp and asked when he was going to acknowledge that he was the father of the baby she was holding in her arms.
She was removed from the courtroom.
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/surgeon-johnny-depps-severed-finger-story-has-flaws/
| 2022-05-24T10:48:53
| 0
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/surgeon-johnny-depps-severed-finger-story-has-flaws/
|
NEW YORK (AP) — In 1983, producer Jerry Bruckheimer was flipping through the May issue of California magazine when he was struck by a story. “Top Guns” read the headline, with a large photograph from inside the cockpit of an F-14 fighter jet. The story opened: “At Mach 2 and 40,000 feet over California, it’s always high noon.”
“I saw that cover and I said, ‘We gotta do this. This looks great,'” recalls Bruckheimer. “It’s ‘Star Wars’ on Earth.”
And at the box office, “Top Gun” did nearly reach “Star Wars” proportions. It was the No. 1 film of 1986, a rocket-boosted, testosterone-fueled sensation that established the then 24-year-old Tom Cruise as a major star. It made Bomber jackets, Aviator sunglasses and playing homoerotic games of beach volleyball in jeans hip just as it did military service. In the jingoist Reagan-era ’80s, “Top Gun” was about as American as it gets. The Navy set up recruitment tables in theaters. Enlistments soared.
If all of that — the go-go patriotism, a star-led blockbuster, magazines — sounds like a like time ago, it was. But almost four decades later, and after sitting on the shelf for two years due to the pandemic, “Top Gun: Maverick” is flying full throttle into a new world.
In the film, directed by Joseph Kosinski, there’s a new mission to win and dogfights to wage. But this time, the task of “Top Gun” feels even weightier. It’s here to, in a CGI, Marvel world, prove that a propulsive brand of moviemaking fueled by star power, practical effects and filmmaking prowess can, still, summon the need for speed.
“I wanted it to have that old-school experience,” says Kosinski, director of “Tron: Legacy” and “Oblivion.“ Just as Maverick is going back to Top Gun, I wanted to take the audience back to that type of filmmaking.”
Paramount Pictures, which held off on pushing “Top Gun: Maverick” to streaming, has put a military-grade push behind the sequel. After kicking off aboard the USS Midway aircraft carrier in San Diego ( where Cruise arrived by helicopter ) a worldwide promotional tour has included stops at the Cannes Film Festival ( where Cruise received an honorary Palme d’Or ) and a royal premiere in London. The film, finally, opens in theaters Friday.
But where countless decades-later sequels have crashed and burned, “Top Gun: Maverick” may be a retro-blockbuster that succeeds — and maybe even rivals the original. The film has certain advantages, most notably the seemingly agelessness of its 59-year-old star.
But “Top Gun: Maverick,” in which a middle-aged Maverick returns to the elite aviation training program to train a new generation of flying aces (among them Goose’s hot-head son Rooster, played by Miles Teller), is an action adventure that recaptures a high-flying moviemaking style with modern-day technology. With visceral aerial scenes filmed inside the cockpit and a surprisingly emotional storyline soaked through with memory and loss, “Top Gun: Maverick” rekindles a daredevil spirit for digital times.
Early in the film, a skeptical general played by Ed Harris tells Maverick his kind is headed for extinction, a relic soon to replaced by automation. Maverick replies, with a smirk, “Not today.”
“In the film, he’s talking about him as an aviator. But watching it last week, it did feel like Tom Cruise is talking about the movie business,” says Kosinski. “In the age of streaming, he’s still making a really, really strong case for the theatrical experience.”
But does a new “Top Gun” fit as seamlessly into today as the original did the Reagan ’80s? The original “Top Gun” wasn’t a hit with critics. Pauline Kael called it a “shiny homoerotic commercial,” a thread that Quentin Tarantino picked in 1994′s “Sleep With Me” when he, as an actor, called it “a story about a man’s struggle with his own homosexuality.”
Others saw a Pentagon-backed recruitment film with pumped up patriotism, and a portrait of American individualism set against a faceless, country-less enemy. Much of that is still present in “Maverick” — there’s no shortage of disobeyed orders and the bad guys remain a blank slate. But Kosinski approached the film as foremost about the close-knit culture of aviators.
“I do feel like the theme of the first film is not really about politics. It really is about friendship, camaraderie, competition, sacrifice,” says Kosinski. “That’s what we wanted to do on this film very purposefully. We designed a fictional antagonist. The mission itself is one about keeping the world safe. It’s not about invasion. It’s really about the relationship between Maverick and Rooster.”
In 2012, momentum was starting to gather for a sequel. The original film’s director, Tony Scott, was meeting with Bruckheimer at the Naval Fighter Weapons School known as Top Gun in Nevada. Scott killed himself days later.
“We certainly were doubtful that it was going to happen,” says Bruckheimer. “But we still had interest in trying to get the movie made.”
Bruckheimer brought in Kosinski, who had directed Cruise in the sleek 2013 science-fiction adventure “Oblivion.” Knowing from that experience what Cruise would respond to, Kosinski focused his pitch to the actor on character and emotion. He and Bruckheimer flew to Paris to meet with Cruise while he was shooting a “Mission: Impossible” film. The director, who came with a poster adorned with the title “Top Gun: Maverick,” had 20 minutes to make his case.
“At the end of that meeting, Tom stood and he walked over to the phone and he called the head of the studio and said, ‘We’re making this film,’” says Kosinski. “I mean, that’s a real movie star who can greenlight a movie with a phone call.”
Cruise had a few stipulations. One was that Val Kilmer, who has difficulty speaking after throat cancer and numerous trachea surgeries, return to play Iceman. (The actor appears briefly but poignantly.) Another was that all the actors playing pilots be trained to ride in F-16s and withstand higher G-forces. On the original, only Cruise managed it.
“Tom devised a way to train the actors. In the first one, when they put them up in the air with one camera in the cockpit, everybody threw up. We had no usable footage. Their eyes were rolling back in their heads,” says Bruckheimer. “Tom said, ‘Listen, we have to figure out a way to put our actors up there so they can handle the G-forces.’”
It took 15 months, Bruckheimer says, to work out with the Navy, lawyers and the film crew how to have six cameras in the cockpit. Actors playing pilots — Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Greg Tarzan Davis, Danny Ramirez, Lewis Pullman and Jay Ellis — were trained over three months to prepare for the velocity of F-18 flights.
“Some actors said, ‘I won’t do it. I’m afraid of flying.’ So we lost some talented people who just couldn’t commit to making the movie in the way we did it,” Bruckheimer says. “The majority of the pilots that we worked with on this current movie said they joined the military because they joined the first ‘Top Gun.’”
So “Top Gun” has already proved that it can have a lasting effect in the real world. “Top Gun: Maverick” is hoping to show that, when done well, big Bruckheimer-styled blockbusters can still outrace anything else in theaters, or at home.
“This film is looking to the future,” says Kosinski. “Not only the past.”
___
Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/top-gun-and-tom-cruise-return-to-the-danger-zone/
| 2022-05-24T10:49:00
| 1
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/top-gun-and-tom-cruise-return-to-the-danger-zone/
|
NEW YORK (AP) — The first thing you hear is a familiar voice over the sound of thousands of screaming fans.
“Hello, Syracuse and the world. My name is Prince and I’ve come to play with you.”
The Purple One soon arrives, rising up through the stage — wearing an animal print jumpsuit with a ruffled white frock, a guitar slug across his back — as “Let’s Go Crazy” starts. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…” he says.
It’s the electric beginning of a high-energy concert in upstate New York held more than three decades ago, reworked and re-released on video and audio capturing Prince & The Revolution at their peak.
“It was as amazing as I remember it was,” says Lisa Coleman, a Revolution member who was there that night singing and playing keys. Adds drummer Bobby Z: “The next generation needs to see this because this is what it was all about.”
The March 30, 1985, concert at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York, included the songs “Delirious,” “1999,” “Little Red Corvette,” “Take Me Home,” “Let’s Pretend We’re Married,” “Computer Blue,” “When Doves Cry” and “I Would Die 4 U,” among others.
It closes with a sensual, knock-out “Purple Rain,” with Prince in a shimmering cloak delivering a solo that lasts several minutes and shows off an immensely talented guitarist.
“You can tell that he knows what he’s doing there — he is lighting up the world. He always played it like there was no tomorrow. But that one is especially moving,” says Bobby Z.
“Prince and The Revolution: Live” will be released June 3 in a variety of formats, including digital streaming platforms, a three-LP vinyl version, a two-CD version and a Blu-ray of the concert film.
There’s also a limited edition box set featuring three colored LPs, two CDs, the Blu-ray video, a 44-page book with never-before-seen photos of the Purple Rain Tour, and new liner notes penned by all five members of the Revolution.
“I was so proud of him and the band we put together and everything at that moment and the fact that it lives on and that this beautiful project is coming out is something special,” says Bobby Z, a Prince friend since they met in 1976. “That band is cooking like a freight train.”
Prince fans have another reason to be happy this summer: “Prince: The Immersive Experience” makes its worldwide debut on June 9 in Chicago. It offers visitors the chance to explore his wardrobe, music influences and hits.
The Syracuse concert came at the end of a 100-odd date tour and Prince and the band are by this time a tight and sleek machine, piggybacking off the wild success of the film “Purple Rain.”
“I do feel like it was a pearl amongst a really great necklace,” says Wendy Melvoin, a guitarist and singer in the Revolution. “The only difference was that it was being televised worldwide. And there was a bit more pressure on us to kind of up our game.”
Over the course of the performance, Prince makes several costume changes, jumps around the set’s scaffolding, strips down to just pants and necklaces, writhes suggestively in a bathtub and drives the crowd crazy with such lines as: “Do you want me?”
The gig was an early pay-per-view event and was nominated for a Grammy Award for best longform music video. The concert was later put out on VHS but the quality of the audio and visuals were poor.
“I’m really excited for a next generation of Prince fans to see what it was all about. He wasn’t, you know, just some average guy. This was a seriously talented, unbelievable dancer, singer, bandleader, showman, composer, musician. This was a one-in-a-billion individual,” says Bobby Z.
Melvoin says die-hard Prince fans may have already seen bootleg versions but hopes that the new album and film can inspire other artists.
“I think the people that I’d want to have see it are people that want to learn how to put on a really great show,” she says. “Other artists should see it.”
Melvoin and Coleman say they recently rewatched the two-hour concert and found themselves saying “wow!” periodically.
“We were sitting next to each other watching a big screen version of it, and we both had forgotten certain parts of it, and it was really quite something to behold,” says Melvoin. “I think one of the things that I said to Lisa was, ‘Jesus, we were really good!’”
___
Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/when-purple-reigned-a-1985-prince-concert-finds-a-new-life/
| 2022-05-24T10:49:07
| 1
|
https://www.cbs42.com/local/when-purple-reigned-a-1985-prince-concert-finds-a-new-life/
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.