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FORT MYERS, Fla. — A vehicle burst into flames along Southbound I-75 on Sunday afternoon, according to the South Trail Fire Department.
Fire crews were able to extinguish the flames. The vehicle was located under the overpass near exit 128 Southbound ramp.
No further information is available at this time.
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https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/04/24/vehicle-bursts-into-flames-underneath-overpass-along-southbound-i-75/
| 2022-04-24T22:45:27
| 1
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https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/04/24/vehicle-bursts-into-flames-underneath-overpass-along-southbound-i-75/
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HEFLIN, Ala. (WIAT) — One woman was killed and another was injured in a crash in Heflin on April 18.
According to Heflin Police, the head-on collision happened around 6:15 PM on Hwy 9 at Bennett Flats. Officers arrived on scene to find both vehicles involved in the crash on fire.
One woman died as a result of the crash. Her identity is unknown at this time.
The other victim was trapped inside their vehicle when officers arrived and they were able to extract her. She was taken to a local hospital with severe injuries but is currently stable.
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https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/1-killed-1-injured-in-heflin-crash/
| 2022-04-25T00:35:03
| 0
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https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/1-killed-1-injured-in-heflin-crash/
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NEW YORK (AP) — On an unusually crowded weekend at movie theaters that featureda pricey Viking epic and Nicolas Cage playing himself, DreamWorks Animation’s “The Bad Guys” bested the field, signaling a continued resurgence for family moviegoing after a downturn during the pandemic.
“The Bad Guys,”released by Universal Pictures, debuted with $24 million in U.S. and Canada ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. That came despite steep competition for families from Paramount Pictures’ “Sonic The Hedgehog 2,” which stayed in second place with $15.2 million its third week of release. It’s grossed $145.8 million domestically thus far.
The apparent health of family moviegoing is especially good news for Hollywood as it heads into its lucrative summer season when films like Universal’s own “Minions: Rise of Gru” and Walt Disney Co.’s “Lightyear” — the first Pixar film opening in theaters in two years — hope to approach pre-pandemic levels.
“There’s reason for being more than cautiously optimistic,” said Jim Orr, head of distribution for Universal. “I think audiences this summer are going to be flooding into theaters.”
While studios have been hesitant to program many films against each other during the pandemic, the weekend saw a rarity: three new wide releases, all of them well-received, none of them sequels or remakes.
“The Bad Guys,” based on Aaron Blabey’s children’s graphic novel series about a gang of crooked animals with a Quentin Tarantino-for-kids tone, fared well with critics (85% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences (an “A” CinemaScore). With little family competition until the release of “Lightyear” in mid-June, “The Bad Guys” should play well for weeks. Having first debuted overseas, the animated film has already grossed $63.1 million internationally.
The weekend’s other new releases — Robert Eggers’ “The Northman” and the Cage-starring “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” — didn’t do as well but still fared reasonably solidly in their first weekend.
“Every weekend is a building block in the recovery, but I don’t even want to call it a recovery. I think movie theaters are recovered. We’re pretty much there,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for ComScore. “Three newcomers were all well-received, and all of them found an audience.”
The risks were greatest for Focus Features’ “The Northman,” which saw its budget balloon beyond $70 million, a major increase in scale for Eggers, the director of previous indie historical horrors “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse.” The film’s path to profitability was unlikely even before launching in theaters, but it opened on the higher side of expectations with $12 million in ticket sales. It added $6.3 million internationally in 26 territories.
“The Northman” stars Alexander Skarsgard, Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicole Kidman star in a brutal and bloody revenge saga.
“First and foremost, we wanted to work with Robert Eggers,” said Lisa Bunnell, head of distribution for Focus, which had handled international distribution for Eggers’ first two films. “The key here is that we got to make a film that we wanted to make with a filmmaker we feel is part of the future of American cinema. He’s got a very distinctive voice. He’s making film with original IP, not just going in: ‘Let’s make a sequel!'”
Meanwhile, a new installment in a once all-powerful brand, the Harry Potter spinoff “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” fell off a cliff in its second weekend in theaters. The Warner Bros. release, the third “Fantastic Beasts” movie, dropped 67% in it second week with $14 million. That’s a bad sign for the future of the franchise, should it be continued by Warner Bros. (The studio has thus far held off on greenlighting a fourth film.) Still, “Secrets of Dumbledore,” last week’s top film, is doing better overseas. International sales of $213.2 million account for the lion share of the film’s $280.3 million global haul.
Lionsgate’s “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” a gonzo meta comedy starring Cage as an exaggerated version of himself, opened with an estimated $7.2 million. The film, which first launched to warm reviews out of South by Southwest, will depend on good word of mouth to approach netting its $30 million budget.
That’s the kind success that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has had. The A24 release, a madcap metaverse fantasy starring Michelle Yeoh, has been one of the brightest signs for the specialty film business, another sector of the industry that struggled theatrically during the pandemic. In its fifth week, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” grossed $5.4 million, a drop of just 12% from the week prior.
But the biggest breakthrough in theaters this April has been for family moviegoing. It’s good timing for the film industry, which will this week convene in Las Vegas for CinemaCon, the annual convention and trade show for trumpeting theatrical exhibition. Expect plenty of proclamations that movie theaters are back.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “The Bad Guys,” $24 million.
2. “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” $15.2 million.
3. “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” $14 million.
4. “The Northman,” $12 million.
5. “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” $7.2 million.
6. “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” $5.4 million.
7. “The Lost City,” $4.4 million.
8. “Father Stu,” $3.4 million.
9. “Morbius,” $2.3 million.
10. “Ambulance,” $1.8 million.
___
Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
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https://www.cbs42.com/local/bad-guys-bests-the-northman-nick-cage-at-the-box-office/
| 2022-04-25T01:04:49
| 0
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https://www.cbs42.com/local/bad-guys-bests-the-northman-nick-cage-at-the-box-office/
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A host of celebrities and comedy royalty will gather Sunday night at the Kennedy Center as comedian, talk show host and political influencer Jon Stewart receives the Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in humor.
Stewart, the 23rd recipient of the prize, will be honored by testimonials and skits from fellow comedians and previous Mark Twain recipients. Stewart himself spoke during Dave Chappelle’s Mark Twain ceremony in 2019.
The 59-year-old Stewart — born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz — rose to prominence as a standup comic and host of multiple failed talk shows before taking over Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” in 1999. His 16-year run as “Daily Show” host turned him into a cultural and political force as Stewart trained his satirical eye on both politics and an increasingly polarized national media.
In perhaps his most iconic moment, Stewart went on CNN’s popular “Crossfire” debate show in 2004 and challenged the show’s entire premise of left-wing vs. right-wing debate. Stewart told co-hosts Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala they had a “responsibility to the public discourse” that they were cheapening with insincere political role-playing.
Stewart’s appearance rocketed him to new levels of prominence and political relevance and may have sealed the fate of “Crossfire,” which was canceled three months later.
Since retiring from “The Daily Show” in 2015, Stewart has become a vocal proponent of a number of social causes and one of the most prominent voices in support of health care for Sept. 11 first responders in New York City. He recently returned to television as host of “The Problem with Jon Stewart” on Apple TV+.
When Stewart’s selection was announced in January, Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter hailed his body of work as “equal parts entertainment and truth.”
Rutter said Stewart’s career “demonstrates that we all can make a difference in this world through humor, humanity, and patriotism.”
This will be the first Mark Twain ceremony since Chappelle’s in 2019. The award skipped 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from that two-year break, the prize has been presented annually since 1998, with Richard Pryor receiving the first honors.
Other recipients include Carol Burnett (the oldest recipient at age 80), Tina Fey (the youngest at age 40), Eddie Murphy, Jonathan Winters, George Carlin and Lily Tomlin. 2009 recipient Bill Cosby had his prize rescinded in 2018 amid multiple allegations of sexual assault.
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https://www.cbs42.com/local/jon-stewart-to-receive-mark-twain-prize-for-american-humor/
| 2022-04-25T01:04:57
| 0
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https://www.cbs42.com/local/jon-stewart-to-receive-mark-twain-prize-for-american-humor/
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Malvern woman killed in crash on U.S. Route 30
The Repository
PERRY TWP. – A Malvern woman was killed in a one-vehicle crash on U.S. Route 30 at 2:44 p.m. Sunday, the Ohio Highway Patrol said.
Carrie Conrad, 44, was driving eastbound on the highway near the Whipple Avenue exit when her 2019 Jeep Compass traveled off the right side of the road, down an embankment and struck a fence and tree. The vehicle overturned and came to rest on its top, the patrol said.
Conrad, who was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Stark County Coroner's Office, the patrol said. The crash remains under investigation.
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https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2022/04/24/carrie-conrad-killed-one-vehicle-crash-u-s-route-30-ohio-state-highway-patrol/7435320001/
| 2022-04-25T02:04:04
| 1
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https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2022/04/24/carrie-conrad-killed-one-vehicle-crash-u-s-route-30-ohio-state-highway-patrol/7435320001/
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DALLAS — Nearly three days after it started, the search for Texas Army National Guard Specialist Bishop E. Evans of Arlington hasn’t stopped.
The Texas Army National Guard says Evans disappeared Friday morning when he dove into the Rio Grande to save two migrants struggling in the water.
“They both went under the water and didn’t come back up,” State Rep. Eddie Morales (D – Eagle Pass) said. “This is actually one of the most pressing concerns that I had.”
As the Eagle Pass state representative, Morales said he knows the search area well. He also said he wants more funding for sheriff’s departments to patrol the border, not the Texas Army National Guard. Evans was deployed as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star which has sent thousands of troops to the river.
Evans’ radio, cell phone and body armor were all found on land, meaning he had taken them off before jumping in.
His family told WFAA over the phone that Evans is a carefree 22-year-old man with a good heart who went to Mansfield High School before joining the military in 2019. He was assigned to the 4-133 Field Artillery Regiment in New Braunfels and was also a member of Operation Spartan Shield in Kuwait during the fall of 2020.
The Texas Army National Guard said, “his dedication, talents, and tactical prowess led his leadership to regularly assign him to operations in Iraq in support of Special Operations Forces for short periods of time, while then rotating back into Kuwait.”
His family was in Eagle Pass Sunday to meet the Texas Rangers who are leading the investigation. They learned the search has expanded downriver, but with strong currents, it’s tough for dive teams to go into the water. Search and rescue teams in the area are also using helicopters and boats to assist.
“It’s really sad. It’s really, really sad to see this,” Rosy Cantu, a Maverick County Commissioner, said. “It’s been shocking for all the people from Maverick County. They’re seeing this and we’re – you know everybody’s waiting to see what’s going to happen.”
The search began Friday morning. Sunday night, officials said the efforts and the hope haven’t faded.
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/army-national-guardsman-from-arlington-missing/287-c623d1da-b243-4302-b36a-191c9e0b4a93
| 2022-04-25T02:07:26
| 1
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/army-national-guardsman-from-arlington-missing/287-c623d1da-b243-4302-b36a-191c9e0b4a93
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SEATTLE — Editor's note: The above video originally aired March 10, 2022.
The clock ran down at the end of the homecoming game and spectators stormed the football field, knocking over members of the high school band — all to gather around an assistant coach as he took a knee in prayer, surrounded by uniformed players.
Six years later, after losing his coaching job and repeatedly losing in court, that former Washington state coach, Joe Kennedy, will take his arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, saying the Bremerton School District violated his First Amendment rights by refusing to let him continue praying at midfield immediately after games. Four conservative justices have already expressed concerns with how his case has been handled.
Kennedy's effort to get his job back helped earn him an appearance at a 2016 Donald Trump rally and quickly became a cultural touchstone, pitting public school employees' religious liberties against what his critics describe as longstanding principles separating church and state and protecting students from religious coercion.
Lawyers for the school district said officials had no problem letting Kennedy pray separately from students or letting him return to the field to pray after the students left. But allowing him to pray at midfield immediately after games with students there risked being seen as government endorsement of religion.
While Kennedy insists he never cared whether students participated in the prayers and he never asked them to join him, at least one player — anonymously — later reported participating contrary to his own beliefs, for fear of losing playing time.
“This case is challenging well-established case law that has protected students’ religious freedom for decades, and that has been supported by conservative and liberal justices alike,” said Rachel Laser, chief executive of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which is representing the school district. “If the court rules the wrong way, teachers and coaches could pressure students to pray in every public school classroom across the country.”
For Kennedy's supporters, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' holding in the case would force public school employees to drop their religious identities at the schoolhouse door — something they say the Constitution does not require.
“If a teacher prays over her lunch in the cafeteria and students can see her — just that little blessing over her salad — that's enough to terminate that teacher, according to the school district," said Jeremy Dys, an attorney with First Liberty Institute, which is representing Kennedy.
”I do think there is a time and a place for prayer, said Reverend Meg Dowling, with Bremerton's United Methodist Church.
She is one of at least 5 Bremerton-area clergy who will be in Washington, D.C. for Monday's arguments.
She admires Kennedy's passion for prayer, but said she would be concerned if the justices ruled in his favor.
”We want to protect the rights of our students, whether they’re Christian, Muslim, or Jewish," said Dowling, ”It sets a precedent for the future and I think our religious liberties and our First Amendment rights are at risk.”
Kennedy, a former Marine whose day job was at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, began coaching football at Bremerton High in 2008. He was new to religion and coaching and said he was inspired by the movie “Facing the Giants” — about a Christian high school football coach — to give thanks to God “on the battlefield” after each game.
What began as a solitary practice soon attracted students. He agreed, citing the district's policy of neither encouraging nor discouraging student prayer. Over the years he began leading locker room prayers before games, as well as group prayers and religious motivational talks at midfield after them.
The school district said it did not learn Kennedy was leading players in prayer until it heard it from another team's coach in September 2015. Administrators told him he was not to participate in religious activities with students, and any of his own religious observation must be either non-demonstrative or should occur without students.
For a month, Kennedy complied, the district notes in arguments to the court: He prayed on his own, such as while students were singing the fight song, and the district let him be.
But Kennedy's lawyers then insisted he be allowed to resume his prior practice, describing it as a “personal” prayer protected by the Constitution whether or not students joined him. Kennedy announced he would resume praying at midfield after games, and when he did so at the Oct. 16, 2015, homecoming game, as Bremerton's players were otherwise occupied, spectators rushed to the field to join him — as did members of the opposing team.
The district still did not fire Kennedy but wrote to caution him. Given his prior statements and actions, his praying at midfield — on government property he could access only by virtue of his job — could be perceived as school endorsement of religion, exposing the district to potential liability, Superintendent Aaron Leavell wrote.
“I wish to again emphasize that the district does not prohibit prayer or other religious exercise by its employees,” Leavell wrote. “However, it must prohibit any conduct by its employees that would serve as District endorsement of religion.”
Kennedy prayed again on the field after the next two games: first at a varsity game where no one joined him, and then at a junior varsity game where he was joined by a state lawmaker. The district then placed him on leave, and his contract was not renewed.
Kennedy's lawyers point out that he stopped engaging in religious activity with Bremerton students when asked. What he was actually suspended for was not delivering prayers to students, but kneeling and praying quickly by himself, they argue.
The federal judge who ruled against Kennedy, District Judge Ronald Leighton, compared his postgame behavior to a director who comes to center stage and prays at the end of a school play: “A reasonable onlooker would interpret their speech from that location as an extension of the school-sanctioned speech just before it.”
As the case made its way through the courts, Kennedy lost at every turn. But when the Supreme Court declined to take the case at an earlier stage, Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh called the 9th Circuit's reasoning “troubling” and said under it, “public school teachers and coaches may be fired if they engage in any expression that the school does not like while they are on duty.”
Ninth Circuit Judge Milan Smith suggested a teacher who prays over lunch in a cafeteria doesn't send a public message the way Kennedy did. Smith called the narrative posed by Kennedy's lawyers — that this was about a public employee's private prayer — “deceitful.”
Kennedy said he just wants to get back to coaching.
“This thing has just been so blown out of proportion,” he said. “Imagine a guy going out there and tying his shoe — you would never know the difference.”
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/praying-washington-football-coach-supreme-court/281-8db4d98e-f2ff-4cde-b389-50f013c3981a
| 2022-04-25T02:07:32
| 0
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/praying-washington-football-coach-supreme-court/281-8db4d98e-f2ff-4cde-b389-50f013c3981a
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The more than 75-year-old, non-profit theatre organization has announced its capital campaign; this plan envisions the installation of several updates at the Cole Theatre on Wadley Avenue.
The Cole Theatre, originally constructed in 1978 by the founding Executive Director Art Cole, was designed from backstage forward to ensure the space required had everything the organization could possibly need to provide a quality theatrical experience both on and off stage. However, due to a shortage of funding, some parts of the project were never fully realized. New Managing Director Ken Olson began working on the capital campaign, a $7 million expansion and growth project, immediately upon his hiring in July.
“I was excited to take on a project of this size knowing what it will do for the theatre and the community,” Olson said.
The capital campaign plans to add almost 3,000 square feet to the existing lobby space, giving patrons a much more comfortable and enjoyable experience when they come for a night at the theatre. This also allows for larger internal events and will create a venue space for everything from company luncheons to wedding receptions. It will also change the flow of traffic by moving the main entrance to the east side of the building. Because the lobby is expanding and pushing out, this creates the ability to add much-needed educational classroom space underneath it.
“Currently, we have the amphitheater, which in its original days had many more uses,” Olson said. “Now that Wadley has become such a busy road, it is extremely difficult to hear any type of performance out there due to the constant traffic.”
By removing the amphitheater and expanding the basement, the MCT Education Department will nearly triple its amount of dedicated classroom space.
In addition to the expansions on the patron and education sides, the campaign will also add a huge technology upgrade with the addition of a 1,200-square-foot LED wall to the back wall of the larger Davis Theatre I.
Art Cole designed the back wall of the theatre to be a projection wall, but with today’s technology and new productions coming along, an LED wall will open the theatre up to many possibilities and more advanced technical elements.
The capital campaign is nearing its sizable goal, but the theatre is now looking to the public for support.
“We want the community to feel like they have ownership in this project and in this building,” Olson said. “After all, it is YOUR community theatre!”
If you would like to contribute to the capital campaign, visit the lobby of the Cole Theatre for more information and visual representations of the project or visit our website; www.mctmidland.org.
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https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/MCT-announces-plans-for-expansions-updates-17118730.php
| 2022-04-25T03:59:30
| 0
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https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/MCT-announces-plans-for-expansions-updates-17118730.php
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March was a record-breaking month for the Midland County real estate market, according to the Texas A&M Real Estate Center.
The center reported that new high marks were set or tied for total dollar volume for homes sold and median price for a home sold. A&M also showed in its monthly report that records were just missed for homes sold in a month and average price of a home sold.
Dollar volume eclipsed $124 million for the first time since records have been kept. The $124.945 million beat the previous record of $122.501 million established in June 2021. The total in March was a 36.67 percent increase from March 2021.
The $325,000 for the median home sold tied the record from January and was a 10 percent increase from March 2021, when the median price for a home sold was $295,000. The A&M Real Estate Center also reported that March 2022 marked the 10th straight month that the median price for a home sold topped $300,000 (also a record for the Midland market, according to A&M).
Home sales may be the category most reflective of what the Midland real estate market is becoming. For the third straight month, a new mark for homes sold in particular month was established. In fact, the March 2022 total (335) was 27.8 percent higher than the 262 sold in March 2019, the previous high mark for a month of March in Midland County. The A&M center also reported that the number of homes sold in March was the second most since A&M started keeping records (the most coming in June 2021, 343) and only the second time the center reported more than 300 homes were sold in Midland County in any month.
Lastly, A&M showed the average home sold in March sold for an average of $372,972. That was the second highest mark, trailing only $379,671 in September 2021. It was also the 43rd straight month that the average price for a home sold topped $300,000 inside Midland County, a streak that goes back September 2018.
A&M Real Estate Center statistics show that the price of a home sold typically increases from February to March and that was again the case this year as the average price jumped 12.2 percent from February to March.
Realtors previously told the Reporter-Telegram that potential buyers are wanting to purchase because of the possibility that interest rates will continue to increase. They also said a lower inventory compared to 2020 and 2021 is a factor in price increase.
Midland Market report
March 2022
Homes sold: 335
Dollar volume: $124.945 million
Average price for a home sold: $372,972
Median price for a home sold: $325,000
Homes available at the end of the month: 519
Months of inventory: 2.0
March 2021
Homes sold: 261
Dollar volume: $91.415 million
Average price for a home sold: $350,252
Median price for a home sold: $318,000
Homes available at the end of the month: 701
Months of inventory: 3.4
Source: Texas A&M Real Estate Center
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https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/March-was-record-breaking-month-for-real-estate-17120214.php
| 2022-04-25T03:59:36
| 0
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https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/March-was-record-breaking-month-for-real-estate-17120214.php
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SAN ANTONIO — 15 migrants were injured following a high-speed chase that entered Bexar County Sunday morning, officials say.
Just after 8 a.m., the Medina County Sheriff's Office requested the help of the Bexar County Sheriff's Office as a truck full of 17 migrants entered Bexar County during a high-speed pursuit, officials say.
MCSO was trying to initiate a traffic stop of the black Chevy, but the driver evaded. Sometime during the chase, the truck rolled over injuring 15 migrants near I35 and Kinney Road, officials confirmed.
MCSO said 17 people were inside of the truck, but one bailed out. They also said the driver had a gun in his lap and was one of the injured taken to the hospital. The driver is reportedly from Austin.
Officials confirmed that Air Life came to the scene and took two of the patients to the hospital in critical condition.
This is a developing story and KENS 5 has crew on the scene working to gather more information. Please check back for updates.
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/14-injured-after-high-speed-chase-ends-in-bexar-county-officials-say-texas/273-bd03f239-b736-403d-b076-79e3e53ce795
| 2022-04-25T04:26:29
| 0
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/14-injured-after-high-speed-chase-ends-in-bexar-county-officials-say-texas/273-bd03f239-b736-403d-b076-79e3e53ce795
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GRAYSON COUNTY, Texas — Several North Texas roadways were flooded Sunday night due to some heavy rainfall, according to the Sherman Police Department.
Officers were "inundated" with calls from people asking about road conditions and delays, Sherman Police said. Officials ask people to only call 911 if they are experiencing an emergency.
If the road is covered in water, officials also ask people not to try and drive through the water.
As of 9 p.m. Sunday, Sherman Police said the following locations are currently impassible:
- US Highway 75 between Park Avenue and Bearcat Stadium
- North Travis Street at North US 75 (near Burger King)
- Mulberry Underpass
- The 500 block of North Harrison
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/flooding-grayson-county-april-24-2022/287-96002339-99f3-4cfa-9b78-7e68649f5155
| 2022-04-25T04:26:35
| 0
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/flooding-grayson-county-april-24-2022/287-96002339-99f3-4cfa-9b78-7e68649f5155
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DALLAS — A North Texas family is asking for justice after one of their family members, a street minister, was shot and killed.
Karl Hollins, 38, died on April 7 in South Dallas on the 3400 block of Harmon Street. This is west of Parkdale Lake and just southeast of Fair Park.
His dad, Karl Hollins Sr., said he was shot and killed while working as a security guard. He did this as well as being a street minister.
“He was 38 years old, my only son,” Hollins Sr. said. “Everybody loved my son."
His dad said the night he died, Karl Hollins was working a security detail when someone called him over, asking for some help. He was then allegedly shot and killed.
Police are currently going through surveillance video. While that continues, Karl Hollins' family is asking the public for help.
“I didn’t see my son get into any fights with nobody,” said Hollins Sr. “Y'all took my baby."
Hollins Sr. said his son struggled with reading but that he worked hard to get better at it.
“He went through all that, and learned how to read,” said Hollins.
After learning how to read, Hollins Sr. also said his son, who had six kids of his own, took that energy and started preaching in crime-ridden areas of Texas.
“My son knew how to talk to people, get to people’s hearts," Hollins Sr. said. "He was in Killeen, he was San Antonio, he got his license to do prison ministry."
The family is asking the public to help the Dallas Police Department with tips. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Christopher Walton at 214-671-3632 or christopher.walton@dallascityhall.com. Refer to case No. 060922-2022.
“He died doing what he believed in, helping people,” Hollins Sr. said. "My baby was a good baby. He’s a good kid."
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/south-dallas-street-minister-shot-killed-family-asking-for-justice/287-5b40df97-7c76-4e18-8c60-a3019feb6042
| 2022-04-25T04:26:41
| 1
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/south-dallas-street-minister-shot-killed-family-asking-for-justice/287-5b40df97-7c76-4e18-8c60-a3019feb6042
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INDIANAPOLIS — The Sikh Coalition paid tribute on Saturday to the victims of the FedEx Mass shooting in Indianapolis that happened just over a year ago.
The group sponsored eight trees to be planted during the Great Indy Cleanup, with the eight trees representing the eight people who were fatally shot during a shift change at the FedEx Ground facility near the Indianapolis International Airport on April 15, 2021.
These are the names of the victims of the shooting:
- 32-year-old Matthew R Alexander
- 19-year-old Samaria Blackwell
- 66-year-old Amarjeet Johal
- 50-year-old Jasvinder Kaur
- 68-year-old Jaswinder Singh
- 48-year-old Amarjit Sekhon
- 19-year-old Karli Smith
- 74-year-old John Weisert
The Great Indy Cleanup kicked off with a 30-minute program featuring local faith leaders from the Sikh Satsang of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation, All Souls Unitarian Church and Nur-Allah Islamic Center.
Event organizers said the FedEx mass shooting victims will not be forgotten.
"When we come together and plant trees together it's something that will be a lasting legacy for decades to come. So it is a way of really paying a long-lasting tribute that people will always be able to come by and recognize," said Jeremy Kranowitz, the president and CEO of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful.
The eight trees were among more than 100 trees planted at Arsenal Park on the north side of Indianapolis during the event.
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/trees-planted-arsenal-park-fedex-mass-shooting-victims-indianapolis-indiana/531-f7e768ce-4ec5-4a42-8208-e448c2c29bb3
| 2022-04-25T04:26:47
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Firefighter Timothy Klein died in the line of duty Sunday when the second floor ceiling of a Brooklyn house collapsed. He's the second FDNY member from Ladder Company 170 killed in the line of duty in just over three years.
Klein, 31, served the department for over six years, following alongside his father and several other family members working for the department, Acting FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said.
Standing shoulder to shoulder, hundreds of FDNY personnel gathered outside of Brookdale Hospital late Sunday for a brief procession as Klein's body was removed from the medical center.
"I cannot describe the heartbreak of the FDNY today, to have lost a member doing what our members do best, putting their lives on the line to save others," Kavanaugh said at a press briefing Sunday evening.
Klein responded to the Canarsie house on Avenue N shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday. FDNY officials said he was inside the structure with other firefighters when the structure became too unstable and they were called back to evacuate.
Before Klein and the others could make it out, part of the second floor ceiling collapsed, trapping the 31-year-old.
Klein, the acting commissioner explained, is the second member of Ladder Company 170 lost on the job in a matter of years.
Steven Pollard, 30, died Jan. 2019, helping victims of a car crash on the Belt Parkway after he fell more than 50 feet off the Mill Basin overpass.
News
At Pollard's funeral, Klein described him as the "kind of man who would have a lasting impact on not only his Canarsie family, but with everyone he came in contact with."
Klein was appointed to the FDNY on December, 28, 2015, according to the department, and joined Ladder Company 170 in Canarsie after graduating the Fire Academy.
"New York City has lost one of its bravest today," Mayor Eric Adams said.
Klein, of Queens, is survived by his parents and three sisters.
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/fdny-mourns-firefighter-timothy-klein-killed-in-brooklyn-blaze-ny-only/3660727/
| 2022-04-25T05:05:52
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/fdny-mourns-firefighter-timothy-klein-killed-in-brooklyn-blaze-ny-only/3660727/
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WASHINGTON — A host of celebrities and comedy royalty will gather Sunday night at the Kennedy Center as comedian, talk show host and political influencer Jon Stewart receives the Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in humor.
Stewart, the 23rd recipient of the prize, will be honored by testimonials and skits from fellow comedians and previous Mark Twain recipients. Stewart himself spoke during Dave Chappelle's Mark Twain ceremony in 2019.
The 59-year-old Stewart — born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz — rose to prominence as a standup comic and host of multiple failed talk shows before taking over Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" in 1999. His 16-year run as "Daily Show" host turned him into a cultural and political force as Stewart trained his satirical eye on both politics and an increasingly polarized national media.
In perhaps his most iconic moment, Stewart went on CNN's popular "Crossfire" debate show in 2004 and challenged the show's entire premise of left-wing vs. right-wing debate. Stewart told co-hosts Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala they had a "responsibility to the public discourse" that they were cheapening with insincere political role-playing.
Stewart's appearance rocketed him to new levels of prominence and political relevance and may have sealed the fate of "Crossfire," which was canceled three months later.
Since retiring from "The Daily Show" in 2015, Stewart has become a vocal proponent of a number of social causes and one of the most prominent voices in support of health care for Sept. 11 first responders in New York City. He recently returned to television as host of "The Problem with Jon Stewart" on Apple TV+.
When Stewart's selection was announced in January, Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter hailed his body of work as "equal parts entertainment and truth."
Rutter said Stewart's career "demonstrates that we all can make a difference in this world through humor, humanity, and patriotism."
This will be the first Mark Twain ceremony since Chappelle's in 2019. The award skipped 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from that two-year break, the prize has been presented annually since 1998, with Richard Pryor receiving the first honors.
Other recipients include Carol Burnett (the oldest recipient at age 80), Tina Fey (the youngest at age 40), Eddie Murphy, Jonathan Winters, George Carlin and Lily Tomlin. 2009 recipient Bill Cosby had his prize rescinded in 2018 amid multiple allegations of sexual assault.
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/jon-stewart-mark-twain-prize-for-american-humor-kennedy-center/65-c0ec6c08-7616-40e7-90ca-5e32802c935e
| 2022-04-25T05:17:49
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WASHINGTON — A man is dead after setting himself on fire outside the U.S. Supreme Court building on Friday.
Emergency medical crews were called to the Supreme Court around 6:30 p.m. after a man set himself on fire outside the building. Police said Saturday that the man, Wynn Bruce, 50, of Boulder, Colorado, had died, the Associated Press reported.
Areas around the Supreme Court building were closed for hours Friday night after the incident, which Supreme Court Police said happened on the plaza in front of the building at One First Street NE. U.S. Capitol Police tweeted that a medical helicopter landed for an emergency that was "not a public safety issue."
No indication has been given as to what led to the incident. Supreme Court Police, U.S. Capitol Police and D.C. police responded, and Supreme Court spokesperson Patricia McCabe said no one else was injured.
Parts of First Street and East Capitol streets were closed for the airlift and McCabe said the area was closed for further investigation.
Self-immolation, the act of setting oneself on fire and burning to death, can be a form of protest and has been used to make political statements in the nation's capital in the past. It is unclear whether Friday's incident was intended to be such a protest statement.
In May 2019. a man died after setting himself on fire near the White House. Authorities said 33-year-old Arnav Gupta of Bethesda was seen by passersby on the Ellipse, engulfed in flames. No motive was uncovered in that incident, but Gupta was reported missing by his family just hours before and they expressed concerns for his physical and emotional welfare. Officials extinguished Gupta and took him to a hospital for treatment, but he died from his injuries.
In April of that same year, the Secret Service reported a man in an electric wheelchair lit his jacket on fire while sitting along Pennsylvania Avenue, outside the north fence line of the White House. Officials said they immediately responded and put out the fire.
In November 2004, a Yemeni national named Mohamed Alanssi set himself on fire outside a White House gate. He had worked as an FBI informant, previous reporting shows, and was upset because he could not travel to Yemen to visit his ailing wife, who had stomach cancer. He also said the FBI had not kept promises it made to him to secure his assistance. Alanssi had severe burns over 30% of his body, the Washington Post reported at the time.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/person-sets-self-on-fire-outside-us-supreme-court-building-steps-airlifted-hospital-self-immolation-incident/65-497afffb-c139-43c8-b65d-2623bff6e926
| 2022-04-25T05:17:55
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/person-sets-self-on-fire-outside-us-supreme-court-building-steps-airlifted-hospital-self-immolation-incident/65-497afffb-c139-43c8-b65d-2623bff6e926
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DEPOE BAY, Ore. — Two teenage siblings were rescued by a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) helicopter crew after getting stuck on a rocky shore and nearly swept into the ocean near Depoe Bay along the Oregon Coast Saturday afternoon.
At about 4:45 p.m., a guest at the Whale Cove Inn called 911 and said they witnessed the teens walking onto the rocky shore from the beach, then becoming stranded as the tide came in just north of the hotel, Depoe Bay Fire District said in a news release.
Firefighters arrived within five minutes and got to an area where they could communicate with the siblings, a 13-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy, but it became clear they needed a helicopter because of the incoming tide, the release said.
"The siblings were both able to climb high enough away from the water to avoid being swept into the ocean," the fire district said, as they waited awaited rescue.
Flying from the Newport airport, the USCG helicopter arrived within 20 minutes, Depoe Bay Fire District said.
In a tweet, USCG Pacific Northwest confirmed that the teens were hoisted up and brought to safety roughly one hour from when the initial 911 call came in. No injuries were reported.
The fire district asks all beachgoers to pay attention to tide and weather information and plan ahead before exploring rocky coastlines.
"Never keep your back turned towards the coastal waters," the district said, "and have a heightened sense of awareness to avoid becoming a victim."
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/siblings-rescued-by-helicopter-oregon-coast/283-0dbda1af-33bd-473d-909b-ad1f8f24c372
| 2022-04-25T05:18:01
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/siblings-rescued-by-helicopter-oregon-coast/283-0dbda1af-33bd-473d-909b-ad1f8f24c372
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Police are looking for a man they say stabbed a 35-year-old man multiple times inside Tompkins Square Park.
Investigators say this happened on April 18th around 6:00 p.m. Officers say the two men got into an argument, and then the suspect pulled out an unidentified object to stab the victim multiple times. He then ran away.
The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital and is critical but in stable condition.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/search-for-suspect-in-tompkins-square-park-stabbing/3660833/
| 2022-04-25T08:08:25
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/search-for-suspect-in-tompkins-square-park-stabbing/3660833/
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Heart of Stark: SCORE Canton offers business counseling for nonprofits
In partnership with The Repository, every Monday, Stark Community Foundation is highlighting positive happenings in our community. Here’s to Good News Mondays!
SCORE Canton supports nonprofit leaders and small business owners in our community by providing business advice, counseling, educational courses, webinars and workshops at no cost.
Recognizing the impact of nonprofits on our area’s economic vitality and community, SCORE offers services specifically designed to guide leaders along their business journeys, strengthen their finances and sustain their operations.
On both a national and local level, SCORE provides resources covering a wide variety of business-related topics. Along with these educational opportunities, organizations also have access to local, retired business professionals who volunteer their time as SCORE business counselors and provide expertise throughout Stark, Carroll, Holmes, Tuscarawas and Harrison counties.
This valuable assistance would otherwise not be possible for many organizations due to the expensive consultant fees that accompany most business counseling agencies.
Recently, SCORE assisted Power of the Pen, a 35-year-old organization that uses competition to nurture students’ writing skills in more than 300 middle schools throughout Ohio.
After the passing of its founder and previous leader, Power of the Pen faced a complicated financial situation and needed an updated and improved strategic business plan. SCORE assembled a team — Vera Burton, John Dilworth, Dick Evans, Rich Geib and Mike Johnson — who led Power of the Pen's executive director and board members through a series of workshop-style planning sessions.
With its recommendations and action items, the resulting strategic plan quickly helped the organization gain a stronger footing and secured its future impact on the lives of youth.
"Power of the Pen's board worked with Canton SCORE to focus our business plan on strategies to achieve financial stability while reaching more young writers," said Barb Tschantz, executive director of Power of the Pen. "Using the business plan as a blueprint, we were able to grow the number of participating schools throughout Ohio by 18% in 2021-2022 over the previous year. Power of the Pen students are developing critical writing skills that will serve them through their lives."
More information about SCORE's services and offerings can be found at www.canton.score.org.
Stark Community Foundation helps individuals, families, businesses and nonprofits achieve their philanthropic goals through a variety of charitable funds and strategic initiatives. Ranked in the top 10% of community foundations in the country, the Foundation and its family of donors have granted $215 million to nonprofits since 1963. For more details, go to: www.starkcf.org.
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https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2022/04/25/heart-stark-score-canton-offers-business-counseling-nonprofits/7414211001/
| 2022-04-25T11:12:24
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https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/2022/04/25/heart-stark-score-canton-offers-business-counseling-nonprofits/7414211001/
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TUPELO • Fireworks can be a celebration for some could be hours of torture for others, according to a Tupelo resident who said she was fed up with illegal fireworks on holidays.
“They disturb my neighborhood,” she said. “I call every year, but the last New Year was particularly bad. It is a problem. They shot from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. I love fireworks, but there is a time and place for them. Two in the morning in a small neighborhood is not the time or place.”
Tupelo resident Jane Myers said fireworks within city limits had become unbearable over the last few years, to the point of reaching out to the city council for a solution. After the last New Year's Eve holiday, she decided to call council members and city officials, who asked her to speak directly to the council during a meeting Tuesday, April 21.
Myers said not only do fireworks terrify her small dog, but they also disturbed her late husband, who had dementia. Even after her husband's death, she fears the holidays for her neighbor, who has PTSD that is triggered by the explosives.
Her solution, Myers said, was to increase awareness that lighting fireworks were illegal within city limits through social and traditional media outlets.
“I think it would be easier on them if we could get the information out there. I don’t think a lot of people know it is illegal,” she said. “It is just a nuisance. They are fun, but go downtown or Ballard park, and get your fireworks there where it is legal.”
The city currently employs the 2018 international fire code, which prohibits the possession, manufacture, storage, sale, handling and use of fireworks within city limits with some exceptions, including fireworks displays.
Myers said she didn’t expect any changes by the The Fourth of July in three months.
“I will be surprised if anything changes, but nothing will change if someone doesn’t complain,” she said. “I know people say, ‘suck it up and enjoy it. It is only two times a year,’ but try telling that to my neighbor with severe PTSD or my friend whose child has autism.
Meanwhile, Police Chief John Quaka, who was appointed to the position in December but was not sworn in until Jan. 3, said he understood fireworks were a nuisance but his department would need to focus on other crimes during the holidays.
“I was not chief on December 31 when fireworks were being fired, but I can note we had limited officers that night because of COVID,” he said. “My priorities are going to drunk drivers and firearms in city limits during the Fourth. (Fireworks) cannot be a priority based upon my resources.”
Most of the reports of illegal fireworks within city limits, Quaka said, were tied to juveniles. He said it was important for parents to keep an eye on their children during the holidays.
“When we respond to fireworks, it is usually juveniles, and they will run. It is very hard to catch them in the act,” he said. “Parents need to be more involved with their children and be respectful of their neighbors.”
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https://www.djournal.com/news/local/tupelo-resident-plagued-by-fireworks-chief-said-priorities-elsewhere/article_c34513c6-a1af-59e3-99f0-f36481302bde.html
| 2022-04-25T11:58:47
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Citizens' group to tackle traffic bottlenecks in central Venice
VENICE – A Venice citizens group will meet on April 28 to talk about traffic issues, with the main focus on proposed improvements to Pinebrook Road and its intersections at Ridgewood and Venice avenues.
Pinebrook Road traffic flow became more of a concern late last year, after Sarasota Memorial Hospital opened a new Venice campus at the intersection of Laurel and Pinebrook roads.
Members of the Central Venice Coalition will meet at 6 p.m. on April 28 in the community room of the new Venice Public Safety Complex, 1575 E. Venice Ave. in part to prepare for a May presentation to the Venice City Council on traffic needs in that area.
Previous coverage:Venice council asks Sarasota County to prioritize Laurel Road widening
And:Venice council eyes agreements to widen Pinebrook and Laurel roads
A presentation by the CVC Road Improvement Review Committee will be followed by a question-and-answer session.
The committee was formed earlier this year to research traffic in the area between Pinebrook and Auburn roads, as well as Laurel Road and East Venice Avenue.
All four roads are under the auspices of Sarasota County, but area residents have been frustrated by the apparent lack of progress in solving traffic issues – most notably at the Pinebrook Road intersections with Ridgewood and Venice avenues
City Council Member Mitzie Fielder pushed for the effort by the coalition, in part to gather more recent data on traffic bottlenecks in the area.
Improvement of the two Pinebrook Road intersections has been on the radar for years, as Sarasota County hoped to maximize state funding for the project.
In 2019, improving Pinebrook Road between Venice Avenue and Center Road jumped to the forefront, too, as part of discussions over the proposed development of 116 homes on 15 acres just east of Aston Gardens and north of Pelican Pointe, which could add more traffic to a potentially congested thoroughfare.
In case you missed it: Sarasota Memorial Venice campus fulfills artistic vision
Related:Sarasota County Commission OK's Lorraine Road extension
Meanwhile widening of Laurel Road between Knights Trail Road and Jacaranda Boulevard, appears to have leap-frogged Pinebrook widening, as developer Pat Neal and his associates with the Economic Stimulus Working Group have taken on the task of completing that project, with a projected cost of about $11 million.
That same group is also in the process of creating a proposed, “missing link” roadway that would extend Lorraine Road south from Clark Road to connect with Knights Trail Road.
The Central Venice Coalition formed in 2017, as an aggregation of homeowners and condominium associations to address issues of common concern.
For more information, contact Longo at ralongo46@gmail.com.
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https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/venice/2022/04/25/central-venice-coalition-meeting-april-28-discuss-traffic-issues/7392353001/
| 2022-04-25T12:17:39
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MIDLAND, Texas — The Lone Star State produces more oil and gas than anywhere else in the Country.
"Texas is the energy capital of the world, our state alone is responsible for 43% of the oil production in America, 26% of natural gas, if Texas were it's own country we'd be the third largest natural gas producing country in the world," said Todd Staples, President of The of Texas Oil and Gas Association.
Russia is also a big player in the oil industry, but with sanctions on, countries all over the globe are looking elsewhere for oil.
"Russia was providing about 7% of the world's oil and natural gas and with the European Union continuing to ween themselves off of that because of the actions that they've taken against Ukraine, that production has to come from somewhere," Staples said.
That somewhere, could be from right here, in the Permian Basin.
"The Permian Basin is really being looked at as where were going to meet not only domestic needs but the worlds energy supply, play a big big role," Staples said.
Since the sanctions we're placed on Russia, the Biden administration has tried to up oil and gas production at home with a lot of that taking place here in Texas.
"We've certainly had good signs lately, record high number of permits in the Permian basin has been encouraging, in the last few weeks we've had about 30 rigs nationally over 2/3rds of those have been in the lone star state so that's a big plus factor in going the way we need to go," Staples said.
One benefit of increasing oil production is more jobs in the industry.
"The good news for Texans is that we've had positive job growth," Staples said. "16 out of the last 18 months we've seen positive job growth in the upstream sector, which was hit pretty hard in the pandemic."
Even though gas prices have gone up, Texas is doing its part to supply oil and gas for the U.S. and beyond.
"The good news is that our nation in North America, our partners have the opportunity to really demonstrate not only energy security but a higher level of energy independence." Staples said.
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas-continues-to-play-crucial-role-in-oil-production/513-7a278202-c64e-4279-9673-379c2950ac56
| 2022-04-25T12:37:42
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas-continues-to-play-crucial-role-in-oil-production/513-7a278202-c64e-4279-9673-379c2950ac56
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AUSTIN, Texas — On Wednesday, Melissa Lucio will become the first Latina executed in the Texas death chamber in the modern era unless Gov. Greg Abbott or the Cameron County prosecutor intervenes.
On Monday, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles is expected to weigh all of the information in the case before it gives its recommendation to Abbott. The recommendation is expected to be made before 1 p.m.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: The fight to save Melissa Lucio
"With regard to the death penalty that could arise next week ... I still have not received a report from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. That's a requirement for the governor to receive before any action is taken. And when I receive that, I'll consider it and take whatever action I think is appropriate," Abbott said recently.
Lucio’s legal team said issues with her 2008 murder trial for the death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah are enough to raise doubts. That's why nearly 100 state lawmakers from both political parties want the execution stopped, at least until the case can be re-investigated.
Lucio insists that Mariah fell down the stairs and she did nothing to cause her death.
The case has drawn worldwide attention. Two rallies were held Sunday showing support for Lucio.
Robert Alvarez is Lucio's 22-year-old son. He was the eighth of her 14 children and was 7 when his 2-year-old sister died and his mother was locked up. He lives in San Antonio but drove to Austin for the rally that was held in front of the Texas Capitol. He said the recent jolt of support has been "crazy."
"I just think that’s so amazing. The fact that people are just there, to support my mom and help her with anything that she needs," Alvarez said. "I try not to think the worst. I’ve been thinking the best possible. But, you know, having everybody here, I think there’s no doubt that we will get that clemency."
Alvarez spent four hours with his mother in Gatesville, Texas, last week. He'll spend all day with her on Monday.
"My prayer’s always just to be with her, out here," he said.
Alvarez said the rally was a good distraction to have as his mother's days dwindle. Although he doesn't know everyone who showed up, "I feel like they’re family. You know. They’re here to support my mom."
A few things can happen when the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles decides what course of action to recommend to Abbott. After receiving the recommendation, Abbott can choose to:
- Do nothing and Lucio will be executed on Wednesday
- Issue a stay of execution
- Grant Lucio clemency
The Board of Pardons and Paroles is made up of seven people. The state said its decision on clemency is based on the "totality of information available."
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/melissa-lucio-texas-death-row-decision/285-0c42a807-3c06-4a06-8bf8-7f0479edb9b8
| 2022-04-25T12:37:43
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/melissa-lucio-texas-death-row-decision/285-0c42a807-3c06-4a06-8bf8-7f0479edb9b8
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New York voters strongly support recent changes to the state's controversial 2019 bail reforms -- but a majority also believe the changes either won't affect the crime rate or could make it even worse.
That's the conclusion of a new Siena College poll released Monday, which showed that a majority of every demographic group surveyed favored tweaking the bail reform laws to give judges more discretion in some cases.
But even as voters back the idea of changing the law, 38% also said the changes would have no effect on the crime rate, and another 16% said the changes could fuel an increase in crime.
“While twice as many voters think the changes will decrease rather than increase crime, a plurality says the changes won’t affect the crime rate," Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said in a release.
Crime remains top of mind for voters - 24% said it would be their top issue as they vote for governor in November, nearly 3x any other issue on a lengthy list.
The telephone and online poll of 806 New York state registered voters was conducted April 18-21 and has a margin of error of 3.9 percentage points.
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/voters-back-bail-reform-changes-but-think-crime-wont-change-or-will-get-worse/3661100/
| 2022-04-25T12:42:17
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/voters-back-bail-reform-changes-but-think-crime-wont-change-or-will-get-worse/3661100/
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IU student sues Bloomington over 'All Lives Matter' mural rejection, alleges discrimination
IU student, conservative group say All Lives Matter mural was rejected
An Indiana University student is suing Bloomington, alleging city officials did not allow a conservative mural to be painted on a city street.
Kyle Reynolds, IU student and campus coordinator for Turning Point USA, is claiming discrimination by city personnel within the public works department, saying they would not approve an All Lives Matter mural after previously approving Black Lives Matter street paintings.
The 15-by-145-foot mural was proposed for East Kirkwood Avenue, in front of the Von Lee building and near IU's iconic Sample Gates. The art would feature the phrase, "All Lives Matter" with thin blue and red lines, representing support for first responders.
More:City parks board approves two Black Lives Matter street murals
The lawsuit claims the city refused the proposal because officials disagreed with the mural's message. This rejection has prevented the conservative student organization from "communicating their message" in a highly visible area of the community, according to the complaint.
Both Reynolds and the IU chapter of Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization, are listed as the plaintiffs in the case.
The plaintiffs allege that the defendants engaged in viewpoint discrimination, violating the free speech clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Viewpoint discrimination happens when a governmental regulation restricts expression based specifically on the ideology, opinion or perspective of the message.
The plaintiffs are also alleging violations of Indiana's Constitution such as the right to speak, write or print on any subject. The lawsuit cites the state Constitution's guarantee that all citizens will be equally granted the same privileges or immunities.
In late July 2021, shortly after IU students and volunteers completed the BLM mural on North Eagleson Avenue, Reynolds claims he reached out to IU leaders to propose an ALM mural, where he was supposedly rerouted to work with the city's public works department.
Reynolds said IU Capital Planning and Facilities Vice President Thomas Morrison gave approval via email of the mural's graphic, sizing and location. IU officials declined to comment on this claim to The Herald-Times.
A project such as a street mural painting can typically lead to some temporary street closures and parking unavailability. For Bloomington's BLM mural at the downtown square, the block was closed during the painting process.
In order to do anything in the public right of way, a project must be approved by the Bloomington Board of Public Works. In addition, project organizers for the city's BLM murals had to first receive approval for the public artwork from the Bloomington Arts Commission before appearing in front of the public works board.
In the lawsuit, board members Kyla Cox Deckard, Beth Hollingsworth and Dana Henke are listed as defendants in addition to the city of Bloomington and its public works director, Adam Wason.
After some email correspondence with Wason, Reynolds said he connected with city attorney Mike Rouker. Rouker allegedly informed him the city does not take recommendations for art in its public right of way from individuals and Bloomington was not considering additional art at that time, according to the filed complaint. The proposal has not been officially heard by city officials in any board meeting.
In the lawsuit, Reynolds noted Bloomington has three BLM murals — one on North Elm Street next to the Banneker Community Center, another on Sixth Street immediately north of the courthouse and third on North Eagleson (previously known as Jordan) Avenue near IU's Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. These projects were all approved by the city public works board, which oversees street maintenance.
The mural at the Banneker Community Center was installed in late 2020, while the Sixth Street one on the downtown square was completed last spring.
The Eagleson Avenue mural was painted in July 2021 by local artists and volunteering IU students. The project was led by students Joa'Quinn Griffin and Tiera Howleit. Howleit, founder and president of IU Black Collegians, worked with IU administrators to work out the mural's location and logistics. The project needed city approval, but the BLM mural had already been completed by the time the public works board heard the proposal.
The board's consent agenda on Aug. 3 includes the encroachment on Eagleson Avenue for the BLM mural. A consent agenda allows a board to approve a number of items together without discussion or individual motions.
In a staff report, Wason said the approval request is coming to the board after the project was completed due to "an oversight by staff as city personnel transitioned out of the organization." According the report, the city had intended to have the proposal to the board in early June, but because of the oversight, approval was requested after the fact.
It was subsequently approved by the board unanimously.
"Director Wason did not obtain approval from the Board of Public Works before authorizing Tiera Howleit and the Black Collegians group to commence painting the BLM Street Mural on Jordan (now Eagleson) Avenue, a public right-of-way under the management and authority of the City," the lawsuit reads.
The plaintiffs allege that Bloomington only allows encroachments with messages that the city agrees with.
More:IU students create Black Lives Matter mural on Eagleson Avenue
On March 9, at the request of the defendants, the case was transferred to federal court and now is under the jurisdiction of Magistrate Tim Baker of the U.S. District Court's Southern Indiana District.
On Friday, the judge approved a 16-day extension, to May 11, for lawyers representing Turning Point and Reynolds to respond to the city's stance on a motion for a preliminary injunction filed by the plaintiffs on March 10.
The injunction request asks the judge to stop city officials from "enforcing their encroachment policy against the Plaintiffs, permitting plaintiffs to paint a street mural depicting 'All Lives Matter' in Bloomington, Indiana, on East Kirkwood Avenue in front of the Von Lee building on the Indiana University campus as approved by Indiana University officials, and enjoining defendants from enforcing their encroachment policy in a content- and viewpoint-discriminatory manner."
However, the street in front of the Von Lee belongs to the city, not IU.
Reynolds and city officials declined to comment on pending litigation. Turning Point USA could not be reached by time of publication.
Contact Rachel Smith at rksmith@heraldt.com or @RachelSmithNews on Twitter.
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https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/news/local/2022/04/25/iu-hoosiers-lawsuit-turning-point-usa-all-lives-matter-mural-black-lives-matter/7073627001/
| 2022-04-25T12:52:12
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https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/news/local/2022/04/25/iu-hoosiers-lawsuit-turning-point-usa-all-lives-matter-mural-black-lives-matter/7073627001/
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NAPLES, Fla. – St. Matthew’s House is hosting one food drive this week and it’s Monday (4/25) in Naples. It will take place at St. Elizabeth Seton Church on Golden Gate Parkway.
The reason it will only host one food drive is that St. Matthew’s House will be moving to a bigger warehouse.
The organization says it’s seeing more families in need as inflation rises and they’re preparing to help more people during the summer.
So far in April, they’ve served 17,000 meal boxes. In March, they helped 21,000 families. In February, it was 20,000, and in January, 18,000 meal boxes went out.
Monday’s distribution is at St. Elizabeth Seton Church from 10 a.m. to Noon.
“We see that many of our volunteers are our donors and vice versa, and that’s pretty unique. Lots of times people get involved. I want to know more about the mission. I want to get involved somehow and they start volunteering and then they become donors,” said Steve Brooder, CEO of St. Matthew’s House.
St. Matthew’s House says this time off will be a break for volunteers who have worked tirelessly at distributions since the pandemic began.
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https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/04/25/st-mathews-house-hosts-one-food-drive-week-of-april-25-amid-move/
| 2022-04-25T13:04:16
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https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/04/25/st-mathews-house-hosts-one-food-drive-week-of-april-25-amid-move/
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LITTLE ROCK, Ark — 57 photographs aligned the walls of a room inside of Little Rock's McMath Library on Sunday, with each of the 57 pictures showing a person that had been killed during an act of violence.
One of the many photos along the wall was that of 20-year old Devan Sprawling, who was shot in 2018 on the 2100 block of Fair Park Blvd.
Police were able to find and arrest the man responsible for Sprawling's death, and despite the time that has passed, it's still a day that his mother will never forget.
"That was the worst day of my life. I've been fighting for justice ever since. I'm still waiting on trial for Devan. I know it's been long because we had pandemic. I just feel our system needs to focus on the victims and their families," said Yolanda Harrison, Sprawling's mother.
She's found a sense of solace with the Central Arkansas Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children, who honored the 57 lives lost during their annual event.
This event was a part of Crime Victims' Rights Week, which challenges the nation to confront and remove barriers that block justice for victims of crimes.
This year, the Crime Victims' Rights Week will be observed from April 24–30.
The theme for this year? Rights, access, equity, for all victims-- this theme emphasizes the importance of helping crime survivors find their justice through the following methods:
- Enforcing victims' rights.
- Expanding access to services.
- Ensuring equity and inclusion for all.
"Justice looks different for all of us, but survivors don't know what their justice is if no one tells them what rights are available," said Laura Abbot, a hit-and-run survivor.
She spoke at the event, mentioning that crime has been a part of her life as her grandparents were killed in a drunk driving crash when she was only 15 months old.
Through that experience, Abbot said that she understands the grieving process and is challenging the family members of victims to come together to promote change and work to bring justice to the victims.
"Your voice is powerful. The Victims' Rights Movement evolved out of the civil rights movement. It's a long, arduous journey, but if we give up, we don't have success," said Abbot.
The Central Arkansas Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children said part of making a change is getting law makers involved.
That was the case as Rep. Vivian Flowers spoke about encouraging new legislation that will support crime victim's families.
"I just sat here and heard a father talk about how two of his children's murders are unsolved. We have to make sure that we tie justice to this work around supporting families so that there can be justice and healing and accountability," said Flowers.
Little Rock police chief Keith Humphrey was also in attendance and encouraged victim's families to continue their fight for justice and to apply pressure on lawmakers.
"When my phone rings and I get an alert, my heart skips a beat because I know it's going to be something of violence," said Humphrey. "You have to understand in 34 years of law enforcement, I've seen many bodies, notified many victims, families, and it never gets easy."
Humphrey said that his mission is to amplify the voices of families that have lost loved ones and to help ensure that local lawmakers hear from them and local law enforcement on ways to change.
"I've been called up to the Capitol to talk about some of the most recent gun legislation. No one ever asks the police chief what he thinks or what laws need to be modified when it comes to gun laws and gun safety," said Humphrey.
The Central Arkansas Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children along with the Center for Healing Hearts & Spirits (CHHS) will be hosting these events for the week:
Tuesday, April 26, 2022 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 Noon
- Press conference and restoration ceremony located at 2416 South Chester, Little Rock, AR, 77206.
Wednesday, April 28, 2022 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 Noon
- CHHS' Virtual Train the Trainer Forum (via Zoom).
Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.
- Press Conference and a Restoration Ceremony located at 200 East 8th Avenue, Pine Bluff, AR, 71601.
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https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/arkansas-families-justice-lost-loved-ones/91-a4ee65ab-c647-4234-981d-b3c9ba2e0406
| 2022-04-25T13:43:16
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ROCHESTER, Minn.- A group called, 'Voices for Children of Olmsted County,' is holding an online seminar to discuss concerning online behaviors, while also highlighting prevention practices.
This presentation will provide tools to help you get ahead of internet scams. It will also detail the risks children face on the internet and provide case studies, tools and best practices for using the internet.
There is no cost to attend and it will run from noon to 1:30 p.m. on April 25th.
The link to sign up is right here.
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https://www.kimt.com/news/local/internet-and-social-media-online-seminar/article_bc8540d0-c490-11ec-8d56-231b942a27b4.html
| 2022-04-25T13:58:14
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https://www.kimt.com/news/local/internet-and-social-media-online-seminar/article_bc8540d0-c490-11ec-8d56-231b942a27b4.html
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ROCHESTER, Minn.- A rescheduled event called, "The Crime Crisis," is happening at the Rochester Event Center on April 26th.
This event will discuss building community trust and safe neighborhoods, current crime trends, and how to reduce crime.
Jeff Van Nest, The Center for the American Experiment fellow, is the keynote speaker.
Olmsted County Sheriff, Kevin Torgerson and Rochester Police Chief Jim Franklin are also panelists.
This event drew some controversial attention last month. It was initially planned for March 15th at the Rochester Golf and Country Club.
The country club made a last minute decision to cancel it because some people were concerned about The Center for the American Experiment's politically conservative ties.
The organization is now suing the Rochester Golf and Country Club for breach of contract.
This rescheduled event costs 5 dollars to attend and will be on April 26th from 4:30- 6 p.m.
The link to register is right here.
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https://www.kimt.com/news/local/rescheduled-the-crime-crisis/article_b067e684-c492-11ec-a614-0b6fd5424f3a.html
| 2022-04-25T13:58:20
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https://www.kimt.com/news/local/rescheduled-the-crime-crisis/article_b067e684-c492-11ec-a614-0b6fd5424f3a.html
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BINGHAMTON, NY – A Go Fund Me fundraising page has been created to support the family of twelve-year-old Aliza Spencer.
According the Binghamton Police, Aliza was shot and killed on the night of Thursday, April 21, while walking around the neighborhood with her family.
The financial goal set for the Go-Fund-Me is 15 thousand dollars; over nine thousand, five-hundred dollars have been raised in two days.
Those with information regarding the incident are urged to contact the Binghamton Police Detective Bureau at 772-7080.
If you are interested in donating, you can find the Go Fund Me page here.
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https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/local/go-fund-me-for-aliza-spencer/
| 2022-04-25T14:00:42
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https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/local/go-fund-me-for-aliza-spencer/
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LA PORTE, Texas — It was a busy weekend for 13-year-old Grady Ferranti.
The La Porte student spent it selling tamales. He's raising money to play in baseball tournaments.
After his picture went viral online, his tamale supply quickly dried up. By the time KHOU 11 News Reporter Anayeli Ruiz caught up with him, he was only selling water.
Grady is determined to get what he needs to go play in the tournaments with his teammates.
"My dad got laid off from his job, so it wasn’t very easy. We were struggling. And it was harder for me to stay in sports, it was a struggle," he said.
His team is heading to two tournaments over the summer: one in Dallas and the other in College Station. It's an experience he doesn't want to miss.
"It made me feel kind of sad but I still had a little bit of faith," he said.
His father knew they would have to get creative to raise the money for the trips.
"It was just on a whim. I thought ... we can make tamales (and) he can walk around the neighborhood to sell them. We can raise a couple hundred bucks. He one-upped me and wanted to sell waters as well," John Ferranti said.
On Saturday, after they made dozens of tamales, Grady went to the intersection of Spencer Highway and Underwood Road in La Porte to start selling. That's when the viral picture was taken.
"He’s very appreciative and some of the people noticed that and it took off on local Facebook group and virtually went viral," John said.
Sold out of tamales, Grady returned on Sunday to sell waters. People kept coming by to show support and love.
"You are doing a really good job. You are going places," one customer said.
His teacher even showed up to help his cause.
Grady's family said every dollar the community contributed this weekend will be used to get the teen on the field this summer. It's an amazing lesson of kindness and hard work.
"It feels good ... knowing they have my back. It’s a great feeling," Grady said of the showing.
His efforts earned him enough money to get to both tournaments. He also will be able to afford some new baseball gear.
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/la-porte-teen-sells-tamales-water-to-fund-baseball-trips/285-bc17b9e9-fa2f-4fb8-bd06-09db24bcdd6d
| 2022-04-25T14:26:20
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/la-porte-teen-sells-tamales-water-to-fund-baseball-trips/285-bc17b9e9-fa2f-4fb8-bd06-09db24bcdd6d
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A brand-new Portland shop is shaking up a unique experience on this Kohr Explores!
Creative Culture is a new family-friendly DIY craft studio, plant bar and gourmet milkshake bar. The shop is located in Northeast Portland’s Sullivan’s Gulch neighborhood.
Kohr Harlan shared how customers can indulge both their taste buds and their creativity.
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https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/kohr-explores-indulge-your-taste-buds-creativity-at-creative-culture/
| 2022-04-25T14:40:42
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https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/kohr-explores-indulge-your-taste-buds-creativity-at-creative-culture/
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FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Jurors in Johnny Depp’s libel lawsuit against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, on Monday heard audio recordings in which he referred to the violence that could ensue if their arguments were allowed to escalate.
“The next move, if I don’t walk away … it’s going to be a bloodbath, like it was on the island,” Depp says on the recording.
In other audio clips, Depp loudly shouts vulgarities at his wife, calling her a degrading name and yelling, “You stupid f—-” at her.
Depp winced on the stand as the clips were played, while Heard appeared to fight back tears.
The clips were part of grueling cross-examination of Depp, who took the stand for a fourth day of testimony over his allegations that Heard falsely portrayed him as a domestic abuser.
Heard’s lawyers are expected to continue their onslaught of questions during their cross-examination. Questions have focused on Depp’s drinking, drug use and charged interactions with Heard during their relationship.
Heard’s attorneys argue that Depp physically and sexually abused her and that his denials lack merit because he was often drunk and high to the point of blacking out.
Depp’s last previous day on the stand was Thursday. Heard’s attorneys referenced his history of trashing hotel rooms as well as the time he smashed a bathroom sconce during an argument with Heard. Depp is also facing a lawsuit filed by a member of a film crew who alleges the actor assaulted them in 2018.
The jury has seen dozens of Depp’s texts to friends regarding his drinking, drug use and interactions with his then-wife, as well as his notes of contrition to Heard and her father.
Depp is suing Heard for libel over a 2018 op-ed piece she wrote in The Washington Post. She refers to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.” The piece doesn’t name Depp. But his attorneys argue that it clearly references a restraining order that Heard sought in May 2016, right after Depp told her he wanted a divorce.
Depp said the accusations and the article contributed to an unfairly ruined reputation that made him a Hollywood outcast and cost him his role in the lucrative “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie franchise. Heard’s attorneys say Depp’s damaged reputation is the result of his own bad behavior.
Depp has been on the stand in Fairfax County Circuit Court since Tuesday afternoon. His previous testimony described the couple’s volatile relationship. He denied that he ever abused Heard.
The actor said that Heard abused drugs and often violently attacked him. He called the drug addiction accusations against him “grossly embellished,” though he acknowledged taking many drugs.
___
Associated Press writer Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, contributed to this report.
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https://www.cbs42.com/local/depp-takes-stand-for-4th-day-in-libel-trial-against-heard/
| 2022-04-25T15:35:40
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https://www.cbs42.com/local/depp-takes-stand-for-4th-day-in-libel-trial-against-heard/
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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch public prosecutor’s office has opened a criminal investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct at “The Voice of Holland” talent show, authorities said Monday.
The prosecutor’s office said it was acting on five complaints against four people at the television show, and now officially considered them suspects after the first allegations were aired in January.
The show was taken off the air when it became one of the most serious #MeToo reckonings yet to hit the Dutch entertainment world. It focuses on a show created in the Netherlands but broadcast in local versions around the globe.
The scandal erupted after a local broadcaster’s YouTube show called “BOOS” — the Dutch word for angry — contacted “The Voice of Holland” to say it had spoken to victims of “sexually transgressive behavior.” It aired a broadcast about their allegations soon after.
Dutch broadcaster RTL, which airs “The Voice of Holland,” reacted swiftly to the reports and suspended the show.
The prosecutor’s office said it expected the investigation to take quite a while and will only decide then whether to prosecute the suspects.
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https://www.cbs42.com/local/dutch-open-sexual-misconduct-probe-at-the-voice-of-holland/
| 2022-04-25T15:35:48
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https://www.cbs42.com/local/dutch-open-sexual-misconduct-probe-at-the-voice-of-holland/
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NEW YORK (AP) — Louise Glück’s next book was as unexpected for her as it will likely be for the Nobel laureate’s readers.
After more than 10 poetry collections and two books of essays, including such prize winners as “The Wild Iris” and “Faithful and Virtuous Night,” the 79-year-old writer has completed her first prose narrative, to come out in October. “Marigold and Rose: A Fiction” runs 64 pages, unfolding like a fable as Glück imagines the thoughts of infant twins.
She has written about children before, notably in her acclaimed 1990 collection “Ararat.” But while her poems were drawn in part from her childhood and her experiences as a parent, “Marigold and Rose” originates in a very contemporary way: from videos of her granddaughters Emmy and Lizzy sent by her son from California while Glück was unable to visit because of the pandemic.
“I remember telling someone that watching twins was like going to the zoo; you see behavior you don’t ordinarily see in babies, because these children are having relationships with each other before they have relationships with almost anyone else,” Glück, who lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said during a recent telephone interview.
Watching the videos, she said, “became to me an obsession.”
The sounds and images of Emmy and Lizzy eventually led to words. Glück composed a short chapter and emailed it her son, who told her he liked the work so much he was reading it aloud to the family, even if the babies were too young to understand. She continued writing chapters and sending them, and within weeks had finished what became “Marigold and Rose.”
“It was just bliss to write,” says Glück, who wondered if the speed of the writing process might “unnerve and mystify” some readers. “People don’t like to hear that because it suggests shallowness. But in my experience some of my best work comes very fluently. I don’t see it as a bad thing. It usually means you’re riding a wave.”
From the opening lines — “Marigold was absorbed in her book; she had gotten as far as the V. Rose didn’t care for books” — Glück joins and contrasts the lives of the introspective Marigold and the sociable Rose. Marigold is already forming a story in her head, while looking upon the “calm self-confidence” of her twin and reasoning that “Together they included everything.”
In chapters with such titles as “Sharing Bunnies” and “Rose and the Elephant,” Marigold and Rose spend a summer’s day watching their mother garden, Marigold comes up with a title for her planned book (“The Childhood of Mother”), Rose begins speaking and the parents consider buying a house. Glück even places a version of herself in the story — as “Other Grandmother,” the one “not interested in the things babies were interested in.”
Glück, winner of the Nobel in 2020, explained in her prize lecture that she was drawn to poems that make readers or listeners the “recipient of a confidence or an outcry, sometimes as co-conspirator.” In “Marigold and Rose,” Glück has granted herself and her fans the knowledge that the narrator of her poem “Child Crying Out” longs for. Part of the “Ararat” collection, “Child Crying Out” is a meditation on the distance between people, including a mother’s lament over the silence of her son’s soul, the feeling he is “far away” even when she holds him in her arms.
“There’s much more anguish in that poem because the speaker is the mother and the child is unreachable in a certain way,” Glück says.
“I remember reading Dr. Spock at the time (when her son was an infant), about how a mother always knows the meaning of a child’s cry. And I thought, ‘Great, I flunked already.’ I was struggling. I had no idea. I couldn’t figure it out and I felt helpless and despondent and confused. It got easier. But it only got easier when they started to talk.”
Glück has never published a novel or story collection and says that before “Marigold and Rose” she had no desire to write narrative fiction. She remembers attempting a short story in her late teens and finding the result uninspiring — “sterile,” “just terrible.” Decades of letter writing and essays served to “oil” the mechanism for extended prose, she says, but she still didn’t expect to complete a work like her new one.
“I would have said the chances I would write a book in prose were zero,” she explained. “No chance in the world.”
Glück’s editor at Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Jonathan Galassi, says the new book was a “total surprise,” but also cites what he calls “quintessential Glück humor” — the wry touch of having Marigold be a writer before she can even read. Her friend and fellow author Kathryn Davis, to whom Glück sends early drafts of her work, said she wasn’t surprised, if only because Gluck is “astonishingly willing to admit change into her life.”
“The arrival of the twin girls … was prelude to the possibility of even bigger changes,” Davis told the AP. “The narrative arrived like the twins, like the recounting of a dream, uninterrupted, immutable.”
Glück refers half-jokingly to “Marigold and Rose” as “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Baby.” The tone is engaging and witty, but Glück weaves in larger and more primal themes, giving the book the feeling of a creation myth, an awakening from innocence. The twins’ maternal grandmother dies (“Grandmother went to heaven. This is not like when Father went to work”), and the babies discover that being “happy” can only be understood when they’re not. Marigold herself realizes that the accumulation, and arrangement, of words co-exist with loss and change.
“Everything will disappear. Still, she thought. I know more words now. She made a list in her head of all the words she knew: Mama, Dada, bear, bee, hat,” Glück writes.
“And both these things would continue happening: everything will disappear but I will know many words. More and more and more and more, and then I will write my book.”
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https://www.cbs42.com/local/nobelist-louise-gluck-to-publish-her-first-prose-narrative/
| 2022-04-25T15:35:55
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https://www.cbs42.com/local/nobelist-louise-gluck-to-publish-her-first-prose-narrative/
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NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of notebooks, scripts, speeches, drafts of letters, artwork and even signed baseballs owned by the late playwright Neil Simon have been donated to the Library of Congress. The collection offers offering historians and researchers access to the creative process of American theater’s most successful and prolific playwright.
The collection includes about 7,700 items documenting the evolution of Simon’s plays and screenplays, including “Barefoot in the Park,” “The Sunshine Boys,” “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and “Lost in Yonkers.”
The donation will be officially announced at a special event with actors Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker — both currently starring in a Broadway revival of “Plaza Suite” — and Elaine Joyce, Simon’s widow on Monday night at the Library. It will be livestreamed starting at 7 p.m. ET on the Library’s YouTube channel.
The cache includes a yellowing first act of “Barefoot in the Park,” plenty of notes for actors or directors, and over a dozen notepads filled with watercolors, drawings and cartoons by Simon. There are also several scripts for shows never completed or produced, such as one titled “The Merry Widows,” written for Bette Midler and Whoopi Goldberg.
“The donation of Simon’s papers to our nation’s library is a treasured addition to our holdings that enhances our performing arts collection as one of the best in the world. It also ensures Simon’s legacy is preserved for generations to come,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement.
Simon was nominated for 14 Tony Awards throughout his career and won three, in addition to a special prize for contribution to the theater. He also won the Pulitzer Prize, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and a Kennedy Center honor, as well as having a theater named after him on Broadway. He died in 2018 in New York City.
The donated materials range from hundreds of scripts, notes and outlines for his plays, including handwritten first drafts and multiple drafts of typescripts, to personal notebooks and signed baseballs.
The Library of Congress is already home to the collections of several Broadway icons, including Arthur Laurents, Marvin Hamlisch and Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon.
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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits
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https://www.cbs42.com/local/playwright-neil-simons-papers-go-to-library-of-congress/
| 2022-04-25T15:36:02
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https://www.cbs42.com/local/playwright-neil-simons-papers-go-to-library-of-congress/
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — After nearly six years, the spicy chicken biscuit has returned to the menu of many Chick-fil-A restaurants across the country.
Sometimes you don’t know a good thing until it’s gone,” a statement from Chick-fil-A read. “At least that’s how some Chick-fil-A customers felt when the Spicy Chicken Biscuit rolled off the menu in 2016 to make way for new offerings, like the creamy Frosted Coffee and the Egg White Grill breakfast sandwich. Ever since, passionate customers have been lamenting the loss of their favorite biscuit.”
Starting today, the chicken chain will bring back the breakfast item to 1,304 locations nationwide. However, they are only being served in a few Chick-fil-A locations in Alabama, according to online menus inspected by CBS 42 Monday.
As of Monday, here is where you can get the biscuits in Alabama:
- Prattville
- Montgomery (Ann Street, Promenade and EastChase locations)
- Troy
- Alexander City
- Mobile (Dauphin Street, Schillinger Road and Airport Boulevard)
- Daphne
- Spanish Fort
- Auburn (In-Line and Auburn Mall)
- Opelika (Tiger Town)
- Jasper
- Cullman
- Gadsden (4th Street and Gadsden Mall)
- Pell City
- Dothan (East Dothan and Ross Clark Circle)
- Enterprise
For more information, visit chick-fil-a.com.
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https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/chick-fil-a-has-brought-back-the-spicy-chicken-biscuit-heres-where-you-can-get-one-in-alabama/
| 2022-04-25T15:38:25
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https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/chick-fil-a-has-brought-back-the-spicy-chicken-biscuit-heres-where-you-can-get-one-in-alabama/
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A 37-year-old Manhattan man has been on federal charges for allegedly robbing at least seven people working at food stands or restaurants on the Upper West Side at gunpoint in a two-and-a-half-week span, authorities confirmed Monday.
Ryan Little was arrested Thursday on charges including Hobbs Act robbery, a 1946 law that makes it a federal crime to commit robbery in a manner that affects interstate commerce, and weapons-related offenses, including being in possession of a gun as a convicted felon, a New York's Southern District spokesperson said.
The first robbery in the pattern dates back to April 3, when cops allege Little flashed a gun and stole $500 and a $200 cellphone from a man operating a Broadway coffee cart. The accused armed robber allegedly laid low for the next 13 days before committing the other six robberies over the next five days, cops say.
On April 16, Little allegedly walked up to a Tacos and Quesadillas truck on Broadway, ordered food, then showed the gun and stole $500 and a phone from a 19-year=old woman. In that case, cops say Little told the woman he'd be back in five minutes and would kill her if she left the truck. That was the only death threat.
But the next day, Little allegedly struck again, hitting a restaurant on Amsterdam Avenue. Cops allege he walked in, asked if they were open, flashed the gun and stole money from the register as well as the tip jar.
Less than four hours later, Little allegedly robbed a fruit stand at the southeast corner of Broadway and West 86th Street. Cops say he asked for change for a $10 and pulled out the gun when the victim pulled out the money. Little allegedly jacked about $150 and started to walk away, then went back for the man's $850 phone.
Officials allege Little committed two armed robberies the next day, April 19, one involving a Mexican food cart on Amsterdam Avenue and the other a mobile food cart on Broadway at 70th Street. He is accused of targeting one more restaurant -- Jimbo's Hamburgers on Amsterdam Avenue -- on April 20. In that case, someone chased Little out after he flashed the gun and grabbed $1,500 from the register, cops allege, and police were able to catch up with him in St. Nicholas Park.
Local
Little was arrested on the federal charges the following day.
Altogether, the 37-year-old allegedly stole nearly $3,000 in cash and multiple cellphones, some of them worth significant amounts of money. No injuries were reported.
Little remains detained pending his next court appearance. His attorney on record didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/manhattan-man-faces-federal-charges-in-armed-food-vendor-robbery-spree/3661421/
| 2022-04-25T15:44:52
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/manhattan-man-faces-federal-charges-in-armed-food-vendor-robbery-spree/3661421/
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SEATTLE — Harriet Bullitt, a northwest conservationist, philanthropist and daughter of KING-TV founder, Dorothy Bullitt, has died at 97.
Bullitt passed in Leavenworth at the Sleeping Lady Resort, which she founded, Saturday.
Bullitt founded Seattle Magazine, two radio stations and ran KING-TV for a brief time. She also helped the Bullitt Foundation allocate more than $200 million toward environmental causes.
The Bullitt Foundation CEO and Earth Day Co-founder Denis Hayes told KING 5, that as well-rounded as Harriet was, her greatest legacy will be her impact on the environment.
"Everything from saving the ancient forests of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alaska, trying to clean up stuff at Hanford and working hard on environmental health. A champion of deep green buildings and of putting her bustle behind the Bullitt Center. She really wanted to build a sustainable world for her children and grandchildren, and everybody's children and grandchildren too," said Hayes.
Harriet's mother, Dorothy, was a broadcasting pioneer in the northwest. Dorothy found KING Broadcasting in the late 1940s.
You can read Harriet's biography provided by the Bullitt Foundation below:
Philanthropist. Publisher. Broadcaster. Resort operator. Fencer. Zoologist. Flamenco dancer. Harriet Bullitt has worn many hats over the course of her long life.
Well known for her leadership at the Bullitt Foundation – which was founded by her mother Dorothy and funded by Harriet with her sister Patsy and her brother Stim – Harriet has left an indelible imprint on the Pacific Northwest region she loves so much. Perhaps her father, Scott Bullitt, described her best: “She doesn’t shine in any reflected glory, but has a genuine personality all her own.”
Harriet Overton Bullitt was born on September 10, 1924 in Seattle General Hospital, the first member of her family to be born in a hospital. Her grandfather, C.D. Stimson, was the owner of Seattle’s largest sawmill, a major owner of the Metropolitan Building Corporation, which built the Fairmont Olympic Hotel along with many other buildings in central Seattle, and was a co-founder of The Highlands. When her father died in 1932, Dorothy not only had to raise three children but also run the family business, Stimson Realty Company. At the time, it was not common for a woman to run a business.
During World War II, Harriet studied chemical engineering at the University of Washington. However, she ran into sexism there and was told by a professor to avoid the library since she was distracting to the male students. She tried her hand at home economics, but after she “flunked French toast,” she moved east to Bennington College to finish her degree. She eventually earned a Zoology degree from UW, but not until 1965.
At Bennington, Harriet met and married William Brewster, a handsome Dartmouth graduate. Dorothy gave the couple land outside of Leavenworth, WA as a wedding gift. While living in Boston with Bill and their two children, Wenda and Scott, Harriet won the New England Women’s Fencing Championship.
Later the couple moved to Gainesville, FL to work at the University of Florida. Working as a protein chemist, Harriet milked the venom from poisonous snakes to produce antivenom.
In 1962, Harriet divorced Bill and moved back to Seattle with her children. She married three more times, including her current husband Alex Voronin, who she met during a flamenco dancing party.
In Seattle, Dorothy had become interested in broadcasting, founding King Broadcasting in 1947. In its day, King had the first TV broadcast license west of the Mississippi River and north of San Francisco.
With little interest in broadcasting, Harriet started a newsletter in 1966 to celebrate the region’s natural beauty. First called Pacific Search, with subscribers from the Pacific Science Center, Audubon Society, mycological organizations and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, the newsletter would grow into Pacific Northwest Magazine (now Seattle Magazine), with more than 80,000 subscribers. In this role, she first published a new cartoonist, Gary Larson, and a photographer, Art Wolfe. She also published articles by Ken Kesey and Ivan Doig, who were new writers on the scene.
In 1984, Harriet put down her fencing swords and took up flamenco dancing. At the time she lived on a barge in Lake Union known as Water Music, which was pulled by her Nordic tugboat, Whirl Wind. Both vessels were equipped with sprung floors for dancing. A sticker on the barge famously read, “there’s no abyssness like show abyssness.”
When Dorothy Bullitt died in 1989, Harriet and Patsy found themselves in charge of King Broadcasting. Stim was running Harbor Properties at the time. In August 1990, Harriet and Patsy called a press event at the Stimson-Green mansion on First Hill to announce the sale of King Broadcasting. At the same time, they announced the funds would help grow the endowment of the Bullitt Foundation to approximately $85 million. While the Foundation had been around since the 1960s, supporting groups such as the Oregon Rivers Council, The Nature Conservancy, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, the new resources increased its endowment more than 20-fold. To this day, the Foundation has given more than $300 million to environmental causes in the Pacific Northwest.
The Bullitt family has had a long connection to Leavenworth, with a 300-acre property known as Coppernotch on the east side of Icicle Creek built by Dorothy in 1931. During World War II, Dorothy had sheltered her Japanese employees, Fred and Alice Ohata, there, to protect them from being forced into detention camps.
Harriet loved the area, which led her to develop Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort on an adjacent property along Icicle Creek in 1995. Originally known as “Na-sik-elt” or Narrow Bottom Canyon by the Yakama and P’squosa tribes who lived there before it became the site of the Civilian Conservation Corps’ Camp Icicle and the Roman Catholic Church’s Camp Field, Harriet hired architect Johnpaul Jones to help her design the resort in harmony with the surrounding environment. In 2001 the American Institute of Architects recognized it as one of the Top Ten Green projects in the nation.
Harriet created the Icicle Fund in 1998 to support arts, environment, and cultural and natural history in North Central Washington. To date it has distributed more than $40 million to more than 100 regional organizations. In 2019, Harriet transferred ownership of Sleeping Lady to the Icicle Fund, which will operate it in perpetuity.
Harriet lives in her home on the Sleeping Lady property, with her husband Alex and Icelandic shepherd, Roki.
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/philanthropist-conservationist-harriet-bullitt-dies/281-4d860c32-e007-4c33-bcc7-173760a8e75e
| 2022-04-25T16:01:49
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/philanthropist-conservationist-harriet-bullitt-dies/281-4d860c32-e007-4c33-bcc7-173760a8e75e
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WASHINGTON — The clock ran down at the end of the homecoming game and spectators stormed the football field, knocking over members of the high school band — all to gather around an assistant coach as he took a knee in prayer, surrounded by uniformed players.
Six years later, after losing his coaching job and repeatedly losing in court, that former Washington state coach, Joe Kennedy, took his arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, saying the Bremerton School District violated his First Amendment rights by refusing to let him continue praying at midfield immediately after games. Four conservative justices have already expressed concerns with how his case has been handled.
Kennedy's effort to get his job back helped earn him an appearance at a 2016 Donald Trump rally and quickly became a cultural touchstone, pitting public school employees' religious liberties against what his critics describe as longstanding principles separating church and state and protecting students from religious coercion.
Lawyers for the school district said officials had no problem letting Kennedy pray separately from students or letting him return to the field to pray after the students left. But allowing him to pray at midfield immediately after games with students there risked being seen as government endorsement of religion.
While Kennedy insists he never cared whether students participated in the prayers and he never asked them to join him, at least one player — anonymously — later reported participating contrary to his own beliefs, for fear of losing playing time.
“This case is challenging well-established case law that has protected students’ religious freedom for decades, and that has been supported by conservative and liberal justices alike,” said Rachel Laser, chief executive of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which is representing the school district. “If the court rules the wrong way, teachers and coaches could pressure students to pray in every public school classroom across the country.”
For Kennedy's supporters, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' holding in the case would force public school employees to drop their religious identities at the schoolhouse door — something they say the Constitution does not require.
“If a teacher prays over her lunch in the cafeteria and students can see her — just that little blessing over her salad — that's enough to terminate that teacher, according to the school district," said Jeremy Dys, an attorney with First Liberty Institute, which is representing Kennedy.
”I do think there is a time and a place for prayer, said Reverend Meg Dowling, with Bremerton's United Methodist Church.
Dowling is one of at least five Bremerton-area clergy who will be in Washington, D.C. for Monday's arguments. She admires Kennedy's passion for prayer, but said she would be concerned if the justices ruled in his favor.
”We want to protect the rights of our students, whether they’re Christian, Muslim, or Jewish," said Dowling, ”It sets a precedent for the future and I think our religious liberties and our First Amendment rights are at risk.”
Kennedy, a former Marine whose day job was at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, began coaching football at Bremerton High in 2008. He was new to religion and coaching and said he was inspired by the movie “Facing the Giants” — about a Christian high school football coach — to give thanks to God “on the battlefield” after each game.
What began as a solitary practice soon attracted students. He agreed, citing the district's policy of neither encouraging nor discouraging student prayer. Over the years he began leading locker room prayers before games, as well as group prayers and religious motivational talks at midfield after them.
The school district said it did not learn Kennedy was leading players in prayer until it heard it from another team's coach in September 2015. Administrators told him he was not to participate in religious activities with students, and any of his own religious observations must be either non-demonstrative or should occur without students.
For a month, Kennedy complied, the district notes in arguments to the court: He prayed on his own, such as while students were singing the fight song, and the district let him be.
But Kennedy's lawyers then insisted he be allowed to resume his prior practice, describing it as a “personal” prayer protected by the Constitution whether or not students joined him. Kennedy announced he would resume praying at midfield after games, and when he did so at the Oct. 16, 2015, homecoming game, as Bremerton's players were otherwise occupied, spectators rushed to the field to join him — as did members of the opposing team.
The district still did not fire Kennedy but wrote to caution him. Given his prior statements and actions, his praying at midfield — on government property he could access only by virtue of his job — could be perceived as school endorsement of religion, exposing the district to potential liability, Superintendent Aaron Leavell wrote.
“I wish to again emphasize that the district does not prohibit prayer or other religious exercise by its employees,” Leavell wrote. “However, it must prohibit any conduct by its employees that would serve as District endorsement of religion.”
Kennedy prayed again on the field after the next two games: first at a varsity game where no one joined him, and then at a junior varsity game where he was joined by a state lawmaker. The district then placed him on leave, and his contract was not renewed.
Kennedy's lawyers point out that he stopped engaging in religious activity with Bremerton students when asked. What he was actually suspended for was not delivering prayers to students, but kneeling and praying quickly by himself, they argue.
The federal judge who ruled against Kennedy, District Judge Ronald Leighton, compared his postgame behavior to a director who comes to center stage and prays at the end of a school play: “A reasonable onlooker would interpret their speech from that location as an extension of the school-sanctioned speech just before it.”
As the case made its way through the courts, Kennedy lost at every turn. But when the Supreme Court declined to take the case at an earlier stage, Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh called the 9th Circuit's reasoning “troubling” and said under it, “public school teachers and coaches may be fired if they engage in any expression that the school does not like while they are on duty.”
Ninth Circuit Judge Milan Smith suggested a teacher who prays over lunch in a cafeteria doesn't send a public message the way Kennedy did. Smith called the narrative posed by Kennedy's lawyers — that this was about a public employee's private prayer — “deceitful.”
Kennedy said he just wants to get back to coaching.
“This thing has just been so blown out of proportion,” he said. “Imagine a guy going out there and tying his shoe — you would never know the difference.”
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/praying-washington-football-coach-supreme-court/281-8db4d98e-f2ff-4cde-b389-50f013c3981a
| 2022-04-25T16:01:55
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/praying-washington-football-coach-supreme-court/281-8db4d98e-f2ff-4cde-b389-50f013c3981a
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SEATTLE — In 2021, the Better Business Bureau said it received just fewer than 2,500 complaints about financial losses linked to cryptocurrency scams. Those losses totaled just shy of $8 million.
"We also received just over 1,200 scam checker reports with losses just shy, again, of $8 million," said Logan Hickle, BBB of Washington public relations and communications manager. "Then, we also received 579 negative reviews from cryptocurrency companies themselves."
Hickle said the Federal Trade Commission estimated $750 million in cryptocurrency losses in 2021 and in 2020, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center estimated $246 million in losses.
To protect themselves, Hickle said people need to be aware that there are two common protections that don't apply to cryptocurrency at the moment, and that's credit card charge production and FDIC insurance.
Falling victim to a cryptocurrency scam is not much different than long-running scams people have reported to the BBB for several years.
"Someone may message you on social media looking to strike up a relationship and after a few days or weeks of getting to know you, they may say, 'Hey, I've made all this money investing with cryptocurrency, why don't you invest here?" Hickle said. "You also want to be very very careful if someone is specifically asking you to pay for something in cryptocurrency. That is a huge red flag and no one with the government will ever ask for this form of payment."
For more cryptocurrency safety reminders including how to spot email phishing scams, watch the interview in the video player above.
To view the BBB's report on cryptocurrency scams, click here.
Download our free KING 5 app to stay up-to-date on news stories from across western Washington.
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/washington-bbb-cryptocurrency-scam-consumers/281-1cd03c35-e7cc-457b-a4c2-b6404d68681a
| 2022-04-25T16:02:01
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/washington-bbb-cryptocurrency-scam-consumers/281-1cd03c35-e7cc-457b-a4c2-b6404d68681a
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EAGLE PASS, Texas — The body of a Texas Army National Guard soldier has been found, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales confirmed to KENS 5 on Monday.
22-year-old Specialist Bishop E. Evans went missing on Friday in Eagle Pass while attempting to rescue two migrants who appeared to be drowning. The Texas Rangers have been leading the search efforts, assisted by the Texas Department of Public Safety, Parks and Wildlife, and Border Patrol representatives. Search efforts continued throughout the weekend after the Texas Military Department notified the family Friday evening that he was missing.
While speaking in Eagle Pass on border issues, Rep. Gonzales spoke about Spec. Evans and expressed concern for his family and others living in the border region.
"It's about those that serve here. It's about those at work here. It's about Bishop Evans, who was found today. It's about his family. It's about all the families that have been impacted," Rep. Gonzalez said.
Evans was a field artilleryman from Arlington, Texas, and was assigned to A Battery, 4-133 Field Artillery Regiment in New Braunfels. He joined the Texas Army National Guard in May 2019. You can read more about Evans here.
"The service member selflessly attempted to help two migrants who appeared to be drowning as they illegally crossed the river from Mexico to the United States,” according to the Texas Military Department.
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/body-of-texas-army-national-guard-soldier-found-monday-border/273-653b18d4-d573-407e-89f2-e7f902001d21
| 2022-04-25T16:10:30
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/body-of-texas-army-national-guard-soldier-found-monday-border/273-653b18d4-d573-407e-89f2-e7f902001d21
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BASTROP, Texas — Editor's note: The video above was published when a judge ruled Rodney Reed's conviction should stand.
The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) is reviewing the Rodney Reed case.
According to the Supreme Court of the U.S., the court has agreed to look at Reed's case to consider a conflict in lower court decisions over when the statute of limitations begins when a prisoner attempts to seek DNA tests on the crime scene evidence in their case.
The Texas death row inmate is asking that DNA tests be conducted on a belt that he is accused of using to strangle Stacey Stites in 1996. He also wants other evidence found at the scene of the crime tested for DNA because his attorneys say tests were never done on the items.
Prosecutors oppose testing the evidence because they were handled by different people during the investigation and stored improperly.
In a decision issued Monday, April 25, the SCOTUS requested the case records from the lower courts so that justices can review and decide whether or not to hear Reed's DNA testing plea.
Reed's request for the SCOTUS to consider the issue refers to Skinner v. Switzer, which ruled that a prisoner may pursue claims for DNA testing post-conviction "to show that the governing state law denies him procedural due process” after he has unsuccessfully sought DNA testing under available state procedures.
Specifically, the SCOTUS is reviewing when the statute of limitations begins in such a case. The justices will look at whether it begins at the end of state-court litigation denying DNA testing, including any appeals, or whether it begins to run at the moment the state trial court denies DNA testing, despite any subsequent appeal.
In 1998, Reed was convicted of the 1996 abduction, rape and murder of 19-year-old Stites.
Days before Reed was set to be executed, he was granted a stay. Last year, a judge recommended that the Court of Criminal Appeals deny granting Reed a new trial.
In December 2021, attorneys in the case filed a request for grant of application for writ of habeas corpus, claiming prosecutors in the 1998 trial hid statements from Stites' co-workers showing that Reed and Stites knew each other and were romantically involved.
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/rodney-reed-supreme-court-death-row-texas/269-f7bcd853-cc96-4763-afd5-cbc5d74d4299
| 2022-04-25T16:10:36
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/rodney-reed-supreme-court-death-row-texas/269-f7bcd853-cc96-4763-afd5-cbc5d74d4299
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MKSK presents vision for western Canton parks
CANTON – Representatives of the planning, urban design and landscape architecture firm MKSK envision a more connected chain of western city parks.
MKSK Principal Matt Manda and Associate Cullen Meves shared ideas for a more interconnected and attractive park system last week during a special meeting of the Canton Park Commission. The board took no action or comments from the public.
"As far as the process moving forward, today is a conversation," said Manda. "It's a first pass of the plan."
Last year, the park board selected MKSK to create an improvement plan for the parks from Stadium Park in the north to West Park in the south. The three members — John "J.R." Rinaldi, Maureen Austin and Joseph Gerzina — approved $25,000 for the study and planned to seek additional funding from local foundations.
Manda and Meves reviewed existing park amenities and their initial analysis before asking for feedback on the latest plans. They included:
- New gateways into the parks from Fulton Road NW and near the McKinley National Memorial entrance.
- Zones within the parks focused on themes, such as events, exploration or history.
- New mountain biking or walking trails, all-weather shelters and lighting in the wooded, western side of Stadium Park.
- Two pedestrian railroad crossings — including one near the John Barker Spring House — on the eastern edge.
- An event pavilion connected to the Garden Center.
- A nature preserve at the former Mother Goose Land, which is prone to flooding.
Varying reactions to Canton park plans
Doug Foltz, the Canton Parks and Recreation director, said he's not "on board" with all the suggestions, such as relocating the Stadium Park tennis courts. However, he was enthusiastic about the pedestrian railroad crossings.
"I think that's one of the most sorely-needed things," Foltz said.
Austin praised the proposed ecological aspects and walkways between Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital and Stadium Park. She said the overall plan, though, seemed "ambitious" and costly and requested MKSK identify quick, easy projects.
"When the plan is further developed, as part of it, would you suggest some of those low-hanging fruit items?" Austin asked.
Gerzina countered that a bigger plan might garner more interest and funding from community foundations.
"You want to see who has interest in doing what," he said.
Manda said MKSK will refine the plan and have a follow-up discussion with board members about implementation and costs. The final plan likely won't be done for months.
"At the end of this process, you'll have this booklet, which will capture all of our work to date and our process of how we arrived at the decisions we have," Manda told the board.
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https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/canton/2022/04/25/mksk-presents-vision-for-parks/7389128001/
| 2022-04-25T16:34:45
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https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/canton/2022/04/25/mksk-presents-vision-for-parks/7389128001/
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The city of Vancouver has been at the center of an important issue for commuters for decades now — the replacement of the I-5 bridge.
There has been a renewed push to replace the popular crossing over the Columbia River following President Joe Biden’s visit last week to the northwest.
Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle shared more about the work she believes needs to be done.
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https://www.koin.com/local/clark-county/vancouver-mayor-talks-i-5-bridge-replacement/
| 2022-04-25T16:55:49
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https://www.koin.com/local/clark-county/vancouver-mayor-talks-i-5-bridge-replacement/
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — $10 million in new state funding can now be used to help clean up dumped garbage in Portland.
Gov. Kate Brown approved the funding which will be used to clean up public spaces in the metro.
Nearly 75% of the funding will be directed toward cleanup programs, specifically bettering current services and developing new.
Meanwhile, the Metro said the remaining funds will be allocated toward installing sharps boxes, replacing vegetation and signage, reducing graffiti and fencing.
“Over the course of the pandemic, we have seen a significant increase in the amount of illegal dumping and littering, and government has struggled to keep up with the problem,” said Metro Council President Lynn Peterson.
More than 1,400 sites have reportedly been cleaned so far in 2022. Those sites accounted for about 3 tons of trash picked up each day, metro officials said.
The funding will not be used to move camps or anyone experiencing homelessness.
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https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/10m-to-be-used-toward-cleaning-up-garbage-around-metro/
| 2022-04-25T16:55:55
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https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/10m-to-be-used-toward-cleaning-up-garbage-around-metro/
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A driver heading up the New Jersey Turnpike died Sunday morning after they were ejected from a car and run over by a tractor-trailer truck, state police said.
The crash occurred around 4:15 a.m. in the northbound lanes of the highway at milepost 105.9 in Newark, the New Jersey State Police said Sunday.
A preliminary investigation suggests the driver was traveling north when struck from behind by another car. The impact sent the driver's car across the roadway and into the guardrail, authorities said.
The crash ejected the driver from the car, and they were struck by a tractor-trailer truck also traveling northbound, NJSP said.
Police did not release the identity of the driver. An investigation is ongoing.
Copyright NBC New York
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/driver-ejected-in-nj-turnpike-crash-run-over-by-tractor-trailer-njsp/3661722/
| 2022-04-25T17:16:18
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/driver-ejected-in-nj-turnpike-crash-run-over-by-tractor-trailer-njsp/3661722/
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About 3 out of every 5 New Jersey residents say they would like to move out of the state at some point, an all-time high in 15 years of polling, Monmouth University said Monday.
The new Monmouth University Poll found 59% of residents desiring to leave, even though about two-thirds of residents also consider the state a good or excellent place to live.
“It’s a bit of a head-scratcher. Positive ratings of New Jersey as a place to live have ticked up a bit. But so has the sense that people want to get out of here someday. One possible explanation is that residents appreciate the benefits that New Jersey has to offer, but the cost of living does not make it sustainable in the long run,” Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement.
Setting aside desire, the poll found 36% of residents consider it "very likely" they actually will leave the state, also a new high. There was a huge jump among people under age 35 in particular.
Whereas previous polls found a similar desire to leave among all political affiliations, now there is a substantially higher interest in moving among Republicans and independents than among Democrats.
Across the board, aspiring leavers cite a familiar set of motives - property taxes, income taxes, housing costs and general cost of living.
The telephone poll of 802 adults was conducted March 31 to April 4 and has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nj-residents-desire-to-leave-at-an-all-time-high-poll-finds/3661667/
| 2022-04-25T17:16:24
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nj-residents-desire-to-leave-at-an-all-time-high-poll-finds/3661667/
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The failure of security cameras in the New York subway station where a gunman opened fire this month is the subject of an investigation.
Acting Metropolitan Transportation Authority Inspector General Elizabeth Keating announced the probe Monday.
“As the horrific mass shooting two weeks ago in Sunset Park has raised questions about the MTA camera system, the Office of the Inspector General has initiated an inquiry into why the cameras were not transmitting on April 12 and a review of the maintenance and repair program for the critical equipment,” Keating said in a statement.
Police acknowledged that security cameras in three stations weren’t working on the morning of April 12, including the Brooklyn station where the gunman set off a smoke device and shot 10 people.
After the April 12 attack at the 36th Street station in Sunset Park, police sources told NBC New York that the inability to access the station cameras slowed down the investigation. Had it not been for cell phone video, there would be little to no video showing what happened in the immediate aftermath of the alleged gunman opening fire and shooting 10 passengers on the packed N train.
A representative for the MTA said the cameras malfunctioned that day because of an internet server issue, and that the agency has "made significant use of the Transit Security Grant Program, but we have been disappointed that funding has been flat since 2012."
The MTA refuted claims that the malfunctioning camera hampered the investigation. Staffers said other video and other evidence in the system proved to be critical.
The MTA has nearly 10,000 cameras at its 472 subway stations, and other cameras in nearby stations helped police track suspect Frank James’ movements before and after the shooting.
James also left behind a bag containing weapons, smoke grenades and the key to a U-Haul truck he had driven. The truck was found parked near a station where authorities believe James entered the subway dressed in construction clothing.
He was apprehended the following day in New York and charged with a federal terrorism offense.
All of the shooting victims are expected to survive.
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/security-camera-fail-during-brooklyn-subway-attack-to-be-probed/3661780/
| 2022-04-25T17:16:31
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/security-camera-fail-during-brooklyn-subway-attack-to-be-probed/3661780/
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A New York judge held former president Donald Trump in contempt on Monday over his lack of response to a subpoena from the state's attorney general, and ordered him to pay $10,000 a day in fines until he complies.
Attorney General Letitia James sought the contempt order earlier this month, saying Trump was not following a previous order to turn over documents in a civil investigation. The AG's office has said there is "significant" evidence the Trump Organization misstated asset values for years.
James' 26-page contempt motion alleged that Trump did not comply with a court-ordered March 31 deadline to turn over documents, instead submitting objections to the various requests and saying he would not turn over any materials.
Trump has been fighting the attorney general's subpoena, and his company, the Trump Organization, has repeatedly said it was complying with various orders to turn over materials.
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/trump-held-in-contempt-by-ny-judge-faces-10000-a-day-in-fines/3661790/
| 2022-04-25T17:16:37
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One of the most beloved grocery chains is coming to Long Island.
Wegmans will open its first Long Island store in Lake Grove, the company announced Monday. The store will be in the DSW plaza at the corner of Middle County Road and Moriches Road.
There's no timeline for the store's construction or opening.
Opening a store on Long Island will expand the store's New York footprint. A second NYC location is already in the works, with plans announced last year to open a Wegmans in Manhattan in 2023.
The grocery store is set to open in the second half of the year in the old Kmart location at Astor Place.
Wegmans, which already operates one location in Brooklyn, consistently lands in industry top-10 lists, including a #2 ranking in Food & Wine's latest list of America's best grocery stores.
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/wegmans-to-open-first-store-on-long-island/3661666/
| 2022-04-25T17:16:43
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/wegmans-to-open-first-store-on-long-island/3661666/
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BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Northwest Health and March of Dimes will be hosting the ‘Babies in Bloom’ community baby fair event on Saturday, April 30.
The event will have education booths and displays and vendor booths with prizes. Certified techs will be available for car seat checks and installations for those that need them. There will also be labor and delivery tours and low intervention birthing suites.
The event will be held at three hospital locations:
- Northwest Medical Center - 3000 Medical Center Pkwy, Bentonville, Ark.
- Siloam Springs Regional Hospital - 603 N Progress Ave Siloam Springs, Ark.
- Willow Creek Women’s Hospital - 4301 Greathouse Springs Rd. Johnson, Ark. (Call 479-877-5777 to schedule).
The event will be held from noon to 4 p.m.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com.
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https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/babies-in-bloom-community-event-northwest-health-labor-delivery-birthing-suite-car-seat-installation/527-24645867-d572-443a-b2d0-cf7b8a411029
| 2022-04-25T17:34:41
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FORT SMITH, Ark. — A Fort Smith Police officer has been injured after a driver sped through a crime scene that happened on Kelley Highway early Sunday, April 24 morning.
According to a Facebook post by the Fort Smith Police Department (FSPD), officers were investigating a serious hit-and-run accident when a black Volkswagen vehicle ignored the traffic barricades and drove into the scene.
Investigators say officers initiated a stop and spoke to the man driving the vehicle who "showed signs of impairment."
When police asked the man to turn off the vehicle, he sped away, injuring Officer Ashley Breedlove.
FSPD says Officer Breedlove sustained a minor injury to her hip, torn clothing and a more serious injury to her hand.
Just before 2 p.m. Sunday, FSPD shared via Twitter that the suspect, 22-year-old Jason Edgardo Mayorga, had been identified in connection to the incident. Mayorga was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and is being held at the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center.
The victim from the earlier hit-and-run was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries according to FSPD.
FSPD says it's still looking for a light-colored early 2000s Cadillac in connection to that hit-and-run.
This is an ongoing investigation.
Stay with 5NEWS for updates on this developing story.
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DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE 5NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KFSM in the Channel Store.
For Fire TV, search for "KFSM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com.
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https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/fort-smith-police-officer-injured-suspect-took-off-traffic-stop-kelley-highway-hit-and-run/527-12c0770f-ce4e-4324-aa44-ac9bd90203ca
| 2022-04-25T17:34:47
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https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/fort-smith-police-officer-injured-suspect-took-off-traffic-stop-kelley-highway-hit-and-run/527-12c0770f-ce4e-4324-aa44-ac9bd90203ca
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DALLAS — Five months after his mistrial, accused serial killer Billy Chemirmir's case was again delayed Monday, at least for a few hours.
Opening statements in his retrial were set to begin around 9 a.m., but one juror was missing.
Shortly after 11 a.m., the juror was located. As it turned out, officials said, he had gone to work instead of court.
The juror was heading to court. It was not clear when opening statements would begin.
After waiting on the juror for a couple hours, Judge Raquel Jones had officially put the court in recess shortly before 11 a.m. and ordered a Dallas County constable to go to the 22-year-old man's house and try to find him.
"Let the manhunt begin," Jones said in court.
Chemirmir, who was initially arrested in 2019, is charged with 18 murders of elderly victims but is being re-tried only in the case of Lu Harris. He’s accused of stalking, smothering and then stealing from his victims.
In November, he was first tried for the murder of Harris, but a "hopelessly deadlocked" jury resulted in Jones declaring a mistrial. Jurors told Jones that one juror refused to change her stance on the trial. Despite repeated instructions from Jones to keep deliberating, the jury could not come to a consensus.
Background on the case
In Lu Harris’ case, police testified they saw him throw her jewelry box in a dumpster near his apartment in Dallas. He was already on their radar after his car was spotted at one of the crime scenes in Collin County, so officers were following him.
Prosecutors showed the jury the pillow they say was used to smother Harris with her lipstick still on it. They said after he killed Harris, he sold her jewelry on the Offer Up app. They recovered some it.
Jurors also heard recorded testimony from Mary Bartell. Police believe Bartell was the only one of the alleged victims who survived her attack. Bartell taped a testimony before she died.
“He smashed a pillow on my face and chest,” said Bartell.
Prosecutors had the videos, cellphone records and even one of the victim’s house keys found on Chemirmir, but what they didn’t have was any forensic evidence linking him to any of the crimes.
“That’s what this whole case is about, reasonable doubt and it is rampant,” said defense attorney Kobby Warren.
Chemirmir lived in independent living facilities where detectives say he robbed residents of their jewelry and then suffocated them.
But despite the long list of charges against Chemirmir, Dallas County District Attorney John Cruezot told the victims' families in June 2021 he would not be seeking the death penalty.
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/billy-chemirmir-delayed-again-dallas-juror-late-for-start-of-accused-serial-killers-retrial/287-05c8591a-ad84-491c-9668-0308fe56b819
| 2022-04-25T17:50:09
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SANIBEL, Fla. — A gopher tortoise was released into the wild after suffering a shell fracture in March, according to the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, Inc. (CROW).
The adult female gopher tortoise was released back into the Sanibel area near where she was found by CROW officials.
The tortoise spent approximately 35 days in CROW’s care to repair her fractured shell.
CROW warned drivers to stop, if it is safe to do so, if they spot a gopher tortoise crossing the road and to be aware of any speed warning signs with wildlife in the area.
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https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/04/25/crow-releases-gopher-tortoise-after-month-long-shell-fracture-recovery/
| 2022-04-25T18:18:44
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https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/04/25/crow-releases-gopher-tortoise-after-month-long-shell-fracture-recovery/
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A Brooklyn man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to sex trafficking of a child for forcing two 16-year-old girls to engage in prostitution.
Steven Bell, 36, of Flatbush, Brooklyn, will not only spend a decade in prison, but was also sentenced to five years’ post-release supervision, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced. Bell will have to register as a sex offender.
According to the district attorney, citing the investigation, a 16-year-old girl who was living in a residential facility outside of New York City left the facility on October 17, 2020 and made her way to Brooklyn to meet Bell who convinced her to engage in prostitution for him.
Bell, with the help of an apparent accomplice, took sexually provocative photos of the teen and posted them online, advertising sex in exchange for money, according to Gonzalez' office.
In late October, the teen allegendy contacted another 16-year-old girl she knew. The second girl, left a facility to meet with the first teen and Bell in Brooklyn. Bell also took provocative photos of her and posted them online. He and his accomplice also took provocative photos of both teens together.
The teens were trafficked until December 2020 until the New York City Police Department received information regarding the possible crime involving the minors and an investigation kicked off.
“This defendant took advantage of two vulnerable children to make himself money," Gonzalez said in a statement. "Child exploitation for sex is a real and persistent problem and I remain committed to investigate, vigorously prosecute and hold accountable anyone who engages in this appalling and harmful conduct.”
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/nyc-man-sentenced-to-prison-for-sex-trafficking-16-year-old-girls/3661868/
| 2022-04-25T18:47:29
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Nearly 100 people gathered Monday to remember the life of a New Jersey high school student who jumped into a pond Friday to get a soccer ball that had fallen in the water and never resurfaced.
Clinten Ajit, who attended New Milford High School and lived in the area, went into Hardcastle Pond in New Milford to get the ball around 7:15 p.m., according to police. The 18-year-old's body was recovered less than three hours later.
Raw emotion and floods of tears filled St. Peter's Mar Thoma Church in Washington Township for Ajit's memorial Monday. His family was inconsolable.
An old family friend designated to speak on their behalf said the Ajit family is originally from India but had been in the New Milford area for nearly a decade.
They, and the young man who died, were described as staples of their community.
A close friend of the victim's mother says her older son taught Ajit at Sunday School in the same church where his funeral was held Monday. She described the young man as a "good Samaritan, a wonderful boy, very respectful and caring."
"He died trying to help a friend ... and that was his way," she added, referring to his deadly effort to get the soccer ball back.
News
An investigation into Ajit's death is ongoing. At its deepest points, the pond where he apparently drowned is 12 to 15 feet deep.
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/inconsolable-friends-family-mourn-nj-student-who-went-after-ball-drowned-in-pond/3661834/
| 2022-04-25T18:47:33
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Two Newark brothers have been arrested on murder and other charges in the shooting death of a 63-year-old woman from the same city who was gunned down on her own front porch as she celebrated her birthday more than a year ago.
Jonathan Ritchie, 21, and Josiah Ritchie, also are accused of conspiracy to commit murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in the March 11, 2021 death of Debra Derrick.
Derrick, who previously worked as a certified nursing assistant at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, had gathered with her grandchildren and other relatives around 8 p.m. that night to release balloons marking her birthday and the birthday of her late twin sister when gunfire erupted on the 200 block of Lehigh Avenue.
Derrick was hit and ultimately died from her injuries.
The Ritchie brothers, who are originally from Guyana and had previously lived in Atlanta, were living with their mother and stepfather in Newark at the time, officials say. Both are now being held in the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark.
Attorney information for them wasn't immediately available.
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nj-brothers-arrested-in-murder-of-woman-63-shot-on-her-porch-during-b-day-party/3661898/
| 2022-04-25T18:48:15
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nj-brothers-arrested-in-murder-of-woman-63-shot-on-her-porch-during-b-day-party/3661898/
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A person is dead after law enforcement swarmed a truck stop where a wanted person was reportedly barricaded inside a vehicle in Aurora late Monday morning.
Shortly before 10 a.m., Marion County Sheriff’s Office tweeted SWAT and several other law enforcement agencies were called to the Flying J truck stop on Ehlen Road.
A KOIN 6 News crew at the scene said there is at least one person dead at the scene.
Gas station attendants told KOIN 6 News they heard gunshots.
Ehlen Road is closed between Bents Court NE and Butteville Road near Aurora. Authorities advise drivers to seek alternate routes.
Officials have not yet identified the person shot.
This is a developing story.
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https://www.koin.com/local/marion-county/mcso-wanted-person-barricaded-inside-vehicle-in-aurora/
| 2022-04-25T19:05:56
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https://www.koin.com/local/marion-county/mcso-wanted-person-barricaded-inside-vehicle-in-aurora/
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TEXAS, USA — Democratic candidate for Texas governor Beto O'Rourke has tested positive for COVID-19, he announced on Monday.
"In addition to being fully vaccinated and boosted, I regularly test for COVID-19 while traveling the state for town hall meetings," he said in a press release. "I tested negative yesterday morning before testing positive today. I have mild symptoms and will be following public health guidelines."
O'Rourke recently hosted events such as a property tax address on April 20 in Dallas. He also had a press conference planned for Monday morning in Harris County with Texas Land Commissioner Jay Kleberg.
O'Rourke additionally was visiting Livingston and New Braunfels over the weekend.
His Republican opponent, Gov. Greg Abbott, has also been hosting several campaign events in recent weeks. He tested positive for the virus in August of last year.
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/beto-orourke-positive-covid-texas/269-14446dd0-0902-41a8-a705-d622e21ce187
| 2022-04-25T19:30:30
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/beto-orourke-positive-covid-texas/269-14446dd0-0902-41a8-a705-d622e21ce187
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AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted the execution of Melissa Lucio amid growing doubts about whether she killed her 2-year-old daughter in 2007.
In a phone call with State Rep. Jeff Leach, a Plano Republican who has advocated on Lucio's behalf, she was overcome with emotion when he told her she'd just been granted a stay, the Texas Tribune reported.
"Are you serious?" she asked, laughing through tears. "That is wonderful... oh thank you, God.
The South Texas mother of 14, including twins she had to give up for adoption after giving birth in a prison hospital, also released a statement.
“I am grateful to have more days to be a mother to my children and a grandmother to my grandchildren. I will use my time to help bring them to Christ. I am deeply grateful to everyone who prayed for me and spoke out on my behalf," Lucio said in a statement.
The court said its decision was based on three counts raised by the South Texas woman's attorneys.
- Whether Lucio is actually innocent
- Whether the state presented false testimony at trial
- And whether the state hid evidence from the defense
A lower court will now review claims that new evidence in Lucio's case would exonerate her, and they will determine whether she should get a new trial.
RELATED: More coverage of Melissa Lucio case
Supporters carrying signs on Lucio's behalf were camped outside of Texas Governor Greg Abbott's office in the State Capitol when they got the news.
KHOU 11 News reporter Melissa Correa was there when they spoke with Lucio's son, John, who was driving to death row to tell his mom the good news.
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles was expected to deliver its own recommendations Monday, but issued a brief statement saying that won't happen now.
"Based on a stay of execution issued by the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas on April 25, 2022 the Board of Pardons and Paroles will not be making a clemency recommendation at this time," the board posted on its website.
Gov. Greg Abbott was awaiting the Parole Board's recommendation so no action is expected from him today either.
Why is Melissa Lucio on Texas death row?
The South Texas mother of 14 was sentenced to death for the 2007 death of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah in Harlingen, a city of about 75,000 in the southern tip of Texas. Five of the jurors who convicted her in 2008 have joined calls to stop the execution.
A weekend of prayer vigils and rallies in more than a dozen cities nationwide were held urging those in power to intervene.
Magdaleno Rose-Avila drove all the way to the Rio Grande Valley from Atlanta, Georgia, in support of Lucio.
"We’re on a countdown for Melissa Lucio’s case. I wanted to be here," Rose-Avila said. "People are saying, you know, there are so many errors with this case. That she should not only not have a death sentence, but she should have been freed immediately."
What happened to Mariah Alvarez?
It was a February day 15 years ago when the family of Mariah Alvarez called 911 after the toddler was found unresponsive at their South Texas apartment. At the time, Lucio and her husband had 12 children between ages of 2 and 15.
Lucio and some of the children told police that Mariah had accidentally fallen down the stairs a couple of days earlier. Mariah’s death was later determined to be caused by a blunt-force injury to the head.
Lucio, the main suspect from the beginning, stood by her story during a lengthy, late-night interrogation the night of her daughter's death and into the next morning. Exhausted and pregnant with twins, Lucio broke down and admitted she had spanked, and possibly bitten, Mariah. Many believe that confession was coerced.
Lucio never admitted killing her daughter or causing her head injury, but the other admissions led police and prosecutors to charge her with capital murder.
On July 10, 2008, a Cameron County jury convicted Lucio and sentenced her to death.
Armando Villalobos was the county's district attorney when Lucio was convicted. Lucio’s lawyers allege that he pushed for a conviction to help his reelection bid. In 2014, Villalobos was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for a bribery scheme related to offering favorable prosecutorial decisions.
What the lawyers now say
Lucio's current lawyers say new evidence shows that Mariah’s injuries, including the blow to the head, were caused by a fall down a steep staircase, as Melissa and some of her children have claimed from the beginning.
Her lawyers also contend that unscientific and false evidence misled jurors into believing Mariah’s injuries only could have been caused by physical abuse and not by medical complications from a severe fall.
“I knew that what I was accused of doing was not true. My children have always been my world and although my choices in life were not good I would have never hurt any of my children in such a way,” Lucio wrote in a letter to Texas lawmakers.
Prosecutors say Lucio had a history of drug abuse and at times had lost custody of some of her 14 children after allegations of neglect.
Jurors have change of heart
Juror Johnny Galvan Jr. testified at a recent hearing to call for a new trial.
"I am now convinced that the jury got it wrong, and it's too much doubt to execute Ms. Lucio," Galvan said. "If I could take back my vote, I would. I would be haunted by Ms. Lucio's execution if it goes forward."
Galvan also said he felt pressured by other jurors to sentence Lucio.
Jury forewoman Melissa Quintanilla has also had a change of heart.
“The trial left me thinking Melissa Lucio was a monster, but now I see her as a human being who was made to seem evil because I didn’t have all the evidence I needed to make that decision,” Quintanilla said in an affidavit to the parole board. “Ms. Lucio deserves a new trial and for a new jury to hear this evidence.
Supporters on both sides
Democrats and Republicans in the Texas Legislature don't agree on much these days, but lawmakers from both sides of the aisle believe Lucio's execution should be halted. In fact, there's a bipartisan effort to grant clemency.
In a phone call with State Rep. Jeff Leach, a Plano Republican who has advocated for her, Lucio was overcome with emotion when Leach told her she had been granted a stay.
Dozens of state lawmakers signed a letter to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles asking it to act in Lucio's case. The letter cites significant doubts about "Ms. Lucio’s guilt, her disparate treatment compared to her husband and co-defendant, who received a four-year sentence, and the impact her execution will have on her supportive family and faith community."
National spotlight on Texas
Lucio's case has gotten attention from national news organizations and Hollywood.
Last month, HBO's "Last Week Tonight" mentioned Lucio's case in an episode on wrongful convictions. Last year, Hulu released “The State of Texas vs. Melissa,” raising questions about her guilt.
Lucio’s family and supporters have been traveling throughout Texas and holding rallies and screenings of a 2020 documentary about her case, “The State of Texas vs. Melissa.”
Kim Kardashian, who has a law degree and has helped other inmates, has also expressed support for Lucio. She's among the thousands of people who signed the petition urging Abbott to stop her execution.
"After she called for help, she was taken into custody by the police. Melissa is a survivor of abuse and domestic violence herself and after being interrogated for hours and falsely pleaded guilty. She wanted the interrogation to end, but police made her words out to be a confession," Kardashian wrote.
Women and capital punishment
It's rare in the U.S., according to the Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit that opposes capital punishment. Women have accounted for only 3.6% of the more than 16,000 confirmed executions in the U.S. dating back to the colonial period in the 1600s, according to the group's data.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, 17 women have been executed throughout the nation, according to the data. Texas has put more women to death — six — than any other state. Oklahoma is next, with three, and Florida has executed two.
The federal government has executed one woman since 1976. Lisa Montgomery, of Kansas, received a lethal injection in January 2021 after the Trump administration resumed executions in the federal system following a 17-year hiatus. The Justice Department has halted executions again under the Biden administration.
The Associated Press and Texas Tribune contributed to this report.
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/melissa-lucio-case-execution-parole-board-abbott/285-2389babe-8551-4eae-8b4f-9ee4d4b9044d
| 2022-04-25T19:30:36
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AUSTIN, Texas — Melissa Lucio, a Texas woman on death row, has been granted a stay of execution on Monday by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, according to Rep. Jeff Leach.
"I thank God for my life," Lucio said Monday in a statement released by her lawyers. "I have always trusted in Him. I am grateful the Court has given me the chance to live and prove my innocence. Mariah is in my heart today and always. I am grateful to have more days to be a mother to my children and a grandmother to my grandchildren. I will use my time to help bring them to Christ. I am deeply grateful to everyone who prayed for me and spoke out on my behalf."
Over the weekend, supporters of Lucio gathered in a last-ditch effort to stop her execution, which was scheduled for Wednesday.
Lucio's supporters were outside the Texas State Capitol on Sunday and outside the Governor's Mansion on Saturday. The Saturday rally was one of more than a dozen held across several states as part of a national day of action to save Lucio.
On Monday, the group Death Penalty Action delivered a petition to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Gov. Greg Abbott. The board has the power to issue a recommendation to the governor's office for Abbott to grant clemency, but the board will no longer be making a recommendation following the court's decision.
"With regard to the death penalty that could arise next week ... I still have not received a report from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. That's a requirement for the governor to receive before any action is taken. And when I receive that, I'll consider it and take whatever action I think is appropriate," Abbott said recently.
Death Penalty Action already delivered a petition on Friday to Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz, calling on him to rescind the execution warrant for Lucio and reinvestigate her case. The group says Saenz has the power to stop Lucio's execution by withdrawing that warrant.
Lucio was sentenced to death after she was convicted of killing her 2-year-old daughter in 2007 in Harlingen. Her case has since received national attention after supporters raised questions about the facts of the case and how it was handled at the time.
Lucio's supporters say her daughter's death was an accident after she fell down the stairs. Five of the jurors who convicted Lucio have asked the state parole board and Abbott to stop her execution, saying they were not aware of all the facts at the time and that they would not have sentenced her to death had they known then what they know now.
The Hulu documentary “The State of Texas vs. Melissa” detailed how Lucio might be innocent, and John Oliver has discussed Lucio's case twice on his HBO show "Last Week Tonight," once during an episode focused on wrongful convictions and briefly again in an episode focused on police interrogations. Kim Kardashian has also expressed her support for Lucio, signing a petition urging Abbott to stop Lucio's execution.
A bipartisan group of Texas House lawmakers has also urged state leaders to intervene and stop Lucio's execution, as has a group of more than 20 state senators who sent a letter to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommending that Lucio either get her sentence commuted or that she get a reprieve.
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/melissa-lucio-texas-board-pardons-paroles-vote-clemency-recommendation/269-ddcc7b0b-da73-420b-a29b-05e27669ace0
| 2022-04-25T19:30:42
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — You may know the Urban Restaurant Group from their popular Pearl District eatery, Brix Tavern. Or maybe from Urban Fondue in Northwest Portland. Or Bartini. Or Carlita’s for tacos and tequila. Or the Swine Moonshine and Whiskey Bar in downtown Portland. Or the 5th Street Eateries in Eugene.
Ten restaurants in Portland, another 4 in Eugene plus a catering company and 4 event venues. All of them survived the pandemic.
“We’re fortunate we came out on the other side of this, and we’re doing well. So, knock on wood. Very fortunate and very blessed,” said Mark Byrum of Urban Restaurant Group.
Mark and Carla Byrum have a newer acquisition, The Metropolitan Tavern at Hotel Eastlund across from the Oregon Convention Center. It opened during the pandemic.
“We are so busy now,” Carla Byrum said. “People want to come out and they want to spend money and, you know, have the opportunity to celebrate birthdays and things like that.”
But during the height of the COVID pandemic, they shut everything down. Their future was in doubt. But they were determined.
“We just came with the mindset, if we’re going to do this let’s do it!” Mark said.
With SBA loans, federal government assistance, outdoor dining, sympathetic landlords — they made it work.
“We started doing deliveries, lot of to-go margaritas and things like that for multiple properties,” said Mark.
Nearly 20 years ago Mark opened his first restaurant, The Voodoo Lounge in Old Town, after he was let go from a restaurant management job. Mark and Carla’s first venture together, Urban Fondue, came a year later.
“So what I’ve done now is built Urban Restaurant Group with multiple restaurants, being more conscientious and loyal to my employees,” he said.
Both are confident Portland’s restaurant scene is coming back.
“We’re definitely down some great restaurants and there’s room for some new ones to come in,” Carla said.
That includes new restaurants from Urban Restaurant Group. They Byrums plan to open 3 more restaurants in the Portland area and another in Eugene. Those plans include a new restaurant in the old Hayden’s Lakefront Grill property in Tualatin.
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https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/urban-restaurant-group-to-expand-in-portland-metro-eugene/
| 2022-04-25T20:55:15
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https://www.koin.com/local/multnomah-county/urban-restaurant-group-to-expand-in-portland-metro-eugene/
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AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted the execution of Melissa Lucio on Monday amid growing doubts about whether she killed her 2-year-old daughter in 2007.
In a phone call with Rep. Jeff Leach, a Plano Republican who has advocated on Lucio's behalf, she was overcome with emotion when he told her she'd just been granted a stay, the Texas Tribune reported.
"Are you serious?" she asked, laughing through tears. "That is wonderful ... oh thank you, God."
RELATED: More coverage of Melissa Lucio case
The South Texas mother of 14 -- including twins she had to give up for adoption after giving birth in a prison hospital -- also released a statement through her lawyers.
Lucio said she is "grateful the Court has given me the chance to live and prove my innocence. Mariah is in my heart today and always. I am grateful to have more days to be a mother to my children and a grandmother to my grandchildren. I will use my time to help bring them to Christ. I am deeply grateful to everyone who prayed for me and spoke out on my behalf."
Supporters carrying signs on Lucio's behalf were camped outside of Gov. Greg Abbott's office at the Texas Capitol when they got the news.
KHOU 11 News reporter Melissa Correa was there when they spoke with Lucio's son John and his wife Michelle, who were driving to death row to celebrate with Melissa.
"We are just overwhelmed with so much joy. We are just so grateful for everybody, every single body, that has done so much for her," Michelle said. "We are just in so much disbelief right now. We knew this was going to happen. This is what we were praying for."
What happens next in Melissa Lucio case?
The Texas appeals court said its decision was based on three counts raised by the South Texas woman's attorneys.
- Whether Lucio is actually innocent
- Whether the state presented false testimony at trial
- And whether the state hid evidence from the defense
A lower court will now review claims that new evidence in Lucio's case would exonerate her and they will determine whether she should get a new trial.
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles was expected to deliver its own recommendations Monday but issued a brief statement saying that won't happen.
"Based on a stay of execution issued by the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas on April 25, 2022, the Board of Pardons and Paroles will not be making a clemency recommendation at this time," the board posted on its website.
Abbott was awaiting the recommendation so no action is expected from him, either.
Why is Melissa Lucio on Texas death row?
Lucio was sent to death row for the 2007 death of her youngest daughter Mariah in Harlingen, a city of about 75,000 in the southern tip of Texas. Five of the jurors who convicted her in 2008 have joined calls to stop the execution.
Coverage of her case has sparked an international outcry from politicians, religious leaders, celebrities and death penalty opponents.
A weekend of prayer vigils and rallies in more than a dozen cities nationwide was held urging those in power to intervene.
Magdaleno Rose-Avila drove all the way to the Rio Grande Valley from Atlanta, Georgia, in support of Lucio.
"We’re on a countdown for Melissa Lucio’s case. I wanted to be here," Rose-Avila said. "People are saying, you know, there are so many errors with this case. That she should not only not have a death sentence, but she should have been freed immediately."
What happened to Mariah Alvarez?
It was a February day 15 years ago when the family of Mariah Alvarez called 911 after the toddler was found unresponsive at their South Texas apartment. At the time, Lucio and her husband had 12 children between the ages of 2 and 15.
Lucio and some of the children told police that Mariah had accidentally fallen down the stairs a couple of days earlier. Mariah’s death was later determined to be caused by a blunt-force injury to the head.
Lucio, the main suspect from the beginning, stood by her story during a lengthy, late-night interrogation the night of her daughter's death and into the next morning. Exhausted and pregnant with twins, Lucio broke down and admitted she had spanked, and possibly bitten, Mariah. Many believe that confession was coerced.
Lucio never admitted to killing her daughter or causing her head injury, but the other admissions led police and prosecutors to charge her with capital murder.
On July 10, 2008, a Cameron County jury convicted Lucio and sentenced her to death.
Armando Villalobos was the county's district attorney when Lucio was convicted. Lucio’s lawyers allege that he pushed for a conviction to help his reelection bid. In 2014, Villalobos was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for a bribery scheme related to offering favorable prosecutorial decisions.
What the lawyers now say
Lucio's current lawyers say new evidence shows that Mariah’s injuries, including the blow to the head, were caused by a fall down a steep staircase, as Melissa and some of her children have claimed from the beginning.
Her lawyers also contend that unscientific and false evidence misled jurors into believing Mariah’s injuries only could have been caused by physical abuse and not by medical complications from a severe fall.
“I knew that what I was accused of doing was not true. My children have always been my world and although my choices in life were not good I would have never hurt any of my children in such a way,” Lucio wrote in a letter to Texas lawmakers.
Prosecutors say Lucio had a history of drug abuse and at times had lost custody of some of her 14 children after allegations of neglect.
Jurors have change of heart
Juror Johnny Galvan Jr. testified at a recent hearing to call for a new trial.
"I am now convinced that the jury got it wrong, and it's too much doubt to execute Ms. Lucio," Galvan said. "If I could take back my vote, I would. I would be haunted by Ms. Lucio's execution if it goes forward."
Galvan also said he felt pressured by other jurors to sentence Lucio.
Jury forewoman Melissa Quintanilla has also had a change of heart.
“The trial left me thinking Melissa Lucio was a monster, but now I see her as a human being who was made to seem evil because I didn’t have all the evidence I needed to make that decision,” Quintanilla said in an affidavit to the parole board. “Ms. Lucio deserves a new trial and for a new jury to hear this evidence.
Supporters on both sides
Democrats and Republicans in the Texas Legislature don't agree on much these days, but lawmakers from both sides of the aisle believe Lucio's execution should be halted. In fact, there's a bipartisan effort to grant clemency.
Dozens of state lawmakers signed a letter to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles asking it to act in Lucio's case. The letter cites significant doubts about "Ms. Lucio’s guilt, her disparate treatment compared to her husband and co-defendant, who received a four-year sentence, and the impact her execution will have on her supportive family and faith community."
National spotlight on Texas
Lucio's case has gotten attention from national news organizations and Hollywood.
Last month, HBO's "Last Week Tonight" mentioned Lucio's case in an episode on wrongful convictions. Last year, Hulu released “The State of Texas vs. Melissa,” raising questions about her guilt.
Lucio’s family and supporters have been traveling throughout Texas and holding rallies and screenings of a 2020 documentary about her case, “The State of Texas vs. Melissa.”
Kim Kardashian, who has a law degree and has helped other inmates, has also expressed support for Lucio. She's among the thousands of people who signed the petition urging Abbott to stop her execution.
"After she called for help, she was taken into custody by the police. Melissa is a survivor of abuse and domestic violence herself and after being interrogated for hours and falsely pleaded guilty. She wanted the interrogation to end, but police made her words out to be a confession," Kardashian wrote.
Women and capital punishment
Women being put to death is rare in the U.S., according to the Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit that opposes capital punishment. Women have accounted for only 3.6% of the more than 16,000 confirmed executions in the U.S. dating back to the colonial period in the 1600s, according to the group's data.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, 17 women have been executed throughout the nation, according to the data. Texas has put more women to death — six — than any other state. Oklahoma is next, with three, and Florida has executed two.
The federal government has executed one woman since 1976. Lisa Montgomery, of Kansas, received a lethal injection in January 2021 after the Trump administration resumed executions in the federal system following a 17-year hiatus. The Justice Department has halted executions again under the Biden administration.
The Associated Press and Texas Tribune contributed to this report.
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https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/melissa-lucio-case-execution-parole-board-abbott/285-2389babe-8551-4eae-8b4f-9ee4d4b9044d
| 2022-04-25T20:59:14
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JONESBORO, Ark. — According to the Arkansas Department of Human Services Division of Youth Services, two teenagers left a facility in Jonesboro without authorization Sunday evening, April 24.
Police have been notified and are looking for the teenagers.
Gary Fields, 16, has brown hair and hazel eyes, weighs 120 pounds, and stands 5 foot 1 inches tall. He has been in DYS custody on charges of rape and theft of property.
James Williams, 16, has brown hair and hazel eyes, weighs 174 pounds, and stands 6 feet tall. He has been in DYS custody on charges including second-degree sexual assault, aggravated assault on a family or household member, and breaking or entering.
Williams and Fields were reported missing from Consolidated Youth Services in Jonesboro around 10:30 p.m.
The center provides services for youth committed to DYS custody.
Anyone with information on their location is asked to contact local authorities.
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https://www.5newsonline.com/article/news/local/police-searching-teens-jonesboro/91-8e129c55-3a2e-4f61-850a-28e18726d7fb
| 2022-04-25T20:59:20
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SAN ANTONIO — House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) is visiting the Texas/Mexico border Monday with a group of fellow Republicans.
The group is expected to tour Eagle Pass in the Del Rio Sector of Border Patrol. They will be meeting with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Army National Guard.
This comes after Title 42, a Trump-era policy that allowed migrants to be removed from the U.S. quickly due to COVID-19. Republicans have claimed that ending this policy will result in a surge of migrants at the border.
McCarthy will be accompanied by:
- Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21)
- Rep. Tony Gonzales (TX-23)
- Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14)
- Rep. Michael Guest (MS-03)
- Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21)
- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14)
- Rep. Diana Harshbarger (TN-01)
- Rep. Blake Moore (UT-01)
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/congressional-leaders-visit-texas-border-monday-del-rio/273-5416ae7c-03e7-49bf-94c7-0ef63eb7e422
| 2022-04-25T21:05:58
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Fine Special Olympics, Melbourne development and NASA SpaceX Crew 4 - News in 90
Rob Landers
Florida Today
Support local journalism. Unlock unlimited digital access to floridatoday.com
Looking for more information on the stories covered in today's News in 90 Seconds segment?
You can find the stories here:
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NASA, SpaceX Crew-4 set for early morning launch to ISS in season of busy space traffic
Rob Landers is a veteran multimedia journalist for the USA Today Network of Florida. Contact Landers at 321-242-3627 or rlanders@gannett.com. Twitter: @ByRobLanders
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https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2022/04/25/fine-special-olympics-melbourne-development-and-nasa-spacex-crew-4/7443873001/
| 2022-04-25T21:32:08
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) — Five months after his death, the University of Alabama has established a scholarship in honor of one of the state’s most widely read sports columnists.
On Monday, the university announced that friends and family of the late Cecil Hurt, longtime sports editor and columnist at The Tuscaloosa News, had established a memorial fund in his honor called the Cecil Hurt Endowed Support Fund for Excellence in Sports Media. The fund, which has received over $15,000 in donations, will “prioritize support for students and initiatives related to the sports media field,” according to a statement by UA.
Hurt, who worked at the News from 1982 until his death last November, won many awards throughout his career for his coverage of Crimson Tide athletics and was frequently sought out for his expertise on Alabama football. In January, he was posthumously inducted into the Alabama Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.
“Those who helped establish the fund hope that it will not only carry on the memory of Hurt, but that it will make a difference in the lives of students who choose to pursue a career path similar to Hurt’s,” the statement read.
According to the university, a portion of the fund will be designated to provide discretionary support for the College of Communication and Information Sciences’ Department of Journalism and Creative Media, offering programming for both students and industry professionals in sports media and sports communication.
“Cecil Hurt has multiple legacies,” said Dr. Andrew Billings, endowed professor and director of the Alabama Program in Sport Communication in a statement. “One, of course, was his own contribution to sports writing and reporting—which is legendary. However, another pertains to his role as a mentor to students and young professionals aspiring to make it in a competitive field. I’m excited that this endowment will help future young sports media professionals for many years more.”
Through the fund, the university will also establish the annual Cecil Hurt Award that will be given to an outstanding rising senior studying sports communication.
“This endowment will recognize and support the exact type of excellence that characterized Cecil’s life and his work,” said Dr. Mark Nelson, dean of the College of Communication and Information Sciences. “He was an inspirational member of our community, and this fund will inspire and support future journalists for many years to come.”
Those interested in donating to the fund can do so here.
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https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/university-of-alabama-establishes-scholarship-in-honor-of-late-sports-columnist-cecil-hurt/
| 2022-04-25T21:47:50
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Questions surrounding a mysterious death consumed a New York City neighborhood Friday after a man was found dead inside a burned car.
The car burst into flames on Intervale Avenue in the Bronx before the sun came up, around 5:30 a.m. All that remained hours later was the shell of a Toyota Camry.
Double parked on the street, the sedan was barely recognizable when police discovered the body in the backseat.
Neighbors who live nearby were stunned by what they saw just outside their doors.
“I was just surprised. Just surprised. Coming out like my super called me and said your car caught fire and I was like what! The fire was very bad," Kirk Komteye said.
Komteye owned one of the two cars parked next to the Camry also damaged in the early morning inferno. He was able to salvage his child's car seat and some groceries.
Police have not released the victim's name but friends and family who gathered by the cars throughout the day identified the person as a beloved fixture in the neighborhood, a man in his 30s who always looked to help others.
News
One witness told police they saw the man get into the burning car.
Authorities have not released the findings of their investigation.
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nyc-man-dies-after-walking-into-burning-car-witness/3662091/
| 2022-04-25T21:50:12
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Charges added, bond increased for two Bossier men charged in connection with child porn
Two Bossier Parish men received new charges and bonds for possessing child pornography.
On April 1, Bernard Radcliff, 57, of Haughton was arrested for having more than 900 images of child sexual abuse images.
In the initial investigation detectives obtained and executed a search warrant for Radcliff's home where they found images of prepubescence children on his electronic device.
During the interview Radcliff admitted to viewing and possessing the pornographic images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, with 500 of them identified as known victims.
Detectives added 500 new charges of Pornography Involving Juveniles to his case. Radcliff’s bond is now set at $5,180,000.00.
More:Louisiana Supreme Court suspends Shreveport attorney amid child porn charges
On April 8, Brian Timothy Noel, 42, of Haughton was arrested after a search warrant was obtained and executed at his home.
During the search warrant detectives found Noel in possession of five images depicting child sexual abuse of prepubescent children on his electronic device.
The images were hidden in a social media app.
Detectives also discovered that Noel shared the images via that social media app and his email account during the interview.
After a recent forensic investigation into Noel’s electronic devices, detectives discovered another 151 images of pornographic images depicting child sexual abuse.
Detectives added 151 new charges of Pornography Involving Juveniles to his case. Noel’s bond is now set at $1,760,000.00.
Both cases are still under investigation. Both men are currently housed in the Bossier Maximum-Security Facility in Plain Dealing.
Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.
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https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/local/2022/04/25/charges-added-two-bossier-men-charged-connection-child-porn/7445118001/
| 2022-04-25T21:58:52
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Alliance Police nab pair after 115 mph chase, charged with meth trafficking, possession
ALLIANCE – A Pittsburgh man and woman face first-degree felony charges of trafficking and possession of methamphetamine following a police chase that ended in Beloit after it hit speeds of at least 115 mph.
Jacob Bojorquez, 41, and Bethany Williams, 31, also face charges in Alliance of improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle and carrying concealed weapons, fourth-degree felonies, along with possession of criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony.
Bojorquez also faces a charge of having a weapon under disability, a third-degree felony.
Williams faces a third-degree felony charge for failure to comply with order.
An incident report from the Alliance Police Department says that Patrolman Chad Caughey stopped Bojorquez for speeding shortly after 11:30 p.m. Sunday in the 1000 block of East State Street. Police say Williams was in the passenger seat.
Caughey tried to run Bojorquez's driver's license through the Law Enforcement Automated Data System, but was unable to get any information because the license was too damaged.
When Patrolman Christian Tussey arrived on the scene, they asked Bojorquez to step out of the car and began asking questions. The report says the officers suspected Bojorquez was under the influence of stimulants because of the defendants' behavior, and also reported that he had dilated pupils.
Bojorquez declined permission for the officers search the car, and the officers requested a K9 to conduct an open air sniff. As the officers waited for a K9, they reported that Bojorquez became "extremely upset" and ran to the driver's side door and attempted to flee.
Bojorquez was removed from the car and placed under arrest.
Police said Williams, who was still in the passenger seat, moved into the driver's seat and drove eastbound into Beloit. Alliance Police report chasing the vehicle for four miles before Williams pulled into a parking lot. The report says Williams reached speeds of more than 115 mph.
Once they were able to conduct a search, police reporting finding about 300 grams of methamphetamine, marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia and other items used for drug distribution inside the vehicle, along with two loaded semi-automatic pistols.
The police report says a prior conviction precludes Borjorquez from owning or possessing a weapon
Both defendants were transported to Stark County Jail after failing to post bond.
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https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/alliance/2022/04/25/alliance-police-charge-pittsburgh-pair-after-115-mph-chase/7441311001/
| 2022-04-25T22:22:56
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DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks return to the friendly confines of the American Airlines Center looking to take back ownership of a series that looked all but over.
While Dallas outperformed their expectations to take a 2-1 series lead with Luka Doncic out, the opening round series is now dead even after a one point victory by the Utah Jazz in Game 4 Saturday.
The loss spoiled the return of one of the most dynamic young players in the NBA but the Mavs shouldn’t feel deterred just yet.
Doncic began the third playoff series of his young career with a 30 point effort, adding 10 rebounds and four assists as he worked his way back from a calf strain that had sidelined him since April 10.
For better or worse, the Mavericks looked like a different squad with their best player back, as Dallas was forced to switch up their style of play to accommodate their MVP candidate. At halftime in Game 4, Dallas trailed 54-42 as the team got their feet under them.
Talk of a minutes restriction quickly subsided, however, with Doncic shooting 53% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc in 34 minutes played. After Dallas charged back to take a lead in the second half, the Jazz scored the final five points of the game to even up the series.
Jason Kidd has hitched his wagon to letting his players, especially Luka, call their own game. With Utah’s defensive alignment basically giving carte blanche to shots beyond the arc, the Mavericks will need to take advantage of open 3-pointers and continue feeding Maxi Kleber and company when the guards get sized up in the paint.
Kleber has been electric in this series from deep until he ran into foul trouble that completely neutralized him, as he was held to just four shot attempts in Game 4.
Meanwhile, the foul issues for Dallas led to the Jazz taking a mountain of free throw attempts that made it difficult to pull away in the second half. Even with the issues, Dallas only lost after a ferocious rally by Utah in the final seconds.
Despite the loss, Jalen Brunson continued his stellar series with 23 points to help answer some questions about how he would fare with Doncic’s return to the guard depth chart.
The Mavericks hope adding Doncic to Brunson’s 29.8 PPG playoff average may be too much for the Jazz to contain if they can close the significant gap in fouls between the teams.
His game-winning bucket in the last few seconds of Game 4 aside, Utah backbone center Rudy Gobert has looked overmatched by the quick Dallas guards at times.
A plan of continuing to attack the Jazz inside, and kicking out for open 3s, will be the Mavs’ best chance of regaining their series lead and coming one step closer to closing out the series and moving on to the conference semifinals.
Do you think the Mavericks will reclaim the series lead in Game 5? Share your predictions with Irvin on Twitter @Twittirv.
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/mavs-gameplan-game-5-brunson-breakout-doncic-magic/287-e9db65fd-2f5f-4dcb-8351-446196fd3fd4
| 2022-04-25T22:41:33
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The new Black Business Association – Oregon is just starting to take off and its newly-hired executive director hopes it will be a model for similar programs across the country.
The Black Business Association – Oregon aims to advocate for and promote the successful development of Black-owned businesses in the state. The hiring of its executive director, Lance Randall was announced Monday.
“I am very excited about this opportunity and the support from all over the city, all over the state, for this initiative,” Randall said in an interview with KOIN 6 News. “We have an opportunity to do something that’s miraculous.”
Randall comes to Portland from Seattle, where he was the director of economic development for SouthEast Effective Development, a nonprofit with a mission to improve the quality of life in Southeast Seattle by making investments in housing, arts and economic development. Randall said the part of Seattle he worked in was one of the most diverse zip codes in the country and it gave him the opportunity to work with people from all over the world.
Before SouthEast Effective Development, Randall worked for the Seattle Office of Economic Development. He started in development in 1985 in Macon, Georgia where he worked for the Macon Economic Development Commission. Over the decades, he’s worked in various economic development positions and he’s looking forward to bringing his skills to Portland.
He said he saw an opportunity to expand the prosperity of Black-owned businesses in Portland after the protests that followed the death of George Floyd – the unarmed Black man killed by a Minneapolis police officer in 2018.
“We’ve gotten everyone’s attention to the social justice calls. So now, the next step is to make sure that we put Black businesses, Black people as a whole, in a position where they can create wealth and where they can be able to do things that they feel that they’ve never been able to do before,” Randall said.
He has big goals for the BBAO. As the COVID-19 pandemic eases and commerce returns to normal, Randall said he hopes to help local Black-owned businesses with marketing. He said people will need to know they’re still open and ready to serve.
Staffing challenges have impacted all businesses in Oregon. Randall said the BBAO will help fill employee gaps and will provide workforce development opportunities to help businesses with employee retention.
The BBAO will start in the Portland area, but Randall said he foresees it expanding as a resource throughout the state. He hopes the association can encourage Black entrepreneurs to start businesses in towns outside of the Portland metro area, in cities with populations of 50,000 or more or in other fast-growing parts of Oregon.
He also plans to encourage out-of-state, Black-owned businesses to expand in Oregon. He says he’ll be recruiting them from across the country and asking them to take a look at the opportunities for their business in Oregon. He sees a lot of potential in Oregon for expanding franchises.
“I’m pretty sure people love to have a Waffle House out here. That’s something that’s very popular down in Georgia, but that will be wonderful to have here,” he said.
In addition to bringing in new Black-owned businesses, he wants to make sure the Black-owned businesses that are in Oregon stay in Oregon. He said that will require annual visits to business owners to see what they need and to help connect them to government or banking resources if necessary.
Randall said Portland has already made progress since the George Floyd protests. He’s seen achievements from Black-owned businesses in the last couple years and credits the city for providing opportunities for their success.
The Black Business Association – Oregon is a direct result of action taken by some Black board members of the Portland Business Alliance, Randall said. After the social justice uprising in May 2020, those board members issued a call to action and created a Black Economic Prosperity Agenda for the greater Portland region.
This agenda aims to develop a regional Black Economic Prosperity dashboard to measure key metrics of Black economic prosperity in the region and better understand the current economic state of Black residents in the Portland area. The Portland Business Alliance hopes the metrics from this dashboard will help determine solutions to improve economic prosperity for Black residents.
The third part of the agenda was the establishment of the Black Business Association to help focus on the dashboard and find solutions.
“As a founding member of the Black Business Association of Oregon, I am thrilled to welcome Lance Randall as its new Executive Director,” said Andrew Colas, President & CEO of Colas Construction, Inc. and a Portland Business Alliance board member who helped write the call to action in June 2020.
Randall says investing in Black-owned businesses will help boost Oregon’s economy as a whole. He said just like all businesses, Black-owned businesses create jobs and generate tax dollars.
“I encourage everyone to participate in this effort because if the black community is strong and has a strong economic base, the entire economy is going to be stronger,” he said.
Randall said the next step for the BBAO will be launching a website as a resource for Black businesses owners. He hopes this will be live in about 7 weeks. After that, the association will work on creating the dashboard to measure key metrics of Black economic prosperity in the region. He hopes this will be completed by the end of 2022.
In the meantime, he said people are welcome to reach out to him now by emailing him at Lance@bbaoregon.org.
Motus Recruiting, the National Association of Minority Contractors- Oregon Chapter, and the Portland Business Alliance worked together to hire Randall.
“I’m just pleased to have the opportunity to lead this effort and I’m excited about what’s going to happen in the future,” Randall said.
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https://www.koin.com/local/executive-director-hired-for-new-black-business-association-oregon/
| 2022-04-25T23:00:41
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A dispute between two men on the mezzanine of a New York City subway station came to a deadly end when one of the men pulled out a gun and shot the other in the chest, police said.
The two men knew each other, and there was no continued threat to the general public, officials said Friday.
Police responded to the Jamaica subway station at Parsons Boulevard and Archer Street for calls of shots fired around 4:30 p.m.
A man in his 20s was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, two senior law enforcement sources said.
The gunman fled the station and was last seen running away down the street. The sources said officers were looking for a man wearing a purple durag and burgundy jacket.
Five shell casings and a firearm were recovered from the subway station mezzanine, the two sources said.
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-shot-dead-inside-nyc-subway-station-nypd-ny-only/3662375/
| 2022-04-25T23:21:28
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A growing problem on New York City sidewalks is catching quite a bit of attention: dog walkers not cleaning up after their pets.
There's been a rise in complaints, especially on the west side of Manhattan that has city officials jumping into action.
“They want to know why isn't the city enforcing the pooper-scooper law anymore," said Council Member Erik Bottcher, who represents parts of Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea and the West Village. "There's a small team that's responsible for the whole city."
A new public information campaign on social media and at Link NYC kiosks is hopping to curb the new epidemic.
After a decade on the job, professional dog walker Anthony Ellison said he's never seen city sidewalks looking so messy.
"I think they need to enforce the laws because we need more people to be more responsible for their dogs. If they can't be responsible for their dogs and pick up after them, then they shouldn't have their dogs," Ellison said.
News
The NYC Department of Sanitation is starting a ticket blitz on people who don’t pick up what their pups drop off.
“I go out behind my building and it’s full of dog bombs. I just pick up because I can’t take it, and I see the little kids stepping in it," said Pam Story.
The "Curb Your Dog" law was passed back in 1978 and it comes with a $250 fine.
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/more-dog-poop-on-nyc-streets-city-to-step-up-curbing-enforcement/3662246/
| 2022-04-25T23:21:34
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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/more-dog-poop-on-nyc-streets-city-to-step-up-curbing-enforcement/3662246/
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TUPELO • A local grassroots organization is calling for an end to state Confederate holidays.
Late Monday morning, Indivisible Northeast Mississippi members gathered in front of the Confederate monument at the old Lee County Courthouse on West Jefferson Street downtown. Members demonstrated in protest of Confederate Memorial Day, recognized on April 25, and April being recognized as Confederate Heritage Month in Mississippi.
“You have to ask yourself: OK what heritage is that? That heritage is one of white supremacy, the right to enslave human beings for economic gain,” said Mary Jane Meadows of Indivisible NEMS.
State law declares the last Monday of April — this year, on April 25 — as Confederate Memorial Day.
Gov. Tate Reeves also issued a proclamation earlier this month declaring April as Confederate Heritage Month. The Mississippi Free Press reported it was the third year in a row Reeves issued the proclamation, confirming this year’s signing through a Facebook post from a Sons of Confederate Veterans chapter.
Indivisible is advocating for amendments to applicable statutes to end state Confederate holidays. Members held signs and handed out sheets with the contact information for state elected officials.
Daniel Jenkins of Tupelo was protesting because, as an African American man in the state, he doesn’t subscribe to the Confederate observances. Jenkins sees it as an enduring symbol of systemic racism, and urged others to join the fight as well.
Celebrating Confederate holidays is contradictory after a recent series of moves away from Confederate symbols, said Jennifer Lindsey, an attorney in Tupelo.
The previous state flag, which featured a Confederate battle emblem, changed in 2020. In February, a statue of US senator Theodore Bilbo, known for his racist views, was moved out of public view from its previous location in the State Capitol. This month, Reeves signed a bill to replace “Go Mississippi,” a state song with racist roots.
“We changed the flag, but we hold on to things like this,” Lindsey said. “There is no memorial day or observance of slaves that died in bondage, yet we celebrate those who fought to keep such an institution alive.”
Indivisible is communicating with people across the state and urging them to call their representatives.
“We can change things anytime we want to,” Meadows said. “It requires that we come together and our strategy is to get as many people as possible to do a strategic action all at the same time because numbers matter.”
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https://www.djournal.com/news/local/local-grassroots-organization-protests-confederate-holidays/article_4d823451-1765-5883-9b7f-13beaf681de8.html
| 2022-04-25T23:27:33
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https://www.djournal.com/news/local/local-grassroots-organization-protests-confederate-holidays/article_4d823451-1765-5883-9b7f-13beaf681de8.html
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Oil companies have dotted Midland with office buildings to house their operations and employees.
Like those other companies, Summit Petroleum is building an office building. But unlike others, Summit’s plans also include a 4-acre park surrounded by office space, retail shops and restaurants.
Asked why the company is incorporating green space and retail into its plans, Matt Johnson, Summit’s president and chief operating officer responded, “The answer lies in our desire to lift up our community and try to increase the quality of life for our friends and neighbors.”
He added, “Summit Petroleum needed a new office building and we could have constructed only that, but just another office building won’t inspire people to come here and call it home.”
Instead Summit has begun construction on Summit Center at 3200 Mockingbird Lane, a 20-acre site that will include a 4-acre park, retail shops and restaurants as well as office space.
“The Permian Basin is a special place and for too long we have seen people take jobs in Austin, San Antonio and DFW because the amenities offered by those communities were not offered here,” said Johnson. “With Summit Center we hope to create a wonderful place for people to come have fun with friends and family and we also want to raise the bar on future construction projects in West Texas.”
Ground was broken on the project in December and Summit Center is expected to open in the spring of 2024.
“We hope this will be the next step in setting a standard for vision and creativity for the built environment in Midland and Odessa,” said Johnson.
Summit Center LLC is owner of the project with Summit Petroleum as anchor tenant. Kristina Leigh also serves as owner and design consultant. Rhotenberry Wellen is serving as architects, Dunaway Associates as civil engineering and landscape architects and Teinert Construction as general contractor.
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https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/Summit-Petroleum-added-quality-of-life-to-Summit-17117092.php
| 2022-04-25T23:32:42
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https://www.mrt.com/news/local/article/Summit-Petroleum-added-quality-of-life-to-Summit-17117092.php
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CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Officials in Cape Coral said the city has outgrown its current watering schedule ordinance.
On Wednesday, the city council will look over a proposal expanding time slots for watering at its Committee of the Whole meeting.
The current water schedule uses 12 watering time slots that allow two sets of house numbers to water simultaneously. The new watering schedule will add eight additional slots by expanding to 8pm thru 2am and removing Tuesday as a non-watering day.
Officials say by increasing to 20 watering time slots, the city can better manage watering demand. Experts say the current system “compresses the watering schedule and results in lower irrigation system pressure and flow.”
Right now about 13,367 customers can irrigate per day. The proposed schedule reduces the average number to 8,020 customers per day, resulting in a 40% reduction.
No decisions will be made at Wednesday’s meeting.
Count on NBC2 for updates as we learn them.
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https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/04/25/cape-coral-watering-schedule-revision-discussions-begin-this-week/
| 2022-04-25T23:38:45
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https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/04/25/cape-coral-watering-schedule-revision-discussions-begin-this-week/
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DESOTO, Texas — The DeSoto Independent School Board of Trustees is expected to discuss the possibility of censuring one of its members.
The agenda for the board’s April 25 meeting includes a closed session discussion item regarding a proposed resolution to censure Trustee Karen Daniel.
Daniel, a longtime educator, represents Place Three.
Desoto ISD board members and administrators wouldn’t go into detail about the reasons for the potential public reprimand. However, public documents on the school district’s website shed some light into the issue.
In a draft resolution, Daniel is accused of breaching the Texas Open Meetings Act and breaching her ethical duties. The document claims Daniel shared information included on a certified agenda held Tuesday, April 19, by email to an individual who wasn’t included in the executive session. It describes her alleged actions as disruptive, undermining the orderly governance of the district. It further states a public censure is the only option to make it clear, for the record, the board in no way condones her actions.
Should a resolution to censure Daniel pass, suggested punishments could include demanding Daniel abide by the board’s adopted code of ethics, demanding she participate in additional board training, and demanding she cease all actions that have negatively impacted the board, students and the community.
So far, Daniel has not responded to requests for comment.
It is not uncommon for school boards to move to censure or publicly reprimand a colleague. It’s happened in other school districts across Texas.
DeSoto ISD Board of Trustees meets Monday, April 25 at 6:30 p.m.
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/desoto-isd-board-of-trustees-discuss-censuring-board-member/287-480ffeca-522e-4287-a668-03064b91b611
| 2022-04-26T00:17:00
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/desoto-isd-board-of-trustees-discuss-censuring-board-member/287-480ffeca-522e-4287-a668-03064b91b611
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PHOENIX — Editor's Note: The above video is from an earlier broadcast.
A federal judge in Louisiana has temporarily blocked the Biden administration from ending a Trump-era pandemic restriction on the US-Mexico border.
The Biden administration announced plans to end Title 42, a pandemic-era health order used by federal immigration officials to expel migrants, including asylum-seekers, at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Earlier this month, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich filed a lawsuit leading a coalition of states against the Biden administration for revoking Title 42.
"We applaud the Court for approving our request for a Temporary Restraining Order to keep Title 42 in place," Brnovich said in a statement Monday. "The Biden administration cannot continue in flagrant disregard for existing laws and required administrative procedures."
Title 42, which was enacted in March 2020 by the Trump administration, has been used 1.7 million times to expel migrants. Many of them have been removed multiple times after making repeated attempts to enter the U.S.
The CDC has the authority to enact orders like Title 42 under the 1944 Public Health Service Act, which gives federal officials the authority to stop the entry of people and products into the U.S. to limit the spread of communicable diseases. Part of the reason the agency is planning to lift the order soon is that COVID-19 cases have been decreasing and vaccinations have become widely available.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials have said they expect immigration authorities to have up to 18,000 encounters a day with immigrants at the border once Title 42 removals stop. The current average is about 6,000 encounters a day.
It noted that several Democratic senators, including Arizona Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly, have asked the Biden administration to hold off on lifting Title 42 to better prepare for an expected increase in asylum seekers.
Up to Speed
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/judge-temporarily-blocks-biden-from-ending-title-42-covid-border-restrictions-for-migrants/75-2ee3c7cd-f143-4780-81a6-5d052e07b082
| 2022-04-26T00:17:06
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/judge-temporarily-blocks-biden-from-ending-title-42-covid-border-restrictions-for-migrants/75-2ee3c7cd-f143-4780-81a6-5d052e07b082
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Widespread Comcast outage hits SWFL, Sarasota and Central Florida. Here's what we know.
Thousands of Comcast and Xfinity customers from Naples to Leesburg were knocked offline for hours Monday, some of them after a cut fiber hit services, according to a company statement and its website.
"We have experienced a fiber cut that is impacting our services. Network and engineering teams are working to repair the lines and restore services as quickly as possible," Mindy Kramer, vice president of public relations for the Comcast Florida Region in West Palm Beach said in an emailed statement. "We sincerely apologize to our customers for this inconvenience, and we are doing everything possible to bring their services back on line."
The statement did not say how many customers may have been affected or when service might return for all customers, but at 7:34 p.m. Kramer reported: "We are now starting to restore services and bring our impacted customers back on line."
Customers' comments and the company's comments on its website had indicated earlier the outage had been widespread and could awhile. Kramer clarified that the fiber impacted services primarily in the Southwest Florida area, not the entire state.
Customers in Sarasota, Naples, Cape Coral, Leesburg, Orlando, Sebring and other areas reported loss of service in the afternoon, but by 7 p.m. and after, areas including Sarasota, Fort Myers and Orlando reported service was restored.
Does Comcast have service in Florida?
Earlier in the afternoon, @jcooper1351 said in a tweet "Is there a Florida wide outage of @Xfinity ???"
Another user, @just_josh33872, said in a post that "it seems to be almost all of Florida, no service in Sebring either.
At least one business, Big Mike’s Pizza located on Tamiami Trail south of Venice, posted on Facebook that the business uses Comcast for its online ordering, phones and credit card processing and urged people who wanted to buy a pizza to order face-to-face and bring cash – though the restaurant’s dining room was still closed.
A map on Xfinity's site documenting user problems showed a broad arc of outages stretching along Southwest Florida's coast across Tampa and the central part of the state.
Initially users seeking help received indication that service could be restored by this evening, but there was no confirmation of that by the company.
But one user posted after 5 p.m. that the site indicated service may not be restored until early Tuesday.
"Just checked back on their website. It now says 4am 4/26. When I first checked was 5pm today the. Changed to 8pm. In ft Myers," the post read.
"Now the app is saying it’ll be resolved by 4am in Ft Myers - I HAVE EXAMS THIS WEEK PLEASE!!! I’ve been working on a research paper for days and today was the day I needed to turn it in," another said.
An Orlando user said they were informed not to expect service until about 8 p.m.
How do I report my Comcast internet not working?
To check for any service outage, Xfinity provides a link to follow instructions.
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https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/2022/04/25/comcast-outage-no-internet-florida/7446019001/
| 2022-04-26T00:19:19
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https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/local/2022/04/25/comcast-outage-no-internet-florida/7446019001/
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The Portland Farmers Market’s five locations throughout the city are welcoming 36 new vendors in the 2022 spring season.
The Portland State University Farmers Market location is open year-round, but the four other locations open in the spring, including the King Portland Farmers Market in Northeast Portland, the Shemanski Park Portland Farmers Market in the South Park Blocks, the Kenton Portland Farmers Market in North Portland and the Lents International Farmers Market in Southeast Portland.
The new vendors joining the markets in 2022 bring a wide diversity of items. Some include The Wayward Daughters, an artisan, handcrafted tomato sauce company; Goddess Mouse, a business that produces plant-based chocolate mousse desserts; and Finks Fermented Foods, which produces fermented vegan foods like sauerkraut and kimchi.
“This year’s new crop of vendors is really exciting. We are pleased to have vendors representing so many diverse backgrounds and offering a wonderful variety of food and farm products,” Katy Kolker, executive director of Portland Farmers Market, said in a statement. “Shoppers will meet new collectives of vendors who are selling together, vendors with unique educational programs, vendors who give back to the community, and new BIPOC-owned brands.”
The King Portland Farmers Market opens on May 1. Shemanski Park Portland Farmers Market opens May 4. The Kenton Portland Farmers Market kicks off June 1 and the first day of the Lents International Farmers Market is June 5.
For a full list of the new vendors in 2022, visit the Portland Farmers Market website.
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https://www.koin.com/local/36-new-vendors-join-portland-farmers-market-locations/
| 2022-04-26T00:49:42
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https://www.koin.com/local/36-new-vendors-join-portland-farmers-market-locations/
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WILSONVILLE, Ore. — A shooting at a truck stop near the town of Aurora left a wanted suspect dead and a law enforcement officer injured on Monday morning, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
Around 6:15 a.m., deputies were called out to the Flying J Truck Stop on Ehlen Road Northeast just off I-5 after a wanted person was spotted outside, the sheriff's office said.
The suspect got into a vehicle and refused to come out, prompting the sheriff's office to call in the Marion County Interagency SWAT team to assist.
The sheriff's office said that a shooting happened sometime during the standoff. One officer was injured and taken to the hospital for treatment, their current condition unknown. The suspect was also injured in the shooting.
Law enforcement and medical teams provided medical aid at the scene, but the suspect was ultimately pronounced dead.
Ehlen Road was closed between Bents Court Northeast and Butteville Road during the standoff and subsequent shooting investigation.
KGW spoke to Chelsea St. Clair, who hails from the Aurora area, near the scene of the shooting.
"It's starting to get closer and ... it's not normal," said St. Clair. "I live out in the Salem area now and I hear about this stuff all the time out there, but to hear that it's this close to where I grew up — it's scary."
It was not immediately clear from law enforcement statements what precipitated the shooting. An investigation into the case will be led by the Marion County District Attorney's Office and Oregon State Police.
The sheriff's office said that there is no remaining danger to the community.
Aurora is a city in Marion County about 30 minutes south of Portland that has a population of just over a 1,000 people, according to numbers from 2019.
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/aurora-shooting-officer-injured-suspect-dead-flying-j/283-578e3dfe-bc60-4561-a9a9-3efe36959027
| 2022-04-26T00:56:06
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/aurora-shooting-officer-injured-suspect-dead-flying-j/283-578e3dfe-bc60-4561-a9a9-3efe36959027
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PORTLAND, Ore. — A clean-up sweep of a homeless encampment along Southeast Portland's Laurelhurst Park is taking steps forward.
City-contracted crews with Rapid Response Bio Clean posted eviction notices on Friday, which said crews would return within 10 days to clear the camp on Southeast Oak Street.
The response team first showed up midday on Monday and again in the afternoon, clearing several tents and bags of trash.
Crews said they needed police present to help facilitate a complete sweep of the encampment.
Cleanup crews said they would likely be back Monday or Tuesday to continue clearing the Laurelhurst camp.
Some residents of the camp said sweeps like this happen every few weeks, as they get pushed from one neighborhood to another.
In July 2021, the city cleared dozens of homeless campers from Laurelhurst Park. Activists, many of whom had been stationed at the encampment for months to prevent the sweep, stood toe-to-toe with police, and some of them chanted and hurled obscenities. At one point, a woman laid down in front of a Rapid Response truck.
Officials with the city of Portland and Multnomah County estimated 60 people were cleared from the park during that sweep, and roughly half of them went into temporary housing. The rest, officials said, were believed to have gone elsewhere to camp on Portland’s streets.
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/homeless/camp-cleanup-begins-laurelhurst-park/283-dd82ed0a-f92f-4c99-ab05-91b466e61d4c
| 2022-04-26T00:56:12
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/homeless/camp-cleanup-begins-laurelhurst-park/283-dd82ed0a-f92f-4c99-ab05-91b466e61d4c
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EUGENE, Ore — Officers had glass bottles and canned food thrown at them when they attempted to break up a party that drew as many as 1,000 people to a neighborhood near the University of Oregon, police said.
An estimated 500-1,000 were reported to be blocking the roadway on 16th Avenue between Patterson Street and Hilyard Street, just a couple of blocks away from campus.
Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner said the weekend party included underage drinkers, college-age individuals and their parents. In a news release, Skinner called the party an embarrassment for those involved and said the attempted assault on officers was inexcusable.
"We all understand the excitement Spring brings but these irresponsible individuals, including parents and their college-aged children should be ashamed," said Skinner. "What they did was force our operations to go into what is termed 'priority calls.' This means that much of the rest of the community has to have their individual calls for service placed on hold while we deal with people who are not able to self-regulate or observe our community’s standards of behavior. I commend our officers for showing tremendous restraint. The attempted assault on our police officers is inexcusable."
The party occurred as the University of Oregon was hosting “Duck Day," a fan festival named after the school's mascot that includes an intra-squad football game and other events
Following the football game, the city called in 10 officers on overtime to patrol the area around the university. The officers intervened in numerous house parties and issued more than two dozen citations for alcohol possession by minors and open container violations, police said.
MOST-READ STORIES ON KGW.COM TODAY (APRIL 25, 2022)
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/university-of-oregon-party-goers-throw-bottles/283-0ca2e1d7-13aa-49dd-a675-63c1e93a5d3f
| 2022-04-26T00:56:18
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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/university-of-oregon-party-goers-throw-bottles/283-0ca2e1d7-13aa-49dd-a675-63c1e93a5d3f
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers are considering a bill to make the standard work week 32 hours instead of 40 hours. If it becomes law, it will apply to workers in companies with 500 or more employees.
At the same time, there is a global push to have more companies adopt a shorter work week.
Patton Hindle works from home as the Head of Arts for Kickstarter, a crowdfunding site that helps new businesses raise money. Now, the company is starting its own new project, changing its employee work week from five days to just four.
"Across the board, we're seeing within the company that people are very happy," Hindle said.
She says working 32 hours a week and having an extra day off gives her more quality time with her stepson.
"Instead of me coming back here and sitting down and working, I was able to actually come back, watch a movie, spend time with him and, like, give him the attention and love that he really wanted."
Kickstarter is part of a pilot program with dozens of other companies testing this new model for six months. Joe O'Connor is CEO of 4 Day Week Global, which is running the program. Their research has shown 78% of employees with a shorter week are happier and less stressed. And 63% of businesses find it easier to attract and retain talent.
"It's had an enormous transformative impact on people's lives in terms of improved well-being, improved work-life balance, reduced stress and reduced burnout," O'Connor explained.
A Denver company that adopted a four-day work week saw productivity stay the same, and that's what leaders at Kickstarter are expecting.
"People think that productivity is a function of just hours worked and it really isn't. It matters how focused people are, how engaged they are at work," says Kickstarter Chief Strategy Officer Jon Leland.
When asked if she wants to go back to the five-day work week or have the four-day work week stick around, Patton says, "We definitely want it to stay around."
Hindle is far from alone. In a survey from Qualtronics, 92% of workers support the idea of moving to a four-day work week.
In Iceland, most employees have a four-day work week. Last month, Belgium announced workers can opt to work four 10-hour days.
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/americans-want-four-day-work-week/285-be79d862-8536-4acf-9166-f1082e52009c
| 2022-04-26T01:52:21
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/americans-want-four-day-work-week/285-be79d862-8536-4acf-9166-f1082e52009c
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FORT WORTH, Texas — A community leader is speaking out about the rash of homicides in Fort Worth. He hopes to make a difference himself, that could lead to ending the violence.
Community activist Johnny Cook Muhammad is one of the men who regularly visits Morningside Middle School to help students stay on the right track. He believes it's more important now than ever, especially after recently seeing so much violent crime.
"We have a program called Brothers with Pride, along with another program of what we call VIP," said Cook Muhammad.
So, on a day-to-day basis, students at Morningside never know when they'll run into volunteers, like Cook Muhammad in the hallway. The principal said this partnership with community activists is priceless, giving students positive reinforcement.
"We come in and do some mentoring and working with the young men in the schools, and just seeing how we could help stop a lot of the confusion," Cook Muhammad said. "And just make it more comfortable and safe."
Cook Muhammad is deeply concerned about the recent deadly violence around Fort Worth, especially its impact on the Black community.
"I hope I don't offend nobody. But I got to be truthful. Black lives matter. If somebody doesn't look like us, kill us. But they come to each other. I don't know if Black lives really matter. We need to have rallies that are children lives matter, black children, lives matter," said Cook Muhammad.
In April alone, Fort Worth police responded twice to the Buttercup Apartments for homicides involving young people. Unfortunately, 17-year-old Roshonda Henderson did not survive a shooting on April 13. Police now have one person in custody who they suspect was involved in the young girl's shooting death.
Then on April 24, officers found a man injured by gunfire, who later passed away at the hospital. No word on any arrest in his case.
Cook Muhammad expressed concerns that there are just not enough people in the Fort Worth community coming forward to call for a stop to the deadly violence.
"This is not normal. This is not normal at all," Cook Muhammad said. "If we don't be careful, we'll be coming numb to it."
That's why Cook Muhammad said he'll walk the hallways throughout the school year, so kids know this one thing:
"The heart of the message is our love for self. And then, the knowledge of self is the heart of the message" Cook Muhammad said. "And then, just to let them know that they got value."
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/fort-worth-community-activist-concerned-about-homicides/287-e7e215fc-49b6-4404-9772-dc32b8f49526
| 2022-04-26T01:52:28
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/fort-worth-community-activist-concerned-about-homicides/287-e7e215fc-49b6-4404-9772-dc32b8f49526
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Indianapolis brother and sister killed when tree falls at Owen County campground
Two children died Saturday afternoon when a tree fell onto a golf cart they were riding in with their parents at an Owen County campground.
The siblings from Indianapolis, aged 8 and 9, were at Indian Oaks Campground in northern Owen County when strong winds toppled a large dead tree. The parents of the boy and girl were not injured.
A 911 call made at 2 p.m. Saturday reported the children had been hurt at the private family-owned campground off U.S. 231, 12 miles north of Spencer. The children died at the scene from accidental blunt-force injuries, Owen County Coroner Angi Frank said Monday.
Others are reading:R-BB likely to see steady growth in enrollment over coming years, demographic study finds
"Due to the sensitive nature of the accident and the children being minors, we will not release the names of the children," she said in a news release to media outlets. "Thank you for your understanding."
The 67-acre campground along Mill Creek has 180 lots for recreational vehicles, six stocked fishing ponds, a swimming beach and other amenities.
Contact reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com, 812-331-4362 or 812-318-5967.
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https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/news/local/2022/04/25/brother-and-sister-killed-when-tree-falls-owen-county-campground/7447072001/
| 2022-04-26T03:12:49
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https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/news/local/2022/04/25/brother-and-sister-killed-when-tree-falls-owen-county-campground/7447072001/
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PARKER COUNTY, Texas — A young child has died after being struck by a Brock Independent School District bus Monday afternoon, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
According to preliminary information from DPS, a bus stopped to drop off several students and as it was moving again, a 6-year-old girl was struck in the area of Canyon Creek Circle. DPS said she died at the scene.
In a Facebook post, Brock ISD said it was deeply saddened, confirming that one of its students died Monday. The post read in part, “We are working through the accident with local law enforcement and school administrators, but our focus remains on the healing of one of our own at this time.”
The district went on to ask for thought and prayers, saying a crisis support team would be on campuses Tuesday.
The student's name has not been released at this time.
This a developing story. We’ll update as more information becomes available.
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/6-year-old-brock-isd-student-killed-after-struck-by-school-bus-officials-say/287-49baeefd-227d-4560-ad17-2fad4a470dc3
| 2022-04-26T03:23:45
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/6-year-old-brock-isd-student-killed-after-struck-by-school-bus-officials-say/287-49baeefd-227d-4560-ad17-2fad4a470dc3
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DALLAS — Elon Musk has finalized a deal to purchase Twitter for approximately $44 billion and turn the social media platform into a privately held company.
Hours after the sale was made public, Texas Governor Greg Abbott lobbied Musk in a tweet to do what he’s done with his other companies and move Twitter to Texas.
Tesla, SpaceX and The Boring Company are all owned by Musk and all headquartered in the Lone Star State.
Abbott’s office did not respond when asked if the governor had reached out or planned to reach out to Musk in any more formal way than a tweet.
No one from Twitter or Musk’s other companies responded to inquiries about whether a move to Texas has been discussed.
In a statement about the purchase, Musk said, "Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.”
He said he would enhance Twitter by making algorithms open source and defeating spam, but the future of what the app will and won’t allow is unclear.
“Free speech on Twitter will be whatever Elon Musk thinks free speech is,” said Jared Schroeder, an associate professor of journalism at SMU.
Schroeder has published research on social media, ethics, and the first amendment.
Schroeder said Twitter has proven itself as a platform that plays an “outsized role” in diplomacy and democracy.
“He has now purchased a part of where democracy happens,” Schroeder said.
Musk seems to agree.
“My strong intuitive sense is that having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important to the future of civilizations,” he said during a conversation with the head of TED Talks in mid-April.
Part of the conversation was recorded in Texas.
“A good sign as to whether there is free speech is – is someone you don’t like allowed to say something you don’t like?” Musk said.
Twitter currently has a list of rules for users.
“We’ll just have to see how much he changes it,” Schroeder said. “You know, he’s said a lot of things. The key is he won’t have to answer to anybody. It’s like he didn’t like how it was being run, so he just bought the house and now he will run the house.”
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/elon-musks-companies-are-headquartered-in-texas-will-twitter-be-next/287-62bf16ee-c352-4ce6-9bd4-8f86abc3a208
| 2022-04-26T03:23:51
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BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The price of diesel is so high right now that many Texas shrimpers are struggling, not making money, fearing that they’ll lose their crews if they’re docked much longer.
If the prices of fuel don’t go down, industry experts and advocates tell KENS 5, shrimping in Texas will be in crisis.
“The majority of the vessels in the gulf, I would imagine they're either tied up at the dock right now or they're headed back to the dock, because they've run out of the cheap fuel,” said Andrea Hance, executive director of the Texas Shrimp Association. “And it [fuel prices] jumps around every day. If you do the math on that, that comes out anywhere from $60,000 to $100,000 just to fill up one of these boats for maybe a 60-day trip. We will not be able to make money on that.”
“The fuel is outrageous,” said Leonard Leyva, who manages a fleet of shrimp boats at the Port of Brownsville. “We can’t afford to go fishing with those prices.”
Leyva is not alone. He told KENS 5 the price of diesel is being felt by others in the shrimping business.
“I was talking to a guy that’s in Alabama, and he says, ‘Our fuel was almost at $4.90.’ He says, ‘We can't go.’ He says, ‘There's no way I can afford to go out with that price.’”
Leyva told KENS 5 the fleet he manages would be out on the water shrimping right about now.
“We can’t afford it, so we’re trying to hold the guys back,” he said. “Our biggest fear is they go to the island or elsewhere and they get jobs here on land. They make a decent living and now when it's time to go shrimping, you know, they're trying to wait things out, going, ‘I really don't think I want to go back shrimping.’ That is our biggest fear, because where am I going to find captains and rig men?”
Hance is worried about the same thing.
“We're looking at this right now as a crisis on top of a crisis,” Hance said. “The problem is, if these boats sit here very much longer, we're going to have to start letting these guys go. And we probably won't get them back.”
Her job, she said, is to protect the industry. She’s been doing that by trying to connect with anyone who’d listen.
“I've reached out to the Department of Agriculture, our governor, some of the local and state representatives,” Hance said. “A lot of the replies coming back to me is, ‘We're aware y'all are like the farming industry, blah, blah, blah,’ and we're really not!”
Hance told KENS 5, the shrimp is at its maximum price. The industry can’t pass the extra fuel cost to the consumer.
“We need that fuel price to get down to $3.25, to $3 in order for us to make any money,” she said. “So, the majority of the vessels are tied up. I don't foresee many of these vessels going out to fish with high fuel prices. I just don't see why they would.”
Hance said she was concerned that if businesses switch to farm-raised imported shrimp, it will be “an epic road to travel” to get them back.
Leyva is doing what he can to stay in business, staying ready to go back out into the gulf any minute.
“Right now we're doing a lot of maintenance,” he said. “If that fuel goes down – when it does – we got to go fishing quick, because I don't want these guys here too long.”
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-shrimping-economy-industry-brownsville-fuel-prices-gulf/273-5f5931c5-bac0-482b-a748-e365cbe092e0
| 2022-04-26T03:23:57
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2 killed, 2 critically injured in separate Flagler County crashes, troopers say
Two people were killed and two others were critically injured in crashes in Flagler County between Friday and Sunday.
A sedan traveling east on State Road 11, west of Old Haw Creek Road, crossed the center line shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday and collided head-on with a westbound SUV near Bunnell, Florida Highway Patrol troopers said Sunday afternoon.
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The crash killed a 59-year-old woman from Bedminister, New Jersey, a passenger in the SUV, who wasn't wearing a seat belt, according to the release from FHP. Another passenger, a 79-year-old Groveland woman, was critically injured while the driver, a 41-year-old Jupiter woman, suffered minor injuries.
The sedan driver, a 47-year-old Deltona man, was critically injured while the 19-year-old passenger, also a Deltona man, suffered minor injuries, troopers said.
A 60-year-old St. Augustine man was killed in a single-vehicle crash Friday afternoon near Palm Coast.
The SUV was southbound on U.S. Highway 1, north of Matanzas Woods Parkway, when the vehicle failed to negotiate a slight right, crossed into the northbound lanes and struck a concrete barrier wall, troopers said.
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https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/flagler/2022/04/25/2-killed-2-critically-injured-separate-flagler-county-crashes/7440570001/
| 2022-04-26T03:35:46
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Deltona Commission votes 4-3 in favor of rezoning for 126-home residential development
The Deltona City Commission narrowly approved a rezoning that could bring 126 homes to a 39-acre site that residents say already suffers from traffic safety issues.
A dozen residents shared their concerns with the Planning and Zoning Board during its review last month, and about half of them returned to City Hall to relay those thoughts directly to the commission last week.
Pamela Braun, whose Adler Drive home abuts the site, said she knew additional development was likely, she'd just hoped it would be more consistent with the surrounding area.
Braun also shared her concerns about schoolchildren who wait for the bus off Adler and motorists who use the road as a shortcut.
José Echevarria, who lives on Tradewinds Drive, echoed that sentiment, saying the aforementioned motorists "act like they're in the Daytona 500."
Additionally, residents shared concerns about the impact on area schools. Some said they believe the estimate of 37 new students the project will bring is low.
Ron Paradise, the city's director of planning and development services, said the developer has agreed to construct a sidewalk along both sides of Alex Lane and Barger Drive, and the city will install sidewalks along Tradewinds Drive.
Mayor Heidi Herzberg said the area needs more street lighting as well.
Commissioner Anita Bradford said residents' comments didn't take issue with the developer's plans so much as they did with how the city does, or doesn't, maintain its own roads.
"Now that we’ve been made aware of it, it’s our responsibility to make sure it gets addressed," said Bradford, who voted in favor of the rezoning.
Coming to Daytona in 2022:New apartments, Amazon distribution center and north Beach Street makeover on tap
Herzberg, Vice Mayor Maritza Avila-Vazquez and Commissioner Victor Ramos also supported the rezoning while commissioners Loren King, Dana McCool and David Sosa cast the dissenting votes.
With a 5-2 vote, the Planning and Zoning Board recommended the commission deny it.
The rezoning, dubbed Lakeside Landing, will receive final approval during an upcoming commission meeting.
Plans for the square-shaped site — located southeast of the intersection of East Normandy and Fort Smith boulevards and just north of Lake Sidney — call for a mix of 45-, 50- and 70-foot lots with the larger lots being located on the outer margins, Paradise said. Wetlands make up less than 1.5 acres of the site.
The current R1-A zoning, which permits four single-family homes per acre, allows for up to 157 homes, according to the staff report.
"Staff feels the property could reasonably develop with 100 units," Paradise said.
Even if the commission didn't approve the rezoning request, the developer, as long as they abide by land development codes, is entitled to build 98 homes, Paradise said.
Sewer talk bubbles up
To be able to accommodate the 26 additional units, the developer "is providing sewer and reclaim connections to the site from the Courtland Boulevard and Fort Smith Boulevard intersection, further improving utility availability and improving conditions to the Blue Spring Basin," the staff report states.
McCool asked about the impact sewer lines will have on existing homes.
"I can’t say that there will not be one day a requirement for people who have that sewer line in front of their house to connect," Paradise said. "I can say that the city will do everything possible when that day comes to mitigate and otherwise make that transition as palatable as possible."
Acting City Manager John Peters III said while the city has an ordinance stating the city can't force residents onto sewer, it conflicts with the state's statute on sewer requirements.
Our septic tank crisis:Many of Florida's 2.7 million septic tanks polluting waterways
"A lot of it’s going to depend on the state and what they do with the Blue Spring Basin requirements," Paradise said.
Peters said most of the city is within the basin, and the area west of Providence Boulevard is considered the priority focus area.
The Department of Environmental Protection defines them as "vulnerable areas where pollution sources pose the highest risk due to proximity to a spring and permeable [sandy] soil conditions."
Permits for new conventional septic systems are no longer issued to homes on lots under 1 acre located in priority focus areas.
"If you’re in the priority focus area and your septic system fails, you’re going to wish you had sewer nearby," Peters said.
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https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2022/04/25/deltona-city-commission-votes-4-3-favor-residential-rezoning/7378251001/
| 2022-04-26T03:35:52
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Parts of Lakeshore Drive in Deltona to close during water project construction
Katie Kustura
The Daytona Beach News-Journal
Portions of Lakeshore Drive in Deltona will be closed to motorists due to construction near the boat ramp.
Pedestrian access to the Lakeshore Loop trail also will be closed, according to a city news release. The work prompting the road closure is expected to take a few months.
The scheduled construction work is for the Florida Straw Project which eventually will withdraw up to 12 million gallons of surface water per day from Lake Monroe to supplement the city's reclaimed water system.
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https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/local/volusia/2022/04/25/parts-lakeshore-drive-deltona-close-amid-water-project-construction/7358155001/
| 2022-04-26T03:35:58
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FORT MYERS, Fla. — At least one person was killed in a serious crash on Luckett Road, just west of I-75 in Fort Myers Monday night.
All lanes are currently blocked.
This is a developing story.
No further details were immediately available.
Count on NBC2 to bring you the latest information as this story develops.
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https://nbc-2.com/news/local/2022/04/25/at-least-one-killed-in-crash-on-luckett-road-in-fort-myers/
| 2022-04-26T04:11:03
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Shasta Community Health Center to build new maternity-pediatric clinic in Redding
Three years ago, Shasta Community Health Center opened a maternity clinic on Railroad Avenue, the result of Dignity Health transferring its services there to the nonprofit.
It’s always been Shasta Community Health Center’s intention to expand and move into a bigger building, CEO Dean Germano said Monday.
That goal got a step closer to reality when the city of Redding earlier this month approved a use permit for the Shasta Community Health's Women’s, Babies’ and Children’s Center on the northwest corner of Placer and Continental streets downtown. The site is across the street from the nonprofit’s main clinic and headquarters.
Germano said his staff would like to start construction on the new two-story, 31,000-square-foot clinic this summer, and it will take 14 months to build. Gifford Construction of Redding is the general contractor.
“We just got our bids in to demolish the existing buildings, so hopefully it will take four to six weeks to do the demolition,” Germano said.
Before the transfer, Dignity Health's Mercy Maternity Center served mostly Medi-Cal patients, a population of people that Shasta Community Health Center also serves.
Pediatric services in Shasta Community Health’s main clinic on Placer Street will be transferred to the new clinic and will be on the first floor. The second floor will be maternity care.
Among the maternity services Shasta Community Health Center provides are patient care and clinical consultations with an obstetrician; a board-certified perinatologist to manage high-risk pregnancies; breastfeeding consultations with registered nurses, who also offer a personal breastfeeding class; and a behavioral health consultant for mental health plans and support.
Shasta Community Health Center doctors will not be delivering babies in the new clinic. Mercy Medical Center is the only provider in Shasta County that offers those services.
“The (new) facility is 31,000 square feet and two levels. It could easily accommodate somewhere in the range of 200 (patient visits a day),” Germano said.
While Shasta Community Health Center expects to add jobs with this expansion, a lot will depend on demand for services.
"The idea is we hope we can add another dozen, maybe 15 people," Germano said. "We will see how patients take to the services."
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic there was talk of a baby boom like what happened after World War II because people were staying home to isolate from the virus.
"That hasn't been the case," Germano said.
It will cost about $19 million to build the new clinic, but when you tack on financing and other costs, the price tag is expected to jump several million dollars, Germano said.
Shasta Community Health Center plans to leverage the federal New Market Tax Credit program to help with costs.
The program is meant to spur community development and economic growth through tax credits that bring in private investment.
Germano said they used the tax credits to build their clinic in Anderson and the expansion of its main clinic in Redding.
Meanwhile, per the city’s parking rules, there must be one space per 225 square feet of floor area for medical uses, which would require 140 parking spaces.
But the Shasta Community Health Center project will get a 75% reduction because it is incorporating the following:
- A 528-square-foot public plaza adjacent to the Placer entrance.
- Seven off-street bicycle lockers on the north side of the building
- An off-street passenger drop-off area adjacent to the southwest entrance
- And a concrete pad along Continental for a future public transit stop.
David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-225-8219. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.
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https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2022/04/25/shasta-community-health-center-to-build-new-maternity-pediatric-clinic-baby-women-in-redding-jobs/7445832001/
| 2022-04-26T04:23:56
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Big black bear pays annual visit to South Kingstown bird feeder, growls at woman through door
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Ellen Jones heard something at the back door, pulled aside the curtain and saw a bear standing on his hind legs at the screen.
He showed his teeth and growled.
She called to her husband. "Honey, I think you need to be here. There's a bear at the back door."
"'Why don't you invite him in? Maybe he wants a cup of coffee.' He thought I was kidding."
This year they mounted a camera
This is the third year Ellen and Paul Jones have seen a bear in their yard. This year they had a mounted, motion-sensitive camera ready.
The bear visits only once a year. This year their feeder was on a 72-inch pole, and he was taller, they said. He bent the pole at its base.
A state wildlife staffer had told them to take bird feeders down at the end of April.
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Bird seed is 'a bear no-no.'
David Kalb, the supervising wildlife biologist at the R.I Department of Environmental Management's Division of Fish & Wildlife, called eating bird seed "a bear no-no."
He said the bear looked like an adult male black bear, of average size, probably over 250 pounds. "Bears enter and leave their winter torpor based on food resource availability. More food will lead them to go down late and come out early but generally mid-April is about right for emergence.
He guessed that the bear lives in Rhode Island and said this was the first report of a bear being out this spring.
dnaylor@providencejournal.com
(401) 277-7411
On Twitter: @donita22
Walking RI:Best place for a hike and osprey spotting? Try the Great Swamp in South Kingstown
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https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2022/04/25/large-black-bear-south-kingstown-ri-returns-annually-dines-bird-feeder/7442540001/
| 2022-04-26T04:38:30
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ARLINGTON, Texas — The Johnson family stood together in front of the family’s Arlington home Monday.
They tried to comfort each other through their pain.
On Monday, officials confirmed they recovered the body of Texas Army National Guard Specialist Bishop Evans.
Evans died while trying to rescue two migrants who appeared to be drowning in the Rio Grande last week.
Monday, the family gathered for a press conference. His grandmother, Jo Ann Johnson told WFAA she wasn’t surprised to learn that the grandson she raised died a hero.
“He wouldn’t ask you who you were before he tried to help you. He just wouldn’t,” Jo Ann Johnson said. “It doesn’t matter your nationality, how you look, your color hair. That’s who my baby was.”
The family returned to their Arlington home after they traveled to assist in the search.
“It has been very tough to say the least, because the whole not knowing,” Johnson said. “The searching part has been very hard to withstand.”
Evans’s grandparents said they have some form of closure after learning that his body was recovered.
“We can move forward, we can start healing and the family can grieve and then we can move on,” Johnson said.
For nearly four days, helicopters and boats surrounded the Rio Grande as they searched for Evans.
The 22-year-old soldier from Arlington was stationed in Eagle Pass, which is about two hours north of Laredo. Evans was among thousands of guardsmen at the border for Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star.
His family described Evans as a selfless person who always wanted to serve. He attended Mansfield High School, where he was a member of JROTC. Evans loved anime and family game nights.
“Bishop loved to dance, so I’ll miss that,” Johnson said.
Their hearts are hurt, but instead, they want to focus on love. The family only asks for prayers as they try to heal.
His grandfather, Dannie Johnson fought back tears as he talked about his grandson.
“He would help you in need. He would die for you, he did die. He’s going to be missed and always be loved and carried in our hearts,” Dannie said. “We want to be positive about Bishop, because he was a positive person, and I would like to leave it at that.”
To his loved ones, he was always a kind-hearted helper, and now everyone knows it.
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https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/family-of-texas-army-national-guard-soldier-who-died-trying-to-save-migrants-describes-him-as-selfless-hero/287-31d7ae77-fe40-4b86-ac75-e8dc8a8def3e
| 2022-04-26T04:54:04
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Canton City Council denies zone change for senior housing
CANTON – Plans for a senior housing complex proposed late last year ended Monday at City Council.
Council denied a zone change needed to develop Ivy Senior Lofts in the 2600 block of Harvard Avenue NW. It was a proposed 100-unit senior living complex for people 55 and older, and more than a dozen citizens were on hand at Monday's meeting to oppose it.
Pete Schwiegeraht, Midwest senior vice president of development for MVAH Partners, and Dave Thomas, who owns the property under Nickelplate Realty Trust LLC, requested the zone change from community service to planned multi-family residential.
"Zoning is use-based. Is this the right use for the property?" Schwiegeraht said. "It got turned into something completely different."
Residents would not have been able to earn more than 80% of the area's median income because MVAH Partners planned to use state tax credits for affordable housing. Schwiegeraht said the state would have awarded the project $15 million to develop 50 units.
He summarized the process, which involved numerous public meetings and a prior recommendation for approval from the Canton Planning Commission. The recommendation included the condition that residents could not use the federal Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8), which would violate fair housing laws.
The Planning Commission reconsidered the zone change in March. The commission recommended denial because the Law Department determined it would be spot zoning.
Schwiegeraht requested more than the three minutes allowed to public speakers at City Council and was stopped after exceeding that time by Council President William Sherer II. Thomas then briefly spoke, saying the Law Department has tried to "shut us up and shut us down."
City Council can overrule the Planning Commission, but nearly all of the council members agreed Monday to deny the change.
What residents had to say about Ivy Senior Lofts
Councilwoman Chris Smith abstained, citing her position as a board member of ABCD Inc., which would have been the managing agency of the complex. She said she also was unclear why residents were opposed to the development, seemingly on the basis of it being subsidized housing.
Six people spoke against the plan during a public hearing before the council's vote and provided reasons that ranged from "spot zoning" to fears about security.
"An open parking lot unwatched is an invitation to more crime," said Joe Ryan, who said he spoke on behalf of the House of Loreto.
Marty Hurley said she didn't believe the development would address the greater need for more housing rehabilitation and expected council members to represent the citizens' interests.
"First, is the serious zoning issue that sets a precedent for future zoning changes in the city and affects two of the most stable neighborhoods in the city," she said.
Jonathan Lalewicz, president of the Market Heights Neighborhood Association, said he appreciated the residents who came out and council members who listened.
"The result kind of speaks for itself," he said.
Aside from the owner and developer, representatives of ABCD and the Kingdom Center spoke in support of the housing complex.
Third PACE project approved
The council also approved a third property assessed clean energy (PACE) project for the Hall of Fame Village Center for Performance.
The city must approve the property assessment, which allows the Village to borrow $3.67 million. That will be repaid over 20 years with interest and amount to $6.9 million, said Mayor Thomas Bernabei.
The financing for energy-efficient improvements will come from a private investor and is tied to property tax payments. It does not use city money or decrease the existing property tax.
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https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/canton/2022/04/25/canton-council-denies-zone-change-ivy-senior-lofts-senior-housing/7402272001/
| 2022-04-26T06:04:27
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'There just aren't enough stomachs." Acme leaders push back on N. Canton Meijer project
NORTH CANTON – Leaders of Acme Fresh Market are speaking out against North Canton’s plan to bring a Meijer Superstore to the former Kmart property on N. Main St, directly across from one of Acme’s stores.
The Akron-based grocery chain has operated its North Canton store since 1979. At Monday night's city council meeting, Acme Fresh Market President Nick Albrecht said he believes Meijer's presence will hurt surrounding businesses, including Marc's, Discount Drug Mart, and Giant Eagle.
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More:Sneak peek: Your first look inside Stark County's first Meijer Supercenter
"Acme it will be hurt the most," Albrecht said. "We will suffer the largest loss of sales because of our proximity to the new Meijer."
What's next for Meijer in North Canton?
The Meijer deal is still under negotiation, without a clear timeline. However, the North Canton Community Improvement Corp. has entered into a contract to begin demolition on the Kmart site.
Albrecht was joined by his brother, Joe, president of Albrecht Inc., which owns the plaza that house the North Canton Acme store. Joe Albrecht said he had hoped the city would make good on its original plans for the former Kmart site, which emphasized a mixed-use development with salaried jobs.
"Selling to Meijer and constructing new big box retail store is the easy way out," Joe Albrecht said. "It brings nothing new, nothing novel. It's just a simple repetition of the goods and services that are easily available throughout the community."
The property at the heart of the dispute has remained largely vacant since Kmart shuttered the store in February 2020. The seller initially took a bid from a private developer interested in bringing retail to the area, but the deal fell through, and the city opted to buy the property in April 2020 for $4.4 million.
The purchase was part of the city's ‘land-banking’ initiative, which leaders have said allows the city to chart its own future rather than rely on developers to choose the function of land. The city’s assumption is that the sale of the property will recoup their purchasing costs.
What has changed for the North Canton Kmart property since 2020?
At the time of the purchase, at-large council member Daryl Revoldt said the land would not be used for retail purposes, but rather as a headquarters or campus for an undisclosed company that would bring an estimated 200 salaried jobs. The city's stated goal was to build a larger income tax base to support city services.
“I can tell you grocery stores, as desirable as they are, when you have limited space is not the best use of scarce real estate,” Revoldt told the Canton Repository in April 2020. “You’re trying to place as many salaried jobs into the square footage that you have.”
But plans changed through the COVID-19 pandemic, Revoldt said, and rather than pursue industries that saw their labor force working from home, the city opted to work with a Meijer offer that would bring in-person jobs and property tax revenue.
“We were making decisions in real time, based upon market considerations during COVID," Revoldt said. "The plan we had did not survive contact with the enemy: COVID."
Revoldt and the other members of City Council at the meeting, as well as Mayor Steven Wilder and Director for Administration Patrick De Orio, stated that while they appreciated the Albrechts' sentiments, they were looking forward to continuing with the Meijer deal as negotiations continue.
"What we hope with competition is that it leads to innovation, it causes you to reinvent yourself," De Orio said. "That innovation can lead to value for our residents, value in better pricing, more services, more goods"
The Albrechts expressed disappointment following the meeting, both saying that the city, unlike competition from a private developer, has the unique position of being able to enjoy greater control over the land's development and future, something they don't see happening with the current deal.
"This isn't an issue of competition," Nick Albrecht said. "This is about trying to talk about the things that we thought were important, which is a diverse tax base, a sustainable long-term tax base and then the simple math of there's not enough stomachs in North Canton to support all this retail."
Sam Zern can be reached at szern@cantonrep.com or 330-580-8322. You can also find her on Twitter at @sam_zern.
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https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/north-canton/2022/04/25/north-cantons-plan-bring-meijer-store-main-street-concerns-acme/7438615001/
| 2022-04-26T06:04:33
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https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/north-canton/2022/04/25/north-cantons-plan-bring-meijer-store-main-street-concerns-acme/7438615001/
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