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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – New data released Thursday shows that the number of active COVID-19 cases in Arkansas continues to fall.
The Arkansas Department of Health data showed 1,137 active cases of the virus Thursday, a drop of 54 from the previous day. There were 107 new cases of the virus, raising the total number of cases in the state to 832,922 since the pandemic began.
The latest figures also showed a drop of five hospitalizations in the last 24 hours, moving that number to 114. There were three fewer patients on ventilators than the day prior, moving that number to 23, while the number of ICU patients due to the virus remained unchanged at 37.
Health officials reported 12 additional deaths attributed to COVID-19 Thursday, increasing the number of people who died in Arkansas from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic to 11,230.
In the last 24 hours, 298 new COVID-19 vaccine doses were given out in Arkansas. The number of Arkansans who are fully immunized rose to 1,578,001, with another 371,952 being partially immunized.
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https://www.nwahomepage.com/news/covid-19-in-arkansas-active-cases-continue-steady-slide-downward/
| 2022-04-01T00:00:03
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ENGIE, a French multinational utility company, is trying once again to bring a more than 1,000-acre solar farm just outside of the town of Greentown a little more than six months after its previous attempt was halted by the county Board of Zoning Appeals board.
Earlier this month, the company filed an application for a special exemption permit to operate a solar farm just southeast of Greentown. Specifically, the company’s application is to operate a power generation facility.
The request will go in front of the Howard County BZA at the board’s May 24 meeting, according to the Kokomo-Howard County Plan Commission. The location for the meeting is not set in stone yet, but it will be at a large venue because the Plan Commission is expecting a lot of people to attend.
The solar project — dubbed Emerald Green Solar — is mostly identical to the one proposed by the company in the summer of last year.
According to ENGIE’s special exemption permit application, the project will occupy 1,874 acres of land — though the company says the total area within the project’s fence will be less than 1,300 acres — and generate 200 megawatts of electricity.
All of the details are exactly the same as what the company proposed last year, except for one key detail: The setback from property lines of non-participating property owners is now 300 feet, an increase from the 200 feet the company proposed last year.
The increase in the setback is due to the solar ordinance the Howard County Commissioners passed last November, which, among other things, mandated any county solar project be 300 feet away from any permanent structure on the property of a non-participating landowner.
“We took a look at the new stipulations, did some additional listening and learning in the community ourselves, and decided we could do even more than simply comply with the new standards — striving to protect not only the property rights of our participating landowners but also ensuring we’re acting as good neighbors for the entire community,” Tom Green, project manager for ENGIE Solar, said in a email.
ENGIE has also added a few new details to the project this time around in hopes of sweetening the deal.
According to Green, ENGIE is developing a “Health and Safety Plan” to coordinate with local fire and emergency services. One of the concerns about the solar farm came from the local Greentown Volunteer Fire Department, who told the BZA that their small department was not equipped or trained to fight a possible electrical fire.
ENGIE is also, according to Green, reaching out to non-participating landowners to see if they want to participate in a direct payments program from the project itself. He did not specify the amount of the payments.
“We recognize that our participating landowners will be enjoying lease payments for farming the sun and that those payments offer stable, reliable income for many family farms — so we want to ensure that their neighbors have a chance to participate in some of the direct economic benefits in addition to the significant tax revenue generated for Howard County and local schools,” Green said.
ENGIE’s request comes a little more than six months after the five-person BZA board voted 3-2 to deny ENGIE’s 2021 special exemption request. County rezoning laws allow an applicant to file for a special exemption permit again after 180 days from being denied. It can be filed sooner than that if the petition contains “major changes.”
ENGIE’s plans to build a solar farm faced immense pushback from community members, particularly those with homes near the project. It’s likely the company’s second attempt will face just as much opposition.
The opposition’s concerns largely stemmed around the solar project’s possible negative effects on nearby property values, who would decommission the project if ENGIE were to go out of business and the reduction of some of the county’s farmable land.
The project also had its share of supporters. Some of the landowners whose property would be utilized for the solar farm said the project would allow them to diversify their income streams and give their families a reliable income stream for a few decades. Others supported the project for renewable energy reasons and wanted Howard County to embrace green energy.
ENGIE pitched Emerald Green Solar as an economic windfall for the county and local school system, Eastern Howard School Corporation.
The company estimated the solar farm will generate an additional $30 million in tax revenue for Howard County, including $19 million for the Eastern Howard School Corporation, over the project’s lifespan of 30-40 years.
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https://www.kokomotribune.com/news/local_news/engie-trying-again-for-greentown-solar-farm/article_55d99796-b130-11ec-bf18-178e88a971e4.html
| 2022-04-01T00:00:03
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Aggie Fans ready for history as Men’s Basketball Teams plays for NIT Championship
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Tip off for the NIT Championship Game starts at 6 p.m., and Aggie fans are gearing up for the basketball game. Texas A&M is playing Xavier at Madison Square Garden in hopes of taking home the championship title.
Back in the Brazos Valley, fans are hoping to see the Aggie’s finish the season strong. Throughout the day local businesses were preparing for big turnouts as the Aggie Men’s Basketball season comes to a close.
Businesses like BigShots have been getting lots of phone calls as fans make plans to watch the game Thursday night.
“We expect a lot of Aggies to come out, new, Former, upcoming Aggies. We’re going to be showing the game on all our TV’s in the bays out here in the yard so we anticipate a lot of people here,” said Rocio Stephens, BigShots Events Sales Manager.
The late season game will be a big boost for businesses from BigShots to bars.
“With this beautiful weather right now and you know opportunity to watch Aggie Basketball on the patio right now is pretty big so we’re excited to have a lot of people out this afternoon at Carneys’ and looking forward to it,” said Barry Ivins, Carney’s Pub & Grill Owner,
Aggies older and younger are excited to see their team get this national attention. Students like Dawson Pruitt feel vindicated after the Aggies missed a spot in March Madness.
“I think it’s just cool that hopefully we go and win the championship and kind of prove people wrong,” said Pruitt.
This is the Aggies’ eighth appearance in the NIT. The game can be watched on ESPN.
KBTX’s Tyler Shaw and Caleb Britt are in New York covering the game.
Copyright 2022 KBTX. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kbtx.com/2022/03/31/aggie-fans-ready-history-mens-basketball-teams-plays-nit-championship/
| 2022-04-01T00:00:03
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Winter Park wedding shooting: Video released from officers' body-worn cameras
WINTER PARK - Newly-released videos from officers' body-worn cameras show the chaotic moments leading up to – and after – a deadly shooting at a wedding reception in February in Winter Park, Florida. Winter Park police released new videos and documents related to their investigation on Wednesday.
LISTEN: 911 calls released from Winter Park wedding where police shot, killed guest
The police shooting happened on Feb. 19, 2022, at the Winter Park Events Center in Winter Park, Florida, which is located just outside of Orlando.
RELATED: Man shot, killed by police at Winter Park wedding was bride's uncle
According to police, officers responded to the events center after someone reported an "irate" and "violent" man who was being aggressive and "pushing people to the floor." Wedding guests were able to get the man and a woman away from the ballroom and outside of the venue before police arrived, police said.
Officers attempted to talk to the man and woman to deescalate the situation, according to their investigation, but initially, neither person would comply.
Warning: Winter Park police have released video from officers' body-worn cameras as they responded to a wedding reception in February, which ended in a shooting. Viewer discretion is advised. Here is a clip from the video worn by one of the officers.
Warning: Winter Park police have released video from officers' body-worn cameras as they responded to a wedding reception in February, which ended in a shooting. Viewer discretion is advised. Here is a clip from a second officer who responded.
"Step back. Step back," officers can be heard saying to the man, as other people seemingly attempt to talk or step in.
"Back up. Back up. Back up. Back up.," one of the officers repeatedly says.
The man, later identified as Daniel Knight, 39, is then seen holding onto this other woman, and appears to move her in front of him.
Moments later, Knight punches one of the officers, who falls to the ground, hits his head and becomes unconscious, according to police.
Someone begins screaming and others begin shouting.
Another officer uses his Taser in an attempt to stun on Knight, but police said it had no effect on him. Video then appears to show Knight punch the second officer, who falls to the ground, police said. That officer then raises his gun and shoots it at least seven times.
More screaming follows. Knight was taken to the hospital where he died.
Knight's family has disputed what police have said and accused Winter Park police of lying about what happened.
"He was killed… in front of me. His blood was all over my wedding dress. I had to stay there for hours with this on my dress," said bride Janisha Paul, who previously spoke to FOX 35 News. She said she was devastated over her uncle's death.
Knight was a father to four girls and worked for The Mosaic Company in their Polk County mines for many years, his family said.
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https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/winter-park-wedding-shooting-video-released-from-officers-body-worn-cameras
| 2022-04-01T00:00:04
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SPRINGFIELD, Mo.– Springfield-based nonprofit Preferred Family Healthcare is being ordered to pay back more than $8 million to the federal government and the state of Arkansas in restitution for fraud and bribery.
The United States Department of Justice said in a press release the behavioral health nonprofit garnished illegal profits from a wide-ranging fraud and bribery scheme.
“Employees of Preferred Family Healthcare used charitable organizations to illegally line their own pockets through fraud and bribery,” said Tyler Hatcher of IRS-Criminal Investigation in the press release. “Preferred Family Healthcare has acknowledged that its former employees engaged in criminal activity and they are taking steps to make amends by forfeiting a sum of money to the federal government and paying restitution to the state of Arkansas.”
Related to the fraud and bribery, several executives from the charity as well as members of the Arkansas state legislature have pleaded guilty to charges related to the investigation.
Those who’ve pleaded guilty include the nonprofit’s former CEO Marilyn Luann Nolan of Springfield, the former Director of Operations and Executive Vice President Robin Raveendran, former executive and head of clinical operations Keith Fraser Noble and former employee and head of operations Milton Russell Cranford, aka Rusty.
As well, former Arkansas State Senator Jeremy Hutchinson, former Arkansas State Representative Eddie Wayne Cooper and former Arkansas State Senator and State Representative Henry Hank Wilkins IV all plead guilty to charges related to the investigation.
Preferred Family Healthcare provides services in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Illinois, including mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment and various other medical services.
Most of the nonprofit’s funding comes from federal funds, the largest being Medicaid reimbursement.
Preferred Family Healthcare is ordered to forfeit more than $6.9 million to the federal government and to pay more than $1.1 million in restitution to the state of Arkansas related to misusing funds from the state’s general improvement fund as part of a non-prosecution agreement.
“These former executives failed the public and did a disservice to PFH employees by prioritizing their own personal benefit and financial gain over the public they served,” Steven Grell, Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor said. “Today’s agreement demonstrates PFH’s willingness to take corrective actions regarding the criminal actions of former executives of the organization.”
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https://www.nwahomepage.com/news/preferred-family-healthcare-to-pay-more-than-8-million-to-arkansas-feds-in-embezzlement-bribery-case/
| 2022-04-01T00:00:09
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Aggie parent toured Madison Square Garden with son years ago, now he’s on the court
NEW YORK CITY, New York (KBTX) - Aggie parent Leah Spain was full of emotion after Tuesday’s National Invitation Tournament semifinal game in Madison Square Garden. She said she was elated to see the team make it so far as she has attended multiple basketball games throughout the season.
“I went to Houston, Vanderbilt, Georgia, obviously being out of Georgia, Auburn, then I went down to Tampa for the SEC Tournament as well too,” Spain said.
Spain is no stranger to the big apple and brought her son, Jelani Spain, to Madison Square Garden for a tour when he was younger. They even got to see the player locker rooms. Now, she gets to watch her son, who’s a basketball manager, and godson, no. 22 Davin Watkins, on the court at the NIT championship Thursday.
“I’ve got a picture of him already in there and stuff but for them to actually be in there with their stuff, it is amazing,” Spain said. “Everybody is so excited, pumped up and focused.
The Aggie parent said the championship game will be bittersweet after the team and many fans were disappointed that the Aggies didn’t make the NCAA Tournament, also known as the “Big Dance.”
“They’ve played their hearts out, they’ve played to let the people know that you made a mistake by not letting us in that dance but we’re here, and we made it to the New York final four,” Spain said.
As the Aggies gear up for the championship game against Xavier, Spain said she has no worries about the outcome.
“I’m excited, I’m very very excited, I feel like we got this in the bag,” Spain said.
Copyright 2022 KBTX. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kbtx.com/2022/03/31/aggie-parent-toured-madison-square-garden-with-son-years-ago-now-hes-court/
| 2022-04-01T00:00:10
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SPRINGDALE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Sheep Dog Impact Assistance deployed a disaster response team on March 31 to help with chainsaw work and covering damaged roofs caused by the tornado that swept through parts of Fayetteville and Springdale on March 30.
Event and fundraising director Jayme Lingo says they usually go long distances in disaster recovery, but this time it was in their backyard.
“Most of the time we are going long distances to help, but right here it’s in your backyard and it’s so close to home,” Lingo said. “It is home.”
Lingo says a lot of times, people that who need help, don’t ask for it in these situations, which is where Sheep Dog comes in.
She says they don’t have to ask for help, but that help is there for whatever is needed.
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https://www.nwahomepage.com/news/sheep-dog-offering-aid-to-those-affected-by-tornado/
| 2022-04-01T00:00:15
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Aggie Track & Field Hosts No. 1 Texas in Dual Meet
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M men’s and women’s track & field teams host No. 1 Texas in a Dual Meet on Saturday, April 2 beginning at 1 p.m. at E.B. Cushing Stadium.
Texas A&M enters the weekend ranked No. 3 in the men’s USTFCCCA national rankings and No. 4 in the women’s poll, while the Longhorns are No. 1 on both the men’s and women’s sides. The dual meet will be scored 5, 3, 2, 1, with five points awarded to the top finisher. Only two individual entries per institution shall score, while the relays will be scored five points for first place and three for second place.
Saturday’s competition is slated to begin with field events at 1 p.m., while the gun goes off for track events at 4:30 p.m. General admission to the meet starts at $7 for adults and $4 for youth. Tickets can be purchased at 12thman.com/tracktickets or at the E.B. Cushing stadium ticket office.
Copyright 2022 KBTX. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kbtx.com/2022/03/31/aggie-track-field-hosts-no-1-texas-dual-meet/
| 2022-04-01T00:00:16
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WARREN, Ark. (KTVE/KARD) — According to the Warren School District, students and faculty are switching to Alternative Methods of Instruction, AMI, on Thursday March 31, 2022, and continue until further notice.
On Wednesday, March 30, 2022, Warren High School in Warren, Ark. was reportedly on fire at approximately 6 PM.
Firefighters from the Warren Fire Department responded to a major fire that started on the north end of the Warren High School building Wednesday evening.
Upon arrival, firefighters noticed the fire originated near or in the auxiliary gym at the high school.
Equipped with gear, including masks and oxygen tanks, firemen surrounded the building’s north, east and west sides. Firemen used the ladder truck to reach above the fire from the east side, while firemen on ground level used hoses to contain the orange flames stretching from north to west.
The fire appeared to be mostly contained around 8 p.m., with the help of heavy rainfall and the firefighter’s efforts.
No information is available as to what started the fire, but we will keep you updated as we receive more information.
The Warren School District is actively working to provide their high school students with on-site learning in the near future.
Warren School District Superintendent Bryan Cornish released the following statement to all students and staff on Thursday evening:
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https://www.nwahomepage.com/news/update-arkansas-high-school-burst-into-flames-school-pivots-to-online-learning/
| 2022-04-01T00:00:21
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Aggies to begin 3 game series against Alabama Friday
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The Texas A&M Aggies continue road action with a three-game series against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The opener is slated for Friday at 6:02 pm with games also booked for 4:02 pm on Saturday and 1:02 pm on Sunday.
ABOUT THE AGGIES
The Maroon & White have been solid in true road games this year, posting a series win at then-No. 8 LSU, as well as midweek wins at Rice and then-No. 8 Texas the last two Tuesdays, for a 4-1 mark in enemy territory.
The Aggie bats have picked up steam the last eight games, hitting at a .317 clip with a .408 on-base percentage and .538 slugging percentage. The squad has clubbed 21 doubles, two triples and 14 home runs in the span.
Texas A&M boasts one of the nation’s most experienced hitters in Dylan Rock. The UTSA transfer ranks 17th among active NCAA Division I players with 739 at-bats. He ranks fifth among active players in runs (167), seventh in doubles (51), 10th in hits (239), 12th in total bases (368), 23rd in games played (198) and 24th in RBI (134). Rock has an 11-game hit streak, compiling a .477 batting average (21-for-44) over the span with six home runs, four doubles, 14 runs and 19 RBI. On the season, Rock is hitting .358 (29-for-81) with six home runs, six doubles, 21 RBI and 20 runs. He leads the team with eight stolen bases on the season.
Kole Kaler leads the SEC and ranks fifth in the nation with his 27 walks. HIs clip of 1.12 walks per game also leads the SEC and ranks eighth in the nation. Kaler has also been hit by one pitch and he’s batting .270 (24-for-89) with a team-high 22 walks, plus three doubles, 11 RBI and six stolen bases. He sports a .441 on-base percentage. In the last eight games, Kaler has a .545 on-base percentage. During the stretch, he has hit .387 (12-for-31) with two doubles, 10 runs and six RBI and has been walked 11 times. Kaler’s batting average has improved from .207 to 270 over the span.
Jack Moss leads the attack early in the season, batting .393 with a .468 on-base percentage, both team highs. He has reached base in the last 20 games and in 23 of the 24 games this season. On the season, he has a team-high 11 multi-hit games. In addition to batting average and on-base percentage, he leads the team in hits (35). Moss had a 5-for-5 game, hitting for the Aggies’ first cycle since 2018 in A&M’s 12-9 win at Texas. He singled in the first and fourth innings, smashed a two-run home run in the third and roped a double in the sixth. Moss legged out a triple in the eighth to seal the cycle. He also accounted for one of the team’s two grand slams on the season, launching the four-ribbie dinger against Rice.
The Aggies are one of nine teams NCAA Division I teams (301) who have not suffered back-to-back losses in 2022. The list includes Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, Oregon State, South Florida, Tennessee Texas A&M, Texas State and Virginia. The Maroon & White are 9-0 in games after a loss in 2022.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Alabama enters the series with a 15-11 mark, including a 2-4 league ledger. Last weekend, Alabama suffered two walk-off losses to Mississippi State in Starkville, before claiming the series finale. The Tide are batting .291 with a .365 on-base percentage and .464 slugging percentage. A trio of Alabama players are hitting .300 or higher, led by Tommy Seidl who sports a .363 average (33-for-91) with 18 runs, nine doubles, one home run, 16 RBI and seven stolen bases. Zane Denton is hitting .301 (31-for-103) with 20 runs, eight doubles, seven home runs and 22 RBI. Jim Jarvis is batting .300 (30-for-100) with two doubles, three triples, two home runs, nine RBI and five stolen bases.
SERIES NOTES
The Maroon & White have taken the field against Alabama in 27 games previously with the Aggies holding the all-time series lead 17-0.. The programs first met in 1995 with a 6-2 win by Texas A&M. The teams took an eight-year hiatus before meeting in 2003, followed by another 10 years dormant stage until the Aggies joined the SEC in 2013. Texas A&M owns a 14-10 edge in the series since they became league brethren.
In 2021, Alabama swept the Aggies on Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park, winning the games by a combined tally of 18-10.
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Saturday’s game is featured on SEC Network. All three games can be seen on SEC Network+. On Friday and Sunday, fans can tune in locally on 1150 AM/93.7 FM. Saturday’s game airs on NewsTalk 1620 AM/94.5 FM. All three games can be heard inside the 12th Man Mobile App.
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M baseball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M baseball team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieBaseball.
Copyright 2022 KBTX. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kbtx.com/2022/03/31/aggies-begin-3-game-series-against-alabama-friday/
| 2022-04-01T00:00:23
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The Arkansas Razorbacks practice for the upcoming season and there were a lot of new jersey numbers and names out on the field today. Montaric Brown, former Razorback (NFL prospect), also stopped by the spring practice. KJ Jefferson seems locked in on the field and Jadon Haselwood, the former OU receiver, also participated in practice, but was in a green jersey today.
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https://www.nwahomepage.com/sports/pig-trail-nation/arkansas-football-practice-continues-3-31-2022/
| 2022-04-01T00:00:27
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Bond-White named head coach at Southern Illinois
Published: Mar. 31, 2022 at 6:13 PM CDT|Updated: 46 minutes ago
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - Longtime Texas A&M women’s assistant basketball coach Kelly Bond-White has been hired to replace Cindy Stein as the new head coach at Southern Illinois.
Kelly has worked under Gary Blair for the last 22 years, dating back to a three-year run at Arkansas from 2000-2003.
She followed Blair to A&M and helped the Aggie women win an NCAA title in 2011, and was part of 444 wins in 19 years in College Station.
Bond-White has ties to Illinois. She was born in Chicago and played high school ball at Whitney Young under the late Arthur Penny before going to Illinois and helping the program reach consecutive Sweet Sixteens in 1997 and 1998.
Copyright 2022 KBTX. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kbtx.com/2022/03/31/bond-white-named-head-coach-southern-illinois/
| 2022-04-01T00:00:29
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WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – For some people, overdraft fees are a frustrating inconvenience. For others, they pose crippling costs. Some lawmakers now want to change how they’re charged altogether.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney introduced legislation called the “Overdraft Protection Act.” The bill includes provisions to cap the amount and number of fees a bank can charge.
“My bill tries to cut down on these unfair and deceptive practices,” the New York Democrat said.
Advocates like Elyse Crawford-Hicks with Americans for Financial Reform say overdraft fees hit low-income families and people of color the hardest.
“Overdraft fees are paid the most by people who can least afford them,” Crawford-Hicks said.
Others say over-drafting is a useful service because it can function like a short-term loan. Paul Kundert is the CEO of UW Credit Union, which recently reduced their overdraft fees and put more limits on how they charge them.
“When prices are fair, we believe consumers do benefit from access to the credit provided by overdraft fees,” Kundert said.
Recently, major banks like Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Bank of America have made changes themselves, by reducing their overdraft fees or eliminating them altogether.
Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, says that demonstrates the legislation is unnecessary.
“The market is naturally, naturally taking care of the issue without government intervention. And we do not need more rules from Washington,” Williams said.
Because banks make billions of dollars in revenue from overdraft fees, George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law Todd Zywicki argues the proposed changes would cost consumers.
“We’ll see higher bank fees, we’ll see higher minimum monthly deposits as basically insurance against over-drafting and we will see a loss of access to free checking,” Zywicki said.
Lawmakers like Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., are promising to continue pushing for the reforms.
“How can we perform such an abusive and predatory practice that punishes people simply for being poor?” Pressley said.
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https://www.nwahomepage.com/washington/washington-dc/bill-seeks-to-put-cap-on-overdraft-fees/
| 2022-04-01T00:00:33
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Crash slowing traffic Thursday evening on SH 6 in College Station
Published: Mar. 31, 2022 at 6:44 PM CDT|Updated: 14 minutes ago
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - A motor vehicle crash Thursday evening is slowing traffic on Highway 6 southbound in College Station.
The traffic is backed up from Harvey Mitchell Parkway to University Drive.
No other details were immediately available.
Copyright 2022 KBTX. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kbtx.com/2022/03/31/crash-slowing-traffic-thursday-evening-sh-6-college-station/
| 2022-04-01T00:00:36
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Milam County man sentenced to 30 years for child sex crime
Published: Mar. 31, 2022 at 5:42 PM CDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
CAMERON, Texas (KBTX) - A Thorndale man has been sentenced to 30 years after pleading guilty to a first-degree felony for child sex crimes.
Patrick Michael Anness, 52, was charged with sexual performance by a child under 14. He must serve half of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole, according the Milam County District Attorney’s Office.
The court heard testimony from Special Agent Richard Rieger during the sentencing hearing and was the primary agent who investigated the case.
Copyright 2022 KBTX. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kbtx.com/2022/03/31/milam-county-man-sentenced-30-years-child-sex-crime/
| 2022-04-01T00:00:42
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Police: 13-year-old runaway girl dies at hospital after found unresponsive at motel
D’IBERVILLE, Miss. (WALA/Gray News) - A 13-year-old girl has died in a Mississippi-area hospital after being reported as a runaway from Alabama earlier this month.
WALA reports the Mobile Police Department first reported Keyanna Sylvester as a runaway on March 21. She was then found unresponsive in a motel room in D’Iberville, Mississippi, on March 24, according to D’Iberville Police Capt. Jason King.
Sylvester was taken to the hospital but later died, according to police.
The 13-year-old spent time in Ocean Springs and Moss Point, Mississippi, according to reports.
King said it was too early in the investigation to decide whether foul play was involved in the girl’s death.
“We’re making sure we’re careful about not saying whether it’s criminal or not criminal,” he said.
King also said police are waiting for a report by the medical examiner.
“This hurts me real bad because Keyanna was my baby,” said neighbor Alexie Thames. “You all need to help find whoever did this to my baby. "
Anyone with further information on this case was urged to contact the D’Iberville Police Department at 228-396-4252.
Copyright 2022 WALA via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kbtx.com/2022/03/31/police-13-year-old-runaway-girl-dies-hospital-after-found-unresponsive-motel/
| 2022-04-01T00:00:49
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Professional Bull Rider talks upcoming PBR Boot Barn Classic in Aggieland
The event will be at Reed Arena on April 9 and 10
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - For the second time in as many years, the Professional Bull Rider’s (PBR) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour is coming back to College Station. It will return to Reed Arena on April 8 and 9 with the PBR Boot Barn Classic in Aggieland. Thor Hoefer II, one of the world’s top professional bull riders, joined First News at Four to discuss his bull riding career and the upcoming competition.
“It’s really an honor to be a part of the PBR, you know you’re part of the greatest bull riders that the world can assemble,” said Hoefer. “There’s going to be riders from Australia, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, and the US all competing together in College Station and I’m just really blessed to be a part of it.”
Hoefer started at a young age, first riding sheep, then graduating to calves. He really got into riding bulls professionally at age 20.
“I would say one of my greatest blessings with it would be the camaraderie between the bull riders. There’s not many sports that, your competitors, are also some of your best friends, and you really strive for everybody to do good, you just want to do better, and that makes for some really good competition,” he said.
Get tickets for the PBR Boot Barn Classic here.
Watch the full interview in the player above.
Copyright 2022 KBTX. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kbtx.com/2022/03/31/professional-bull-rider-talks-upcoming-pbr-boot-barn-classic-aggieland/
| 2022-04-01T00:00:55
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Three Aggies Earn NCEA All-America Honors
FORT WORTH, Texas – Texas A&M equestrian standouts MacKenzie Chapman, Emmy-Lu Marsh and Hanna Olaussen earned national Collegiate Equestrian Association Ariat All-America honors, the NCEA Selection Committee announced Thursday.
Chapman earned second team honors in Horsemanship, while Marsh was named to the second team in Reining. Olaussen was awarded honorable mention recognition in Horsemanship.
The graduate student led the Aggies in Horsemanship with a 10-2-2 record, including two Most Outstanding Performer honors. Chapman started the season at 7-0 and ended the year 3-1-1 in her last five appearances. She earned her first MOP recognition after defeating Georgia’s Leah Anderson with Cowboy, 76.5-72.5, at home. The Bellevue, Michigan, native, earned her second MOP at the SEC Championships in the final against Auburn’s Taylor Searles on Garth with a score of 229.5-220.
Marsh compiled an 8-4-2 record in Reining, including a seven meet undefeated stretch from November 18 to March 12 going 5-0-2. The junior earned three MOP accolades, including a school record ride of 78 in the season opener. A Tallulah, Louisiana, native, Marsh earned her second MOP after defeating Georgia’s Jax Bound, 73-72.5, on Slash in Bishop, Georgia, and her third MOP came in the SEC Championship final when she outscored Auburn’s Terri June Granger, 216-214, also on Slash.
In her rookie season, Olaussen recorded an 8-4-2 record in Horsemanship. Most notably, the San Antonio, native, registered a 7-1 record stretching from October 29 to March 5, which included one MOP at Georgia after edging Grace Himes, 79-78, on Clyde.
Texas A&M opens NCEA Championship as the No. 3 seed against No. 6 Baylor on Thursday, April 14 at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida.
Copyright 2022 KBTX. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kbtx.com/2022/03/31/three-aggies-earn-ncea-all-america-honors/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:02
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Treat of the Day: Blinn College celebrates 139th birthday
Published: Mar. 31, 2022 at 5:51 PM CDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Blinn College is celebrating its 139th birthday.
The college looks a lot different now than it did in 1883. But one thing that hasn’t changed in the school’s commitment to helping their students achieve their educational goals.
Copyright 2022 KBTX. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kbtx.com/2022/03/31/treat-day-blinn-college-celebrates-139th-birthday/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:08
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Ukrainians remain defiant as the world awaits Russia’s next move
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KBTX) - Moscow has pledged to scale back its attacks in Ukraine, but that statement is being met with skepticism. KBTX Chief Political Analyst Greta Van Susteren joined First News at Four to speak about the war and her recent visit to Ukraine.
Van Susteren admitted no one really knows what Russia is up to.
She said, “clearly the troops are moving away from Kyiv, but is that because they are retreating or because they are repositioning or changing their strategy?”
Among those who believe they are repositioning is the NATO Secretary General.
While people aren’t necessarily optimistic, there is good news in this according to Van Susteren.
“It does indicate, though, that the Russian forces have been unsuccessful to seize Kyiv. They thought they were going to seize Kyiv in about three days. Well, that was beginning February 24th and Ukraine has put up a robust defense of that city,” said Van Susteren.
On her trip to Poland and Ukraine, Van Susteren says she was struck by the strength of the Ukrainian people.
“You see the incredible amount of pride in these Ukrainians and they’re very determined, which is one of the problems the Russians are having is they are up against people who are very much inspired and very much they’re ready to lay down their life for Ukraine,” she explained.
Watch the full interview in the player above.
Copyright 2022 KBTX. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kbtx.com/2022/03/31/ukrainians-remain-defiant-world-awaits-russias-next-move/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:15
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EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — U.S. Border Patrol agents rescued 18 migrants crammed inside a U-Haul trailer with little ventilation early Tuesday morning.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said a U-Haul pickup pulling the trailer stopped at the Border Patrol checkpoint on NM Highway 185, which runs parallel to Interstate 25. Agents found 17 migrant adults and one unaccompanied child inside the trailer.
Agents linked the smuggling scheme to a driver who had crossed the checkpoint minutes before the U-Haul and was found to have a 9 mm handgun, an AK-47 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, ammunition, and a flare gun.
Agents arrested both drivers on suspicion of conspiracy to transport migrants.
On Sunday, a resident alerted border agents to a possible human smuggling scheme after spotting a tractor-trailer parked along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near the Texas-New Mexico state line in Northeast El Paso.
Agents responded and freed 15 adult migrants and one unaccompanied child inside a poorly ventilated cargo container.
The rescued migrants, agents said, were from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Some of them ended up at the Central Processing Center, and agents expelled the others to Mexico under Title 42.
According to a news release, agents referred the driver to the El Paso Sector Integrated Targeting Team and the Texas Department of Public Safety as part of an ongoing interagency investigation.
CBP said that since Fiscal Year 2022 began in October, Border Patrol agents from the El Paso Sector have disrupted approximately 525 smuggling schemes.
“Ruthless human smugglers continuously endanger human lives as one of their tactics is to smuggle migrants in confined spaces with restricted oxygen,” El Paso Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez said in a statement. “I am extremely proud of the actions of our El Paso Sector Border Patrol Agents as they often encounter situations, where if not for their involvement, events as these would turn into tragedies. Our Border Patrol Agents are true heroes as they display compassion and professionalism (every day) in our very complex mission of border security.”
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https://www.myhighplains.com/border-report/34-migrants-rescued-from-cargo-trailers-in-separate-smuggling-attempts/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:15
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Infowars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has agreed to appear at a deposition in Connecticut to answer questions in a lawsuit by relatives of some of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims.
That's according to new court filings by his lawyers on Thursday, which comes a day after a judge ordered fines against Jones for defying orders to attend a deposition last week despite his claim of illness.
Jones now says he can answer questions on April 11 and is asking the judge to put a hold on the fines. There was no immediate ruling on Jones' requests. The families are suing him for calling the school massacre a hoax.
Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis said, “The court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant Alex Jones willfully and in bad faith violated without justification several clear court orders requiring his attendance at his depositions on March 23 and March 24.”
Judge Bellis said in the decision on Wednesday, “It is clear…that the plaintiffs here simply want and are entitled to the deposition of Mr. Jones and that Mr. Jones has continued to attempt to deliberately disregard the court’s orders and attempts to manipulate the court process.”
“While paying the fees and court’s costs will reimburse the plaintiffs for costs incurred in attempting to procure Mr. Jones’ deposition, it is not a substitution for his testimony,” she said.
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https://www.fox4now.com/news/national/alex-jones-agrees-to-appear-at-deposition-in-sandy-hook-case-after-defying-orders-to-attend
| 2022-04-01T00:01:16
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It’s official: Brownsville Democrat Filemon Vela Jr. has stepped down from his Texas 34 congressional district seat after sending resignation letters today to Gov. Greg Abbott and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
“It has been a profound honor to represent the people of the Rio Grande Valley of Texas for the last nine years,” he wrote briefly. “Please let me know how I can be of assistance during this transition.”
Vela, who announced a year ago that he would not seek reelection to the seat he’s held since 2013, is leaving Congress before the end of his current term to take a job with the law and lobbying firm Akin Gump, headquartered in Washington D.C.
His early departure will prompt a special election, the exact timing of which isn’t set in stone and is Abbott’s call to some extent. Vela’s longtime friend Vicente Gonzalez, currently representing Texas District 15 in Congress, is the Democratic candidate running for TX-34 in the November election but will not take part in any special election and instead will serve out his current term.
“What I’ve heard is that Dan Sanchez, former county commissioner, is considering running for it,” Vela said.
Vela said the Republican party, which made gains in the Rio Grande Valley during the 2020 election, sees a TX-34 special election as a chance to take the seat away from Democrats, though he feels the seat is safe. While redistricting has made TX-15 more competitive for Republicans — he considers it a toss-up in the November election — that’s not necessarily the case for TX-34, he said.
“I think Vince is about 99.9 percent certain to be the member of Congress for TX-34 for the next two years,” Vela said.
If that happens, TX-34 constituents can expect a high level of continuity from Vela’s time in Congress, Vela said.
“No question. Vince and I have a personal relationship that probably goes back 20 years,” he said. “We’ve worked hand in hand pretty much on everything we’ve done. Back last year when I decided I wasn’t going to run again, we started to talk to him and his staff about all the things we had worked on, like Port of Brownsville issues, some of the (international) bridge issues, SpaceX issues. I think he’s fully up to speed and ready to roll on all of that stuff.”
Vela said he’s glad to be capping off his congressional career with two major wins: More than $100 million in federal funding for improvements to Cameron County’s Gateway International Bridge and — announced just this week — $68 million for the Port of Brownsville to help pay for deepening the Brownsville Ship Channel.
“Those have been priorities all along the way, so it feels good to have succeeded on that front,” he said.
Vela also worked with Elon Musk and SpaceX in 2014 to help bring the rocket company to Cameron County, and prioritized working with local universities and schools to maximize opportunities in cutting-edge science, technology, engineering and math fields.
Among the other highlights of his career, Vela said, were being able to secure $24 million in federal money for a new terminal building at Brownsville South Padre International Airport and $13 million for structural needs at the Valley International Airport in Harlingen; $4.3 million for an emergency operations center in Kleberg County; millions of dollars in coastal restoration money stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill; and tens of millions of dollars for drainage and storm-water projects to help prevent catastrophic flooding.
That’s on top of the thousands of cases his “very efficient staff” has worked on over the years for individual constituents, involving such matters as navigating Veterans Affairs, the IRS and immigration agencies, Vela said.
“I would see 30 a day,” he said. “That’s not just me though. That’s pretty much every congressional office, the kinds of things people never see. I think that makes up about 50 to 60 percent of the work equity in a congressional office.
“Most recently what was very rewarding was to be able to help connect some local constituents that were in Ukraine at the time of the invasion with the State Department, so that they could get to safety,” Vela said. “Things like that along the way have made the job really rewarding.”
Congressional districts are redrawn every 10 years. And while uncertainty over what that would mean for TX-34 factored into his decision a year ago not to seek reelection, that wasn’t the primary reason, Vela said. (As it turned out, the redrawn TX-34 is “largely the same with a lot less travel,” he said.)
“There’s people here in Congress who’ve been here 20, 30 years,” Vela said. “They’ve made their life in Congress. I was pretty certain from the beginning unless I was going to be Speaker of the House or something, that that wasn’t going to be me. … I’ve kind of made a decision that getting out at the age of 60 and being able to do something else is the path I want to take. … I’m looking forward to a future in the practice of law and in government relations.”
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https://myrgv.com/featured/2022/03/31/vela-official-leaves-congress-speaks-about-possible-replacement/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:15
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SILVER CREEK, N.Y. (WIVB) – Children from kindergarten to second grade were locked in what’s been described as an “isolation room” at an elementary school outside Buffalo, New York, a district administrator wrote in a letter to the school board earlier this week.
The letter states that at least five students at Silver Creek Elementary School, including a kindergartner, have been “inhumanely and illegally locked or barricaded in an isolation cell.”
“I have been fighting all year to keep children out of the isolation cell,” wrote Jay Hall, the assistant director of elementary programming on Monday.
Hall described the room as a “cold, cinder block jail-like cell,” and said, “It should never, even for one second, be used in any capacity to redirect or punish any child at any time.”
“Children as young as 5 years old are being blockaded and locked in the isolation cell, kicking the door, pounding on glass with their fists, banging their heads, crying profusely, pleading to be freed, all with complicit staff members standing by and watching,” Hall said.
Parents got wind of the letter and started posting complaints on Facebook this week. “You better pray we never find out that our son has ever been put in one of these so called cells!!” wrote one parent.
On Wednesday, the school district issued a statement, saying in part:
“The District is aware that this morning there were concerns raised on social media pertaining to our Elementary School. The District’s most important priority is the safety and security of all District students and staff. We take any concerns and allegations regarding student safety and their wellbeing as the top priority.”
The district said a law firm, which also acts as counsel for the school board, is investigating the allegations. Superintendent Todd A. Crandall said he hopes to have a report by the end of the week.
Kerry Vasquezmarte, a district parent, said the concerns aren’t new. She said her special-needs daughter was locked in a room several times as a pre-K student at the elementary school. She said a classmate witnessed her daughter being dragged by her arms through a hallway.
Vasquezmarte said her daughter cried when she confronted her about the incident and still has nightmares. She said she met with a teacher and Superintendent Crandall over a year ago to discuss the isolation techniques.
“And all he did was blame my child during the meeting,” Vasquezmarte said. “And I said numerous times to get my child, I was taking her home, she’s not being locked in a room. It took me threatening him for him to finally radio down to wherever to retrieve my kid.”
Vasquezmarte said she eventually pulled her child out of pre-K and homeschooled her during the kindergarten year. Her daughter is back at the elementary school for first grade with a “fantastic” teacher, Vasquezmarte said.
“I was only made aware of any concern on Friday, March 18,” Crandall said. “I can’t comment on something from years ago.”
Crandall said the law firm had an attorney on site Wednesday to conduct interviews. The attorney was also on school district property Thursday.
“We are not about hiding anything or trying to cover up anything,” Crandall said. “Student and staff safety is paramount, and we look forward to hearing the results so that if need be we can address any protocol or procedures as needed.”
The New York State Department of Education says it could not confirm or deny that the state was looking into these claims. The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office said it is not investigating the claims at the school because no one has made a formal complaint.
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https://www.myhighplains.com/news/elementary-students-locked-in-isolation-room-as-discipline-administrator-says/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:21
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A new study released Thursday found that those who are pregnant and vaccinated against COVID-19 are twice as likely to get a breakthrough case of the virus than those who aren't pregnant.
Researchers from the Wisconsin-based company Epic said they analyzed the medical records of about 14 million patients that were stored in Cosmos, a HIPAA-defined data set of more than 140 million people from 960 hospitals and 20,814 clinics that serve patients in all 50 states.
According to the study, researchers honed in on what comorbidities could increase a patient's chances of getting a breakthrough COVID-19 case while vaccinated.
They found that pregnant individuals were 1.91 times more likely to get COVID while vaccinated. They also found that those with organ transplants were 1.83 times more likely to get COVID-19, and those with immune deficiency were 1.63 times more likely to get breakthrough COVID.
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https://www.fox4now.com/news/national/coronavirus/study-finds-pregnancy-increases-chances-of-breakthrough-covid
| 2022-04-01T00:01:22
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HARLINGEN – Mechanical thrombectomy.
The name sounds scary, but this revolutionary new technique is saving lives by removing blood clots from arteries.
Dr. Ameer Hassan, head of the neuroscience department at Valley Baptist Medical Center, has been hailing its use not only to save lives but to improve outcomes. In other words, with this new technique, patients can have better recovery with few complications.
Perhaps that’s why he’s so active in The Society of Vascular Interventional Neurology and was recently named president of the organization.
“It’s a society of all interventional neurologists in the U.S. and the world and it’s by far the biggest society for interventional neurologists,” Hassan said. “The big thing here is that we’re trying to take it to the next level. We are trying to improve access to mechanical thrombectomy worldwide.”
The society has undertaken numerous initiatives toward that purpose, one of them being the Mission Thrombectomy 2020 campaign. The website missionthrombectomy2020.org says SVIN founded the campaign in 2016.
The goal of the campaign was to increase the rate of stroke thrombectomy procedures to 202,000 a year to reduce stroke disability around the world by 2020. Stroke thrombectomy is the same as mechanical thrombectomy.
The project met its goal. Hassan said that by 2020 the number of mechanical thrombectomies had doubled around the world.
Hassan began serving as president elect of SVIN two years ago and finally took over as president in November. That’s about the time the Society began doing thrombectomy workshops in places near and far.
“We just did a workshop in Jamaica which was a huge success,” he said. “We have one scheduled in the Dominican Republic in May. We are working with the Turkish Society to also help them improve access to interventionalists who can treat stroke with mechanical thrombectomy throughout their country. We have programs going on in India and China, so really the footprint is growing rapidly.”
Hassan further described with great pride SVIN’s educational initiatives in the form of grants to students, residents and fellows wishing to do endovascular research.
“We also created an educational course called Advanced Stroke Emergency Support – ASES – and we created a specific course for ED and another course for EMS,” he said.
ED stands for Emergency Department and EMS stands for Emergency Medical Services.
“Now we will be working with EMS World which is the biggest EMS conference in the world,” he said. “We are doing a session with them and teaching them our course, our material, and we have a couple of members working with the State of Texas and other states around the country.”
SVIN’s message is that here is a great “re-educational tool.”
“We think that EMSs around the state should be certified with this course,” Hassan said. “Just like they’re certified with advanced cardiovascular life support, they should also be trained with this ASES course.”
He believed this additional training will further enhance health care professionals’ ability to spot a stroke and determine where to send a patient. In the incidence of stroke, efficiency and speed are especially critical because “time is brain.”
“We can truly improve patient outcomes by taking patients faster to the emergency room and to the right hospital,” Hassan said.
Still another initiative is called SILC – Stroke Interventional Lab Certification. The certification is intended to have a good standard of care at catheter labs across the country.
It’s clearly evident that many good things are coming out of SVIN, and Hassan is delighted to take the lead in the organization.
“Of course, I’m excited,” he said. “I’ve been working with the society and the board for more than six years, so it’s great to see that people recognize that I would be a great asset to the society and be able to extend and expand its mission. I’m the first president who is not one of the original founders.”
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https://myrgv.com/local-news/2022/03/31/hassan-named-president-of-international-neurologist-society/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:22
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Russians leave Chernobyl nuclear plant as fighting rages elsewhere
March 31, 2022 - 4:52 am
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian troops handed control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant back to the Ukrainians and began leaving the heavily contaminated site more than a month after taking it over, authorities said Thursday, as fighting raged on the outskirts of Kyiv and other fronts.
Ukraine’s state power company, Energoatom, said the pullout at Chernobyl came after soldiers received “significant doses” of radiation from digging trenches in the forest in the exclusion zone around the closed plant. But there was no independent confirmation of that.
The withdrawal took place amid growing indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation in Ukraine as cover while regrouping, resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in the eastern part of the country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian withdrawals from the north and center of the country were just a military tactic and that the forces are building up for new powerful attacks in the southeast.
“We know their intentions,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation. “We know that they are moving away from those areas where we hit them in order to focus on other, very important ones where it may be difficult for us.”
“There will be battles ahead,” he added.
Meanwhile, a convoy of buses headed to Mariupol in another bid to evacuate people from the besieged port city after the Russian military agreed to a limited cease-fire in the area. And a new round of talks was scheduled for Friday, five weeks into the war that has left thousands dead and driven 4 million Ukrainians from the country.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it had been informed by Ukraine that the Russian forces at the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster had transferred control of it in writing to the Ukrainians.
Russians headed toward Belarus
Ukraine reported that three convoys of Russian forces had left toward Belarus, while the remaining troops were apparently planning to leave too, the agency said.
Energoatom gave no details on the condition of the soldiers it said were exposed to radiation and did not say how many were affected. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin, and the IAEA said it had not been able to confirm the reports of Russian troops receiving high doses. It said it was seeking more information.
Russian forces seized the Chernobyl site in the opening stages of the Feb. 24 invasion, raising fears that they would cause damage or disruption that could spread radiation. The workforce at the site oversees the safe storage of spent fuel rods and the concrete-entombed ruins of the reactor that exploded in 1986.
Edwin Lyman, a nuclear expert with the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists, said it “seems unlikely” a large number of troops would develop severe radiation illness, but it was impossible to know for sure without more details.
He said contaminated material was probably buried or covered with new topsoil during the cleanup of Chernobyl, and some soldiers may have been exposed to a “hot spot” of radiation while digging. Others may have assumed they were at risk too, he said.
Early this week, the Russians said they would significantly scale back military operations in areas around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv to increase trust between the two sides and help negotiations along.
But in the Kyiv suburbs, regional governor Oleksandr Palviuk said on social media Thursday that Russian forces shelled Irpin and Makariv and that there were battles around Hostomel. Pavliuk said there were Ukrainian counterattacks and some Russian withdrawals around the suburb of Brovary to the east.
Chernihiv came under attack as well. At least one person was killed and four were wounded in the Russian shelling of a humanitarian convoy of buses sent to Chernihiv to evacuate residents cut off from food, water and other supplies, said Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Lyudmyla Denisova
NATO: No evidence Russia scaling back operations
Ukraine also reported Russian artillery barrages in and around the northeastern city of Kharkiv.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said intelligence indicates Russia is not scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead trying to regroup, resupply its forces and reinforce its offensive in the Donbas.
“Russia has repeatedly lied about its intentions,” Stoltenberg said. At the same time, he said, pressure is being kept up on Kyiv and other cities, and “we can expect additional offensive actions bringing even more suffering.”
The Donbas is the predominantly Russian-speaking industrial region where Moscow-backed separatists have been battling Ukrainian forces since 2014. In the past few days, the Kremlin, in a seeming shift in its war aims, said that its “main goal” now is gaining control of the Donbas, which consists of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including Mariupol.
The top rebel leader in Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, issued an order to set up a rival city government for Mariupol, according to Russian state news agencies, in a sign of Russian intent to hold and administer the city.
Red Cross teams head to Mariupol
The Red Cross, meanwhile, said its teams were headed for Mariupol with medical supplies and other relief and hoped to take civilians out of the beleaguered city, the site of some of the worst suffering of the war.
Tens of thousands have managed to get out of Mariupol in the past few weeks by way of humanitarian corridors, reducing its population from a prewar 430,000 to an estimated 100,000 as of last week, but other efforts to relieve the city have been thwarted by continued Russian attacks.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 45 buses would be sent to collect civilians from the encircled and bombarded city, where food, water, medicine and fuel were running low.
“It’s desperately important that this operation takes place,” the Red Cross said in a statement. “The lives of tens of thousands of people in Mariupol depend on it.”
With talks set to resume between Ukraine and Russia via video, there seemed little faith that the two sides would resolve the conflict any time soon.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that conditions weren’t yet “ripe” for a cease-fire and that he wasn’t ready for a meeting with Zelenskyy until negotiators do more work, Italian Premier Mario Draghi said after a telephone conversation with the Russian leader.
In other developments
— Ukraine’s emergency services said the death toll had risen to 20 in a Russian missile strike Tuesday on a government administration building in the southern city of Mykolaiv.
— As Western officials search for clues about what Russia’s next move might be, a top British intelligence official said demoralized Russian soldiers in Ukraine are refusing to carry out orders and sabotaging their equipment and had accidentally shot down their own aircraft.
— In a speech in Australia, Jeremy Fleming, head of the GCHQ electronic spy agency, said Putin had apparently “massively misjudged” the invasion.
— The Pentagon reported Thursday that an initial half-dozen shipments of weapons and other security assistance from the U.S. have reached Ukraine as part of an $800 million aid package President Joe Biden approved this month. The shipments included Javelin anti-tank weapons, Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems, body armor, medical supplies and other materials, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
— U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the war is going because they are afraid to tell him the truth.
— Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the U.S. is wrong and that “neither the State Department nor the Pentagon possesses the real information about what is happening in the Kremlin.”
___
Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
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https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nation-and-world/russians-leave-chernobyl-nuclear-plant-as-fighting-rages-elsewhere-2554107/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:23
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If passed in its current form, the $10 billion deal would represent a significant disappointment for the White House, which had publicly campaigned for at least $22 billion in new funds and would probably be forced to scale back elements of its planned response. But lawmakers are facing a rapidly approaching deadline, with Congress soon taking a two-week break, and administration officials warning that they are effectively out of cash for urgent coronavirus needs. The federal government has already begun to wind down a program to cover the costs of health-care providers that give coronavirus tests, treatments and vaccinations to uninsured Americans, an initiative that officials said has cost about $2 billion per month.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told The Washington Post he was “optimistic” a final deal would be reached, a stance echoed by Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) in remarks on the Senate floor.
“We are getting close to a final agreement that would garner bipartisan support,” Schumer said, adding that lawmakers were “working diligently” to agree on a package that would address both domestic and global needs.
Romney, who said the money would come from unspent funds in previous stimulus packages, added that he expected a vote on the deal next week.
About half of the money would go for covid therapeutics, while the other half would be at the “discretion” of the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) told reporters. A Republican aide said that $750 million was being eyed for research and development of new vaccines and treatments.
Several GOP lawmakers said about $1 billion in funding would be set aside to support global vaccinations — down from the White House’s $5 billion request for global aid. But that number appeared to be in flux, with several Democrats on Thursday arguing for considerably more and lawmakers acknowledging that they were still negotiating.
“If there was a deal, I think we’d be voting on it,” said Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the chamber’s No. 2 Republican.
Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) has been among the lawmakers pushing to include some funding for the global response after some lawmakers moved to drop it completely. “There [are] 2.5 billion people unvaccinated in the world, and that is an ongoing daily risk to the United States,” Coons said.
The funding package’s collapse three weeks ago prompted U.S. officials to warn that they had exhausted funds to purchase vaccines, antiviral treatments and other supplies, putting the nation at risk. The White House has already reduced the supply of monoclonal antibody treatments to states by 35 percent because of the lack of pandemic funding. Congress is also set to begin a two-week recess on April 9, raising fears that failing to secure a deal now could stall the U.S. response into May.
“Congress, please act. You have to act immediately,” President Biden said in a speech on Wednesday, saying that officials had already been forced to delay or cancel planned orders for covid treatments. “The consequences of inaction are severe. They’ll only grow with time, but it doesn’t have to be that way.”
A Biden administration plan to help vaccinate the world will also soon run out of money, administration officials said. That plan, led by the U.S. Agency for International Development, would boost the infrastructure for administering vaccinations in developing nations, which officials say will curb the risk of variants emerging overseas and leading to outbreaks in the United States.
“Without more funding … the United States would have to turn its back on countries that need urgent help to boost their vaccination rates,” Atul Gawande, who leads global health at USAID, wrote in a Washington Post op-ed on Wednesday. “We can’t let this happen. It not only endangers people abroad, but also risks the health and prosperity of all Americans. The virus is not waiting on Congress to negotiate; it is infecting people and mutating as we speak.”
Some Democrats have called for as much as $17 billion in global covid aid and criticized congressional leaders for backing away from international commitments.
“I recall the president saying that the United States should be, would be, the ‘arsenal of vaccines,’ ” said Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), vice chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. “And I’m extremely disappointed that ever since that statement, and at every possible opportunity, this has been de-prioritized.” Malinowski said he would not support a funding package if it did not include some money for the global response.
For weeks, the White House has publicly sought more than $22 billion for the response, although Biden officials in early January had privately concluded that they needed as much as $80 billion in additional covid aid for vaccines, therapeutics and other supplies.
By early March, congressional leaders had settled on about $15.6 billion and sought to attach that to a broader package to fund the government, an effort to ensure passage of the coronavirus aid.
But some House Democrats were upset over one of the financing mechanisms — an effort to claw back money for state governments to address their pandemic needs. The uproar caused House leaders to strip the coronavirus aid from the deal.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), the chairman of the National Governors Association, said it would have been unfair to rescind money states had been counting on. But he said he still wanted Congress to clinch a deal on more aid, as long as it was fully paid for.
“The last thing that Americans would expect is that we get caught flat-footed again,” Hutchinson said in an interview last week. “The administration says that takes additional funding. I take them at face value for those comments, and so then we got to figure out where that money’s going to come from.”
Amy Goldstein contributed to this report.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/03/31/covid-funding-deal-congress/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics
| 2022-04-01T00:01:25
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Harry Styles' "As It Was" bottles sunshine in a song, but with a dreary melancholy. The synth-heavy intro is perfect for racing down Pacific Coast Highway with the top down. The groovy electric guitar licks inject the song with an infectious energy. If you are sorely missing the reign of Tumblr music — think The XX, Passion Pit — then this is absolutely the song for you.
But take a closer listen to the first single from Harry's House (out May 20) and you'll find a poignant lyrical exploration of loss and loneliness: "Answer the phone / Harry, you're no good alone / Why are you sitting at home on the floor / What kind of pills are you on?" Styles slips in autobiography, too, perhaps the closest he's ever been to directly addressing his love life. Whereas Fine Line was coy in its references to heavy themes like loss, depression and drug use, this single seems to signal Styles' willingness to confront those topics head on, pretty unapologetically.
"As It Was" feels both risky and vulnerable in a way that's different from his solo work so far. If this is Harry Styles inviting us into his metaphorical home, it seems like it's a lot messier and more complicated than he's ever let on.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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https://www.kuaf.com/npr-music-news/2022-03-31/harry-styles-as-it-was
| 2022-04-01T00:01:25
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Thursday passed a bill capping the monthly cost of insulin at $35 for insured patients, part of an election-year push by Democrats for price curbs on prescription drugs at a time of rising inflation.
Experts say the legislation, which passed 232-193, would provide significant relief for privately insured patients with skimpier plans and for Medicare enrollees facing rising out-of-pocket costs for their insulin. Some could save hundreds of dollars annually, and all insured patients would get the benefit of predictable monthly costs for insulin. The bill would not help the uninsured.
But the Affordable Insulin Now Act will serve as a political vehicle to rally Democrats and force Republicans who oppose it into uncomfortable votes ahead of the midterms. For the legislation to pass Congress, 10 Republican senators would have to vote in favor. Democrats acknowledge they don’t have an answer for how that’s going to happen.
“If 10 Republicans stand between the American people being able to get access to affordable insulin, that’s a good question for 10 Republicans to answer,” said Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., a cosponsor of the House bill. “Republicans get diabetes, too. Republicans die from diabetes.”
Public opinion polls have consistently shown support across party lines for congressional action to limit drug costs.
But Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., complained the legislation is only “a small piece of a larger package around government price controls for prescription drugs.” Critics say the bill would raise premiums and fails to target pharmaceutical middlemen seen as contributing to high list prices for insulin.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Democrats could have a deal on prescription drugs if they drop their bid to authorize Medicare to negotiate prices. “Do Democrats really want to help seniors, or would they rather have the campaign issue?” Grassley said.
The insulin bill, which would take effect in 2023, represents just one provision of a much broader prescription drug package in President Joe Biden’s social and climate legislation.
In addition to a similar $35 cap on insulin, the Biden bill would authorize Medicare to negotiate prices for a range of drugs, including insulin. It would penalize drugmakers who raise prices faster than inflation and overhaul the Medicare prescription drug benefit to limit out-of-pocket costs for enrollees.
Biden’s agenda passed the House only to stall in the Senate because Democrats could not reach consensus. Party leaders haven’t abandoned hope of getting the legislation moving again, and preserving its drug pricing curbs largely intact.
The idea of a $35 monthly cost cap for insulin actually has a bipartisan pedigree. The Trump administration had created a voluntary option for Medicare enrollees to get insulin for $35, and the Biden administration continued it.
In the Senate, Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire are working on a bipartisan insulin bill. Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has introduced legislation similar to the House bill, with the support of Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Stung by criticism that Biden’s economic policies spur inflation, Democrats are redoubling efforts to show how they’d help people cope with costs. On Thursday, the Commerce Department reported a key inflation gauge jumped 6.4% in February compared with a year ago, the largest year-over-year rise since January 1982.
But experts say the House bill would not help uninsured people, who face the highest out-of-pocket costs for insulin. Also, people with diabetes often take other medications as well as insulin. That’s done to treat the diabetes itself, along with other serious health conditions often associated with the disease. The House legislation would not help with those costs, either. Collins says she’s looking for a way to help uninsured people through her bill.
About 37 million Americans have diabetes, and an estimated 6 million to 7 million use insulin to keep their blood sugars under control. It’s an old drug, refined and improved over the years, that has seen relentless price increases.
Steep list prices don’t reflect the rates insurance plans negotiate with manufacturers. But those list prices are used to calculate cost-sharing amounts that patients owe. Patients who can’t afford their insulin reduce or skip doses, a strategy born of desperation, which can lead to serious complications and even death.
Economist Sherry Glied of New York University said the market for insulin is a “total disaster” for many patients, particularly those with skimpy insurance plans or no insurance.
“This will make private insurance for people with diabetes a much more attractive proposition,” said Glied.
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https://www.myhighplains.com/news/house-passes-35-a-month-insulin-cap/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:27
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Skippy Foods, LLC has recalled more than 9,000 cases of peanut butter "due to the possibility that a limited number of jars may contain a small fragment of stainless steel from a piece of manufacturing equipment," the company said in an announcement Thursday.
The specific Skippy brands included Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread, Skippy Reduced Fat Chunky Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter Blended With Plant Protein all with "best if used by dates" of early May 2023. Those dates are located at the top of the lid.
The company said there have been no consumer complaints related to this issue and the recall is voluntary.
All retailers that received these particular products have been notified, the company said.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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https://www.kuaf.com/npr-news/2022-03-31/recall-issued-for-thousands-of-skippy-peanut-butter-cases-due-to-steel-fragments
| 2022-04-01T00:01:31
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Administration officials acknowledged this week that the move could significantly increase the record number of people trying to cross the southern border, where arrests by U.S. Customs and Border Protection have soared to an all-time high.
The decision, which is expected to be announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week, puts Biden in a familiar political bind on an issue he has long struggled to navigate. Liberals are dissatisfied because they called for an end to use of the order, known as Title 42, months ago, while vulnerable centrist Democrats fret that he will further expose the party to attacks from Republicans who say he has not effectively controlled the border.
“There are just some issues in which there’s just no easy policy or political way to resolve them. This is one of those,” said Doug Sosnik, who was a policy and political adviser to President Bill Clinton.
Some Democrats gearing up for competitive races are already distancing themselves from the administration’s plans. The tension was evident in the response from Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who sent a letter to Biden urging him not to lift the order without a more robust blueprint in place for dealing with the aftermath.
“There is still not an adequate plan or sufficient coordination to end Title 42,” Kelly said in a statement after a conversation with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.).
In a preview of the midterm attacks Republicans plan to intensify this fall, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) attacked Biden over the border in a speech on the Senate floor. “Throwing the floodgates open for an historic spring and summer of illegal immigration would be an unforced error of historic proportions,” said McConnell, who also brought up inflation and Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
White House communications director Kate Bedingfield distanced Biden from the decision to stop enforcing Title 42, saying “this is a decision that the CDC will make.” But she added, “We are preparing for contingencies. And so what I would say is, you know, our goal is going to be to process migrants in a safe and orderly manner.”
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) offered a mixed response to a draft plan to wind down the directive that had circulated earlier this week, applauding the end of Title 42 but urging swifter movement.
“This is simply unacceptable given they have had more than a year to prepare,” Menendez said in a statement to The Washington Post. “They should not wait nearly two months before ending Title 42 in its entirety, but rather start doing so in phases.”
The plan the White House is expected to adopt would not fully lift Title 42 until late May, which critics point out is roughly tantamount to another 60-day renewal. By setting the date in late May, the administration would have time to reassess its plans if a new coronavirus variant becomes a greater threat to public health.
Menendez said that the May deadline provides potential migrants with a target date to arrive and might incentivize even more people to come here, known to immigration policy wonks as a “pull factor”: “For an Administration afraid of creating ‘pull factors’, I fear their delay may create the biggest pull factor of them all,” Menendez said.
He discussed the issue briefly in a call Wednesday with Steve Ricchetti, one of Biden’s top aides, according to a person familiar with the conversation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it. The call was focused on Menendez’s desire to get some time with the president to discuss a long-stalled effort to revamp the country’s immigration system, the person said.
Biden officials are making worst-case contingency plans for daily border arrests to more than double from the current volume of more than 7,000 daily apprehensions. They are hiring contractors to add tent facilities that can help process migrants faster, along with additional buses and aircraft to transfer migrants away from the border. And they have established a command center at Department of Homeland Security headquarters staffed by interagency teams that include Federal Emergency Management Administration officials who have handled major disasters.
Still unclear, however, is how the administration might structure a phased approach to ending Title 42 that would lift the restrictions on families first, and single adults later. Single adults are a far bigger challenge: records show migrants arriving as part of a family group accounted for just 16 percent of those taken into custody in February along the southern border.
Either way, Biden faces an uphill climb when it comes to public opinion. A recent Economist-YouGov poll found that just 33 percent of respondents approve of Biden’s handling of immigration. The only area where the president had a lower rating was on guns, where just 27 percent approved.
Even voters in areas far from the border are attuned to immigration. In Wisconsin, which could have one of the most competitive Senate races in the country, 36 percent of voters said they were “very concerned” over illegal immigration, according to a February Marquette Law School poll.
The Title 42 order has been in place since March 2020, when the Trump administration said emergency restrictions were needed to protect U.S. agents, migrants and the public from the spread of the coronavirus inside crowded border stations and detention cells.
The order gave U.S. Customs and Border Protection the ability to summarily “expel” border crossers to their home countries or to Mexico, denying most asylum seekers the right to apply for humanitarian refuge in the United States. CBP has used Title 42 to carry out more than 1.7 million expulsions over the past 24 months, records show.
The vast majority of those quick deportations have occurred under Biden, who ran for president promising a repudiation of President Donald Trump’s enforcement approach at the border.
After taking office, Biden halted construction of the border wall, ended the “Remain in Mexico” policy and sharply scaled back deportations and arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, among other measures. But he also said his administration would keep “guardrails” in place to avoid having “2 million people on our border.”
Title 42 remained the most significant border policy holdover from Trump. On Thursday, Democratic unity against Trump’s policies gave way to some infighting, creating an additional challenge for Democrats as they seek to show voters they are a unified party.
“It’s an abomination that the Biden administration did not lift Title 42 a long time ago,” said former Housing and Urban Development secretary Julián Castro. “They have been playing craven politics with the lives of desperate people and using public health as an excuses for political expediency.”
“Many of us applaud opening our arms to Ukrainians who are absolutely deserving,” Castro said. “But so are Haitians. So are many Central Americans.”
Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), a centrist who is frequently at odds with the president, reiterated his view that Biden should leave the health order in place.
His comments, reported by CNN, caused a rare public squabble between two Democratic senators. Using social media, Menendez called out his colleague: “Let’s not adopt the ‘they are not sending their best’ hate speech from the right, Joe,” Menendez tweeted.
On the Republican side, some lawmakers used Biden’s decision to highlight what they see as a larger and more intractable immigration framework. But others in the party did not hold back from criticizing Biden.
“There will be a deluge at our southern border!” said Rep. Chip Roy (R-Tex.) in a House floor speech this week.
The Biden administration’s dependency on Title 42 deepened as border crossings soared during the spring of 2021. The president initially described the influx as a “seasonal” norm, but by summer 2021 CBP was reporting more than 200,000 border arrests per month.
The agency reported 1.73 million arrests during the 2021 fiscal year, the highest figure ever recorded. The current fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, is on pace to eclipse that with the exact scenario Biden said he wanted to avoid, bringing “2 million people” into CBP custody.
Immigrant advocates and some Democrats called on Biden to end the expulsions and restore full asylum access, but instead his administration opted to make exemptions for vulnerable groups: unaccompanied minors, individuals with medical issues and later, most family groups.
That produced an enforcement regime at the border that was neither the kind of aggressive application of Title 42 witnessed under Trump nor a return to full asylum access, leaving immigrant advocates angry at Biden, but his border policies approach far less restrictive than his predecessor’s.
Emily Guskin contributed to this report.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/31/biden-administration-border-plan-poses-midterm-danger-democrats/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics
| 2022-04-01T00:01:31
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AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — The City of Amarillo Environmental Health Department and the City of Amarillo Public Health Department are investigating a Salmonella outbreak that is connected with an enchilada meal at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on Sunday, March 27, according to a news release from the City of Amarillo.
The environmental health department said that anyone with food from the event should throw it away.
The city said that those that are experiencing symptoms after eating food from the event should contact their primary care doctor. Anyone experiencing diarrhea and fever should not return to work, school, or daycare until they are symptom-free for 24 hours. Good handwashing and disinfection of surfaces are recommended to prevent the further spread of infection.
The city also said that providers who are treating patients who report eating at the event and those who became ill are asked to call the APHD at 806-378-6300 option 6 or fax the patient’s contact information to 806-378-6307. Attn: CD Team.
The St. Joseph’s Parish and the Diocese of Amarillo released a statement saying:
We have learned this week that several individuals got sick with food poisoning after eating take-out enchilada dinners sponsored by St. Joesph’s Parish of Amarillo.
We are very concerned about the safety of all of those affected.
St. Joseph’s immediately reached out to the Health Department and the Diocese of Amarillo is working with our insurance carrier. The Health Department is investigating and unfortunately it will be ten days before they will have the analysis on the foodborne pathogen.
We know you are experiencing medical expenses and we intend to set up a procedure where you can bring in your expenses. We hope to be able in a few days to let you know what that procedure will be and where it will be.
St. Joseph’s Parish and The Diocese of Amarillo
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https://www.myhighplains.com/news/local-news/city-of-amarillo-investigating-salmonella-outbreak/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:33
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12-year-old dies after being shot at South Carolina middle school, suspect in custody
A 12-year-old has died after being shot at a middle school in Greenville, South Carolina, on Thursday.
Community activist Bruce Wilson said Jamari Cortez Bonaparte Jackson, 12, died at the hospital.
Wilson released the following statement on behalf of the family:
"We are all devastated by today’s tragedy. We love Jamari dearly and we would ask that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this very difficult time."
Greenville County deputies said a school resource officer at Tanglewood Middle School requested backup just before 12:30 p.m.
More than 200 law enforcement officers arrived at the school.
A suspect, who is also 12 years old, was taken into custody near the school, Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said.
He is is being charged with murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, possession of a firearm on school property and unlawful possession of a weapon by a person under the age of 18, Lewis said.
Because of his age, the suspect's name was not released.
"Unfortunately, these are two young men who attended school here," Lewis said. "We don't really know the specifics of why it occurred and why so many people resort to violence, especially with firearms."
Greenville County School Superintendent Burke Royster also spoke outside the school after the shooting.
"I’m not sure after a full and thorough law enforcement investigation anyone will really know what was going through the mind of that young person who took this rash act," Royster said.
Students from the school were taken to Brookwood Church by bus to be reunited with their families.
One mother told sister station WYFF that she was in the school parking lot when she saw police begin arriving.
"I was getting out and the police told me, ‘Get back, get back. You can’t come in,’ and I was like, ‘What’s wrong? What’s wrong?’" Angela said. "They wouldn’t tell me, he said, 'Get back in your car.’ When I was getting in my car, all the police came. Every police in Greenville County was there and ambulance. They were running in with guns, not handguns, rifles."
Angela’s daughter, Prentasia, said they were changing classes when the shooting happened.
"We heard a gunshot, and this boy had a gun and he shot at one boy in his side," Prentasia said. "We all pretty much went into a classroom and some people went outside. We were just in the classroom ‘til it was over."
Another mother spoke to WYFF shortly after she arrived at the school to pick up her son.
"But I was speechless," she said. "My stomach is still upset. I just want to see my son and hug him and just make sure he's fine."
That mother said she wishes there were metal detectors in school.
"So, I would love for Greenville County to do something and put metal detectors. They all come through the same door. They go to the cafeteria they do that. Why don't they put a metal detector and then at least detect there's something there," the mother said.
Greenville County School District spokesman Tim Waller said Tanglewood Middle will have an optional day on Friday. Teachers, students and staff can come and talk to each other and counselors but are not required to attend school on Friday.
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https://www.wvtm13.com/article/deadly-school-shooting-south-carolina/39603272
| 2022-04-01T00:01:36
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Caitlyn Jenner has joined Fox News Media as a contributor, the network announced on Thursday.
Suzanne Scott, the news network's CEO, said via a news release that the former Olympic great and one-time California gubernatorial candidate will offer commentary and analysis across Fox News Channel programming and its various media platforms.
"Caitlyn's story is an inspiration to us all," Scott said in the statement. "She is a trailblazer in the LGBTQ+ community and her illustrious career spans a variety of fields that will be a tremendous asset for our audience."
Jenner said she was "humbled by this unique opportunity to speak directly to Fox News Media's millions of viewers about a range of issues that are important to the American people." Jenner is set to make her first appearance in her new role at the 9 p.m. ET hour on Thursday.
Jenner transitioned from Bruce Jenner in 2015 and publicly came out as transgender in an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer. She documented her journey as a trans woman on her reality TV show, I Am Cait.
During a recent interview with ET while talking about daughter Kylie Jenner changing her son's name, Jenner said that when it came to her own name, after changing her name from Bruce, she "struggled with it for years."
"When you have a little child, you know the little baby comes out and you think of what it should be, but then you get them in your arms and you play with them and spend time with them and say, ‘I don’t know if that name fits, maybe it’s another name,'" Jenner explained. "That’s Kylie’s decision. When she officially announces it, but honestly, I think this is very good."
Last year, Jenner was among a long list of GOP candidates to run for California governor, but she garnered only one percent of the vote in the second recall election in the state's history.
Jenner earned renewed fame after appearing on Keeping Up With the Kardashians when it debuted on E! in 2007 until its end last year. Earlier this month, the 72-year-old said she had no hard feelings about not being included in the Kardashian-Jenner family's new Hulu reality series, The Kardashians.
She retweeted a Variety story, writing, "I was there when this started from day one. I watched it grow. And doing the show for almost 20 seasons was one of the highlights of my life. To be able to work with my family for all those years, connect with the fans, it was incredible. Happy that it continues for my family."
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https://www.9news.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-tonight/caitlyn-jenner-joins-fox-news-as-a-contributor/603-3f230505-9a06-489c-9be0-77b9008971f9
| 2022-04-01T00:01:36
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“But we know it’s hard when there are those out there that don’t see you and don’t respect you,” Biden added.
In addition to promoting policies benefiting the community, Biden’s White House hosted Amy Schneider, the most successful transgender woman to compete on “Jeopardy!,” as part of the celebrations. Just months after her record-breaking run on the show, Schneider met with Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Harris, to discuss the importance of advancing transgender visibility and equality.
She told reporters that the uptick in legislation prohibiting transgender youths from participating in school sports and banning teachers from discussing LGBTQ issues is “really scary.”
“Some of them in particular that are denying medical services to trans youth [are] really sad to me, and it’s really frightening,” Schneider said. But hope is not lost, she added.
“I think that this backlash right now is temporary,” she added. “It’s not going to be too long before these sorts of bills are seen as a thing of the past.”
The administration’s spotlight on these issues comes as several Republican-led states have passed laws and bills that erode protections for transgender people.
The White House announced Thursday that it would take steps to improve travel for transgender people.
Starting April 11, all U.S. citizens will be allowed to select an “X” as their gender marker on their passport applications. This move is aimed at expanding access to accurate identification documents for transgender and nonbinary people.
And the Transportation Security Administration will soon update its scanners with more accurate technology that will reduce the need for the pat-downs and additional screenings that are often required for many transgender travelers.
The Biden administration hopes to expand the “X” gender marker option to airlines and federal travel programs and to make it easier for transgender people to change their gender information in Social Security Administration records.
Andrea Hong Marra, executive director of the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, one of the groups meeting with the White House, called the Biden administration “the most active in history” in supporting the transgender and nonbinary community.
“Our friends in the administration have held the door open to ensure we always know we matter and to translate that respect into policies that protect our rights,” she said.
Much of the White House’s attention will focus on transgender kids, some of whom will join their parents at the White House to meet Emhoff and Rachel Levine, the assistant secretary for health and the first openly transgender person to hold an office requiring Senate confirmation.
Biden said attempts to ban transgender youths from sports, outlaw conversations about the LGBTQ community in classrooms and criminalize medical care for transgender youths undermine America’s values.
Last month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) called on “licensed professionals” along with “members of the general public” to report the parents of transgender youths to state authorities if their children appear to be receiving gender-affirming medical care.
Arizona’s Republican governor, Doug Ducey, signed a bill Wednesday that will prevent transgender girls from playing on girls sports teams. The Republican also signed legislation outlawing gender confirmation surgery for any person younger than 18.
Biden called these types of bills “wrong.”
“Studies have shown that these political attacks are damaging to the mental health and well-being of transgender youth, putting children and their families at greater risk of bullying and discrimination,” Biden said.
Anne Branigin contributed to this report.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/31/biden-transgender-visibility-day/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics
| 2022-04-01T00:01:37
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Brianna Wilson
Updated: March 31, 2022 05:23 PM
Created: March 31, 2022 04:54 PM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – It all started with 13 balloons at Coronado Center in 1972. Now, 50 years after Albuquerque’s first Balloon Fiesta, officials are honoring the man responsible.
"We're excited to kick off the season with a small-scale exhibit, opening for Sid Cutter,” said Nan Masland, the manager of the Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. “‘Man Above Town,’ celebrates Sid Cutter, who is lovingly known as the ‘Father of Balloon Fiesta.’”
This exhibit opens Friday, April 8, which is the true 50th anniversary of Balloon Fiesta.
"We moved it years and years ago to October because the weather was just so much better," said the events director of operations, Sam Parks.
It also gives officials six more months to plan what they say will be the biggest fiesta to date.
"We are so excited to invite the world to the ballooning capital to see 650 hot air balloons,” Parks said. “We're going to have 120 special shapes, which will be the most we've ever had and 530 round balloons."
This year, officials are also paying homage to the first-ever ascension, back in the ’70s.
"We're actually going back to the Coronado Center, and we're going to replicate the original 13 balloons that took off from that location 50 years ago,” Parks said. “So there will be balloons representing the original 13, and we actually have three of the surviving pilots still with us today, and they're going to be able to joins us on that special day."
Officials are also bringing back Music Fiesta for the first time since 2019, and closer to October, the Balloon Museum will open a second new exhibit called ‘Canopy of Color.’
"It will be the very first large scale exhibition that really celebrates that history, focuses on the joy, the spirit, all of the hard work, dedication, and all of the individuals who came together and had this incredible vision that we're still seeing come through today," Masland said.
Balloon and Music Fiesta tickets go on sale Friday, April 1. You can click here to purchase them when they become available.
Copyright 2022 - KOB-TV LLC, A Hubbard Broadcasting Company
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https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-balloon-fiesta/preparations-begin-for-balloon-fiestas-50th-anniversary/6434392/?cat=500
| 2022-04-01T00:01:38
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Posted: Mar 31, 2022 / 06:17 PM CDT Updated: Mar 31, 2022 / 06:17 PM CDT SHARE AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Crews are currently working on a structure fire in the 4000 block of SE 25th Ave. MyHighPlains.com currently has crews that are headed to the scene. Information will be updated as it becomes available.
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https://www.myhighplains.com/news/local-news/crews-working-fire-in-the-4400-block-of-se-25th/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:39
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HARRISON, Maine — High gas prices along with rising inflation are causing some food pantries in rural Maine to struggle to keep up with the surging demand for food.
Every Tuesday from noon to 6 p.m., cars line up outside the Harrison Food Bank while volunteers inside bag up frozen meat, sorting through products and other donated food items.
Abbie Barber and her husband are among 42 volunteers who fill hundreds of boxes every week with groceries.
"It's just one of those things, more people should do it because there is the need," Barber said.
Food bank founder Sandy Swett said a large number of donations come from grocery stores, while meat and seafood wholesalers donate items that are close to expiring or overstocked.
Swett said the demand for nutritious food is surging.
The pantry is serving nearly 500 families at its weekly pickup. Volunteers also are delivering groceries to more than 100 people throughout Oxford County who don't live near a food pantry. The majority live up to an hour's drive away.
'We are getting calls from people who have children, saying, 'I can't afford the gas, can you bring food to me?'" Swett said.
Families who can afford to drive are bringing boxes of food back to their neighbors, including the elderly.
Ellie McKinney drives from Oxford to get food for herself and two other families. She said the donations are a big help, especially for those on a fixed income.
"I am disabled, and my dad gets $20 a month for food stamps, so this really helps him", McKinney said.
Others say rising gas prices may put a brake on how often they can come to get food. Carolyn Payeur drives to the food bank from Dixfield, which is an hour each way.
"I told them I will continue to do this until it hits $5 a gallon," she said. "When it hits $5, we may have to go every other week."
One of the pantry's biggest expenses is diesel fuel. Their two trucks are on the road five days a week, making daily 100 mile round trips to Greater Portland to pick up donated food.
And costs are rising at a time when financial donations are way down. Twenty-five new families are signing up every week and Swett worries about keeping up with the need. The Harrison Food Bank also supplies six other smaller food pantries in Oxford County.
Volunteers are hopeful more businesses and the public will answer the call.
Cash donations can be made on the food bank's website and Facebook page to help ensure that no one goes hungry despite an uncertain economy.
NEWS CENTER Maine is committed to fighting hunger year round. Our 'Feed Maine' Telethon will be held on May 5 to benefit the Good Shepherd Food Bank.
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https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/money/economy/maine-food-banks-feeling-the-pinch-of-inflation-gas-prices-pantries/97-9bd4c33a-562b-4778-a84e-9a40086b9670
| 2022-04-01T00:01:41
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If the Ancient Greek translation of ‘Phil • a • delph • i • a’ breaks down to its roots in ‘phílos’ (beloved, dear) and ‘adelphós’ (brotherly, sisterly), this town, as we know it, should be kicking up its heels in reverie and regaling in the light and the bright. Yet, as Philadelphians, we bask in ire and cynicism. It’s understandable. There’s death around us, especially in a time of war globally, and we live in fear of being killed by all manner of threat, be it physical or more figurative, like a career killer.
The comedians we love, locals or out-of-towners who hang out in Philly, tend to speak fearlessly without concern over critiques that they’re too angry, cynical, or dark. They embrace death – or, at least, they’re not afraid of a Twitter mob trying to end their career over one joke.
New York’s Ben Wasserman can’t get enough of Philly. Earlier this month, he had a gig at Launderette Records in Port Richmond. He was at Johnny Brenda’s as recently as March 17, too. He’ll be performing again in Philly at PhilaMOCA on a date TBD.
Philadelphia has a special connection to Wasserman’s standup art form. He did one of his earliest set on grief shortly after his father died five years ago.
His new solo comedy show, Live after Death, grabs you by the collar as Wasserman faces all types of fears, namely that of loss, as he talks about grief and the death of his father, grandfather, uncle, and several dear friends all in the span of three years.
“I did a bit about my dad dying, it killed,” he says, “and a bunch of Philly comedians approached me after my set. I assumed they were just coming up to introduce themselves, give the perfunctory ‘good set,’ and they did that — but like almost all of them also had either been estranged from or lost their fathers. We talked. About all of it. Grief is an isolating feeling. Performing in a city as a visitor can also feel isolating. But the comedians I met in Philly made me feel less alone and more loved that night. And, five years later we’re still super close friends.”
Wasserman works the words of misery, grief and vulnerability like Pollock would oils – athletically, with passion and spontaneity. When he started doing comedy about the pain of living amid death, he didn’t really know where it would go or what it would look like.
“Prior to these losses I had never really incorporated anything ‘real,’ anything biographical, in my comedy, I’d simply go on stage and do interactive goofy bits and silly characters that had no tether to reality.”
Opening up, however, negotiating and existing with these woefully unfunny features of life freed Wasserman to blossom, to create comically and interactively. Still, some things aren’t laughable even if they are part of an overall comedic work. “It’s not funny,” he affirms plaintively, “having watched my dad struggle for his last breaths.” But it’s not something that should be hidden, either.
“I think creating environments where everyone in the room has an opportunity to be vulnerable is in some way just fair. But in another way, it also plays an important role in getting laughs, because being vulnerable allows me to also get away with being comically angry or frustrated or goofy or whatever.”
With that, Wasserman knows that whether his crowd is grieving themselves or not, that he’s really quite good at comedy – the entire point of his being on stage.
”I’ve only gotten raves or supportive comments about this material, mostly people coming up to me and thanking me for putting a voice to a feeling they had but couldn’t name, or allowing them to share a story about their friend who died during the set, or just telling me I’m the funniest person they’ve ever seen.”
If Wasserman’s approach to the dark side of life kills, as he says, South Philadelphia-based comic and writer Chip Chantry is more chipper amid Philly’s cynicism and our shared knowledge that we’re all going to die one day.
“I feel really lucky to have started comedy in Philadelphia,” says Chantry whose next big gig is his April 1 show for Crossroads Comedy at Theater Exile on 13th and Reed. “Philly crowds wear their heart on their sleeve. You never have to guess if people like what you’re doing. They will let you know immediately. And that makes us stronger comics. You go to other cities, and they’re ‘nice.’”
What’s nice mean in this context, though?
“They’re more patient, sometimes more receptive crowds. But if you win over a Philly crowd, it feels really good. If you give it your best, that’s when you get that world-famous love and affection,” he touches on the irrational way Philadelphians will defend its beloved parochial assets.
Some things, like those local sacred cows, are a minefield to touch on stage. For Chantry’s part, having to navigate comedy that is dark, harsh, and troubling is one he’d rather not trip through.
For Chantry, comedy should embrace an insider’s intimate knowledge, while acting like an outsider, a town crier with attitude. “In my experience, comedians were always outsiders that stood on the sidelines, or under the bleachers, and made fun of everyone who was fighting,”
But when everyone in the country is taking the “you’re either for us or against us” tack, is neutrality itself a political position?
Talking about having to take sides, socially and politically is uncomfortable for someone who’s joked about those divides for a job. “But over the past few years, we’ve been pulled into the game, and for me, and I think for a lot of comics, it’s a drag. We just want to tell jokes and make fun of things, not be modern day philosophers. I’m not a Senator. I’m not a pundit or a professor. I just want to be funny.”
In the face of existential threats after an attempted coup, is just being funny enough in a post-Trump America? Are we even post-Trump?
Or, on the contrary, is being too political itself poison to comedy?
“I don’t think crowds want to hear it,” says Chantry. “For me, comedy is an escape from 30 BREAKING NEWS updates a day. I’m also not good at arguing or debating, so I’d rather just make fun of things.”
Chantry’s got his views, though. You can pick that up from his Twitter account. He just takes a more subtle approach to the aforementioned minefield.
For his part, Wasserman thinks coming from the right place is key to navigating touchy issues.
“I think you can be angry and still full of affection,” says Wasserman. “The duality of love/affection is most powerful when you can situate it within a broader emotional landscape which includes anger, hate, whatever. The completeness of that picture, amplifies the intensity and makes the love more felt.”
It’s impossible not to root for both Wasserman and Chantry. In a world of lowest common denominator offense and outcry, their thoughtfulness and sensitivity, even if hidden behind slapstick or even a dick joke, is attention grabbing.
Still, it’s a trail not everyone in comedy likes to take. And even when they go too far, the penalties are more rhetorical than literal.
“A number of ‘canceled’ comedians are currently selling tickets and making WAY more money than I am,” Chantry observes, bitingly. “So that’s good.”
|
https://philadelphiaweekly.com/can-you-even-joke-about-that-two-comedians-talk-about-navigating-touchy-subjects-on-stage/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:41
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A South Florida woman is off for a historic journey as she embarks with the first all-Black team to take on Mount Everest.
Abby Dione is challenging herself and all of us to cast away any fears and go for it. She spoke exclusively with NBC 6 about the climb aimed at opening the outdoors to people of all backgrounds.
"A stillness — calm. That’s how I feel," Dione said as she prepares to take on 29,032 feet of Mount Everest.
Dione spoke to us between training kids and adults at her Coral Cliff’s rock climbing center near Fort Lauderdale’s airport. She’s out to do something that’s never been done — make it to the summit of Mount Everest with an all-Black team.
Stay informed about local news and weather. Get the NBC 6 South Florida app for iOS or Android and pick your alerts.
“On a personal level what has motivated me is actually stretching the outer limits. Growth happens right outside of your comfort zone," she said. "So, growth for me as an individual, the goal is to stretch and make room for this project in my life has been challenging, and it's been a wonderful learning experience for me."
Dione's been getting ready for months, along with the other nine climbers — including an Iraq war vet and science teacher.
Local
“My training involves a lot of strength training — a lot of mobility," Dione said.
One thing Dione doesn’t have at her gym is an altitude chamber, but she does have one of those at her home. Since October, she’s been sleeping in it every night to get her body adjusted to the amount of oxygen she will actually take in as she moves up the mountain and tries to get to the top of Everest.
“It essentially simulates oxygen concentrations of altitudes up to 19,000 feet. So, it allows me to strain and stimulate my body so that you can adapt to those conditions and make the necessary changes so that when I do go there, my body doesn’t struggle as much,” she said.
But what has been a struggle for the climbers is funding their journey. The cost is anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 each.
“It’s been a scramble to find sponsors, get the word out to the community, set up a Gofundme — collaborate with folks that want to help us realize this mission which is to bring the outdoors to folks that don’t normally get that access,” Dione said.
On Friday, Dione will fly from Miami to Doha, Qatar, then to Kathmandu — the capital of Nepal — then to Lukla, Nepal — the furthest modern transportation can go. They will spend several weeks at their base camp before the final trek.
Once there, “All we can do is to be prepared," she said. "I will be prepared by May 10 to be able to summit, meaning, I will have gone through all of my climatization circuits. Mother Nature will let me know when that weather window is.”
The team hopes people in urban areas will see them and decide that the wilderness is for them too.
“I do believe that systems are in place that make things very difficult for folks to experience certain things, and it's generally based on where you’re from, what you look like, and so on, but those systems aside, I mean, I would love for folks to spite those systems kind of give themselves that permission to go and explore,” Dione said.
Every few months, the Big Brothers program brings kids to Dione's gym for an experience most of them never considered.
“I would love to encourage folks to allow themselves to do things — and try things — take the risk, but we know that’s not always possible when you are trying to just survive," she said. "So, I have a lot of compassion. So, I am trying to help bring back imagination and inspiration around these things — maybe wake that side up.”
Learn more about the Full Circle Everest Expedition here.
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https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/south-florida-woman-to-make-history-with-first-all-black-team-to-challenge-mount-everest/2726366/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:41
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BOULDER, Colo — The Colorado Latino Leadership Advocacy & Research Organization (CLLARO) expressed outrage that the University of Colorado (CU) Board of Regents did not select former Colorado Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia as a finalist for the position of president.
CLLARO specifically named Garcia as a candidate who the organization believes was overlooked despite his qualifications.
CU on Thursday did not confirm or deny to 9NEWS whether Garcia is under consideration. A spokesman said the Board of Regents has not yet selected any finalists.
CLLARO claims five finalists have been selected and Garcia isn't one of them. However, CU said they aren't expecting finalists to be selected "any time soon."
Former CU President Mark Kennedy announced he was leaving the school in May 2021 and was given the title of president emeritus.
CU administrator Todd Saliman was named interim president effective July 1, 2021.
> Video above from May 2021: CU President Mark Kennedy says he will step down.
In December, the 16-member presidential search committee announced it would narrow the pool to at least five candidates.
The search committee is required by the Board of Regents to maintain the candidates' confidentiality during search, but according to CLLARO, Garcia was not selected as one of the five remaining finalists.
“I have known Joe Garcia since he was a Harvard Law student and his twenty year history in higher education is extraordinary," CLLARO Board Chair Federico Peña said. "It’s unbelievable that his name will not be presented to the full Board of Regents.”
A recent study referenced by CLLARO highlights the discrepancy between the United States' Hispanic population of 18.5% in general and their representation among executive ranks, which is only 4%.
“It is extremely disappointing that our community can never get to the top of the competition," said Virginia Castro, President of the Auraria Historical Advocacy Council and member of the Latino Advocacy Council. "When will our qualifications be enough? Even with people as qualified as Joe Garcia.”
CLLARO said the following organizations "stand with CLLARO in our disappointment":
- Auraria Historical Advocacy Council
- Cesar Chavez Peace and Justice Center for Denver
- Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR)
- League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
- Nuevo Amistad
- Servicios de la Raza
- Servicios Sigue
CU Vice President for Communications Michael Sandler told 9NEWS in an email that "The Board of Regents has not selected any finalists in the presidential search, and the board is not expected to do so any time soon."
Sandler continued, "So you understand the process, the board would announce a finalist or finalists at a public meeting. Then there will be a two-week period when the public can meet the individuals on our campuses before the board votes publicly to elect a president. The board has said that they expect for the process to be complete by the end of the spring semester."
Troy Pope contributed to the reporting of this story.
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https://www.9news.com/article/news/education/university-colorado-president-no-latino-candidates/73-856f6931-9380-4542-ab1b-a793ea9b9d04
| 2022-04-01T00:01:43
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Of course, you don’t have to fill those jugs with milk. You could fill them with, say, oil. Four gallons of oil sitting there on your living room carpet, contained by thin plastic. Not the best decision, but useful as an illustration.
I was curious, given the Biden administration’s plan to release oil from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, exactly how much oil the United States keeps on hand. So I figured I’d convert it into something I can appreciate, like those milk jugs.
This did not work as intended.
As would be expected, the United States has a lot of oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. As of March 25, 568.3 million barrels, to be specific. And since each barrel contains the equivalent of 42 gallons of oil, that means that the United States has at its disposal 23.9 billion gallons of oil.
An amount that would take an awful long time to pour into 23.9 billion gallon milk jugs.
But now we do our math. If we were to fill those milk jugs and line them up for the nation’s eventual strategic use, we’d create a line of jugs about 63,000 miles long. Enough to run the distance of the Great Wall of China, and back, and then to the end again, and back and then almost back to the far end once again. If we arranged them in a square, it would cover about 35 square miles, a bit more than half of the entire area of D.C.
This is not a smart way to store this oil, of course, since it wastes so much space. Instead, we would be wise to stack the milk jugs vertically as well, so that we don’t use so much space. If we shaped our milk jugs holding our oil — about 3,400 jugs wide and long and a bit over 2,000 jugs high, we’d have a nice little cube that would sit almost perfectly on the square that surrounds the U.S. Capitol.
If President Biden were to leave the White House and head to a building across the street to regard the petroleum reserve in its Capitol-submerging milk-jug format, it would look like this.
Of course, this storage process does introduce a few foreseeable problems. The Capitol would be unusable, for example, which has both positive and negative repercussions. It would be pretty common for some of those jugs to spring a leak, and quite a problem if one in the middle of the cube were to do so. Not to mention that it is not particularly smart to build a strategic reserve of something in a way that a ne’er-do-well could sabotage dramatically with a BB gun. So, as it turns out, this is not how the government stores all of that oil.
What it does instead is store it in four locations around the Gulf Coast. Were it held in oil silos, those cylindrical structures you see around refineries, it would require nearly 64,000 such silos to contain the country’s current reserve — a massive amount requiring a massive amount of infrastructure. (If the reserve were filled to its allowed limit of 714 million barrels, we’d need nearly 80,000 silos.) Those structures, too, would be at risk of damage.
Instead, we store that oil underground. It’s pretty ingenious, really; when the reserve was created, the government used water to carve massive caverns out of underground salt deposits, forcing water in and extracting a saltwater brine to create space for the oil. The largest storage facility, Bryan Mound in Freeport, Tex., has 19 caverns in which more than 247 million barrels can be stored.
A 1977 proposal to build the site explains how the oil would be inserted and removed. A nested set of tubes pushes oil in and allows brine to escape. (Oil, as you’ll recall from making pasta and/or school, floats on water.) Then, when oil is needed, water is injected and the oil forced up and out.
We can do some back-of-the-envelope math to figure out that the caverns at Bryan Mound are about 64,400 cubic yards big on average. That’s about a fifth of the size of the Hindenburg.
Biden has authorized the release of up to a million barrels of oil a day through the country’s network of pipelines. Were he instead to have it put in 42 million milk jugs, it would be enough to fit in somewhere north of 5,000 semi tractor-trailers.
Bringing a convoy like that to the capital every day, it’s safe to say, would shut things down.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/31/incredible-scale-strategic-petroleum-reserve-visualized/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics
| 2022-04-01T00:01:43
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KOB Web Staff
Updated: March 31, 2022 04:23 PM
Created: March 31, 2022 04:09 PM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Adult-use cannabis sales will be legal statewide, starting April 1. The Cannabis Control Division of the Regulation and Licensing Department has provided important guidance to consumers in order to safely participate in this new market:
Frequently Asked Questions
To date, 151 retail licenses have been issued by the state, covering nearly 250 locations. However, not all locations will be open Friday. The CCD encourages consumers to do their research online and find a retailer near them that is open for business.
The CCD also advises anyone buying cannabis to consume responsibly.
“Start low and go slow,” said Cannabis Control Division Director Kristen Thomson – referring to starting with a product that has a low level of THC and only slowly increasing consumption once someone has a sense how their body is responding. “Even more importantly, though, New Mexicans must remember not to drive after consuming cannabis. Driving under the influence puts consumers and others on the road at risk. Law enforcement will be doing their job to keep roads safe. We encourage anyone who plans to consume to have a designated driver or use a taxi or ride-share service.”
The Cannabis Regulation Act, passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor last year, called for sales of adult-use cannabis to begin no later than April 1. The new industry is projected to generate $300 million annually in sales, create 11,000 jobs and bring in $50 million in state revenue in the first year alone.
For more information, click here.
Copyright 2022 - KOB-TV LLC, A Hubbard Broadcasting Company
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https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/adult-use-cannabis-sales-start-friday-in-new-mexico/6434353/?cat=500
| 2022-04-01T00:01:44
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DEERFIELD, N.Y. – Mohawk Valley Water Authority crews are working on restoring water in Deerfield following a water main break on Johnson Road.
The following roads are impacted:
- Walker Road from Northwood Drive to Broadacres Road
- Smith Hill Road from Walker Road to Bell Hill Road
- Bell Hill Road from Smith Hill to Graham roads
- Graham Road from Bell Hill Road to the Herkimer County line
- John Road
- Ravine Drive from 701 to Highview Drive
- Highview Drive
- Northwood Drive from Glendale Place to Weaver Place
- Weaver Place
- Kraft Drive
- Grace Road from Smith Hill Road
A boil water advisory will be in effect for all affected areas for at least 48 hours. MVWA must wait for laboratory testing to confirm the water is safe before lifting the advisory.
Water should be boiled for at least two minutes for using it for cooking or drinking. Residents should avoid using discolored water as well.
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https://www.wktv.com/news/local/crews-working-to-repair-water-main-break-in-deerfield-boil-water-advisory-issued/article_5a9e9c4a-b13f-11ec-a450-237683cb1864.html
| 2022-04-01T00:01:45
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AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Warren Coble Sr. has a volunteer’s heart. He runs Hilltop Senior Citizens Center and he helps other non-profits help those in need.
Warren Coble Sr. said the Hilltop Senior Citizens Center works closely with several non-profits across the Amarillo area.
These include the PARC, Faith City Mission, and Another Chance House. He said it’s a mutually beneficial relationship.
“It works both ways. Sometimes they come up with things that we need that we don’t have, and that’s the great thing about partnerships and relationships,” said Coble.
Coble added Monday morning was filled with delivering food to Another Chance House and the PARC, and food and clothes to Faith City Mission.
He said the clothes were donated from Borger to help those here in Amarillo. He said it shows the generosity of people on the High Plains.
“We had a guy come in from Cincinnati, just traveling around the country, however, he was getting around, and he shared these words with me. He said ‘I have been in the panhandle for about two years, if you starve in the panhandle, you are doing something wrong,’ because they are the most giving people that I know,” said Coble.
He said they’re working to expand the Hilltop Senior Citizens Center to further help the community.
“Once we do that, we will have food and clothes will be over there. We will have two washers, two drawers, two showers. It will be a full-service community thing and that is what we are trying to do,” said Coble.
Coble added it’s important to support local non-profits.
“You never know when you might need to go to one of these non-profits for help for you and your family, so as you help out, it helps the community. It helps out the morale, all of that in the community and it lets someone know in the community that I can get help, and then after someone helps, they come back and help,” said Coble.
Coble is in a runoff for Potter County Commissioner Precinct 4 against Melodie Graves. Election day is May 24th.
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https://www.myhighplains.com/news/local-news/warren-coble-sr-a-volunteers-heart-and-helping-non-profits-work-hand-and-hand/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:46
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you are not alone if assembling IKEA furniture causes you to feel frustrated and inadequate. The wordless pictograms instructions for the flat pack furniture that deems an easy feat even causes veteran D wires to stump over the confusing parts. Apparently named. Alan household quotes confirm your home decor is delicately mapped to your emotional identity and a recent study concluded 50% of 50,000 tweets included signs of frustration, particularly when it comes to assembling sofas. Store these handy hacks away for the next time you've got no idea or perhaps we should say no. IKEA your IQ tips begin before you've even left the store. The spruce says if it's dented don't get it. The use of minimal packaging doesn't protect your item as well as you might think this could lead to an honest case of it's not you. It's the item popular Mechanics says to make space and take inventory. Although Insider reports to skip their tools and use your own instead. Level up by using an actual level or the site also recommends opting for wood glue. Yes, you heard me glue when in doubt phone a friend or better still a professional. This will help you remain as emotionally stable as your IKEA table
IKEA will pay you to get its old furniture back
Updated: 5:34 PM CDT Mar 31, 2022
Can't stand that old bookcase and dining table with the mismatched chairs you once thought looked so cool? If you bought them at IKEA, the retailer will pay you to get them back.The Swedish furniture and home goods chain said Thursday it is making its Buy Back & Resell program permanent across its 37 U.S. stores on April 1 after piloting the offer last summer.The company said the service applies only to personally-used Ikea furniture that is fully assembled and fully functional. Ikea won't accept items that have been modified, or altered in any way.Here is what's included on the list of returnable items: office drawer cabinets, sideboards, bookcases, small tables, multimedia furniture, cabinets, dining tables, desks and chairs and stools without upholstery.The program doesn't extend to non-IKEA-branded products or beds, sofas, mattresses, home furnishing accessories, leather products, lighting fixtures or chests of drawers. Any recalled IKEA products also are excluded.IKEA said it will inspect each item for its condition, age and functionality at participating stores, and if it passes muster, customers will get a store credit. The company said all "gently used" items approved for resale will be available in a designated "as is" section in stores at discounted prices.The furniture seller already offers a buyback service in the United Kingdom and Ireland as part of its sustainability push. Customers there can trade in gently used Ikea products in excellent condition and get a store credit worth up to 50% of the original sale price. Items in "very good" condition earn a 40% credit, and "well used" goods get 30% of the original price.Ikea has 465 stores worldwide, and said the initiative is part of its effort to become a "circular" business by 2030. The goal, it said, is to eventually produce products that are 100% made with materials that are recycled, remanufactured, refurbished or reused.
Can't stand that old bookcase and dining table with the mismatched chairs you once thought looked so cool? If you bought them at IKEA, the retailer will pay you to get them back.
The Swedish furniture and home goods chain said Thursday it is making its Buy Back & Resell program permanent across its 37 U.S. stores on April 1 after piloting the offer last summer.
The company said the service applies only to personally-used Ikea furniture that is fully assembled and fully functional. Ikea won't accept items that have been modified, or altered in any way.
Here is what's included on the list of returnable items: office drawer cabinets, sideboards, bookcases, small tables, multimedia furniture, cabinets, dining tables, desks and chairs and stools without upholstery.
The program doesn't extend to non-IKEA-branded products or beds, sofas, mattresses, home furnishing accessories, leather products, lighting fixtures or chests of drawers. Any recalled IKEA products also are excluded.
IKEA said it will inspect each item for its condition, age and functionality at participating stores, and if it passes muster, customers will get a store credit. The company said all "gently used" items approved for resale will be available in a designated "as is" section in stores at discounted prices.
The furniture seller already offers a buyback service in the United Kingdom and Ireland as part of its sustainability push. Customers there can trade in gently used Ikea products in excellent condition and get a store credit worth up to 50% of the original sale price. Items in "very good" condition earn a 40% credit, and "well used" goods get 30% of the original price.
Ikea has 465 stores worldwide, and said the initiative is part of its effort to become a "circular" business by 2030. The goal, it said, is to eventually produce products that are 100% made with materials that are recycled, remanufactured, refurbished or reused.
|
https://www.wvtm13.com/article/ikea-old-furniture-buyback/39603108
| 2022-04-01T00:01:46
|
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Association of Psychiatric Physicians reports 5 percent of American adults, including 50,000 Mainers, live with a serious mental illness.
Thursday National Shattering Silence Coalition organized a press conference where mental health advocates urged lawmakers to vote in favor of two bills that would better support Mainers with those illnesses. The goal is to get more people on Progressive Treatment Programs, designed to keep people with a mental illness on their medications and other treatment plans and out of hospitals and jails.
Advocates want the legislature to pass LD 1993 and LD 1994, which would do two things: provide a liaison to help coordinate Progressive Treatment Programs and fund that program.
Currently, only patients at Dorothea Dix Hospital or Riverview Hospital qualify for these treatment plans because they are operated by the state.
Family members of people with serious mental illnesses also shared their stories Thursday.
"I'm the mom of a man who suffers from schizoaffective disorder which began when he was 20," Jeanne Gore of Shapleigh said at a press conference. "From the age of 20 to the age of 32 he was hospitalized 43 times. He went missing. He was jailed twice. I rescued him from a religious cult and just on and on."
Gore said her son is in a much better place now and attributes that to his treatment plan. She said she hopes other families have the same opportunity.
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https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/health/mental-health/mental-health-advocates-urging-lawmakers-to-pass-two-bills-in-maine/97-92dded28-0265-4ad5-892a-f9fac8b3d344
| 2022-04-01T00:01:47
|
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https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/south-florida-woman-will-attempt-to-climb-mount-everest/2726372/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:47
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BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — Colorado's mass vaccination and testing sites close on Thursday. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) stated it is a step in the state's 'Roadmap to moving Forward' as they move toward traditional healthcare settings to provide vaccines and testing for Coloradans.
The closures come as Boulder County sees a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases. The Boulder County Fairgrounds is one of the sites that will no longer operate. 9NEWS spoke to Carol Helwig, the Boulder County Public Health communicable disease control manager, to see if there should be any cause for concern.
What are the current COVID-19 case numbers looking like for Boulder County?
Helwig: When I last looked at our trendline, it is looking a little bumpy, I wouldn’t necessarily call it an uptick right now I would just call it a bumpy way down post Omicron right now.
Is there an explanation for the 'bumpiness'?
Helwig: It can be a lot of things. It could be, ya know, changing behaviors after we rescinded our public mask order for example, our schools are no longer requiring masks to attend school so there is a shift in the level of exposure. Although we have not seen impact to our hospitals because we have great levels of vaccination rates in the community and since we’ve went through this very large Omicron spike there is also some natural immunity in our community as well.
But those bumps are normal and natural. We just had spring break recently so there may have been a lot of traveling to different states or different counties and of course with travel, there can be exposure for folks not just for COVID but to other respiratory diseases or other illnesses. We see spikes in illnesses after breaks very regularly, it’s a regular thing that happens.
Is the 'normal bumpiness' the reason why the county is comfortable with closing the Boulder County Fairgrounds testing and vaccination site?
Helwig: We do have a testing site at the Boulder County Fairgrounds and that site has been incredibly valuable in increasing access and it was a drive-thru site and made a lot of access for our community. I think also there’s supply and demand and right now we do have a lot of clinics available in our community. Boulder County Public Health has vaccination opportunities for the community. So there’s a lot of availability.
And with that fairgrounds site, with the warmer months coming, the community needs that site for other activities and other events that are coming but vaccines are still very widely available for everyone as well and there are still many testing sites available. There is the Stazio site in Boulder and we also have other opportunities.
Do we think these site closures are an end of a chapter during this pandemic?
Helwig: I think not just the fairgrounds but I think everything feels like a very big shift right now. I think it has been many ups and downs these past two years. The period we had before vaccines were widely available and we were really widely susceptible and vulnerable to severe outcomes, and then when vaccines became available and then the uptick was really slow.
We’ve all been through different phases of the pandemic together and I do think we are in a very different place and that is primarily because of the availability of vaccinations, the willingness of the community to roll up their sleeves to take those vaccinations.
I think when we look back and we really get to assess how everything went I think our community really stepped up and did a good job.
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https://www.9news.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/boulder-covid-community-test-vaccine-sites-closing/73-894c8170-b6f8-4ed8-bf02-67e5128de30d
| 2022-04-01T00:01:49
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A year later, the anti-expert instinct Trump had fostered began to show in a different context. States with more Joe Biden voters began seeing much higher rates of vaccination than states that had preferred Trump. The former president’s advocacy was halting and constrained, recognizing that there was more political value in standing against the “so-called experts” than in trying to persuade people to protect themselves against the virus. So his most fervent supporters went looking for more miracles. Florida embraced those antibody treatments. Others began to hype the drug ivermectin.
There was never any evidence that ivermectin was particularly effective at treating coronavirus infections. A smattering of studies suggested that there might be some benefit, but they were limited in scale. By March 2021, the Food and Drug Administration was warning that it hadn’t found any demonstrable benefit from taking the drug to treat covid. But then the delta variant of the coronavirus began to spread, causing particular devastation in states that were less vaccinated and, relatedly, had shown more support for Trump. So many people in those areas sought out ivermectin, convinced that some cure existed beyond the highly effective vaccine promoted by the Biden administration and the “experts.”
We now know with a great deal of confidence that ivermectin does not show any appreciable benefit in treating covid-19. In fact, “volunteers who took ivermectin in the first three days after a positive coronavirus test turned out to have worse outcomes than did those in the placebo group,” as the New York Times reported.
What we don’t know is how many lives might have been lost because of the politicization of ivermectin as an anti-establishment alternative to treatments that did prevent death.
There is no real question that right-wing political leaders touted ivermectin specifically as a way to score partisan points. Consider Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) rhetoric last December.
“Ivermectin, monoclonal antibodies, & other treatments are saving lives,” she wrote on Twitter. " …[O]ur response to #COVID19 should be working towards ending obesity, promote covid treatments that are proven to work, & stop the politically driven mass hysteria.”
“Allow people to choose natural immunity or vaccines, w/o discrimination,” she added. Her account was later suspended for repeatedly sharing coronavirus misinformation.
That formulation — vaccines vs. “natural immunity” gained by catching and recovering from the virus — is key. To justify rejecting effective vaccines, you need to both denigrate the vaccines’ efficacy and propose an alternative. That was the role ivermectin played: It was hyped as something you could take to feel better in the event you caught the virus. Then you get “natural immunity” and you’re covered as well as if you had been vaccinated — if you lived.
The challenge, of course, is that many people didn’t live. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that about 163,000 people died during the delta surge because they weren’t vaccinated. Those deaths were disproportionately in places that had preferred Donald Trump in 2020.
The effect of encouraging people to rely on ivermectin was the same as asking them to rely on wishing upon a star: Some would live and might credit ivermectin for their survival. But that was simply coincidental. Those who might have lived had they been vaccinated were not around to instruct people that ivermectin didn’t work.
This was the central problem. People believed this. That includes some legislators, certainly; just because you see something as politically useful doesn’t mean you are doing so cynically. Using a large platform to amplify claims about an unproven treatment, though, would have the predictable effect of people taking it seriously. So we saw myriad cases in which patients or families, convinced that ivermectin was miraculous, sued medical institutions to force the administration of ivermectin. Hospitals were reluctant, given that, unlike wishing on a star, there were potential negative effects of taking the drug. (Poison-control centers noted an increase in calls about ivermectin.)
Those convinced that the drug worked — hearing it from trusted politicians or podcast hosts — saw conspiracy. The establishment was rejecting ivermectin because it wasn’t profitable, they argued. Or they were doing the bidding of vaccine manufacturers. Even the inefficacy of ivermectin was explained away: Hospitals weren’t administering enough! There was always some reason that could be constructed to explain why The Establishment was trying to suppress ivermectin, and those reasons were never that it wasn’t proven to work and that it risked serious side effects.
It’s important to emphasize how ivermectin correlated to politics. Research published last month showed that counties that supported Trump strongly in 2020 were those that saw more ivermectin prescriptions written in the final months of that year, as attention began to turn to the drug. Google searches for ivermectin in August and September of last year were far higher in a number of metropolitan areas that had backed Trump by wider margins in 2020.
Some of this is a function of ivermectin’s approved use in agriculture: rural areas would be expected both to show more support for Trump and to have more animals needing a drug like ivermectin that targeted parasites. But this was also the period in which ivermectin searches surged, so it’s clearly also linked to the pandemic.
Politics both drove and followed the fixation on ivermectin. Right-leaning political leaders and conservative media figures hyped ivermectin as an alternative to vaccination and their followers believed them. Then, conservative political figures responded to the outrage of the base at the pushback on use of the drug with legislation forcing it to be made available. Earlier this month, USA Today wrote about state legislators who seized on the issue to pass laws mandating the prescription of ivermectin when desired, even as the lack of utility of the drug was becoming more obvious.
Others have gone further. A candidate for attorney general in Wisconsin is pledging to launch homicide probes targeting doctors who didn’t prescribe ivermectin. It’s not just believing the hype, it’s leveraging the false confidence in ivermectin for political benefit.
We will never know how many Americans who might have lived had they been vaccinated decided against it, trusting that drugs such as ivermectin would keep them alive. We do know, though, that there was a concerted effort to convince people that ivermectin would do so, an effort that intertwined with partisan rejection of government expertise. We can say with confidence that the atmosphere of disinformation about ivermectin led to people dying who would otherwise have lived.
We know how deadly covid has been. We’ll never know just how deadly this rhetoric was.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/31/ivermectin-is-signature-example-politics-trumping-health/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics
| 2022-04-01T00:01:49
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Kai Porter
Updated: March 31, 2022 05:19 PM
Created: March 31, 2022 04:10 PM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — An Albuquerque cannabis dispensary’s grand opening was delayed due to a break-in and now the owner is warning other dispensary owners planning to break into the recreational cannabis business.
"We got broken into which is never a good time but I've got to tell you but we've had worse," said David White, founder of Organtica, a local medical cannabis company founded in 2016.
Their new dispensary in Albuquerque called Xtracts is now open on Central at Sunset.
It’ll serve medical cannabis patients, but will also sell marijuana for recreational use when legal sales begin statewide Friday.
"It's just a fact that we have to deal with and cannabis locations need to be very secure. Ours was very secure. We just had a very unfortunate incident where somebody took an enormous amount of effort and time and broke through walls from a business right next to ours," said White.
The thief didn't get away with anything but did a lot of damage to the business.
“There's never any actual product left out at night it's all locked away in safes and vaults that cannot be accessed. All they did is a lot of damage," said White.
Xtracts will be Friday when recreational marijuana sales start in New Mexico.
White has some advice for other dispensary owners who are just getting into the business for the first time.
"At night it's best to really have a good protocol,” he said. “Have a good monitoring service. Know where your possible weak areas are, whether it's above through sky lights, whether it's through a neighboring business, or digging a tunnel underneath your dispensaries. If there's a will there's a way and unfortunately there's a lot of people who have the will to do that kind of damage."
Copyright 2022 - KOB-TV LLC, A Hubbard Broadcasting Company
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https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/albuquerque-cannabis-dispensary-broken-into-ahead-of-grand-opening/6434354/?cat=500
| 2022-04-01T00:01:50
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If you happen to be age 55 or over, and have some time to spare, your services are needed. The organization 50 Forward Mohawk Valley is looking for volunteers to help drive seniors that are 60 years of age and plus to non-emergency doctor’s appointments. Ray Vatalaro stepped up as a volunteer, and is loving it.
"It’s not a demanding job. There’s no lifting or anything like that you know what I mean. It’s relaxing really," he said.
Volunteer Outreach Coordinator Sarah Maphia says they’re in need of at least 10 volunteer drivers.
"There’s some volunteers that only want to drive once a week, and then there’s some that want to drive 5 days a week, or only once a month, so it’s kind of making sure we have as many people as we can to serve the population," said Maphia.
That population is growing. 50 Forward already has around 400 members. To take advantage of the services being provided, all you need to do is register through the Office for the Aging, but the more people that sign up, Maphia says the bigger the need for rides.
"A lot of them you know they don’t have mobile devices to have an app for Uber, so there actually really isn’t any other services besides us that are volunteer base," she said.
Becoming a volunteer driver is easy, a great way to help the senior community, and you get to set your own hours. Vatalaro says he likes the way it works.
"They give me a list of the people that need rides a week in advance, and then I pick the ones I’m able to do you know that meets my timeframe and stuff," said Vatalaro.
Anyone interested in volunteering at 50 Forward Mohawk Valley can contact Sarah Maphia at 315-223-3973
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https://www.wktv.com/news/local/volunteers-needed-to-bring-local-seniors-to-medical-appointments/article_cf1650be-b12a-11ec-ba9e-5b71d63989ee.html
| 2022-04-01T00:01:51
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(KTLA) – The IRS on Wednesday reminded tax filers to claim any missing third-round stimulus payment on their 2021 income tax return.
The tax season gives eligible people who never got the $1,400 payment the chance to claim it.
Since the IRS is no longer issuing the Economic Impact Payments, people who are missing a stimulus payment, or got less than the amount they’re eligible for, will have to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2020 or 2021 federal tax returns, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
Most eligible people have already received their stimulus payments and won’t need to include anything about the payment when they file their 2021 tax return.
The IRS says it has issued more than 175 million third-round payments worth more than $400 billion to people across the country. Most of those payments were sent out in the spring and early summer of 2021.
Still, there are many who haven’t gotten their payments.
Authorities have identified 644,705 potentially eligible people who had not received payments totaling $1.6 billion, according to a report issued last week by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
What to do if you never received the third payment
The IRS encourages residents to double check their bank accounts first to make sure they never got the third payment, especially in early spring and summer of 2021.
People can also access their IRS Online Account to view the total amount of the third-round Economic Impact Payment issued to them. For married couples filing jointly, each person will need to log into their own online account.
Once people confirm they never got the payment, and their IRS online accounts show a payment amount greater than $0, or if they got a Notice 1444-C or Letter 6475, they should contact the IRS as soon as possible to see if a payment trace is needed.
But they do not need to wait until their trace is complete to file their 2021 tax return, officials said.
When completing the Recovery Rebate Credit worksheet, taxpayers have two options: either use the amount on the Letter 6475 (or EIP 3 amount from the online account) to calculate the recovery rebate credit amount on line 30, or use the amount of stimulus payment the taxpayer believes they received to calculate the rebate credit amount on line 30. (Details on that can be found here.)
Those who contact the IRS to trace the stimulus payment amount will receive notification of the results. If it is found that the taxpayer didn’t get the money, the IRS will adjust the recovery rebate credit amount on the tax return and issue any refund.
If people make a mistake calculating the recovery rebate credit and claim an amount on line 30 for the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit, the IRS will have to correct the amount and send a notice about the changes made. If that happens, there may be a delay in processing the return, officials said.
What if I already filed my taxes?
An amended return may be needed to claim the credit if IRS records show no payment was issued.
For eligible people who didn’t claim a recovery rebate credit on their 2021 tax return (so line 30 is blank or $0), they will need to file a Form 1040-X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return to claim the remaining amount of stimulus money — if IRS records don’t show that they were issued a payment.
This includes people who think they didn’t get the full amount of their third-round Economic Impact Payment because their circumstances in 2021 were different than they were in 2020.
People trying to figure out if they should amend their original tax return can use this online tool.
More details on claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit can be found here.
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https://www.myhighplains.com/news/never-got-the-3rd-1400-stimulus-payment-heres-what-to-do-when-filing-taxes/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:52
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BELFAST, Maine — Hannaford supermarket donated $25,000 to the City of Belfast's "Keep the Faith" fund on Wednesday to support the Penobscot-McCrum potato processing facility workers who lost their jobs after last week's fire destroyed the building.
Belfast city Manager Erin Herbig said the fund has reached nearly $70,000 so far, thanks in part to this donation, which will allow them to distribute a $500 check to each of the 138 employees who worked at that facility this week.
"We want the community to know that we are here for them and will support any way we can," Stefan Wrigley, store manager at the Hannaford in Belfast, said in a news release. "I'm very proud to work for a company where our commitment to [the] community is so strong — and where we strive to be 'greater than groceries.'"
The Keep the Faith fund was initially set up during the pandemic to support struggling local businesses and is now being used to support the Penobscot-McCrum employees.
"On Wednesday, Belfast Hannaford made a tremendous act of corporate kindness and compassion with their significant donation," Belfast Mayor Eric Sanders said in a statement. "Their generous contribution to the McCrum employees brings hope to the city of Belfast. To the employees at the Belfast Hannaford, thank you. Your gracious act will be remembered in this town."
Herbig said the city has also planned a job and resources fair for April 12. It will be held at the University of Maine's Hutchinson Center in Belfast from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Along with job opportunities, Herbig said the fair would provide resources like rent relief and grocery stipends to those workers. The fair will be open to the public.
Anyone who would like to donate to the Keep the Faith fund can click here.
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https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/hannaford-donates-25k-to-belfast-keep-the-faith-fund-for-penobscot-mccrum-workers-charity-community/97-29b4f923-6763-4eec-8ba0-2d5c02768f4b
| 2022-04-01T00:01:53
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LAKEWOOD, Colo. — A student at Alameda International High School in Lakewood died earlier this month from an accidental fentanyl overdose, according to a letter sent to parents by the school principal.
The letter references the death of 16-year-old Kimberly Jimenez Figueroa, which occurred during the district's spring break.
"We have learned that Kimberly died from an accidental drug overdose laced with fentanyl," principal Susie Van Scoyk wrote in the letter.
Van Scoyk said Kimberly's family gave permission for the school to share information about her death "in an effort to help others who may be struggling."
A Gofundme related to Kimberly's death has been created, however, 9NEWS has not independently confirmed its veracity.
The letter encouraged families, educators and others to have "open and non-judgmental conversations" about the realities of substance use and misuse.
The letter recommended Twelve Talks to Have with Teens as a resource to help adults talk with teens about a variety of difficult topics they are facing.
Other resources include:
- Jefferson Center for Mental Health: 303-425-0300
- JCMH Walk-In Crisis Center: 4643 Wadsworth Blvd, Wheat Ridge
- Colorado Crisis Services: call 1-844-493-TALK (8255), or text TALK to 38255
- Safe2Tell: 1-877-542-7233
9NEWS has reached out to the Lakewood Police Department for information about the investigation into Kimberly's death and will update this story when we learn more.
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https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/accidental-fentanyl-overdose-lakewood-teen/73-1be333ed-c874-4e66-8893-bab1115877ca
| 2022-04-01T00:01:55
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U.S. District Judge Mark Walker agreed with voters who sued the state that the bill “runs roughshod over the right to vote, unnecessarily making voting harder for all eligible Floridians, unduly burdening disabled voters, and intentionally targeting minority voters — all to improve the electoral prospects of the party in power.”
Walker said that for the next decade, changes to voting laws that affect third-party registration efforts, drop boxes or “line warming” — in which volunteers offer water or chairs to people waiting in line to vote — must be approved first by the court.
“Florida has repeatedly, recently, and persistently acted to deny Black Floridians access to the franchise,” Walker wrote. “This Court also finds that preclearance would prevent future violations.”
Voting rights activists hailed the ruling as a “landmark de”ision," while Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) dismissed it as “performative partisanship.”
“This is a huge victory for voters in this state,” said Jasmine Burney-Clark, founder of Equal Ground, one of the groups that sued the state. “It also feels like we are moving the needle forward in expanding access to the ballot box in Florida.”
DeSantis (R) signed the bill, known as SB 90, into law in May, live on Fox News. Although he had touted the state’s elections seven months earlier as flawless, he still pushed changes that critics say would make it harder to vote.
His enthusiasm for changing election laws continued this year, but Thursday’s court ruling means that many of those changes may not be enacted.
At a news conference in West Palm Beach on Thursday, DeSantis said Walker’s ruling “was not unforeseen,” and that it will be reversed on appeal.
“It’s just a matter of how quickly it’s going to get reversed,” he said.
Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls (R) called Walker’s pre-clearance order “an egregious abuse of his power.”
Walker presided over the nonjury trial in Tallahassee for three weeks this year. His 288-page decision issued Thursday included the recounting of several acts of violence against Black voters in Florida in the past, including a massacre of more than 30 Black residents in Ocoee in 1920 on Election Day after a Black voter went to the polls.
“What is this Court to make of this history? To be sure, there are those who suggest that we live in a post-racial society,” Walker wrote. “But that is simply not so. Florida’s painful history remains relevant; it echoes into the present and sets the stage for SB 90.”
Brenda Wright, senior adviser for legal strategies at the think tank Demos, said Walker recognized the “extremely egregious history of racial discrimination in voting” in his ruling.
“He put together the picture of what SB 90 has done to voting rights in the context of Florida’s history of discrimination,” Wright said. “I would hope this would give pause to those who would enact further restrictions on voting rights.”
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/31/judge-strikes-down-florida-election-law-changes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics
| 2022-04-01T00:01:55
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Prosecutor seeks end to Khashoggi murder trial in Turkey, requests transfer to Saudi Arabia
The Turkish prosecutor in the case against 26 Saudi nationals charged in the slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi made a surprise request Thursday that their trial in absentia be suspended and the case transferred to Saudi Arabia, raising fears of a possible coverup.
The panel of judges made no ruling on the prosecutor’s request but said a letter would be sent to Turkey’s Justice Ministry seeking its opinion on the possible transfer of the file to Saudi judicial authorities, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. The trial was adjourned until April 7.
The development comes as Turkey has been trying to normalize its relationship with Saudi Arabia, which hit an all-time low following Khashoggi’s grisly October 2018 killing. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview on Thursday that Saudi authorities were more cooperative on judicial issues with Turkey, but did not elaborate.
In arguing for the transfer, the prosecutor told the court that the Saudi chief public prosecutor’s office requested the Turkish proceedings be transferred to the kingdom in a letter dated March 13, and that international warrants issued by Ankara against the defendants be lifted, according to the private DHA news agency.
The prosecutor said that because the arrest warrants cannot be executed and defense statements cannot be taken, the case would remain inconclusive in Turkey.
Amnesty International urged Turkey to press ahead with the trial, saying if it is transferred to Saudi Arabia, Turkey will be “knowingly and willingly sending the case to a place where it will be covered up.”
Moving Khashoggi’s trial to Saudi Arabia would provide a diplomatic resolution to a dispute that represented the wider troubles between Ankara and the kingdom since the 2011 Arab Spring.
Turkey under Erdogan supported Islamists as the uprisings took hold, while Saudi Arabia and its ally the United Arab Emirates sought to suppress such movements for fear of facing challenges to their autocratic governments. Meanwhile, Turkey sided with Qatar in a diplomatic dispute that saw Doha boycotted by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Since then-President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, the Gulf Arab states have set aside — but not fully resolved — the Qatar dispute. Meanwhile, Turkey under Erdogan has faced a rapid devaluation of its lira currency over his refusal to hike interest rates. Bilateral trade to the kingdom and the UAE, a major transshipment point for the world economy, also collapsed.
Since the start of 2022, Erdogan has sought to improve those ties, including making his first visit to the UAE in nearly a decade. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, after fighting through the coronavirus pandemic’s economic effects, facing a grinding war in Yemen and struggling with renewed tensions with Iran, also want to resolve the outstanding feud.
Khashoggi disappeared on Oct. 2, 2018, after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, seeking documents that would allow him to marry Hatice Cengiz, a Turkish national who was waiting outside the building. He never emerged.
Turkish officials allege that the Saudi national, who was a United States resident, was killed and then dismembered with a bone saw inside the consulate. His body has not been found. Prior to his killing, Khashoggi had written critically of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince in columns for the Washington Post.
Turkish authorities said he was killed by a team of Saudi agents. Those on trial in absentia include two former aides of the prince.
Saudi officials initially offered conflicting accounts concerning the killing, including claims that Khashoggi had left the consulate building unharmed. But amid mounting international pressure, they stated that Khashoggi’s death was a tragic accident, with the meeting unexpectedly turning violent.
Turkey decided to try the defendants in absentia after Saudi Arabia rejected Turkish demands for their extradition.
The slaying had sparked international condemnation and cast a cloud of suspicion over Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Western intelligence agencies, as well as the U.S. Congress, have said that an operation of this magnitude could not have happened without his knowledge.
In urging Turkey to proceed with the trial, Amnesty International said Ankara would be complicit in a coverup if it grants the Saudi request for a transfer.
“If the prosecutor’s request is granted, then instead of prosecuting and shedding light on a murder that was committed on its territory ... Turkey will be knowingly and willingly sending the case to a place where it will be covered up,” said Tarik Beyhan, Amnesty’s campaign director for Turkey.
Beyhan said he didn’t want to “think about the possibility” that the prosecutor’s request may be related to the improving ties between Riyadh and Ankara.
“Basic human rights ... should not be made the subject of political negotiations,” he said. “A murder cannot be covered up to fix relations.”
Some of the men were put on trial in Riyadh behind closed doors. A Saudi court issued a final verdict in 2020 that sentenced five mid-level officials and operatives to 20-year jail terms. The court had originally ordered the death penalty, but reduced the punishment after Khashoggi’s son Salah, who lives in Saudi Arabia, announced that he forgave the defendants. Three others were sentenced to lesser jail terms.
On Thursday, Khashoggi's fiancee, Cengiz, appeared to criticize the prosecutor’s request in a tweet in English. “It is an exemplary situation in terms of showing the dilemma facing humanity in the modern era,” she wrote. “Which of the two will we choose? To want to live like a virtuous human being or to build a life by holding material interests above all kinds of values.”
She did not respond to a request for comment.
—
Associated Press Writer Jon Gambrell contributed from Dubai.
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https://www.wvtm13.com/article/prosecutor-seeks-end-to-khashoggi-murder-trial/39603067
| 2022-04-01T00:01:56
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The NFL approved a rule change on Tuesday which will ensure both teams get at least one possession when playing in an overtime game during the playoffs.
It comes after the dramatic ending to the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills game in the playoffs last season, with the Chiefs winning 42-36 after winning the coin toss and scoring a touchdown with the first possession, therefore ending the game with the Bills never getting an opportunity to reply.
The ending of the game in the AFC Divisional Round shone a light on the rule, with some fans calling it the "worst rule in sports."
And commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL "always listen to the fans -- that's an important thing."
"We're always looking to improve and I think what really drove the decision was the database, ultimately, and looking at the facts and what's happened," Goodell said after the rule change on Tuesday.
"Where we saw that most having an influence, I think, was 12 games in the postseason that have been in overtime, seven of which were won on the first possession. When you see that, that's the type of thing that I think our coaches and everyone looked at -- this is an issue in the postseason we should deal with."
Twenty-nine of the 32 teams in the league voted in favor of the rule change, according to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport.
The traditional sudden-death rules will still apply for all regular season games.
Previously, the team that received the opening kickoff in overtime would win the game if they scored a touchdown on their first possession. With the approved rule change on Tuesday, both teams are guaranteed an opportunity to possess the ball at least once during the extra period, unless the team kicking off forces a safety on the receiving team's initial possession.
According to the NFL Research, since 2010, there have been 12 overtime playoff games, with the team that won the coin toss winning in 10 of those 12 meetings. Seven of those 10 wins came on a sudden-death opening-drive touchdown.
The NFL's overtime rules now are much more similar to college football's, which many argued were fairer than the NFL's previous rules.
In college football, each team -- regardless of who wins the overtime coin toss -- gets a chance to go on offense from the other's 25 yard-line in the first overtime.
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CNN's Harry Enten found that whereas, previously in the NFL, teams hoped to win the coin toss and win the game at the first time of asking, in the collegiate game, the team that wins the toss usually decides to go on defense first because they will know if the other team scored a touchdown, a field goal or failed to score. Based on that, the team that goes second can choose to be more or less aggressive when they get on offense.
According to data from Oklahoma State's Rick Wilson, a professor at the Spears School of Business, and through research of box scores from Sports Reference, there have been nearly 300 overtime games involving Division I Football Bowl Subdivision teams from 2013-2021.
The team that received the ball second won 49.7% of the time since 2013, or right about 50% of the time.
Now, it seems, much like college football, the NFL's overtime games will be more fair affairs.
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https://www.wktv.com/sports/nfl-changes-playoff-overtime-rule-after-kansas-city-chiefs-vs-buffalo-bills-thriller/article_46815b6b-903d-506b-beef-a77034017572.html
| 2022-04-01T00:01:57
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EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – A man who was captured by U.S. Border Patrol Agents near Cesar Chavez/Loop375 after trying to cross the Rio Grande in his truck, has been identified by law enforcement.
31-year-old Patricio Sabas Gomez was wanted in the September 30, 2021 shooting death of 41-year-old Michael Martinez in Wichita, Kansas.
Police say the shooting was a result of a botched drug deal, outside a Wichita hotel. Gomez and his alleged accomplice, Shae Roberts, fled the area following the shooting. Roberts was later captured and was charged with First-Degree Murder and Attempted Distribution of meth.
According to Border Patrol officials, on Monday, March 28, Gomez attempted to enter the U.S. illegally by driving his pickup truck across the Rio Grande from Juarez.
Gomez is being held without bond in the El Paso County Detention Center, awaiting extradition to Kansas to face charges.
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https://www.myhighplains.com/news/police-id-murder-suspect-caught-driving-across-rio-grande/
| 2022-04-01T00:01:58
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MAINE, USA — Police departments across the state are rolling out new requirements regarding how they interact with people who are unhoused who commit minor crimes.
Under a new law, Title 17-A of the Maine criminal code, Maine police forces are required to attempt diversion methods instead of arrest when encountering a person who is experiencing homelessness and is accused of committing one of five minor crimes: trespassing, disorderly conduct, drug possession, urinating in public, and public drinking.
The law passed through the legislature on July 1, 2021, but departments had until March 1, 2022 to write "homelessness crisis protocols" and until April 1 to train staff on the protocols.
Bangor Sgt. Wade Betters said his department has used similar tactics for years and will work to enforce the law fairly for everyone.
"That’s not to say that we can’t make an arrest or issue a ticket, but every situation is different," he said Thursday during an interview outside Bangor Police Department headquarters. "But, again, this law is designed to make it so all law enforcement statewide would understand that the preferred method would be to divert from the criminal justice system."
Betters showed NEWS CENTER Maine a card each officer carries with them, filled with addresses and phone numbers for local and state mental health and housing resources.
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey was required by the law to write a protocol by Jan. 1 as an example for local departments to use as a template if they desired.
Each police force must have a protocol in place, but those protocols may have desired outcomes instead of ironclad decisions to be made during each encounter.
Under the law, it could be possible for two people in the same city to commit the same crime, where an unhoused person being offered resources and sent on their way but a housed person could be arrested.
Maine State Police Maj. Brian Scott testified on the bill on May 14, as it was debated in the legislature's criminal justice and public safety committee. He wrote that he spoke neither in favor of nor against the bill and said the intent of the law is noble but could potentially lead to people taking advantage of the law or lead to punishing housed people more harshly than others.
The bill's main sponsor, Rep. Victoria Morales, D-South Portland, testified in the same hearing to the law's necessity.
"The majority of the people who enter the doors of Maine jails and prisons today are there because they have experienced trauma, violence, poverty, addiction, disease, oftentimes starting from the day of their birth," Morales told the committee. "We must reject the old value construct that places less value on certain people, and instead maintain that all people have value."
Boyd Kronholm from the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter said the police there have had diversion tactics for years. While there’s some grey area in this new law, for him it’s all about a mindset of what’s best for each human involved.
"We need to spend time with the individual, find out what’s caused you to end up in the situation you’re in and what can we do with some natural supports to strengthen, to prevent that from happening, or to solve that issue," Kronholm said.
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https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/maine-police-departments-to-roll-out-statewide-plans-for-helping-aid-people-who-are-unhoused-or-homeless/97-3dd6593e-223f-40ec-bf28-b0fd97ff81bb
| 2022-04-01T00:01:59
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DENVER — A new class action lawsuit accuses Xcel Energy of negligence related to the Marshall Fire, the most destructive fire in Colorado history, claiming power lines and utility equipment “were a substantial factor in the cause, origin, and continuation” of the event.
Court documents filed Thursday list the plaintiffs as two businesses and John and Jane Doe, a married couple characterized as “terrorized and damaged” by the fire that tore through parts of Boulder County on Dec. 30. This couple, the lawsuit says, filed the lawsuit on behalf of Coloradans who experienced property damage or suffered financial loss because of the fire.
The lawsuit contends that just before the fire, a witness captured video showing sparks flying from a malfunctioning power line near the Shell gas station at 1805 South Foothills Highway, in the Eldorado Springs neighborhood of Boulder County.
It goes on to directly say these sparks ignited the Marshall Fire, though fire investigators have not released information backing that assertion.
Thursday, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said it will take several more months to investigate the cause and origin of the fire. Several pieces of evidence remain under review.
The court documents, however, still identify the role of Xcel equipment in past fires -- the Cabin Creek Fire in 2007 that killed five employees and injured three others, and the Overland Fire that destroyed 12 homes in 2003.
The Marshall Fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes and killed one person. Another person is still unaccounted for after the fire.
According to the lawsuit, the design of Xcel's infrastructure presents "inherent danger." The plaintiffs accuse the company of failing to properly inspect and maintain power lines.
In the case of the Marshall Fire, the lawsuit specifically points to information from Xcel spokesperson Michelle Aguayo, saying she acknowledged the possibility of arcing power lines on the day of the fire.
When contacted by 9NEWS in February, Aguayo did say via email that lines could have touched, but Xcel had not found downed power lines and the company had no evidence Xcel equipment could have started the fire.
"We are supporting the investigation and will continue to evaluate the facts as we go forward," the email said. "Our equipment held up well in unprecedented 110 mph wind gusts on the day of the fire, but it is possible that some lines may have touched during the storm. Nevertheless, nothing we have seen to this point in the investigation leads us to believe that arcing – or any other aspect of our equipment’s operation – ignited the fire."
Xcel said Thursday afternoon they are reviewing the lawsuit.
"We’re aware of the filing and we’re currently reviewing it," a spokesperson said. "As you know, the cause of the fire is still under investigation and we continue to work with authorities. Our own investigation shows that our equipment in the area of the fire was properly maintained and inspected, consistent with our high standards, and we have not seen evidence that our equipment ignited the fire."
This lawsuit seeks monetary compensation for reasons including medical care, lost wages and emotional distress.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Marshall Fire Coverage
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https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/wildfire/marshall-fire/marshall-fire-class-action-lawsuit-xcel/73-e4ddd480-b2ee-41e6-9dce-a1dff3f25641
| 2022-04-01T00:02:01
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New York Democrats drew a new congressional map with boundaries that could gain their party as many as three new seats, a crucial advantage at a time when the House majority will come down to just a handful of wins.
The judge’s order was the latest redistricting disappointment Democrats have faced in recent weeks after what had been several initial legal wins. A Maryland judge invalidated a Democratic-drawn congressional map, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out Wisconsin court-approved legislative maps that added a new majority-Black district, and an Ohio map that heavily favored Republicans, thrown out by the state Supreme Court, is now expected to remain in place for 2022.
The New York congressional map ruled unconstitutional by the state judge would give Democrats 22 seats to four Republican ones. The New York delegation is composed of 19 Democratic seats to eight seats for Republicans. The state lost a seat because of slow growth over the past 10 years.
Democrats, who had full control of New York state government for the first time in a century, argued they were using their power to right wrongs in previous maps. But Republicans decried it as a partisan gerrymander that ran afoul of voters’ wishes to take raw politics out of redistricting.
In 2014, New York voters approved a constitutional amendment to set up a separate entity outside the state legislature to control redistricting. The 10-member commission was split equally along partisan lines. Of the members, eight were appointed by partisan legislative leaders.
The commission was supposed to present a single map to the legislature that state lawmakers could adopt or reject. But beset with its own partisan infighting, the commission did not come up with a unified map, instead submitting two sets of lines, one drawn by the Democrats on the panel and another drawn by the Republicans. The commission’s drama effectively allowed state lawmakers to dismiss its work and create their own map.
“The scourge of gerrymandering is not unique to New York,” McAllister, a Republican, wrote. “In 2014, New York State took major steps to avoid being plagued by gerrymandering. … The 2020 census was the first time after the constitutional amendment that led New York to draw new districts. Therefore, this is a case of first impression in many respects.”
Democrats involved in the redistricting effort said that Republicans purposely took the case to a rural, conservative judge and that the outcome would ultimately be decided by a higher court, where they will fight for the maps to stand.
“This is one step in the process,” said Mike Murphy, a spokesman for New York state Senate Democrats. “We always knew this case would be decided by the appellate courts. We are appealing this decision and expect this decision will be stayed as the appeal process proceeds.”
Republicans cheered the lower-court decision, calling it a win for New York voters who wanted a less-partisan redistricting process. Democrats have made similar arguments in GOP-held states that also passed anti-gerrymandering ballot initiatives, such as Ohio.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), a co-chairman of the National Republican Redistricting Trust, brushed aside a question about the similarity in circumstances between the two states.
“It’s very difficult to compare state to state in this,” he said during a call with reporters. “What we do see, though, is those who have looked at the New York map, independent experts and those like me involved in the political process, have stated right from the beginning that of all 50 states that have engaged in redistricting, this was by far the worst gerrymandering in the country.”
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/31/new-york-judge-strikes-down-democratic-drawn-maps/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics
| 2022-04-01T00:02:02
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(NEXSTAR) — Consumer goods company Unilever has initiated a voluntary recall of two of its Suave antiperspirant products due to concerns over benzene content – exposure to high levels of the chemical has been linked to several types of cancer.
The affected products are Suave 24-Hour Protection Aerosol Antiperspirants, both the “Fresh” and “Powder” scents. The 4-6 ounce spray cans feature the UPC codes:
- 079400751508
- 079400784902
- 079400785503
Items with these UPC codes and expiration dates through September 2023 are the only Unilever/Suave products affected by the recall.
Unilever explains that the antiperspirants themselves don’t contain benzene but a review showed “unexpected” levels from the propellant that sprays the product from the cans. The company says the 24-hour deodorant sprays were discontinued last year for unrelated business reasons and were previously in limited distribution at U.S. stores and online.
Retailers who carried the items have also been notified to pull any that remain, Unilever says. Anyone who has the affected products should discard them immediately.
Customers with questions or concerns can contact Unilever at (866) 204-9756. More information on the products and reimbursement can also be found at the Suave Recall page. The Food and Drug Administration says customers who may have experienced adverse reactions to the aerosols can report to its MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting.
Benzene
So what is benzene?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that benzene is a colorless or yellow liquid when at room temperature. It can be naturally occurring – in volcanoes, forest fires and oil, for example – or found in human manufacturing.
Benzene is among the top 20 chemicals used in the U.S., the CDC says. It’s used to make plastics, nylons and some types of lubricants, rubbers, dyes, detergents and drugs. Tobacco smoke is a large source of benzene exposure to humans.
How is it harmful?
The CDC reports benzene damages the human body by causing cells to malfunction. For instance, bone marrow can stop producing adequate amounts of red blood cells. Additionally, it can cause changes in antibodies and white blood cell loss. Immediate symptoms of exposure include headaches, dizziness, tremors, vomiting and confusion.
Long-term exposure (longer than a year) can result in cancers, per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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https://www.myhighplains.com/news/product-recalls/some-suave-antiperspirants-recalled-due-to-high-levels-of-cancer-causing-chemical/
| 2022-04-01T00:02:04
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GORHAM, Maine — Maine school bus drivers are noticing more drivers ignoring their blinking red stop signs when they pull over to let kids on or off the bus.
More Maine school districts are adding exterior cameras to their buses to capture video footage of drivers who break the law and put kids in danger.
Gorham schools became the latest district to add more exterior cameras. It added 10 in February, with plans to add seven more, according to facilities and transportation director Norm Justice.
He said his drivers were noticing the problem getting worse at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year.
"We hope [the cameras will] have a change in behavior," Justice said. "I would hope that knowing now that we have a means of enforcement, that [drivers will] pay a little closer attention."
Parents are noticing, too.
"I've seen it on my way to work, cars just barreling past," Dave Ciampa, who also works for the district, said. Two of his children attend Gorham schools and ride the buses.
"It boggles my mind. It really just defies my level of logic. You don't know what people are thinking about when they do it," Ciampa said.
On March 16, Cumberland County Sheriff's deputies said 19-year-old Carly Rioux, of Gorham illegally passed a stopped school bus in Standish on the right side, the side where the door lets kids on and off. Video footage of that incident triggered bus drivers around the state.
"It made my heart go in my throat," Joanna Gordon, a bus driver for Gorham schools, said. "That really scared me that people are not paying attention driving. That could have been myself, a car going by my door."
Police charged Rioux with passing a stopped school bus. A first offense carries a minimum fine of 250 dollars.
Other cities, such as Bangor, have had the cameras for two years. Cyr Bus Line, which drives for the district, said the cameras work for catching people but not deterring them.
"It's gotten to be such an epidemic of people not paying attention that this has really helped [catch them]," Judy Wilcox, manager of the Bangor Division of Cyr Bus Line, said. "We hope we don't come to the day where it takes an injury to start paying attention."
"If people are not paying attention, it makes my job harder to make sure I'm paying attention for them and I'm doing what I need to do," Gordon said
In Maine, about 80 percent of students ride the school bus, according to the Maine Department of Education. During the school year in Maine, about 140,000 children are transported on 3,000 school buses by 2,200 school bus drivers over 30 million miles of urban and rural roads.
"This ridership is high compared to 50 percent national student ridership," the DOE wrote in a news release. "To add to this, Maine traditionally has one of the best safety records in the nation."
"Just that moment of 3 seconds of watching her cross the street. It is stressful," Ciampa said. "But hopefully these new safeguards will only prevent this from happening in the future."
Districts including Scarborough, Yarmouth, Bar Harbor, Trenton, RSU 34 (Alton, Bradley, Old Town), Brewer, and Bangor have cameras on their buses, too.
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https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/more-maine-school-districts-adding-exterior-cameras-to-buses-to-catch-drivers-who-pass-as-kids-enter-and-exit-gorham-standish-msad-6-yarmouth/97-3a9f617f-a130-4f94-857a-9076c7d5b234
| 2022-04-01T00:02:05
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