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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pathalys Pharma, Inc., a private, late-stage biopharma company committed to the development and commercialization of a range of best-in-class therapies for patients with end stage kidney disease (ESKD), today announced that the company will participate in the 21st Annual Needham Virtual Healthcare Conference, taking place April 11-14, 2022.
Presentation Details:
Conference - 21st Annual Needham Virtual Healthcare Conference
Date / Time - Tuesday, April 12th, 10:15 – 11:00 AM ET
Presenter - Neal Fowler, Chief Executive Officer at Pathalys Pharma
Format: - Virtual presentation
Pathalys will also be participating in one-on-one investor meetings throughout the conference. Investors interested in scheduling a meeting with the Pathalys management team should contact their Needham representative.
About Pathalys Pharma, Inc.
Pathalys Pharma, Inc. is a private, late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company committed to the development of multiple advanced therapeutics that address unmet needs in the management of ESKD. Pathalys' initial asset is upacicalcet, a novel calcimimetic with the potential to improve the treatment of SHPT in hemodialysis patients. Beyond upacicalcet, Pathalys continues to identify other high priority needs and potential solutions for patients with ESKD. Pathalys is headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
For more information about Pathalys, please visit www.pathalys.com.
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| 2022-04-08T11:36:24Z
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Details for long-awaited PokerStars Players No Limit Hold'em Championship revealed
ONCHAN, Isle of Man, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Following on from the successful EPT Prague, PokerStars has today announced new additions to its live events schedule for 2022/23, including well-loved EPT stops, more regional events and highly anticipated details of the second PokerStars Players No Limit Hold'em Championship (PSPC).
EPT HEADS TO BARCELONA AND PRAGUE
The European Poker Tour (EPT) will head to Barcelona and Prague again this year for two player favourite events. PokerStars players can mark their calendar this August and December for two of PokerStars' most popular live events.
EPT Barcelona will run from August 8 – 21, at the Casino Barcelona. The event will have plenty of tournaments for players to choose from including the €1,100 buy-in ESPT event and €5,300 buy-in Main Event.
EPT Prague will run from December 7 – 18 at King's Casino Prague. More details on this event can be found at PokerStars Live.
As usual, players will be able to win their way to the events for much less with satellites running for free or as little as €1.10. Players should keep an eye out on PokerStars for when these will start.
EVEN MORE REGIONAL TOURS
PokerStars are also able to share details on additional regional tours running this year. PokerStars UKIPT will return to Dublin after six years from May 16 - 22 at the Bonnington Hotel with satellites starting today from as little as €1.10.
Also, for the first time PokerStars will sponsor a Summer Poker Festival running from June 18 - 26 in Malta, with the Main Event a joint UKIPT and ESPT event. Players will be able to satellite into the festival, with more details available on PokerStars Live.
THE ONE WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR: POKERSTARS PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP ALONGSIDE AN OLD FRIEND
Following on from a busy 2022 schedule, PokerStars will return to The Bahamas to brighten up January in 2023. Players can finally get excited for a world class event like no other, the PokerStars Players Championship, which will take place from January 30 to February 3 during a special edition of the popular PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA), running from January 22 to February 3.
The PCA will host the second PSPC at a brand-new venue, Baha Mar. Players can come together for this unique event, to enjoy the winter sunshine and kick-off 2023 at what PokerStars plans to be an unforgettable celebration and an even bigger and better PSPC, with hundreds of Platinum Pass winners set to attend.
"We have missed our live events as much as our players, so it is our true pleasure to announce the PokerStars Players Championship will take place at Baha Mar in January," said Severin Rasset, Managing Director & Commercial Officer, PokerStars. "Beautiful location, hundreds of qualifiers, with millions to win. If there is one tournament to choose for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it will be the PSPC. We will provide more details soon on how to get your hands on a Platinum Pass - stay tuned!"
For more information on PokerStars live events please go to the PokerStars Blog.
Play Responsibly! For more information on responsible gaming please visit our website at http://www.pokerstars.com/about/responsible-gaming/
About PokerStars
PokerStars operates the world's most popular online poker sites, serving the global poker community. Since it launched in 2001, PokerStars has become the first choice of players all over the world, with more daily tournaments than anywhere else and with the best online security. More than 225 billion hands have been dealt on PokerStars, which is more than any other site.
PokerStars is ultimately owned by Flutter Entertainment. (LSE: FLTR) ( EURONEXT: FLTR).
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1164298/PokerStars_Logo.jpg
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| 2022-04-08T11:36:30Z
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PHOENIX, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Renren Inc. (NYSE: RENN) ("Renren" or the "Company"), announces today that the Company, has signed a Software License and Distribution Agreement ("License Agreement") with Guangzhou Yupu Software Technology Co., Ltd. ("Guangzhou Yupu"). The License Agreement gives Renren, through its subsidiary SaaS Logistics US, Inc., a perpetual, exclusive, and irrevocable license to modify, sell, and commercially exploit the licensed software worldwide except in Mainland China for a one-time consideration of RMB2 million (equivalent to US$0.31 million). In conjunction with the License Agreement, Renren entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Rui Song, Guangzhou Yupu's former CEO. Mr. Song will serve as CEO of SaaS Logistics US, Inc. The Company expects to further develop and grow its suite of driver-centric SaaS-based services with the acquired software license assets.
About Renren Inc.
Renren Inc. (NYSE: RENN) operates several U.S.-based SaaS businesses including Chime, a CRM and Marketing Automation platform, and Trucker Path, a trip-planning and business app for long-haul truckers. Renren's ADSs, each currently representing 45 Class A ordinary shares of the Company, are traded on NYSE under the symbol "RENN".
Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Renren may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Renren's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are not a guarantee of future events, and that actual events may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in our annual report on Form 20-F and other documents filed with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Renren does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.
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| 2022-04-08T11:36:37Z
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NEW YORK, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jakubowitz Law announces that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has commenced on behalf of shareholders of Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIVN).
To receive updates on the lawsuit, fill out the form:
https://claimyourloss.com/securities/rivian-automotive-inc-loss-submission-form/?id=25686&from=4
This lawsuit is on behalf of investors that purchased or otherwise acquired Rivian common stock pursuant and/or traceable to Rivian's initial public offering on November 10, 2021 and/or between November 10, 2021, and March 10, 2022.
Shareholders interested in acting as a lead plaintiff representing the class of wronged shareholders have until May 6, 2022 to petition the court. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
Documents issued in connection with the initial public offering contained representations that were materially inaccurate, misleading, and/or incomplete because they failed to disclose, among other things, that the R1T electric pickup truck and R1S electric SUV were underpriced to such a degree that Rivian would have to raise prices shortly after the IPO and that these price increases would tarnish Rivian's reputation as a trustworthy and transparent company and would put a significant number of the existing backlog of 55,400 preorders, along with future preorders, in jeopardy of cancellation.
Jakubowitz Law is vigorous in pursuit of justice for shareholders who have been the victim of securities fraud. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
JAKUBOWITZ LAW
1140 Avenue of the Americas
9th Floor
New York, New York 10036
T: (212) 867-4490
F: (212) 537-5887
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| 2022-04-08T11:36:44Z
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AUSTIN, Texas, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB), a leader in secure, intelligent wireless technology for a more connected world, today announced that it plans to release first quarter 2022 financial results on Wednesday, April 27, 2022. An earnings conference call will follow the release at 7:30 a.m. Central Time. The call will be webcast from the Investor Relations section of the company's website at silabs.com.
A replay will be available after the call on the investor page of the website listed above or by calling +1 877-344-7529 (US) or +1 412-317-0088 (International) and entering replay access code 1597850. The replay will be available through May 4, 2022.
Silicon Labs
Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB) is a leader in secure, intelligent wireless technology for a more connected world. Our integrated hardware and software platform, intuitive development tools, unmatched ecosystem and robust support make us an ideal long-term partner in building advanced industrial, commercial, home and life applications. We make it easy for developers to solve complex wireless challenges throughout the product lifecycle and get to market quickly with innovative solutions that transform industries, grow economies and improve lives. Silabs.com
Note to editors: Silicon Labs, Silicon Laboratories, the "S" symbol, the Silicon Laboratories logo and the Silicon Labs logo are trademarks of Silicon Laboratories Inc. All other product names noted herein may be trademarks of their respective holders.
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| 2022-04-08T11:36:50Z
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ÖSTERSUND, Sweden, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Skanska has, as part of a joint venture with R.J. Industries, Inc., signed a contract with NYC Department of Environmental Protection to do work at its Hunts Point Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility in the Bronx, New York, USA. The total contract is worth USD 309M. Skanska's share of the contract is worth about USD 248M, about SEK 2.3 billion, which will be included in the US order bookings for the first quarter of 2022.
The contract includes the installation of cast-in-place concrete, prefabricated guardhouse and walkway bridges, electric, heating, ventilation, and plumbing, instrumentation and controls, site clearing, excavation and final landscaping.
Construction will begin in spring 2022 and is scheduled for completion in March 2026.
CONTACT:
For further information please contact:
Brittany Felteau, Communications Director, Skanska USA, tel +1 617 574 14 85
Andreas Joons, Press Officer, Skanska AB, tel +46 (0)10 449 04 94
Direct line for media, tel +46 (0)10 448 88 99
This and previous releases can also be found at www.skanska.com.
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
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| 2022-04-08T11:36:57Z
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NEW YORK, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jakubowitz Law announces that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has commenced on behalf of shareholders of SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR).
To receive updates on the lawsuit, fill out the form:
https://claimyourloss.com/securities/sunpower-corporation-loss-submission-form/?id=25677&from=4
The lawsuit seeks to recover losses for shareholders who purchased SunPower between August 3, 2021 and January 20, 2022.
Shareholders interested in acting as a lead plaintiff representing the class of wronged shareholders have until April 18, 2022 to petition the court. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
According to a filed complaint, SunPower Corporation issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) certain connectors used by SunPower suffered from cracking issues; (2) as a result, the Company was reasonably likely to incur costs to remediate the faulty connectors; (3) as a result of the foregoing, SunPower's financial results would be adversely impacted; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.
Jakubowitz Law is vigorous in pursuit of justice for shareholders who have been the victim of securities fraud. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
JAKUBOWITZ LAW
1140 Avenue of the Americas
9th Floor
New York, New York 10036
T: (212) 867-4490
F: (212) 537-5887
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| 2022-04-08T11:37:06Z
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Q4 net revenues increased by 0.7% year-over-year
Q4 gross billings (non-GAAP) decreased by 25.3% year-over-year
Q4 net income reached RMB150.8 million
BEIJING, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunlands Technology Group (NYSE: STG) ("Sunlands" or the "Company"), a leader in China's online post-secondary and professional education, today announced its unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2021.
Fourth Quarter 2021 Financial and Operational Snapshots
- Net revenues were RMB588.9 million (US$92.4 million), representing a 0.7% increase year-over-year.
- Gross billings (non-GAAP) were RMB483.6 million (US$75.9 million), representing a 25.3% decrease year-over-year.
- Gross profit was RMB499.5 million (US$78.4 million), representing a 2.6% increase year-over-year.
- Net income was RMB150.8 million (US$23.7 million), compared with net loss of RMB73.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2020.
- Net income/loss margin, defined as net income/loss as a percentage of net revenues, increased to 25.6% from -12.6% in the fourth quarter of 2020.
- New student enrollments[1] were 108,836, representing a 22.7% decrease year-over-year.
- As of December 31, 2021, the Company's deferred revenue balance was RMB2,348.2million (US$368.5 million).
Full Year 2021 Financial and Operational Snapshots
- Net revenues were RMB2,507.8 million (US$393.5 million), compared with RMB2,203.8 million in 2020.
- Gross billings (non-GAAP) were RMB1,970.0 million (US$309.1 million), compared with RMB2,350.4 million in 2020.
- Gross profit was RMB2,131.6 million (US$334.5 million), compared with RMB1,816.5 million in 2020.
- Net income was RMB212.4 million (US$33.3 million), compared with net loss of RMB431.0 million in 2020.
- Net income/loss margin, defined as net income/loss as a percentage of net revenues, increased to 8.5% from -19.6% in the year 2020.
- New student enrollments were 434,228, compared with 434,240 in 2020.
"We are delighted to close 2021 with record-high net profit of RMB150.8 million in the fourth quarter and RMB212.4 million for the full year, delivering on our commitment to balanced growth and profitability," said Mr. Tongbo Liu, Chief Executive Officer of Sunlands. "The improved profitability amidst the year-over-year moderation in gross billings and new student enrollments well reflects the effectiveness of our strategic direction and execution excellence."
"Operationally, we focused on developing a diverse range of courses to fulfill the ongoing interest- and role-based learning demand for professional certification and skills programs. We also spent our efforts on expanding the course portfolio of our master's degree-oriented programs while optimizing our teaching and service by leveraging our highly capable and experienced teams. Meanwhile, we took further measures to control spending and enhance our student acquisition efficiency, which in turn has driven high-quality growth. With this successful turnaround in profitability, Sunlands demonstrated both its resiliency and agility when navigating challenges amid 2021's shifting industry landscape. In 2022 and beyond, we will continue to align our business operations with our strategic objectives to bring value to our students, shareholders and the broader society," concluded Mr. Liu.
Ms. Selena Lu Lv, Chief Financial Officer of Sunlands, added, "We are excited to register net income of RMB150.8 million in the fourth quarter, compared to the net loss of RMB73.5 million for the same period last year, marking our third consecutive quarter of profitability. This solid performance was driven by our 0.7% year-over-year top-line growth and 40.5% year-over-year decline in operating expenses due to our strengthened expense management practices. Our net profit margin expanded significantly to 25.6% in the fourth quarter, up 38.2 percentage points year-over-year and 10.0 percentage points quarter-over-quarter. Looking ahead, we are steadfast in our commitment to offering premium course content and services to our students while adopting effective measures to further reduce costs and boost operating efficiency, aiming to achieve long-term, sustainable growth."
Financial Results for the fourth quarter of 2021
Net Revenues
In the fourth quarter of 2021, net revenues increased by 0.7% to RMB588.9 million (US$92.4 million) from RMB584.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2020. The increase was mainly driven by the year-over-year growth in gross billings since the second half of year 2020 through the first quarter of 2021.
Cost of Revenues
Cost of revenues decreased by 8.6% to RMB89.4 million (US$14.0 million) in the fourth quarter of 2021 from RMB97.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2020. The decrease was primarily due to: (i) declined compensation expenses related to our cost of revenues personnel; and (ii) reduced insurance-related costs incurred for our integrated online education service package purchased by students.
Gross Profit
Gross profit increased by 2.6% to RMB499.5 million (US$78.4 million) in the fourth quarter of 2021 from RMB486.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Operating Expenses
In the fourth quarter of 2021, operating expenses were RMB400.5 million (US$62.9 million), representing a 40.5% decrease from RMB673.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Sales and marketing expenses decreased by 44.2% to RMB339.4 million (US$53.3 million) in the fourth quarter of 2021 from RMB608.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2020. The decrease was mainly due to: (i) lower spending on branding and marketing activities; and (ii) declined compensation expenses related to our sales and marketing personnel.
General and administrative expenses decreased by 7.6% to RMB50.5 million (US$7.9 million) in the fourth quarter of 2021 from RMB54.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2020. The decrease was mainly due to: (i) a decrease in rental expenses; and (ii) declined compensation expenses related to general and administrative personnel.
Product development expenses increased by 0.5% to RMB10.7 million (US$1.7 million) in the fourth quarter of 2021 from RMB10.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2020. Product development expenses were mainly comprised of compensation expenses.
Other Expenses
Other expenses were RMB3.1 million (US$0.5 million) in the fourth quarter of 2021, compared with other income of RMB109.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2020. The decrease was primarily because value-added tax exemption offered by the relevant authorities as part of the national COVID-19 relief effort came to an end in April 2021.
Net Income
Net income for the fourth quarter of 2021 was RMB150.8 million (US$23.7 million), compared with net loss of RMB73.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Basic and Diluted Net Income Per Share
Basic and diluted net income per share was RMB22.89 (US$3.59) in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Short-term Investments
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had RMB676.7 million (US$106.2 million) of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and RMB184.2 million (US$28.9 million) of short-term investments, compared with RMB760.7 million of cash and cash equivalents and RMB517.8 million of short-term investments as of December 31, 2020.
Deferred Revenue
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had a deferred revenue balance of RMB2,348.2 million (US$368.5 million), compared with RMB3,024.4 million as of December 31, 2020.
Capital Expenditures
Capital expenditures were incurred primarily in connection with information technology ("IT") infrastructure equipment and leasehold improvements necessary to support the Company's operations. Capital expenditures were RMB5.2 million (US$0.8 million) in the fourth quarter of 2021, compared with RMB4.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Financial Results for the Year 2021
Net Revenues
In 2021, net revenues increased by 13.8% to RMB2,507.8 million (US$393.5 million) from RMB2,203.8 million in the year of 2020.
Cost of Revenues
Cost of revenues decreased by 2.9% to RMB376.2 million (US$59.0 million) in the year of 2021 from RMB387.3 million in the year of 2020.
Gross Profit
Gross profit increased by 17.3% to RMB2,131.6 million (US$334.5 million) from RMB1,816.5 million in 2020.
Operating Expenses
In the year of 2021, operating expenses were RMB2,017.4 million (US$316.6 million), representing an 18.2% decrease from RMB2,465.5 million in 2020.
Sales and marketing expenses decreased by 17.7% to RMB1,748.4 million (US$274.4 million) in 2021 from RMB2,123.6 million in 2020. The decrease was mainly due to: (i) lower spending on branding and marketing activities; and (ii) declined compensation expenses related to our sales and marketing personnel.
General and administrative expenses decreased by 24.6% to RMB207.6 million (US$32.6 million) in 2021 from RMB275.4 million in 2020. The decrease was mainly due to the decrease in compensation expenses.
Product development expenses decreased by 7.8% to RMB61.3 million (US$9.6 million) in 2021 from RMB66.5 million in 2020. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in the compensation expenses incurred related to our product and technology development personnel.
Other Income
Other income for 2021 was RMB39.2 million (US$6.1 million), compared with RMB203.2 million in 2020. The decrease was primarily because value-added tax exemption offered by the relevant authorities as part of the national COVID-19 relief effort came to an end in April 2021.
Net Income
Net income for 2021 was RMB212.4 million (US$33.3 million), compared with net loss of RMB431.0 million in 2020.
Basic and Diluted Net Income Per Share
Basic and diluted net income per share was RMB32.56 (US$5.11) in 2021, compared with net loss per share of RMB63.74 in 2020.
Capital Expenditures
Capital expenditures were incurred primarily in connection with IT infrastructure equipment and leasehold improvement necessary to support the Company's operations. Capital expenditures were RMB16.5 million (US$2.6 million) in 2021, compared with RMB27.0 million in 2020.
Outlook
For the first quarter of 2022, Sunlands currently expects net revenues to be between RMB590 million to RMB610 million, which would represent a decrease of 15.0% to 12.1% year-over-year.
The above outlook is based on the current market conditions and reflects the Company's current and preliminary estimates of market and operating conditions and customer demand, which are all subject to substantial uncertainty.
Exchange Rate
The Company's business is primarily conducted in China and all revenues are denominated in Renminbi ("RMB"). This announcement contains currency conversions of RMB amounts into U.S. dollars ("US$") solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to US$ are made at a rate of RMB6.3726 to US$1.00, the effective noon buying rate for December 30, 2021 as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted, realized or settled into US$ at that rate on December 30, 2021, or at any other rate.
Conference Call and Webcast
Sunlands' management team will host a conference call at 7:30 AM U.S. Eastern Time, (7:30 PM Beijing/Hong Kong time) on April 8, 2022, following the quarterly results announcement.
The dial-in details for the live conference call are:
Please dial in 10 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin. When prompted, ask to be connected to the call for "Sunlands Technology Group." Participants will be required to state their name and company upon entering the call.
A live webcast and archive of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations section of Sunlands' website at http://www.sunlands.investorroom.com/.
A replay of the conference call will be available 1 hour after the end of the conference call until April 15, 2022, by dialing the following telephone numbers:
About Sunlands
Sunlands Technology Group (NYSE: STG) ("Sunlands" or the "Company"), formerly known as Sunlands Online Education Group, is the leader in China's online post-secondary and professional education. With a one to many, live streaming platform, Sunlands offers various degree and diploma-oriented post-secondary courses as well as online professional courses and educational content, to help students prepare for professional certification exams and attain professional skills. Students can access its services either through PC or mobile applications. The Company's online platform cultivates a personalized, interactive learning environment by featuring a virtual learning community and a vast library of educational content offerings that adapt to the learning habits of its students. Sunlands offers a unique approach to education research and development that organizes subject content into Learning Outcome Trees, the Company's proprietary knowledge management system. Sunlands has a deep understanding of the educational needs of its prospective students and offers solutions that help them achieve their goals.
About Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We use gross billings, EBITDA, non-GAAP operating cost and expense, non-GAAP loss/income from operations and Non-GAAP net loss/income per share, each a non-GAAP financial measure, in evaluating our operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes.
We define gross billings for a specific period as the total amount of cash received for the sale of course packages, net of the total amount of refunds paid in such period. Our management uses gross billings as a performance measurement because we generally bill our students for the entire course tuition at the time of sale of our course packages and recognize revenue proportionally over a period. EBITDA is defined as net loss/income excluding depreciation and amortization, interest expense, interest income, and income tax expenses. We believe that gross billings and EBITDA provide valuable insight into the sales of our course packages and the performance of our business.
These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, their most directly comparable financial measure prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of the historical non-GAAP financial measures to their respective most directly comparable GAAP measure has been provided in the tables included below. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of the historical non-GAAP financial measures to their respective most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. As gross billings, EBITDA, operating cost and expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses, general and administrative expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses, sales and marketing expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses, product development expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses, non-GAAP net loss/income exclude share-based compensation expenses, and basic and diluted net loss/income per share excluding share-based compensation expenses have material limitations as an analytical metric and may not be calculated in the same manner by all companies, it may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other companies. In light of the foregoing limitations, you should not consider gross billings and EBITDA as a substitute for, or superior to, their respective most directly comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. We encourage investors and others to review our financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Sunlands may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Sunlands' beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the following: Sunlands' goals and strategies; its expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its brand and services; its ability to retain and increase student enrollments; its ability to offer new courses and educational content; its ability to improve teaching quality and students' learning results; its ability to improve sales and marketing efficiency and effectiveness; its ability to engage, train and retain new faculty members; its future business development, results of operations and financial condition; its ability to maintain and improve technology infrastructure necessary to operate its business; competition in the online education industry in China; relevant government policies and regulations relating to Sunlands' corporate structure, business and industry; and general economic and business condition in China Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Sunlands' filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date of the press release, and Sunlands does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.
For investor and media enquiries, please contact:
Sunlands Technology Group
Investor Relations
Email: sl-ir@sunlands.com
The Piacente Group, Inc.
Brandi Piacente
Tel: +1-212-481-2050
Email: sunlands@tpg-ir.com
Yang Song
Tel: +86-10-6508-0677
Email: sunlands@tpg-ir.com
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/sunlands-technology-group-announces-unaudited-fourth-quarter-full-year-2021-financial-results/
| 2022-04-08T11:37:13Z
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HOUSTON, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Talos Energy Inc. ("Talos" or the "Company") (NYSE: TALO) intends to release first quarter 2022 results for the period ended March 31, 2022 on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 after the U.S. financial market closes. In addition to this release, Talos will host a conference call, which will be broadcast live over the internet, on Thursday, May 5, 2022 at 10:00 AM Eastern Time (9:00 AM Central Time).
Listeners can access the conference call through a webcast link on the Company's website at: https://www.talosenergy.com/investors. Alternatively, the conference call can be accessed by dialing (888) 348-8927 (U.S. toll free), (855) 669-9657 (Canada toll-free) or (412) 902-4263 (international). Please dial in approximately 15 minutes before the teleconference is scheduled to begin and ask to be joined into the Talos Energy call. A replay of the call will be available one hour after the conclusion of the conference until May 12, 2022 and can be accessed by dialing (877) 344-7529 and using access code 6364444.
ABOUT TALOS ENERGY
Talos Energy (NYSE: TALO) is a technically driven independent exploration and production company focused on safely and efficiently maximizing long-term value through its operations, currently in the United States and offshore Mexico, both upstream through oil and gas exploration and production and downstream through the development of future carbon capture and storage opportunities. As one of the Gulf of Mexico's largest public independent producers, we leverage decades of technical and offshore operational expertise towards the acquisition, exploration and development of assets in key geological trends that are present in many offshore basins around the world. With a focus on environmental stewardship, we are also utilizing our expertise to explore opportunities to reduce industrial emissions through our carbon capture and storage initiatives along the U.S. Gulf Coast and Gulf of Mexico. For more information, visit www.talosenergy.com.
INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT
Sergio Maiworm
+1.713.328.3008
investor@talosenergy.com
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SOURCE Talos Energy
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/talos-energy-announce-first-quarter-2022-results-may-4-2022-host-earnings-conference-call-may-5-2022/
| 2022-04-08T11:37:20Z
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Four Seasons Plumbing helps local residents maximize water quality by eliminating excess contaminants
ASHEVILLE, N.C., April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With years of experience serving Asheville and Hendersonville communities, family-owned Four Seasons Plumbing knows the importance of having safe drinking water in a home. The Asheville plumber recommends whole-home water filtration solutions for residents looking to take charge and improve their water quality.
Water filtration systems provide a solution that creates clean water while protecting families against potential contaminants that could be found in the water supply.
"It is important to have quality water filtration to keep drinking water safe and your family in the best health possible," said Max Rose, owner of Four Seasons Plumbing. "Whole-home filtration is one of the best solutions for maintaining healthy water. We encourage homeowners to test their water so they can be informed about what contaminants they are facing. Doing so ensures that a home's unique plumbing problems are addressed with the appropriate solution."
Whole-home filtration solutions help filter out numerous harmful contaminants including viruses, bacteria, lead, arsenic, nitrates, pesticides, radium, radon and much more. In addition, filtration solutions can also reduce the amounts of chlorine and chloramines to help create better tasting water from the tap.
"While the drinking water in your city may be deemed safe to drink, there are other outside factors that could potentially contaminate your water," Rose said. "Old or damaged pipes can allow harmful chemicals to seep into your water, but water filtration systems can easily eliminate the problem."
Extending the life of a home's plumbing system is a bonus of whole-home filtration solutions. By removing excess minerals and chemicals, there will be less buildup in the system. This allows the system to operate more efficiently.
"Aside from helping produce healthier water, hard water can cause long-lasting damage to your plumbing system," Rose said. "It is just as important to minimize calcium and other deposits to keep your plumbing operating at maximum levels.
For more information about water filtration solutions, please visit https://callfourseasons.com/.
About Four Seasons Plumbing
Four Seasons Plumbing is a family-owned and operated home services company serving Asheville and Hendersonville areas. Four Seasons Plumbing has established itself as the leader in providing reliable, professional plumbing services throughout the entire Asheville and Hendersonville area and surrounding communities. We pride ourselves on a commitment to customer service and can answer any and all of your plumbing needs, even emergencies. For more information, call 828-216-3894 or visit http://callfourseasons.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Heather Ripley
Ripley PR
865-977-1973
hripley@ripleypr.com
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SOURCE Four Seasons Plumbing
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/tapped-out-asheville-water-experts-share-benefits-home-filtration-solutions/
| 2022-04-08T11:37:27Z
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NEW YORK, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jakubowitz Law announces that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has commenced on behalf of shareholders of Taskus, Inc. (NASDAQ: TASK).
To receive updates on the lawsuit, fill out the form:
https://claimyourloss.com/securities/taskus-inc-loss-submission-form/?id=25680&from=4
The lawsuit seeks to recover losses for shareholders who purchased Taskus between June 11, 2021 and January 19, 2022.
Shareholders interested in acting as a lead plaintiff representing the class of wronged shareholders have until April 25, 2022 to petition the court. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
According to a filed complaint, Taskus, Inc. issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) TaskUs was experiencing severe financial strain and business challenges, particularly with its most important customer, Facebook; (2) the Content Security market was smaller than defendants represented and defendants' representations were based on outdated market data; (3) TaskUs improperly recognized revenue from certain key contracts; (4) defendants overstated the size of TaskUs' workforce as well as employee retention rates, and understated attrition rates; and (5) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.
Jakubowitz Law is vigorous in pursuit of justice for shareholders who have been the victim of securities fraud. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
JAKUBOWITZ LAW
1140 Avenue of the Americas
9th Floor
New York, New York 10036
T: (212) 867-4490
F: (212) 537-5887
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SOURCE Jakubowitz Law
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/task-shareholder-alert-jakubowitz-law-reminds-taskus-shareholders-lead-plaintiff-deadline-april-25-2022/
| 2022-04-08T11:37:33Z
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BOCA RATON, Fla., April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP), a global leader in satellite solutions, primarily serving the United States aerospace and defense industry, announced today that it will present at the Jefferies Virtual Space Summit at 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 12, 2022.
Terran Orbital Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer Marc Bell will present alongside Terran Orbital Chief Financial Officer Gary Hobart. Click here to access the presentation.
About Terran Orbital
Terran Orbital is a leading manufacturer of small satellites primarily serving the United States aerospace and defense industry. Terran Orbital provides end-to-end satellite solutions by combining satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations, and in-orbit support to meet the needs of the most demanding military, civil, and commercial customers. In addition, Terran Orbital is developing one of the world's largest, most advanced NextGen Earth Observation constellations to provide persistent, real-time earth imagery. Learn more at www.terranorbital.com
Media Contacts:
pr@terranorbital.com
949-508-6404
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/terran-orbital-present-jefferies-virtual-space-summit/
| 2022-04-08T11:37:40Z
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XI'AN, China, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tianlong's integrated PCR lab solution is installed in Jakarta's international airport in Indonesia to help conduct nucleic acid testing for inbound and outbound passengers. Since its installation in September 2021, Tianlong's COVID-19 solution has helped diagnose hundreds of positive cases at the Jakarta International Airport. Timely entry testing effectively prevents the import of positive cases from abroad and protects the gateway of Indonesia.
Since the airport is still a focal point in the global spread of COVID-19, fast and accurate detection is crucial to stopping the chain of transmission and evacuate passengers. Tianlong's COVID-19 solution has enhanced the testing capability of the Jakarta international airport with the report within one and a half hours, which effectively helps fast isolation and ensures the timely departure of flights, reducing inconvenience for passengers during the transition.
Tianlong uses the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for nucleic acid detection. With the step of PCR amplification, the result is more accurate. Tianlong's COVID-19 solution realizes fast and accurate detection with the test result reporting within one and a half hours, which fully meets the epidemic prevention and control requirement of airports. Up to 3,000 samples will be tested in the Jakarta international airport by Tianlong COVID-19 solution per day.
Tianlong is a leading molecular diagnosis products manufacturer in China. We are doing R&D on nucleic acid extraction and detection devices and reagents. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tianlong's products have helped over 60 countries fight against the pandemic, such as Indonesia, Denmark, the UAE. Our products have helped local facilities build up the health care system and fast diagnose COVID-19 patients. Tianlong's anti-epidemic products have been a star in the war against COVID-19. Apart from the COVID-19 solution, Tianlong has reagents covering 200 kinds of disease detection. We will bring technology to life and provide more solutions to better care for people globally.
Explore Tianlong: https://www.tlgenetech.cn/
Follow us on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tianlongbiotech
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TianlongBiotech/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TianlongBiotech
Contact us:
inquiry@medtl.com
+86-29-82682132
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SOURCE Xi'an TianLong Science and Technology Co., Ltd
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/tianlong-covid-19-solution-safeguards-passengers-jakarta-international-airport-indonesia/
| 2022-04-08T11:37:47Z
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NEW YORK, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jakubowitz Law announces that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has commenced on behalf of shareholders of Telos Corporation (NASDAQ: TLS).
To receive updates on the lawsuit, fill out the form:
https://claimyourloss.com/securities/telos-corporation-loss-submission-form/?id=25672&from=4
The lawsuit seeks to recover losses for shareholders who purchased Telos between November 19, 2020 and November 12, 2021.
Shareholders interested in acting as a lead plaintiff representing the class of wronged shareholders have until April 8, 2022 to petition the court. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
According to a filed complaint, Telos Corporation issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) the Transportation Security Administration ("TSA") and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS") contracts, which constituted a majority of the Company's future revenues, were not on track to commence as represented at the end of 2021 and in 2022; (2) Defendants lacked a reasonable basis and sufficient visibility to provide and affirm the Company's 2021 guidance in the face of the uncertainty surrounding the TSA and CMS contracts; (3) COVID-19- and hacking scandal-related headwinds were throwing off the timing for performance of the TSA and CMS contracts and their associated revenues; (4) as a result, the guidance provided by Defendants was not in fact "conservative"; (5) as a result of the delays, Telos would be forced to dramatically reduce its revenue estimates; and (6) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants' statements about Telos' business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and/or misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.
Jakubowitz Law is vigorous in pursuit of justice for shareholders who have been the victim of securities fraud. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
JAKUBOWITZ LAW
1140 Avenue of the Americas
9th Floor
New York, New York 10036
T: (212) 867-4490
F: (212) 537-5887
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/tls-shareholder-alert-jakubowitz-law-reminds-telos-shareholders-lead-plaintiff-deadline-april-8-2022/
| 2022-04-08T11:37:56Z
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FOSTER CITY, Calif., April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- OrthoTrophix, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company, announced today that the Company and its collaborators present clinical data strongly supporting joint bone shape change as part of a surrogate marker predictive of joint replacement in knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients.
An abstract entitled, "Improved WOMAC Physical Function is Associated with Slowed Pathological Bone Shape Change after TPX-100: Towards a Surrogate Marker for Virtual Knee Replacement?" was presented today in a Plenary Session of 2022 OARSI World Congress on Osteoarthritis in Berlin, Germany (Abstract 26 in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Vol. 30 Suppl. S28–S29).
Functional impairment is a key risk factor for knee replacement even after adjusting for knee pain severity, based on the large NIH-sponsored Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study (the "MOST" study) involving over 5,500 knees. In the TPX-100-5, a Phase 2 study, placebo-treated knees with more advanced pathological joint bone shape change at baseline showed much faster progression of pathological bone shape change and poorer knee function at the end of the 12-month study period. In marked contrast, TPX-100-treated knees demonstrated reduction in pathological bone shape change and robust improvement of knee function through 12 months, regardless of severity at baseline. Consequently, both clinical (knee function) and structural (bone shape) efficacies of TPX-100 as compared to placebo were confirmed including in subjects with moderate to severe knee OA.
"The current FDA draft guidance indicates that a positive effect on an imaging marker of OA must be associated with avoidance or delay of the need for joint replacement, or must persuasively reduce deterioration of function and worsening of pain. This is a high bar," commented Dr. Dawn McGuire, OrthoTrophix' Chief Medical Officer. "However, the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study findings and our clinical data collectively suggest that concordant improvements of bone shape change and clinical function could lead to a delay or elimination of the need for joint replacement surgery. These combined outcomes in structure and function could provide a 'virtual joint replacement' measure for the study of disease-modifying agents in individuals afflicted with knee OA."
The Company also will present an abstract entitled, "Intra Articular TPX-100 Significantly Improves Pain Measures and Slows Pathological Bone Shape Chage in Knee OA". This presentation demonstrates clinically meaningful improvements in overall knee pain and in specific key pain parameters in moderate to severe knee OA, linked to significant reductions in pathological bone shape change (Abstract 254 in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Vol. 30 S193).
About OrthoTrophix, Inc.
OrthoTrophix, Inc., based in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, is a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on development and commercialization of a first-in-class Disease Modifying Osteoarthritis Drug (DMOAD). Founded by three co-founders in 2011, the primary focus of OrthoTrophix has been regeneration and repair of cartilage and underlying bones in the knee and other joints with its novel proprietary compounds.
This press release contains "forward-looking" statements. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. The forward-looking statements include statements regarding product development and cannot be guaranteed. OrthoTrophix undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect OrthoTrophix' business.
Company Contact
Yoshi Kumagai
President and CEO
Tel: (510) 488-3824
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SOURCE OrthoTrophix, Inc.
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| 2022-04-08T11:38:03Z
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PITTSBURGH, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Viatris Inc. (NASDAQ: VTRS) plans to release its first quarter 2022 financial results on Monday, May 9, before the open of the U.S. financial markets. Chief Executive Officer Michael Goettler, President Rajiv Malik, and Chief Financial Officer Sanjeev Narula also will host a webcast at 8:30 a.m. EDT on May 9 to discuss the results.
Investors and the general public are invited to listen to a live webcast of the call at investor.viatris.com or by calling 866.342.8591 or 203.518.9713 for international callers (Conference ID: VTRSQ122). A replay of the webcast also will be available on the website.
About Viatris
Viatris Inc. (NASDAQ: VTRS) is a new kind of healthcare company, empowering people worldwide to live healthier at every stage of life. We provide access to medicines, advance sustainable operations, develop innovative solutions and leverage our collective expertise to connect more people to more products and services through our one-of-a-kind Global Healthcare Gateway®. Formed in November 2020, Viatris brings together scientific, manufacturing and distribution expertise with proven regulatory, medical, and commercial capabilities to deliver high-quality medicines to patients in more than 165 countries and territories. Viatris' portfolio comprises more than 1,400 approved molecules across a wide range of therapeutic areas, spanning both non-communicable and infectious diseases, including globally recognized brands, complex generic and branded medicines, a portfolio of biosimilars and a variety of over-the-counter consumer products. With a global workforce of approximately 37,000, Viatris is headquartered in the U.S., with global centers in Pittsburgh, Shanghai and Hyderabad, India. Learn more at viatris.com and investor.viatris.com, and connect with us on Twitter at @ViatrisInc, LinkedIn and YouTube.
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SOURCE Viatris Inc.
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/viatris-inc-release-first-quarter-2022-financial-results-may-9-2022/
| 2022-04-08T11:38:09Z
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GÖTEBORG, Sweden , April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Invitation to attend Vitrolife's conference call regarding presentation of the interim report January - March 2022. The presentation will be held in English.
Time: Friday 22 April, 2022 at 10.00 a.m. CET.
Registration can preferably be done 10-15 minutes before the conference start time on:
Sweden dial in number: +46 (0)8 506 921 69
International dial in number: +44 (0) 2030 095709
Conference name: Vitrolife, conference ID: 6938009
Event Passcode: 6938009
Vitrolife participants:
Thomas Axelsson, CEO
Patrik Tolf, CFO
The press release for Vitrolife's interim report will be released at 8.00 CET on the same day.
Before the conference call, presentation material will be available at the company web page, https://www.vitrolife.com/investors/Presentations/
A recorded version of the telephone conference will be available for seven days on number +44 (0) 333 300 9785 (International), access code 6938009.
Contact:
Patrik Tolf, CFO, phone +46 (0) 31 766 90 21
This is a translation of the Swedish version of the press release. When in doubt, the Swedish wording prevails.
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
The following files are available for download:
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SOURCE Vitrolife AB (publ)
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/vitrolife-conference-call-interim-report/
| 2022-04-08T11:38:16Z
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NEW YORK, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jakubowitz Law announces that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has commenced on behalf of shareholders of Volta Inc. (NYSE: VLTA).
To receive updates on the lawsuit, fill out the form:
https://claimyourloss.com/securities/volta-inc-loss-submission-form/?id=25693&from=4
The lawsuit seeks to recover losses for shareholders who purchased Volta between August 2, 2021 and March 28, 2022.
Shareholders interested in acting as a lead plaintiff representing the class of wronged shareholders have until May 31, 2022 to petition the court. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
According to a filed complaint, Volta Inc. issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Volta had improperly accounted for restricted stock units issued in connection with the business combination of Volta Industries, Inc. ("Legacy Volta") and Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II; (2) as a result, the Company had understated its net loss for third quarter 2021; (3) there were material weaknesses in the Company's internal control over financial reporting that resulted in a material error; (4) as a result of the foregoing, the Company would restate its financial statements; (5) as a result of the foregoing, Legacy Volta's founders would imminently exit the Company; (6) as a result, the Company's financial results would be adversely impacted; and (7) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.
Jakubowitz Law is vigorous in pursuit of justice for shareholders who have been the victim of securities fraud. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
JAKUBOWITZ LAW
1140 Avenue of the Americas
9th Floor
New York, New York 10036
T: (212) 867-4490
F: (212) 537-5887
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SOURCE Jakubowitz Law
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/vlta-shareholder-alert-jakubowitz-law-reminds-volta-shareholders-lead-plaintiff-deadline-may-31-2022/
| 2022-04-08T11:38:24Z
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NEW YORK, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jakubowitz Law announces that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has commenced on behalf of shareholders of Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE: VRT).
To receive updates on the lawsuit, fill out the form:
The lawsuit seeks to recover losses for shareholders who purchased Vertiv between April 28, 2021 and February 23, 2022.
Shareholders interested in acting as a lead plaintiff representing the class of wronged shareholders have until May 23, 2022 to petition the court. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
According to a filed complaint, Vertiv Holdings Co issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) the Company could not adequately respond to supply chain issues and inflation by increasing its prices; (2) as a result of the increasing costs, Vertiv's earnings would be adversely impacted; and (3) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.
Jakubowitz Law is vigorous in pursuit of justice for shareholders who have been the victim of securities fraud. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
JAKUBOWITZ LAW
1140 Avenue of the Americas
9th Floor
New York, New York 10036
T: (212) 867-4490
F: (212) 537-5887
View original content:
SOURCE Jakubowitz Law
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/vrt-shareholder-alert-jakubowitz-law-reminds-vertiv-shareholders-lead-plaintiff-deadline-may-23-2022/
| 2022-04-08T11:38:31Z
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BEIJING, April 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The first episode of a series of peony-themed live streaming activities kicked off on Wednesday in Luoyang city, central China's Henan Province, bringing the audience a unique online journey of the city's peony culture and industry.
The one-hour program started with a three-minute video showcasing the history and charm of Luoyang, after which the host led the audience to visit peony-themed places in the city such as the Sui and Tang Dynasties Relics Botanical Garden, where viewers can enjoy the beauty of peony blossom, and China's only peony museum, where culture and history of the peony industry are displayed via related items and relics.
As the city of Luoyang is striving to increase its appeal to young people, the program also featured a youth station located in the Luolong District, where young talents coming to the city can not only enjoy comprehensive infrastructures, comfortable environments and considerate services, but also receive employment and daily life guidance.
In addition, the Wan'an Mountain Resort was also introduced in the live streaming program. Through various featured tourism activities, the viewers were to get a sense of the energetic vibe of the historical city of Luoyang.
With both local and national media platforms offering channels for the live stream, the program on Wednesday morning has altogether attracted around 3.446 million views, and the related hashtag "How beautiful is the Luoyang peony" ranked 27th among the national hottest topics on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform.
The event will last until April 15, with an one-hour live streaming program held each day to bring the viewers to Luoyang's major peony gardens, museums, scenic areas and other popular spots, offering an immersive experience of touring the city.
The live streaming event is a part of Luoyang's series online campaign program, which can be accessed through an integrated H5 site containing videos, 24-hour live streams, as well as interactive activities where audiences can take pictures with the peony flowers and win cultural gifts through prize draw.
See the original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/327251.html
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SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/xinhua-silk-road-peony-themed-live-streaming-activities-kick-off-c-china-henans-luoyang/
| 2022-04-08T11:38:39Z
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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- YESCO Electrical Supply, Inc. is pleased to announce it is now a General Services Administration (GSA) contract holder. The Multiple Award Schedule (Contract number 47QSHA22D0013 – SIN: 332510C) became active on March 1, 2022. The new contract serves to further the company's reach in their core markets, as well as opening opportunities in new categories.
The award will allow YESCO to expand on the products we have been providing the Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania region while increasing our reach in these areas and beyond. The contract covers 48 states, Washington D.C., Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico and will afford local, state, and federal government agencies product offerings from an industry leader in the electrical supply market.
YESCO's team is dedicated to providing unrivaled service to these agencies, as well as, working to continue to develop ease of purchase mechanisms through improved internal systems and technology, simplifying the buying process, and superior customer support.
YESCO Electrical Supply Inc.'s General Manager and GSA Contract Manager, James DeRosa explained, "The addition of the Multiple Award Schedule is the culmination of the hard work and dedication of our team and the company initiative to provide additional value to our core customer base which consists of electrical contractors, local municipalities, county and state entities, and other government agencies. We look forward to expanding our business in new geographies and market categories."
DeRosa also added: "YESCO's MAS contract is part of the Disaster Purchasing Program as well. The products and services purchased can be used in preparation or response to disasters or recovery from major disasters."
As a full-service electrical distributor of professional grade electrical components for over 35 years to electrical contractors, facility directors and building managers. We can assist with everything from product selection, complex job business quoting and design build projects in both lighting and power distribution gear. Our product selection spans Conduit, Boxes, Gear, Energy Saving LED Light Fixtures, Contactors, Switches, Disconnects, Security, Surveillance, Fire Equipment, Generators and Backup Power Solutions, Smart Home and Office Automation Equipment.
Providing quality products, expert knowledge, and superior customer service for all types of electrical equipment, has earned YESCO Electrical Supply, Inc. recognition as a top performer in the industry through the IMARK Group and it is also why more than 90% of business comes from repeat customers and referrals.
Find more information on our website: https://www.yeselectric.com/gsa
CONTACT INFORMATION:
YESCO Electrical Supply, Inc.
James DeRosa
330-747-8593
gsa@yeselectric.com
yeselectric.com
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/yesco-electrical-supply-inc-awarded-gsa-contract/
| 2022-04-08T11:38:46Z
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ENGLEWOOD, Colo., April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Zynex, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZYXI), an innovative medical technology company specializing in the manufacture and sale of non-invasive medical devices for pain management, rehabilitation, and patient monitoring, today announced preliminary results for first quarter 2022, affirming guidance for revenue, EBITDA and order growth.
"We are reporting preliminary and unaudited revenue for the first quarter of $30.5 to $31.5 million and adjusted EBITDA between $3.0 and $4.0 million," said Thomas Sandgaard, CEO of Zynex. "Our Q1 2022 revenue estimate is approximately 26% higher than Q1 2021 and adjusted EBITDA is estimated to increase approximately 900% year over year."
The Company reiterates its full year 2022 guidance of $150 to $170 million in revenue and adjusted EBITDA between $25 and $35 million.
"The pain management division saw Q1 order growth of 3% year over year with 15% fewer sales reps. This relatively modest growth is a direct result of constraints in our ability to recruit new sales reps in the continually tightened labor force. We trimmed our sales force during the second half of 2021 and focused heavily on improving productivity to offset a deceleration in sales rep onboarding. The increased emphasis on sales productivity is evident; March 2022 reflected the highest number of orders in the Company's history. Cash collections remain strong, including collections from commercial health insurance providers, as well as UHC. Knee braces were recently added to the product portfolio and are already adding significant volume to our orders."
The Zynex monitoring solutions division (ZMS) moved into an 84,000 square foot building across from the current company headquarters to accommodate Kestrel Labs' integration, a process completed during Q1. ZMS is incurring rapid hiring of engineering, clinical research, production, and support personnel to enable projected growth. Pipeline products include the non-invasive CM-1600 blood and fluid monitor, the NiCo laser-based co-oximetry, the HemeOx hemoglobin monitor, and a monitoring device to enable early detection of sepsis.
The CM-1600 device is awaiting FDA 510(k) clearance, and Zynex expects to respond to FDA comments throughout Q2 while ramping up manufacturing capabilities of the product. Clinical studies validating the CM1600 are ongoing, with a 200 patient study at Wake Forest University focusing on the detection of post-operative hemorrhagic blood loss having just been conducted. Additional validation studies at Yale Medicine and DeVita Kidney Care were completed with positive results. A peer-reviewed publication from Wake Forest University is in progress and expected to be published in the coming months. Additional studies will begin in the second and third quarters of 2022 and will focus on significant blood/fluid changes and complex clinical scenarios.
"We look forward to leveraging Zynex's continued strength in both divisions and are pleased with performance and inflection through the first quarter," said Sandgaard.
About Zynex, Inc.
Zynex, founded in 1996, markets and sells its own design of electrotherapy medical devices used for pain management and rehabilitation as well as developing noninvasive patient fluid, pulse oximetry and sepsis monitoring systems. For additional information, please visit: www.zynex.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore you should not rely on any of these forward looking statements. The Company makes no express or implied representation or warranty as to the completeness of forward-looking statements or, in the case of projections, as to their attainability or the accuracy and completeness of the assumptions from which they are derived. Factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the need to obtain CE marking of new products, the acceptance of new products as well as existing products by doctors and hospitals, larger competitors with greater financial resources, the need to keep pace with technological changes, our dependence on the reimbursement for our products from health insurance companies, our dependence on third party manufacturers to produce our products on time and to our specifications, implementation of our sales strategy including a strong direct sales force, the impact of COVID-19 on the global economy and other risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including but not limited to, our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 as well as our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K.
Any forward-looking statement made by us in this release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
Contact: Zynex, Inc. (800) 495-6670
Investor Relations Contact:
Gilmartin Group
Investor Relations Counsel
ir@zynex.com
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https://www.whsv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/zynex-reports-preliminary-first-quarter-2022-results-provides-business-update/
| 2022-04-08T11:38:53Z
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Hybrid and plug-in vehicles are changing the automotive world, and the planet. Servco Honolulu offers a variety of alternative fuel vehicles that help to produce “less greenhouse gas emissions” and “reduce our reliance on fossil fuels,” Judy Relosimon Ng of Toyota Hawaii stated. Hawaii has a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by the year 2045 and “in order for us to reach that, then it really takes pretty much all of us to reduce our fossil fuel dependence and make that shift to more sustainable vehicle options.”
Some of these vehicle options include the Toyota RAV4 Prime and Toyota Sienna (hybrid). Jordan Doi of Servco Toyota Honolulu took us on a test drive in the RAV4. We learned that “once the battery depletes, it goes into the regular hybrid battery–which is half battery, half gas.” As for the Toyota Sienna (hybrid), Jordan refers to it as “not your stereotypical mini-van.” There are misconceptions about hybrids and plug-in hybrids being slow. However, these vehicles have great electric torque and horsepower.
Servco Honolulu provides sustainable vehicle options to benefit their customers, as well as the environment. Judy shared, “Our goal is to provide our customers with a variety of options so that they can pick whatever fits their preference or needs.”
As Miss Hawaii 2019 & 2020, Nikki was a representative for the Aloha State and was highly involved with the community as she promoted the importance of service. Nikki is the host of KITV's entertainment and culture platform, ISLAND LIFE.
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https://www.kitv.com/island-life/business/servco-honolulu-shows-how-hawaii-can-reach-its-goal-of-carbon-neutrality-by-2045/article_4e242b3a-b601-11ec-83aa-dbd23352e629.html
| 2022-04-08T12:15:42Z
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...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM HST FRIDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 20 to 30 knots, except north winds in
Maalaea Bay.
* WHERE...Maalaea Bay, Pailolo Channel, Alenuihaha Channel, Big
Island Leeward Waters and Big Island Southeast Waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 AM HST Friday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
Homeless Time In Count numbers out for Maui, Kauai, and Island of Hawaii
HONOLULU (KITV)- According to data released today from this year's Homeless Point in Time Count, the number of homeless people on Kauai and the Big Island have increased from two years ago. The numbers for Oahu have not yet been release.
According to the latest Homeless Point In Time Count, the number of homeless on Hawaii Island, Maui and Kauai combined is up 1% from when the last count was done in 2020. Its a smaller number than many predicted. Everybody when we were doing this we were thinking, oh there is going to be a significant increase in homelessness because of COVID. And we were really surprised to see only 1%," said Bridge The Gap Vice Chair Paul Normann.
A Silver lining in the numbers is a decrease in the number of families living in a shelter or in unsheltered conditions. The totals are the lowest seen in 4 years. "Every county prioritized housing and sheltering families. You talk about investing in the future. If you want to invest in the future, you take care of the Keiki," said Normann.
Normann says there are reasons for this progress. "Resources were brought to bear to increase shelter space and increase housing for families," said Normann.
The number of veterans who are without a home are also down 18% from 2020 and Maui had a decrease in the number of homeless people as well during that time period. But not all the news is good. The study shows the number of people who are repeatedly unsheltered is up over the last 4 years, as is the number of people with mental illness who are unsheltered and live in shelters.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/business/homeless-point-in-time-count-out-for-hawaii-island-maui-kauai/article_cd0d277c-b713-11ec-b22b-23153aeb2c7f.html
| 2022-04-08T12:15:49Z
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https://www.kitv.com/news/local/artists-collaborate-over-thousands-of-miles-through-zoom-meetings-to-keep-moving-forward/article_77897268-b70b-11ec-a0aa-a7b920584975.html
| 2022-04-08T12:15:55Z
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(CNN) -- Electric service restoration efforts were still underway Thursday evening in Puerto Rico, a utility company said, a day after the start of an island-wide outage that left many people in the dark overnight and prompted school cancellations and other interruptions across the US territory.
Most customers on the island of about 3.2 million residents still were without power Thursday, officials said. By day's end, at least 380,200 LUMA customers have had their power restored as of 10 p.m. local time, LUMA Energy said in a statement on its Twitter account.
"Given the massive size of the outage, its scope and the necessity to operate in safety, we are informing our customers that the restoration will continue through Thursday night and into Friday," the company said in the statement.
An unspecified failure led to a fire at the Costa Sur power plant outside the town of Guayanilla on the southwest coast around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, cutting power across the island, Kevin Acevedo, vice president of LUMA Energy, said during a news conference. Firefighters have since extinguished the flames.
All customers on the island lost power service initially, Josue Colon, Puerto Rico's lead telecommunications and infrastructure engineer, told reporters, "because all the generating units went offline."
The exact cause wasn't immediately known, the utility has said.
LUMA Energy, which operates the island's power grid, expected power to be restored within 24 hours of the incident, Acevedo said at the news conference.
The power outage also has interrupted water service to about 100,000 homes and businesses, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said, citing the island's aqueducts and sewers authority.
Puerto Rico's Department of Education canceled classes Friday for students, but "school principals, custodians, and school cafeteria employees must report to the campuses starting at 10:00 am," the department said in a tweet.
Pierluisi suspended school classes Thursday across the island and told nonessential government workers to stay home. Only government workers "with essential and emergency functions will have to report to work," Pierluisi said in a news release.
Hospital's intensive care floor temporarily lost power
The intensive care floor at Mayagüez Medical Center, on the island's west coast, temporarily was without power because of backup generator issues, prompting LUMA to especially focus on restoring power there, officials said.
Power eventually was restored at the location, Puerto Rico Health Secretary Carlos Mellado López said on Twitter.
Four patients on that floor were intubated, and would have been moved to a floor with electricity had service not been restored quickly, officials said earlier.
All hospitals were operational by Thursday afternoon, whether their power was restored or they were operating via a generator, according to Secretary of the Interior Noelia García Bardales.
"All hospitals are operating without any setbacks. All elective surgeries were performed today without inconveniences. All dialysis services are being performed without delays.", said García Bardales.
Puerto Rico's airports were operational, and no flight cancellations were reported due to the outage, according to officials.
Police have a plan to help circulate traffic with the lights out, but "we ask for cooperation from drivers on the roads," Pierluisi said.
Replacement power plant parts ordered, official says
Early Thursday, the utility said the "massive island-wide blackout" might have been "caused by a circuit breaker failure" at the Costa Sur plant.
Firefighters extinguished flames that affected two substations at the plant, the Bureau of Puerto Rico Fire Departments said Wednesday on Facebook.
The cause of the fire is being investigated, Acevedo said Thursday morning, adding that the equipment was up to date on maintenance inspections.
Cleanup at the plant is underway, and replacement parts have been identified and ordered, Acevedo said.
LUMA is a joint venture of Quanta Services and the Canadian energy company ATCO, which the Puerto Rican government chose to take over the operation of the power grid from its previous public electric utility, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. LUMA has been in charge of the power grid since June 1.s
Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of Puerto Rico's lead telecommunications and infrastructure engineer. It is Josue Colon.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/local/puerto-rico-crews-scramble-to-restore-power-after-island-wide-outage/article_7408c066-b707-11ec-b505-5f761b935d55.html
| 2022-04-08T12:16:01Z
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https://www.kitv.com/weather/forecast/friday-weather-forecast/article_e81ee4d0-b725-11ec-8486-33a9272d1ad5.html
| 2022-04-08T12:16:07Z
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LOS ANGELES – The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has found its replacement for former headliner Kanye West: Swedish House Mafia and the Weeknd, organizers revealed Wednesday in a tweet from the event’s official Twitter account.
The EDM supergroup and the R&B superstar star will collaborate for the Sunday shifts at the desert festival on April 17 and April 24, taking the stage after the event’s other headliners, Harry Styles and Billie Eilish. Swedish House Mafia was originally set to perform on Friday but will instead join its “Moth to a Flame” collaborator as a co-headliner for the Sunday shows.
West, now known as Ye, pulled out of the festival earlier this week amid a spate of personal issues and left organizers less than two weeks to find another headliner. He was booked for April 17 and April 24. Travis Scott was reportedly going to join the rapper but will no longer perform either.
The Weeknd, whose hits include “Take My Breath” and “Blinding Lights,” had been rumored to replace Ye as promoter Goldenvoice scrambled to secure a new headliner before Coachella’s first weekend.
The edgy pop-soul auteur previously played the festival in 2012 and 2018 and has since headlined another high-profile event: the 2021 Super Bowl halftime show. He made headlines last year by boycotting the Grammy Awards – a protest also backed by Ye and Drake.
The Swedish House Mafia trio performed at the event in 2012, bringing their “big, thumpy stuff” sound to the festival’s main stage.
Other top-billed acts this year include Lil Baby, Daniel Caesar, Phoebe Bridgers, Big Sean, Grupo Firme, Louis the Child and Baby Keem on Friday. The Saturday lineup features Flume, Megan Thee Stallion, Disclosure, 21 Savage, Danny Elfman, Stromae, Giveon and Anitta.
And on Sunday, newly minted Grammy winner Doja Cat is among the top acts, along with Joji, Jamie xx, Run the Jewels, Karol G, Maggie Rogers, Ari Lennox and Banda MS.
Returning after the 2020 and 2021 editions were canceled amid the pandemic, Coachella takes over the Empire Polo Club in Indio for two weekends, April 15-17 and April 22-24.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/coachella-replaces-kanye-west-with-the-weeknd-and-swedish-house-mafia-as-headliners/article_e86a63cf-fec9-5ce0-8ff0-c191cc031ad3.html
| 2022-04-08T12:58:01Z
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WAR never did fit in with their contemporaries.
Consider the music that was on the radio when their first big hit, “Spill the Wine,” received considerable radio play in 1970, still serving as the backup band for British blues-rocker and founder of The Animals, Eric Burdon. Led Zeppelin; the Beatles (and the members’ solo albums); Simon and Garfunkel; and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were dominating the charts.
After two albums, Burdon would step away in 1971 and allow Leroy “Lonnie” Jordan to assume responsibility for lead vocals.
WAR is coming to The Lincoln Theatre on April 15. While 50 years of touring and recording might wear others out, Jordan, now 73 years old, doesn’t have any plans to stop performing
“That’s called retirement or being tired,” Jordan said in a phone call with the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. “I don’t want to stop, and I don’t want to get tired. I want to keep my body moving, and I want to keep entertaining the people and my fans.”
Lucky for him, WAR now has a backlog of rescheduled shows as COVID-19 restrictions relax around the country.
With the departure of Burdon, WAR would go on to release 18 albums, seven of which are Recording Industry Association of America certified gold records.
Three of their albums would peak in the top 10 as tracked by Billboard, and one, “The World is a Ghetto” (1972), would reach No. 1. Their songs remain on the radio even today, including “Low Rider,” “Why Cant We Be Friends?,” “Slippin’ Into Darkness,” “All Day Music” and “Spill the Wine.”
Getting started
Getting on the radio in the first place was an uphill battle.
“I couldn’t understand at the time when I was younger,” Jordan said. “Why are we having such a hard time being played on the radio? That was in the beginning. We really had a hard time because, you know, DJs and record labels back then always wanted us to sound like whoever was on the radio.”
Anyone who’s heard a song from WAR knows that their influences are broad and eclectic. By Jordan’s own admission, he would most classify his band as “universal street music” – a rhythm-based jam band with influences of funk, Latin, calypso, reggae, blues, African grooves and soul.
The members of WAR themselves were of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, an aspect that certainly didn’t help the band readily achieve commercial status in the beginning.
“People finally realized that Eric Burdon had a brand new group that was from Africa,” Jordan joked. “They didn’t know that we were from the States. ... A lot of people thought that we were from Cuba, Puerto Rico, places like that. No, we’re from Los Angeles.”
In terms of influences, they’re as eclectic as the genres they cover. In the clubs of Los Angeles, they covered Wilson Pickett, James Brown, Harry Belafonte, the Everly Brothers, country singer Hank Snow and gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, along with Pasty Cline and Earl Grant.
Jordan remembers being in Long Beach, California when he was young, stopping in at record stores to look for the most recent record from his new band. When browsing, he would be told to search in different sections, the owners not knowing exactly where the band’s records belonged.
Being different
Being different from associated musical acts might have made breaking into the mainstream that much more difficult for WAR, but Jordan, barely older than 18, realized that they could wear their authenticity like a badge of honor.
It was special, and still is, to be difficult to categorize. It allowed them to step into different clubs and venues unlike any other band.
“We were that band that was lost in space because no one knew how to categorize us,” Jordan said. “You had different genres of people in their own zone or space and time. If they were Jamaicans, they liked us because we were able to touch a little bit of reggae soul that they like.
“Same thing with the Latin community; we were able to touch base on a taste of Latin. The list goes on with a little bit of country.”
It took backing from producer Jerry Goldstein, who stood in Jordan and WAR’s corner since their inception. They stayed with him as their producer for the entirety of their career, a trusting influence that cannot be underestimated when it comes to retaining a musician’s style.
Still, Jordan never thought that their music would make it on the radio. All of their music was constructed around a jam session, with Goldstein recording and picking out sections that had the most song potential.
When Burdon was leading the group, he and Jordan toyed around at a party, Jordan improvising what would become the organ riff to “Spill the Wine,” and Burdon ad-libbing lyrics along with him.
Even at the beginning, they prioritized the fun of the process. After all, they named the song after Jordan accidentally spilled his glass of wine on the console board when they were recording the track in the studio, frying its circuits.
“Jerry understood us,” Jordan said. “He just said he didn’t know what to do with us, but I think he did. He kept on dealing with us until we got to the next place. Then we changed our name to WAR at the time of the Vietnam War, and we thought it was a little bit too harsh.”
Though snappy, being named WAR came with an essence of confrontation that wasn’t exactly popular at the time, or the band’s intent. By choosing this name, they took a negative connotation and subverted it into something uplifting and positive. The only war they were waging was through their instruments, grooves and messages.
Take “The World is a Ghetto,” one of their most renowned songs. Before there was the internet to connect the world, WAR entertained the idea of performing in impoverished places and then bringing those experiences back to their hometown of south Los Angeles.
“We were able to come back to the States and make people that were living in the ghetto or the hood aware of their surroundings and what was going on abroad, letting them know that they’re doing better than most people over there in Third World countries,” Jordan said.
“The world is a ghetto, and that hasn’t changed. Today, the world is definitely a ghetto.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/lonnie-jordan-talks-about-wars-uphill-battle-ahead-of-concert/article_ffb67244-137e-5e39-9a41-de6883781036.html
| 2022-04-08T12:58:07Z
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“Everything Everywhere All at Once” could not be a more accurate title for the second feature film from the filmmaking team “The Daniels,” Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, known for their 2016 film “Swiss Army Man” and the striking music video for DJ Snake and Lil Jon, “Turn Down for What.” In “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the duo take every existential question, raunchy joke and nonsensical notion they’ve seemingly ever had and throw it all at the screen in a chaotic, hectic and utterly exhausting two hours and 12 minutes, an all-consuming sensorial cinematic assault. Whether or not that sounds like a good time at the movies is up to the viewer to decide.
The audaciously daring and original filmmaking on display is indeed laudable, as well as the obvious delight poured into the making of this film. However, admiring the chutzpah of The Daniels doesn’t necessarily translate into actual enjoyment of the film, which is a high-concept project with plenty of flair, but a crucial lack of finesse in storytelling.
It’s the script that’s the fatal flaw in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Though deeply earnest and heartfelt, with a desire to engage in larger questions of existence and love across time, space and form, it’s incredibly messy, unbalanced and unmotivated, and demands a certain measure of goodwill from the viewer that it does not reciprocate. Because the story is such an extreme concept, the script is made up almost entirely of rapid-fire exposition, explanation and monologues; when nothing makes sense a character says, “that doesn’t make sense,” deployed like some kind of screenwriting “get out of jail free” card that doesn’t pass muster. Chapter titles as a structuring device are used in a manner that is downright rude, and the film “ends” no less than nine times.
This is all just to say that describing the premise of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is a unique challenge. The luminous and legendary Michelle Yeoh stars, playing against type as Evelyn, the harried proprietress of a laundromat, juggling her father’s arrival from China, her daughter’s desire to have her girlfriend accepted by the family and her husband’s threats of divorce, plus the challenges of keeping a small business running, including a looming tax audit. Evelyn doesn’t have time or attention to dole out to anyone, and her family is struggling.
It’s at said tax audit that something strange happens: her husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan, yes, Data from “The Goonies” and Short Round from “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”) seemingly transforms into a new person, and informs her that she’s actually part of a large, extended multiverse. He teaches her how to jump into other parallel lives she’s led, like ones where she studied martial arts, perhaps. It’s like “Sliding Doors” if the doors were constantly sliding, a million miles a minute, and what was required to slide them was performing some kind of absurd action (at least one element of this mechanism that’s not entirely explained). Within the confines of this drab office building, Evelyn must fight her way through the farthest corners of the multiverse in order to save her family, because, inconveniently, her daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) is also the big bad final boss of this (theoretical) place.
Drawing from classic martial arts movies, video games, and psychedelics probably, there are a few inspired bits and great performances throughout, especially from Yeoh, who demonstrates a real ability for comedy. Quan delivers the most heartfelt performance, and even gets the best fight scene, which will make you look at a fanny pack like never before.
But the jokes, references, fights and multiverses start coming and don’t stop, and before long, you just want to shout, “enough!” Turns out, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is simply too much.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/movie-review-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-proves-to-be-too-much/article_1618f6be-22c6-5b8e-94bd-ed4b9d986dcc.html
| 2022-04-08T12:58:13Z
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Director Michael Bay’s “Ambulance” celebrates Los Angeles as a shining city build on a cloverleaf of speed, concrete, yelling, automatic gunfire (sorry, pal, not in the mood) and rugged American individualism on both sides of the law. At weird intervals the action cuts away to a fluttering faceful of U.S. flag, as a reminder of where we are and who we are, and what the movie’s selling: national pride in a certain kind of mediocre action picture.
None of the collisions, Gatling gun massacres (again, not in the mood) or SWAT sniper stare-downs in “Ambulance” can compete with Jake Gyllenhaal’s popeyed, this-guy-goes-to-11 dramatics in the role of the turtlenecked bank robber under pressure, a character whose heist management style tends toward hammering repetition of simple commands. There are many, many scenes in “Ambulance” where Gyllenhaal tightens the screws on someone to hurry up, and the dialogue defaults to variations on “Go. Will you go? Now!!! You have 45 seconds! GET GOING!!!” It’s like the Michael Bay version of Dr. Seuss’s “Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!”
Without all the yakkity, “Ambulance” would very likely run about 80 minutes, not 136. The 2005 Danish film on which first-time feature film screenwriter Chris Fedak rebuild this vehicle ran, in fact, 80 minutes. That’s nearly an extra hour, or a lost one, depending on your enjoyment level.
Danny, the sociopathic Steve McQueen wannabe played by Gyllenhaal, has one Last Big Score in his sights: a bank heist worth $32 million. His adoptive brother Will (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), an Afghan War veteran, needs $231,000 for his wife’s experimental cancer surgery. Reluctantly, Will joins Danny’s crew.
The heist goes sideways; Danny hijacks an ambulance because the name of the movie is “Ambulance”; luckily for the city at large and several of those maimed along the way, the infallible emergency medical technician played by Eiza González, is “the best paramedic in town.”
So much more here! There’s the brutal Latinx gang lord who will stop at nothing to settle a score or deal with family the same way he deals with the cops. There’s a mid-car chase front-seat fistfight between the brothers. There’s impromptu gunshot-wound stomach surgery, with paramedic Cam sticking her hands in a wounded cop’s innards while FaceTiming with doctors on a golf course for step-by-step advice. There’s a large, flatulent dog (belonging, in reality, to director Bay) brought along for the manhunt by the LAPD Man of Steel played by Garret Dillahunt.
It’s a modestly scaled movie by Bay standards, if Bay standards begin with the “Transformers” eternities and then slide down from there. Now and then a sharp, gleaming composition clicks into place: three police SUVS screeching to a halt just so, for example, or one of the copious drone camera shots scooting along behind the actors, or just above or below some signage in a nifty way.
Problem is, Bay and his breathless editing relay team of Doug Brandt, Pietro Scalia and Calvin Wimmer lack any sort of visual strategy or rhythm. Before long the ground-level zip-along filming approach turns the cameras into a pack of invisible hunting dogs. No one moment, or assault, or eyebrow-to-chin seething session in close-up, looks or feels more urgent or vital than any other moment in “Ambulance.” When a movie refuses to vary its pace, the audience subconsciously starts to mistrust the information and the exertions on the screen. Are these people overcompensating? Why is a movie that could’ve should’ve been 90 minutes, tops (see “KIMI” for reference, and for a really good high-velocity thriller), refusing to quit long past quitting time?
Michael Bay is no Michael Mann, and he’s not trying to be, but “Ambulance” travels a lot of highway traveled earlier by Mann in “Heat” and “Collateral.” Or even Jan de Bont’s “Speed.” Now that was a dumb movie worth seeing. Bay tries for levity in “Ambulance” – the Danish original tried for a lot more – but there’s no room for levity here. What good is a movie that can’t stop moving, or screaming, long enough to pace itself?
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/review-ambulance-is-a-messy-frenetic-la-pileup-of-gunfights-car-chases-and-a-wound/article_b428c01c-c513-54dc-ab9a-8864d4cb6b39.html
| 2022-04-08T12:58:19Z
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Cheyenne and Laramie County
Cheyenne Restaurant Week
– Through April 9, various business hours. Restaurant, breweries, specialty shops and food trucks around town will serve special menu items and offer different deals. Visit https://www.cheyenne.org/restaurantweek/ for a list of participating businesses. Various locations, downtown Cheyenne. 307-778-3133
National Library Week
– Through April 9, library hours. Show your love for the library all week long! Some of the fun activities you will find include Bookface Friday, Dewey’s Number of the Day game, bookmark crafts and more. Pine Bluffs Branch Library, 110 E. Second St. 307-245-3646
Art & Text: Artist as Storyteller
– Through May 17, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Enjoy visual stories and the written word created by K–12 students in Laramie County School District 1. Art is located throughout all three floors of the library. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Movies at the Library, Burns Branch
– April 8, 1-3 p.m. Join the Burns Branch Library for a family-friendly movie and some popcorn. This week’s movie is “Peter Rabbit.” Burns Branch Library, 112 Main St., 307-547-2249
Friday Matinee, Pine Bluffs
– April 8, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Spend your Friday afternoons at the Pine Bluffs Branch library to watch a matinee. Each week will feature a different movie. This week’s movie is “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” (PG). Pine Bluffs Branch Library, 110 E. Second St. 307-245-3646
Teen Craft Afternoons
– April 8, 3-5 p.m. Never know what to do with your hands? Not anymore! Visit craft afternoons and spend some time making unique crafts. Snacks will be provided. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Cheyenne Knights of Columbus Lenten Fish Dinner
– April 8, 5:30 p.m. Adults are $13, children are $7. A fish dinner benefit for the Friday Food Bag Program. Dinner consists of fried fish, salmon patty, baked potato, clam chowder and coleslaw. Casey’s Club, home of the Cheyenne Knights of Columbus. 507 W. 28th St. 307-638-6727
Friday Night Jazz
– April 8, 6 p.m. 21+. Bring some friends, grab a drink and food, and listen to some beautiful music by Jazztet in the relaxing Hathaway’s Lounge. Two-drink minimum required. Little America Hotel and Resort, 2800 W. Lincolnway. 307-775-8400
Desert Diamond at Terry Bison Ranch
– April 8-9, 6 p.m. A performance by local classic country, rock and R&B band Desert Diamond. Terry Bison Ranch Resort, I-25 Frontage Road. 307-634-4171
Virtual Jeopardy!
– April 8, 7-8 p.m. Think you’ve got what it takes to be a trivia champ? Battle for prizes and bragging rights! Visit lclsonline.org/calendar/ to receive an email with the Zoom link. Laramie County Library via Zoom.
VFW Craft and Flea Market Show
– April 9, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Support local veterans while enjoying unique stands filled with jewelry, crochet items, candles and more. Lunch will be available. VFW Post 1881, 2816 E. Seventh St. 307-632-4053
Grafting Demonstration
– April 9, 10 a.m. $15. Scott Skogerboe, an experienced horticulturist from Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery, will explain and demonstrate the incredible process of grafting fruit trees onto rootstock. Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, 710 S. Lions Park Drive. 307-637-6349
Tales Together
– April. 9, 10:15-10:45 a.m. An in-person interactive early literacy class for preschool children and their caregivers. Practice new skills incorporating books, songs, rhymes, movement and more. Pick up weekly craft packet from Ask Here desk on the second floor. Call to reserve a spot. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Virtual SaturD&D
– April 9, 1-3 p.m. Join the library’s teen Dungeons and Dragons online community and get started on creating a character today. Don’t have a Discord account yet? No problem. They offers Discord Communities for teens to interact, chat and play online. To participate, you will need a phone, tablet, or computer with internet connection and a Discord account. RSVP for the event at lclsonline.org/calendar/.
Second Saturday STEAM
– April 9, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Grades 3-6. Join the library each month and explore a variety of STEAM topics (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) with crafts, games, experiments and more. This month, have fun making pixelated art with Perler Beads. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
The Passion Cantata “No Greater Love”
– April 10, 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Experience a retelling of the Passion story through music and word performed by the FUMC Church Orchestra and Chancel Choir. First United Methodist Church, 108 E. 18th St. 307-632-1410
Young Readers Book Party
– April 10, 1:15-2 p.m. Grades pre K-2. A celebration of reading with young readers that’s a little bit early literacy class, and a little bit more. The class will read and talk about books, sing, play and learn. This month’s themes are Bird Art and Family Storytelling Games. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Cowgirls of the West Luncheon
– April 11, 11:30 a.m. $25. Mr. James Fuller will be presenting a program on Women’s Suffrage in Wyoming, titled “Petticoat Government.” Little America Hotel and Resort, 2800 W. Lincolnway. Call 307-632-2814 by April 8.
Make it Mondays
– April 11, 1-5 p.m. Get crafty at the library every Monday! Participants will be making beautiful heart paper flowers to celebrate the coming of spring. Burns Branch Library, 112 Main St., 307-547-2249
Craftastic Tuesdays
– April 12, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Get crafty on Tuesdays. Create and take home paper straw tulips set in plastic egg vases that will look perfect for the Easter season. Pine Bluffs Branch Library, 110 E. Second St. 307-245-3646
Tales Together
– April. 12, 14, 10:15-10:45 a.m. and 11-11:30 a.m. An in-person interactive early literacy class for preschool children and their caregivers. Practice new skills incorporating books, songs, rhymes, movement and more. Pick up weekly craft packet from Ask Here desk on the second floor. Call to reserve a spot. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Fun for Kids! Burns Branch Library
– April 12, 10:15-11 a.m. An interactive storytime session to promote early literacy through books, songs, puppets, crafts and much more. This week’s theme is “Seasons.” Burns Branch Library, 112 Main St., 307-547-2249
We Drink and We Know Things
– April 12, 6 p.m. Monthly themed trivia night on the second Tuesday of each month. The theme is always a surprise so gather your team, drink some beers and show us what you know! Freedom’s Edge Brewing Co., 1509 Pioneer Ave. 307-514-5314
Paint and Plant
– April 12, 6-8 p.m. A teen class where you can paint a pot in your own creative way and then plant a seedling. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Yoga Together
– April 13, 10:15-10:45 a.m. Come and experience stories, stretching and fun with a special early literacy class. This month’s theme is “Splish Splash Ducky.” Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Virtual Tales Together
– April 14, 9:30-10 a.m. Free. A virtual interactive early literacy class where young children will practice new skills incorporating books, songs, rhymes, movement and more. Pick up weekly craft packet from Ask Here desk on the second floor. RSVP at lclsonline.org/calendar/. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Fun for Kids! Pine Bluffs Branch
– April 14, 10:15-10:45 a.m. An interactive storytime session to promote early literacy through books, songs, puppets, crafts and much more. This week’s theme is “Feathered Friends.” Pine Bluffs Branch Library, 110 E. Second St. 307-245-3646
Library for All
– April 14, 12:30-2:30 p.m. An event specifically geared toward adults with disabilities. International Bat Appreciation Day is in April and Library for All will be celebrating our furry, flying friends by having a bat-tastic day of fun! Special guest Mason Lee from the University of Wyoming Biodiversity Institute will talk about bat species in Wyoming and answer your bat-related questions. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Cheyenne ArtWalk
– April 14, 5-8 p.m. Cheyenne’s monthly celebration of artists and their work. During Artwalk, downtown art galleries, businesses and restaurants showcase a local or regional visual artist or musician, accompanied by light food and beverages. Multiple locations, downtown Cheyenne. 307-222-4091
Knights of the Turntable
– April 14, 6 p.m. A recurring vinyl record listening party with a new theme every month. Bring 15 minutes of vinyl to discuss, or just listen to the music. There is a prize for best presentation. This month’s theme is “I Thought This Would Be Cooler.” Downtown Vinyl, 1612 Capitol Ave. 307-632-3476
Brown Bag Book Club
– April 14, 6-7 p.m. Grade 4-6. Book Club will meet twice during the month of April. The club will chat about the book, do some crazy activities and enjoy a delicious treat. Participants can bring a “brown bag” meal, and drinks will be provided. Participants can pick up “Masterminds” by Gordon Korman from the second floor. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Open Jam Night
– April 14, 7-10 p.m. Free. The Lincoln Theatre is hosting its next Open Jam Night. Musicians are encouraged to bring their guitar, bass, etc. and come jam with other local musicians! Backline provided. A full bar will be available for those who just want to come and watch. The Lincoln Theatre, 1615 Central Ave. 307-369-6028
Storytime at Paul Smith Children’s Village
– April 15, 11-11:30. 18 months-5 years. Head over to the Paul Smith Children’s Village to participate in one of the library’s early literacy storytimes. Paul Smith Children’s Village at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, 616 S. Lions Park Drive. 307-637-6458
Emoji Eggs: A Craft for Teens
– April 15, 1-3 p.m. Teens will dye and decorate hard-boiled eggs to look like their favorite emoji. Burns Branch Library, 112 Main St., 307-547-2249
Friday Matinee, Pine Bluffs
– April 15, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Spend your Friday afternoons at the Pine Bluffs Branch library to watch a matinee. Each week will feature a different movie. This week’s movie is “Hop” (PG). Pine Bluffs Branch Library, 110 E. Second St. 307-245-3646
Crafty Family Challenge
– April 15, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Gather your family and meet in the Cottonwood Room for this extreme craft challenge. Supplies will be provided, but feel free to bring whatever materials you like. Sign your family up at lclsonline.org/calendar/. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Friday Night Jazz
– April 15, 6 p.m. 21+. Bring some friends, grab a drink and food, and listen to some beautiful music by Jazztet in the relaxing Hathaway’s Lounge. Two-drink minimum required. Little America Hotel and Resort, 2800 W. Lincolnway. 307-775-8400
Creation feat. Protohype @ The Lincoln
– April 15, 6-7 p.m. Kratos Productions presents CREATION. A night of heavy bass music sounds, dancing, lights, lasers, love and unity. The Lincoln Theatre, 1615 Central Ave. 307-369-6028
WAR @ The Lincoln
– April 15, 8-11 p.m. The legendary band WAR is coming to Cheyenne. The long list of hits includes “Low Rider,” “The World Is A Ghetto,” “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” “The Cisco Kid” and many more. The Lincoln Theatre, 1615 Central Ave. 307-369-6028
Cheyenne Audubon Field Trip
– April 16, 6-9 a.m. Free. A field trip to see sharp-tailed grouse on leks and other prairie birds north of Hillsdale. Call 307-343-2024 to register. The group will leave at 6 a.m. from the front parking lot at Pilot Truck Stop, 8020 Campstool Road. https://cheyenneaudubon.org/
Cheyenne Winter Farmers Market
– April 16, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. A seasonal indoor farmers market with live music where local vendors sell their produce, meats, cheeses, crafts, canned good and more. Cheyenne Depot, 121 W. 15th St. 307-222-9542
Saturday Morning Book Club
– April 16, 10-11 a.m. This month, the club will discuss “The Exiles” by Kristina Baker Kline, and offer coffee and treats. Pine Bluffs Branch Library, 110 E. Second St. 307-245-3646
Easter Egg Hunt at the Louise Event Venue
– April 16, ages 1-3 from 10-11 a.m., ages 4-6 from 12-1 p.m., and ages 7-10 from 2-3 p.m. Free. JazMinn’s Events & Decor presents an Easter egg hunt for younger children. There will also be treats provided by Kates Cookie Shed and photos with the Easter bunny, courtesy of AG Photography. Limited to 40 participants per age group. Sign up on signupgenius.com. Participants must bring their own basket. The Louise Event Venue, 110 E. 17th St. 307-220-1474
Laramie County Library Eggstravaganza
– April 16. It’s time for the yearly Eggstravaganza. This year, the library will be presenting egg-citing workshops for different age groups. Visit its calendar for a full list of events. Attendance for some events will be limited, so sign up at lclsonline.org/calendar/. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Virtual SaturD&D
– April 16, 1-3 p.m. Join the library’s teen Dungeons and Dragons online community and get started on creating a character today. Don’t have a Discord account yet? No problem. They offers Discord Communities for teens to interact, chat, and play online. To participate, you will need a phone, tablet or computer with internet connection and a Discord account. RSVP for the event at lclsonline.org/calendar/.
”Dutch Hop!” Documentary Film Screening
– April 16, 1-5 p.m. A screening of the documentary “Dutch Hop!” which focuses on the musical and dance traditions of the German-Russian community in Southeast Wyoming, Northern Colorado and Western Nebraska. The filmmakers, Chris Simon and Annie Hatch, will be present for a discussion of the film, followed by a performance and dance featuring Wayne Appelhans and the Dutch Hops from 2-5 p.m. Call John Chrysler at 307-256-2010 for more information. Pine Bluffs Historic High School, 607 Elm Street, Pine Bluffs. 307-630-5320
Glow in the Dark Dodgeball
– April 16, 12-8 p.m. 3rd Annual Glow in the Dark Dodgeball Tournament of Champions is an event that brings Laramie County community members together for friendly competition and to support a great cause. All proceeds earned from tournament registration go to Laramie County Grief Support Group to assist families that have lost a loved one. Event Center at Archer, 3801 Archer Parkway. 307-633-4670
Genealogy: Searching the Newly-Released 1950 Census
– April 16, 3-4:30 p.m. The eagerly-awaited 1950 U.S. Census has just been released and is available for family history researchers to find their families. We’ll show you why this is exciting for genealogists by doing a few demonstration searches in the 1950 census on Ancestry Library Edition and other genealogy databases. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Beer & Paint Night at Black Tooth
– April 16, 5-8 p.m. $40. Black Tooth’s first Beer and Painting Night event. Local artist Danielle Kirby will lead a class on a painting that could be random, funny or serious. All painting materials are provided by Black Tooth. Tickets include three beers. Black Tooth Brewing Co. 520 W. 19th St. 307-514-0362
Easter Day Brunch
– April 17, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. $40 for adults, $15 for children. Enjoy a brunch buffet for the whole family. Private rooms available for an additional fee. Visit www.themetdowntown.com for more information. The Metropolitan Downtown, 1701 Carey Ave. 307-432-0022
Easter Hoppy Hour at Danielmark’s
– April 17th, 1-6 p.m. Happy hour in honor of Easter. There will be ham, scalloped potatoes, deviled eggs, and chocolate cupcakes, plus all the “hops” you can fit in your tummy. Danielmark’s Brewing Co., 209 E. 18th St. 307-514-0411
Make it Mondays
– April 18, 1-5 p.m. Get crafty at the library every Monday! Participants will be making beautiful heart paper flowers to celebrate the coming of spring. Burns Branch Library, 112 Main St., 307-547-2249
Coffee Connections at Burns Branch Library
– April 18, 2-4 p.m. Coffee Connections is the place to come for coffee and conversation with your friends and neighbors. On April 18, we will be showing the film “News of the World” (rated PG-13), starring Tom Hanks. Burns Branch Library, 112 Main St., 307-547-2249
Craftastic Tuesdays
– April 19, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Get crafty on Tuesdays. Take home paper straw tulips set in plastic egg vases that will look perfect for the Easter season. Pine Bluffs Branch Library, 110 E. Second St. 307-245-3646
Tales Together
– April. 19-21, 10:15-10:45 a.m. and 11-11:30 a.m. An in-person interactive early literacy class for preschool children and their caregivers. Practice new skills incorporating books, songs, rhymes, movement and more. Pick up weekly craft packet from Ask Here desk on the second floor. Call to reserve a spot. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Dinner and a Book Club
– April 19, 5:30-7 p.m. This month’s selection is “Look Again” by Lisa Scottoline. It’s a fast-paced thriller about a mother’s search for her son’s true identity. Join in for a lively discussion and bring a dish to share. Burns Branch Library, 112 Main St., 307-547-2249
National Poetry Month Celebration
– April 19, 7-8:30 p.m. Poetry lovers will hear poems read by local authors and have a chance to read their own poems, or one from a favorite poet. Presented in partnership with WyoPoets. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Cheyenne Audubon presents Sage-Grouse Update
– April 19, 7 p.m. Daly Edmunds, Audubon Rockies policy and outreach director, and Vicki Herren, retired Bureau of Land Management national sage-grouse coordinator, will present “Greater Sage-Grouse – The Largest Conservation Effort in U.S. History: The Ups and Downs.” A Zoom link will be available at https://cheyenneaudubon.org/. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
STEAM Connections
– April 20, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Explore a STEAM challenge that promotes creativity, building and problem solving. This month’s STEAM discoveries are building bird nests and LEGO building challenge cards. Pine Bluffs Branch Library, 110 E. Second St. 307-245-3646
Virtual Tales Together
– April 21, 9:30-10 a.m. Free. Join the Laramie County Library for a virtual interactive early literacy class where young children will practice new skills incorporating books, songs, rhymes, movement and more. Pick up weekly craft packet from Ask Here desk on the second floor. RSVP at lclsonline.org/calendar/. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Fun for Kids! Pine Bluffs Branch
– April 21, 10:15-10:45 a.m. Join us for an interactive storytime session to promote early literacy through books, songs, puppets, crafts and much more. This week’s theme is “Seasons.” Pine Bluffs Branch Library, 110 E. Second St. 307-245-3646
Sit, Stay, Read! Read to a Therapy Dog
– April 21, 4-5 p.m. Everyone loves to hear a story, even our four-pawed friends. Visit the library and practice reading aloud to one of the community’s therapy dogs. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
BUZZ: Adult and Teen Spelling Bee
– April 21, 5-6:30 p.m. Visit the Burns Branch Library for this fun spelling competition, hosted by staff from the Burns and Pine Bluffs branch libraries. The competition’s words will be similar to the word lists used by schools and the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Sign up at either branch library or by calling 307-547-2249 or 307-245-3646. Burns Branch Library, 112 Main St., 307-547-2249
Craft Night: Learn to Make Seed Paper
– April 21, 6-8 p.m. Adults. Celebrate Earth Day with the Seed Library of Laramie County and learn how to make seed paper for planting and gifting. RSVP for this event at lclsonline.org/calendar/. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Classic Conversations: Lunch and Learn Series
– April 22, 12-1 p.m. Join Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra’s William Intrilligator, soprano vocalist Jennifer Bird-Arvidsson, and bass-baritone vocalist Rhys Lloyd Talbot for an informal and entertaining discussion, including musical insights about the concert on April 23. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Movies at the Library, Burns Branch
– April 22, 1-3 p.m. Join the Burns Branch Library for a family friendly movie and some popcorn. This week’s movie is “The House with a Clock in Its Walls.” Burns Branch Library, 112 Main St., 307-547-2249
Friday Matinee, Pine Bluffs
– April 22, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Spend your Friday afternoons at the Pine Bluffs Branch library to watch a matinee. Each week will feature a different movie. This week’s movie is “Clifford the Big Red Dog” (PG). Pine Bluffs Branch Library, 110 E. Second St. 307-245-3646
Cheyenne Gaming Convention
– April 22, 3 p.m.-midnight; April 23, 8 a.m.-midnight; April 24, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. $50 for three day pass. A charity fundraising video game convention featuring DnD, video games, card games and board games. Red Lion Hotel and Conference Center, 204 W. Fox Farm Rd. 307-638-4466
Teen Craft Afternoons
– April 22, 3-5 p.m. Never know what to do with your hands? Not anymore! Visit craft afternoons and spend some time making unique crafts. Snacks will be provided. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Count on Planting with Paul Smith Children’s Village
– April 22, 4-5 p.m. Children and families. Like counting games? Enjoy planting? Then this event is for you! Go to the library and join special guests from the Paul Smith Children’s Village to play, learn and plant all in one spot. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Friday Night Jazz
– April 22, 6 p.m. 21+. Bring some friends, grab a drink and food, and listen to some beautiful music by Jazztet in the relaxing Hathaway’s Lounge. Two-drink minimum required. Little America Hotel and Resort, 2800 W. Lincolnway. 307-775-8400
Comedy Night at The Metropolitan
– April 22, 7:30 p.m. $20. Laughter is good for the soul. Get your giggles on at this 90-minute comedy show featuring two awesome comedians. The Metropolitan Downtown, 1701 Carey Ave. 307-432-0022
The Samples @ The Lincoln
– April 22, 8-9 p.m. $25. Boulder, Colorado-based band, The Samples, will perform reggae infused rock/pop. The Lincoln Theatre, 1615 Central Ave. 307-369-6028
Ongoing
Governor’s Capitol Art Exhibition
– Through Aug. 14, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Presented by the Wyoming State Museum, this exhibit compiles 66 different pieces of artwork from artists around the state of Wyoming. Wyoming State Capitol basement extension, 200 W. 24th St. 307-777-7220
41st Annual Western Spirit Art Show and Sale
– Through April 17, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Stephanie Hartshorn, artist and member of the American Impressionist Society, and Mark Vinich, co-founder of Clay Paper Scissors Gallery & Studios, have selected 232 unique pieces of art for this year’s art show. Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, 4610 Carey Ave. 307-778-7290
The Front Range
Canyon Concert Ballet presents “Snow White”
– May 7-8, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. $30-$40. This debut production brings to life the legendary fairy tale of Snow White. This production from new Artistic Director Michael Pappalardo will be complete with new sets, costumes and his exquisite choreographic style. Lincoln Center Performance Hall, 417 W. Magnolia St. 970-221-6730
”Black and White in Black and White” Exhibit
–Through May 28, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. $8. This new exhibit features striking photographs attributed to African American photographer John Johnson who took powerful, early 20th-century portraits of African Americans in Lincoln, Nebraska. Greeley History Museum, 714 9th St, Greeley, Colorado. 970-350-9220
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/todo/friday-calendar-4-8-22/article_21a09225-5f9a-5715-9395-f13348915fc4.html
| 2022-04-08T12:58:25Z
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You are not confined to your chair.
If you want to get up and move around, you can. Stand up, stretch, wiggle your toes and shake out the knots. Step out and drop in on the space next door or down the street and it’s okay. You’re not stuck in your chair or this room or even this building, and in ”To Walk About in Freedom” by Carole Emberton, you’ll get a new appreciation for that ability.
In 1935, at the end of the Depression, the Federal Writers’ Project (FWP) was created to put unemployed teachers, writers and editors to work, in part by gathering oral histories, with the goal to establish a uniquely American story. Over an eight-year period, FWP workers collected 10,000 interviews, including stories from the Emancipation.
Priscilla Joyner’s was one of them.
She was eighty years old when two FWP workers, both of them Black, came to interview her about her life. Eager to see them, she was waiting for them on the porch of the home she’d lived in for decades. She was ready to talk...
Joyner was born in January of 1858, the child of a white mother and a Black father – or so she was told. She never knew for sure; the white man who gave her his name did so reluctantly. Her Black birth father’s identity was something her mother took to her grave but Emberton says there were other possibilities to explain how Joyner was different than her white siblings and why they were allowed to torment her.
Though she was not a slave in the strictest sense, Joyner lived as one: she was taught domestic tasks but not how to read or write until she was twelve and her mother sent her to live with a Black family, who sent Joyner to school. The move was “upsetting,” and she didn’t understand it but it turned out to be what Joyner needed.
She learned to love her new home. There, she met her husband and found community...
There’s no other way to say this: “To Walk About in Freedom” is an exceptional book.
On every page, in every single story, author Carole Emberton leads readers to learn something they didn’t know or to meet someone new, and it’s done between the facts of history and social mores, presented concurrently with Priscilla Joyner’s story. But Joyner’s life isn’t the only one shared here; other FWP interviewees and former slaves’ words are added to the overall, which lends further richness to what you’ll read. Emberton then explains how some FWP interviews were nearly ruined by over-editing and “Uncle Remus” additions made by white writers and editors who insisted on it, and how Joyner’s full story was almost lost.
This is one of those books that’ll make you lose track of time and your surroundings. lt’ll answer questions, raise your pride, and it’ll make your head spin for days after you’re done reading it. “To Walk About in Freedom” is the book you need to keep you in your chair.
”To Walk About in Freedom: The Long Emancipation of Priscilla Joyner” by Carole Emberton, c.2022, W.W. Norton, $28.95, 242 pages
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/todo/the-exceptional-to-walk-about-in-freedom-will-make-your-head-spin/article_233c5ab9-0ce6-5340-a3e0-3b9550c2aa94.html
| 2022-04-08T12:58:32Z
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Thursday brings the much anticipated premiere of celebrated director Michael Mann’s latest series, “Tokyo Vice.” The first three episodes will debut on HBO Max this week, with pairs of episodes dropping every Thursday after that until the finale on April 28. The series, filmed on location in Tokyo, is inspired by the memoir by Jake Adelstein, “Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan,” with Ansel Elgort starring as Adelstein. Mann directed the pilot episode and serves as an executive producer on the project, which was created by acclaimed playwright J.T. Rogers.
This gritty crime drama set in the late ‘90s follows Adelstein as a cub reporter at one of Japan’s largest newspapers, and his dangerous journey investigating one of the largest yakuza crime bosses in Tokyo. Ken Watanabe co-stars as a sympathetic cop, as Jake tries to navigate through the bureaucracy of his newspaper (Rinko Kikuchi plays his stern editor) and the crime culture of Tokyo’s underbelly.
Though Mann is predominantly known for his film work, this isn’t the first time he’s tackled a series. He famously produced the groundbreaking 1980s crime series “Miami Vice” (streaming on Peacock) and collaborated with David Milch on the horse racing series “Luck,” starring Dustin Hoffman (streaming on HBO Max). His cult TV series “Robbery Homicide Division,” starring Tom Sizemore, took place in the LAPD division of the same name, but the only place to watch that is currently for free is on YouTube.
While it’s great to see Mann return to the small screen with a series as exciting as “Tokyo Vice,” a revisit to his filmography is a true treat. Start in the 1980s with his “neon-noir” films, the James Caan-starring “Thief” (streaming on Tubi and Kanopy) and the Thomas Harris adaptation “Manhunter,” starring William Petersen, Dennis Farina and Brian Cox (available for a $3.99 rental).
Mann directed two of the bona-fide classics of the 1990s, the epic adventure-romance “The Last of the Mohicans” starring Daniel Day-Lewis, and the magnum opus of masculinity, “Heat,” pitting Robert De Niro and Al Pacino against each other as a crime boss and a cop. Rent “Heat” on all digital platforms or stream it on AMC+, and if you can’t get enough “Heat,” check out the addictive and entertaining podcast “One Heat Minute,” in which film critic Blake Howard breaks down the film one minute at a time. Don’t forget Mann’s 1999 whistleblower thriller “The Insider,” starring Pacino and Russell Crowe, streaming on Hulu or available for rent elsewhere.
After his 2001 biopic “Ali” starring Will Smith (streaming on Netflix and Hulu), Mann started to experiment with digital cinematography, and in 2004, delivered the stone-cold digital crime classic, the hazy nighttime L.A. noir “Collateral,” starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx (streaming on HBO Max). In 2006, he reimagined “Miami Vice” as a tragic romance, starring Colin Farrell, Gong Li and Foxx, and though the film was misunderstood at the time, it’s found a new cult appreciation lately. Rent it on all platforms for $3.99. ”Public Enemies,” released in 2009, features Johnny Depp as (on Netflix or Tubi), and his last movie (so far) was 2015’s hacker thriller “Blackhat,” now on Netflix.
So between episodes of “Tokyo Vice,” take your own streaming spin through the incomparable filmography of Michael Mann, and get ready for whatever masterpiece he’s surely got in the pipeline.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/todo/what-to-stream-tokyo-vice-and-the-best-of-michael-mann/article_2b54ade9-5da1-5bb2-b966-69817243a97d.html
| 2022-04-08T12:58:38Z
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FRIDAY
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
A Conversation on Ukraine: 12:30-1:30 p.m., UW College of Business Room 127 and online at uwyo.zoom.us/j/99946342579. Ambassador Richard Holwill and Dr. Alexander Skiba will moderate.
UW Student Scholarship Showcase: 1:45-4 p.m., UW College of Business Room 127 and online at uwyo.zoom.us/j/99946342579. Awards ceremony will follow from 4-5 p.m.
UW planetarium presents “Aurorae, Dancing Lights”: 7 p.m., UW Planetarium. For millennia our ancestors looked in awe at the “dawn in the north,” or Arora Borealis. What causes this display? Where does it happen? Do other planets have aurorae?
Good in All of Us fundraiser for Laramie Interfaith: 7-9 p.m., Eppson Center for Seniors, 1560 N. 3rd St. Will include a silent auction, mini-games and a trivia contest. Trivia teams of up to five members register for $100 a team at https://bit.ly/3KILsjb.
SATURDAY
Albany County 4-H Spring Bazaar: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Albany County Fairgrounds.
Albany County Democratic Convention: 9 a.m., via Zoom. To register, email albanycountydems.secretary@gmail.com.
Free cancer screenings: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Ivinson Medical Group. Email questions@ivinsonhospital.org for more information.
Stand With Ukraine Laramie rally: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1st Street Plaza. Rally for Ukraine and learn how to support the nation’s fight for freedom.
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Bike Olympics sponsored by Laramie BikeNet: 1-5:50 p.m., Lincoln Community Center, 356 W. Grand Ave. Free entry, but BikeNet membership recommended. Visit Laramiebikenet.org for more information.
UW Cello Festival concert: 5 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. A free performance by participants of the 2022 UW Cello Festival.
Laramie Elks Lodge 582 Luau Dinner and officer installation: 6 p.m. installation, 7 p.m. dinner, 102 S. 2nd St. Dinner is $15, and public is invited.
UW planetarium presents “Max Goes to the Moon”: 7 p.m., UW Planetarium. Max the dog and a young girl named Tori take the first trip to the moon since the Apollo era.
An evening of Schubert with Kenneth Slowik (and friends): 7:30 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets $10 general admission available at uwyo.edu/finearts.
MONDAY
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
TUESDAY
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Laramie Rivers Conservation District meets: 10 a.m., 5015 Stone Road.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Albany County Republican Party meets: 6 p.m., Albany County Public Library.
WEDNESDAY
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Wyoming Police and Fire Civil Service Commission meets: 3 p.m., via Zoom. Visit cityoflaramie.org/agendacenter for information. Zoom ID: 85440007. Passcode: 875167.
Ivinson Medical Group women’s health prenatal education: 5:30 p.m., Ivinson Memorial Hospital in the Summit Conference Room. Learn more or register at ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
THURSDAY
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Second Story Book Group discusses “Billionaire Wilderness” by Justin Farrell: 6:30-8 p.m., via Zoom. Call 786-877-3912 or email taninel@bellsouth.net for information.
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
Lenten Taize worship services: 7 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 Canby St. Every Thursday through Easter.
UW Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Fund Recital: 7 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets $40 in-person, $20 for livestream. Call 3766-6666 or visit uwyo.edu/finart_ticket/eventsticketed,aspx.
April 15
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
UW planetarium presents “Search for Extra-Terrestrial Life”: 7 p.m., UW Planetarium. Are we alone in the universe?
”Everything but the Kitchen Sink” concert to open UW Percussion Festival: 7:30 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. Free.
April 16
Kiwanis Club of Laramie Easter Egg Hunt: 10 a.m., Kiwanis Park in West Laramie.
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Ester Extravaganza: 2-4 p.m., Trinity Baptist Church, 1270 N. 9th St.
UW planetarium presents “Distant Worlds — Alien Life?”: 2 p.m., UW Planetarium. For millennia our ancestors watched the stars and questioned the origin and nature of what they saw. Yet, Earth is the only planet we know for sure to be inhabited.
UW planetarium presents “Liquid Sky, Pop”: 7 p.m., UW Planetarium. Enjoy a custom playlist from today’s top artists.
April 17
Walk with a Doc: 1:30-2:30 p.m., UW Fieldhouse. Hear from health care professionals and get your steps in.
April 18
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
April 19
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
UW planetarium presents “Wyoming Skies”: 7 p.m., UW Planetarium. What’s up in the sky around Wyoming?
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
April 20
Laramie Rivers Conservation District meets: Noon, 5015 Stone Road.
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Award-Winning Author Jesmyn Ward speaks: 5 p.m., UW College of Arts and Sciences auditorium.
Ivinson Medical Group women’s health prenatal education: 5:30 p.m., Ivinson Memorial Hospital in the Summit Conference Room. Learn more or register at ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
April 21
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Ivinson Medical Group women’s health prenatal education: 5:30 p.m., Ivinson Memorial Hospital in the Summit Conference Room. Learn more or register at ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
April 22
Albany County CattleWomen meet: 11:30 a.m., location tbd. Visit wyaccw.com in the week before the meeting for location and more information.
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
UW planetarium presents “Earth Day”: 7 p.m., UW Planetarium. Observe our beautiful planet from the ground, sky and space as we learn about glaciers, atmospheric science, meteorology, extreme weather events and climate history.
Violin virtuoso Augustin Hadelich with UW Chamber Orchestra: 730 p.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets available at uwyo.edu/finearts.
April 23
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
UW planetarium presents “From Earth to the Universe”: 2 p.m., UW Planetarium. The night sky, both beautiful and mysterious, has been the subject of campfire stories, ancient myths and awe for as long as there have been people.
April 25
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Wyoming’s energy economy panel discussion: 6 p.m., online at uweconomists.eventbrite.com. Features four University of Wyoming economists.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
America Sewing Guild Laramie Chapter meets: 7 p.m., United Methodist Church, 1215 E. Gibbon St.
April 26
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
April 27
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
April 28
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
April 29
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
UW planetarium presents “Mars”: 7 p.m., UW Planetarium. The red planet is host to many questions; did it used to be like Earth? Did it once harbor life? Could it still support life?
April 30
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
UW planetarium presents “Mexica Archaeoastronomy”: 2 p.m., UW Planetarium. Illustrates the important role played by astronomical observation for the evolution of pre-Hispanic cultures in central Mexico.
UW planetarium presents “Liquid Sky, Electronica”: 7 p.m., UW Planetarium. Enjoy a custom playlist of music from today’s top artists.
May 2
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
May 3
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 4
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Ivinson Medical Group women’s health prenatal education: 5:30 p.m., Ivinson Memorial Hospital in the Summit Conference Room. Learn more or register at ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
May 5
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Diabetes Support Group meets: 5:30-6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Email questions@ivinsosnhospital.org for the link.
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
May 6
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 7
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
VFW Post 2221 Commander’s Charity Dinner: 5:30-8 p.m., 2142 E. Garfield St. Tickets 412 at the door, all proceeds to benefit VFW Poppy Fund and Albany County Search and Rescue.
May 9
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
May 10
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Albany County Republican Party meets: 6 p.m., Albany County Public Library.
May 11
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Ivinson Medical Group women’s health prenatal education: 5:30 p.m., Ivinson Memorial Hospital in the Summit Conference Room. Learn more or register at ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
May 12
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
May 13
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 14
University of Wyoming graduation ceremony: 8:30 a.m., UW Arena-Auditorium, undergraduate ceremony for the colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Engineering and Applied Science and School of Energy Resources.
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
University of Wyoming graduation ceremony: 10 a.m., Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts, for the College of Law.
University of Wyoming graduation ceremony: 12:15 p.m., UW Arena-Auditorium, for master’s and doctoral students from colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Business, Education, Engineering and Applied Science, Health Sciences and Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources.
University of Wyoming graduation ceremony: 3:30 p.m., UW Arena-Auditorium, for undergraduate ceremony for colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education, Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and Office of Academic Affairs.
May 16
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
May 17
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 18
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Ivinson Medical Group women’s health prenatal education: 5:30 p.m., Ivinson Memorial Hospital in the Summit Conference Room. Learn more or register at ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
May 19
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
May 20
Albany County CattleWomen meet: 11:30 a.m., location tbd. Visit wyaccw.com in the week before the meeting for location and more information.
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 21
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 23
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
America Sewing Guild Laramie Chapter meets: 7 p.m., United Methodist Church, 1215 E. Gibbon St.
May 24
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 25
Laramie Tai Chi and tea: Meets at 1:30 p.m. at the north end of the stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
May 26
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Stitching the Past Together creative aging class: 6:30-8 p.m., Albany County Public Library large meeting room. Students will learn memory-based storytelling through beading techniques in this free course. Register at acplwy.org or at the circulation desk.
May 27
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 28
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
May 30
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
May 31
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Have an event for What’s Happening? Send it to Managing Editor Greg Johnson at gjohnson@laramieboomerang.com.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/announcements/whats-happening/article_5c712de2-7286-5abb-8052-7a6ff2d702ec.html
| 2022-04-08T12:58:44Z
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SUNDAY
Friends of the Library Book Sale: 1-5 p.m., Albany County Public Library.
MONDAY
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Friends of the Library Book Sale: 1-5 p.m., Albany County Public Library.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
Surviving and Thriving After Cancer: A free program with two class times from noon-1 p.m. and at 6-7 p.m. Classes at the hospital’s Outpatient Rehab Center. Visit ivinsonhospital.org/stac for more information.
Albany County Historic Preservation Board meets: 6 p.m. the second Monday of the month via Microsoft Teams. To attend and receive an invite, email a request to kcbard@charter.net.
TUESDAY
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Friends of the Library Book Sale: 1-5 p.m., Albany County Public Library.
Special meeting of Laramie City Council: 6 p.m. via Zoom (ID: 89517528355, passcode: 241974) to discuss signing on an MOU with other entities seeking impact assistance from the Rock Creek Wind Energy Project.
Albany County Republican Party meets: 6 p.m., Albany County Public Library.
UW Planetarium presents “Wyoming Skies”: 7 p.m. What’s up in the sky around Wyoming: stars, constellations, planets, meteor showers and more.
WEDNESDAY
Laramie Tai Chi and Tea meets: 1:30 p.m., north end of UW stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds.
Surviving and Thriving After Cancer: A free program with two class times from noon-1 p.m. and at 6-7 p.m. Classes at the hospital’s Outpatient Rehab Center. Visit ivinsonhospital.org/stac for more information.
Prenatal Education at Ivinson Medical Group’s women’s health clinic: 5:30 p.m., Summit Conference Room at the hospital. Learn more or register at ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
THURSDAY
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Traffic Safety Commission: Its scheduled Zoom meeting has been canceled.
FRIDAY
Free stress relief clinic: Noon to 1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
UW Planetarium presents “Indigenous Astronomies of the American West”: 7 p.m. Discover the star knowledge of the west from ancient medicine wheels, petroglyphs and oral stories from elders.
SATURDAY
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Junior high-age open gym: 1-4 p.m., Civic Center South Gym, 710 E. Garfield. Cost is $10 a month, call 307-343-6898 for information.
UW Planetarium presents “Mexica Archaeoastronomy”: This presentation illustrates the important role played by astronomical observation for the evolution of pre-Hispanic cultures in central Mexico.
Jan. 16
Walk With A Doc: 1:30-2:30 p.m., the University of Wyoming Fieldhouse. Hear from health care professionals and get your steps in.
Rita Krusemark organ concert series: 3 p.m., St. Matthew’s Cathedral.
Jan. 17
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
Surviving and Thriving After Cancer: A free program with two class times from noon-1 p.m. and at 6-7 p.m. Classes at the hospital’s Outpatient Rehab Center. Visit ivinsonhospital.org/stac for more information.
Jan. 18
Albany County Clerk’s Office: Will be closed for training.
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Jan. 19
Laramie Tai Chi and Tea meets: 1:30 p.m., north end of UW stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds.
Surviving and Thriving After Cancer: A free program with two class times from noon-1 p.m. and at 6-7 p.m. Classes at the hospital’s Outpatient Rehab Center. Visit ivinsonhospital.org/stac for more information.
Prenatal Education at Ivinson Medical Group’s women’s health clinic: 5:30 p.m., Summit Conference Room at the hospital. Learn more or register at ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
Jan. 20
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Jan. 21
Free stress relief clinic: Noon-1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Jan. 22
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Junior high-age open gym: 1-4 p.m., Civic Center South Gym, 710 E. Garfield. Cost is $10 a month, call 307-343-6898 for information.
Jan. 24
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
Surviving and Thriving After Cancer: A free program with two class times from noon-1 p.m. and at 6-7 p.m. Classes at the hospital’s Outpatient Rehab Center. Visit ivinsonhospital.org/stac for more information.
Jan. 25
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Free stress relief clinic: 1-2 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Jan. 26
Surviving and Thriving After Cancer: A free program with two class times from noon-1 p.m. and at 6-7 p.m. Classes at the hospital’s Outpatient Rehab Center. Visit ivinsonhospital.org/stac for more information.
Laramie Tai Chi and Tea meets: 1:30 p.m., north end of UW stadium in Laramie Plainsman Park, North 15th and Reynolds.
Jan. 27
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Jan. 28
Free stress relief clinic: noon-1 p.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Jan. 29
Free stress relief clinic: 10-11 a.m., Laramie Plains Civic Center Phoenix Ballroom.
Junior high-age open gym: 1-4 p.m., Civic Center South Gym, 710 E. Garfield. Cost is $10 a month, call 307-343-6898 for information.
Jan. 31
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
Surviving and Thriving After Cancer: A free program with two class times from noon-1 p.m. and at 6-7 p.m. Classes at the hospital’s Outpatient Rehab Center. Visit ivinsonhospital.org/stac for more information.
Feb. 5
Pie-in-the-Sky dessert auction for Laramie Reproductive Health: 6-10 p.m., Alice Hardy Stevens Center.
Have an event for What’s Happening? Send it to Managing Editor Greg Johnson at gjohnson@laramieboomerang.com.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/announcements/whats-happening/article_e89a8811-aad1-5757-8b7c-72e92a1def7a.html
| 2022-04-08T12:58:50Z
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Boomerang Writer
As the 2021-22 academic year begins winding down and University of Wyoming students switch out their pencils for diplomas, school administrators continue to set their sights on the future.
The campus has seen multiple new building projects over the past few years, with the most recent being a new $100 million Science Initiative Building. Located near 9th and Lewis streets, the 153,000-square-foot complex will house a variety of entry and upper-level science courses.
The UW Science Initiative began in 2014 when members of the science and business community endorsed a plan to improve education and research opportunities, according to a press release. Construction on the building started in 2018.
Built with money from the state, the facility is designed to emphasize hands-on learning. Instead of sitting in a lecture hall, students will gather around tables. The building also will house a variety of scientific equipment that can be used for research and education.
“It demonstrates the investment made by our elected leaders, (and their) commitment to state facilities in providing great programs, particularly in the STEM areas,” said UW spokesperson Chad Baldwin.
The building is expected to be in full use during the upcoming fall semester once furniture and equipment can be installed.
Long-awaited projectsAround the time work on the Science Initiative Building comes to a close, another highly anticipated project is scheduled to begin.
The university plans to finally break ground this fall on a pair of new residence halls located West of 15th Street. The south hall will be built at the intersection with Willett Drive, and the north hall at the intersection with Lewis Street.
Interior and exterior design plans for the project have been approved, and the $250 million for the project is secured through bonding, Baldwin said. The university is waiting on final construction planning documents.
The project also will include a new dining facility attached to the north residence hall, and a parking garage will be located along Ivinson Avenue between 10th and 11th streets. The 375 permitted parking spaces will make up for a loss of parking outside the Wyoming Union and is expected to be completed in January 2023.
“The residence halls demonstrate a clear statement from the Board of Trustees that residential living will continue to be a big part of our student experience,” Baldwin said. “We’re going to have that on-campus, in-person experience for students and that’s the foundation upon which our enrollment will be built in the future.”
Providing enough on-campus living space for students hasn’t been a problem for the university, especially with decreased admission rates brought on by the pandemic, but the current facilities are outdated.
The new residence halls and dining center are intended to replace those old facilities. Though the administration hasn’t made any final decisions, the university may demolish some buildings and keep others such as Crane Hall as a housing overflow area, Baldwin said.
The College of Law building also could see an expansion come fall if the Board of Trustees grants the project its final approval. A decision could come on that next month.
“It’s been a pretty collaborative effort all the way,” Baldwin said of the recent projects. “We really do have world-class facilities and world-class researchers and teachers to use them.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/if-you-build-it-uw-on-track-with-long-term-construction-projects/article_57acbc18-d8d1-53d2-9739-2cb75f95345e.html
| 2022-04-08T12:58:56Z
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A crowd holds up signs at the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture and Natural Resources building during a rally in support of Ukraine last month.
As the war and humanitarian crisis continues in Ukraine, some Laramie residents continue to advocate for the besieged nation and understanding of the war and what it means for people there and in the United States.
“It’s not (just about) helping people in Ukraine,” Ukrainian UW student Anastasiia Pereverten said. “It’s defending general peace. What Russia is doing is affecting the whole world. Supporting the Ukrainian army is contributing to general freedom.”
Pereverten and others with ties to the region are organizing events they hope will bring awareness and prompt action from the Laramie community.
A conversation
The University of Wyoming Center for Global Studies plans to host a discussion about the war on Ukraine to further educate people about the nuances of the situation. The conversation will begins at 12:30 p.m. in room 127 of the College of Business building.
Retired U.S. ambassador Richard Holwill and UW Associate Economics Professor Oleksandr Skiba will lead the discussion. Attendees will be able to ask questions during a Q&A session.
‘Stand with Ukraine’ rally
Ukraine supporters also will gather Saturday to educate people about how the war started and what the distinctions are between Ukraine and Russia. There will be information on how to stay informed on the war and what Laramie residents can do to support Ukrainians. The goal of the rally is to pressure local politicians to aid the Ukrainian army.
Attendees will see flyers sharing the history of the war and credible local Ukrainian organizations to donate to, and have the option to make signs.
“Sometimes it feels like seeing Ukrainian flags all the time doesn’t help, but it invokes thoughts about what’s happening and hopefully actions,” Pereverten said.
The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the 1st Street Plaza in downtown Laramie.
As of Thursday, about 46 people had responded to the Facebook page for the rally. Organizers also are asking for volunteers to help set up the event, create social media posts, share information and identify resources to help with ongoing advocacy work.
Fundraiser
In addition to opportunities to donate directly to the Ukrainian army or humanitarian groups, anyone dining in Laramie can put their money toward the cause by visiting the Alibi Woodfire Pizzeria & Bakery.
On Sundays, the restaurant donates 20% of its revenue to World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization with a mission to feed Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/more-local-events-for-ukraine-this-weekend/article_5dd6461e-6260-5402-bfaa-32389477a22d.html
| 2022-04-08T12:59:03Z
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GILLETTE — A group of about 25 people gathered in an old, dusty barn.
Some sat at a table, some on a beam along the wall. Others sat on bales of fleece nearby. Young and old, they ate plates of pork, beans and salads, as a cattle dog ate beneath another table.
They didn’t travel to the historic Edwards Ranch south of Gillette just to eat, however.
They came to shear, and Roy Edwards brought his sheep.
“I learned in a school just like this 26 years ago,” he said, standing at the end of the shearing chutes, as his lunch break came to an end.
For many of those participants, some of whom participate in 4-H and Future Farmers of America, it was their first time trimming wool themselves. It’s an age-old technique, but one that varies and comes with its own challenges.
“They will make a lot of cuts on the sheep, which is what happens, and they’ll tear the fleeces all up, but that’s how you’ve got to learn,” said Ronda Boller, a Campbell County rancher who helped organize the event. “There’s no other way to shear sheep than like this.”
Many a Campbell County sheep throughout the years has been sheared by Australian or New Zealand shearers. The international help would come from their part of the world, where shearing occurs nearly year-round, to Wyoming, where the wool-shearing season is mostly handled in the few months before summer.
The history of shearing sheep runs deep in Campbell County, but the methods vary from those from Down Under. As they say, “there’s more than one way to skin a cat.”
Well, it turns out that saying rings true for giving sheep haircuts.
“Their technique is a lot faster,” Boller said of the wool shearers from Australia and New Zealand.
In Wyoming, shearers would tie down sheep before getting to work on their winter coats. But in Australia and New Zealand, it’s more common to shear “loose,” with the animals unrestrained.
Despite his enthusiasm and willingness to shear again, “loose” proved challenging for Caden Cantu, 14, of Moorcroft, after getting a lesson from Gus Pellatz.
“I’m little. I’m short,” Cantu said.
It’s unclear when a sheep shearing class was last held in Campbell County, but it’s commonly agreed that they have become more rare.
The COVID-19 pandemic made it more difficult for some of those shearers to make the trek across the world to Campbell County, which is partly how Boller and her husband got the idea to organize the class.
When they needed help shearing their own sheep, they realized the shortage of able hands for the job. Soon enough, with a few sponsors on board, they helped arrange the two-day shearing school that the community had the chance to join free.
Wade Kopren led the class along with local shearers. LeeAnn Brimmer taught the wool handling. It was sponsored by Campbell County Woolgrowers Auxiliary, Campbell County 4-H and Edwards Rambouillets.
With the growing scarcity of those privy to the art of wool shearing, a handful of people left the Edwards Ranch Saturday evening two days and a few wool fleeces closer to keeping that art alive.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/all-the-buzz-sheep-shearing-class-passes-technique-to-new-generation/article_38e989f3-4b72-5f36-804f-faf18276455b.html
| 2022-04-08T12:59:09Z
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As the time of year arrives when the “cheep, cheep” sound of cute chicks becomes more common, the Wyoming Department of Health is reminding people that baby birds can sometimes carry harmful germs even though they look clean and healthy.
“There’s no denying that poultry chicks are cute and appealing. They’re soft too. That’s why many people want to photograph, touch, hold or even snuggle with them," said Matthew Peterson, surveillance epidemiologist with WDH. "Unfortunately, these charming chicks can also have germs on their bodies and in their droppings."
Baby poultry are recognized as a common source of salmonella, which can cause diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps and other severe symptoms in humans. Some people have an increased risk for severe symptoms: young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.
Wyoming regularly has cases of salmonellosis in humans from contact with live poultry, especially in springtime.
“People in Wyoming are regularly infected with salmonella as part of larger, multistate outbreaks involving baby poultry. It happens every year,” Peterson said. “The germs we’re concerned with are also found where birds live such as in their cages and coops. If someone puts their hands in or near their mouth after handling birds or touching the birds’ environment, they can become infected."
Tips for handling live birds include:
- Children younger than 5 years of age, elderly or people with weak immune systems shouldn’t handle or touch chicks or other live poultry.
- After touching live poultry or anything in the area where they are found, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water. If soap and water aren’t available, use hand sanitizer.
- Don’t eat or drink around live poultry, touch with the mouth or hold closely to the face.
- Don’t let live poultry inside your house, in bathrooms or in areas where food or drink is prepared, served or stored.
- Clean equipment or materials used in caring for live poultry outside the house, such as cages or feed or water containers.
Peterson said a different bird-related disease has been in the news lately as Wyoming also is seeing highly pathogenic avian influenza spread among domestic and wild birds.
Bird owners should follow guidance from the Wyoming Livestock Board on preventing exposure to wild birds and should report any symptoms among their birds to their veterinarians.
Hunters who handle wild birds should dress game birds in the field when possible, wear gloves when dressing birds, and wash hands with soap and water afterwards. Other individuals should avoid contact with wild birds if possible.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/chicks-may-be-cute-but-can-spread-ugly-disease/article_53333fb4-ff76-58ae-b54a-3d146e2c9633.html
| 2022-04-08T12:59:15Z
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GILLETTE — Councilman Shay Lundvall apologized for creating group texts last week that violated Wyoming's Open Meetings Law, saying he did not intend to conduct public business.
On Thursday afternoon, Lundvall created two group texts, each with three other council members, to talk about a Cam-Plex issue.
Because there were four council members in each group text, that made it an official meeting. No notice was given for the meeting, which is a violation of the law.
“The definition of a meeting, is simply and broadly, a gathering of a quorum of a governing body’s members, discussing public business,” City Attorney Sean Brown said.
“Procedurally this was my mistake entirely and I do apologize,” Lundvall said at Tuesday’s city council meeting. “I’ve never thought that I was above the law or the law doesn’t apply to me.”
Lundvall said he’d received a call from a resident who was concerned about the daily operations at Cam-Plex.
Mayor Eric Hanson said Lundvall had contacted him about this issue, and Hanson told Lundvall to let the other council members know about it.
Lundvall said his intent was to “keep communication open and flowing between us” so that there wouldn’t be misunderstandings further down the road.
“Have you guys been contacted by anyone about the barns at Cam-plex not being used?” Lundvall texted. “Or trying to get used and staff will not let them because of roofing issues?”
He also texted that it’s not the city council’s job to get involved in Cam-Plex’s daily operations.
On Thursday, Councilman Nathan McLeland alerted City Administrator Hyun Kim about this potential violation, and Hanson confirmed it.
The incident came just two days after the city council received a third-party review of city council conduct over the last several years. It found that the council engaged in a number of improper actions, including violations of Open Meetings Law.
“It was not my intent to spit in the face of this recent investigation or disregard any rules,” Lundvall said.
He said he hopes the city council can move forward from it.
“We all want transparency, we all want to rebuild the trust of the public. There’s a ton of work that requires input from each one of us,” he said. “I believe it’s time to get to work and stop worrying about the next political move, we need to work together to solve some very complex situations we’re going to be facing.”
Resident Ben Decker thanked the city council for its efforts to be more transparent.
“Let’s not allow a minor setback to become a bigger problem than it is,” he said. “I appreciate what is being done to make this a better council, we haven’t seen this much progress toward a good local government in a long time.”
He said “it appears McLeland is making extra drama over a mistake,” which he found ironic since McLeland was part of the city council during the time period when the third-party review found numerous “improper” actions.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/councilman-apologizes-for-illegal-group-texts/article_8f1a9d35-fdbc-53f5-bfd0-0b004f410e02.html
| 2022-04-08T12:59:21Z
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POWELL — Distrustful of the voting machines used across Wyoming and other parts of the country, a group of Park County residents is making a push to review the results of this year’s primary election by hand.
On Tuesday, a roomful of proponents asked Park County commissioners to allow them and other volunteers to effectively audit August’s election by hand counting the votes after the ballots are processed by the machines.
South Fork resident Boone Tidwell, one of the group’s leaders, framed the request as a matter of constitutional rights and predicted some people won’t vote unless ballots are counted by hand.
“Whatever decision you make today, folks, we think will have consequences. Not only here in Park County, but on a state level, and possibly a national level,” Tidwell told commissioners. “There’s a lot of attention on this particular issue right here and what we’re doing here in front of you guys. So we’re asking you to please choose wisely.”
Commissioners postponed a decision to a later meeting, citing a need to get legal advice from Park County Attorney Bryan Skoric.
“We have to get some answers from the county attorney,” said Commission Chairman Dossie Overfield.
Secretary of State Ed Buchanan, who spoke via Zoom, recommended that commissioners consult with Skoric, suggesting that state law does not give the board the power to authorize a hand count. Members of the group, however, pushed back.
“Where in the Constitution does it give you the authority to deny us?” Powell resident and former Park County Republican Party Chairman Larry French pressed Buchanan.
“It’s not me sitting here saying that, ‘I forbid you to do it,’” the secretary responded in part. “I’m pointing out that you probably don’t have, in my opinion, just from looking at this, the statutory authority to do it.”
Tidwell then offered that “statute cannot trump my constitutional right.”
“It’s that simple,” he said, to applause from the crowd.
Commissioners, however, indicated they still have questions, including about how long a hand count might take, what impact it might have on their staff, and whether enough volunteers would show up and the legality of the effort.
Tuesday’s request stemmed from continuing concerns over the 2020 election, which Tidwell described as “the latest wreck.” The angst has played out on a national stage over the past two years, with former Republican President Donald Trump — who drew more than 76% of the votes in Park County but less than 47% nationwide — claiming the election was “rigged” in favor of Democratic President Joe Biden.
A series of lawsuits and other attempts to challenge the results have been unsuccessful and no widespread irregularities have been proven, but mistrust has persisted.
Dave McMillan of Cody, another of the group’s leaders and a Park County Republican Party precinct committeeman, said it’s not a partisan issue.
“There’s not a person I’ve talked to in my area, yet, that has told me they think the elections were fair in 2020,” McMillan told members of the Park County Democratic Party in February. “Nobody has any confidence in this.”
He and Tidwell had approached the party looking for support on a joint effort, but got some pushback from several local Democrats.
“I think that the only lack of integrity is actually in the imagination of those who are preaching lack of integrity,” Cody resident Paul Fees said at the Feb. 5 meeting.
The party members later passed a resolution stating that “the Park County Democrats have confidence in the integrity of the current election system.”
Meanwhile, the Park County Republican Party unanimously passed a resolution at its March 12 convention that calls for publicly observable hand counts of all election results.
The local GOP’s chairman, vice chairman, secretary and multiple precinct committee members attended Tuesday’s meeting in support of the proposal. Tidwell told commissioners that the debate over the validity of the machines won’t be resolved.
“If you are opposed to the voting machines, your preference is that we throw them in a ditch and light them on fire. And if you love the machines, you don’t want anybody to intrude in that environment,” Tidwell said Tuesday. “So we’re at an impasse.”
He said the plan to have all of the ballots run through the voting machines and then hand counted by volunteers was a compromise.
McMillan said the proposal “harms no one and satisfies the concerns of everyone.”
The proposal pitched to commissioners on Tuesday differed from the group’s original vision, which would have involved volunteers receiving and tabulating voters’ ballots before they went into the machine.
Tidwell said they altered the plans after hearing from people who said, “I don’t want you to know my vote.”
He also was clear in acknowledging that the results tabulated by the voting machines will be the official results.
“If our [hand] count comes out different than yours, we’re stuck with it [the machine count],” Tidwell said, “but we’re gonna have a whole lot more information and a whole lot more knowledge and be able to address that moving forward in the future.”
In his remarks to the commissioners and the group, Buchanan suggested that the whole hand count may have to wait until the law is changed. He said he’s repeatedly told people that if they want to return to paper ballots, it’s a policy decision that should be taken up with the Wyoming Legislature.
He also noted a statute that refers to votes being counted by machine, saying that, “Each individual vote shall be determined by the voting equipment and shall not be determined subjectively by human tabulation …”
However, Commissioner Scott Mangold noted that even under the group’s proposal the machines will still be doing the counting.
“We keep talking about statutes, but I think basically this is just sort of an experiment to start with,” Mangold said.
Commissioner Lee Livingston agreed, saying, “if you’re not submitting that as the official results, it’s quite possible that hand counting could be [done].”
“As long as we’re not stepping outside of that [the law], at this point in time, I don’t have a problem with looking at it,” Livingston said.
Overfield said the board needs to get a legal opinion from County Attorney Skoric.
Beyond the legalities, commissioners also had questions about the logistics.
As a test run, the hand count group enlisted the help of about 200 high schoolers in Powell, Cody and Meeteetse, who participated in a mock election a few weeks ago. The group then met at the Park County Library in Cody and calculated the results by hand. (Kanye West won a state Senate race in the Meeteetse area after being written in by a number of students, Tidwell said.)
In its first attempt at counting the 200 ballots, the group took an hour and 20 minutes, French said, but a second try took about 35 minutes. He indicated that a three-person team needed about a minute and a half per ballot.
At that pace — and assuming a similar turnout to the 2018 primary election, in which 8,341 voters participated — it would take more than 600 man hours to hand count all of the results. To get done by a state deadline of 10:30 p.m. on election night, it would take more than 150 volunteers.
By comparison, Park County had 117 election judges in the 2020 general election. Commissioner Joe Tilden questioned whether there would be enough volunteers to conduct the hand count, noting that a number of people who pledged to serve as election judges in 2020 backed out.
“That was before the latest wreck with the 2020 election, Mr. Tilden,” Tidwell said. “And you know, there are a whole lot of people that care now that didn’t care two years ago.”
Tidwell told the Democrats in February that “hundreds” of people would help with the effort.
While Tidwell said there would be zero cost to the county, Commissioner Lloyd Thiel noted that regular election workers would need to stay at the polling places later on election night to monitor the hand counting.
“Maybe there isn’t any more cost, but there’s a hell of a lot more work on these precincts for these election judges to do this experiment, if you will,” Thiel said. “I’m not saying it’s bad, I’m just saying there’s definitely some inconvenience here in the county.”
Tidwell responded, “If it requires a little more time on our part, as a voter, as a judge, as a participant in that process, you owe it to this community to make sure that that is specifically correct.”
While expressing doubts about the legality of hand-counting the vote, Buchanan expressed full support for the group’s general aim of bolstering public confidence in the integrity and accuracy of their elections.
“... I don’t think anybody in the state disagrees that the more things we can do to give greater confidence in elections, the better,” he said. “Because … if people don’t believe in your elections, nothing else matters. It really doesn’t.”
Even before the 2020 election, Buchanan said his office began an audit effort in which it will take a statistically significant sample of ballots cast around the state and then compare them to the vote record generated by the voting machines.
“If those ballots check out, and we know that those actual ballots cast were correctly counted by the machine, then we have our 99-point-whatever [percent] confidence interval in our election,” Buchanan said.
In a Tuesday evening email to commissioners, Park County Democratic Party Chairman Jan Kliewer said he doesn’t want taxpayer dollars to be spent on the hand count and that he thinks the statewide audit planned by Buchanan “would go further to build trust than an experiment in one county.”
“My fear, however, is if the results of 61 lawsuits of voter fraud thrown out nationwide doesn’t inspire confidence, what will?” Kliewer wrote.
During the meeting, County Clerk Colleen Renner noted that the county conducts mandatory public testing of its voting machines ahead of the elections to show how the process works.
Renner said she’s only had two people show up during her eight years as clerk.
“That causes me to believe you’re not questioning it,” she said, as members of the crowd murmured objections. “So if you are questioning it, please come to the public testing.”
Commissioners didn’t set a date for their next discussion on the requested hand count. The primary election is Aug. 16.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/group-pushes-to-hand-count-election-results-copy/article_c9b37b80-bc58-5b65-b765-6275b2c20056.html
| 2022-04-08T12:59:27Z
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Powell Tribune
POWELL — Members of the Heart Mountain community opened their hearts last week for two members of the community — one who passed away and another who won’t be with them much longer.
Around five dozen tractors lined up on Friday to pay tribute to Tak Ogawa, who passed away Thursday at the age of 96, and Dwight Gilbert, who is coming to the end of his battle with cancer.
The farming community was founded by rugged homesteaders who braved a lot of hardships to establish crops and the life that the community continues to enjoy today. Ogawa was one of the few original homesteaders remaining. He arrived on Heart Mountain in 1949.
Following his death, Ogawa’s neighbors, Eileen and Glenn Musser, called around to those who knew him and suggested they bring their tractors for a little tribute.
The tractors wound up stretching for a couple of miles.
On the border of Ogawa’s original homestead, along Road 20 where it meets Lane 9, those who knew and loved the man came out to show their respects in the way an agricultural community would. The parade went east up Lane 9 toward Ogawa’s house, turned around and drove along one of the fields he farmed until he was 93, growing alfalfa, malt barley, pinto beans and sugar beets.
The friends and family then headed south, all the way to Dwight Gilbert’s iconic home and its yard full of sculptures on Lane 11 and Road 17.
“It was just beyond words for me,” said Craig Ogawa, Tak’s son, who came up from Colorado and led the line of tractors.
When he arrived for the tribute, Craig said there were perhaps 20 tractors lined up, and he was stunned to see that level of support. But by the time the tractors started moving, another 40 had joined.
“Wasn’t that amazing?” said Tak’s daughter, Jenny Ogawa, with a delighted chuckle.
Like Craig, she hadn’t expected such an outpouring for her father.
“I was amazed and awestruck by the number of people who came to show their respects for my dad,” Jenny said, adding that it showed “how far the big heart he gave reached.”
The shared tribute was just as touching for Dwight Gilbert’s wife, Dawn.
“It’s heartwarming. I mean, Dwight is probably the nicest person I’ve ever met. He loves to help everyone. And you get back what you put out,” she said.
Dawn said that people had been out to their property all day to say goodbye to Dwight, but the parade was a complete surprise for him. Dwight’s family only told him he couldn’t take a nap and then wheeled him outside to see it.
“[It was] pretty impressive,” Dwight said, adding, “It was all my friends and neighbors. People I used to associate with every day.”
Dwight has touched many lives.
Among them was former Powell Municipal Airport Manager Debbie Weckler. She got stuck near the Gilberts’ home during a blizzard. Weckler didn’t know the family at the time, but needing help, she knocked on the Gilberts’ door. They invited her inside to warm up, then Dwight plowed a path so Weckler could get home.
“They are so gracious,” Weckler said.
The long parade of tractors made a path south down Road 17 and around the front of the Gilbert home.
When his son-in-law Brandy Pettet passed by, Dwight stood up and saluted him. Many of Dwight’s family members, who were surrounding him in their garage, began to cry.
Desirée Pettet, Dwight’s daughter, said her father served in the Marines, in Vietnam as a medic, and her husband, Brandy, was in the Army for 20 years, serving in Afghanistan.
“Their service is something they’ve always had as a bond,” Desirée said. “That moment for Brandy [when Dwight stood and saluted] will be with him forever.”
Craig and Jenny Ogawa thanked the Mussers for getting everyone together and thanked the members of the Heart Mountain community, who they said were always there for their father throughout his years.
“It was really humbling and touched everyone’s heart,” Craig said, “and the love goes both ways.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/miles-long-tribune-parade-of-equipment-honors-farmers/article_40aa2bd0-b0d6-54fe-a7da-f91cb9167477.html
| 2022-04-08T12:59:34Z
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After two years of disruptions, Wyoming students are in the midst of test taking that helps state and federal education departments assess learning – a sign that school is returning to normal.
The Wyoming Department of Education in late March of 2020 canceled all testing for the rest of the semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Exams like Wyoming’s Test of Proficiency and Progress, which assess students abilities in English, science and math, were nixed that year.
“We canceled everything and then put in the waiver to waive our state accountability and federal accountability,” said Laurie Hernandez, standards and assessment director at the Wyoming Department of Education.
Testing resumed in spring 2021, but those scores were not used to determine whether or not schools were meeting state and federal accountability standards. The Department of Education submitted an addendum to its compliance plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act, federal law that took the place of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2015.
Identifying low-performing schools is part of the state’s plan; schools that are “partially meeting” or “not meeting expectations” must fill out a school improvement plan. Low-performing schools receive extra support from WDE and are eligible for federal funds. Wyoming’s updated compliance plan pushed low-performance school identification to 2022-23, because at least two years of data are required to determine whether or not schools need additional support, according to WDE Chief Policy Officer Wanda Maloney.
In the interim, schools identified as low-performing in 2018-19 “were held constant,” Maloney said. “Many had started professional development or interventions, and so we wanted [them] to be able to continue to excel and provide them the funding they needed.”
If parents weren’t comfortable sending their kids to school to take tests in Spring of 2021, they were not forced to do so. Normally, testing is mandatory and parents don’t have the option to opt out. Ultimately, 96.6% of students in Wyoming were tested in 2021, only a slight decrease from the 99% that usually participate.
The WDE is still in the process of analyzing test results from 2021, but so far it appears students in Wyoming did not experience severe learning loss reported in many other parts of the country during pandemic education disruptions. “There was a little bit of slip, but not anywhere to the degree that there was nationally,” Hernandez said.
Statewide assessments are underway at many Wyoming schools this year, and Hernandez says so far things have gone smoothly. “We really make sure everybody understands that it’s a snapshot in a moment in time for the student.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/statewide-school-testing-returns-to-normal/article_21ad3d04-10ce-533e-9a8d-24bb94640b3f.html
| 2022-04-08T12:59:40Z
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JACKSON — When people spot Joe Cronquist from the chair lift, it’s an event. The surprise of spectators is loud, as if they’d seen a bear or a solar eclipse.
“There he is,” they yell. “It’s the Teton Juggler!”
Even while he’s skiing, the daredevil from Anchorage, Alaska — now a micro-cultural mountain celebrity spotted from terrain park to Thunder moguls while juggling three pink clubs — whoops back.
That hype has nourished Cronquist, 28, through his first season, during which he’s not only defined new limits of the novel sport of “skuggling” (ski-juggling) but also built his brand, indistinguishable from his future.
If each passer-by got to look in Cronquists’ large blue eyes and ask him a question, it would likely be simply: Why?
(It could also be, “Does Jackson Hole ski patrol know about this?” To which his answer is yes, they’ve forged a healthy, trusting relationship.)
But to answer the former, News&Guide spent a day in the natural habitat of the Teton Juggler.
When untangling a motive, the first thing that comes to mind is money.
Cronquist, however, is both an extreme athlete who spends 30 hours a week juggling and an amateur. Or, as he put it, “dirt broke.”
A carpenter by training, he was 23 when he graduated from a five-year professional apprenticeship program in Anchorage, set up with good union jobs for life.
“But I had this inner tension,” he said, “I knew that this next step is going to be a career path where I’m going to be locked in. My dreams that I have, with this spirit of athletics and the freedom of expression, are going to be put in a little bit of jeopardy.”
So in 2017 he started down the Pacific Coast with his girlfriend, Aspen Welker, in a 2003 Ford Econoline cargo van — no itinerary or destination, just an open mind and a slackline.
“I was just backpacking on the side of the road when some homeless guy saw my slackline and he was like, ‘You got to go to this spot.’ And I went to Arcada (California) and met all the highliners. It’s all random like that.”
When Cronquist got his first taste of highlining — walking a thick tightrope hundreds to thousands of feet above canyons or between mountains — there was no looking down, or turning back. The couple kept traveling, and Cronquist kept juggling and slacklining. It’s the hours he’s spent off the mountain, he said, and incremental progress, that have kept him in control and everyone on the mountain injury-free.
“If people could see how much I juggled in the last three years, they’d vomit,” he said.
It was on a winter hike last season, after parking his 20-foot trailer home on a Victor plot, owned by Welker’s father, that the idea of a skuggle routine “overwhelmed” him.
Cronquist worked summer and fall at Cosmic Apple Gardens, waiting for snowfall, before financially “cocooning” to pursue his newfound dream full time.
It works for now, but lacking sufficient health insurance and a year-round income isn’t exactly comfortable.
“I’m risking it,” he said, “big time.”
If clearly not for fortune, does Cronquist skuggle for fame?
The Teton Juggler is the first to say his relationship to outside attention is complicated.
Though he shuns the idea of sponsors, because working in oil fields in Alaska and driving through clear-cut western forests turned him off “industry” writ large, he admits the support would be validating in a sport where he has neither peers nor compensation.
But he couldn’t speak his mind, he said, clad in Clif Bar or Redbull.
He’s thought about wearing other costumes, like the tights and cape of Robin Hood, a character whose skills he deeply identifies with.
But this extraordinary man would still like to be a relatable guy.
So he wears a practical black uniform and bootstraps his brand through unabashed self-promotion: Instagraming sick GoPro edits, tossing out free ‘Teton Juggler’ stickers, and calling out to chairlifts when he senses riders could be more stoked to see him.
His ultimate goal, for financial stability and to share his passion, is creating a camp of “flow arts” based on his youthful “inner fantasy.”
He describes the dream as a community of balance-driven sports like juggling, staff spinning, hula hooping, fans, slacklining, highlining, and a place for self-discovery.
On the last lift up, Cronquist said his wish list for his one-man-show includes LED clubs, a six-foot-tall unicycle and chain saws. When the cold returns he’ll be in hot pursuit of the backflip-over-fire-pit-with-torches skuggle and, yes, the Corbet’s Couloir skuggle.
For now, it’s the end of skuggle season, but for Cronquist and his future followers, it could be the beginning of a skuggle era.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/teton-juggler-takes-flight/article_285376a6-85cc-5370-b2a1-9f5954cc8c0c.html
| 2022-04-08T12:59:46Z
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A leading wind farm operator has agreed to pay fines and other fees totaling just over $8 million, plus potentially spending millions of additional dollars, because its operations were linked to the deaths of at least 150 eagles over about a decade.
Partly at issue was whether the energy producer should have applied for permits before its operations killed the birds, or if the business should have taken other actions.
The legal case points up the fact that responsible wind farm owners take additional steps to ensure their operations – including wind turbines, which can extend hundreds of feet into the air while also sweeping lower to the ground – do not kill many birds and other wildlife, a conservation expert told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
The federal government contends that ESI Energy Inc., which is affiliated with NextEra Energy, had not heeded federal recommendations regarding its wind farm operations in Wyoming’s Carbon and Laramie counties and in New Mexico.
ESI had agreed to plead guilty to killing and wounding eagles in its wind energy operations, violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
It pleaded guilty to three counts of violating the MBTA, “each based on the documented deaths of golden eagles due to blunt force trauma from being struck by a wind turbine blade” at the operations lacking necessary federal permits.
On Tuesday, the company was sentenced in Cheyenne for those violations, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. attorney for Wyoming announced, via a DOJ news release sent by email Wednesday.
ESI faces a fine of $1.86 million, $6.21 million in restitution and a five-year period of probation in which it must adhere to an eagle management plan.
This plan requires up to $27 million in steps “intended to minimize additional eagle deaths and injuries, and payment of compensatory mitigation for future eagle deaths and injuries of $29,623 per bald or golden eagle,” DOJ said. “ESI also must over the next 36 months apply for permits for any unavoidable take of eagles at each of 50 of its facilities where take is documented or, in the case of four facilities not yet operational, predicted.”
The MBTA bars the “taking” of migratory birds without a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Taking” includes killing such wildlife.
NextEra disagreed with how the government interpreted the law here, even though it said it signed on to the settlement to “resolve this dispute and focus our attention on continuing to develop, build, and operate emissions-free wind energy centers for a lower carbon America built by good-paying American jobs.”
The company noted that the violations it pleaded guilty to are misdemeanors.
In the company’s legal reasoning, MBTA “does not require a permit to cover unintentional collisions that occur when eagles fly into properly developed wind energy facilities.”
“Unfortunately, the federal government, at odds with many states and a number of federal court decisions, has sought to criminalize unavoidable accidents related to collisions of birds into wind turbines while at the same time failing to address other activities that result in far greater numbers of accidental eagle and other bird mortalities,” the energy firm said.
Its statement was issued by NextEra Energy CEO Rebecca Kujawa.
In a video on its website, NextEra calls itself “the nation’s leader in energy storage” and “the world’s largest generator of wind and solar energy.”
The company would not answer most questions for this story, beyond confirming the location of its operations that were cited by the U.S. Nor would industry groups provide information about steps U.S. companies in general take to avoid inadvertently killing any species of birds.
In Wyoming, NextEra operations mentioned by the DOJ are its Cedar Springs Transmission multi-facility commercial wind power project in Converse County and Roundhouse Renewable Energy facility in Laramie County.
According to NextEra’s website, it has made $729 million in capital investments in Wyoming and it has about 10 employees (or possibly 51, depending on which figure is used) in the state, where it has a 4.6% market share of electricity sold.
The company has a few hundred turbines at those two areas, and their total rated capacity is several hundred megawatts, according to the U.S. Wind Turbine Database, which is partly affiliated with the U.S. Department of the Interior.
At the high end of that power range, that is more electricity than is used in Cheyenne.
Throughout the country, according to the federal database, there are more than 70,000 turbines in 44 states, as well as Guam and Puerto Rico.
The other site involved in the settlement with the government involves ESI’s FPL Energy New Mexico Wind, which DOJ said has wind power facilities in De Baca and Quay counties in that state.
At around the end of December 2020, “two golden eagle carcasses were found near a wind turbine” at this facility, the federal agency said.
Back at the two wind farm sites in Wyoming, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had told ESI that, by building the turbine operations, it ran the risk of killing golden and bald eagles. Nonetheless, the company did not seek any of the take permits from FWS nor did it take cautionary actions, the government said.
In some instances for some of the facilities, the agency had recommended that there not be any such development.
Some wind farms do take precautions so that they avoid killing birds, which can fly into their turbines, according to the government and an expert who spoke with the WTE. In fact, the government said that ESI by not taking these measures got a leg up on rival energy producers that follow the rules.
“ESI and its affiliates received hundreds of millions of dollars in federal tax credits for generating electricity from wind power at facilities that it operated, knowing that multiple eagles would be killed and wounded without legal authorization, and without, in most instances, paying restitution or compensatory mitigation,” the DOJ said.
FWS and other organizations like the conservancy have guidelines that wind farm operators can follow so they avoid killing birds, said the American Bird Conservancy’s Joel Merriman. Such tools help identify areas where wind farm development would risk harming birds and areas where it is OK.
“There are good resources out there to steer wind energy developers toward the right locations,” said Merriman, director of the bird conservancy’s Bird-Smart Wind Energy Campaign. “We can have wind energy without undue impacts to wildlife.”
Although there are a range of estimates researchers have reached over the years, the bird group estimates that more than half a million birds are killed each year in the U.S. due to wind turbines.
Eagles, for animal-developmental, migration and other reasons, are among the more vulnerable bird and raptor species to getting killed by turbines, Merriman said by phone.
“Eagles are particularly vulnerable to collisions with wind turbines,” he said. “A lot of that is due to the fact that they spend a lot of time on the wing and they are essentially distracted fliers. They hunt while they are flying.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/wyo-wind-operator-to-pay-8m-in-pact-over-killing-eagles/article_04afeb61-2167-5d11-bb4b-56f286a15403.html
| 2022-04-08T12:59:52Z
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JACKSON — Matt Fagan is a bit resigned to the reality of what’s ahead for the summer of 2022.
“Do I think it’s going to be bumper to bumper at times from Teton Village to the Yellowstone South Entrance? Yes,” said Fagan, the owner of Jackson-based guiding company Buffalo Roam Tours. “Do I think it’s going to be like that this year and the year after and the year after? Yeah.”
But faced with a summer of certain traffic, the result of expected visitation and planned construction projects on roadways in Teton County, Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, Fagan and other wildlife guides who spoke with the News&Guide aren’t particularly fazed.
For one, Jackson Hole has become increasingly congested in the past few years as visitation records have been broken year over year. And Fagan and people like Tenley Thompson, the general manager at Jackson Hole EcoTour Adventures, have seen traffic before.
“It’s always something,” Thompson said with a laugh. “We’ve run programs in years where half of the lower loop” — the bottom portion of the figure eight road in Yellowstone — “is on fire.”
“This certainly presents a challenge but it’s not a particularly unique challenge,” Thompson said.
So like the animals they watch in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, wildlife guides are planning to adapt. Thompson sees opportunity: Exploring areas of the parks besides “the greatest hits.”
Fagan, meanwhile, is planning to leave early to beat the traffic.
“It’s not my first rodeo,” Fagan said.
Underpinning the expected adaptations is a slate of construction projects in the national parks and Teton County. Yellowstone National Park has just completed a $28 million renovation of the stretch of road from Tower-Roosevelt to Chittenden Road, a project that closed a stretch of road near Dunraven Pass for two years.
In coming years, it plans to spend another $103 million to complete three projects, aiming to condense delays into a few years rather than spreading it out over a longer time horizon. Those include replacing two 60-or-so-year-old bridges over the Yellowstone and Lewis rivers and repaving 22 miles of the Grand Loop Road between Old Faithful, the park’s iconic geyser, and West Thumb, the western stretch of Yellowstone Lake.
“While we always strive to execute projects in the least impacting way, the Old Faithful to West Thumb and Lewis River Bridge projects will seriously disrupt travel entering and exiting the park’s south entrance,” Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly said in a press release. “Visitors should plan accordingly.”
Those projects come as Grand Teton National Park plans a major construction project of its own: Paving the 1.4-mile gravel section of Moose-Wilson Road, which connects Teton Village with the Moose entrance station. The more southerly park will also improve facilities surrounding its Granite Canyon entrance.
And, while that happens, Teton County is slated to pave the unpaved stretch of Spring Gulch Road.
That leaves Highway 89/26/191 as the main artery connecting Jackson to Yellowstone’s south entrance.
The national parks’ construction projects are also slated to span multiple years.
Jason Williams, the 15-year owner of Jackson Hole Wildlife Safaris who sold the business this winter, said the Moose-Wilson Road closure, combined with the airport closure — planned for April 11 to June 27 — and possible Spring Gulch Road work will likely pinch the southern stretches of the valley.
“That’ll probably be the hardest couple weeks. No Spring Gulch, no Moose-Wilson,” Williams said, adding that the Wyoming Department of Transportation may also be doing some work to prepare for its replacement of the Snake River bridge and intersection of Highway 22 and 390, projects set for 2023.
WYDOT Resident Engineer Bob Hammond wasn’t able to respond to a request for comment before press time.
Heather Overholser, Teton County’s Director of Public Works, and other public works officials were likewise out of office and couldn’t comment on plans for replacing Spring Gulch Road by Tuesday afternoon.
But Williams said the construction projects in Grand Teton and Yellowstone are necessary.
“The ecosystem is pretty dang healthy, but the infrastructure is not because the investment hasn’t kept up with the need for it over the years,” Williams said. “This is really a much-needed infusion into that infrastructure.”
Yellowstone, for example, estimated in 2018 that it had $586 million worth of deferred maintenance projects. Three projects completed since 2020 were supposed to reduce that number by $50 million. The three slated to be completed over the next few years are set to cut another $100-or-so million from that total.
The Yellowstone and Grand Teton work is being funded by the Great American Outdoors Act, a bipartisan bill that established the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund. That pot of federal cash is funded by revenue from energy development and aimed at addressing national parks’ maintenance needs.
“If we have to sit through a little bit of traffic or anything else so in the long run everybody has a better experience in the parks, that’s well worth it for us,” said Thompson, EcoTour Adventures’ general manager. “Nobody wants the construction, but everybody wants the results.”
Fagan of Buffalo Roam, meanwhile, advised that people buckle up — and be ready to wait.
“Everybody just needs to take their time, take a few deep breaths and look out the window,” Fagan.
The views of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, he said, are “awesome.” And that’s true even in traffic.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/yellowstone-wildlife-guides-not-concerned-about-congestion/article_e927a9f6-56f1-56b7-a7f6-7941839566c6.html
| 2022-04-08T12:59:58Z
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Years ago when my husband and I were dating I learned a powerful lesson. He would occasionally say something like, “I need a couple of days.”
What? I immediately took it personally and thought something was wrong. What did I do? What did I say? He must be angry at me. I would call him and stop by his house to see if he was OK. After all, I must have said or done something to upset him.
He would assure me I hadn’t and that it didn’t have anything to do with me or “us.”
I soon realized he was right. It didn’t have anything to do with me. It didn’t have anything to do with us. He was not angry. He was not upset. We just have different ways of recharging. He needs downtime, a quiet respite to rest, relax and regenerate. He needs to do this alone.
When I need recharging, however, being alone makes it worse. I feed on the energy of being with people. Talking, laughing and companionship regenerates me, so of course when he would tell me he needed time to himself I felt pushed away. I thought there must be a problem.
I took it personally.
How many times in life do we take things personally and the reality is that it has nothing to do with us? Whenever a stressful situation happens, many of us default immediately to the negative. We blame ourselves.
Let’s look at it differently. Let go of the immediate assumption and realize it isn’t always about us. It could always be something else that causes someone to be cranky, in a hurry or snap at another. It can always be another reason that someone needs time alone. It isn’t always about us.
Here is a trick to help with this self-inflicted internalization of blame and stress. Use this with your family, spouse, children and coworkers. Q-TIP it! Yes, Q-TIP it! Quit Taking It Personally!
As a reminder, take a couple of Q-tips and tape them to your computer, bathroom mirror or car visor. Look at them often and when something happens in life that sets off your internal blame game, remember to Q-TIP.
The lesson I learned from my now husband all those years ago has saved me from many hours of needless worry. It isn’t always about me. And guess what? Now we recharge using what works for both of us. We recharge together, laughing, talking and in the quiet space of each other’s companionship.
We practice of the art of Q-tipping it.
Pennie’s Life Lesson:“When the stress of life sets off your internal blame game, Q-TIP it! Quit Taking It Personally!”
Pennie Hunt is a Wyoming-based author, blogger and speaker. Contact her atpenniehunt@gmail.com.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/contributed_columns/dont-take-it-personally-q-tip-it/article_b31254b8-d1d0-5cfb-9355-312cc7e393f8.html
| 2022-04-08T13:00:05Z
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When I was 2 years old, I startled my parents by emerging from their bedroom playing with a loaded handgun. My father, an Air Force policeman, accidentally left it out when he came home exhausted after his shift.
Many years later, Dad told me what happened and how it likely shaved a few years off his life.
The next time I picked up one of his pistols, it was with intention. I was 17, a high school senior who was in a spiraling depression.
I can’t remember anything particularly bad occurring that day. I just had an overwhelming feeling that nothing was ever going to get any better.
So, I decided to kill myself. And I knew just how to do it.
When my parents went shopping that night, I made an excuse not to go. I took the pistol from their closet, where it was tucked behind Dad’s cowboy hat. It was loaded, for the family’s defense.
I went to my room and sat on the edge of the bed. I was remarkably calm as I pointed the gun at my head, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I don’t know how long I stayed in that position, but it seemed like forever, as if I was watching someone else’s life.
I didn’t pull the trigger, but not because my depression suddenly lifted. I had the same feeling of hopelessness, but I didn’t want my parents to come home and find me dead. I couldn’t cause them that kind of pain.
I put the gun back in its holster, returned it into the hiding place and went downstairs to watch TV, trying to pretend I was normal.
I needed help, but that was impossible. Members of my military family were expected to solve their own problems. Therapists? Psychiatrists? Out of the question.
Two decades later, I finally sought assistance. But I never told anyone else about that night, until now.
Wyoming has the highest suicide rate in the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 182 people in the state took their own lives in 2020. That’s 31 per 100,000 individuals, more than double the national average.
We won’t lower our suicide rate if we aren’t willing to talk about it. I’ll go anywhere, in person if possible, or on Zoom, if sharing my experiences could help someone.
I didn’t seek professional help until I was 37, when panic attacks left me so debilitated I couldn’t even walk into my newsroom one morning.
I made an appointment with a psychiatrist, then tried to cancel it the next day. The receptionist wouldn’t let me, and I’m forever grateful to her.
Medication ended the panic attacks. My official diagnosis is “major depressive disorder.” It’s a chronic condition that affects more than 3 million people a year in the U.S. It can ebb and flow throughout one’s lifetime, which has been my experience.
With a combination of the right meds and psychotherapy, MDD can be successfully treated. I’ve been fortunate to have a series of caring therapists help me cope. My suicidal thoughts haven’t magically disappeared, but I have no intention to harm myself.
Gov. Mark Gordon asked the Legislature to spend $7 million to extend two suicide prevention hotlines to 24/7 in-state service. The Legislature came up with $2.1 million.
Wyoming LifeLine expanded its operating hours from weekdays to seven days, but only from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call (800) 273-TALK (8255).
From 4 p.m. to midnight, calls are automatically routed to the state’s other hotline, operated by Central Wyoming Counseling Center at 307-776-0610. At midnight, calls are handled by national overflow centers till 4 a.m.
The latter calls aren’t answered by people who can direct those who need help to local services. Wyoming needs a sustainable plan to staff a state-based suicide prevention hotline around the clock.
My father wanted to protect his family, not realizing his loaded gun could do me harm. He never dreamed I might be suicidal, and if he was still alive, I wouldn’t have written this column.
But I think he’d recognize that I’ve shared to stress the importance of keeping kids safe. I’ve never allowed firearms in our home, but parents have no control over how other families secure their weapons.
Too many of my friends and relatives have either tried to kill themselves or taken their own lives. I’ve seen families, schools and entire communities shattered by these experiences. It’s heartbreaking.
We’re all in this together. Wyoming has capable professionals and volunteers trying to reduce suicide deaths, but it’s not easy. Insufficiently funding programs makes it more difficult.
In 1972, I didn’t know who to turn to, and I’m lucky an impulsive act didn’t end my life. We tend to believe we can “cowboy up” and handle our own problems. That isn’t possible with serious mental health issues that lead to suicide.
Statistics show what we’re doing simply isn’t enough. Let’s openly talk about it, provide local help 24/7 and assure people they don’t have to go it alone.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/contributed_columns/drake-to-prevent-wyo-suicides-cowboy-up-isn-t-an-answer/article_98b54ffc-1f15-506d-9b5b-c54c7018669b.html
| 2022-04-08T13:00:11Z
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CHEYENNE – The city of Cheyenne is making some minor adjustments to its ward boundaries leading up to the filing period beginning in mid-May for those seeking to be elected to the City Council.
According to Mayor Patrick Collins, the process is required following a U.S. census, and will follow the statewide redistricting process of drawing new House and Senate district maps.
“Our ward boundaries will shift,” Collins explained. “We had the census, and our goal, based on that census, is to create wards that are compact and as uniform in size as possible.”
During its redistricting process, lawmakers added two new House districts to the statewide map. One of those new districts, House District 9, sits within the city of Cheyenne, stretching into the eastern part of the city near Hayes Avenue.
“New ward lines will include that change,” Collins told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle this week.
Legislative changes came late in the game, leaving the council without much time to make its own adjustments before the candidate filing period opens May 12. Several stakeholders criticized the Legislature’s process, which resulted in an agreement to add one House and two Senate seats. Gov. Mark Gordon expressed concern about it, though he did not veto the redistricting law.
“The Legislature was late this year, and that didn’t give us a lot of time,” Collins said. “If we start right now, and we don’t have any delays, we can meet the requirements that the county has to get the precincts designed, so that on May 12 people can register to run for office.”
Historically, Ward 2 has comprised the areas north of Dell Range Boulevard. Ward 1 has been made up of homes south Dell Range and west of Logan Avenue, and Ward 3 has been south of Dell Range and east of Logan.
Following proposed changes, Ward 2 will dip a little south of Dell Range to accommodate the new House District 9 boundary. Ward 3 has grown so much, Collins said, that the boundary of Ward 1 will move a bit to the east to follow Converse Avenue. That would mean areas south of Dell Range and west of Converse Avenue would be Ward 1, and south of Dell Range and east of Converse would be Ward 3.
“They are going to look a lot like they will today, and it seems to work well also because our current council people will be able to stay in their existing wards,” Collins said. “That is not necessary, but it is one of the things that comes out of this that is positive.”
According to City Clerk Kris Jones, the municipal redistricting plan will go before the full City Council on Monday, and then to the Public Services Committee on April 19. Final approval by the council is scheduled for April 25.
City Council members whose terms are ending this election cycle are Scott Roybal, representing Ward 1; Ward 2’s Mark Rinne; and, from Ward 3, Ken Esquibel.
Changes floated
Cheyenne resident Boyd Wiggam has approached the council with the idea of expanding the ward system from three to five wards, although there likely isn’t time before the candidate filing period opens to do so.
“Basically, my request is that as we are redistricting, this is an opportunity to reduce the number of people living in each City Council ward,” Wiggam said.
Wiggam contends that it should not take more people to win a Cheyenne City Council seat than it takes to win a state Senate seat.
“My idea is pretty basic. When we look at the population of each ward in the city of Cheyenne, and we have three wards, if we take an average population … what I come up with is that the population in a Cheyenne city ward is larger than the maximum population in a Wyoming state Senate district,” Wiggam said.
“When you talk about local government, one of the things you talk about is how close to the people it is, or the influence people have over who is elected,” he continued. “I translate that in my mind to a lower ratio of population per electoral district.”
He suggested that perhaps a new ward could be centered on the south side of Cheyenne. During the statewide redistricting process, a contingency of residents from the south Cheyenne area asked to be included in one House and Senate district voting block, but that request was not included in the final plans.
Proposed new ward boundaries still have to be finalized by the council.
State law requires ward boundary adjustments after the census, and it also allows for changes to be made if the city has a large annexation or changes in population, Collins said. Whether it would allow for a change in ward numbers, he said, is unclear. He said that he is not against the discussion, it is just that there simply isn’t time for the public process necessary, including three readings, on a new city ordinance.
“Quite frankly, I don’t think anyone thought there was a need to do this, but now that someone has asked about it, it makes you think,” Collins said. “But we just ran out of time.”
If state law allows the council to go back and look at the idea later, Collins, the only at-large member of the city government, said he is “very open” to having that conversation.
“Unfortunately, we should have started that process months ago,” Collins said.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/cheyenne-city-council-ward-boundaries-to-see-some-small-changes-thanks-to-redistricting/article_35951590-d6e9-5bd5-84cb-e454e24a5fc3.html
| 2022-04-08T13:00:17Z
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/city-cancels-friday-work-session-about-opengov-software/article_7f0f03b7-7eda-57ce-9af8-b8b6f2e218f8.html
| 2022-04-08T13:00:23Z
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When I was 2 years old, I startled my parents by emerging from their bedroom playing with a loaded handgun. My father, an Air Force policeman, accidentally left it out when he came home exhausted after his shift.
Many years later, Dad told me what happened and how it likely shaved a few years off his life.
The next time I picked up one of his pistols, it was with intention. I was 17, a high school senior who was in a spiraling depression.
I can’t remember anything particularly bad occurring that day. I just had an overwhelming feeling that nothing was ever going to get any better.
So, I decided to kill myself. And I knew just how to do it.
When my parents went shopping that night, I made an excuse not to go. I took the pistol from their closet, where it was tucked behind Dad’s cowboy hat. It was loaded, for the family’s defense.
I went to my room and sat on the edge of the bed. I was remarkably calm as I pointed the gun at my head, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I don’t know how long I stayed in that position, but it seemed like forever, as if I was watching someone else’s life.
I didn’t pull the trigger, but not because my depression suddenly lifted. I had the same feeling of hopelessness, but I didn’t want my parents to come home and find me dead. I couldn’t cause them that kind of pain.
I put the gun back in its holster, returned it into the hiding place and went downstairs to watch TV, trying to pretend I was normal.
I needed help, but that was impossible. Members of my military family were expected to solve their own problems. Therapists? Psychiatrists? Out of the question.
Two decades later, I finally sought assistance. But I never told anyone else about that night, until now.
Wyoming has the highest suicide rate in the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 182 people in the state took their own lives in 2020. That’s 31 per 100,000 individuals, more than double the national average.
We won’t lower our suicide rate if we aren’t willing to talk about it. I’ll go anywhere, in person if possible, or on Zoom, if sharing my experiences could help someone.
I didn’t seek professional help until I was 37, when panic attacks left me so debilitated I couldn’t even walk into my newsroom one morning.
I made an appointment with a psychiatrist, then tried to cancel it the next day. The receptionist wouldn’t let me, and I’m forever grateful to her.
Medication ended the panic attacks. My official diagnosis is “major depressive disorder.” It’s a chronic condition that affects more than 3 million people a year in the U.S. It can ebb and flow throughout one’s lifetime, which has been my experience.
With a combination of the right meds and psychotherapy, MDD can be successfully treated. I’ve been fortunate to have a series of caring therapists help me cope. My suicidal thoughts haven’t magically disappeared, but I have no intention to harm myself.
Gov. Mark Gordon asked the Legislature to spend $7 million to extend two suicide prevention hotlines to 24/7 in-state service. The Legislature came up with $2.1 million.
Wyoming LifeLine expanded its operating hours from weekdays to seven days, but only from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call (800) 273-TALK (8255).
From 4 p.m. to midnight, calls are automatically routed to the state’s other hotline, operated by Central Wyoming Counseling Center at 307-776-0610. At midnight, calls are handled by national overflow centers till 4 a.m.
The latter calls aren’t answered by people who can direct those who need help to local services. Wyoming needs a sustainable plan to staff a state-based suicide prevention hotline around the clock.
My father wanted to protect his family, not realizing his loaded gun could do me harm. He never dreamed I might be suicidal, and if he was still alive, I wouldn’t have written this column.
But I think he’d recognize that I’ve shared to stress the importance of keeping kids safe. I’ve never allowed firearms in our home, but parents have no control over how other families secure their weapons.
Too many of my friends and relatives have either tried to kill themselves or taken their own lives. I’ve seen families, schools and entire communities shattered by these experiences. It’s heartbreaking.
We're all in this together. Wyoming has capable professionals and volunteers trying to reduce suicide deaths, but it’s not easy. Insufficiently funding programs makes it more difficult.
In 1972, I didn’t know who to turn to, and I’m lucky an impulsive act didn’t end my life. We tend to believe we can “cowboy up” and handle our own problems. That isn’t possible with serious mental health issues that lead to suicide.
Statistics show what we’re doing simply isn’t enough. Let’s openly talk about it, provide local help 24/7 and assure people they don’t have to go it alone.
|
https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/guest_column/drake-to-prevent-wyo-suicides-cowboy-up-isn-t-an-answer/article_8e9b550c-1c8b-5e73-b630-945d8e32d69d.html
| 2022-04-08T13:00:29Z
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The commissioners of Park County are considering a proposal to boost voter confidence while satisfying every legal requirement. The plan was presented at an April 5 meeting of the commission, which is posted on YouTube. (It begins at the 4:07 mark).
Park County resident Dave McMillan explained: “This is not a partisan issue.” Americans across the political spectrum lack confidence in our ability to conduct an honest election. An ABC/Ipsos poll conducted in late December reveals that only 20% of the public is “very confident” about election integrity. That is a 46% drop from only one year ago.
A major cause for the precipitous decline in confidence is the advent of the computerized polling machine (aka e-voting). These entered Wyoming elections in 2006, but their history goes back to the contested presidential election of 2000.
Two years after the infamous “hanging chad” shenanigans in Florida, President Bush signed into law the “Help America Vote Act” (HAVA). This sweeping federal legislation established the “Election Assistance Commission” (EAC) consisting of four unelected appointees. The EAC was empowered to rewrite election standards and to establish a bureaucracy to enforce them.
Formally, the EAC is prohibited from imposing “any requirement on any state” (Part 2, section 209). Nevertheless, through multi-million-dollar grants, it entices states to follow its “recommendations,” and through threats of investigation by the Department of Justice, it bullies the reluctant.
Responding to the carrot and the stick, Wyoming eventually abandoned hand counting in favor of the newly emerging technology of e-voting.
Immediately, the new technology was called into question. A year after the EAC began pushing e-voting, the New York Times published an exposé on its inherent security vulnerabilities: “How to Hack an Election.” Likewise, CNN detailed “The trouble with e-Voting” in August 2004. Since then, there have been over 100 other such articles that document the numerous ways election hardware and software can be hacked.
Malignant algorithms can be hidden in the software or hardware of machines at the factory. They can also be introduced through removable memory, or they can be uploaded to machines that are plugged into a network.
But even if you disable the removable memory ports, and unplug the network cable, a simple 120v power cord can be made to upload data. Embedded modems, sometimes invisible to the naked eye, make the machine accessible, even if it is hermetically sealed in a box and running on batteries. For proof of this, simply place your cellphone in a locked safe and send it a text.
In 2020, Wyoming bought DS200 tabulators from Election Systems and Software. But only two months earlier, ES&S admitted to NBC News that “14,000 of their DS200 tabulators with online modems are currently in use around the country.” That’s why tamper-proof security tape and “look, no cables” demonstrations may impress the impressionable, but only heighten the concerns of cybersecurity experts.
Voters concerned about hacking do not have the burden of proof. Election officials do. No law or constitutional principle requires citizens to trust elections. Rather, election officials are required by law to earn the trust of the electorate. And every county clerk already knows how to earn that trust.
Wyoming Statute 22-10-108 spells out exactly how to match up the numbers on the tabulator with an actual hand count of ballots. That simple act verifies the electronic count and satisfies even the most Luddite witness. What it cannot do, given the wonders of technology, is to prove that the program remains unchanged for the next count. That’s why the Park County commissioners are considering a simple proposal to extend the rigors of the pre-election test to a post-election test as well.
The EAC has assured Wyoming that ES&S’s software (EVS 6.0.4.0) is certified. But that dodges the question. The question is whether the certified software on any given machine has been altered; and that is not so easily dismissed. First, it is logically impossible to prove a negative. But on top of that, three recent filings testify that it can be hacked.
First, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) blocked release of a forensic report on Georgia’s e-voting arguing that the report can expose the already-existing vulnerabilities. Second, President Obama’s nominee for the Federal Election Commission has stated under oath that Georgia’s machines switched votes in the 2018 election. Third, Wisconsin’s Office of Special Counsel reported: “The OSC learned that all machines in Green Bay were ESS machines and were connected to a secret, hidden Wi-Fi access point” (page 14).
Paper ballots are the actual instruments of democracy. They, and not the machines, settle elections. Why not adopt the simple solution offered in Park County? Is there any better way to prove an accurate count? Wyoming’s secretary of state could lead the nation in restoring voter confidence.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/guest_column/lange-park-county-can-lead-the-way-to-restoring-voter-confidence/article_6376b479-3a65-5960-a55b-90d71863b6ac.html
| 2022-04-08T13:00:36Z
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/townnews/sport/mirafuentes-named-mw-diver-of-the-year/article_57a209db-635c-5f1c-b111-83a8e9328363.html
| 2022-04-08T13:00:42Z
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Burns football coach Brad Morrison, center, stepped down Thursday. Morrison guided the Broncs to a 15-19 record during his four seasons on the sidelines. WTE/file
CHEYENNE – To say that Brad Morrison has been a busy man for the past two years would be an understatement.
He and his wife added another child to their family while Morrison coached Burns’ football team, worked as a substitute teacher in both Laramie County School District 1 and LCSD2, and pursued his master’s degree so he could become a social studies teacher.
Morrison completed his student teaching alongside Burns athletic director Barry Ward this past fall to earn his master’s degree. However, there were no junior high or high school social studies teaching jobs available in Burns.
That fact, combined with the desire to spend more time with family led Morrison to step down as the Broncs football coach Thursday morning.
“During the season, I would get home at 7, put my boys to bed, eat dinner with my wife, then work on school and football while my family was sleeping,” Morrison said. “Throw in (COVID-19) and those difficulties, and it was a bit of a grind, to be truthful.”
Burns posted a 15-19 record during Morrison’s four seasons on the sideline. That included a 7-3 mark and a berth in the Class 2A semifinals in 2019.
Prior to coming to Burns, Morrison was defensive coordinator at Thermopolis High from 2011-15. He stepped down from that post to take over as Hot Springs County’s recreation director. Morrison returned to the Bobcats as an assistant for one season before taking over in Burns.
Morrison grew up in Lamar, Colorado, and played football at Sterling (Kansas) College, which is a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics member. He moved to Thermopolis after earning his degree in sports management.
“We want to thank him for all he did for our kids and wish him the best going forward,” Ward said. “You can’t blame anyone for wanting to improve their situation for their family. He worked really hard to get his (master’s), and I’m really happy for him.”
Morrison also expressed gratitude to the Broncs.
“I’ll take a ton of valuable experience from my time at Burns, as well as great relationships with the staff and kids here,” he said. “I’ve made a few lifelong friendships, and had some very special on-field moments that I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to top.”
Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on Twitter at @jjohnke.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/burns/brad-morrison-steps-down-as-burns-football-coach-to-pursue-teaching-opportunities/article_9106b75d-05b1-5948-a20a-cbf272ab2846.html
| 2022-04-08T13:00:48Z
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GIRLS SOCCER: South falls to Laramie Apr 8, 2022 1 hr ago Comments Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save CHEYENNE – Lawsen Quist scored Cheyenne South's lone goal in a 4-1 loss on the road at Laramie on Thursday. The loss puts South at 2-4 on the season. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save Recommended for you Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus Latest Special Section 2021 Wyoming Football Preview To view our latest e-Edition click the image on the left. Trending Now Early takeaways from UW spring practice Jordan Jones' stellar season with East almost never happened Talich accepted different role for Indians Wyoming QBs welcome competition UW’s new-look run game ready to carry torch Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. 2022 Wyoming Legislature Updates Sign up to receive daily headlines on the 2022 Wyoming Legislature session. News Updates Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today! News Updates - Laramie Boomerang Want to keep updated on news headlines? Sign up today! News Updates - Rawlins Times Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today! News Updates - Wyoming Business Report Would you like to receive our daily news? Sign up today! You must select at least one email list. Please enter a valid email address. Sign up Manage your lists
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_south/girls-soccer-south-falls-to-laramie/article_bd10aa44-a114-5982-a6bc-57b0702ca1fe.html
| 2022-04-08T13:00:54Z
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CHEYENNE – Laramie struggled with the wind and Cheyenne South’s offside trap during the first half of Thursday evening’s match at Bison Stadium.
The Plainsmen solved both during the second half of their 4-0 victory.
“We took the wind in the first half purposely because we thought we could take advantage of it at our back in the second half,” Laramie coach Anne Moore said. “A lot of our balls in the first half were under-played or were a second late because we were dribbling too much, so we kept getting caught offside. (South) did a really good job anticipating and pulling their line at the right time so we were offside.
“Those were issues, but we also weren’t playing the gaps or hitting the right pace on the ball to get it behind their defense.”
Laramie was called offside eight times on the night, including six in the first half alone.
The Plainsmen scored all of their goals in the match’s final 41 minutes. Senior Cameron Hoberg broke the ice in the 40th when a Gavin Baker pass got him deep in the penalty area and left him one-on-one with South goalkeeper Keegan Potter.
“It felt great to get that goal right before the half,” Hoberg said. “They ran an offside trap and we had something like seven offsides in the first half that kept us from getting any goals. (Baker) played a great ball into space and I was able to get our first goal.”
South spent the week working on an offside trap, and made it a point of emphasis going into Thursday night’s match first-year coach Josh Eastman said.
“We took a lead at Thunder Basin, and weren’t able to respond when they scored six goals,” he said. “We focused hard on the defensive line this week, and getting them to work together better as a unit. They had to learn to drop together better as a unit and know when to step and who to step to.
“DeMarcus Contreras has done a good job of leading our back line and communicating to everyone what they should be doing. They took a big step forward with how they set those offside traps. That really helped us a lot in the first half and gave us more opportunities on offense.”
Hoberg had a chance to add his second goal on a penalty kick during the 41st after he was fouled inside the 18 by Contreras. Hoberg sent the shot high over the goal.
He avenged that miss in the 44th when he took a pass from freshman Catcher Pannell and scored for a 2-0 lead.
Hoberg completed his hat trick during the 47th by stopping on a dime and letting the Bison defender run by before uncorking a shot for a 3-0 advantage.
“It was pretty embarrassing to miss that PK, but I’m happy I was able to make up for it with two more goals,” Hoberg said. “We did a good job of pressuring the ball in the second half, and that gave us more chances. South came out hard in the second half, but we came out a little harder.”
Karson Busch rounded out the scoring in the 50th after taking a pass from freshman defender Kai Boyer and striking a long shot that sailed between the outstretched hand of Potter and the crossbar.
“Laramie is very talented and really technical, but I felt like we had them a little frustrated in the first half,” Eastman said. “The wind also frustrated them because they weren’t able to connect passes like they’re used to. If we had been able to ride out that first half and get into the second scoreless, maybe the second half goes a little different.
“Getting that goal to end the first half really broke the ice for them and got them momentum.”
LARAMIE 4, SOUTH 0
Halftime: 1-0.
Goals: Laramie, Hoberg (Baker), 40. Laramie, Hoberg (Pannell), 44. Laramie, Hoberg (Whisenant), 47. Laramie, Busch (Boyer), 50.
Shots: Laramie 15, South 4. Shots on goal: Laramie 12, South 1. Saves: Laramie 1 (Aaron); South 8 (Potter).
Corner kicks: Laramie 6, South 5. Offsides: Laramie 8, South 0. Fouls: Laramie 10, South 3.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_south/laramie-boys-find-touch-in-second-half-of-win-at-south/article_d78e6962-43f2-5c33-8c15-55d187f08313.html
| 2022-04-08T13:01:00Z
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LARAMIE – A new-look University of Wyoming secondary has come along nicely through five practices this spring, but the group was bit by the injury bug Thursday afternoon.
Sophomore safety Isaac White, who recorded 33 tackles, 26 solo stops, two tackles for loss, one sack, one fumble recovery and one interception in the final six games of 2021, suffered a high hamstring pull on a run play. UW coach Craig Bohl expects him to miss several weeks as a result of the injury.
“I’d venture to say he’s probably done for the spring, just because when you get that high up in the butt, it takes a longer time to heal,” Bohl said. “The fortunate thing is that’s something he’ll be able to come back from, as opposed to an (anterior cruciate ligament) tear.”
Despite this setback, Bohl had an overall positive tone when discussing the progress of the Cowboys’ defensive backfield – which lost four starters at the safety and cornerback positions.
In addition to White, Bohl said senior safety Miles Williams has experienced substantial growth since the end of last season.
“We felt like we were making some really good progress,” Bohl said. “Miles Williams and Isaac both have made significant progress. That safety position is a complex position, so they have to process a lot. Both of those guys are pretty experienced, and I know (defensive coordinator Jay) Sawvel was really pleased with their progress thus far.
“Losing Isaac is going to put us back some ... but those two guys were coming around to where we felt good. To say those two are on the same level of Andrew Wingard and Marcus Epps, when we had two NFL starters back there, I wouldn’t say that right now. But I think the future looks bright.”
At cornerback, the development of sophomore Cameron Stone has been another source of optimism. Stone will compete with Power Five transfers Jakorey Hawkins and Deron Harrell for playing time at the position.
“He continues to challenge players,” Bohl said of Stone. “He had a really good offseason, and when he played last year, he played well. I think his experience in our system has lent itself to playing well, and I know he’s a competitor.
“We explained to him that we had two corners who had left, and as a result we were going to replace them with two corners, but that was not a reflection on our lack of confidence on his part. We just needed more bodies in the room.”
Bohl was not as happy when it came to the physicality he saw on the first day of full-contact practice, stating “it sounded like some pillows rushing into one another.” He would also like to see more from the quarterback position.
“It’s still a scramble at quarterback,” Bohl said. “There were some good things and some bad things. There were some errant throws I wasn’t pleased with, and we missed some long balls, so we didn’t make as much progress as what I’d like.
“The head ball coach wasn’t completely happy with today, but not every day is going to be a chamber of commerce day out there.”
Like quarterback and cornerback, weakside linebacker is another spot with a starting role up for grabs.
Shae Suiaunoa and Connor Shay are currently leading the competition, but Cole DeMarzo, Sam Scott and Read Sunn have also made progress in recent weeks. Linebackers coach Aaron Bohl hinted the Pokes likely won’t name a starter until shortly before the first game of the 2022 season.
“It’s always good, I’m not going to say to share the same spot, but to compete with each other,” said Suiaunoa, who was working with the first team Thursday. “Whenever they do something wrong, you can go back to the playbook and see what they did wrong. It’s really just learning from those guys, cheering them on and being great teammates. That linebacker group is like family.”
At receiver, the Cowboys are forced to replace their top two sources of production from last season. However, sophomore Joshua Cobbs – the team’s top returning receiver – has been praised by players and coaches on multiple occasions this spring for stepping up on the field and in the locker room.
The Pokes also bring back veterans Wyatt Wieland and Gunner Gentry, with receivers coach Mike Grant pointing to underclassmen Jaylen Sargent, Will Pelissier and Tyrese Grant as players poised to step into larger roles at the position.
“Those are probably the three guys that are coming up and emerging that you haven’t seen much on the field, but seem to be picking things up and moving forward,” Grant said.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/university_of_wyoming/football/pokes-make-progress-suffer-setback-in-secondary/article_237ff921-726e-5ad8-966c-c6c66e877855.html
| 2022-04-08T13:01:07Z
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/university_of_wyoming/womens_basketball/cowgirls-sanchez-ramos-will-forgo-her-extra-year-of-eligibility/article_65c5d6f4-93dd-5e63-82e9-85d47ae15aa2.html
| 2022-04-08T13:01:13Z
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‘I went Mike Tyson on him’: Homeowner describes taking down suspected burglars
OAK PARK, Calif. (KABC) - A California man refused to become a victim after two people reportedly broke into his home last week.
Sal Mercado said he “went Mike Tyson” on the burglars and credited his strong left and right hook for diffusing the situation.
Mercado said he was startled when he returned home Thursday and found a car parked out front with a driver inside.
After he entered his home, he said he came face-to-face with a stranger.
Mercado said he struck one of the burglars who then ran to the waiting vehicle.
“He starts to go to the side of me, to get out of the house, and I went ‘bam’ with a right cross. And he went down on the grass in the front yard. Picked himself up and ran to the car,” Mercado said.
However, it didn’t end there.
He saw a second man coming down the stairs and went into defense mode again, striking the mam, and causing him to stumble and fall on the grass outside.
“The thought was, ‘I got this guy, I want to catch him. I want to make sure he gets prosecuted. I want to make sure to hold him down until the cops get here,’” Mercado said.
Mercado said he feels lucky his family was not home when the bandits broke in.
One man is facing felony charges of first-degree residential burglary and conspiracy while the two other suspects are still at large.
Copyright 2022 KABC via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/i-went-mike-tyson-him-homeowner-describes-taking-down-suspected-burglars/
| 2022-04-08T14:09:01Z
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Jury gets bomb evidence in Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot trial
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Jurors entered a fifth day of deliberations Friday with pennies that were offered as evidence of an explosive earlier in the trial of four men charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
A court employee handed over a large plastic bag known as exhibit 291. The pennies were requested before jurors went home Thursday.
“If you want something different or something additional, just let us know,” U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker said. “We wish you well in your continuing deliberations.”
The jury is considering 10 charges in the case: one against Brandon Caserta, two against Adam Fox, three against Barry Croft Jr. and four against Daniel Harris. The men all face the main charge of a kidnapping conspiracy; the other counts are related to explosives and a firearm.
Pennies taped to a commercial-grade firework were intended to act like shrapnel, investigators said.
A homemade explosive was detonated during training in September 2020, according to evidence, about a month before the men were arrested.
In his closing argument on April 1, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler said Croft wanted to test the explosive as a possible weapon to use against Whitmer’s security team. He quoted him as saying the pennies would be so hot they could go “right through your skin.”
The trial now has covered 20 days since March 8, including jury selection, evidence, final arguments and jury deliberations.
Prosecutors offered testimony from undercover agents, a crucial informant and two men who pleaded guilty to the plot. Jurors also read and heard secretly recorded conversations, violent social media posts and chat messages.
Prosecutors said the group was steeped in anti-government extremism and angry over Whitmer’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Defense lawyers, however, said any scheme was the creation of government agents who were embedded in the group and manipulated the men.
Croft is from Bear, Delaware, while the others are from Michigan.
Whitmer, a Democrat, rarely talks publicly about the plot, though she referred to “surprises” during her term that seemed like “something out of fiction” when she filed for reelection on March 17.
She has blamed former President Donald Trump for fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists like those charged in the case.
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Find AP’s full coverage of the Whitmer kidnap plot trial at: https://apnews.com/hub/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial
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White reported from Detroit.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/jury-gets-bomb-evidence-gov-whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial/
| 2022-04-08T14:09:07Z
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Pink Floyd to release first new music in 28 years in support of Ukraine
LONDON (AP) — Pink Floyd is releasing its first new music in almost three decades to raise money for the people of Ukraine, the band announced Thursday.
“Hey Hey Rise Up” features Pink Floyd members David Gilmour and Nick Mason, with vocals from Ukrainian singer Andriy Khlyvnyuk of the band BoomBox. Roger Waters, who left the band in the 1980s, is not involved.
The track features Khlyvnyuk singing a patriotic Ukrainian song from a clip he recorded in front of Kyiv’s St. Sophia Cathedral and posted on social media.
Gilmour, who performed with BoomBox in London in 2015, said the video was “a powerful moment that made me want to put it to music.”
After Russia’s invasion, Khlyvnyuk cut short a tour of the U.S. to return to Ukraine and join a territorial defense unit.
Gilmour said he spoke to Khlyvnyuk, who was recovering in a hospital from a mortar shrapnel injury, while he was writing the song. He said: “I played him a little bit of the song down the phone line and he gave me his blessing. We both hope to do something together in person in the future.”
The song is being released Friday and the band says proceeds will go to the Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Fund.
“We want to express our support for Ukraine, and in that way show that most of the world thinks that it is totally wrong for a superpower to invade the independent democratic country that Ukraine has become,” Gilmour said.
Pink Floyd was founded in London in the mid-1960s and helped forge the U.K. psychedelic scene before releasing influential 1970s albums including “The Dark Side of the Moon,” “Wish You Were Here” and “The Wall.”
Original member Waters quit in 1985, and the remaining members of Pink Floyd last recorded together for the 1994 album “The Division Bell.” After keyboard player Richard Wright died in 2008, Gilmour said he doubted Pink Floyd would perform together again.
“Hey Hey Rise Up” also features Guy Pratt on bass and Nitin Sawhney on keyboards.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/pink-floyd-release-first-new-music-28-years-support-ukraine/
| 2022-04-08T14:09:13Z
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S. Carolina schedules 1st execution with firing squad ready
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina has scheduled its first execution after corrections officials finished updating the death chamber to prepare for executions by firing squad.
The clerk of the State Supreme Court has set an April 29 execution date for Richard Bernard Moore, a 57-year-old man who has spent more than two decades on death row after he was convicted of killing convenience store clerk James Mahoney in Spartanburg.
Moore could face a choice between the electric chair and the firing squad, two options available to death row prisoners after legislators altered the state’s capital punishment law last year in an effort to work around a decade-long pause in executions, attributed to the corrections agency’s inability to procure lethal injection drugs.
The new law made the electric chair the state’s primary means of execution while giving prisoners the option of choosing death by firing squad or lethal injection, if those methods are available.
The state corrections agency said last month it had finished developing protocols for firing squad executions and completed $53,600 in renovations on the death chamber in Columbia, installing a metal chair with restraints that faces a wall with a rectangular opening 15 feet (4.6 meters) away.
In the case of a firing squad execution, three volunteer shooters — all Corrections Department employees — will have rifles loaded with live ammunition, with their weapons trained on the inmate’s heart. A hood will be placed over the head of the inmate, who will be given the opportunity to make a last statement.
South Carolina is one of eight states to still use the electric chair and one of four to allow a firing squad, according to the Washington-based nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.
Moore is one of 35 men on South Carolina’s death row. He exhausted his federal appeals in 2020, and the state Supreme Court denied another appeal this week.
Lindsey Vann, an attorney for Moore, said Thursday she will ask the court to stay the execution.
The state last scheduled an execution for Moore in 2020, which was then delayed after prison officials said they couldn’t obtain lethal injection drugs.
During Moore’s 2001 trial, prosecutors said Moore entered the store looking for money to support his cocaine habit and got into a dispute with Mahoney, who drew a pistol that Moore wrestled away from him.
Mahoney pulled a second gun, and a gunfight ensued. Mahoney shot Moore in the arm, and Moore shot Mahoney in the chest. Prosecutors said Moore left a trail of blood through the store as he looked for cash, stepping twice over Mahoney.
At the time, Moore claimed that he acted in self-defense after Mahoney drew the first gun.
Moore’s supporters have argued his crime doesn’t rise to the level of heinousness in other death penalty cases in the state. His appeals lawyers have said that because Moore didn’t bring a gun into store, he couldn’t have intended to kill someone when he walked in.
South Carolina’s last execution was in 2011, when Jeffrey Motts, on death row for strangling a cellmate while serving a life sentence for another murder, abandoned his appeals and opted for the death chamber.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/s-carolina-schedules-1st-execution-with-firing-squad-ready/
| 2022-04-08T14:09:20Z
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Teen arrested for driving 151 mph and killing 6 in crash, police say
Published: Apr. 8, 2022 at 9:22 AM EDT|Updated: 47 minutes ago
PALM BEACH, Fla. (Gray News) - Police in Florida said a 17-year-old was arrested Wednesday for a deadly crash in January that killed six people.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Noah Galle was driving 151 mph when he hit a Nissan Rogue with six people inside Jan. 27. All six people inside the Nissan died.
Investigators found that Galle did not brake when he hit the Nissan.
Galle was arrested Wednesday on six counts of vehicular homicide and had his first court appearance Thursday morning.
Police did not provide further details.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/teen-arrested-driving-151-mph-killing-6-crash-police-say/
| 2022-04-08T14:09:26Z
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| 2022-04-08T14:56:49Z
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Man killed estranged wife, son, former daughter-in-law before taking his own life in Mississippi, sheriff says
JACKSON COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX/Gray News) - A father is accused of killing his estranged wife, their son and the son’s ex-wife before turning the gun himself, authorities said Friday.
The alleged murder-suicide happened Thursday between 7:30 and 8 p.m. local time at a home in the Latimer community, WLOX reported.
Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said deputies responded to a 911 call after receiving a report of a shooting. When the deputy arrived, he heard a single gunshot from the house, Ezell said.
That final shot is believed to have been the one fired by 64-year-old Thomas Griswold that ended his life.
Investigators said they believe he shot his estranged wife 64-year-old Veronica Griswold, their 36-year-old son Bjorn Griswold, and Bjorn’s ex-wife Jillian Pavolini, 39.
Copyright 2022 WLOX via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/man-killed-estranged-wife-son-former-daughter-in-law-before-taking-his-own-life-mississippi-sheriff-says/
| 2022-04-08T15:40:16Z
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Mass shooting suspect served less time due to California law
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A suspect arrested in connection with last weekend’s mass shooting outside bars in Sacramento served less than half his 10-year sentence because of voter-approved changes to state law that lessened the punishment for his felony convictions and provided a chance for earlier release.
Smiley Allen Martin was freed in February after serving time for punching a girlfriend, dragging her from her home by her hair and whipping her with a belt, according to court and prison records.
Those count as nonviolent offenses under California law, which considers only about two dozen crimes to be violent felonies — such as murder, rape, arson and kidnapping.
Martin, 27, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun. He is among the 12 people wounded during Sunday’s shooting, which killed six others.
Police have said the violence was a shootout between rival gangs in which at least five people fired weapons, including Martin’s brother, Dandrae Martin, who also was arrested. No one has yet been charged with homicide in the shooting.
Smiley Martin typically would have remained behind bars until at least May after serving a minimum of half his time for his previous arrest in 2017, but prison officials evidently used a very expansive approach to applying lockup time credits to his sentence, said Gregory Totten, chief executive officer of the California District Attorneys Association and a former Ventura County district attorney.
“They’ve been given very broad authority to early release folks and to give them additional credit and all kinds of considerations for purposes of reducing the length of sentence that somebody serves,” Totten said.
Corrections officials did not dispute that Martin was among thousands of inmates who received additional credits that sped up their releases under state law. But the officials said their policy prohibits disclosing what prison time credits Martin received.
They cited credits through Proposition 57, the 2016 ballot measure that aimed to give most of the state’s felons a chance of earlier release. Credits were also broadly authorized in California to lower the prison population during the pandemic.
Proposition 57 credits include good behavior while behind bars, though corrections officials declined to release Martin’s disciplinary report. Good conduct credit is supposed to be reserved for inmates who follow all the rules and complete their assigned duties.
The state “has implemented various credit-earning opportunities to incentivize good behavior and program participation for incarcerated individuals, including those created in furtherance of Proposition 57— which was overwhelmingly approved by voters,” state corrections spokesperson Vicky Waters said in a statement.
Supporters of the credits, including former Gov. Jerry Brown, who pushed for Proposition 57, have said it’s important to give inmates a second chance. The opportunity for earlier release encourages inmates to participate in education and other rehabilitative programs and helps to reduce mass incarceration.
“The most recent reforms in California are seeking to change a culture that has been churning out recidivism problems for generations,” said Will Matthews, spokesperson for the Californians for Safety and Justice group, which backed the changes. “The question we need to be asking ourselves is, how are we engaging in behavior change?”
Under Proposition 57, credits are granted for completing rehabilitative or educational programs, self-help and volunteer public service activities, earning a high school diploma or higher education degree and performing a heroic act. Officials added credits during the coronavirus pandemic, including 12 weeks of credit that applied to most inmates.
Martin was denied parole in May 2021 under California’s process for nonviolent offenders to get earlier parole, after a letter was sent from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said they objected to his parole based on his lengthy criminal record and asserted that Martin “clearly has little regard for human life and the law.”
Six months after he turned 18, Martin was caught in January 2013 with an assault rifle and two fully loaded 25-bullet magazines, prosecutors said. Months later, he pushed aside a Walmart clerk to steal computers worth $2,800, they said. In 2016, he was arrested as a parolee at large. And less than six months after that was the assault that sent him back to prison.
It’s not clear if Martin has an attorney who can comment on his behalf.
Martin pleaded no contest and was sent to prison on charges of corporal injury and assault likely to cause great bodily injury in January 2018 under a plea deal in which charges of kidnapping — considered a violent felony — and intimidating a witness or victim were dismissed.
The sentencing judge awarded Martin 508 days of credits for time he spent in Sacramento County jail before his conviction, based on a California law that allows judges to double the actual time in jail, which in Martin’s case was 254 days.
Martin also had “a variety of additional post-sentencing credits,” which corrections department spokesperson Dana Simas said were awarded for time served while awaiting transfer to state prison from county jail.
Before Proposition 57, he would have qualified for 20% “good time” credits — meaning he could reduce his time served by one-fifth — but corrections officials used their authority under the ballot measure to bump those to 50%. Pending regulations opposed by most of the state’s district attorneys would further increase good time credits to two-thirds of a sentence for such repeat offenders.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, a progressive Democrat who formerly led the state Senate, was among those upset when he learned of Martin’s record.
“If people have a history of committing violent acts, and they have not shown a propensity or willingness to change, I don’t think they should be out on the streets,” he said at an event where officials requested more than $3 billion from the state to expand crime prevention programs.
Republican state Sen. Jim Nielsen, who once headed the state parole board, said “good time” credits are generally awarded automatically, without inmates having to do anything to earn them.
“It gives them enormous opportunity to free up beds,” said Nielsen, an opponent of earlier releases.
The state has relied on such efforts, particularly its powers under Proposition 57, to keep the prison population below the level required by a panel of federal judges who ruled that inmate crowding had led to unconstitutionally poor conditions.
Martin was released to the supervision of the Sacramento County Probation Department in February. County probation officials wouldn’t provide the terms, saying their records are not public documents.
Without discussing Martin’s case, Karen Pank, executive director of the Chief Probation Officers of California, said generally someone coming out of prison on Post Release Community Supervision with an extensive and violent criminal history would likely have been treated on a “high-risk” caseload.
That would subject him to more intensive supervision, including a requirement that he check in with his probation officer more frequently and in person, although individualized determinations on risks and needs would be made and treatment and services would continue to be offered.
Hours before Sunday’s shootout, Martin posted a live Facebook video of himself brandishing a handgun, a law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to public discuss details of the shooting investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Pank said if there is evidence of a felon in possession of a firearm, that can be grounds for a violation, which may result in time in jail. However, it’s unlikely anyone from law enforcement could have acted in time even if they had seen the video.
“The big if is would they have known about it,” said Totten. But in this case, “it didn’t matter — it was so close to the time” of the shooting.
___
Associated Press writers Adam Beam, Stefanie Dazio and Michael Balsamo contributed to this story. Dazio reported from Los Angeles and Balsamo from Washington, D.C.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/mass-shooting-suspect-served-less-time-due-california-law/
| 2022-04-08T15:40:22Z
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ROCK SPRINGS --Sweetwater County School District No. 1 students’ art work continues to be featured at the Community Fine Arts Center with Eastside Elementary now through April 16th. Nearly 180 students are participating in this exhibit, under the instruction of Nancy Rollins and Kendra Lewis.
The CFAC continues to celebrate the importance of the arts in our schools by holding the annual displays. Rock Springs High School teacher Elmer Halseth encouraged his students as far back as the 1930s to raise money and he helped them to purchase art to hang in their classrooms. In 1966, he arranged for the expanded art collection to be on display for the public and the CFAC began to be an important feature of the town.
National Youth Art Month is observed in March each year, but the CFAC has art displays of the SCSD No. 1 students' artwork all spring. This national observation recognizes the importance of art and arts education in school programs. Art, music, and the performing arts activities can help students develop life skills including self-expression, problem solving, creativity, individuality, and being able to see the beauty both in traditional art forms and the world around them.
The following students are participating:
Fourth Grade: Jose Acosta, Calee Adams-Zink, Vianney Aguirre, Adalynn Allen, Pedro Amezquila-Martinez, Caleb Barry, Jones Bentlee, Christian Bettelyoun, Natalie Bolvito Arias, Cameron Bowles, Kayla Burklow, Richa Cherny, Madelin Chubb, Arianna Clark, Alec Coca, Brooklyn Condie, Ahna D’Anna, Layne Dandridge, Airrieauna Diaz Harper, Phillip Eccker, Linda Eguade, Ivan Faycosh, Kaylee Fitzgerald, Damarlen Garcia Jarquin, Zameson Gerken,
Harley Gonzalez, Noah Gregg, Bria Hafner, Sophia Hernandez, Dean Hughes, Shaunteya Hunt, Aurora Johnson, Averie Jones, Mariah Karnes, Taydin Kiser, Karlee Lewis, Sammy Lowell, Max Lucas, Jameson McInnes, Uriah Morgan, Lyric Mudd, Vanessa Overy, Baylee Pearson, Colton Pederson, Melody Pooler, Alexia Ribera-Little, Shaylin Robinson, Fabian Rodriguez-Sanchez, Felecity Seeley, Joe Sgrignoli, Tavia Shalata, Xzavier Skiles, Harlee Smith, Jaxen Smith, Natalie Sola Vargas, Daniel Sosa, Elliot Souza, Gracie Spiers, Jefferson Suchite, Jax Sweet-Willems, Drew Tedder, John Thompson, Angel Trujillo Marcos, Lilly Tulaga, Mia Valdez, Benton Vermillion, Payton Vieyra, Karson Wamsley, Peytyn Weilep, Denin Ziegler
Fifth grade: Leland Beck, Xander Bell, Jillian Bieber, Sammy Cairns, Kylie Chaffin, Carlor Colchado, River Cole, Fisher Copeland, Abigail Cruz, Madison Dever, Anna Durrant, California Eaton, Raelynn Fisher, Julia Flake, Carlitos Garcia-Castro, Roper Gomez, Julia Gustafson, Drake Hautala, Sophia Hayes, Harley Hornberger, Sophia Jackson, Kimber James, Alera Johns, Josh Jones, Ian Keele, Zack Lambert, Briseidy Martinez, Alexa Montoya-Breeze, Ireland Moore, Haylee Morgan, Yoni MuxPol, Kate Navarro, Aubrey Nickell, Ervin Nieto, Camila Pacheco, Jude Peck, Yareli Perez, Victoria Potter-Spanne, Isaac Rall, Cade Reitzel, Natalie Rios, Eli Rivera, Robert Roswell, Lesly Sagastume, Samantha Salgado, Miah Sheldon, Desmond Stocks, Persayous Stokes, Slade Swensen, Bentlee Trombley, Ella Wiig, Zailey Wright
Sixth Grade: Crisol Acevedo Jacinto, JennaRose Agudu, Parker Bates, Cienna Bethancourt, Layla Bieber, Ava Burklow, Kinley Busenbark, Tenleigh Cacares, Heimy Casasola, Aaliyah Casillas, Laila Copenburger, Aurelia Corbin, Leah Corrales, Lilyan Covolo, Eva Croff, Luis Cruz, Porter Dorigatti, Peter Falo, Kendra Flack, Garrett Flake, Jordana Frericks, Maci Hackney, MahKayla Harrington, Juan Hernandez Casas, McKinley House-Anson, Alorna Irwin, Byron Johnson, Steven Jurado, Gracee Kerns, Karley Keslar, Kenny Knox-Zanetti, Mercedes Krotzer, Kamdin Krueth, Wyatt Laughter, CJ Long, Caroline Lowell, Dominic Maldonado, Jackson McKenzie, Aubree Michael, Savannah Moore, Payson Muniz, Brylee Muniz, Isabella Nelson, Addison Nilles, Andrew Nilles, Hailee Penrod, Reyni Reese, Caleb Rogers, Fatima Sanchez, Chloe Senstock, Darren Skorcz, Ethan Spiers, Alexis Trombley, Hensley Vidales, Dakota Yurga, Kenya Zambrano
The next schools to exhibit will be Rock Springs Junior High School’s exhibit is April 19 – 30 with a reception on April 20th followed by Rock Springs and Black Butte High Schools from May 4 - 21 with a reception on May 4th.
Friends and family of the students, and the public, are encouraged to visit the CFAC to see the students’ exhibit as well as the permanent art collection owned by Sweetwater County School District No. One. Masks are suggested and we practice social distancing.
CFAC hours are Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/eastside-elementary-art-on-display-at-cfac/article_41e20b82-2359-592c-8a71-699f668a4656.html
| 2022-04-08T16:00:43Z
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CHEYENNE – Jackson Cook had scholarship offers to play soccer collegiately.
There was a lot to like about the schools offering the Cheyenne Central senior the opportunity to play goalkeeper – both athletically and academically. However, they weren’t offering him a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream.
“I wanted to play at the highest level possible,” Cook said, referring to NCAA Division I.
He will get that opportunity after signing a commitment letter to accept a preferred walk-on offer from Central Arkansas on Thursday afternoon.
“Being around the team and in that environment, the coaches and the training made me want to play at that level,” Cook said. “I think my work ethic could get me where I want to go, so I snatched up this opportunity.”
Cook is in his second season as a starter for Central. He also has played for Cheyenne Sting, Wyoming’s Olympic Development Program and the 307 Select club teams.
“I haven’t had a keeper in this program like him for about a decade,” said Tim Dennison, who has coached Central for nearly 40 years. “He had probably double-figure offers from schools that seriously wanted him to be part of their program.
“I’m happy for him. His work ethic is so good, and his leadership is so sound. His understanding of the game is very commendable. He’s going to do well.”
Cook also plays tennis for Central, and his all-around athleticism has been beneficial on the pitch.
“He’s like an aerial serpent,” Dennison said. “He makes tough shots that would be goals against most keepers look like pretty routine catches.”
Cook plans to study business communication with an emphasis in sports marketing.
“They have my major and one of the best business schools in the country,” Cook said. “The location is good, and I fell in love with the school when I went to visit it with my mom.
“Meeting all the people I did was huge. I’m going to be further from home, but it’s going to be a similar environment.”
Sullivan inks with LCCC volleyball
Lauren Sullivan wasn’t sure about her defensive abilities on the volleyball court until her club coach suggested she give the libero position a shot. Hearing that one of her coaches felt so good about her defense to suggest she play libero gave her an injection of confidence.
“I’ve played pretty much every position besides middle,” said the 5-foot-7 Sullivan. “I hit well and was smart with the ball, but I really started to stand out defensively.
“When I was put at libero, I had one coach that really pushed me and helped me get where I am now.”
Sullivan signed a letter of intent to play at Laramie County Community College on Wednesday afternoon. She expects to continue to be a defensive specialist for the Golden Eagles.
“The time she spent driving to Colorado to play on her club teams truly showed her commitment to volleyball and helped her develop her skills,” said Central coach Jessica Bratton-Vega, who coached Sullivan for one season. “She was a top player in most of our statistics whether it was serving, passing or hitting.
“She’s also a great teammate. She’s well-rounded and is going to do good things for LCCC.”
Sullivan said she liked her future teammates and the school’s proximity to home.
“I went in for a practice, and the team was so friendly and really included me,” said Sullivan, who will study nursing. “That really made me want to go there. So did it being close to home.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_central/central-s-cook-headed-to-central-arkansas/article_dedb8ab4-b4e5-5376-87fc-e9ea6171455e.html
| 2022-04-08T16:00:49Z
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Jury deliberating in ex-police officer’s Capitol riot trial
WASHINGTON (AP) — A defense attorney conceded on Friday that a former Virginia police officer broke laws when he entered the U.S. Capitol during last year’s riot, encouraging a federal jury to convict him of misdemeanor offenses.
But the lawyer urged jurors to acquit former Rocky Mount police officer Thomas Robertson of felony charges that he armed himself with a weapon and stormed the Capitol with another off-duty officer to obstruct Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory.
Jurors began deliberating after hearing closing arguments from Justice Department prosecutors and defense attorney Mark Rollins at Robertson’s jury trial, the second among hundreds of Capitol riot cases. The first ended last month with jurors convicting a Texas man, Guy Reffitt, of all five counts in his indictment.
Rollins said Robertson is “absolutely guilty” of illegally entering restricted areas of the Capitol and of engaging in disorderly conduct on Jan. 6, 2021. But the defense attorney argued that the evidence doesn’t support more serious charges that Robertson intended to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote or that he was armed with a dangerous weapon, a large wooden stick.
“There were no plans to go down there and say, ‘I’m going to stop Congress from doing this vote,’” Rollins said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower said Robertson went to Washington, D.C., and joined a “violent vigilante mob” because he believed the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump. He used the wooden stick to interfere with outnumbered police before he joined the crowd pouring into the Capitol, she said.
“The defendant did all this because he wanted to overturn the election,” Berkower said.
Robertson didn’t testify at his trial. A key witness for prosecutors in his case was Jacob Fracker, who also served on the Rocky Mount police force and viewed Robertson as a mentor and father figure.
Fracker was scheduled to be tried alongside Robertson before he pleaded guilty last month to a conspiracy charge and agreed to cooperate with federal authorities.
Fracker testified on Thursday that he initially believed that he was merely trespassing when he entered the Capitol building. However, he ultimately pleaded guilty to conspiring with Robertson to obstruct the joint session of Congress.
Fracker said he didn’t have a “verbal agreement” with anybody to obstruct the congressional proceedings. He said he believed everybody in the mob “pretty much had the same goal” and didn’t need for it to be “said out loud.”
“It was clear that everyone around them had that same goal,” Berkower said.
Rollins said Robertson didn’t engage in any of the violence or destruction carried out by “knuckleheads” and “clowns” who stormed the Capitol.
“Don’t judge him by what the other people are doing,” he told jurors.
Robertson and Fracker drove with a neighbor to Washington on the morning of Jan. 6. Robertson brought three gas masks for them to use, according to prosecutors.
After listening to speeches near the Washington Monument, Fracker, Robertson and the neighbor walked toward the Capitol, donned the gas masks and joined the growing mob, prosecutors said. Robertson stopped to help his neighbor, who was having trouble breathing. Fracker broke off and entered the building before Robertson, but they reunited inside the Capitol.
Defense attorney Camille Wagner said Robertson only went into the Capitol because he wanted to retrieve Fracker. Wagner also denied that Robertson wielded the stick as a weapon. She said the U.S. Army veteran was using it as a walking stick because he still has a limp from getting shot in the right thigh while working as a private contractor for the U.S. Defense Department in Afghanistan in 2011.
Robertson was charged with six counts: obstruction of Congress, interfering with officers during a civil disorder, entering a restricted area while carrying a dangerous weapon, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted area, disorderly or disruptive conduct inside the Capitol building and obstruction. The last charge stems from his alleged post-riot destruction of cellphones belonging to him and Fracker.
The town fired Robertson and Fracker after the riot. Prosecutors said Robertson paid Fracker more than $30,000 after they were arrested, but Fracker said he believes Robertson wanted to cover his lost wages and wasn’t trying to “buy” his testimony.
Jurors saw some of Robertson’s vitriolic posts on social media before and after the Capitol riot. In a Facebook post on Nov. 7, 2020, Robertson said “being disenfranchised by fraud is my hard line.”
“I’ve spent most of my adult life fighting a counter insurgency. (I’m) about to become part of one, and a very effective one,” he wrote.
Robertson has been jailed since Cooper ruled in July that he violated the terms of his pretrial release by possessing firearms.
More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot. Over 240 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors.
Robertson’s trial is one of four so far for Capitol riot defendants. Two others had their cases decided by bench trials before the same judge.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden convicted New Mexico elected official Couy Griffin last month of illegally entering restricted Capitol grounds but acquitted him of engaging in disorderly conduct. On Wednesday, McFadden acquitted another New Mexico man, Matthew Martin, of all four charges that he faced.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/jury-deliberating-ex-police-officers-capitol-riot-trial/
| 2022-04-08T17:10:51Z
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North America to experience total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024
Published: Apr. 8, 2022 at 11:38 AM EDT|Updated: 1 hours ago
(Gray News) - A total solar eclipse will cross North America two years from today on April 8, 2024.
With a total solar eclipse, the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, completely blocking the face of the sun.
NASA says 13 U.S. states will be within the path of totality: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Parts of Mexico and Canada will also be within the path of totality.
For exact times on when the eclipse will occur in each area, visit NASA’s website.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/north-america-experience-total-solar-eclipse-april-8-2024/
| 2022-04-08T17:10:58Z
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Price of stamps to increase starting in July
Published: Apr. 8, 2022 at 12:38 PM EDT|Updated: 32 minutes ago
(Gray News) - The cost of stamps will be increasing in July.
According to the U.S. Postal Service, a first-class mail Forever stamp will cost 60 cents, a 2-cent increase from its current price of 58 cents.
Other mailing services will also cost more, including:
- Letters (metered 1 ounce) will cost 57 cents, up from 53 cents.
- Letters additional ounce(s) will cost 24 cents, up from 20 cents.
- Domestic postcards will cost 44 cents, up from 40 cents.
- International letters will cost $1.40, up from $1.30.
The proposed increases are scheduled to take effect July 10. The Postal Regulatory Commission will review and approve the prices before they take effect.
The U.S. Postal Service says the increased prices are a result of inflation and increased operating expenses.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/price-stamps-increase-starting-july/
| 2022-04-08T17:11:04Z
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Proud Boys member pleads guilty to conspiracy in Jan. 6 riot
WASHINGTON (AP) — A North Carolina man on Friday became the second member of the extremist group Proud Boys to plead guilty to conspiring with other group members to stop Congress from formally certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
Charles Donohoe, 34, pleaded guilty during an appearance in federal court in Washington to charges of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and assaulting or impeding federal officers. His plea agreement includes a provision to cooperate in the ongoing Justice Department cases against other Proud Boys members.
Federal sentencing guidelines call for a prison term of about six to seven years, although terms of his sentence will be up to a federal judge.
The indictment against Donohoe and other members of extremist groups, such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, have been a focus of the Justice Department’s sprawling investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. Donohoe — who had been president of a local Proud Boys chapter in North Carolina — has close ties to the group’s leader, Enrique Tarrio.
More than three dozen people charged in the Capitol siege have been identified by federal authorities as Proud Boys leaders, members or associates.
Tarrio pleaded not guilty this week to charges that he remotely led a plot to stop Congress’ certification of Biden’s 2020 victory in the presidential election. Though he wasn’t at the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, prosecutors say Tarrio organized encrypted chats with Proud Boys members in the weeks before the attack, had a 42-second phone call with another member of the group in the building during the insurrection and took credit for the chaos at the Capitol.
A New York man, Matthew Greene, became the first Proud Boys member to plead guilty to conspiracy in December. He agreed to cooperate with authorities as part of a plea agreement.
On the morning of Jan. 6, Proud Boys members met at the Washington Monument and marched to the Capitol before President Donald Trump finished addressing thousands of supporters near the White House.
Around two hours later, just before Congress convened a joint session to certify the election results, a group of Proud Boys followed a crowd of people who breached barriers at a pedestrian entrance to the Capitol grounds, according to one of the indictments. Several Proud Boys also entered the Capitol itself after the mob smashed windows and forced open doors, the indictment says.
Since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 775 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, officials said.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/proud-boys-member-pleads-guilty-conspiracy-jan-6-riot/
| 2022-04-08T17:11:10Z
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Trans kids, parents fight wave of legislation in red states
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Ninth grader Harleigh Walker, 15, spends her time after school like many girls her age: doing homework, listening to Taylor Swift, collecting records and hanging out with friends.
But this year, her spring break also included trying to persuade members of the state House and Senate to reject legislation banning gender-affirming medications for transgender kids like her under 19. She was unsuccessful. On Thursday, Alabama lawmakers passed the measure. If Gov. Kay Ivey signs it into law, Harleigh will no longer be able to take testosterone-blocking drugs.
“Honestly, I’m a little scared now,” she said Thursday after learning the bill had passed. “But we’re still going to fight no matter what.”
Harleigh said she is holding out hope the governor will veto the bill or it will be blocked by a court. Ivey has not indicated whether she plans to sign it.
Alabama is among multiple states with Republican-controlled legislatures that have advanced bills not only to block medical treatment but to ban transgender children from using school restrooms or playing on sports teams that don’t correspond with their sex at birth. The Alabama medication bill is one of the most far-reaching: It would put doctors in prison for up to 10 years for prescribing puberty blockers or hormonal treatment to trans kids under 19.
Conservative lawmakers say the measures are needed to protect children and parental rights.
“We regulate all kinds of things that are harmful for minors — alcohol, cigarette smoke, vaping, tattoos — because their minds aren’t ready to make those decisions about things that can affect them long term,” said Rep. Wes Allen, the sponsor of the House version of the Alabama legislation. Allen cited public hearing testimony from a woman who said she regretted taking hormone therapy to try to transition to being male.
“With these powerful medications that have detrimental effects on their body long term, we just want to put a pause on it ... give them a chance to develop and grow out of that,” Allen said.
But opponents say transgender health is being used as a deliberate political wedge issue to motivate a voting base — in the same way they say bills about critical race theory have been employed. Critical race theory is a way of thinking about America’s history through the lens of racism. Numerous Republican-controlled legislatures have proposed bills to block its teaching in public schools.
The measures involving trans youth have prompted swift backlash from medical experts, Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration, the U.S. Department of Justice and the families of trans youth. Last month, the Justice department sent a letter to all 50 state attorneys general, warning them that blocking transgender and nonbinary youth from receiving gender-affirming care could be an infringement of federal constitutional protections.
“My child is not a political tool. This is not a fair fight to pick on vulnerable children,” said Vanessa Finney Tate, the mother of a 13-year-old trans boy in Birmingham, Alabama, after testifying at a public legislative hearing on bill that would block students from using bathrooms corresponding to their gender.
Harleigh’s father, Jeff Walker notes that many of the same Alabama lawmakers who supported the ban on gender-affirming medical treatment recently argued, ‘It’s your body and your choice’ regarding coronavirus vaccinations. He said the family is now scrambling to find another state where it can continue Harleigh’s medical care.
“We just don’t want people meddling in our medical care,” he said.
Medical groups including The American Academy of Pediatrics have publicly opposed efforts to outlaw gender-affirming care.
“Gender-affirming care benefits the health and psychological functioning of transgender and gender-diverse youth,” the Endocrine Society said in a statement. “When an individual’s gender identity is not respected and they cannot access medical care, it can result in higher psychological problem scores and can raise the person’s risk of committing suicide or other acts of self-harm.”
The organization notes that only reversible puberty blockers are recommended for younger adolescents, while older adolescents might qualify for hormone therapy.
Harleigh received the medication — which stops her from going through male puberty — only after consulting with a team of doctors for years. She said it’s “weird” to see lawmakers with no medical experience call her medication “child abuse,” when six doctors have agreed she should have it.
Angus, a 16-year-old trans teen who requested that his last name not be used because of the bullying he has received in his north Alabama town, said he knew at puberty that the mirror reflected “a body that wasn’t my own.”
After coming out to his mother, he began slowly testing the waters: dressing as a man, changing his name. Only after years of talking to a team of doctors, was he able to recently get medications to stop his periods. The next step, which he is eager to start, would be a small dose of testosterone.
“I have been waiting for seven years to finally become a man, the man that I’ve always known I am,” Angus said.
He said bills to block such treatments are harming, not protecting trans youth.
“The government is saying, ‘Oh, parents are abusing their children by letting them transition,’” he said. “Actually, it’s more child abuse to not let them transition if they come out. What these bills really are doing is putting trans youth lives at risk because these suicide rates will spike exponentially. And a lot of families will lose their children.”
Similar bans are moving forward in other states.
In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the state’s child welfare agency to investigate as abuse reports of gender-confirming care for kids. And a law in Arkansas bans gender-affirming medications. That law has been blocked by a court, however.
Trans youth in many red states say they feel attacked, angry, betrayed and scared by the wave of legislation aimed at them.
“It feels like a back-stab,” Harleigh said. “I’ve lived in this state my whole life. For them to just say, ‘Well, you know what, this is an issue that’s really popular on my side of the aisle so I’m just going to raise it up and support it because it’ll help me win my election’ — It just hurts to see them do that.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/trans-kids-parents-fight-wave-legislation-red-states/
| 2022-04-08T17:11:17Z
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VA commission recommends closing Beckley VA Medical Center, replacing with new structure for out-patient services
BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - A new report out by the Veterans Administration’s Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission has recommended the Biden Administration close the Beckley VA Medical Center.
The recommendation calls for replacing the facility with a new building dedicated to an expansion of its out-patient services and long-term care, which were identified as critical needs according to their review. If implemented, the move would cut all in-house medical, emergency, and surgical care at the existing hospital.
The commission is basing the recommendation off of a 39 percent projected decrease in daily patients for in-house medical and surgical procedures between 2019 and 2029.
Delegate Austin Haynes, (R) Fayette County, along with several other delegates, have recently drafted a letter to West Virginia’s U.S. Congressional Delegation asking them to oppose the move.
“In West Virginia we have one of the highest rates of veterans per capita. It seems like a bad thing to reduce services for those who defended the country. We need to defend them and give them health care readily available.”
Meanwhile, the report said veterans would still receive coverage for in-patient care outside the hospital through other facilities.
Two other VA Medical Centers in West Virginia -- the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, and the Hershel “Woody” Williams VAMC in Huntington – would also see a reduction in services and discontinued in-patient and emergency room care.
The recommendations have to go through a year-long process of public hearings before a formal recommendation is submitted by the Biden Administration to Congress.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/va-commission-recommends-closing-beckley-va-medical-center-replacing-with-new-structure-out-patient-services/
| 2022-04-08T17:11:24Z
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ROME (AP) — Prices for food commodities like grains and vegetable oils reached their highest levels ever last month largely because of Russia’s war in Ukraine and the “massive supply disruptions” it is causing, threatening millions of people in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere with hunger and malnourishment, the United Nations said Friday.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said its Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in international prices for a basket of commodities, averaged 159.3 points last month, up 12.6% from February. As it is, the February index was the highest level since its inception in 1990.
FAO said the war in Ukraine was largely responsible for the 17.1% rise in the price of grains, including wheat and others like oats, barley and corn. Together, Russia and Ukraine account for around 30% and 20% of global wheat and corn exports, respectively.
While predictable given February’s steep rise, “this is really remarkable,” said Josef Schmidhuber, deputy director of FAO’s markets and trade division. “Clearly, these very high prices for food require urgent action.”
The biggest price increases were for vegetable oils: that price index rose 23.2%, driven by higher quotations for sunflower seed oil that is used for cooking. Ukraine is the world’s leading exporter of sunflower oil, and Russia is No. 2.
“There is, of course, a massive supply disruption, and that massive supply disruption from the Black Sea region has fueled prices for vegetable oil,” Schmidhuber told reporters in Geneva.
He said he couldn’t calculate how much the war was to blame for the record food prices, noting that poor weather conditions in the United States and China also were blamed for crop concerns. But he said “logistical factors” were playing a big role.
“Essentially, there are no exports through the Black Sea, and exports through the Baltics is practically also coming to an end,” he said.
Soaring food prices and disruption to supplies coming from Russia and Ukraine have threatened food shortages in countries in the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia where many people already were not getting enough to eat.
Those nations rely on affordable supplies of wheat and other grains from the Black Sea region to feed millions of people who subsist on subsidized bread and bargain noodles, and they now face the possibility of further political instability.
Other large grain producers like the United States, Canada, France, Australia and Argentina are being closely watched to see if they can quickly ramp up production to fill in the gaps, but farmers face issues like climbing fuel and fertilizer costs exacerbated by the war, drought and supply chain disruptions.
In the Sahel region of Central and West Africa, the disruptions from the war have added to an already precarious food situation caused by COVID-19, conflicts, poor weather and other structural problems, said Sib Ollo, senior researcher for the World Food Program for West and Central Africa in Dakar, Senegal.
“There is a sharp deterioration of the food and nutrition security in the region,” he told reporters, saying 6 million children are malnourished and nearly 16 million people in urban areas are at risk of food insecurity.
Farmers, he said, were particularly worried that they would not be able to access fertilizers produced in the Black Sea region. Russia is a leading global exporter.
“The cost of fertilizers has increased by almost 30% in many places of this region due to the supply disruption that we see provoked by a crisis in Ukraine,” he said.
The World Food Program has appealed for $777 million to meet the needs of 22 million people in the Sahel region and Nigeria over six months, he said.
To address the needs of food-importing countries, the FAO was developing a proposal for a mechanism to alleviate the import costs for the poorest countries, Schmidhuber said. The proposal calls for eligible countries to commit to added investments in their own agricultural productivity to obtain import credits to help soften the blow.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/business/food-prices-soar-to-record-levels-on-ukraine-war-disruptions/article_e8e41ea4-b74c-11ec-ab88-7b719d676f88.html
| 2022-04-08T18:29:56Z
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Stocks edged lower in morning trading on Wall Street Friday, weighed down by more drops in chipmakers and other technology companies.
The S&P 500 fell 0.4% as of 10:20 a.m. Eastern. The benchmark index is in the red for the week following three straight weekly gains.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 23 points, or 0.1%, to 34,607 and the Nasdaq fell 1.2%.
Technology stocks were the biggest drag on the market. The sector’s lofty valuations often put outsized pressure on moving the broader market up or down. Apple fell 1.1% and Microsoft fell 1%.
Big tech stocks have been particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, which can make pricey growth stocks look less attractive relative to their earnings.
Treasury yields continued rising as traders get accustomed to the Federal Reserve’s ongoing policy pivot to fighting inflation instead of stimulating the economy. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 2.69% from 2.65% late Thursday, its highest level in three years.
The Fed has already announced a quarter-percentage point increase for its benchmark interest rate and is prepared to take aggressive measures to help temper inflation’s impact on the economy.
Minutes from the Fed’s meeting last month showed policymakers agreed to begin cutting the central bank’s stockpile of Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities by about $95 billion a month, starting in May. That’s more than some investors expected and nearly double the pace the last time the Fed shrank its balance sheet.
Traders are now pricing in a greater than 80% probability the Fed will raise its benchmark overnight rate by half a percentage point at its next meeting in May. That’s double the usual amount and something the Fed hasn’t done since 2000.
Investors have been weighing the impact of the Fed’s monetary policy shift as they also closely watch the conflict in Ukraine. Energy prices have been volatile and food prices have been rising since Russia invaded Ukraine. That adds to lingering uncertainty over how long inflation will last and how bad it will get.
Crude oil prices were relatively stable on Friday, but they are still up about 30% for the year. Wheat prices are up about 35% and corn prices are up 30%.
The conflict in Ukraine has prompted sanctions from the U.S. and much of Europe that have dented Russia’s economy. Still, Russia’s central bank has managed to stabilize key aspects of its economy with severe controls. It is lowering a key interest rate and said more cuts could be on the way.
Wall Street is also watching the latest reaction from China over a surge in COVID-19 cases. Shanghai residents face severe restrictions on movement and activities because of the surge and that has some companies concerned.
ACM Research, which makes equipment used in the production of computer chips, warned investors about a hit to its revenue because of limits to operations. The stock fell 7.9%.
A jump in COVID-19 cases is also behind airline disruptions in Europe. Two major airlines, British Airways and easyJet, canceled about 100 flights Wednesday. The industry is suffering from staff shortages because of virus.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/business/stocks-edge-lower-on-wall-street-head-for-weekly-losses/article_cfa260a0-b74b-11ec-9b63-83ea23b5ffbe.html
| 2022-04-08T18:29:57Z
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...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM HST SATURDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 20 to 30 knots with rough seas 7 to 10 feet,
except north winds and lower seas in Maalaea Bay.
* WHERE...Most central through eastern waters and channels.
* WHEN...Until 6 AM HST Saturday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
HONOLULU (KITV4) - Breezy trades persist on Aloha Friday. Partly cloudy skies with scattered windward and mauka showers, some showers may drift to leeward spots. Highs 80 to 85. Trades 15 to 25 mph today decreasing to 15 to 20 mph by tonight
Locallly strong trades will weaken slightly today, becoming locally breezy by tonight. Showers will tend to focus over windward and mauka zones through the weekend. A few locally heavy showers are possible, but strong trades will ensure any heavier showers move quickly.
A northwest swell will peak today with surf heights remaining well below Surf Advisory criteria. The northwest swell will decline rapidly from Friday into Sunday, with near flat conditions expected along north and west facing shores by early next week. A period of fresh to strong trades upstream of the islands will keep short period, higher wind wave chop along many northeastern and eastern facing shores into the weekend.
A small background south swell will continue through Friday. A slightly larger, longer period, south swell will begin to build by Friday afternoon with south swell energy peaking Saturday. This next south swell will build surf heights along south facing shores by a couple of feet into the fun size range through Tuesday.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
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https://www.kitv.com/news/local/aloha-friday-weather-breezy-trade-winds-with-scattered-showers-trades-expected-to-slow-down/article_38ae0660-b749-11ec-9b49-bb932bdee60e.html
| 2022-04-08T18:29:58Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday celebrated the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman to reach the Supreme Court, hailing “a moment of real change in American history.”
It was a moment 46 days — and more than two centuries — in the making. Jackson, who was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday, will take the bench later this year, filling the shoes of retiring Justice Stephen Breyer on a court that was made up entirely of white men for almost two centuries, that declared her race unworthy of citizenship and endorsed American segregation.
Jackson, at times speaking through tears as she thanked her family and mentors for their support, promised to follow in retiring Justice Breyer’s footsteps on the bench.
“I have done my level best to stay in my lane and to reach a result that is consistent with my understanding of the law,” she said, “And with the obligation to rule independently, without fear or favor.”
Jackson’s arrival on the bench won’t upend the current 6-3 conservative balance. But in addition to the racial history, it will put for the first time four women on the court at one time.
Biden nominated her on the second anniversary of his pledge ahead of the South Carolina presidential primary to select a Black woman for the court. The move helped resurrect his flailing campaign and preserved his pathway to the White House, and Biden said the promise of putting someone like Jackson on the court helped motivate his bid for the Oval Office.
“I could see it as a day of hope, a day of promise, a day of progress, a day when once again the moral arc of the universe — as Barack (Obama) used to quote all the time — bends a little more toward justice,” Biden said at a boisterous event on the South Lawn of the White House. “I believe so strongly that we needed a court that looks like America.”
Biden praised Jackson’s “incredible character and integrity” during the confirmation process, saying she put up with “verbal abuse, the anger, constant interruptions, the most vile baseless assertions and accusations.” He praised the three Republican senators who joined Democrats to back her for the court: Maine Sen. Susan Collins, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Utah Sen. Mitt Romney.
Jackson will be the high court’s first former public defender — with the elite legal background of other justices as well. She has degrees from Harvard and Harvard Law School and held top clerkships, including for Breyer himself.
The crowd on the White House lawn included Jackson’s family, members of Biden’s Cabinet, some of the Democratic senators who backed her nomination, as well as Democratic representatives and allies. The White House said all current and former justices of the Supreme Court were invited, but none attended.
The event came amid a COVID-19 outbreak among Washington’s political class that has sidelined members of Biden’s administration and lawmakers, including Collins and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, who tested positive for the virus just hours after voting for Brown’s confirmation. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was on the invite list, tested positive for the virus on Thursday.
Psaki on Thursday addressed concerns that the White House event could be a “super-spreader” for the virus, like President Donald Trump’s Rose Garden ceremony announcing the nomination of now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Psaki emphasized that the risks from the virus are now much lower because of vaccinations and treatments.
“At that point in time, vaccines were unavailable, people were not vaccinated, it certainly puts us in a different space,” Psaki said.
While not all attendees would be newly tested for the virus, Psaki said those close to Biden would be. Vice president Kamala Harris was to attend and deliver remarks, though she was identified on Wednesday as a close contact of a staffer who tested positive. Under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines she was expected to wear a mask while around other people.
On Thursday, Jackson had joined Biden at the White House to watch the Senate vote unfold on TV, the two of them clasping hands in the Roosevelt Room as her confirmation became reality.
As a longtime Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Biden had a front-row seat to some of the most contentious confirmation battles in the court’s history, as well as the hearings for Justice Stephen Breyer, whose retirement this summer is clearing the way for Jackson to join the bench.
“History doesn’t happen by accident — it’s made,” said White House chief of staff Ron Klain. He took note on MSNBC of the vote on Brown’s nomination being presided over in the Senate by Harris, the first Black vice president, also selected by Biden.
Throughout his 50 years in Washington, Biden has played an instrumental part in shaping the court, both inside and out of the Senate. But this was his first opportunity to make a selection of his own.
Biden may not get another chance. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, in an interview Thursday with Axios, refused to commit to hold confirmation hearings for a future Biden nominee to the high court if the GOP retakes control of the Senate in 2023.
Biden took part in confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominees Sandra Day O’Connor in 1981 and Antonin Scalia in 1986, both nominated by President Ronald Reagan. He also participated in the 1986 hearing to elevate Justice William Rehnquist to the position of chief justice of the United States.
As committee chairman, he presided over the hearings for failed nominee Robert Bork, then the successful confirmations of Anthony M. Kennedy, David Souter, and Clarence Thomas — the last dominated by allegations of sexual harassment against Thomas by law professor Anita Hill — as well as Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Breyer.
He was on the committee in 2005 but no longer chairman when now-Chief Justice John Roberts was confirmed, and in 2006 when Samuel Alito became a justice.
As vice president, Biden helped counsel President Barack Obama on his three Supreme Court picks: Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, who were confirmed, and now-Attorney General Merrick Garland, whose nomination was blocked by the GOP ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Jackson won’t take office immediately. Breyer is to step down after the court concludes its current term, which is usually in late June or early July. Only then will she take the oath to become an associate justice. A White House official said Jackson will remain on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit until then but will continue to recuse herself from cases.
___
AP writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
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https://www.kitv.com/news/national/cheers-for-jackson-as-biden-declares-moment-of-real-change/article_ce117482-b760-11ec-89aa-8fad94569aaa.html
| 2022-04-08T18:29:59Z
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Distrustful of the voting machines used across Wyoming and other parts of the country, a group of Park County residents is making a push to review the results of this year’s primary election by hand.
On Tuesday, a roomful of proponents asked Park County commissioners to allow them and other volunteers to effectively audit August’s election by hand counting the votes after the ballots are processed by the machines.
South Fork resident Boone Tidwell, one of the group’s leaders, framed the request as a matter of constitutional rights and predicted some people won’t vote unless ballots are counted by hand.
“Whatever decision you make today, folks, we think will have consequences. Not only here in Park County, but on a state level, and possibly a national level,” Tidwell told commissioners. “There’s a lot of attention on this particular issue right here and what we’re doing here in front of you guys. So we’re asking you to please choose wisely.”
Commissioners postponed a decision to a later meeting, citing a need to get legal advice from Park County Attorney Bryan Skoric.
“We have to get some answers from the county attorney,” said Commission Chairman Dossie Overfield.
Secretary of State Ed Buchanan, who spoke via Zoom, recommended that commissioners consult with Skoric, suggesting that state law does not give the board the power to authorize a hand count. Members of the group, however, pushed back.
“Where in the Constitution does it give you the authority to deny us?” Powell resident and former Park County Republican Party Chairman Larry French pressed Buchanan.
“It’s not me sitting here saying that, ‘I forbid you to do it,’” the secretary responded in part. “I’m pointing out that you probably don’t have, in my opinion, just from looking at this, the statutory authority to do it.”
Tidwell then offered that “statute cannot trump my constitutional right.”
“It’s that simple,” he said, to applause from the crowd.
Commissioners, however, indicated they still have questions, including about how long a hand count might take, what impact it might have on their staff, and whether enough volunteers would show up and the legality of the effort.
Tuesday’s request stemmed from continuing concerns over the 2020 election, which Tidwell described as “the latest wreck.” The angst has played out on a national stage over the past two years, with former Republican President Donald Trump — who drew more than 76% of the votes in Park County but less than 47% nationwide — claiming the election was “rigged” in favor of Democratic President Joe Biden.
A series of lawsuits and other attempts to challenge the results have been unsuccessful and no widespread irregularities have been proven, but mistrust has persisted.
Dave McMillan of Cody, another of the group’s leaders and a Park County Republican Party precinct committeeman, said it’s not a partisan issue.
“There’s not a person I’ve talked to in my area, yet, that has told me they think the elections were fair in 2020,” McMillan told members of the Park County Democratic Party in February. “Nobody has any confidence in this.”
He and Tidwell had approached the party looking for support on a joint effort, but got some pushback from several local Democrats.
“I think that the only lack of integrity is actually in the imagination of those who are preaching lack of integrity,” Cody resident Paul Fees said at the Feb. 5 meeting.
The party members later passed a resolution stating that “the Park County Democrats have confidence in the integrity of the current election system.”
Meanwhile, the Park County Republican Party unanimously passed a resolution at its March 12 convention that calls for publicly observable hand counts of all election results.
The local GOP’s chairman, vice chairman, secretary and multiple precinct committee members attended Tuesday’s meeting in support of the proposal. Tidwell told commissioners that the debate over the validity of the machines won’t be resolved.
“If you are opposed to the voting machines, your preference is that we throw them in a ditch and light them on fire. And if you love the machines, you don’t want anybody to intrude in that environment,” Tidwell said Tuesday. “So we’re at an impasse.”
He said the plan to have all of the ballots run through the voting machines and then hand counted by volunteers was a compromise.
McMillan said the proposal “harms no one and satisfies the concerns of everyone.”
The proposal pitched to commissioners on Tuesday differed from the group’s original vision, which would have involved volunteers receiving and tabulating voters’ ballots before they went into the machine.
Tidwell said they altered the plans after hearing from people who said, “I don’t want you to know my vote.”
He also was clear in acknowledging that the results tabulated by the voting machines will be the official results.
“If our [hand] count comes out different than yours, we’re stuck with it [the machine count],” Tidwell said, “but we’re gonna have a whole lot more information and a whole lot more knowledge and be able to address that moving forward in the future.”
In his remarks to the commissioners and the group, Buchanan suggested that the whole hand count may have to wait until the law is changed. He said he’s repeatedly told people that if they want to return to paper ballots, it’s a policy decision that should be taken up with the Wyoming Legislature.
He also noted a statute that refers to votes being counted by machine, saying that, “Each individual vote shall be determined by the voting equipment and shall not be determined subjectively by human tabulation …”
However, Commissioner Scott Mangold noted that even under the group’s proposal the machines will still be doing the counting.
“We keep talking about statutes, but I think basically this is just sort of an experiment to start with,” Mangold said.
Commissioner Lee Livingston agreed, saying, “if you’re not submitting that as the official results, it’s quite possible that hand counting could be [done].”
“As long as we’re not stepping outside of that [the law], at this point in time, I don’t have a problem with looking at it,” Livingston said.
Overfield said the board needs to get a legal opinion from County Attorney Skoric.
Beyond the legalities, commissioners also had questions about the logistics.
As a test run, the hand count group enlisted the help of about 200 high schoolers in Powell, Cody and Meeteetse, who participated in a mock election a few weeks ago. The group then met at the Park County Library in Cody and calculated the results by hand. (Kanye West won a state Senate race in the Meeteetse area after being written in by a number of students, Tidwell said.)
In its first attempt at counting the 200 ballots, the group took an hour and 20 minutes, French said, but a second try took about 35 minutes. He indicated that a three-person team needed about a minute and a half per ballot.
At that pace — and assuming a similar turnout to the 2018 primary election, in which 8,341 voters participated — it would take more than 600 man hours to hand count all of the results. To get done by a state deadline of 10:30 p.m. on election night, it would take more than 150 volunteers.
By comparison, Park County had 117 election judges in the 2020 general election. Commissioner Joe Tilden questioned whether there would be enough volunteers to conduct the hand count, noting that a number of people who pledged to serve as election judges in 2020 backed out.
“That was before the latest wreck with the 2020 election, Mr. Tilden,” Tidwell said. “And you know, there are a whole lot of people that care now that didn’t care two years ago.”
Tidwell told the Democrats in February that “hundreds” of people would help with the effort.
While Tidwell said there would be zero cost to the county, Commissioner Lloyd Thiel noted that regular election workers would need to stay at the polling places later on election night to monitor the hand counting.
“Maybe there isn’t any more cost, but there’s a hell of a lot more work on these precincts for these election judges to do this experiment, if you will,” Thiel said. “I’m not saying it’s bad, I’m just saying there’s definitely some inconvenience here in the county.”
Tidwell responded, “If it requires a little more time on our part, as a voter, as a judge, as a participant in that process, you owe it to this community to make sure that that is specifically correct.”
While expressing doubts about the legality of hand-counting the vote, Buchanan expressed full support for the group’s general aim of bolstering public confidence in the integrity and accuracy of their elections.
“... I don’t think anybody in the state disagrees that the more things we can do to give greater confidence in elections, the better,” he said. “Because … if people don’t believe in your elections, nothing else matters. It really doesn’t.”
Even before the 2020 election, Buchanan said his office began an audit effort in which it will take a statistically significant sample of ballots cast around the state and then compare them to the vote record generated by the voting machines.
“If those ballots check out, and we know that those actual ballots cast were correctly counted by the machine, then we have our 99-point-whatever [percent] confidence interval in our election,” Buchanan said.
In a Tuesday evening email to commissioners, Park County Democratic Party Chairman Jan Kliewer said he doesn’t want taxpayer dollars to be spent on the hand count and that he thinks the statewide audit planned by Buchanan “would go further to build trust than an experiment in one county.”
“My fear, however, is if the results of 61 lawsuits of voter fraud thrown out nationwide doesn’t inspire confidence, what will?” Kliewer wrote.
During the meeting, County Clerk Colleen Renner noted that the county conducts mandatory public testing of its voting machines ahead of the elections to show how the process works.
Renner said she’s only had two people show up during her eight years as clerk.
“That causes me to believe you’re not questioning it,” she said, as members of the crowd murmured objections. “So if you are questioning it, please come to the public testing.”
Commissioners didn’t set a date for their next discussion on the requested hand count. The primary election is Aug. 16.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/group-pushes-to-hand-count-election-results/article_c9b37b80-bc58-5b65-b765-6275b2c20056.html
| 2022-04-08T18:41:59Z
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DENVER (AP) – A Colorado legislative panel advanced a bill Thursday to add protections for elections workers after hearing testimony about escalating threats that have prompted many to quit or take security training so they feel safe.
State and local elections officials told the House State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs Committee that their workers, from municipal front-office staff to county clerks to the state’s highest-ranking elections officials, have experienced an escalation of threats since the 2020 presidential election.
The threats – delivered by email, phone, or by the posting on social media of home addresses of workers and their family members – have left some local authorities confronting staff shortages ahead of Colorado’s June primaries and the November midterms.
The threats have also prompted some workers to wear bulletproof vests to and from work around elections time and add active-shooter training to routine elections training in several counties, said the bill’s sponsors and several county clerks.
Colorado’s elections workers “have truly faced unprecedented threats, especially over the past two years, simply for doing their jobs,” said Democratic Rep. Emily Sirota, a bill sponsor.
She lamented that public servants across the political spectrum are being “villainized” as conspiracy theories rooted in former President Donald Trump’s debunked claims of fraud threaten to destabilize the transparent administration of elections.
Crafted with the input of prosecutors and the Colorado County Clerks Association, the bill would allow elections workers to have their personal information, such as home addresses, redacted from public records that could be accessed by others.
It also creates a misdemeanor crime for anyone using personal information to threaten or influence elections workers, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or a jail term up to 364 days, or both.
Threatening or intimidating election officials while they are working or retaliating them because of their work would be punishable by a fine of up to $750 or 120 days in jail, or both.
The committee advanced the legislation for consideration by the full House on an 8-2 bipartisan vote.
It’s part of a legislative package to increase security for Secretary of State Jena Griswold, Colorado’s top elections official, and other top state officials and lawmakers.
The package also includes a wide-ranging bill aimed at cracking down on attempted sabotage of voting equipment. That is a response to allegations against Tina Peters, a Mesa County elections clerk who has been indicted for allegedly plotting to breach voting system technology. Peters denies wrongdoing.
Peg Pearl, elections director for suburban Arapahoe County, said her department has been hit an with unprecedented number of departures and retirements over the past 18 months and the loss of front-line office workers who interact with the public because of the increase in threats.
“We need about 500 temporary workers for the midterm in our county,” Pearl said. “I don’t know that were going to reach that number at all.”
Customer-service training for those workers now includes violence de-escalation techniques and it’s bolstered by training on how to react in situations where person starts shooting, Pearl said.
Elections officials are laboring in an “unprecedented threat environment that demands action from the General Assembly,” said Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Beale, adding that he, too, receives a constant stream of threats. Passing the bill, Beale said, would allow prosecutors to better pursue cases against suspects.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security in February issued a threat advisory warning of possible violence, particularly for elections, by individuals or small groups motivated by conspiracy theories and “false and misleading narratives.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/from_the_wire/colorado-lawmakers-advance-bill-to-protect-elections-workers/article_bf7d15af-ffcd-5a2b-bb90-ae3406b587d2.html
| 2022-04-08T18:42:05Z
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Cheers for Jackson as Biden declares ‘moment of real change’
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tearfully embracing a history-making American moment, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson said Friday her confirmation as the first Black woman to the Supreme Court showed the progress of America, declaring, ″We’ve made it — all of us.”
Jackson delivered emotional remarks on the sunny White House South Lawn a day after the Senate approved her nomination, saying, it was a moment the entire country could be proud of.
“We have come a long way toward perfecting our union,” she said. “In my family, it took just one generation to go from segregation to the Supreme Court of the United States.”
President Joe Biden, who made his own history by nominating her, stood by her side for Friday’s event, celebrating her confirmation as “a moment of real change in American history.” On her other side: Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to attain her high office.
Jackson, who was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday, will take the bench later this year, filling the shoes of retiring Justice Stephen Breyer on a court that was made up entirely of white men for almost two centuries, that declared her race unworthy of citizenship and endorsed American segregation.
“It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a Black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States,” Jackson said. “But we’ve made it. We’ve made it, all of us.”
Jackson, at times speaking through tears as she thanked her family and mentors for their support, promised to follow in Breyer’s footsteps on the bench.
“I have done my level best to stay in my lane and to reach a result that is consistent with my understanding of the law,” she said, “And with the obligation to rule independently, without fear or favor.”
Jackson’s arrival on the bench won’t upend the current 6-3 conservative balance. But in addition to the racial history, it will put for the first time four women on the court at one time.
Biden nominated her on the second anniversary of his pledge ahead of the South Carolina presidential primary to select a Black woman for the court. The move helped resurrect his flailing campaign and preserved his pathway to the White House, and Biden said the promise of putting someone like Jackson on the court helped motivate his bid for the Oval Office.
“I could see it as a day of hope, a day of promise, a day of progress, a day when once again the moral arc of the universe — as Barack (Obama) used to quote all the time — bends a little more toward justice,” Biden said at a boisterous event on the South Lawn of the White House. “I believe so strongly that we needed a court that looks like America.”
Biden praised Jackson’s “incredible character and integrity” during the confirmation process, saying she put up with “verbal abuse, the anger, constant interruptions, the most vile baseless assertions and accusations.” He praised the three Republican senators who joined Democrats to back her for the court: Maine Sen. Susan Collins, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Utah Sen. Mitt Romney.
Jackson will be the high court’s first former public defender — with the elite legal background of other justices as well. She has degrees from Harvard and Harvard Law School and held top clerkships, including for Breyer himself.
The crowd on the White House lawn included Jackson’s family, members of Biden’s Cabinet, some of the Democratic senators who backed her nomination, as well as Democratic representatives and allies. The White House said all current and former justices of the Supreme Court were invited, but none attended.
The event came amid a COVID-19 outbreak among Washington’s political class that has sidelined members of Biden’s administration and lawmakers, including Collins and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, who tested positive for the virus just hours after voting for Brown’s confirmation. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was on the invite list, tested positive for the virus on Thursday.
Psaki on Thursday addressed concerns that the White House event could be a “super-spreader” for the virus, like President Donald Trump’s Rose Garden ceremony announcing the nomination of now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Psaki emphasized that the risks from the virus are now much lower because of vaccinations and treatments.
“At that point in time, vaccines were unavailable, people were not vaccinated, it certainly puts us in a different space,” Psaki said.
While not all attendees would be newly tested for the virus, Psaki said those close to Biden would be. Harris delivered remarks, though she was identified on Wednesday as a close contact of a staffer who tested positive. Under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines she was expected to wear a mask while around other people.
On Thursday, Jackson had joined Biden at the White House to watch the Senate vote unfold on TV, the two of them clasping hands in the Roosevelt Room as her confirmation became reality.
As a longtime Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Biden had a front-row seat to some of the most contentious confirmation battles in the court’s history, as well as the hearings for Breyer.
“History doesn’t happen by accident — it’s made,” said White House chief of staff Ron Klain. He took note on MSNBC of the vote on Brown’s nomination being presided over in the Senate by Harris, the first Black vice president, also selected by Biden.
Throughout his 50 years in Washington, Biden has played an instrumental part in shaping the court, both inside and out of the Senate. But this was his first opportunity to make a selection of his own.
Biden may not get another chance. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, in an interview Thursday with Axios, refused to commit to hold confirmation hearings for a future Biden nominee to the high court if the GOP retakes control of the Senate in 2023.
Biden took part in confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominees Sandra Day O’Connor in 1981 and Antonin Scalia in 1986, both nominated by President Ronald Reagan. He also participated in the 1986 hearing to elevate Justice William Rehnquist to the position of chief justice of the United States.
As committee chairman, he presided over the hearings for failed nominee Robert Bork, then the successful confirmations of Anthony M. Kennedy, David Souter, and Clarence Thomas — the last dominated by allegations of sexual harassment against Thomas by law professor Anita Hill — as well as Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Breyer.
He was on the committee in 2005 but no longer chairman when now-Chief Justice John Roberts was confirmed, and in 2006 when Samuel Alito became a justice.
As vice president, Biden helped counsel President Barack Obama on his three Supreme Court picks: Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, who were confirmed, and now-Attorney General Merrick Garland, whose nomination was blocked by the GOP ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Jackson won’t take office immediately. Breyer is to step down after the court concludes its current term, which is usually in late June or early July. Only then will she take the oath to become an associate justice. A White House official said Jackson will remain on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit until then but will continue to recuse herself from cases.
___
AP writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/cheers-jackson-biden-declares-moment-real-change/
| 2022-04-08T18:42:07Z
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Misty Dobson is the Wyoming Driver Services program manager. She is pictured in a YouTube video from the Wyoming Department of Transportation. Image captured via screenshot April 7, 2022.
CHEYENNE — If you are a Wyoming driver, or would-be motorist in the state, you will have one less hour every month to visit your nearest Driver Services office.
That's because such offices will start closing for that amount of time for staff training, according to the Wyoming Department of Transportation.
So that workers at the Driver Services locations can get additional education, the offices will open an hour later one morning per month.
The first closure will occur during the morning of April 28, WYDOT said in a news release Monday. "Driver Services offices that typically open at 8 a.m. will open to the public at 9 a.m. that day, while offices that typically open at 8:30 a.m. will open at 9:30 a.m. that day."
These late openings will occur "the morning of the last Thursday of each month, unless otherwise announced," the agency said.
“Our goal for these education courses is to improve customer service, processing times and other operations within Driver Services,” said Misty Dobson, Driver Services program manager. “The sessions take place during business hours to avoid incurring overtime costs.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/wydot-driver-services-offices-to-close-for-an-hour-each-month-for-staff-training/article_a3c00fb6-13d1-5b08-aeb4-dae1ad73ac8c.html
| 2022-04-08T18:42:11Z
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Chocolate Festival set to make return to Lewisburg
LEWISBURG, W.Va. (WVVA) - The Lewisburg Chocolate Festival is set to return Saturday, April 9, following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 40 merchants have signed up to offer tastings to an expected crowd of 5,000 people.
“I think it’s going to be quite a big event this year,” said Ginger Steele, the owner of Little Black Box. “We were all a little excited because it has been down for the last two years, you just don’t know what kind of comeback your going to have.”
The 2022 festival will mark the 14th time it has been held. The event benefits the United Way of Greenbrier Valley and it a collaboration between the city, organizations and businesses
“We are back and ready for the sweetest day in Lewisburg and the merchants are ready,” said Erica Vaughan, Executive Director of the United Way. “We have over 46,000 tastings of chocolate so come and be part of the day.”
The Chocolate Festival goes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you want to purchase tickets you can do so at the United Way at 809 Jefferson St, in Lewisburg on Saturday morning before the event.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/chocolate-festival-set-make-return-lewisburg/
| 2022-04-08T18:42:13Z
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Casper Star-Tribune
CASPER – With harmful algae season months away, Wyoming regulators are already gearing up to test for toxins at some of the state’s most vulnerable waters.
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality began tracking harmful algal blooms statewide in 2017. Every spring, DEQ revisits the past year’s findings to refine its strategy for the next.
DEQ staff discussed their takeaways from the 2021 bloom season at a virtual public meeting on March 24. The DEQ continued to rely last year on information from citizen reports and satellite imagery to help with detecting and tracking blooms.
In collaboration with other state agencies, DEQ staff also began conducting routine monitoring at 20 popular recreation spots and introduced tiered health advisories – rather than blanket warnings – to distinguish potentially harmful blooms from ones actively producing toxins.
Now the agency must build the lessons from 2021 into its plans for 2022. It’s just starting to work out what that might look like.
“We’re trying to identify other water bodies that we want to do monitoring at – looking at what our resources are,” Lindsay Patterson, DEQ surface water quality standards supervisor, told the Star-Tribune.
Harmful algal blooms have become a growing concern across the country in recent years.
The tiny organisms that cause the blooms grow better in warmer water – an effect of climate change. And they thrive in water overloaded with nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, which rainwater carries from onshore sources, such as manure, to nearby lakes, ponds and streams.
Nutrients can be tough pollutants to regulate. The state is in the process of developing standards intended to lower nutrient levels in surface waters. According to Patterson, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach the state can take.
“So much of addressing the problem of nutrients has to be driven by the local community,” she said. “That’s what’s going to be the most effective moving forward.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reiterated its commitment to supporting states’ nutrient pollution mitigation efforts, in an EPA policy memorandum issued Tuesday.
“Our nutrients memo is a call for scaling up the innovative approaches being used by farmers, ranchers, water agencies, local municipalities, industry, and communities to make progress,” Radhika Fox, EPA assistant administrator for water, said in a statement.
Wyoming regulators know a lot more about harmful algal blooms than they did in 2017.
DEQ has counted more blooms every year it’s looked – almost certainly, Patterson said, because the agency has improved at finding them.
Last summer, the Wyoming Department of Health issued bloom advisories for 28 bodies of water and toxin advisories for eight of those.
There are “just more eyes on the ground,” Patterson said.
The state still has plenty to figure out.
It knows, for example, that less than half of documented harmful algal blooms have been found to produce dangerous levels of toxins. But it isn’t sure why.
People exposed to those toxins while recreating in surface water could experience anything from gastrointestinal issues to rashes to cold-like symptoms, and may even need to be hospitalized.
Pets, meanwhile, tend to be more susceptible than humans. After exposure, they might cough or start to stumble. Their condition can quickly deteriorate and lead to death.
If humans or pets become sick after contact with water and a bloom was visible in the area, the illness should be reported to DEQ, Patterson said.
Harmful algal blooms typically begin in Wyoming in mid-July and end around November. During those months, members of the public can check a map of bloom advisories maintained by the agency before recreating and look out for posted signs warning of toxin risk.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/wyoming-readies-for-algae-blooms/article_fe43f1a0-b323-5c8c-a87e-40bd58b6d721.html
| 2022-04-08T18:42:18Z
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FAA seeks biggest fines yet against 2 unruly passengers
Published: Apr. 8, 2022 at 1:47 PM EDT|Updated: 50 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The price is going up for disrupting airline flights.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that it’s seeking record civil fines against two passengers who assaulted other people on flights last summer.
In one case, a woman tried to open a cabin door, then headbutted and spit at crew members and passengers after she was placed in flexible handcuffs. The FAA is seeking a $81,950 fine.
In the second case, the FAA is proposing a $77,272 fine against a woman who tried to open a cabin door during a flight and bit another passenger repeatedly before she was restrained by crew members.
The FAA isn’t identifying the people.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/faa-seeks-biggest-fines-yet-against-2-unruly-passengers/
| 2022-04-08T18:42:20Z
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ROCK SPRINGS — Work will begin soon to repair damage caused during a late-February water break in the fire suppression system at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County’s Emergency Room entrance.
April 11-13, ER Entrance OPEN: Work will begin Monday, April 11. Patients and visitors can continue to use the ER entrance to gain access to the hospital and emergency room through Wednesday, April 13. The main doors to the hospital continue to remain closed.
“Monday through Wednesday should be business as usual,” said public information officer Deb Sutton. “On Thursday and Friday, the ER entrance will be closed, and patients will be diverted to the back of the building.”
April 14-15, ER Entrance CLOSED: The ER entrance will be closed Thursday, April 14, and Friday, April 15, for final repairs, Sutton said. On those two days, patients and visitors will be diverted to door No. 46 located directly in back of the emergency room. A ramp to the door is available, and it will be monitored. Security officers – stationed in a white Durango – and other liaisons will be available to help direct traffic.
Those with Medical Imaging, Respiratory or General Surgery appointments on April 14-15, are asked to use door No. 46 behind the ER. Staff and signage will be available to help with directions to registration.
The ambulance bay is not affected, Sutton said. The Specialty Clinics of Sweetwater Memorial also will not be affected.
“We apologize for the inconvenience,” Sutton said. “We thank everyone for their patience as the ER entrance floors are repaired.”
For more on this and all Sweetwater Memorial has to offer, go to sweetwatermemorial.com, or call 307-362-3711.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rocketminer/emergency-room-entrance-undergoes-repairs/article_795fa039-a097-54f6-89fd-9600decb85bf.html
| 2022-04-08T18:42:24Z
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Lawyer raises concerns over grievance forms being intercepted at Southern Regional Jail
BEAVER, W.Va. (WVVA) - A day after the state’s Corrections Emergency Response Team’s (CERT) drug sweep of Southern Regional Jail (SRJ), a local attorney is hearing from inmates that grievance forms are being intercepted at the jail.
Zach Whitten and Tim Lupardus represent inmates who were previously part of a female pod where inmates claimed multiple fights broke out and nothing was done to stop them. Whitten said at least one of the inmates was left with severe injuries from the attack.
Now, the attorneys have visited the jail and are in talks with male inmates in another pod over the same issue.
“Fights are breaking out and no one from the jail is stepping up to help those who are getting attacked,” said Whitten.
Whitten said one of the male inmates has attempted to get grievance forms through the jail and through the mail from his girlfriend. But despite claims of that paper work being sent, Whitten said the forms never reached the inmates.
“It’s a jail. It’s not supposed to be a five star hotel. But there’s also allegations that in some of these pods, the toilets are overflowing, there are feces on the floor near the beds where they’re at. There’s just a lot of issues we need to look at.”
WVVA News is also working to provide additional details regarding the outcome of the drug sweep at the facility on Thursday, but at last check no charges had been filed on any of the inmates.
Copyright 2022 WVVA. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/lawyer-raises-concerns-over-grievance-forms-being-intercepted-southern-regional-jail/
| 2022-04-08T18:42:26Z
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SWEETWATER COUNTY -- Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office, under the direction of Sweetwater County Emergency Management, today hosted a comprehensive training exercise with first responders, industry representatives, local government, and public health, transportation and safety officials from across Southwest Wyoming.
Within the past two years, approximately 154 emergency management and response personnel from across the state have participated in this and similar training as part of a series of simulated exercises designed to gauge local responders' capabilities and skills in properly managing and resolving a variety of wide-scale critical incidents.
An initiative of the United States Department of Energy's Transportation Emergency Preparedness Program, and in coordination with the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security, the focus of today's training was to assess, evaluate and respond to a multivehicle accident on the interstate involving a shipment of radioactive material.
According to Emily Covey, the county's emergency management coordinator, about three million shipments of radioactive material are transported over six million miles each year on public roads, railway and ships across the country.
"It's pretty eye-opening, but there's actually a variety of different radiological materials and equipment that passes through our county on the interstate every single day," Covey said. "So, it's important that we take the to time to plan, prepare and practice for an event like so that we know exactly what to do if something like this happens here."
Sheriff John Grossnickle said, "I'm proud to see all of these different agencies come together to ensure that we're prepared as a community to effectively respond and resolve a critical incident like this, which unfortunately is a very real possibility here in Sweetwater County. Emily and her emergency management team has done a fantastic job in facilitating this training, and I want to thank everybody involved for coming together here at the sheriff's office today to make this happen."
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rocketminer/sheriffs-office-hosts-radiological-incident-response-training/article_9868d343-92bf-5730-b1a3-8346d02ad4ab.html
| 2022-04-08T18:42:30Z
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ROCK SPRINGS – The Rock Springs Main Street/URA is pleased to announce their March Volunteer of the Month – Casey Kuckert.
Kuckert has had an extensive career in the insurance industry and loves training and supportig small business owners (specifically women in business) through her consulting practice. She believes small businesses are the heartbeat of their communities.
She loves to think outside the box and pave new ways for networking and growing business relationships. She has grown over eight businesses of her own throughout her career.
Kuckert spends her free time traveling and exploring new places, gardening, crafting and spending time with her grandchildren. You’ll also find her warming up from the cold Wyoming winters in Southern Utah.
Over the past few months, she has been helping the Rock Springs Main Street/URA plan various programs to aid business owners in growing their businesses including the “Ladies That Lunch” series of focused conversations and the upcoming Small Business Week. She also helped plan last fall’s Women’s Business Summit.
The Rock Springs Main Street/URA is charged with the redevelopment of Downtown Rock Springs. As part of their mission, there are three standing committees –Promotions, Business Development, and Arts & Culture. For more information contact the Rock Springs Main Street/URA at 307-352-1434 or visit their website at DowntownRS.com
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/rocketminer/ura-announces-kuckert-as-volunteer-of-the-month/article_3c558b78-00e2-57fa-81b1-0e6223d5b8d9.html
| 2022-04-08T18:42:36Z
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Officials find 6 human skulls in shipment at Chicago airport
Published: Apr. 8, 2022 at 1:29 PM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
CHICAGO (CNN) – U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents working at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport discovered human skulls in a shipment at the end of March.
In total, agents found six skulls that were shipped from the Netherlands and headed to Iowa. Three separate packages sent from the same person were seized, each containing two skulls.
The shipments were inspected after X-rays showed anomalies.
The skulls were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for further evaluation.
Officials are investigating the incident but did not provide further details.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/officials-find-6-human-skulls-shipment-chicago-airport/
| 2022-04-08T18:42:32Z
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Boomerang Writer
As the 2021-22 academic year begins winding down and University of Wyoming students switch out their pencils for diplomas, school administrators continue to set their sights on the future.
The campus has seen multiple new building projects over the past few years, with the most recent being a new $100 million Science Initiative Building. Located near 9th and Lewis streets, the 153,000-square-foot complex will house a variety of entry and upper-level science courses.
The UW Science Initiative began in 2014 when members of the science and business community endorsed a plan to improve education and research opportunities, according to a press release. Construction on the building started in 2018.
Built with money from the state, the facility is designed to emphasize hands-on learning. Instead of sitting in a lecture hall, students will gather around tables. The building also will house a variety of scientific equipment that can be used for research and education.
“It demonstrates the investment made by our elected leaders, (and their) commitment to state facilities in providing great programs, particularly in the STEM areas,” said UW spokesperson Chad Baldwin.
The building is expected to be in full use during the upcoming fall semester once furniture and equipment can be installed.
Long-awaited projectsAround the time work on the Science Initiative Building comes to a close, another highly anticipated project is scheduled to begin.
The university plans to finally break ground this fall on a pair of new residence halls located West of 15th Street. The south hall will be built at the intersection with Willett Drive, and the north hall at the intersection with Lewis Street.
Interior and exterior design plans for the project have been approved, and the $250 million for the project is secured through bonding, Baldwin said. The university is waiting on final construction planning documents.
The project also will include a new dining facility attached to the north residence hall, and a parking garage will be located along Ivinson Avenue between 10th and 11th streets. The 375 permitted parking spaces will make up for a loss of parking outside the Wyoming Union and is expected to be completed in January 2023.
“The residence halls demonstrate a clear statement from the Board of Trustees that residential living will continue to be a big part of our student experience,” Baldwin said. “We’re going to have that on-campus, in-person experience for students and that’s the foundation upon which our enrollment will be built in the future.”
Providing enough on-campus living space for students hasn’t been a problem for the university, especially with decreased admission rates brought on by the pandemic, but the current facilities are outdated.
The new residence halls and dining center are intended to replace those old facilities. Though the administration hasn’t made any final decisions, the university may demolish some buildings and keep others such as Crane Hall as a housing overflow area, Baldwin said.
The College of Law building also could see an expansion come fall if the Board of Trustees grants the project its final approval. A decision could come on that next month.
“It’s been a pretty collaborative effort all the way,” Baldwin said of the recent projects. “We really do have world-class facilities and world-class researchers and teachers to use them.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/construction/if-you-build-it-uw-on-track-with-long-term-construction-projects/article_fb9687dc-b763-11ec-979d-1750f5f27413.html
| 2022-04-08T18:42:42Z
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S.C. man who livestreamed sexual assaults against toddler receives prison sentence
BLUFFTON, S.C. (WCSC/Gray News) - A 33-year-old man has received a decades-long prison sentence for the production of child pornography.
WCSC reports David James Allison of Bluffton, South Carolina, was sentenced to 30 years in prison and a lifetime term of court-ordered supervision on Friday by U.S. District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call in January 2020 after a family member of a 22-month-old child accused Allison of sexually assaulting the toddler.
Authorities said Allison admitted to deputies that he assaulted the victim approximately five times between September and December 2019 and livestreamed the assaults over Skype.
Investigators said the Skype communications were tied to an IP address of a 52-year-old man from Littlehampton, West Sussex, United Kingdom. Sussex police said Andrew McPherson-Young admitted to directing Allison and watching the assaults on Skype.
The Department of Justice said McPherson-Young is currently being prosecuted in the United Kingdom.
The South Carolina 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said Allison was sentenced by both state and federal courts, and he will serve his sentences concurrently in federal prison.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wvva.com/2022/04/08/sc-man-who-livestreamed-sexual-assaults-against-toddler-receives-prison-sentence/
| 2022-04-08T18:42:44Z
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Laramie County Community College freshman guard Lucia Fleta, right, is defended by Casper College's Natalia Otkhmezuri during the Golden Eagles' 88-65 loss Saturday, March 20, 2021, at the LCCC gym in Cheyenne.
CHEYENNE – Laramie County Community College is beginning the final stages of transforming one of its oldest buildings on campus, the Recreation & Athletics Complex (RAC).
The RAC, originally build in 1971, has seen minor improvements and structural changes over the past 50 years. With the buildings electrical capacity maximized, no air conditioning and aging infrastructure, the college is now looking at substantial improvements that will address these issues and more.
Working with local contractor GH Phipps and architect Plan One, the college has completed a feasibility study of the original project proposal from 2017. With an original project cost of $14 million, the college is now dealing with increased construction costs and inflation, and is working to bring the project into the current $20 million budget.
The college plans to move forward with some of the original project designs which include moving the competition gym into the existing Multipurpose Room (MPR), increasing the ceiling height to align with NJCAA requirements and increasing seating. The new seating will accommodate 1,300 spectators at LCCC athletic competitions and community events. The project, which includes a two-story addition to the west end of the current MPR, will allow for additional office spaces, student-athlete locker rooms and weight training facilities and storage. Additionally, there will be more space for both fitness and weight training for all LCCC students and employees.
The college will continue to utilize the current competition gym as a space for recreational use by the community and campus. Allowing for homeschool student P.E. classes to continue being offered at LCCC and expanding intramural opportunities for LCCC students.
The scope of work does include the removal of both the rock wall and swimming pool. The rock wall will be removed to accommodate the west expansion of the MPR, and the area currently occupied by the swimming pool will be used to increase fitness, weight training, and recreation spaces desired by LCCC students.
Work on the renovation and expansion of the RAC will begin in September, and is expected to be done in December of 2023. The college is currently in discussions with Laramie County School District 1 regarding where future athletic competitions will be held during the construction cycle.
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/construction/lccc-moves-forward-with-renovations-to-recreation-athletics-complex/article_0ec9bd60-b764-11ec-ad69-cb88d64fb67d.html
| 2022-04-08T18:42:49Z
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CHEYENNE – Megan Degenfelder said she is prepared to take on the role of state superintendent of public instruction, not only because she is a product of Wyoming’s education system, but due to her experience as a business leader and a policy executive.
She announced her candidacy for the elected office at the Casper Boys and Girls Club on Thursday night, where she met with supporters from her hometown. Degenfelder will run against current state Superintendent Brian Schroeder, who said he plans to run for re-election after his appointment to the position in January.
“I’m very proud to be a product of Wyoming’s K-12 education system, as well as the University of Wyoming. And, as a result, I was able to experience incredible opportunities to be able to build a future and a successful life as an adult here,” she told journalists prior to the event. “I’m very passionate about making sure that our future generations receive these opportunities, as well.”
But the former chief policy officer at the Wyoming Department of Education said she sees those chances slipping away for local students, and considers it the result of anti-American values creeping into the classroom, voices of parents being silenced and future job opportunities being threatened.
She said the state is full of exceptional parents, teachers and business leaders who can work together to produce a better education system. Because of both her experience in the oil and gas sector as a lobbyist, as well as at the education department, Degenfelder said she can bridge any gaps.
She wants to keep decision making at the local level, and empower parents.
“Parents know what is best for their kids,” she said. “And they deserve not only a seat at the table, but they deserve increased transparency and greater choices for their kids. No parent should ever be silenced in the education of their kids.”
Education issues
One of the most significant issues on which parents said they felt ignored is critical race theory, Degenfelder said. From testimony at local school board meetings to legislative committees during state lawmakers’ past session, many stakeholders have come forward asking for CRT to be removed from classrooms, she said. Degenfelder assured that she does not see a place for it in curriculums.
“I’ve always been opposed to the radical leftist theory that is critical race theory,” she said during an interview. “And, unfortunately, critical race theory is only one part of a larger political activist agenda. It’s really being pushed into classrooms.”
What she said she does hope to see in state schools is higher literacy rates, investments in workforce development, increased transparency and a greater sense of American pride. Some of these goals have been expressed not only by the state superintendent candidate, but by Gov. Mark Gordon, members of the Wyoming Legislature and state government officials.
She recognized one of the strides made in addressing literacy rates occurred during the 2022 budget session. Lawmakers passed the kindergarten to third grade reading assessment and intervention bill, which is meant to help find solutions for students suffering from reading disabilities. While Degenfelder supported the legislation, she said there have to be efforts made at the local level.
“The Department of Education is going to have to really roll their sleeves up and go to work in these communities, because a blanket policy just simply isn’t going to get the job done,” she said. “We also need to look at how we’re allocating resources. I really will prioritize education funding in the classroom directly impacting students.”
Connecting with communities, understanding needs and practicing fiscally responsible management are qualities she said she has due to her background.
As an executive in the education department, Degenfelder oversaw multiple divisions, a $30 million budget and helped develop the most recent “basket of goods,” which is the required skills, classes and opportunities outlined for students. She also was a lobbyist for mineral industries, and said it gave her knowledge in how to run a business, as well as how to place students in the right positions.
“Before that job, I spent a series of time in the classroom in China. I taught community college courses in American business, and English courses in all areas of their public education,” she said. “That really provided me with a great opportunity to see how America and Wyoming truly have the greatest education system in the world. And we must do everything we can to protect it.”
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyomingbusinessreport/industry_news/education/former-education-policy-officer-announces-candidacy-for-state-superintendent/article_21fef472-b764-11ec-b590-fbeccb6b1129.html
| 2022-04-08T18:42:55Z
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Confirmed for Supreme Court, cheers for Jackson: ‘We’ve made it, all of us’
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tearfully embracing a history-making moment, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson said Friday her confirmation as the first Black woman to the Supreme Court showed the progress of America, declaring, ″We’ve made it — all of us.”
Jackson delivered emotional remarks on the sunny White House South Lawn a day after the Senate approved her nomination, saying, it was a development the entire country could be proud of.
“We have come a long way toward perfecting our union,” she said. “In my family, it took just one generation to go from segregation to the Supreme Court of the United States.”
President Joe Biden, who made his own history by nominating her, stood by her side for Friday’s event, celebrating her confirmation as “a moment of real change in American history.” On Jackson’s other side: Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to attain her high office.
Jackson will take the bench later this year, filling the seatof retiring Justice Stephen Breyer on a court that was made up entirely of white men for almost two centuries, that declared her race unworthy of citizenship and endorsed American segregation.
“It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a Black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States,” Jackson said. “But we’ve made it. We’ve made it, all of us.”
Jackson, at times speaking through tears as she thanked her family and mentors for their support, promised to follow in Breyer’s footsteps on the bench.
“I have done my level best to stay in my lane and to reach a result that is consistent with my understanding of the law,” she said, “And with the obligation to rule independently, without fear or favor.”
Jackson’s remarks on the White House lawn might be the most, and the last, the public hears from her for some time. She won’t formally join the court until early summer, and the justices won’t hear cases again until October. In any event, justices tend not to say much about themselves in their early years on the court, though some make sporadic public appearances and several have done speaking tours to pitch memoirs or their books about the law.
Jackson’s arrival on the bench won’t upend the current 6-3 conservative balance. But in addition to the racial history, it will for the first time put four women on the court at one time.
Biden nominated Jackson on the second anniversary of his pledge ahead of the South Carolina presidential primary to select a Black woman for the court. The move helped resurrect his flailing campaign and preserved his pathway to the White House, and Biden said the promise of putting someone like Jackson on the court helped motivate his bid for the Oval Office.
“I could see it as a day of hope, a day of promise, a day of progress, a day when once again the moral arc of the universe — as Barack (Obama) used to quote all the time — bends a little more toward justice,” Biden told the boisterous crowd on the South Lawn. “I believe so strongly that we needed a court that looks like America.”
Racial questions aside, a number of Republican senators aggressively questioned Jackson during confirmation hearings, accusing her of liberal activism as an appeals court judge and being soft on crime in some of her sentencing.
Biden praised Jackson’s “incredible character and integrity” during the confirmation process, saying she put up with “verbal abuse, the anger, constant interruptions, the most vile baseless assertions and accusations.” He praised the three Republican senators who joined Democrats to back her for the court: Maine Sen. Susan Collins, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Utah Sen. Mitt Romney.
Jackson will be the high court’s first former public defender — with the elite legal background of other justices as well. She has degrees from Harvard and Harvard Law School and held top clerkships, including for Breyer himself.
The crowd on the White House lawn included Jackson’s family, members of Biden’s Cabinet, some of the Democratic senators who backed her nomination, as well as Democratic representatives and allies. The White House said all current and former justices of the Supreme Court were invited, but none attended.
The event came amid a COVID-19 outbreak among Washington’s political class that has sidelined members of Biden’s administration and lawmakers, including Collins and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, who tested positive for the virus just hours after voting for Brown’s confirmation. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was on the invite list, tested positive for the virus on Thursday.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday addressed concerns that the White House event could be a “super-spreader” for the virus, like President Donald Trump’s Rose Garden ceremony announcing the nomination of now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Psaki emphasized that the risks from the virus are now much lower because of vaccinations and treatments.
“At that point in time, vaccines were unavailable, people were not vaccinated, it certainly puts us in a different space,” Psaki said.
While not all attendees were tested for the virus, Psaki said those close to Biden would be. Harris delivered remarks, though she was identified on Wednesday as a close contact of a staffer who tested positive. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines require close contacts to wear masks while around other people. Harris did not wear one during the South Lawn event, and she hugged Jackson at the conclusion.
On Thursday, Jackson had joined Biden at the White House to watch the Senate vote unfold on TV, the two of them clasping hands in the Roosevelt Room as her confirmation became reality.
Throughout his 50 years in Washington, Biden has played an instrumental part in shaping the court, both inside and out of the Senate. But this was his first opportunity to make a selection of his own.
Biden may not get another chance. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, in an interview Thursday with Axios, refused to commit to hold confirmation hearings for a future Biden nominee to the high court if the GOP retakes control of the Senate in 2023.
While Jackson awaits Breyer’s official retirement, a White House official said, she will remain on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit but continue to recuse herself from cases.
___
AP writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/08/cheers-jackson-biden-declares-moment-real-change/
| 2022-04-08T18:50:14Z
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FAA seeks biggest fines yet against 2 unruly passengers
Published: Apr. 8, 2022 at 1:47 PM EDT|Updated: 58 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The price is going up for disrupting airline flights.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that it’s seeking record civil fines against two passengers who assaulted other people on flights last summer.
In one case, a woman tried to open a cabin door, then headbutted and spit at crew members and passengers after she was placed in flexible handcuffs. The FAA is seeking a $81,950 fine.
In the second case, the FAA is proposing a $77,272 fine against a woman who tried to open a cabin door during a flight and bit another passenger repeatedly before she was restrained by crew members.
The FAA isn’t identifying the people.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/08/faa-seeks-biggest-fines-yet-against-2-unruly-passengers/
| 2022-04-08T18:50:20Z
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Jury deliberating in ex-police officer’s Capitol riot trial
WASHINGTON (AP) — A defense attorney conceded on Friday that a former Virginia police officer broke laws when he entered the U.S. Capitol during last year’s riot, encouraging a federal jury to convict him of misdemeanor offenses.
But the lawyer urged jurors to acquit former Rocky Mount police officer Thomas Robertson of felony charges that he armed himself with a weapon and stormed the Capitol with another off-duty officer to obstruct Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory.
Jurors began deliberating after hearing closing arguments from Justice Department prosecutors and defense attorney Mark Rollins at Robertson’s jury trial, the second among hundreds of Capitol riot cases. The first ended last month with jurors convicting a Texas man, Guy Reffitt, of all five counts in his indictment.
Rollins said Robertson is “absolutely guilty” of illegally entering restricted areas of the Capitol and of engaging in disorderly conduct on Jan. 6, 2021. But the defense attorney argued that the evidence doesn’t support more serious charges that Robertson intended to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote or that he was armed with a dangerous weapon, a large wooden stick.
“There were no plans to go down there and say, ‘I’m going to stop Congress from doing this vote,’” Rollins said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower said Robertson went to Washington, D.C., and joined a “violent vigilante mob” because he believed the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump. He used the wooden stick to interfere with outnumbered police before he joined the crowd pouring into the Capitol, she said.
“The defendant did all this because he wanted to overturn the election,” Berkower said.
Robertson didn’t testify at his trial. A key witness for prosecutors in his case was Jacob Fracker, who also served on the Rocky Mount police force and viewed Robertson as a mentor and father figure.
Fracker was scheduled to be tried alongside Robertson before he pleaded guilty last month to a conspiracy charge and agreed to cooperate with federal authorities.
Fracker testified on Thursday that he initially believed that he was merely trespassing when he entered the Capitol building. However, he ultimately pleaded guilty to conspiring with Robertson to obstruct the joint session of Congress.
Fracker said he didn’t have a “verbal agreement” with anybody to obstruct the congressional proceedings. He said he believed everybody in the mob “pretty much had the same goal” and didn’t need for it to be “said out loud.”
“It was clear that everyone around them had that same goal,” Berkower said.
Rollins said Robertson didn’t engage in any of the violence or destruction carried out by “knuckleheads” and “clowns” who stormed the Capitol.
“Don’t judge him by what the other people are doing,” he told jurors.
Robertson and Fracker drove with a neighbor to Washington on the morning of Jan. 6. Robertson brought three gas masks for them to use, according to prosecutors.
After listening to speeches near the Washington Monument, Fracker, Robertson and the neighbor walked toward the Capitol, donned the gas masks and joined the growing mob, prosecutors said. Robertson stopped to help his neighbor, who was having trouble breathing. Fracker broke off and entered the building before Robertson, but they reunited inside the Capitol.
Defense attorney Camille Wagner said Robertson only went into the Capitol because he wanted to retrieve Fracker. Wagner also denied that Robertson wielded the stick as a weapon. She said the U.S. Army veteran was using it as a walking stick because he still has a limp from getting shot in the right thigh while working as a private contractor for the U.S. Defense Department in Afghanistan in 2011.
Robertson was charged with six counts: obstruction of Congress, interfering with officers during a civil disorder, entering a restricted area while carrying a dangerous weapon, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted area, disorderly or disruptive conduct inside the Capitol building and obstruction. The last charge stems from his alleged post-riot destruction of cellphones belonging to him and Fracker.
The town fired Robertson and Fracker after the riot. Prosecutors said Robertson paid Fracker more than $30,000 after they were arrested, but Fracker said he believes Robertson wanted to cover his lost wages and wasn’t trying to “buy” his testimony.
Jurors saw some of Robertson’s vitriolic posts on social media before and after the Capitol riot. In a Facebook post on Nov. 7, 2020, Robertson said “being disenfranchised by fraud is my hard line.”
“I’ve spent most of my adult life fighting a counter insurgency. (I’m) about to become part of one, and a very effective one,” he wrote.
Robertson has been jailed since Cooper ruled in July that he violated the terms of his pretrial release by possessing firearms.
More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot. Over 240 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors.
Robertson’s trial is one of four so far for Capitol riot defendants. Two others had their cases decided by bench trials before the same judge.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden convicted New Mexico elected official Couy Griffin last month of illegally entering restricted Capitol grounds but acquitted him of engaging in disorderly conduct. On Wednesday, McFadden acquitted another New Mexico man, Matthew Martin, of all four charges that he faced.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/08/jury-deliberating-ex-police-officers-capitol-riot-trial/
| 2022-04-08T18:50:29Z
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2 acquitted, jury hung on 2 more in Whitmer kidnap plot
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Two of four men were acquitted Friday of conspiracy to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, motivated by fury at the Democrat’s tough COVID-19 restrictions early in the pandemic.
The jury’s verdicts against Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta were read in the federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the case presided over by U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker. Jurors said they c couldn’t agree on verdicts again Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. Prosecutors described Fox as a ringleader of an anti-government group.
Fox, Croft and Harris faced additional charges. The two most serious charges, kidnapping conspiracy and conspiracy to use explosives, both carry potential life sentences.
Defense attorneys portrayed their clients as credulous weekend warriors prone to big, wild talk, who were often stoned. They said FBI undercover agents and informants tricked and cajoled the men into agreeing to a conspiracy.
To counter that entrapment claim, prosecutors entered evidence that the men discussed abducting Whitmer before the FBI sting began. They went way beyond talk, including scouting Whitmer’s summer home and testing explosives, prosecutors told jurors.
Croft is from Delaware while the others are from Michigan.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A jury said Friday it has reached decisions on “several” of the 10 charges but was deadlocked on others in the trial of four men accused of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker acknowledged the struggle on the fifth day of deliberations but told jurors they should keep working while lunch was on the way.
Decisions to convict or acquit must be unanimous.
“I know it’s tough. We all know it’s tough,” Jonker told the jury.
There are 10 charges in the case: one against Brandon Caserta, two against Adam Fox, three against Barry Croft Jr. and four against Daniel Harris. The men all face the main charge of a kidnapping conspiracy; the other counts are related to explosives and a firearm.
The judge read the jury’s note in open court.
“We’ve come to a decision on several counts. However are locked on others. How should we proceed?” the note said.
Jonker recalled the line, “Is that your final answer?” from the ABC TV show, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”
“It’s important to reach unanimity if you can. ... If you just can’t see it, then that’s what we need to hear eventually as your final answer,” Jonker said.
Deliberations resumed earlier Friday with a court employee handing over a large plastic bag containing pennies, known as exhibit 291. The pennies were requested before jurors went home Thursday.
Pennies taped to a commercial-grade firework were intended to act like shrapnel, investigators said.
According to evidence, a homemade explosive was detonated during training in September 2020, about a month before the men were arrested.
In his closing argument on April 1, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler said Croft wanted to test the explosive as a possible weapon to use against Whitmer’s security team. He quoted him as saying the pennies would be so hot they could go “right through your skin.”
The trial now has covered 20 days since March 8, including jury selection, evidence, final arguments and jury deliberations.
Prosecutors offered testimony from undercover agents, a crucial informant and two men who pleaded guilty to the plot. Jurors also read and heard secretly recorded conversations, violent social media posts and chat messages.
Prosecutors said the group was steeped in anti-government extremism and angry over Whitmer’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Defense lawyers, however, said any scheme was the creation of government agents who were embedded in the group and manipulated the men.
Croft is from Bear, Delaware, while the others are from Michigan.
Whitmer, a Democrat, rarely talks publicly about the plot, though she referred to “surprises” during her term that seemed like “something out of fiction” when she filed for reelection on March 17.
She has blamed former President Donald Trump for fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn right-wing extremists like those charged in the case.
___
Find AP’s full coverage of the Whitmer kidnap plot trial at: https://apnews.com/hub/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial
___
White reported from Detroit.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/08/jury-gets-bomb-evidence-gov-whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial/
| 2022-04-08T18:50:35Z
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Man killed estranged wife, son, former daughter-in-law before taking his own life in Mississippi, sheriff says
JACKSON COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX/Gray News) - A father is accused of killing his estranged wife, their son and the son’s ex-wife before turning the gun himself, authorities said Friday.
The alleged murder-suicide happened Thursday between 7:30 and 8 p.m. local time at a home in the Latimer community, WLOX reported.
Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said deputies responded to a 911 call after receiving a report of a shooting. When the deputy arrived, he heard a single gunshot from the house, Ezell said.
That final shot is believed to have been the one fired by 64-year-old Thomas Griswold that ended his life.
Investigators said they believe he shot his estranged wife 64-year-old Veronica Griswold, their 36-year-old son Bjorn Griswold, and Bjorn’s ex-wife Jillian Pavolini, 39.
Copyright 2022 WLOX via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.whsv.com/2022/04/08/man-killed-estranged-wife-son-former-daughter-in-law-before-taking-his-own-life-mississippi-sheriff-says/
| 2022-04-08T18:50:41Z
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